The Daily Scroll - Don’t Do It

 Have you ever began something and a small voice within you says, “Don’t do it,” but even though you may have hesitated, you went ahead anyway? Why do we do that? That small voice within you is the Holy Spirit speaking through your conscience warning you, guiding you. Later when we pay the penalty for our actions, we get it. Remorse and regret sets in. We cry, please create in me a new heart. Help me not to sin against you oh God. 

The Bible says, “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.“ (Ephesians 4:30)

The grace and mercy of God, the safe harbor of Lord Jesus, and the precious fellowship of the Holy Spirit, are gifts beyond compare. We didn’t earn them. We didn’t deserve them. We can’t even explain them. And yet there they are, with love and forgiveness. So don’t do it. 

The Daily Scroll - Signs

 The Bible speaks of signs and wonders in the heavens, and yes we have been able to see some fantastic sights, with modern technology. Yet my mind goes back to my great grandfather Charles Prince, a minister who helped establish many churches in the Church Of God a hundred years ago. I can see him sitting in his rocking chair, late in life, with his big Bible laid across his lap studying the book of Revelation. (I actually own that Bible. His daughter, my grandmother gave that to me, I believe in 1977). Anyway, he had no modern technology, no internet, nothing but that Bible. Oh and the Holy Ghost to guide him. He managed to preach the truth about the end times and things he had no way of understanding. Such as how the whole world will see Jesus coming in the clouds. He had no idea that one day we’d have satellite technology and the internet, yet he believed.

So my friends I submit to you the following: Beware of teachers and self proclaimed prophets who say this and that and this means that, etc. I know that many such people are sincere, but most are sincerely wrong. Epically if a date is given. Jesus showed us that nobody knows the day or hour of His coming, not even him. He did say that we would know the season, an I believe that history and world events are showing us that we are definitely in that season of the last days. The rapture of the church could take place today but I’ll not quit anything because of that belief. We must endure to the end. Have faith, prepare and look for His return, but don’t chase leads to date it. You’ll never get it right. 

“Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.“ (Matthew 16:14)

And what is that sign of the prophet Jonah?

“Master, we would see a sign from thee” (Matthew 12:38). Upon their request for a sign, Jesus referred explicitly to the prophet Jonah: “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:39–40).

The great sign is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Isn’t that all that really matters? That sign has happened and so we have Jesus living within us. We’re ready. Come Lord Jesus.

The Daily Scroll - Go Deep

 Bill was a devoted Christian for many years, but he had struggles. With his wife gone now more than ten years, Bill struggled with impure thoughts about other women, especially those on the internet. As time went by he was obsessed because access was free and private. He could be brother Bill at church but in the privacy of his home he struggled with his thoughts and desires. 

There came a time when he had enough. In desperation he cried out to God. “Help me! I do not want to sin against you! I want to be a faithful son. But I am so lonely and weakened to my desires. Forgive me and help me please!”

Father replied, “Dear son. You are tempted and tried with such that is common to man. I see your struggle and I know your heart. As your struggle is deep within you, so you must overcome deep within you…with my Word. Go deep into my word and let it permeate you to the point of sanctifying your deepest desires.”

And so he did, and God did.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.“ (Psalm 139:23-24)

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

The Daily Scroll - Unity in Prison

 I remember attending a national missionary conference some years back, and one speaker spoke about unity. He said, “On the mission field, when an Orthodox Greek missionary, and a Baptist, a Pentecostal, and a Methodist missionary all end up in prison together for preaching the Gospel, there are no different denominations. They are all in trouble and all servants of Christ. They help and encourage one another. They work together and sometimes die together. 

We see the same unity in major disasters. One denomination shares its church building with another denomination while it rebuilds. It’s not a competition of spirituality, membership, or teachings. This is not new. Even in the early church there were rivalries. Listen, this is wrong. Time is short. Jesus is coming. Let’s be Christlike in these final days. The Bible the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus the following.

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.“ (Ephesians 4:2-6)

The Daily Scroll - Hot Spots

 National news organizations cover the happenings in Hot spots around the world. These are usually places of civil unrest, wars, natural disasters and so forth. We are all too familiar with these hot spots. But there are other hot spots that the news does not cover thoroughly.

These are spiritual hot spots. Around the world Christian’s are preparing for the return of Jesus Christ. Revival and renewals are breaking out around the world. People are coming to Christ in stadium hot spots in various places. Miraculous physical healing are happening, healing from drug addiction, various handicaps, mental trauma, and the list goes on and on. 

When these hot spots of God’s presence flare up, people come in droves to experience it. Lately spontaneous revivals have flared up in colleges and universities around America and the world. The traditional news barely covers them . Nevertheless they are there and happening. Hot spots are not just huge happenings. Local churches are flaring up with the hot presence of God. Look for it and when you see one, become part of it. 

The Daily Scroll - The Wave

 I remember growing up in Virginia Beach Virginia, USA. I loved wading out into the ocean and riding the waves back to the shore. I could do it all day. But occasionally a big wave would catch me off guard and slam me into the sand, turning me upside down and every which a way. Ha. That would cause me to be more observant and cautious. 

As I aged and began to serve the Lord Jesus it seemed that the enemy of my soul, that ole devil, would try me, tempt me, and do his best to catch me off guard. Just like playing in the ocean, playing with sin can be fun, and even exhilarating, but when you least expect it you’ll get hit with that big wave (consequences) that will smash you to the floor, turning you upside down and every which a way. You’ll end up hurt or even destroyed. 

I have also learned that the enemy will sometimes send in that wave when you are living holy with your God. The difference is that when you’re doing your best to live right and serve God, you have protection against destruction. When you are born again and living in Christ, the enemy has to go through Christ to get to you. And believe me I’ve been there, and the terror of the wave is blocked as God raises a wall of protection around you. The Bible calls it a standard. So be encouraged.

“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.“ (Isaiah 59:19)

The Daily Scroll - Trust Him

 Have you ever heard a minister say “Trust Christ”? You may ask how can I trust someone that I do not know? We’ll then, get to know Him. How? First of all, simply start by reading the New Testament of the Bible. And I recommend starting with the gospel of John. Then read all the other Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. You will learn first hand who He is. Then ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart. He will.

I know myself, as a twelve year old boy when I did that, I didn’t understand at first what I was doing, but afterward I realized that something had changed. Through the years as I studied the Bible and attended church, our relationship developed and what happened to me is best described by the Apostle Paul in the following scripture.

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)

It happened for me, and millions of others, and it can happen for you. Trust me. Now trust Him.