Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Yes He Will!!!!

James 5:19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Friday, January 10, 2014

1 Peter 2:21-23

"For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly." - See more at: http://so4j.com/ways-we-are-to-be-like-jesus-christ#suffering_for_others

Jesus said , for whosoever is not against you is for you.

Set Free Church Daytona Beach

In the good times and the bad times, God is immutable, unchangeable, all powerful, all knowing and everywhere. His eyes are always upon His people, like a true loving parent. Ready to direct us in our daily walk and correct us in the course we take, even on days we don't ask for His help. O how He loves us! And just like our earthly parents, He wants us to succeed in life, to be faithful to the family and to remember from whom we came. ~ Pas Cochise

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

In A Spiritual Coma!

School is in session for me today. I'm never to old to learn, and I have the most awesome Teacher that has ever lived. He came to me in August of 1983, and in most of those 30 plus years I have at times listened intently to Him, and have been greatly educated in the things of this life, as my education was preparing me for the a new life (eternal) to come.

But there has been times, as in high school, were my body was sitting in the class room, yet my mind was far, far away, that I just wasn't listening and definitely wasn't learning. My Professor today knows, just as a few select school teachers from years ago knew, when and when I wasn't paying attention to their heeding to better educate me. Thank God though, many of those public servants never gave up on me, they just kept on laying out much needed advice, secretly hoping I would grasp what I could while being in a mental stupor, and my class room Educator of today does the same even now.

My present Teacher, knows me better than I know myself, (kind of like my 6th grade teacher in elementary school (Mrs. Francis Cohron) and my New Testament professor (Dr. George Redding) in college), because He made me and He knows me, both of me, the good person and the weak man.

For those few years that I wasn't out in the waters of life helping my brothers and sisters in Christ, who were frantically trying to rescue the perishing from the strong satanic rip currents which were pulling them out deeper and deeper into positions of sure death. In those times of being back slide, I only sit on the shore watching both the lost be sweep away into an eternal abyss and the other Believers wearing themselves out going from drowning person to drowning person, placing saving and loving arms around the doomed, begging them to hold on and to listen, as they were sharing with them how to save themselves from the grasp of the enemy, and I just watched as those "life guards" would periodically look back to the shoreline with anxious countenances upon their faces, at me, saying, "Come back in, we need the help". And though I didn't budge from my position of disobedience, my Savior never pushed me back into the water, though He knew at one time I would wade out as deep as anyone, that I was a prolific soul winner. Rather, He would just whisper in my ear, and say, "I miss you and they need you".

One day, my Teacher sent two old friends, that lives a thousand miles away to come see me, and believe it or not, we were on the beach, just walking, when one of them (Jimbo Webb) said to me, "What are you doing anyway"? It wasn't a specific question, but I knew exactly what he was asking. The next morning, I went back to the beach, the spiritual one, and said to my Teacher, "Forgive me for being in a spiritual coma for these last few years", and I stepped off into the water once again.

Each day I get deeper. Each day I am being retaught and given new revelations. Each day I thank Heaven for the "Other One" that Jesus sent to earth for us, as a Comforter and a Teacher, after He ascended to the right hand of the Father. (John 14:12-21)

I am forever grateful for another shot at this, and for my salvation and calling. Thank you Holy Spirit, my Teacher. ~ Pas Cochise

Psalm 84:10

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Loving Those You'd Rather Hate

Luke 6:27 A man who had reached his 100th birthday was being interviewed by a reporter. "What are you most proud of?" the reporter asked.

"Well, " said the man, "I don't have an enemy in the world."

"What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!" said the reporter.

"Yep," added the man, "I outlived every last one of them."

Is that your approach to dealing with your enemies? Is it just to avoid and ignore them, hoping that you outlive and outlast them?

Maybe you secretly hope and plan and pray for bad things to happen to them. Maybe you take a more active stance toward your enemies and gossip about them, spread lies about them, turn them into the police when they do something wrong, and pray that God will punish them for their wicked ways.

This is how most of the world operates toward enemies. We go to war with them. We plan and plot their demise. We rejoice in their failures and mourn at their successes. We write letters, make phone calls, send e-mails and muster up support among our friends. We try to get people to side with us and join the team of those who are angry at others. That's the way the world is, and the church often acts in similar fashion.

Our enemies are those who purposefully and knowingly seek our ill-will. They have bitterness and hate in their hearts against us. They do not seek our good, but only what is evil. It is these people, church, that we are to love.

Loving our enemies goes contrary to what feels right or normal. In fact, as Christ develops for us how we are to love our enemies, notice that he wants us to treat our enemies better than most of us treat our own family members! That should make us think about how we treat our families. Loving our enemies is a challenging thing - especially when we have struggles enough loving our own families.

Jesus never asks us to do something He has not already done Himself. As you read through the Gospels, notice how Jesus loves his enemies. Take Judas for example. Jesus wasn't ignorant of who Judas was or what he was going to do, but Jesus loved Judas anyway. The next time you read through the Gospels, notice how Jesus interacts with Judas. He never slights Judas. Never has an unkind word for Him. It seems at times, that Judas gets better treatments and more special love from Jesus than some of the other disciples. It seems crazy indeed, but the best way to deal with someone who wants to harm you, is to just love them, pray for them and treat them kindly.

Seek after Faith, Hope & Love, But of these three, LOVE IS THE GREATEST!!! ~ Pas Cochise

It Ain't Easy, BUT.........

How do you deal with criticism? The first reaction for many of us is to defend ourselves, or worse yet to lash back. And yet, while criticism can be taken as hurtful and demoralizing, it can also be viewed in a positive way: it is honesty, and it can spur us to do better.

Show your true talents while revealing your toughness by controlling the immediate challenge: resolving your own internal conflict. Be tough and don't whine or howl.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Went Down Into

Acts 8 36-39 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch "went down into" the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way "rejoicing".