"That Don't Impress Me Much!!!"

Democrat, Republican, or Liberal, that don’t impress me much!!! 

Senator, Congressman, or Presidential hopeful, that don’t impress me much!!!   

Doctor or Lawyer?  A great chef might impress me more!!! 


Indian chief or movie star?  Now, that might impress me!!  Nah!  Your NOT John Wayne!!! 


Baptist or Methodist, Presbyterian or Catholic, that don’t impress me much!!!


So, you know the Pope!!!  That don’t impress me much!!!

Lion’s Club, Kiwanis, or Rotary, that don’t impress me much!!!  

Garden Club, Red Hat Club, or Book of the Month Club, that don’t impress me much!!!  



You see, I don’t care what your religion or your affiliation is!!!  And I don’t care what club you’re in!!!  That just doesn’t impress me much!!!



Now, I know that a lot of organizations do good, and I am NOT knocking that!!! 



But you can’t impress me by being a member of a club or an organization.  And you can’t impress me because you have your name on a plaque!!!



But I will ask you this, when they read your obituary, is that ALL that they are going to be able to say about you??? 



Or will they be able to tell the world that you served The One True and Living God and that you loved HIM with ALL your heart, ALL your mind, and ALL your soul???



If NOT, then ALL of your accomplishments are in vain!!!

 

You see, I know the Creator of the Universe. I know the designer of every living thing!!!  I know the maker of the wind, the rain, and the stars!!! 



I know Jesus, so ALL those big names, they don’t impress me much!!! 



I know THE LIGHT that dwelt among men!!!



Do you know HIM???



John 1:1-9 (NKJV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² He was in the beginning with God.

³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

⁷ This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.

⁸ He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

⁹ That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

I know THE LIFE, THE TRUTH AND THE WAY!!!



And unless you know HIM, too, and you can call HIM SAVIOR; REDEEMER!!!   You don’t have much that can impress me!!! 



John 14:1-6 (NKJV)

14 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

********************

Here is the song, That Don't Impress Me Much, by Shania Twain!!!  I am posting it for fun and I hope you enjoy it!!!  A video of Shania singing this song is linked to the title of the song below!!!  As you can tell, it came to mind when God gave me this post and the one before it!!!

  

That Don't Impress Me Much

I've known a few guys who thought they were pretty smart
But you've got being right down to an art
You think you're a genius.
You drive me up the wall
You're a regular original, a know-it-all
Oh-oh-oh, you think you're special
Oh-oh-oh, you think you're something else

Okay, so you're a rocket scientist
That don't impress me much
So you got the brain, but have you got the touch
Don't get me wrong, yeah I think you're alright
But that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night
That don't impress me much

Yeah, yeah

I never knew a guy who carried a mirror in his pocket
And a comb up his sleeve, just in case
And all that extra hold gel in your hair oughtta lock it
'Cause Heaven forbid it should fall outta place

Oh-oh-oh, you think you're special
Oh-oh-oh, you think you're something else

Okay, so you're Brad Pitt
That don't impress me much

So you got the looks, but have you got the touch
Don't get me wrong, yeah, I think you're alright
But that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night
That don't impress me much

Yeah

You're one of those guys who likes to shine his machine
You make me take off my shoes before you let me get in
I can't believe you kiss your car good night
C'mon baby tell me
You must be jokin', right!

Oh-oh-oh, you think you're special
Oh-oh-oh, you think you're something else

Okay, so you've got a car
That don't impress me much

So you got the moves, but have you got the touch
Don't get me wrong, yeah I think you're alright
But that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night

That don't impress me much
You think you're cool, but have you got the touch
Don't get me wrong, yeah I think you're alright
But that won't keep me warm on the long, cold, lonely nights
That don't impress me much

That Don’t Impress God Much!!!

Do you really think that God is impressed with wealth and riches?  Do you really think God is impressed with fancy cars and diamond rings?  Do you think HE is impressed by who you know?



My God owns the cattle on a 1000 hills and ALL the birds and the wild beats are HIS!!!  There isn’t anything on this earth that HE didn’t create!!!  It ALL belongs to HIM!!!  


Psalm 50:10-11 (NKJV)

¹⁰ For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹ I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.

Naaman with ALL his wealth and riches didn’t impress God.  What makes you think you can???


2 Kings 5:5-8 (NKJV)

⁵ Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

⁶ Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said,

Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.

⁷ And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”

⁸ So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”



No, not even the prophet of God was impressed!!! 



When Naaman was obedient and did as he was told by the prophet, God healed him!!!  And it was Naaman that was impressed by the power of God!!! 

2 Kings 5:14-15 (NKJV)

¹⁴ So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

¹⁵ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel…



God doesn’t care what your title is!!!  That doesn’t impress HIM!!!



God doesn’t care what your name is!!!  He already knows it!!!



He doesn’t care how much money your family has!!! 



Or what movie you are in!!! 



He doesn’t care if you are Mr. President!!!   



ALL THAT JUST DOESN’T IMPRESS GOD!!!



DID YOU REALLY THINK IT WOULD???



WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE TO IMPRESS GOD???


FAITH!!! 

ONLY THOSE WHO BELIEVE AND LIVE IN FAITH IMPRESS GOD!!! 



AND ONLY THOSE WHO BELIEVED AND LIVED IN FAITH IMPRESSED THE LORD, JESUS!!! 



The Centurion was one of whom Jesus spoke highly!!! 



Matthew 8:5-10, 13 (NKJV)

⁵ Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

⁶ saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

⁷ And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

⁸ The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

⁹ For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!


¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.




And the poor widow who gave ALL she had was another of whom Jesus spoke highly.



Mark 12:41-44 (NCV)

⁴¹ Jesus sat near the Temple money box and watched the people put in their money. Many rich people gave large sums of money.

⁴² Then a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which were only worth a few cents.

⁴³ Calling his followers to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow gave more than all those rich people.

⁴⁴ They gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had; she gave all she had to live on."

Even though the folks in this old world are in awe of fame and fortunes, riches and wealth, God is NOT!!!



God is NOT a respecter of persons!!! 



Acts 10:34-36 (NKJV)

³⁴ Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

³⁵ But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

³⁶ The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—

My God’s NOT Dead!!! He’s Surely Alive!!!

MY GOD’S NOT DEAD!!!  



I serve THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD!!!  



My God is the ONLY God that Lives TODAY!!!

God’s Not Dead – By The Newsboys

Let love explode
And bring the dead to life
A love so bold
To see a revolution somehow

Let love explode
And bring the dead to life
A love so bold
To bring a revolution somehow

Now I'm lost in your freedom
And this world I'll overcome

My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside,
Roaring like a lion

God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

He's roaring
He's roaring
He's roaring like a lion

Let hope arise
And make the darkness hide
My faith is dead
I need a resurrection somehow

Now I'm lost in your freedom

And this world I'll overcome

My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

He's roaring
He's roaring
He's roaring like a lion

He's roaring
He's roaring

Let Heaven roar
And fire fall
Come shake the ground
With the sound of revival

Let Heaven roar
And fire fall
Come shake the ground
With the sound of revival

Let Heaven roar
And fire fall
Come shake the ground
With the sound of revival

My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion.

He’s surely alive!
He's roaring
He's roaring
He's roaring like a lion

He’s surely alive!
He's roaring
He's roaring
He's roaring like a lion

Roaring like a lion

Psalm 84

Truly blessed is the man (or woman) that NOT ONLY chooses to serve the ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD, BUT LIVES ALL HIS DAYS FOR THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!!!



Psalm 84 (KJV)

 

84 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

² My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

³ Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.

⁴ Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.

⁵ Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

⁶ Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

⁷ They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

⁸ O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.

⁹ Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

¹⁰ For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

¹² O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Live What I Believe

There is an old saying, If we don’t stand for what is right, we will fall for anything!!!


This is becoming so much more important in the days that we are living in!!!


You better decide what kind of life you are going to live and who you are going to follow.  I have decided to follow Jesus!!!!



It is time for us as the Children of The One Might True and Living God to declare:  As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!!!!


Joshua 24:15 (CEV) But if you don’t want to worship the Lord, then choose right now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you’re living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you’ll worship their gods. I won’t. My family and I are going to worship and obey the Lord!

It is too late to be playing at being a Christian!!!   You are either a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ or you are NOT!!!



IT IS TIME TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!!!!

Live What I Believe – Russ Lee

These are the days
For the children of faith
To stand up and be counted
Now is the time
For the light in us to shine
On whoever's around it

One life can be the proof
Of the hope that is You

I'm gonna live what I believe
I'm gonna walk that line
If it costs me everything
I'm gonna stand for what is right
So that everyone can see
It's Jesus that they need
I'm gonna live what I believe

The world will see God's grace
When we work and we pray
And then love like we mean it
If there's ever been a day
To give ourselves away
Well, I think we're in it

One life can be the proof
Of the hope that is You

I'm gonna live what I believe
I'm gonna walk that line
If it costs me everything
I'm gonna stand for what is right
So that everyone can see
It's Jesus that they need
I'm gonna live what I believe

There's a passion deep inside (I'm gonna live what I believe)
For my life to testify

Lord, let me be used
As a witness for You
With faith and conviction
You've called me by Your Name
And I will not be ashamed

Gonna walk that line
I'm gonna stand for what is right
Hey, it's Jesus that they need

I'm gonna live what I believe
I'm gonna walk that line
If it costs me everything
I'm gonna stand for what is right
So that everyone can see
It's Jesus that they need
I'm gonna live what I believe

Ooooh…
Well, if it costs me everything

Yeah, yeah, yeah…
I'm gonna live what I believe

Ooooooohhhhhh

Come on everybody sing

Yeah, yeah, yeah…

I'm gonna live what I believe

If it costs me everything

So that everyone can see
It's Jesus that they need

My Endless Love

There is NO LOVE that can compare to GOD’S LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



GOD’S LOVE FOR US IS ENDLESS!!! 


Psalm 139:8 (NKJV) If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

There is truly NO LOVE like God’s LOVE!!!



GOD’S LOVE IS UNSELFISH!!!  It is the ONLY TRULY PURE LOVE!!!!


John 3:16-17 (NKJV)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.



There are very few people in this old world that can even hope to love us like God does!!! The ONLY way another person can truly LOVE us is by having God’s Love inside them (heart, mind and soul!!!)         


And there are very few people who truly understand what LOVE means!!!


There are very few that trust God enough to experience HIS LOVE to the FULLEST!!! 


There are very few people who understand that God wants us to live life to the fullest and enjoy HIS ABUNDANCE!!!


John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

GOD’S LOVE FOR US IS TRULY THE ONLY ENDLESS LOVE THAT EXISTS!!!



As I watched the recording session of this video, I was reminded that God is so loving and kind that HE goes ABOVE AND BEYOND to show us how much HE LOVES US!!!

In the recording session of this song, we see Lionel encouraging Shania over and over again!!!  This is how God is with each and every one of HIS children!!!

Did you notice how Shania decided that she needed to work with Lionel and try to record this song even though she was afraid???


That is what God wants us to do!!!   Many times in the past when I was scared, HE has told me, “They can’t eat you!!!”  Or, “All they can say is no!”



God wants us to learn to never ever give up!!!   If we refuse to quit; if we refuse to give up; if we continue in HIM, we will be pleasing to HIM and that is ALL that really matters!!!



Endless Love – Lionel Richie

Male Lead:
My love,
There's only you in my life
The only thing that's bright

Female Lead:

My first love,
You're every breath that I take
You're every step I make

Duet:
And I
(I-I-I-I-I)
I want to share
All my love with you
No one else will do...

And your eyes
Your eyes, your eyes
They tell me how much you care
Ooh yes, you will always be
My endless love

Two hearts,
Two hearts that beat as one
Our lives have just begun

Forever
(Ohhhhhh)
I'll hold you close in my arms
I can't resist your charms

And love
Oh, love, Oh, love
I'll be a fool
For you,
I'm sure
You know I don't mind
Oh, you know I don't mind

'Cause you,
You mean the world to me
Oh
I know
I know
I've found in you
My endless love

Oooh, and love
Oh, love, Oh, love
I'll be that fool
For you,
I'm sure
You know I don't mind
Oh you know-
I don't mind

And, YES
You'll be the only one
'Cause NO one can deny
This love I have inside
And I'll give it all to you
My love
My love, my love
My endless love

My endless love

My endless love

God’s Endless Love

Sometimes, we are so afraid!!!  Sometimes, we can’t seem to get past our own selves!!!  Sometimes, even though no one else seems to see or know it, we are struggling!!  And we feel like we are drowning, and know one seems to realize it!!!



BUT GOD SEES AND HE KNOWS!!   

And if we allow HIM, GOD will step in and take over.  He will reach down to us.  He will pick us up!!!



GOD IS THERE!!!! 



Can’t you just see HIM bending down on one knee, with HIS ARM stretched out with HIS HAND open, saying, “Here I am.  I’m here to help you!!!” 



Don’t you know that He is waiting on us to reach up and grab hold of HIS HAND with both of ours!!!  And once we reach up to HIM, Our Father God will reach down and pick us up.  And HE will wrap HIS ARMS around us, so that we will know that we are safe and secure in HIS ARMS.  GOD WILL HOLD ON TO US TIGHTLY AND NEVER, EVER LET US GO!!!!  GOD lets us know that HE WILL NEVER LEAVE NOR FORSAKE US!!!  He will be there for us-to comfort us and encourage us and LOVE US!!!  


Joshua 1:5 (NKJV) No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

GOD will take both of our hands in HIS and assure us that everything will be okay.  HE wants us to know that everything will be okay, if we listen to HIM and trust HIM!!!    


Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

When we allow GOD to be in charge of everything, HE will see to it that everything works out for us!!  


Romans 8:28 (CEV) We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose.

When we step back and let God lead us, we will succeed!!!  He will prosper us!!!  We will succeed!!! 


Psalm 1:1-3 (NCV)

 ¹ Happy are those who don't listen to the wicked,
       who don't go where sinners go,
       who don't do what evil people do.

 ² They love the Lord's teachings,
       and they think about those teachings day and night.

 ³ They are strong, like a tree planted by a river.
       The tree produces fruit in season,
       and its leaves don't die.
    Everything they do will succeed.

The Greatest of These Is Love!!!

You know sometimes I see a person being cruel or mean to another person and I want to tell them off!!!  I can hear that old saying as I write this!!! 


Two wrongs do NOT make a right!!! 


God will allow me to intervene, but He has told me that even the cruelest person should be treated with LOVE!!!  We cannot be mean to a person because they, in our opinion, “deserve to be treated that way!!!” 



This is what God told me!!! 


NO matter what a person says or does, we must treat that person with LOVE!!! 



It doesn’t matter what the situation or the circumstance is, we must treat everyone with LOVE!!!


Luke 6:35-36 (NKJV)

³⁵ But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

³⁶ Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 6:37-38 (CEV)

³⁷ Jesus said:

Don’t judge others, and God won’t judge you. Don’t be hard on others, and God won’t be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you.

³⁸ If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap. The way you treat others is the way you will be treated.

As children of the King, we are to treat ALL folks with LOVE at ALL times-no matter what!!!  That is what God told me!!! 



1 Corinthians 13 (NIV)

13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

You Can’t Buy God’s Services!!!

You know, I see where it says in the word of God that Jesus preached to the people, but what I don’t see is where it says, Jesus preached the gospel and then HE passed the plate!!


I am certainly not against paying your tithes and offerings!!!  We get blessed when we pay our tithes and offerings!!! The WORD says that The Lord loves a cheerful giver!!!  2 Cor. 9:7




Jesus told the disciples, Freely you have received, Freely Give!!! 


Matthew 10:7-10 (AMP)

⁷ And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand!

⁸ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give.

⁹ Take no gold nor silver nor [even] copper money in your purses (belts);

¹⁰ And do not take a provision bag or a wallet for a collection bag for your journey, nor two undergarments, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the workman deserves his support (his living, his food).

Most churches pass the plate in the services (where everyone can see who gives what), and then the ministers, especially the ones on TV, get up and tell you that if you need a copy of today’s sermon, they will provide it you for a certain amount of money.   



I wonder why this is???   I see it almost everywhere!!!  It is done in almost every church!!  Most ALL of the preachers are selling The Word that God gave them for the people!!!



When God gives a WORD for the people, it is supposed to help them!!!   It shouldn’t be sold to them!!!  God gave the preacher that message for free and it should be given out for free!!!  Yes, on CD’s or tapes!!!  But I see it every where, people are selling these same messages over and over again!!! 

John 2:13-16 (AMP)

¹³ Now the Passover of the Jews was approaching, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

¹⁴ There He found in the temple [enclosure] those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting there [also at their stands].

¹⁵ And having made a lash (a whip) of cords, He drove them all out of the temple [enclosure]—both the sheep and the oxen—spilling and scattering the brokers’ money and upsetting and tossing around their trays (their stands).

¹⁶ Then to those who sold the doves He said, Take these things away (out of here)! Make not My Father’s house a house of merchandise (a marketplace, a sales shop)!

And what about the people who say, Today, I am preaching out of Psalms 44:24 because this is what God gave me, and so today in the offering you need to give $44.24 each so that you can be blessed/get healed!!!   I do NOT see where Jesus did this!!!! 

But I do see where Jesus chased the money changers out of the temple and told them that they had made His House a den of thieves!!!

Matthew 21:12 (AMP)

¹² And Jesus went into the temple (whole temple enclosure) and drove out all who bought and sold in the sacred place, and He turned over the four-footed tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who sold doves.



Matthew 21:13 (NKJV)

¹³ And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”



God also showed me where Naaman came to Israel to seek his healing from the prophet of God and brought many riches with him to pay the prophet. 



He also showed me that the prophet refused to be paid for what God did!!!  Yes, what God did!!!


2 Kings 5:14-16 (NKJV)

¹⁴ So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

¹⁵ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

Naaman was healed because he came to Israel when he was told that The God of Israel would heal him!!!  He chose to believe what the prophet said and did it!!!  And because of his faith, he received his miracle!!!



I see where Gehazi went after Naaman and lied to him.  And he received payment for the services of God!!!  God was NOT pleased!!! 


2 Kings 5:20-27 (CEV)

 

²⁰ Gehazi said to himself, “Elisha let that Syrian off too easy. He should have taken Naaman’s gift. I swear by the living Lord that I will talk to Naaman myself and get something from him.”

²¹ So he hurried after Naaman.

When Naaman saw Gehazi running after him, he got out of his chariot to meet him. Naaman asked, “Is everything all right?”

²² “Yes,” Gehazi answered. “But my master has sent me to tell you about two young prophets from the hills of Ephraim. They came asking for help, and now Elisha wants to know if you would give them about seventy-five pounds of silver and some new clothes?”

²³ “Sure,” Naaman replied. “But why don’t you take twice that amount of silver?” He convinced Gehazi to take it all, then put the silver in two bags. He handed the bags and the clothes to his two servants, and they carried them for Gehazi.

²⁴ When they reached the hill where Gehazi lived, he took the bags from the servants and placed them in his house, then sent the men away. After they had gone,

²⁵ Gehazi went in and stood in front of Elisha, who asked, “Gehazi, where have you been?”

“Nowhere, sir,” Gehazi answered.

²⁶ Elisha asked, “Don’t you know that my spirit was there when Naaman got out of his chariot to talk with you? Gehazi, you have no right to accept money or clothes, olive orchards or vineyards, sheep or cattle, or servants.

²⁷ Because of what you’ve done, Naaman’s leprosy will now be on you and your descendants forever!”

Suddenly, Gehazi’s skin became white with leprosy, and he left.

You know, what happened to Gehazi is quite scary!!!! 



It seems plain to me that God is being very merciful to ALL of us!!!  Because too many folks are receiving some kind of payment for what has given them for FREE!!!


Here are Paul’s instructions to the disciples before he left to travel to Macedonia.

Acts 20:32-35 (CEB)

³² Now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all whom God has made holy.

³³ I haven’t craved anyone’s silver, gold, or clothing.

³⁴ You yourselves know that I have provided for my own needs and for those of my companions with my own hands.

³⁵ In everything I have shown you that, by working hard, we must help the weak. In this way we remember the Lord Jesus’ words: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

God Wants Everyone to Be Healed!!!

 

So, what does the Bible say??? 



Well, in a few words, the Bible tells us that Jesus healed ALL those that came to HIM!!! 



Matthew 4:23-24 (CEV)

²³ Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in the Jewish meeting places and preaching the good news about God’s kingdom. He also healed every kind of disease and sickness.

²⁴ News about him spread all over Syria, and people with every kind of sickness or disease were brought to him. Some of them had a lot of demons in them, others were thought to be crazy, and still others could not walk. But Jesus healed them all.

In several places in The Word, it tells us that Jesus NOT only preached about His Father to the people, but HE healed all manner of sickness and disease. 


Matthew 9:35 (NKJV) Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Even when Jesus knew that the Pharisees were scheming against HIM, HE continued to be about HIS FATHER’S BUSINESS!!!!


Matthew 12:15 (NKJV) …He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.




God’s Word tells us what GOD’S WILL IS!!!  I can show you over and over again that IT IS GOD’S WILL THAT EVERY PERSON BE HEALED because it is in HIS WORD!!! 



Matthew 8:1-7 (NKJV)

8 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.

² And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

³ Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

⁴ And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

⁵ Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

⁶ saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

⁷ And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

 


And even before Jesus’ time, people went to the Man or Woman of God to be healed!!!  And they expected to be healed and they were!!! 



When the Syrians captured a young girl from Israel and made her a servant in the house of a great man, she told them how her God would heal this man.


2 Kings 5:5-9 (NKJV)

⁵ Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

⁶ Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said,

Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.

⁷ And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”

⁸ So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹ Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”



And when Naaman obeyed the prophet of God, God healed him!!!


2 Kings 5:14 (NKJV) So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

When the people went in faith to the prophet of GOD, and he prayed, God moved!!!  And people were healed!!!  It happened over and over again!!!



2 Kings 4:8-37 (CEV)

⁸ Once, while Elisha was in the town of Shunem, he met a rich woman who invited him to her home for dinner. After that, whenever he was in Shunem, he would have a meal there with her and her husband.

⁹ Some time later the woman said to her husband, “I’m sure the man who comes here so often is a prophet of God.

¹⁰ Why don’t we build him a small room on the flat roof of our house? We can put a bed, a table and chair, and an oil lamp in it. Then whenever he comes, he can stay with us.”

¹¹ The next time Elisha was in Shunem, he stopped at their house and went up to his room to rest.

^12-13 He said to his servant Gehazi, “This woman has been very helpful. Have her come up here to the roof for a moment.” She came, and Elisha told Gehazi to say to her, “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble for us, and we want to help you. Is there something we can request the king or army commander to do?”

The woman answered, “With my relatives nearby, I have everything I need.”

¹⁴ “Then what can we do for her?” Elisha asked Gehazi.

Gehazi replied, “I do know that her husband is old, and that she doesn’t have a son.”

¹⁵ “Ask her to come here again,” Elisha told his servant. He called for her, and she came and stood in the doorway of Elisha’s room.

¹⁶ Elisha said to her, “Next year at this time, you’ll be holding your own baby son in your arms.”

“You’re a man of God,” the woman replied. “Please don’t lie to me.”

¹⁷ But a few months later, the woman got pregnant. She gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had promised.

¹⁸ One day while the boy was still young, he was out in the fields with his father, where the workers were harvesting the crops.

¹⁹ Suddenly he shouted, “My head hurts. It hurts a lot!”

“Carry him back to his mother,” the father said to his servant.

²⁰ The servant picked up the boy and carried him to his mother. The boy lay on her lap all morning, and by noon he was dead.

²¹ She carried him upstairs to Elisha’s room and laid him across the bed. Then she walked out and shut the door behind her.

²² The woman called to her husband, “I need to see the prophet. Let me use one of the donkeys. Send a servant along with me, and let me leave now, so I can get back quickly.”

²³ “Why do you need to see him today?” her husband asked. “It’s not the Sabbath or time for the New Moon Festival.”

“That’s all right,” she answered.

²⁴ She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Let’s go. And don’t slow down unless I tell you to.”

²⁵ She left at once for Mount Carmel to talk with Elisha.

When Elisha saw her coming, he said, “Gehazi, look! It’s the woman from Shunem.

²⁶ Run and meet her. And ask her if everything is all right with her and her family.”

“Everything is fine,” she answered Gehazi.

²⁷ But as soon as she got to the top of the mountain, she went over and grabbed Elisha by the feet.

Gehazi started toward her to push her away, when Elisha said, “Leave her alone! Don’t you see how sad she is? But the Lord hasn’t told me why.”

²⁸ The woman said, “Sir, I begged you not to get my hopes up, and I didn’t even ask you for a son.”

²⁹ “Gehazi, get ready and go to her house,” Elisha said. “Take along my walking stick, and when you get there, lay it on the boy’s face. Don’t stop to talk to anyone, even if they try to talk to you.”

³⁰ But the boy’s mother said to Elisha, “I swear by the living Lord and by your own life that I won’t leave without you.” So Elisha got up and went with them.

³¹ Gehazi ran on ahead and laid Elisha’s walking stick on the boy’s face, but the boy didn’t move or make a sound. Gehazi ran back to Elisha and said, “The boy didn’t wake up.”

³² Elisha arrived at the woman’s house and went straight to his room, where he saw the boy’s body on his bed.

³³ He walked in, shut the door, and prayed to the Lord.

³⁴ Then he got on the bed and stretched out over the dead body, with his mouth on the boy’s mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hand on his hands. As he lay there, the boy’s body became warm.

³⁵ Elisha got up and walked back and forth in the room, then he went back and leaned over the boy’s body. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

³⁶ Elisha called out to Gehazi, “Have the boy’s mother come here.” Gehazi did, and when she was at the door, Elisha said, “You can take your son.”

³⁷ She came in and bowed down at Elisha’s feet. Then she picked up her son and left.

Preach THE WORD!!!!

 

Just the other day I heard a man preaching on the radio.  As the man spoke I was quite astonished to hear him say that God does NOT want everyone to be healed!!!



To be quite honest, hearing him say that infuriated me for 2 reasons:  First, he is saying this on the radio and it is being broadcast on a station that folks listen to everywhere and someone might actually believe him, and secondly, what he said is simply NOT true!!!




GOD WANTS TO HEAL EVERYONE!!! 



GOD DOESN’T WANT ANYONE TO BE IN PAIN OR TO SUFFER!!!  That is NOT HIS WILL!!!

It says so in THE WORD OF GOD!!!

 

Matthew 9:35 (NKJV) Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

My response was to say, “Dude, you need to read your Bible!!!”  And then I turned the radio to another station!!!  To be truthful, if God sent me to this man, I would show him what it says in THE WORD OF GOD!!  And I would hope that he would change his mind!!! 



So, why am I writing this today???  Well, because I can’t get this off my mind!!!  God keeps reminding me of what this man said!!!  He keeps reminding me that this man told everyone a lie (whether intentional or NOT) on the radio!!!  There is no telling how many people heard that broadcast!!!  And God keeps reminding me that what that man said ISN’T TRUE!!!



As preachers and teachers, we must make sure that what we preach or teach lines up with THE WORD OF GOD!!!!  Every word that comes out of our mouths needs to line up with THE WORD!!!  People are listening to us!!!

We are NOT supposed to add to or take away from the Word of God!!!  God tells us this in HIS WORD!!! 



Deuteronomy 4:1-2 (CEV)

Moses said:

4 Israel, listen to these laws and teachings! If you obey them, you will live, and you will go in and take the land that the Lord is giving you. He is the God your ancestors worshiped,

² and now he is your God. I am telling you everything he has commanded, so don’t add anything or take anything away.

God told the Moses that both he and the people were to obey and do everything that God said!!!


Deuteronomy 12:32 (NKJV) “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”

As a listener, it is your duty to make sure that what you hear lines up with The WORD of GOD!!!!  It isn’t your duty to correct the preacher, but it is your duty to pray for him or her!!!!



You need always to pray for your preacher and ask God to direct his or her path because it is a very serious thing to preach something other than the Gospel!!!


Galatians 1:6-9 (NCV)

⁶ God, by his grace through Christ, called you to become his people. So I am amazed that you are turning away so quickly and believing something different than the Good News.

⁷ Really, there is no other Good News. But some people are confusing you; they want to change the Good News of Christ.

⁸ We preached to you the Good News. So if we ourselves, or even an angel from heaven, should preach to you something different, we should be judged guilty!

⁹ I said this before, and now I say it again: You have already accepted the Good News. If anyone is preaching something different to you, let that person be judged guilty!