John MacArthur may have put one of his best books out ever when he put out the Tale of Two Sons who beautifully depicts, analyzes and helps you realize the deepness of the story of the prodigal son, a story told by Jesus in Luke 15:11-32. John MacArthur has always believed in standing up for the truth and has never sacarficed what he believed to be God’s truth to gain the acceptance of people – this is why I have a very deep respect for this man who has preached the real gospel.

In Pastor MacArthur’s book, he talks about every aspect of the story of the Prodigal Son. The core parts of the story are a fathor’s love for his children, man’s hate and rebellion, repentance, and forgiveness.

What you should at the very least take away from the story is the parallels in it! The fathor in the story represents Jesus Christ. John 15:20 KJV – And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. In other words, Jesus is always looking for the sinner and looks from quite some distance for us. When we repent, He comes running to us with open arms of love and accepts us despites our inability to be a good person. He sees we cannot permanently flee from sinning and accepts us with open arms when we ask for repentance.

The son who ran away is the prodigal. He openly sins, runs away from his father, requests his part of the family inheritance, and spends it on prodigal living. However, the prodigal actually sees that he is a sinner, realizes it, and comes prepared to beg and earn his forgiveness. The older son who is a perfect picture of the Pharisees would say, “this kid deserves to have to beg and earn his forgiveness for the next 20 years.” The father who again is a picture of Jesus, opens up his arms and tells his son, my blood has been shed for your sins. I accept you as a sinner and will still accept you and love you as my son even though you hurt me dearly.

The older son, a picture of the Pharisees would have been furious and very angry. Like a picture of Cain murdering Abel, the older son could have came after the father and even murdered him. The Pharisees eventually murder Jesus as they cannot take Jesus having such love for the sinners!

I do not want to go any further into the outstanding book John MacArthur put together on the Prodigal Son but I would encourage you to read it as the story of the Prodigal son is one of the most important stories in the Bible and more than ever, I have learned the importance in the story and understanding it. As a believer, I was shocked at what I missed and have a whole new understanding for the deepness of the story!

We posted in October that the AFA (American Family Association) had called a boycott on PepsiCo due to their strong support of homosexuality. I just wanted to post a follow up to that post that the boycott has been suspended. Although they quote some issues remain, Pepsico seems to be backing off their aggressive homosexual agenda. I would like to thank everyone for taking a stand against PepsiCo with me!

I have no desire for what this world has to offer me. The more I see the devil’s lies penetrate our country and this world, the more I become saddened and at the same time determined to turn away from what the world has to offer. So many deceived people, so little time…

I am determined to turn away from what everybody is saying is cool and what everybody is saying is what everyone else is doing. Jesus is Lord, Jesus died on the old rugged cross, I am saved by grace alone…nothing has changed but since we have modern technology, a lot think they can conquer the world.

I end my day with this prayer:
“Help me Lord to seek you in everything I put my hand to. Let me not fit into the world’s model but mold me into your servant.”

Don’t feel condemned and unworthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. For if you have came before Jesus in prayer and accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, thanked Him for his blood shed for you and continue to repent and try to turn away from your sins then you will be spared from the fiery pits of hell.

God loves you and you are His son or daughter. As hard as it is to comprehend it, God gave Jesus, His only son to die for our sins. So, if you are feeling condemned or unworthy, say a prayer and say “Thank you Jesus that I am more than a conquerer. Thank you for your blood that you shed on the cross and as a result I am saved and redeemed for my sins when I come to you. For your scripture says, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I stand on those very words today and I rebuke the devil from my mind and thoughts.”

God will intervene and take the devil down when you ask. Keep your head up, stay in the Bible, times are tough but we are more than conquerers in Jesus name.

We all screw up, blow it, and fall short of the Glory of God. But whenever we do, we come to Jesus, repent for what we have done and ask him to clense us of our sin. As believers in Jesus, we need to strive to be more Christlike (although it is not possible to be perfect or sinless or even come close to it). When we are Christlike and treat others with love, have self control, are humble, love one another, and immitate Jesus, we set a great example and people wonder, what does that person have that we do not.

Phillipians 1:27 (NKJV)
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.

The Bible calls us to conduct ourselves worthy of the Gospel and as such we want to do the very best we can to be a positive Christian example for others. We ought to strive not to argue and complain about useless things and really be the best we can for God. In all things, we should try to question ourselves concerning whether our decisions will please God or not.

As Christians, we want people to look up and see the light in our lives. Life is not easy as a Christian and as people notice our turning to God, they may get upset. We have to hold steady onto our beliefs and values and oppose values that are not concurrent with our own. In light of being Christ-like, yearn for the truth, dig for the truth, and embrace the truth of the Bible.

Work with me as I struggle to be a positive Christian influence in a world that is trying to strangle me with sin. For we are all sinners, saved by grace, and as such have the ability to be a Godly influence on others. We have the victory and God reigns in our hearts – let’s do the best we can to show his presence in us on the outside!

It is very disgusting to see a professional company support homosexuality and Pepsi is now openly coming out and supporting the cause for homosexuals! Pepsi Co has openly came out and is now supporting this year’s gay pride parade in New York City, are giving very strong benefits to homosexuals, and is giving millions of dollars to support gay pride. As a result, we as true Christians and believers know from the Bible and how it directly speaks of sinfulness of homosexuality, fornication, and adultery. We should make an attempt to flee from all sources of unrighteousness.

Here is what we can do as a Christian to tell PepsiCo that we clearly do not support their homosexual stance. We can boycott all Pepsi products while they continue to promote homosexuality and gay marriage.

Please click here to boycott PepsiCo products and take a stand for what you believe in. After you decide to boycott their products, please actually take the time to do it and really make a difference.

To sum their products up, they are composed of five companies: Pepsi Cola, Gatorade, Quaker, Frito Lay, and Tropicana. This includes the following:

Pepsi products – Mountain Dew, Mug Root Beer, Sierra Mist, Slice, Aquafina, Lipton Iced Tea via partnership, No Fear, Ocean Spray, Sobe drinks.

Frito Lay brands – Lay’s potato chips, Ruffled potato chips, Fritos corn chips, Cheetos, Munchies

Gatorade

Tropicana – including Dole (via license) and Naked Juice

Quaker – oatmeal brand, Cap’n Crunch, Life cereal, Quaker breakfast squares, Aunt Jemima pancake syrup, rice-a-roni.

There are more brands and a complete list of brands you will get when you sign up to boycott PepsiCo products and actually take a stand in what you believe in. Build your beliefs set on rock and not on sand and DO what pleases Jesus. Personally, I do not want to see a fraction of the earnings I would contribute to Pepsi go towards them promoting homosexuality! I want my money to go towards the Kingdom of God as much as possible.

Take a stand against Pepsi promoting homosexuality by boycotting their products – SIGN UP HERE AND SEE PROOF!

It is written in the Bible that whosoever believes that God sent His only son Jesus to die on the cross and rose again to cover your sins and believes this and repents of his / her sins for this cause shall have everlasting life. You are saved by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus shed on the cross and not by the works you do. With this in mind, the desire to do works that are pleasing unto God should come naturally from your heart after becoming a Christian and accepting Christ into your life. The act of Jesus on the cross to save you from your sins was not performed that you should go out and purposely sin over and over again. The price He paid with His life calls you to make an effort to not fall in the same traps over and over again and this is true repentenance is not wanting to continue to perform the same sins.

NKJV – Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God is calling us to not only profess him as our Lord and Savior but to also DO the very best we can to serve Him. In other words, if people around you cannot tell the difference between you and other non-Christian people, don’t you think there is a problem? If you are angry and cussing, getting drunk all the time with your co-workers, and not standing out from the world, then you need to change and act like a person of God.

It doesn’t mean you need to shove Bible verses down the throats of others but at least be an example that others can look at and say, wow, there’s something about that person that is really different.

Additionally, do what you can for the work of God. Do what Jesus did – give to the poor, help those that are distressed, and work with those who are not capable of making things work for themselves. Love one another, just like Christ loves us. Be strong and of good courage. In all things, love the Lord your God with all your might and all your strength.

Shout to the Lord – He is your strength. Our calling is not only to be Chrst seeking but also doers. We are not perfect but by the blood of Jesus we are saved. Let others know you by your actions and that you are not just another worldly person.

President Barack Obama wants to put Planned Parenthood right inside your child’s school. So much for a healthcare plan that is for the people and by the people. Of course, this will come out of the taxpayer’s pocket as everything else and will continue America’s move to a nation that is immoral. Stand up today and take action.

Click here to find out more and to e-mail your congressmen!

The United States Government is trying to make all 50 states accept gay marriage and recognize the unity of homosexuals. Now is the time to take a stance for what you believe in. Make a difference by e-mailing your congressmen today and tell them your stance on this issue. To e-mail your congressmen and tell them you do not tolerate this, click here!

In a world full of so many things to do, bills to worry about paying, marriage problems, getting layed off from work, being a single parent – anxiety seems to creep in on our lives. Anxiety and worry about what we are going to do if we lose our jobs, lose our home, have situations at home that will lead to problems, and so much more. It seems everything can build up against you and hit you all at once and at times feels unbearable.

Struggling with anxiety myself, I have learned that I am not able to worry one problem away. I am not able to change anything with worrying. Worrying is a waste of time and all I can do when I start to physically sweat and get scared out of my mind is to turn to God. The Bible talks about worrying on many occasions and one thing is clear: All we can do with our worries is cast our problems unto God and trust that He will take care of any situation we are dealing with.

KJV – I Peter 5:7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Jesus cares about us so much. He says to cast our burdens upon Him. He says to be anxious for nothing. He said, cast our cares upon him and cry before him (when you need to), and trust that He’ll take care of the rest.

The hardest part is DOING!!! Say a prayer, give it to God and do it as much as it takes!