​Heaven CAN'T Wait!

You may remember the 1978 movie, "Heaven Can Wait", starring Warren Beatty. The plot centered around a professional quarterback who died prematurely. Instead of entering heaven, an arrangement was made whereby he was permitted to return to earth in someone else's body and live out his life.

An interesting plot, but with one conspicuous flaw. No one who steps one foot in heaven will ever want to return to Earth. Why?

* Heaven is God’s Dwelling Place – 2 Chron. 6:39.
* Jesus Christ is there – Col. 3:1.
* All the saints will be there - Rev. 7:15-17.
* Many mansions (dwellings) will be there John 14:2-3.
* There will be non-stop worship beyond description - Rev. 4:8.
* No temptations, trials or worries in heaven - Rev 21:27.
* No crime or wickedness in heaven - Matt. 6:20.
* No sadness or tears in Heaven - Isa. 60:20.
* No pain or sickness in heaven – Rev. 21:4.
* Our new bodies will not age or grow old in Heaven - 1 Cor. 15:52.
*Heaven will be beautiful beyond description - 1 Cor. 2:9.

I can hardly wait to get to heaven! How about you?

Building Faith that Sticks in 2026!

Dennis

Winning Against Temptation
 
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials (temptations), knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience… If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (Jas 1:2,3 & 5).
We all face temptations; Satan makes certain of that. But God promises to provide help. "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
Another weapon we can use against the devil's enticements is wisdom. Wisdom is available to every Christian who prays for it (James 1:5), and it can help us make the right choice when tempted.
When wisdom enters our minds, it helps us to steer clear of sinful activities by seeing them as they are – direct paths to hell. Wisdom also reminds us that, although giving into temptation may bring momentary pleasure, it invariably leads to guilt, heartache and possibly far worse.
Although resisting temptation is rarely easy, we have a fighting chance if we will utilize God's escape routes and the wisdom that He is more than willing to provide. It also helps to know that Jesus understands what we are going through, as He faced the same temptations – Heb. 4:15.
Have you prayed for wisdom today?
Building Faith that Sticks in 2026!
Dennis

CUTTING GIANTS DOWN TO SIZE 
“Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war… Saul and the Israelites assembled…to meet the Philistines... A champion named GOLIATH…came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze…and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels… (33 lbs!) Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified” (1 Sam. 17:1-11).
 
David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him… Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (1 Sam 17:32-37).
 
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I never cease to be impressed by young David’s courage and faith. Among other things, it illustrates the difference that “perspective” can make. King Saul and his army were terrified because they focused on an audacious, well-armed, strutting giant. David, on the other hand, focused his attention on someone far more mighty – Jehovah God. That being the case, he saw Goliath as a little more than a puny, bragging bully. It is no wonder that David had no qualms about facing and fighting Goliath.
 
As Christians, we also face “giants” - temptations, serious illness, chronic pain, death of loved ones, set-backs, family issues and other challenges. Although such difficulties can appear overwhelming, we must learn to see them from David’s perspective – with God on our side. Doing so will cut any “giant” down to size, enabling us to confront and eventually overcome them by God’s mighty hand.
 
The Lord assured the apostle Paul, "Do not be afraid…for I am with you" (Acts 18:9-10). These words also apply to Christians today.
 
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psa 27:1)
 
Building Faith that Sticks in 2026!
 
Dennis

Don’t Underestimate Abraham’s Faith
 
"As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her…" (Genesis 17:15-16).
 
When God spoke these words, Sarah was 90 years old and Abraham  was just shy of 100. Not only were they well beyond the age of childbearing, Sarah had always been barren. Difficult as it was for Abraham to imagine having a son by Sarah, he had come to believe that nothing is too hard for God – Genesis 18:14.
 
Abraham's faith is described in Romans 4:18-21, “…he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith…”
 
Speaking of Abraham’s faith, the KJ and NKJ versions contain a subtle, but unequivocal fault. While copying verse 19, some scribes evidently doubted that Abraham’s faith was strong enough to overlook the fact that it was impossible for a man his age to father a child. While the original reads, "And not being weak in faith, he did consider his own body, already dead…", these scribes added the word "not" in an attempt to clarify Abraham’s actual faith.
 
The modified reading is, "And not being weak in faith, he did NOT consider his own body, already dead…” In other words, Abraham supposed that he (and Sarah) were NOT beyond the age of childbearing, thus it was easier for Him to believe God's promise.
 
Tragically, those scribes underestimated the strength of Abraham's faith. The truth is that Abraham completely believed God’s promise, despite KNOWING that Sarah and he were too old to produce a child. Abraham was "fully convinced that what [God] had promised He was also able to perform” (Romans 4:21).
 
Sadly, some Christians suffer from a similar malady as the aforementioned scribes. Although they trust God in some respects, they inwardly doubt that:
Nothing is too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:27).
Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).
With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
 
Having complete trust in God's promises may not always be easy, but He has never failed to come through. Remember, “Doubt defeats; faith obtains!”
 
Building Faith that Sticks in 2026!
 
Dennis

Authentic Faith
 
The New Testament has a great deal to say about faith. Unfortunately, millions of people have a flawed concept of faith. They believe that saving faith is simply believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
 
But a close examination of the Scriptures reveals that authentic faith is more than merely believing. The 2nd chapter of James makes it clear that faith must be coupled with obedient acts or works, else, it is dead - James 2:14-26. Moreover, James tells us that the demons believe and tremble, yet their faith is dead because they refuse to obey.
 
That is NOT to say that we can earn our way to heaven by good works - see Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-5. However, the Bible emphatically states that obedient faith is a requisite for salvation – “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Rom 6:17-18). See also Heb. 5:9 & 1 Pet 1:22.
 
Moreover, consider the “Heroes of Faith” listed in Hebrews 11:
·        By faith, Abel “offered to God a more excellent sacrifice” (v. 4).
·        By faith, Noah “prepared an ark” (v. 7).
·        By faith, Abraham “obeyed” God’s voice” (v. 8).
·        By faith, Abraham “offered up Isaac” (v. 17).
·        By faith, Isaac “blessed Jacob & Esau” (v. 20).
·        By faith, Jacob “blessed each of the sons of Joseph & worshiped” (v. 21).
·        By faith, Moses “forsook Egypt…kept the Passover” & more (v. 24-28).
 
James 2:18 states, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” As you might imagine, it is impossible to “show faith” without a corresponding action. Genuine faith always obeys. And that is the kind of faith by which we are saved.
 
Building Faith That Sticks in 2026!
 
Dennis