Andrew Golden's Blog, page 20

The Unknown

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end

We all face an unknown. It may be waiting a call from a doctor, a loan officer, or we just don’t know were to turn. Each and everyone of us does this but don’t let it beat you down. What is unknown to us is already known to God. He knows what we are facing and he knows that he has made a way through it. So when you feel like the future is unknown, know that nothing is unknown to God.

We Can Persuade Them

Acts 26:28-29

28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.

Will you be able to persuade someone to be a Christian? Will your life be enough to persuade them to come to Jesus? Will the words you speak be what they need to draw them in? This is something Christians need to ask themselves. We need to make sure that we can live a life that persuades the sinner to come to Christ. Our actions should show his love. We should never want to hear that we almost persuaded someone to follow Christ.

The God Who Answers By Fire

1 Kings 18:24

24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken

In case you are wondering the profit Elijah won the wager, because his God, the one true God, answered. It does not matter if God says no or if it takes him 10 years to say yes, God will answer your prayers. He doesn’t have us performing sacrifices for him to answer anymore either. Jesus Christ fixed that. All we have to do is talk to God. He will show you he is real. It may be by giving you something that you have been praying for or it may be he opens your eyes to show you that you already had seen the proof. Just know that God is real and he is there to answer when you speak to him.

House Of Gold

Matthew 4:8-9
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

There is a song that says: I would rather be in a deep dark grave and know that my soul was saved, then to live in this world in a house of God, deny my God, and lose my soul. The thing is the enemy will offer you the world and all its splendor. He will show you how famous you can be, how people will follow you in social media, and the money you will have. However, he doesn’t show you that when you sleep at night, you will feel incomplete. He doesn’t show you that without God in your marriages it will fail. He doesn’t show you that when you stand in judgement all the money and fame you had does not get you into heaven. The enemy wants you to look at the glamor of the world. He wants to entice you with it. If you don’t think he will, just remember in this verse he was trying to entice the Son of God with it.

How To Fill The House

Luke 14:23

23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Churches are nearly empty. Christians are wondering why this is happening, but they have not compelled anyone to join them at church. You can show someone that you love Christ, but you also have to invite them into the church. You don’t have to make a big deal about it, all you have to do is say that you would love to see them there and they are always invited. It is that simple.

Own Two Feet

Job 1:10

10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

Lastnight my four year old decided his bed was not good enough and climbed in the bed with us, waking me up. As I laid there with him, I knew I would protect him and that I never want anything bad to happen to him. I want to protect him his whole life. However, I will have to let him make mistakes, I will have to stand back and watch someone break his heart, and I will have to let him face pain and disappointment in life. I have to do this as his father because this is how he will grow and learn to overcome adversity. If things get to bad I will step in and protect him. As I laid there it hit me, this is how our heavenly Father is. He has to let us go through the bad times, so we learn to enjoy the good times. He let’s us fall down, so that we learn to get back up. He will let the world attack us, so that we learn to fight for our faith that much harder. His protection is always there
 for when things get to hard, but just like my son, we have to learn to walk on our own to feet.

Remember Us

Luke 23:41-43
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise

The thief did not ask for Christ to save him from the cross. He did not ask that Christ end his suffering. All the thief asked was that when Christ entered paradise could he please remember him. He accepted he was a sinner and that reward for his sins and transgressions was death, and so he asks the Son of God to just remember him. That humble prayer gave him the greatest reward, eternal life. We all could learn something from that thief. We could learn not to ask God for wealth, fame, and the things the world offers. We should instead just ask if Jesus could just remember us, not asking for anything, just that when you look upon us remember us. Learn to be as humble as that thief on the cross and one day we will be with Jesus in paradise.

It Is Not Okay

Romans 3:23-24

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Many will say that this proves you can sin as long as you ask forgiveness. If you believe this, you are wrong. It means you are going to make mistakes and that no on is perfect. It is no an excuse to sin and live an ungodly life. Repentance occurs when you are truly sorrowful for what you have done. A Christian should be working hard to be like Christ and stay away from sin.

His Eternal Word

Matthew 24:35
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Nations have risen and they have fallen. City destroyed by disasters. No matter what man builds, it perishes. We cannot build anything that lasts forever. One thing has always been and always will be, the word of the One True God. His word is eternal. So know that if God said he would take care of his children, he will hold true to his word.

Pray For The Winner

1 Timothy 2:3-4

3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth

Tonight we are all watching the election. We are all wanting our party to win. We watch it and pray that the other party loses. Instead, stop and begin praying that whoever wins will give their life to God and be led by him in their decisions. If we can pray that the most vile politician finds Christ, then we can pray for anyone. Jesus died for them just like he did for me and you.