Baptist City Blog

-Tuesday, 9/21/21  Have you self-destructed? Gone back to that habit, addiction, life-style AGAIN?? After the price that Christ paid for you, do you think

He’d so easily reject you? No, our God is bigger than our sin. Hosea 13:9, O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me IS THINE HELP.                                Psalm 108:10-11a, Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom? Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? What a gracious, forgiving God we have. If we’ll just respond properly to His conviction and chastisement, He’ll draw us back close to Him and use us again. And always remember, we never one time DESERVED for Him to use us, so we can’t disqualify ourselves from Him doing so again. He chose us because of how awesome He is, not because of how “pure” we are.

- Wednesday, 9/22/21  Have you lost your dignity, self-respect, purpose, joy? Are you simply trudging through life, surviving, sorta...? Luke 19:10, For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. The solution is Jesus Christ. He has salvation for the lost and usefulness, value, purpose for the saved.                              James 1:14-15, But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Read carefully, the order of events here is: inherent desires, current enticement, new temptation, sin, complications of sin, and finally, death. 1The chain can be broken at any point, and 2the earlier the break, the better for us. Blunt question: do you treat your inherent desires (not just sexual; ANY strong desire) as a mad dog trying to get out or as a pet that you can play with at your leisure? Do you see your heart as a cesspool or a swimming pool? How afraid of you are you?

- Thursday, 9/23/21  A verse to measure ourselves by:  Proverbs 17:27, He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Count your words; evaluate your spirit. Fewer and better this year than last?                         Micah 7:9, I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. When we accept the blame for our actions, God will remove the guilt and judgment. When we quit trying to shift or share the blame, He’ll get involved.

- Friday, 9/24/21  Psalm 139:18, If I should count [your thoughts about me], they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. A truth that needs to be a daily buoy to our spirits, a calming in our soul, and a zest to our endeavors.                         Psalm 137:3, For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. For all that they hate and mock about us, generally, the world knows how a Christian should act in any situation...moral of the story? You’re being watched and evaluated.

- Saturday, 9/25/21  A major prevention to a fall is to acknowledge how treacherous the path is. Proverbs 19:3, The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord. Our innate being is corrupt and WANTS to do wrongly. So, our life’s path is VERY slippery, and we must constantly be on guard against our closest enemy: ourselves. Satan is more formidable, but me, myself, and I are closest to me and are a dire threat to me.                              2 Samuel 11:1, And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.  Psalm 119:95, The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies. The moment you neglect your personal walk with God you contribute to your own spiritual decline. You and I will NOT be the exception to this. Only you can walk with God for you, and only I can do it for me. So, how’s your walk? Are you walking farther and faster than ever or, for whatever reason, are you walking less and less and more slowly? Only you can prevent forest fires and your own demise.

- Sunday, 9/26/21  Ezekiel 3:10, Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. Maybe the reason that we don’t get much out of church or our Bible reading is that we are supposed to receive BEFORE hearing. If we’ll promise God that, if He’ll speak, we’ll respond and obey, then He will.                                   James 1:18, Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.  Never forget that NO ONE comes to God on their own, because they decided to do so one day. We come because He draws us...so don’t every presume that you will be able to get saved “another day.” I’ve asked before, and it’s time for some who read this to think about it and call me.  Do you KNOW 100% for sure that you’ll go to Heaven when you die, or do you have the slightest amount of doubt?

- Monday, 9/27/21  God told Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but he insisted. Acts 21:14, And when [Paul] would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. Notice that the will of God is not always the same for leaders and followers. (Apply to husband-wife, parent-child, & supervisor-staff.)                           Haggai 2:3, Who is left among you that saw this [temple] in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? It’s not the size of the building that matters but the identity of the One that inhabits the building. It’s not the size of the work that we do for God, it’s that God uses us. Yes, this temple was not as big or as elaborate or as fancy, but it was still God’s. And, it witnessed the Lord Jesus crossing its threshold. You may have blown a big hole in your life and feel like garbage cuz you did. OK...you did. What happened, happened. Rebuild. Even if your second “temple” is smaller, “less classy,” “more ordinary,” “not as breath taking” as your first, it can still be used of God. That one soul you win Mr. Shy Shoe Salesman might be D.L. Moody. That one pupil in your SS class Mrs. Bethel might be Jackie-Boy Hyles. Nobody at their doorstep knows of your sin...go win someone. A first grade SS class doesn’t care what you used to be...they need to hear from God on their level today. Build your second temple, even if in your eyes it’s “second rate.”