IN THE WORD DAILY

with Brother Rick

Genesis 19: 1, 2

  And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: And Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

This devotion will not be for the faint of heart, the liberal minded, or the passive Christian. In case you have your head in the sand, and you have missed the fact the spirit of the antichrist is with us and working to destroy the work and Word of the living God, this is spiritual warfare and we are in the battle.

God tells us in Genesis 18: 20, “And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;” We don’t have to be politically correct. We don’t have to pretend that God destroyed this city because of some hidden sin. We know according the Bible that Sodom was destroyed because the sin of sodomy, and other perverted sins. You say, “Rick, how do you know that?” Well let’s look at God’s take on the moral condition of the fine citizens of Sodom. Genesis 19: 5 says, “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may KNOW THEM”. If you search the scriptures for the term “know” or “knew”, it is used multiple times in this context. Genesis 4: 1 says, “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.” HEY, Adam knew his wife and she conceived. They weren’t playing shuffleboard and sun tanning in the desert. They were intimate. And in our text, the men of Sodom didn’t bang on Lot’s door to treat the men with round of golf. They came after the men to know them.

Two things that we want to look at and seal to our hearts this morning about this story. Lot had all the power in this story. Lot came from good stock. Lot’s uncle was a man of God. Lot was one of God’s people. Yet, he sat in the gate of one of the most notoriously wicked cities in the history of the world. Well, at least until Asheville and San Francisco was transformed into playgrounds for sodomites. To sit in the gate of a city at this time, means that he was one of the men who made decisions. He was a well-known figure who could have helped transform the place into a godly city. But Lot chose to be like you and me. We sit back a do all our talking at the dinner table. We do all our standing for God in the church house. We practice our dignified Christian walk in silence when we’re out in the real world, where it counts. Lot could have been a godly force, but he mingled with the crowd.

Not only did Lot refuse to take a serious stand against the wicked, but he ended up spotted by the world. The sin had rubbed off. Genesis 19: 6- 8 says, “And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.” Disgraceful!!! Not only did Lot call these men, “BRETHREN”, he offered up his virgin daughters to the world, to save face with the men of God. Let me say this, my brethren are not those who claim the name of Jesus, and say they love God. My brethren are those who love God and we know they love him because they LIVE FOR HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hey friend, Barack Obama claims to be Christian, God help us. He is not my brother in Christ. As evidenced by his love for sin.

Lot had failed. Lot had compromised. Lot had lost his focus and his vision. But even after all this, God came to his rescue and pulled him out of the world. Aren’t you glad God rescued you?

If not for the grace of a holy God, you might pitch your tent toward Sodom. And nine times out of ten, if you pitch it that way, you will go that way. God hated the sin then, and he hates it now. Let’s not lose focus on the greatest attribute of our God.

GOD IS HOLY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have A Blessed Day!!!

IN THE WORD DAILY

with Brother Rick

Genesis 6: 5, 6

  And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

V- 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

As we have seen in our last devotions, Adam’s transgression has now cursed the generations of men, and in this text, we find God grieved at his heart. How many times do you and I consider God’s heart when we make fun of one of his children? How many time do we consider God’s heart, when we partake in our secret sins? How any times do we consider God’s heart when we claim the name of Jesus and live like a child of the devil? How many times do we consider God’s heart, when we bow to the flesh and live for the world? James 4: 4 says, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” I know in the 7 years I have been writing these devotions, I have quoted this verse hundreds of times. But do we ever really think about it? This is very serious stuff. James did not write this letter to lost people. These epistles are written to believers. And believers are supposed to be separated. Believers are supposed to be peculiar people. We are not supposed to be like the world. We are not supposed to look like the world. We are not supposed to act, talk or live like the world. The world is controlled by the prince of the power of the air. Do you know who that is? Ephesians 2: 2 says, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit which now worketh in the children of obedience:” That’s right, we’re talking about Satan. According to our free will, God has allowed us to progress almost to the point where this society follows Satan more that they follow God.  

Do you think it grieves the heart of God when he gives life and we destroyed lives before they are even born? Over the CHRISTMAS holidays, I probably saw a dozen television commercials begging for money to save abused animals. And I hate to see animals abused. We stoop to such a level as to hire actors and actresses to stand before millions of people and put on a grand performance to raise money to help and save animals. Yet a seventeen-year-old female can walk into an abortion clinic and murder her unborn child, and no one says a word, because a handful of liberal judges says it’s legal. “SAVE THE SEALS AND KILL THE BABIES”. What kind of people are we, to sit back and allow this? There’s something wrong with that picture, friend. Forget what Congress says for a minute. Forget what the Supreme Court said some 40 years ago. WHAT ABOUT GOD’S HEART???????

How do you think God feels about it? How does God feels, when he produces the most prosperous and richest country in the world, and we scoff at his name, we reject and belittle his Son, we pervert his word, and now we are at the threshold of persecuting his children, all for believing in his name? I’m sure it grieves him at his heart.

In the text, we find that we are not dealing with a passive God. Yes, God is longsuffering. Yes, God is love. Yes, God is merciful and is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, 2 Peter 3: 9. But a reckoning day is coming. We cannot kill 50 million babies without judgment. We cannot light up the White House with a rainbow and promote sodomy and perversion without judgment. By the way, that rainbow that Barack so proudly placed on OUR White House as a perverted sign of men with men and women with women, was, still is, and always will be evidence of the covenant God made with Noah and the earth. Genesis 9: 12, 13 says, “And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of the covenant between me and the earth.” The bow belongs to God, not Barack or the sodomites.

If we take a moment to look at the good things that God has given to us, maybe we would consider his heart when we act, speak, and worship. If we spent half the time working to please God, than we do working to please man, this flesh, and those around us, we would be spiritual GIANTS.

Consider the heart of God when you go out into the world today. It could change your life and the lives of those around you.

Have A Blessed Day!!!

IN THE WORD DAILY

with Brother Rick

  

 Genesis 4: 6- 8

  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen?

V- 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

V- 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

 We know the story of Cain and Abel the sons of Adam. One important thing that we must recognize before we go any further. Once sin has entered the home, it spreads to all that are involved. Adam’s transgression cursed every man. Romans 5: 12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Now we see that sin has passed on to his children. Adam told his sons about the Lord. Adam gave his sons the message of the gospel. Adam told his sons how God had covered their sins with coats of skins. Adam told his sons how that his sins and the sins of their mom were covered by sacrifice of the Lamb. Hallelujah, Glory to God goes right there!!!!!!!! Adam warned his sons about religion and how it will lead a man down the wrong path. Adam preached the message of “Grace through faith in the blood of the lamb”. But only one was listening. Cain ignored the message, and tried to please a holy God with the work of his hands. Cain’s fruit basket did not please God. And here’s a news flash for you this morning. Your fruit basket will not please God either. Only the sacrificial blood shed on Calvary will get the job done. Abel heard the message, and Abel obeyed the message. “And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering”, Genesis 4: 4.

There are two things that we must take away from this passage this morning. First, are you preaching the right message? Do those who live in your house know where you stand? Do those who see you every day know that you are real, and your faith is real? Does the message that you relay help separate people from the world, or does it draw people closer to the world? The reality is this; If you live in sin, your children and those directly connected to you will also live in sin. A man who is a drunk, will have children who drink. A man who is a drug addict will more than likely raise drug addicts. A man who lives for the world, will raise children who live for the world. No doubt, Adam told his sons of his sin. And once the door is opened, only God can shut it.

Secondly, and this is important. Even if sin has showed its ugly head, even if we fail to follow the right path, even if we stumble and fall, even if we make the mistake of following our own understanding instead of following the will and the Word of God, GOD CAN MAKE IT RIGHT!!! 1 John 1: 9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Friend today could be the turning point of your life. Today can be a brand new start for you. It’s never too late. God is waiting, God is merciful, God is longsuffering, God is compassionate, God offers us today a new life. Won’t you come and accept the victory. In the text, God told Cain, YOUR OFFERING WON’T DO; your religion is not enough. Your works are as filthy rags, BUT, if you will listen to the message, forget about the past, turn from the world, and repent of your sins, I will accept you and you can have a new start.

Friend, God is offering you the same thing. What is it about this world that would keep you from living for God? I can’t understand it. John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Hey!! You can dress up, go to every service, claim the name of Jesus, and bust hell wide open. Or you can listen to the message, accept the message, turn to God in repentance and faith and enjoy the blessings of God. “If thou does well, shalt thou not be accepted”?

A new life is waiting for YOU!! Listen and accept the message of the gospel. It’s the only way!!

Have A Blessed Day!!!