Addictions [Hebrews7 v25 ]

Ten surprising addictions ,read the headline,among them is shopping,to me there is nothing  surprising about that.Next we have sugar again I am not surprised ,next video games,again no surprise.Of course addictions like,tanning,lip balm,and a few others,[I have been found out]and so it goes on.Are you addicted to anything,am I ?, Im sure I must be,recently I have been drinking more coffee,but I put single cream in it,I wonder, am I becoming addicted to this drink?.One thing I do know that mankind are prone to a mulitude of addictions,the list is endless,some our harmless.But being addicted to violence,sex, and other such addictions,is not harmless.
they can destroy peoples lives. When you have an addiction then you are under its control,where it leads you must follow.The cry of your heart is
very simple,I want to be free,So let me say this, it is possible,more than
possible,for Jesus did not only forgive,but to set people free. There is an old hymn which goes,/Would you be free from your burden of sin?, there is power in the blood,power in the blood,Would you o'er evil a victory win?
There's wonderful power in the blood/.Whats is this, have to do with addiction?,everything,when we are cleansed from our sin,we also can be totally free,simply by confessing your addiction , asking Jesus to save you and to set you free,for He saves to the uttermost[Hebrews 7 v25]
                                           A prayer.
Dear God of people we ask for those who are addicted,set them free ,have mercy in Jesus name Amen.
.

Unbelief. [ Romans 1 v16- 20]

I wonder if you heard on the news of a man in Israel,who had raised people
from the dead,fed thousands of people with just a few  loaves and fishes,
healed the blind,deal,and many others of various illness's.Who had walked on water,turned water into wine,and so on,what would  we think?,would we dismiss it, as  something that was very dubious,and wonder how much money he was making from his activities.I read the following in a novel,/Its a great diplomatic achievement,Its a miracle,Frau Lorning corrected him,and like most miracles nobody believes in it/. Why did the religious leaders at the time of Christ not believe in Jesus,why didn't the miracles,appear as of no account.It amazes me that when Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath,all the ruler of the synagogue,could say,/There are six days in which men ought to work ;in them therefore come and be healed,and not on the Sabbath day[Luke 13 v15]. Oh yes they had their reasons,but were they being reasonably,did they not see ,the power of God was at work?, one group the Pharisees,believed in resurrection,and yet they did not believe in Christs resurrection. It is right to not believe many things
but when it comes to Christ,all men are faced with someone,who will not go away,and one day we all stand before Him,to rejoice in Him as Saviour or
tremble before as our judge.
                                            A  prayer.
Dear God in mercy forgive us our sinful unbelief,help us to see that without
faith in Jesus ,who and rose again from the dead ,we will perish in our sins Amen

Inperfect persevering. [ Jude v 24-25 ]

We often judge dear old Peter for his weakness,in denying his Lord,of  his
rebuking the Lord[Matthew 16v22],of his lack of  faith or should we say his loss of faith[Matthew 14 v31],for his error .[Galations2 v 11]So there we have Peter one of the disciples,one of the apostles,yet still a weak fallible human being. I have a book,called ,Dangerous journey,the story of Pilgrim's  Progress,written by John Bunyan. Although it was written a long time ago,we can still learn valuable lessons from it.It is about a man called Christian,and his journey to Heaven.On that journey he does not always keep to Gods narrow way,but by Gods grace,he recovers and keeps on going,and finally reaches,Heaven.Peter,you and I ,who know Christ, are on a very dangerous journey, we will not always be obedient,faithful,loving,or consistent in our journey to heaven.Yet in spite of this we need not despair,for all his faults and failings,Peter is in heaven,when he denied his Lord , I believe he repented,and went on [Mark 14 v72],and was restored[John 21] We often hear people speak of Gods love being unconditional,and it is,if you have failed,reach out to him,tell Him, you are sorry,He will lift you up,and help you to stand,and grant you grace  to go on.
                                           A  prayer.
Dear God forgave us all our failings,and in your mercy help us  to continue following our Saviour ,in whose name we ask this. Amen

Original sin. [ Romans 5 v12]

He has no excuse,she retorts......He is healthy.He is white.He is rich,He is well born.well educated.He has grace,....He is at ease with the world.
He is amusing. Confident. Yet he destroys it.What is missing in him?.....
How does he come to be like this?.He was not dragged up in the back
streets. He is blessed/So reads the words out of a popular novel,the lady
is puzzled,as to why a person with all his privileges,could do such terrible things.Why did king Henry of England murder three of his wises?.Why did
king David steal another mans wife and then have that man put to death?
What did that same man mean when in his prayer of repentance , he prayed,
/For I was born a sinner,yes,from the moment my mother conceived me/[Psalm51v5] ?.Well it is called original sin,there is a natural depravity in all
of us,that no amount of privilege,education,wealth can eradicate it.J Calvin
declared,/David confesses that he brought nothing but sin into the world,and
that his nature was entirely depraved/.Extreme words but sin is very extreme,wherever it  is manifested,in a palace, or in a hovel.So God devised a extreme remedy,His Son would die on a cross,,that death would bring in hope,for all who put their faith in Him.
                                                   A prayer.
Dear God thank you for providing an answer for our sinful nature,in Jesus Christ your son Amen

Check mate. [ Luke 12 v 15-21 ]

Chess is a wonderful game ,but the words a chess player does not want to hear his opponent utter is,check mate,it means that they have lost the game. No one likes to loose ,no one enjoys being known as looser,a runners up medal is not much consolation. Our Saviour spoke about loosing something else,vastly more important than loosing a game,this is what He said in
Matthew 16 v26,/ For what is a man profited,if he shall gain the whole world,and loose his own soul?,  or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul/. Let me ask you, what value do you put on your soul?, perhaps you have never give it much thought,well think about it now.There are people
and, we describe them as poor lost souls,in other words their situation is dire.which means their situation is serious.To loose ones soul is the most serious thing that can happen to anyone,that is why Jesus used extreme examples.What if one gained the whole world?imagine that, the world,it would make Bill Gaiths look like a pauper.and yet all that would be no consolation if we lost our soul.Nothing can compensate for loosing ones soul,absolutely nothing,it is our choice,you have not yet heard the words check mate,the games not over,there is still time,to make that all important
decision.What is that decision?, it is to trust and follow Christ,as Saviour
and Lord.
                                  A  prayer.
Dear God open the eyes of all to see what is of eternal value,our very souls
grant us the grace to forsake all ,to trust and follow Jesus Amen.

I am too nice. [Matthew 5 v44-48 ]

I heard a lady on the radio say I am too nice,I  really don't thing she was
stressing being to nice,she was really saying people were taking advantage of her.Can a person be to nice?well I am sure we would rather have genuine
nice people,than those who are not.Let's face it, we have all, had to deal with people who were not nice,employer,neighbours,even family,and even fellow Christians.What does it mean to be nice? does it mean that we go along with everyone,we never challenge someone who is doing wrong.Most of us are nice to some degree,but unfortionately not all the time,I am sure we need more nice people on the road,more considerate,less aggressive,
refraining from using their car horns.Alright we are all going try to be more nice,but how are we going to reactive to those who are not nice to us ?that is the challenge. Here is what our Saviour said,/Love your enemies,bless them that curse you,do good to them that hate you,and pray for them which
despitefully use you,and persecute you[ Matthew 5 v44 ].
                                                   A  prayer.
Dear loving Father help us to be nice,and help us with the even greater challenge to be nice to those who are not nice to us,in Jesus name Amen.

Witch boy. [ Matthew 19 v14]

A little boy in Nigeria was found by an aid worker starving,and naked,he was such a tiny child,and was sure to die.This child was known as a witch
boy,seemingly there are many of them,but the good news this little mite has been rescued,and is being looked after.Many who heard about this on the net have sent money and his future is secure.A witch boy, we in the West
consider such a thing nonsense,but because of superstition,his parents cast him out,I suppose many such children are murdered, it is all very sad, Children are precious,thankfully we do not see them as witch boys ,or witch
girls.There was a time in this country when because of poverty,many children were abandoned,Dickens in his writings,sought to highlight this.We are grateful that God raised up people like Bernardo,George Muller,and other good Christian people, who  rescued multitudes of children.There are still many Christians who are doing wonderful things for children,they are supported by many caring people.As a Christian I see no child as a witch ,but I  do believe that children need Christ,for as a child,I know I did.
                                           A prayer.
Dear God have mercy upon the many children who are suffering in this world,abandoned by their parents,abused and misused,in Jesus name Amen.