It has been an extremely long time since I’ve written on this site. Before I address the reason for the hiatus, I want to thank the loyal followers who stayed in touch by text and email; you all are great … Thank You!

As I reviewed the comments (some robotic ones I disregarded), I realized how few the responses there were for the dedicated effort involving a great deal of time it took to research and write each message.

Many of today’s Christians want it both ways; what I mean is; they want to pick and choose what part of the scriptures they want to believe and which one they will obey.

Some pastors (a lot) want to keep people happy with feel-good sermons rather than preaching a soul-saving message that might(would)convict a large percentage of the Sunday morning Christians. These are the ones that count on the screen up front to display the scriptures being used because you and I both know they wouldn’t know where to look for them in the bible they carried as part of their Sunday morning wardrobe.

Next time you go to a bible study(if you ever do), look around at who’s there. The missing ones always have a(good)reason for not coming. I have a list available for most of them; I’ve heard them all.

Anything outside of making their “look at me, I’m a Christian” appearance on Sunday morning is inconvenient, and they don’t have time for it. This includes getting in the word or reading blog with Christian teaching. To be blunt, it’s called middle-of-the-road or fence riding; call what you like; it all has the same results. Revelation 3:15-16 is and will be the final judgment.

You all know who I’m speaking of… we know they’re not reading this, so if you like, pass it on; I’m sure it won’t be received with joy… but it is the truth!

Coming soon to this site will be a weekly podcast with the good news and bible teaching from the word of God. Check back when you can; we’ll be waiting for you…

KEEP LOOKING UP!

Dusty

My Prayer For You:   

Heavenly Father,

We are so thankful for your love and mercy; we would be lost without them. We ask your forgiveness for our sins and strength to do better. Guide our footsteps in the the direction you would have us go, and let us be a light to our brothers and sisters.

Lord, I pray for our nation and its leaders; I pray for their salvation and for the truth to be exposed so our country can return to you, Lord.

In The Precious Name of Jesus, We Pray

                                      AMEN

 

To keep peace in your family, how far will you go? Or, to put it another way, how far are you willing to compromise your Christian integrity?

You ask yourself, What is he talking about with questions like that?

Let’s start with parents standing by while one or all of their children live together, playing house with another person out of wedlock. Do you overlook this situation and go along with the politically correct society so that you can keep the peace? What do the scriptures say about “shacking up”? There are several in the bible but let’s start with;

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 ¹⁸ Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?²⁰ For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body

That’s pretty plain and to the point. So you’re willing to help pave the road to hell for your kids so no one will get mad at you for making waves?

Of course, living together leads to other problems, like children out of wedlock.

How can that be a problem, you ask?

In truth, it’s a huge problem and a heartbreaker,  not the birth of the baby, but the premarital sex was the sin. Children are a blessing from God, according to Psalm 127:3-5. Behold; children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. ⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. ⁵ Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate 

GOD IS THE ANSWER

We must never lose sight of our loving Father in Heaven, who loves ALL of us very much, and He has an abundance of mercy and grace. His forgiveness for our sins is only a prayer of repentance and asking for the Lord’s forgiveness.

Don’t condone sin for peace; the cost is too high. God’s way is the only way to guarantee eternity; remember, to paraphrase, “the road to hell is broad, and the road to eternity is narrow.”

The world around us is in chaos, and for the non-believer, there’s no hope. Now more than ever is the time to let Jesus Christ shine through us, and doing so with our families is a great start. Do it in love so we all can spend eternity together. When the storms of life surround you, Jesus is our shelter and anchor, and I promise to trust that He will see you through the roughest storm on the darkest day. ” He is the way, the truth, and the life.” hands down, there is no other!

HELP IS A CLICK AWAY

Here at “On The Road For Christ,” we a concerned about your well-being and would help in any way we can to further your walk with the Lord. In the comment section, you can voice your opinion, ask questions, seek prayer, or say, “howdy!

Don’t forget, if you would like a private conversation, you can email us at: prospectorsforgod@gmail.com or give us a shout at: (907) 315-3394.

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

Semper Fidelis

       Dusty

 

My Prayer For You:

Father, life is a series of decisions, and I pray for strength and boldness for everyone this message touches to decide to walk with you. I ask Blessings to all the lay their hand too.

I ask forgiveness for our sins and repentance to flow through America like a giant tidal wave. 

We thank you, Lord, for your love and mercy, and It’s in Jesus’s name we pray!

                                                                           AMEN

 

I woke up this morning at 3:30AM with an urgency in my spirit. I had been sick in bed for a few days and couldn’t work on my message for this week. I started my morning prayer; Lord, get me out of this bed and…

At first, as my feet hit the floor, I felt weak and jittery. My emendate thought was, “get back in bed!”

Choices, life is full of options. I preach that all the time; now, it was my turn to make a choice.

Getting up and doing what I felt, without a doubt, was what the Holy Spirit was telling me to do or accept defeat and crawl back in bed.

As I started the day, I kept a running conversation going with the Lord as I did my morning routine. Many people who don’t know me would probably think I was talking to myself as I did these things, but in truth, this is an excellent time for a one-on-one with God. 

He told me to keep asking and answering challenging questions from believers and non-believers alike. 

Here’s one that jumped out at me the moment the Lord said that; Are there more books to the bible than we are told?

Wow! That was one I received from a reader just before the China pandemic (covid), so this is a great time to get into it.

Where do we start? ( The inspired Holy Word of God)

Did you answer that question right?

Let’s get started with the first of many concerning this question.

If God has revealed Himself to humanity in several divinely inspired books, why didn’t He provide a Bible with a divinely inspired table of contents for humanity? Why didn’t He set the limits of His authoritative Word?

God Has Not Told Us Why He Did Not Give Us A Divinely Inspired List Of Books.

To begin with, we were never told why God did not provide a list of books in Holy Scripture. For reasons known only to Him, He did not give any authoritative list. Consequently, any answer would only be speculation, and Scripture is clear that we should never speculate about the ways of God. The Lord has said. My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9).

Paul wrote. O, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (Romans 11:33) 

Different authors wrote the Books of the Bible at various times.

There is another point to remember. The various books were initially written on individual scrolls and not produced simultaneously. This process was 1,500 years in the making. The only practical way such a list could come about is that either God predicted in advance the exact number of books along with their title and author or, in the last book written, there could have been some exhaustive list of the books that He divinely inspired. God did neither of these things.

Early On, There Was No Need For A Fixed List

During the New Testament era, there did not seem to be a need for such a list. The Extent of the Old Testament was clear to everyone. When the New Testament was written, the apostles of Jesus were still living and able to give eyewitness and authoritative testimony to His words and deeds. The need arose after the completion of the New Testament and the death of the last of the Apostles.

God Has Given The Extent

However, the extent of the Scripture has established the limits of the OldTestament  at the time of Christ. There was no honest debate over which books are divinely inspired and which are not. As far as the New Testament is concerned, there is sufficient evidence available that the books that now make up this part of Scripture are the correct books with nothing added and nothing lacking.

There Are Three Categories Of Old Testament Books That Claim God’s Authority In the New Testament

We can list books that claim divine authority into three different categories. In the Old Testament, some books were accepted by all, books that were accepted by some, and books that were rejected by all.

The books accepted by all would include the present thirty-nine books of the Old Testament.

The Roman Catholic Church includes several additional books in the Old Testament that Protestants and Jews reject. These books are the “Apocrypha” by Protestants and “The deuterocanonical books” by the Roman Catholic Church. The books accepted by some would be the books of the Old Testament Apocrypha.

The Ethiopic Bible includes two other books to the Old Testament that are not in the Apocrypha: 1 Enoch and Jubilees. However, there is no compelling evidence why it should consist of either. In the Old Testament? Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

The books rejected by all would be the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (forgeries). Neither Protestants nor Roman Catholics accept these writings as Scripture.

The New Testament Also Has Three Categories

The books that have had divine authority claimed for them in the New Testament period can also be divided into three categories. In the New Testament, the books accepted by all would be our present New Testament writings. Some Christians received several books in a limited geographical area for a short period. These books include works such as the “Shepherd of Hermas” and “Third Corinthians.” Many books were never given serious consideration for being Holy Scripture. These include the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Philip. They were always rejected as Scripture. There Was Unanimous Agreement On The Old Testament Books Among Jews and Christians concerning the divine inspiration of the Old Testament; there is unanimous agreement upon the thirty-nine Old Testament books. The Samaritans, who are half-Jew and half-Gentile, accept only the Law of Moses as authoritative Scripture.

Among Christians, there is no doubt concerning the authority of the twenty-seven New Testament books. The only exception is some branches of the Syrian church, which reject 2 Peter, 2,3 John, and Revelation.

Apart from these two obscure groups, there is unanimous agreement on the divine authority of the sixty-six books of Scripture among Christians.

There Were Some New Testament Books Questioned

There have also been questions concerning seven New Testament books: Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. However, the case for the canonicity of all these books is solid. Summary The Scriptures do not contain any divinely inspired table of contents. God has not told us why this is so. Since He has not told us, it would only be fruitless to speculate.

Seemingly, the only way He could have done so was to predict the exact number of books and their titles or authors ahead of time or to have an exhaustive list of the last book in which He divinely inspired. He chose to do neither. However, He did not leave us in darkness. The Old Testament had been complete for about four centuries before the time of Christ and had clearly defined limits.

The evidence also demonstrates that the New Testament contains exactly those writings that God intended to be added with the Old Testament as Holy Scripture. Therefore we are not in darkness when it comes to recognizing the Extent of the canon of Scripture.

Concerning the Old Testament canon, we can classify the books into three categories: books that were accepted by all, books that were accepted by some, and books that were rejected by all.

Regarding the New Testament, there were books accepted by all, books taken by some, and books rejected by all. Seven of the New Testament books have been disputed at one time or another during church history, but there are no strong reasons to doubt their divine inspiration. I believe this is true of all books in our Holy Scriptures. While there is no heavenly table of contents, all books found in Holy Scripture belong there.

I profoundly hope this answered some of your asked and un-ask questions about other existing books of the Bible. Of course, the answers are and always will be controversial. One thing isn’t, though, and you can take it to the bank; we’ll all know for sure when we meet our savior face to face on that glorious day.

Until next time, stay safe, be blessed, and always, “KEEP LOOKING UP!”

Semper Fidelis

Dusty

Heavenly Father, 

Our faith and trust lay in You, Lord. Without You, there is no hope. Your word is the sword against evil and the answer to the questions of life.

Lord, please forgive us of our sins and guide our paths to do your will, not ours. Jesus, I pray for a revival to start in this nation and roar worldwide, destroying ALL the evil and bringing peace, tranquility, and love to this unholy world. I pray for an instant healing for all these satanic, man-made diseases. In other words, I pray for one of your greatest miracles. Lord, I ask for this message to reach the multitudes in all walks of life, and it’s in Your precious name we give all the praise and glory, for it’s in Your name we pray.

AMEN

 

I’m glad you returned to the third and final part of this series from 1Thessalonians. We’ve attempted to clarify Paul’s meaning in chapter 5, verses 16-18. In the last two messages, we did an in-depth look at verses 16 and 17, so let’s take a look at the final verse in this segment, verse 18 (¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.).  

Your first question is, EVERYTHING; what do you mean everything? Well, yes, that’s what it says, “everything.” Before you ask, yes, it means the bad too.

Besides, in Thessalonians, think about what Paul also wrote in his letter to the Romans, that he “gloried in tribulations”—he welcomed them! Because Paul was convinced of what abiding in a living faith towards God would produce in his life—something eternal! He had partaken of faith wherein he could “rejoice always” and give thanks in everything, even those things which were not only unpleasant but also seemingly unbearable. His thankfulness truly honored God! And he reminds us to do the same: “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Is it any wonder that he, with such an attitude, had a “feast” in his heart every day?

This thought goes along with another scripture; take a look at this;  Romans 8:28 ²⁸ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Usually, unschooled Christians forget to add the part after, “works together for the good,” and to me, that’s the most crucial part. (to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.) Now, this verse makes it even harder to swallow a commandment like that, especially with all that’s been going on in all our lives (actually since the beginning of time) lately.

Well, I’ve opened another can of worms, but if you stick with me, we’ll get to the bottom of this conundrum and others along the way. If you have any bible questions, contact us in the comment section or email: prospectorsforgod@gmail.com. We’ll certainly find it for you if we don’t know the answer.

Come back next week, and we’ll tackle Romans 8:28 and hopefully get everybody on track. Lastly, don’t forget any primaries in your neck of the woods. You only have two choices: don’t vote for personalities; vote for what they stand for, God’s laws, or to further satan’s hold on this country. You know it really is your choice. You’re either a Christian or not. No middle ground. (Revelation 3:16 ^{16 “}So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”) so you say that’s harsh? No, it’s to the point.

Until next week, many blessings to “ya all.” KEEP LOOKING UP!

Semper Fidelis

     Dusty

 

My prayer for you:                                 

Heavenly Father,

We humbly come before You, asking forgiveness for our sins. Lord, we need Your help in every segment of our lives and divine guidance for each step. 

Father, I pray for a revival, an awakening to fill the hearts of every American. I pray our nation will once again become a Godly nation.

Lord, We ask ALL this corruption and deceit perpetrated by our government be revealed and brought to Your Godly Justice, not man’s. 

Lord, I pray for our country to return to You as our founding fathers designed. Heavenly Father, I’d like to add this verse as part of our prayer this week; a man named Francis Scott Key wrote it in September 1814. It’s the 4th verse of our National anthem.

4. O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause. it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Father God, we thank you for all you do and give You ALL the praise and glory in the precious of Your Son, Jesus Christ.

                      AMEN

 

 

 

Last week I ended the message by saying we would continue looking deeper into 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. So let’s get started with 1Thessalonians 5:16. Rejoice always. What was Paul instructing? “Rejoice always.” Are we supposed to be dancing in the streets every waking moment? I don’t think that was what he was trying to say. Christians are commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to “rejoice always.” It sounds like an excellent command; God wants us to be joyful! But when you measure it against each person’s suffering in life, it seems like an impossible command. How can you continue to rejoice when your child dies? Or when you lose your job or your health? Or when a close friend betrays you. We cannot just ignore these issues and put on fake happiness. So how can we possibly rejoice always?

The Bible in no way ignores man’s suffering. Still, through the examples of men like Peter, Paul, and Silas, it is possible to be “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.).

The key to rejoicing always is understanding the gospel. Without knowing God’s love for us and the lengths, He went through to have a relationship with us. There would be no basis for hope or joy in suffering. Even times of ease and pleasure would be meaningless without the cross.

In 1 Peter chapter 1, Peter describes Jesus’ victory over death, resulting in a living hope and an “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time; see 1 Peter 1:3–12). He points out that this inheritance is the reason we can rejoice, even though “you are grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6). In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,). When you know the weight of what Christ has done for you and understand the glory to come, joy is your foundation through trials. You can rejoice to know that. And you now have Christ’s righteousness: Romans 5:1–2
“Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” 
The Bible also reveals that we can rejoice all the more knowing that we are not just hoping for eternity with our Savior but that our sufferings produce good in us on this earth. James tells Christians to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2–4). We are sanctified and made more like Christ through trials; we can rejoice. God is not wasting your pain; He has a plan for pain that will result in His glory and your good. He uses sufferings to prove the genuineness of our faith as a witness to the truth of the cross. By God’s grace, our suffering is a witness to the world of God’s goodness and strength (Colossians 1:24 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.) if we as Christians never faced hardship or lost joy in the midst of it, we would present a weak gospel to the world and a God who cannot hold up to the evil and sufferings all humans encounter.

Knowing the hope to which we are called and the purpose of our suffering gives us a reason and ability to rejoice always, but that is not the end to the reasons for rejoicing! God’s goodness extends further than we deserve, and He has blessed us with a multitude of reasons to be glad and take comfort, take time and look these scriptures up:

• We rejoice in our salvation (Luke 10:20).
• We rejoice in God’s justice and sovereignty (Psalm 67:4).
• We rejoice because God works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).
• We rejoice because we have victory in Christ (1 John 5:4; 1 Corinthians 10:13; John 16:33).
• We rejoice, knowing nothing can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:35–39).
• We rejoice knowing that God will provide for us richly (Philippians 4:19)
• We rejoice in God’s peace (Philippians 4:4–7).
• We rejoice because God works for our healing (Isaiah 61:1–4).

God has blessed us with an abundance of reasons to rejoice, and He has blessed us with a joy that is not weak. We follow the example of Christ, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). The same joy that sustained Christ in the face of the cross can sustain us through this life; therefore, we rejoice always!

I hope this message helped you understand what rejoicing in all things means. If not, let me know if it doesn’t, and I’ll try to do a better job. That goes for any biblical question you might have, or if you want to drop a comment go to the comment section and send us a note. We’re always glad to hear from you.

Next week we’ll finish up with the last verse in 1Thessalonians 5:16-18. Verse 18 says, “in everything give thanks”  Really?

Until next time YA ALL be blessed, stay safe, and KEEP LOOKING UP!

Semper Fidelis

 Dusty

My prayer for you:

Heavenly Father,

We ask for forgiveness for our sins and the strength to do better.

Lord, we need as a nation for all this deception and persecution to stop, and we ask for You to intervene and bring all this evil visited on our country by the unholy politician brought to light. We pray for You to reveal Your will and guidance to follow it. I believe in my heart without Your divine intervention. Our country is doomed.

Jesus, we thank you for Your love and mercy; we give You all the praise and glory. It’s in Your precious name we pray,

              AMEN

 

 

 

It Still amazes me sometimes, even at my age, how God’s love abounds in our lives. He comes to us when we least expect Him and gives us that extra touch when we need it the most.

In this time in our country, you don’t have to look very far for someone hurting in their struggle with life. Some struggles will be financial, while others will struggle with fear of the unknown future. We can neither change the past nor predict the future.

The scriptures address both these problems. But to take advantage of these blessings, you must meet the life-changing requirements in the same scriptures that reveal these blessings to you. Let’s first look at; Romans 10:9-10  ⁹ 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. The first and most important thing you must do is accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Doing this gives you the power of the Holy Spirit in you, which takes care of your past by asking for the Lord’s forgiveness. Along with repenting, you start new each day.

Now, what about the worry concerning the future? Let’s read; Matthew 6:34 ³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The only one who holds and knows the future is God. The scriptures tell us  God controls the future, and it’s our job to full fill His will. In other words, have faith in Him and trust He will guide and direct each tomorrow and before you ask. No! that doesn’t mean you’ll sail through life without a problem. If you believe that being a Christian means life is trouble-free, you need to read the scriptures about Job.

As the saying goes, We all have a cross to bear. Each day brings new challenges, and I pray you seek God in all things before moving forward. Even the little things in life need prayerful consideration before making a misstep in the wrong direction. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18  Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

1 Thessalonians 5: 17 says, “pray without ceasing” I’m sure you’re asking yourself, how do I do that? None of us are monks living in a monastery high in the mountains. So what was Paul saying to us?

I believe Paul is encouraging Christians to pray continually. Naturally, this does not mean being in a state of prayer every waking moment. Instead, we ought to be in a constantly “prayerful” condition and frequently speaking to God in actual, dedicated prayer. Even amid trials, believers should recognize the immeasurable value of maintaining fellowship with God through frequent prayer.

In the following message next week, we’ll look a little deeper into the scriptures we used in this teaching. So come on back and pull up a chair, and together we’ll try to understand better God’s Word and how our lives fit into it. Until then, many blessings, and stay safe. 

KEEP LOOKING UP!

Semper Fidelis

       Dusty

    Email me with your comments at: prospectorsforgod@gmail.com

 

My prayer for you:            

Heavenly Father, We seek forgiveness for our sins with repentance in our hearts.

We pray for a revival like none seen before. 

 Lord, I pray the evil running rampant in government be exposed and the guilty ones brought to justice. 

God, I pray that all who read this blog better understand Your Word and apply it to their lives.

Lord Jesus, we love you and give You all the praise and glory, and it’s in Your name we pray,

                                            AMEN

 

 

 

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