Work hard, tithe, and be blessed.

God believes in hard work. Can’t help but note that. Even in the garden, Adam had a job all lined out.

Genesis 2:4-7…This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens—and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground—the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:15...The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Can’t help but note that you still needed to work to attain any blessing from tithing. GOD mentioned that HE would bless your crops, vines, and fruit if you brought in the whole tithe to HIS storehouse. Yeah…crops, vines, and fruit require work…lots of work. Maybe it should say that GOD will bless your ‘work’ if you bring in the full tithe?

Malachi 3:6-12…"I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty”.

A few other scriptures to peruse:

Deuteronomy 15:10
Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

Psalm 90:17
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us-yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 128:2
You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.

Proverbs 12:11
Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.

Proverbs 14:23
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Proverbs 18:9
One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

Ecclesiastes 3:22
So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

John 5:17
In his defense Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working."

Acts 20:35
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive’.

1 Corinthians 4:12
We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat."

Take your best shot…

A run for the American presidency….quite frankly, and quite likely, is the ‘biggest’ sporting event in the country, maybe the world? Let’s face it, it’s bigger than the NFL, NBA, NHL, and the UEFA combined. Bottom line, if you want to be the president of the United States of America…and expect to have any chance at all…you had best be a competitive maniac, possibly an egomaniac, and/or a person so committed to their vision/calling that they are willing to play this most competitive sport with unbridled gusto and enthusiasm. As any true sports fan knows, in any highly competitive sport, there’s an element of psychological warfare. In the sport of boxing for instance, one boxer might hang their chin out there…tempting the other boxer to give it their best shot. If the other boxer does manage to connect and yet the one hanging their chin out there ultimately survives unscathed and undaunted, that could/would/should be disheartening to the one that actually landed that punch. They might just realize that the other competitor can take their best shot and survive it without issue? What else do they have in their arsenal?

When it comes to presidential debates….you can bet there is a ‘huge’ element of psychology involved. I’m of the opinion that President Obama spotted Romney that first debate. I think Romney knows it.

Denny Duron

Denny preached this message at the men’s convention at Capital Christian Center in Sacramento, California in the early 1990’s.  I wasn’t at the convention, but a great friend of mine who did see it first hand, brought the cassette home with him and loaned it to me.  It has blessed me greatly!  As far as I know, it’s never been available anywhere online, and that’s a great shame that needed to be rectified.   Hence, I’ve uploaded it to YouTube so others can enjoy this great, spirited message. 

Click HERE to hear this great sermon.

It’s a battle whether you know it or not…and satan IS a worthy adversary.

Imagine tricky….then multiply times a million….and there you have him….satan. I know, I know…I hate satan like the rest of you…and would never give him kudos…but we would be wise to understand the depths that he is willing to go to neutralize you. If he can create the opportunity….he will use your best friend in the world to shut you up (if you are a threat to his control). Yeah…I know…this sets me up as the person who has delusions of grandeur…who thinks of himself worthy of such an attack. But guess what? WE are all worthy of such an attack if we are treading on his, potentially, damned grounds. You think you are wise? Think again. JESUS CHRIST was crucified by satan. Poor satan. He underestimated JESUS. What a name! Surely…a name above all NAMES….YES INDEED…JESUS IS LORD. satan has ultimately been defeated. THANK YOU JESUS. JESUS, YOU ALONE RULE.

Eden…

I’m of the opinion that many people long for Eden.  Indeed, (some of us) are aliens in this world.  This world just doesn’t fit…doesn’t fulfill.  And on that note…if you were given the opportunity to live in Eden…in keeping with the spirit of an ‘Eden’…who would you take with you?  Any person?  Your dog?  Who?

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Are you saved?

There are only [really] two kinds of people. Those that know Christ, and those that don’t. If you know Christ, then you know how desperate you were/are for a savior. If you don’t know Christ, then you don’t know that you even ‘need’ a savior. That might just be the easiest test, and the greatest test, all wrapped up in one. If you don’t know how great your need is for a savior, then you aren’t saved. If you do realize your need, then the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in you, and you ARE saved (there are always exceptions)! Which category do you [currently] fall in? It’s never too late you know?

John 6:37-39...All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

John 3:16-17..."For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Matthew 12:30..."He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."

1 Corinthians 2:14…The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

2 Corinthians 13:5...Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you— unless, of course, you fail the test?

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Are humans smart enough to rule the world?

I have the answer to that. No. Absolutely not. It’s all going to come crashing down. Your worldly wisdom, your dollars, and your gold won’t save you (Ez 7). No doubt about it. It’s inevitable. God warned the Israelites of the results of rejecting Him as their king, but they did not relent and professed their desire for a worldly king (1 Sam 8). They wanted to be like everybody else. They rejected God as their king. That is still happening today. People continue to reject God and follow men, and the ways of the world instead. Where does it lead? Yeah, it doesn’t lead to a good place. Be careful what you ask for. God doesn’t make us serve Him. He doesn’t force us. Sadly, we often have to learn the hard way. On the other hand, joyfully, God is available when we do come to our senses and return to him.