Something To Look Forward To

I had the honor to sit and listen to one of the most genuine brothers I've ever met yesterday. His name was Forest Farmer and if I've never met a man that knew where he was standing, it was him. He had tremendous testimonies of faith of a living Gospel. Not only did he demonstrate the power of faith, but what made it greater was the humility he presented. That's what we need today is men and women that can not only demonstrate the power of the living God, but the love of the living God. As I sat and heard how this precious brother was bringing out the word of God, I began to realize how blessed I was to see what I had to look forward to growing into. I am serving the same God that he is serving and my God isn't a respecter of persons, so if I can approach Him with the same diligence and humility, I believe He will move in my life the same as our brother. That is the importance of setting our sights on a greater position than what we are, so we will become stronger. If we dwell on something the same or less then what we are, then we will stay the same or actually move backward rather than forward. This is why it is so good to dwell on the Word of God. The word says let every man be a liar, but my word be true. It is the absolute. That means it is perfect within itself. If something is perfect in itself, then that means if we add or take away from it, it won't be perfect anymore. That is why I believe the original word of God. We aren't supposed to change the bible to match us, but surrender ourselves to the absolute, and He will change us. Think of it. The purpose of having the absolute is to draw yourself to a better alignment to perfection. If we change the absolute that we are trying to align ourselves to, our absolute is no longer perfect, but is perverted. That goes for every part of our life especially the Word of God. We must look to the pure word of God and cast down every imagination or thought that exalts itself above the Word of God. If someone was watching you and believe me, they are. Are they being drawn to a better life or worse? How are you influencing the people around you? Let your conversation be as it becomes the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

God Bless You,
Bro Daniel

dcb8337@gmail.com

Moving Forward

One of the greatest characteristics, in my opinion, is to be able to get up and move forward. I am born of this old flesh just like the rest of the people in this world, so I am familiar with the avenue of failure or mistakes. A good soldier isn't one that never makes mistakes or get knocked down, but one that will get back up and keep moving forward. Imagine where the world would be if everyone just quit after making a mistake. One of my favorite people to read about is whom I would rank as one of the best presidents the USA has ever had, Abraham Lincoln. When one thinks of him, they often think of someone that really made a success in his life and many don't know of what he went through to get there. One could say Abraham was actually one of the worst failures in his early life. He attempted many things and never really prospered. You ever felt that way? The thing about him was he didn't stay laying on the ground and just give up. He got up and tried again. That is the way we must do. We will never really know what we are made until we give our all. We only get one shot at today, so lets give it our all. If you are a husband or wife, be the most loving and giving spouse you can be. If you are an employee, work in such a way that  if you left the company today the company would be crippled after you leave. Lets live a life of impact. A life of giving rather than just taking. Instead of looking at what someone can do for us, what can we do for somebody? I heard a man say one time; be the best you can be. If your going to be a bum, don't work a day in your life. I wouldn't necessarily recommend to be the bum, but be the best you can be. Live for somebody else. Brothers, if you want your wife to act beautiful, make her feel beautiful. Sisters, if you want your husband to act more caring, make him feel like a real man. Lets live in such a way that out of respect for our character the people around us will respect us. I can remember one day when I got home from a long days work. I was a technician at a dealership and had just a horrible day. I was tired, didn't feel like I accomplished much during my day, and just didn't feel real good about myself. When I got home, my family and I sat around the table. My wife made a statement about me looking very tired. I was thinking to myself, " Yeah, I am awful tired." Then my wife grabbed my arm and said, " My baby works hard for his wife and babies." My chest begin to stick out a little bit and began to feel a little better. Then my daughter said, "Daddy, you always works so hard. That's why you have such big muscles huh?" Then my boys began to talk about how their daddy was the strongest man in the world and how they wanted to be just like me. Needless to say, my head was swelled so big by this time, I had forgotten about my day's struggles. But you see, they made me feel good about myself and in turn, I wanted to be a better husband, a better daddy, and a better employee. Do you want that raise at work? Work at your job as if you were doing it for God and not just for man. Do all you do in the name of the Lord. What makes thing really prosper in this life, is God's blessing on it. Lets live honorable to God's word so He can bless our marriage, work, and our relationships. Most of all, lets pray and ask God to help us live in a way that is pleasing to Him. Have a good day today!!

God Bless You,

Bro Daniel
dcb8337@gmail.com

Count Your Blessings

Count your blessings! Sometimes it may feel like everything in life may not be going the way we would want it to go and we can look at our problems as if we just don't have anything to look forward to. However, allow me to bring something to your mind. There is a family in Arkansas that is grieving tonight over the loss of their daughter by murder. There are families that have just been given the news that one of their close members in the family is dying of cancer and only has a few months or weeks to live. There are individuals that have had an accident of some sort and will never walk again. Let us think again of the things that we allow to overburden us in this life. How quick would one of these families be willing to trade us problems? Let me ask you. Are you able to stand up and walk? Are your loved ones alive and well? Do you know that you serve a God that loves you and cares about what you are going through? If we would be willing to just stop a minute and think about all that we have to be thankful for, I believe we can have a complete different approach to our day. As for myself, I not only have confidence in my salvation, but I have a wonderful family that God has blessed me with. Lets not allow the cares of this life to so overwhelm us that we forget to stop and enjoy the blessings that we have been so graciously been given. I love to give my children gifts, but what really makes me enjoy it is to be able to watch them enjoy what I have given them. What have you been blessed with in this life? Is it your spouse, your children, do you have a job? Its the little things that we forget about a lot of the time and it is the little things that make the difference most of the time. Slow down. Enjoy your Life!!!

God Bless,

Bro Daniel

dcb8337@gmail.com

He Will Come Where He is Welcome

It is the truth that Jesus will come where He is welcome. There was a time, as wrote in St. Luke chapter 7, that Jesus had been ministering and without a doubt He was very tired, His feet hurt, and felt dirty from the labor be had brought forth from His body throughout the day. Remember, He was in a flesh body just like we are and learned obedience by the things that he suffered. I don't know about you, but as for myself, after a very long days labors I am ready to go home and rest. However, Jesus was asked of a pharisee to come to his house for supper after He had been ministering all day. Jesus is the word and as demonstrated with the woman at the well, He could discern the thoughts and intents of the heart, so He knew exactly how he was going to be treated after he accepted the invitation to come to the pharisee's house. He always comes where He is welcome! Jesus accepted the invitation from the pharisee.The custom of that day was to give the guest's water for their feet, anoint them with oil, give them a kiss, and make them the guest of honor, however Simon never washed Jesus's feet and never anointed Him with oil, but put Him in the corner by himself. Jesus knew how they were going to treat Him, but He comes where He is welcome. There was a woman in the city that was a sinner that knew Jesus was at this house and she brought an alabaster box of ointment and came to Him and washed his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair from her head and anointed them with the ointment. The pharisees began to speak among themselves that if this man was a prophet, He would know what kind of a woman this is that is touching them. Jesus said : Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
Luk 7:41  There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 
Luk 7:42  And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
Luk 7:43  Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
Luk 7:44  And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 
Luk 7:45  Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 
Luk 7:46  My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 
Luk 7:47  Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 
Luk 7:48  And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

Jesus Comes Where He is Welcome! If somebody famous in the world like the king of England or some famous celebrity was to come to some common person's house, how much would this mean to that person they were going to see? They would make sure the lawn was mowed, the house was clean, and that they could make them as comfortable as possible in their home. They would without a doubt treat them as the guest of honor. The thing of it is, if it were a celebrity coming to our house, more than likely it is something for them to gain. The world would see them coming to some common person's house and they become more popular from it and soon we will be long forgotten. There is One that wants to come to our house that is worthy of far more hospitality, love, respect, and honor and that is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He doesn't want to take anything from us, but wants to give us something. He wants to give what no amount of money can buy. That is LIFE! Only He can give Life. Not just life here on earth, but eternal life. It doesn't cost us anything. All we have to do is accept it. Many have asked Him into there heart, because they don't want to go to hell, but He not only wants to be our savior, but our Lord. Not in a sense that He will boss us around or walk all over us like a door mat, but in a way where He is our comforter, our shield, our provider, our savior, He is the giver of every good gift. He stands at the door of our heart and He knocks, but we are the only one that can let Him in. If you were to come to my home and I told you not to touch anything and don't be walking around in my house, it wouldn't be long and you would be ready to leave. So many treat Jesus that way. Sure, they ask him into their heart and meet their needs and act as their lord, but when it comes to allowing His word to have preeminence of their life, many are ready for Him to leave. Remember, the pharisees were the most religious people of the city, but when the Word made flesh stood right before them, they didn't even recognize Him. Do you believe the same thing could be happening today? Could it be possible that Jesus is knocking on the people's hearts, but because they go to church or live a good life that they think they already have Him and not really have Him? The word says, many will be blind, naked, wretched, and not even know it. Imagine trying to put clothes on a man that is naked that believes he has clothes on. Are you clothed by the word of God? If Jesus was in your midst right now, would you recognize Him?

God Bless You and thanks for reading,

Brother Daniel

dcb8337@gmail.com

Create In Me a Clean Heart

There is nothing more flattering to me than to have a clear conscience before God. I came from a ruff background to say the least. As a teenager that came from a broken home, I have lived on my own since I was 15 yrs old. I had not yet given my life to the Lord and my heart was filled with bitterness and a hole on the inside of me that I tried to fill with everything from alcohol, drugs, and just about everything else you can imagine. I started working at a very early age and took pride in my work, however every night I would try to silence a call on the inside of me by drinking alcohol every night and can remember drinking so much the night before that I would smell like it the next morning as I went to school. I couldn't understand why I felt the way I did on the inside. I always had quite a few people at my house, where we would have alcohol and many other under aged teens would be partying and seemingly having a good time. One night, when I was 18 yrs old, I had been drinking and there was a house full of people and we had a very heavy metal song playing by the name of Bodies Hit the Floor by Drowning Pool and needless to say it was a very ungodly song and the atmosphere wasn't one you would use to start a bible study to say the least. The music was blaring and there was no preacher or anyone talking about the Lord. I can't explain how, but all at once I just knew that Jesus was the King and He died for my sins. I couldn't contain myself anymore, so in the midst of this ungodly song playing, I spoke loudly, " I have a King and He died for me that I can live!" You can imagine the response I got from the people around me. They began to ask, " What in the world are you talking about?" I said again, " I have a King and He died for me that I can live and I am here polluting my body." I don't know how I understood this, because like I said, there was no preacher. Some of the people told me I needed to go lie down. I said, " You know what? You are right and turned the stereo off and said This party is over!" The people were very angry to say the least. I just went to my bedroom and just fell to my knees. I didn't even know how to pray. I just said, " God, I know you are real! I know what is happening to me is real! I won't be a hypocrite. I have seen the people from the churches around me and I knew it wasn't for me. I said, If you will show me the truth, I will live it to the best of my knowledge." I never felt warm oil or heard a clap of thunder, but friends, from that day on I have never been the same. I asked God to clean my heart and make me what He wanted me to be. I found an old Bible and began to read it. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make heads from tales at first. I then found a children's bible story book. I would read a story and then find it in the bible. This is how I began getting acquainted with studying the Word of God. I never had to make myself quit drinking alcohol or quit living the way I had been living. A sheep isn't asked to manufacture wool. Just let him be a sheep and he will bear wool. A tree is known by its fruits. I have been serving the Lord for right at 10 years now. I have made plenty of mistakes since that night I surrendered my heart to the Lord, but I have had an Advocate with the father that has brought me back into fellowship with my God. (IJohn 1:1-2) A righteous man is not a sinless man, but a man that will confess his faults and he that says he had not sinned; we make him a liar and his word is not in us. There is nothing like being in fellowship with my creator. Jesus said, No man can come unto me lest the father draw him. And in another place He said, All that the father hath given me will come. It is Him that calls us. It is a deep call to the deep. If there is a deep call inside of you for a living God, Friends, There is a Living God for you to have! He wants to save you and fill you with His Holy Spirit more than you want Him to. He will come where He is welcome. Just simply ask Him to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. I will share some more about this in my next blog. If you have questions or want to know more about any of the subjects posted in these blogs, Please, e-mail me and I would be honored to pray with you and help in any way. God Bless You!


dcb8337@gmail.com

The picture above is a picture of me baptizing my 11 year old son after he surrendered his heart to the Lord a few months ago.