Ray Ruppert's Blog, page 8

Know and Exalt God

A lot of people say they know God and a lot of people saythey want to know God. The problem is that they aren’t taking the time toreally know Him. In Psalm 46:10 God says:

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

These are the very words of God. We can’t know God if we arebusy trying to get all our desires met by our own efforts. Some people eventurn to God to try to meet their desires. They want to have God be their magicgenie and grant all their wishes. Their focus is only on what God can do forthem.

Some people look within themselves thinking they will findGod there. Others think they can find God by being the best person they can.Others think they can find God through rituals. All these and many other waysof knowing God all depend on human efforts.

When we are still and know God through Jesus Christ (thereis no other way), we will realize that His desire is to be exalted among thenations and over all the earth. When we are still before Him, we will align ourdesires with His and work toward exalting Him instead of ourselves.

It all starts with aright relationship with Jesus, repenting of our sins and surrendering to Him.If you haven’t, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube orread on this Gospel linkCopyright by Ray Ruppert

When Jesus comes back!

I’ve been going through the Psalms and today came to a briefbut hopeful passage that tells us what it will be like when Jesus comes back.Listen to Psalm 46:8-9:

Come, behold the works of the Lord,

how he has brought desolations on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the chariots with fire.

We are called to look ahead and note that Jesus will bringdesolations on the earth. He isn’t coming again with a flower in His hand togive to a tank commander. He is coming to destroy that tank and all the evilpeople who use weapons of war to carry out their evil desires.

He destroys the weapons of war so that there won’t beanything left to kill each other with. But, when you also look at Revelation 19:15you will see that he will also “strike down the nations, and he will rule themwith a rod of iron.”

It isn’t enough to take away the tools of war, terrorism, massshootings, and whatever else causes evil people to destroy others. Jesus willrule with a rod of iron, meaning He will physically restrain sinful hearts fromevil.

Ultimately, He will destroy all evil and only those whosurrender their lives to Jesus will remain and be free from the terrors of evilin this world.

If you would like toknow how to surrender to Jesus and welcome His return, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube orread on this Gospel linkCopyright by Ray Ruppert

No Fear

I just heard a great message about fear today. When we don’tfear the Lord, then we will fear all sorts of other things. When we forget whoGod is, fears can tear us apart. But here is what Psalm 46:1-3 says:

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

 

There is so much to be afraid of in this sin-broken world. Butwhen God is our refuge and strength we don’t have to fear. The Psalmist pointedus to the worst that can happen to us and that is physical calamity anddisaster. We may be maimed, killed, and lose everything of worldly value. But ifwe have Jesus Christ we have everything.

When people are crazy and run amuck saying and doingterrible things, we don’t need to fear. Psalm 118:6 says:

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

Paul said in Rom8:31, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who canbe against us?” If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord, God, and Savior,then you have all the reasons in the world to fear. If you don’t know him,watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube orread on this Gospel linkCopyright by Ray Ruppert

God Loves and Hates

You know, we hear so much about God’s love, but people don’twant to talk about what He hates. In Psalm 45:6 and 7 we learn one thing Godloves and one thing He hates.

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

 Before we can talk about what God loves and hates, we mustremember that He is sovereign. He rules forever and that will never change. Settingus up for this, the Psalm tells us that His Kingdom is all about what is right.Since He rules, then we should align our love and hate along with His.

What does God love? He loves righteousness. This means Heloves those who exhibit virtue, morality, justice, decency, uprightness,rectitude, honesty and blamelessness.

What does God hate? He hates wickedness. Making it personal,this means He hates those who exhibit evil, badness, iniquity, sin impiety,malice.

Oh, did I just say that God hates some people and lovesothers? Yeah, I did. Psalm 5:5 says that God hates all who do evil. But weshould ask, “Doesn’t God say He loves us while we were sinners and His enemiesin Romans 5?”

How do we reconcile these two truths of the Bible? That’s easy.We look to Jesus. Those who are in Jesus are loved and reconciled to God. Thosewho are not and will never turn to Jesus for salvation will still be Hisenemies and therefor remain under His wrath.

If you want to know more about transferring from being hatedby God to being loved by God, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube orread on this Gospel link.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Do you believe history?

Do you believe everything your parents or grandparents toldyou about their life before the internet or cell phones? Why is it important tolisten to their history? Psalm 44 verse 1 tells us that history is reallyimportant. It says:

We have heard with our ears, O God;
our fathers have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.

Recent history is one thing to consider as some people aretrying to revise or correct history. Some of it is good and should be correctedbut revisionism is from a nefarious agenda.

But what we have learned about God and what He has done overshadowsall these changes because the Bible hasn’t changed and will not change. Ittruthfully tells us what God and people did and it tells us why because God isthe author.

What has God done?

He is the Creator – not chance.

He directs the course of history through people – not peopledoing it on their own.

He correctly identifies our problem as sin – not mistakes oraccidents.

He ordained and provided Jesus to appease His wrath againstour sins.

He calls us to repentance and gives His Holy Spirit to makeus spiritually alive and able to live holy lives.

That’s what our ancestors told us through the Bible.

If you hear this and haven’t trusted Jesus for salvation thenyou are still under God’s wrath according to this same Bible, the Word of God. Ifyou want to know more, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube orread on this Gospel link

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

God’s Light and Truth

Where can we see God’s light and truth? In Psalm 43 verse 3,the psalmist asks for God’s light and truth to lead him. He says:

Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!

And where did the psalmist expect to have God’s light andtruth lead him? They lead us to God’s holy hill and His dwelling.

Jesus Christ said He is the light of the world and thetruth. When we let Jesus lead us, we will be led to the holy hill of God as wecome to the cross. But the cross isn’t our final destination nor was it Jesus’.It is where He took all our sin upon himself so that we could dwell with himforever in heaven.

If you haven’t embraced Jesus as God’s light and truth, thenwatch my video on the Gospel on YouTubeor read on this Gospel link. Then you willknow you can dwell eternally with Him.

God bless you.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

A Prayer for Jerks

How do you pray for someone who has hurt you or wants tohurt you? Someone who is slandering you or just causing you grief.

Psalm 43 verse 1 is a start.

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!

The key in this Psalm and elsewhere in the Bible is to turnto God and let Him handle the problem. Romans 12 verse 18 and following expandson this as Paul tells us to live peaceably with others as it depends on us. Inother words, don’t be the cause of the problem. Echoing what this Psalm says,Paul tells us to never take vengeance, let God do that.

Then Paul wraps it up by telling us not to let evil overcomeus but overcome evil with good. Sometimes that’s hard. It doesn’t mean we don’treport crime to the police when a jerk becomes an abuser. It means we don’t usethe evil methods of these jerks.

Without Jesus in ourlives, we can’t live up to this and even with Jesus it is hard. But we muststart with being like Jesus and the first step is to know Him as Savior. If youdon’t, watch my video on YouTube.Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Depressed? Hopeless?

In today’s world, depression and hopelessnessis not just common but can be considered an epidemic. What should Christians doin these circumstances? Turn to Psalm 42 and listen to verse 5 and part of 6.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil withinme?
Hope in God; for I shall againpraise him,
my salvation and my God.

If we know Jesus, then we must ask ourselves why our soulsare so downcast and in turmoil. After we ask, we must also answer with the onlything that can possibly give us hope.

We must place our hope in God and praise Him because oursalvation comes from Him. We must praise Him because He is sovereign. He is incontrol, not the evil forces of wickedness.

Verse 6 also says, “therefore I remember You.” When weforget who is in charge, we must remember it is the Lord God Almighty, Creatorof heaven and earth who is in control. He has determined from the beginningwhat will happen and how it will end with Jesus’ return to bring justice andeverlasting peace.

If you don’t knowJesus, then there can be no real hope in your life. To know Jesus, Watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube.Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Wanting God

How much do you want to be closeto God? Does your soul resonate with this expressed desire for God in Psalm 42 verses1 and 2?

As a deer pants for flowingstreams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.

Push pause and think about thatfor a minute. In a time of drought, a deer pants in the hot sweltering heat asit seeks the refreshing cold water of a stream. In the same way, when we are inthe midst of stress of one kind or another, our desire for God is intensified.We want to be close to God and experience His presence in our life. We want himto sooth our parched souls.

That is good, but what about whentimes are rosy, and everything is going well? Do we still thirst for the livingGod? One of the reasons we want God so badly when trouble hits is because wehaven’t been seeking him when things are at ease. If we only seek God in thebad times, it may reveal that we really don’t know Him at all.

You see; to know God, we must firstknow Jesus. Watchmy video on the Gospel on YouTubeto learnabout knowing Jesus. Then seek Him all the time.

Godbless you.Copyright by Ray Ruppert

How to Be Blessed

Do you want the Lord to bless youin your life? Psalm 41 verse 1 tells us one of the many reasons the Lordblesses people.

How blessed is he who considersthe helpless;
The Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble.

The word helpless is also translatedas poor or weak. How many people do you know, or you see every day who are helpless,weak, or poor? In today's world, you have to hide in your home and never gooutside to avoid people who are weak.

Whether they are in a wheelchair,pushing a grocery cart with all their belongings or cowering in an abusiverelationship, they are all around us. We can’t solve all the problems of allthe people, but we can usually do something for one person.

The promise of blessings from theLord should be enough for us to help others. However, He adds that He willdeliver us in a day of trouble. Trouble can also be translated evil.

When we come to Jesus, he will deliver us from all evil andtrouble in the judgment. We will receive our ultimate reward at that time. Ifyou don’t know Jesus, you will miss out on those rewards. Watch my video on theGospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link o learn about knowing Jesus and hisblessings.

God bless you.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert