No Corners Cut, No Pacifying, No Round-About Way

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

You want somebody to pacify you; you want somebody to tell you what you want to hear; you want somebody to agree with you. Well, it’s not going to happen… forget about it! You must know that your ways are not pleasing to the Lord! I want you to know that God has entrusted me with His ministry where there are No Corner-Cuts, No Pacifying, and No Round-About Way; and I take what God has entrusted to me very seriously. I am thankful that He has chosen to trust a wretch like me to tell it. Understand I am not writing to attack any Christians; on the contrary, I am writing to wake you up if you’re sleeping in this dark hour 1Cor 15:34 so if you get offended by truth, that could only mean one thing; you need to examine yourself as the Apostle Paul stated in 2Corinthians 13:5.

Truth is supposed to challenge the status quo and disturb the complacent. Truth is supposed to upset the pretentions of the hypocritical. What a crybaby!  Gird your loins. Be strong in the Lord. Allow me to declare the whole counsel of God letting the chips fall where they may. This is a call that tells the truth and offends the untruthful. It is a call that is sharper than a two-edged sword and just as dangerous. It is one that lays it on the line day after day without regard to what it does to the security as deem by man. The Apostle Paul who “got” this, said, “If I should please men, I would not please God.” Galatians 1:10.  In Psalm 94:16 God asked the question, “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” We all have to choose; I choose to please God rather than man. “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” Galatians 4:16 Jesus told you Himself in Matthew 10:34 “Think not that I come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a Sword. For I came to seat a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in-law”… but my bag… I thought you knew that. Even Romans 9:33 refers to Christ as a “stumbling block” and a “Rock of offence.”

I want you to know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has always offended the wicked!  True Biblical love NEVER allows for sinful compromise.  If the truth is offensive to the unsaved wicked world and to backslidden Christians, and you just happen to fall into one of those category… Uh-oh…. Understand that the purpose of gospel teaching is to save those who believe Mark 16:15-16; 1Corinthians 1:21. I tell you we must develop a “love for truth.” It is the Rock that will withstand the forces of Hell and deception. We must be willing to receive gospel teaching without taking offense at it! Matt. 11:6

To Preachers and teachers: God’s directives on preaching the truth… Preach truth regardless of how or whether it is received – 2 Tim. 4:2. Do not be silenced by mockery, threats or consequences – Jer. 20:7-11; Amos 7:11-13; Ezek. 2:5-7.  Know that until Christ returns you are responsible to stand against the evils of our day Psalm 94:16. Yeah the truth will make people angry because truth demands an answer; but the truth will also cause others to come to God in repentance. To Hearers: Meekly receive truth and obey it – James 1:21-22; Acts 2:36, 37-38, 41.

May God grant that the truth spoken in love and received in love heal our hearts, lead us to repentance, free us from bitterness, and unite the body of Christ…. No more lies, no more pretenses. Tell your neighbor the truth. Ephesians 4:15; 22-25… 2Corinthians 4:2

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Michael Jackson sang …. “It’s close to midnight and something evil’s lurking in the dark. Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart. You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it. You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes. You’re paralyzed’ cause this is THRILLER, thriller night, and no one’s gonna save you from the beast about to strike you. You’re fighting for your life inside a killer; you hear the door slam and realize there’s nowhere left to run. You feel the cold hand and wonder if you’ll ever see the sun. You close your eyes and hope that this is just your imagination; but all the while you hear a creature creepin’ up behind; you’re outta time; cause this is thriller, thriller night. There ain’t no second chance against the thing with forty eyes. There’s no escapin’ the jaws of the alien this time; this is the end of your life; cause this is thriller, thriller night. They’re out to get you; there’s demons closing in on every side; they will possess you unless you change the number on your dial…the evil of the THRILLER…” I want you to know that you cannot shy away from the fact that Hell is a very real truth. Matter of fact, its’ been said that Hell is truth seen too late! If you don’t believe it, just ask the man in Luke 16:19-31 who died and woke up in the fires and torments of Hell.

Listen… Sometimes we say things because it’s right, not because we want to. Sometimes we say things that are hard because they need to be said, not because we like saying them. This is one of those times. I hate talking about Hell. But there’s a saying that says, “Friends don’t let friends go to Hell,” and because I consider you my friend; I want you to know that if you do not embrace Jesus; if you do not take your life with God seriously, you are on a very dangerous path that leads to Hell. Your consideration of the terrors of Hell may be one of the most important things you can do in this life. Ezekiel 33:4 says, “Then he who hears the sound of the trumpet, and does not take warning and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.” Why should you be so concerned about Hell? There are several reasons why it is profitable to do so: hearing about the terrors of Hell may shock your conscience and awaken you out of your false security. Hearing about Hell may help to deter you from committing sin. Hearing about the terrors of Hell may help to awaken those among you who may think they are saved because they believe in Christ or the facts of the gospel, but who are not really saved and are on their way to Hell, but don’t know it. This aspect of Hell alone should cause you to cry out in repentance. Don’t be so arrogant as to think that you can bear the wrath of God poured out in full measure upon you. If you believe that, you are more than a fool. The terrors of Hell cause the devils to tremble. Do not delude yourself! Repent of all your sins and turn to Jesus and surrender to Him as Lord. I tell you it is better to view Hell now, while you are living, and be terrified by it, than to have to endure Hell forever when you die. Flee from sin! Flee from living for self!

This is your wake up call and your opportunity to do something about it. All opportunity to repent ends at death. I want you to know that it will be no one’s fault but your own if you deliberately seal your own doom; because it isn’t easy to go to Hell. Before you get there you must climb over the church, the Bible, gospel sermons, your conscience, your better judgment, the Holy Spirit, and all the providences of God. Then finally you must climb over Calvary and trample Jesus under your foot. In Hell, you’ll remember that you did all of this. Please don’t go to Hell! Hell is forever! “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation {2 Corinthians 6:2}. Don’t let pride or denominational background or your so-called, “Christian heritage,” or your good deeds send you to Hell. Don’t let them! Don’t live in doubt about where you’re going when you die.

“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. “Deuteronomy 30:15-20…

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

You will never, ever, get relief from the things that have you in bondage until you let them go. Don’t you see what the enemy [Satan] is doing in your life? He not only has control of your life, but he has control of your mind, and he keeps placing these strongholds in your mind and you keep accepting them. Until you stand up, and say “Enough is enough” Satan is going to keep right on walking all over you and interfering with your life. Don’t let the devil keep beating you up. And quit trying to figure it out, quit trying to do it the way you always have, quit trying to look other places for relief, give it to God. Imagine what it would be like for you to know that you’ve left your baggage at the foot of the cross. I tell you, it’s time to let go. Don’t let the past blind you or bind you. Don’t allow the devil to have any more control over you! Let go and let God. Let God set you free!

Listen; I know that sometimes we have problems or circumstances that we suffer through for years; and at times we have seen our families go through some stuff. But I want you to know that God will supernaturally intervene on your behalf and you can be totally set free and live a good life… But… you have to want a better life and you have to believe that God can do it. We need to all understand that once we have been saved and we are living righteously we have the authority through the blood of Jesus to bind the Devil and his entourage that are sent to buffet, control, and harm us. Not only that, we have the authority to lose freedom, peace, contentment and joy into our lives. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:7, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” I want you to know that you can bind any spirit that tries to interrupt, tear up, disturb, terrorize, control, or destroy you, and you have the authority through Jesus to loose mass confusion in the enemy’s camp. It’s time! It’s time for you to stand up for yourself and take authority over Satan. For God has given you everything you need pertaining to life. Use your power. And know that Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.  So get up and shake the devil off. Put him under your feet. Take a stand and tell the Devil “To Hell with You!” It’s time that you take back what is yours and proclaim the victory that Jesus has already won for you on the cross. Remember, Satan has already been defeated–he knows what his outcome is–he knows already where he is going, but it is his intention to take as many of us with him that he possibly can. What are you holding on to that you need to let go of?  You need to be healed. You need to be cleansed. You need to be restored. Let go and let God set your free!

Don’t you know that God has put at our disposal [ready for the taking] every spiritual good including mighty weapons to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down every imagination or speculations plus every lofty thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, arresting and bringing them to the obedience of Christ and hence denouncing every act of disobedience [2 Corinthians 10:3-6]. You must quickly place the enemy where he belongs; under your feet. Today power must change hands.  You must enforce God’s victory over the kingdom of darkness. Declare, by the decrees of heaven, that you cannot lose any battle, because you fight the wars of Jehovah Elshadai on a covenant platform… Start declaring, start decreeing, you shall live and not die. Amen!  Now I want to challenge you. Some of you right now have been holding on to memories where a father abused you. That baggage has gone with you into every relationship you’ve had as an adult. Some of you have hidden sin—a drinking problem that no one knows about, a deep struggle with pornography, a root of bitterness that has taken over your heart. For some it’s hard to let go of wanting things to be the way they were. For others it’s hard to let go of disagreements over past decisions. Whatever the situation is, I want to challenge you to decide that today you will let go and let God. You will trust that God will do what He said He would do in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”  I tell you, God will give you rest if you will just let go. Will you let go and let God? You can be freed from bondage and healed from brokenness and be full of joy for there’s power in Jesus. There’s healing in Jesus. There’s deliverance in Jesus. Let go and let God. Be free!

You know in Philippians 3:12-14. Paul’s ultimate goal was to know Christ completely even to the point of being resurrected with Christ. He said he had not arrived yet, but one thing he knew he had to do was to, “Forget those things which were behind him, and reach forth unto those things which were before…” Paul had to let go of his past in order to take hold of his future. Will you do it? Will you forget those things which are behind you and reach forth unto those things which are before you? Whom the Lord set free is free indeed! Dance in your freedom!

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Now I know that this week message might sound similar to last week message, but to the Spirit direction. Amen!

Now that we got that out of the way… How many of you remember the movie, Lady Sings the Blues…. Diana Ross was superb and did she not sing that song…  Ain’t Nobody’s Business…. like it was nobody business…. Oh yes, she did!  She sang that song. She said, I’m gonna do just what I want to anyway, and don’t care if you all despise me. If I should take a notion to jump into the ocean, it ain’t nobody’s business if I do. If I go to church on Sunday and I shimmy down on Monday, It ain’t nobody’s business if I do, Lord no….” and Bobby Brown echoed, its “My Prerogative, why don’t they just let me live? I don’t need permission. Make my own decision, that’s my prerogative. I can do what I wanna do.” Cold parts about it….They are right. God has given you free will, “choice” and you have the right to accept Him or reject Him, but what I want you to know today is what you don’t have is His right to His judgment. But go ahead and enjoy your life; be happy, do what you want to do, and follow your heart desire, just remember though, that God is going to judge you for whatever you do; but don’t let that worry you or cause you pain because, “Ain’t nobody business if you do!”

Now because I don’t want you to be blind to the consequences of your choices; but want you to have a clear understanding about your choosing;  why you are still young before dismal and years come when you will say I don’t enjoy life; before the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars begins to grow dim for you; before the time comes when the rain cloud will never pass away; before your arms that have protected you begin to tremble and your legs which are now strong begin to grow weak; before your teeth become too few to chew your food and your eyes too dim to see clearly; before your tears become deaf to the noise of the streets; before you are barely able to hear the mill as it grind or music as it plays; before the songs of the dead awake you from your sleep; before you become afraid of high places; before your walking becomes dangerous for you; before your hair turn white and before you are hardly able to drag yourself alone… I want you to know that everybody got their business. You got yours and God has His. Do not be deceived. God will not be mocked!  [Ecclesiastes 11:10; 12:1-8].

I tell you, you better ask Eli [1Sam 2:27] did not God clearly reveal Himself to his father house when they were in Egypt? Yes, he did! Why? Because, “Ain’t Nobody Business” really is “Somebody Business,” God!  I tell you, we are so short-sighted, we choose wrong. We choose the world over choosing God. Careful!  Paul the apostle made a statement. [Eph 5:15-17] See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil, wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Did you hear what he said- be careful how you live – redeem the time; (make the most of every opportunity). I want you to know that the Bible talks a great deal about wisdom and contrasts it with foolishness. Proverbs declares that there is nothing in the world that is more valuable than wisdom: Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7, NIV)

So often, we are encouraged to “follow our hearts” or to do what “feels right” or “live in the moment.” This is the epitome of foolishness! When you choose to think only about your present desires without really weighing the consequences of your actions, you act foolishly. Wisdom is about seeing the big picture and living based on what you know to be true rather than on what you feel. Paul says that since we have been made new by God, we must be careful to live wisely instead of living foolishly. In other words, be careful how you live, and walk in the way of wisdom as opposed to the way of foolishness. Remember that the choices you make have consequences—often consequences that you may not be able to anticipate. Paul wants you to understand that walking wisely is intended to protect you and to guide you along the best path for your life. Therefore, be deliberate in your choices, and choose to walk in the way of wisdom because there is a great deal at stake… If you didn’t know, now you know, “Ain’t Nobody Business is Somebody Business –God!”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Why want you go sit down somewhere! I tell you there are just some people you can’t tell anything. Their minds are like steel traps, tightly shut and difficult to open. They have their mind made up and they’re not going to change for you, me, or even God. That’s pretty much the situation we discover in Jeremiah 44. Jeremiah warned the people that God was upset with their behavior… their response: “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD!” [Jeremiah 44:16].  They had made up their minds. They like what they were doing and they had no intention of stopping for Jeremiah or God.  Many people today tend to think that they are the ones in charge of their lives. They call the shots. They make the decisions. And God is left out of the picture, “It’s my life and I can live it the way I want to. If I wanna do this or that then I’m gonna do it and no one’s gonna stop me!               ”

Let me tell you something; God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. He wants to be quick to bless and slow to wrath. He doesn’t want to go to war with you! You are living on borrowed time and borrowed strength. You better know that you know! You can turn against God and fight or you can turn to Him and be forgiven! But what you don’t want to do is go to war with God because you will surely loose.  [Jeremiah 4:5-6:30]. Now there are two consequences in life – You Can Attend the Feast or You Can Attend the Funeral [Proverbs 9].  Attending the Feast – Wisdom spreads her table for those who enter her house. She strengthens them, she satisfies them, and she sustains them. She gives them all they need for now and for the future. The same is true for the person who chooses the way of God over the way of the world. He spreads His feast for us as we pass this life, 1 Cor. 2:9, and He promises us that we will have a home with Him in His heaven forever, John 14:1-3! Now Attending the Funeral, that’s a whole different story. The context and the contrast. While the wise man goes off to enjoy the feast, the fool goes off to endure his funeral. This truth is vividly illustrated in Proverbs 7:5-27. This is the lot of the fool! Living this life to the full with sinful pleasures, but with no preparation for tomorrow! Fool, God says, “Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.” Proverbs 8:32-36.

Now Proverbs 14:12 tells us that: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Seems like it’s right, seems like it’s good, but leads to death. That’s man doing it his way.  I want you to know that sin is the transgression of the law of God: it is doing things your way instead of God’s way [I John 3:4]. Now God has all wisdom and He has revealed it to us; but if you insist on doing things your way know that you will reap the consequences. Warnings do come before destruction. Consider yourself warned! You better read about Israel. When Israel rebelled against God, He responded by giving them over to their enemies for punishment. The Bible says He “sold” them. This word means to “turn over; to give up”. In other words, God abandoned them to the life they chose for themselves. You should know that they paid a terrible price for their rebellion, Judges 5:6-7. They were literally driven from their highways and their homes. There is always a high price to pay for disobedience to the will of the Lord. When you choose your ways over God’s ways, you can expect His displeasure. He will send chastisement into your life, Heb. 12:6-11; Deut 8:5; Rev. 3:19. Do not be deceived! God will not be mocked. If you choose to do things your way expect God to touch your life in ways you will not like. Your life can be hell before going to hell if you ignore or reject God’s Word [Pr 13:15; 22:5].

In Genesis chapter 27, four people chose to do it their way. Isaac did things his way by trying to bestow the family blessing on Esau, in opposition to God’s revealed will. Esau tried to take back what he had already sold to his brother Jacob. Rebekah deceived her aging husband into giving the blessing to her favorite son, Jacob. And Jacob lied to his father and outsmarted his brother. They all did it their way, not God’s way. In the end they all came up empty and paid a high price for their selfishness. You see, every person in life has a theme song entitled, “I Did It My Way” or “I Did It God’s Way.” You would think that the lines would be clearly drawn: Every person outside of Christ would sing, “I Did It My Way” every Christian would sing, “I Did It God’s Way,” but I find that many who profess to believe in Christ are really just living for themselves, often using God as the means to self-fulfillment. But Genesis 27 teaches the principle that …When you seek your own way, you never get what we want and you will always pay a high price. So, don’t do it… Don’t do it your way… Do it God’s way… for there are great rewards and blessings promised to us by God if we will just do it His way.

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” [Deuteronomy 30:19].

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Satan doesn’t give a damn about you! He’s not your friend and definitely not your buddy! He’s your enemy and his plan is to take you out by any means necessary. Make no mistake about it! His plan for your life is three-fold: To steal…to kill and to destroy you. That’s it and that’s all! He has no other plan, interest, or purpose for you nor your life. He hates you with a passion; an undying hatred, and he wants you dead. Period!

Now I don’t like to spend a lot of time talking about the Devil. He and I are not on speaking terms, you see. There are only two things that the Devil and I have in common; He hates me and I HATE HIM! But Jesus spoke about him from time to time, so it’s no sin for me to do it. Besides, I just want to remind you of what Peter said in [1 Peter 5:8] “Be alert, and be on watch! For your enemy, the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” I want you to know that he has declared an all-out war on you. And while many of us slumber at this midnight hour, just as Jesus predicted, the devil is working ferociously, making preparation for war. Ever scheming, ever devising ways to harass and destroy us. He is not your friend! All he wants is to kill you. That is his ultimate plan for you. Do not be deceived…. Satan hates your guts!

Sure, he throws out lies to make you believe that he has something that will soothe your pain, relieve your stress, quench your thirst and longings. He’s been doing that since the Garden of Eden. Bottom-line; he can’t stand you! But if you insist on befriending him anyway, knowing he hates the very ground you walk on know that God will eventually turn you over to your daddy [Satan] and when He does, your daddy [Satan] is going to do anything and everything to you and it ain’t going to be nice. For he is as evil as God is good; as selfish as God is unselfish; and as hateful as God is loving. And he is out to get you [Ephesians 6:10-12]. He has a plan of destruction and he is not just going to lie down, roll over and let you be what God wants you to be. He is working overtime to side-line you, to kill you, to steal and to destroy your life. That lying, manipulate, murderer! Never underestimate what he can do. Never underestimate how far he will go to defeat and kill you.  He wants to eat you alive! I’m telling you on the authority of God’s Word, Satan, is a cold blooded killer and he’s coming as swift as he can to take you out. You may not want to think about it or even accept it, but if you have determined to follow Jesus with all your heart, Satan has marked you for destruction.

Now I’m going to share with you three principles of Warfare. If you will latch onto these principles, you can live a life full of happiness, health, peace, prosperity and accomplishment. If you ignore them, you will live a life of defeat and depression and fear and uncertainty and self-doubt. Not to mention a lack of direction, financial ruin, and continual discouragement because that’s Satan’s objective. Without these principles you have no chance of survival! NONE! Not any! You are like a baby in front of a wild tiger seeking whom he may devour. And he will devour you, Associates, Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, Doctorate and all, if you do not latch on the whole armor of God. I tell you we are under heavy attack. A spiritual and moral attack, and the devastation of this spiritual war is all around us in our society, our government, our universities, our entertainment media, our neighborhoods, our families, our churches, and our own lives. There are wounded people all around us, and we ourselves have been pierced by the fiery arrows of our enemy. To survive and to win, we must mount a strong defense and engage the enemy in battle. We must learn to “praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!” Because behind the confusion and fog of the battle is a crafty, powerful, and devastatingly real spiritual being that Jesus has called, “the ruler of this world” the Devil.

Now God has given us specific steps that enable us to be conquerors: First, we are to lay hold of the complete protection of Christ, what the Bible calls the full armor of God. Second, once fully armed, we are to pray. Effective prayer is the result of actively putting on the armor of God. Third and finally, in the face of Satan’s attacks, we are to stand firm in our faith with the certain knowledge that the battle is the Lord’s. Our faith in His victory; a victory that is already accomplished on the cross is what overcomes the world. So, as part of the Lord’s army, our commander has given us our marching orders, along with His authority, to take dominion from the enemy. The Holy Spirit in [Ephesians 6: 10-18] presents the equipment of our warfare.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all God’s people. This is a fight that will not end until we are before the throne of God. Every day, for the rest of your life, you must fight this fight – or you will fall. But by God’s grace, we all can stand. By God’s grace, we can reach the end of our lives and say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight [the fight of faith!] I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.” I hope and pray that this message has equipped you with enough artillery to defeat Satan. Do not be deceived, Satan is not your friend, he is your enemy!

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

I Didn’t Do It… It Wasn’t Me… Oh, Really!  Did you forget that God is an omniscience [all-knowing] God? That He sees all, both that which is public and that which is private… That He sees all things at all times… [Psalms 33:14-15] tell us that, “From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place, He watches all who live on earth – He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.”  [Hebrews 4:13] tells us that– “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” It is imperative that you remember that God knows all things, past, present and future, real and potential, and He knows them all at the same time. He not only knows what was, what is, but He also knows what will be, and more than that, He knows everything that could be. Remember that old quote, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time…” Well, you can NEVER fool God!

But this is how we think. We are apt to commit sin and evil because we think that no one is watching us and nobody knows what’s going on with us except ourselves. Do not deceive yourself my friend; God is watching everything you do. When you look around and feel like there is no one else around, you must realize the existence of God who looks down from heaven upon you. It is that moment in life from which you know you cannot hide. You cannot escape. It is a moment that is terrifying and comforting – unsettling and reassuring both at the same time. It is terrifying because you realize you can no longer pretend or get away with it. He knows every secret, every thought, every word you have spoken, and everything you have done. Yet, for some unexplainable reason, it is also reassuring. If God knows everything about me and is still willing to call me by my name – that is astonishing! He calls out to me – not to terrify me, but to speak to me as a friend. He calls me by name! Isn’t that just amazing!

Now for those of you who don’t believe that God is all-knowing… I will confidently say that few doctrines are so explicitly taught as the doctrine of God’s omniscience. Consider the following statement of Scripture: 1 Samuel 2: 3; 1 John 3:20; Psalms 147:5; Hebrews 4:13... And that only scratches the surface. The Bible in many places sets forth implications of God’s unlimited knowledge. Consider further the following statements: Luke 12: 7; Psalm 139:4; Psalm 139:2; Matthew 6:8; Psalm 139:2-3. I tell you, God knows everything you are going to do tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and every moment of every day until the moment of your death. Psalm 139:16. He records every word you say and will someday call you to account for every careless, thoughtless, unkind and unchristian comment. Matt 12:36 He sees everything you do in secret – both the good and the bad. Matt 6:4; He hears every whispered word and will one day, shout them from the rooftop. Luke 123:3. No wonder David exclaimed as he pondered how much God knew about him, Psalm 139:5. He felt trapped by God’s knowledge of his every word and deed.  All these truths should give us pause the next time we are tempted to think that no one can hear what we are saying or no one knows what we are thinking or doing. How wrong we are! One day you will give account for every careless word and every unspoken thought. Not only that, you will answer for the motives behind your thoughts. Before you speak; before you think, remember, God sees and knows everything you do. He hears everything you say. He will someday judge you for all of it. Nothing escapes Him. Everything is transparent before His eyes.

One final word and I am done. This doctrine of God’s omniscience should strike terror into the heart of every unbeliever. Jesus said, “Men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” [Matt 12:36]. God’s omniscience is the basis of His judgment. This is not good news for sinners. We cannot hide anything. He knows all our works and thought and brings them all into judgment. But the wicked man says, “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.” [Psalm 10:11]. Wrong! Who knows? God knows! [Job 34:21] “His eyes are on the ways of men; He sees their every step. You can sin and go to Hell if you desire. No one is going to fool God. No one is going to escape judgment. “Do not fool yourself into thinking otherwise. Smile…You’re On Candid Camera, 24–Hr Video Surveillance!

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

In our relationship with one another we don’t have to tell someone that our love has grown cold towards them… they know it! They know it because of how we behave towards them. God wants you to know today that He is aware that your love has grown cold toward Him and that it breaks His heart that the thrill is gone.

You know the apostle Paul wrote [1Cor. 13:3 and John 4:24] a message to the church of their need to examine themselves and their love for Christ. He said, “Don’t try to worship God with lies. Don’t’ tell Him that you love Him if you really don’t love Him. Don’t’ try to convince Him that you love Him by telling Him all you do for Him. When two people really love each other, they aren’t mechanical in their relationship. Their love is spontaneous.” When you fall in love with someone, you don’t think its strange to tell them so over and over. And if you can’t see them that day, you’re sure to call or write just to remind them that you love them. You don’t neglect to let each other know you still have that same love. You don’t keep quiet just because you take it for granted that they still know it.  When you stop telling your mate you love them, that’s an indication that perhaps you no longer do love them. You can’t keep love quiet. When you really love someone, you’re not ashamed to express that love. It doesn’t sound repetitious. No, its music to their ears. How much more should we tell the Lord we love Him, even though we know He is aware of it? Because apparently Him knowing is very important [John 21:15]. Listen, there’s nothing harder than a one-sided marriage, where one mate loves the other but receives no love in return. A love relationship needs to be mutual if it is to grow. Now, the Lord loves you, and He doesn’t want that love to be one sided. He gives you His love but also wants to receive your love and devotion. I tell you, some of us need to go back to that, “Old Time Religion, When It Was Good Enough for Me.” Some of us need to ask God to “Take Us Back to Where We First Received Him.” Think back to where the Lord found you and what He did for you when He saved you by Grace. Remember those days when just the mere mention of the name of Jesus was enough to bring tears to yours eyes. Remember those days when “Amazing Grace” made you nearly have a shouting spell. That is where the Lord wants to bring you back to!

Let me tell you a story of, “Undying Love.” …The story of Hosea and Gomer… I want you to know that Hosea is one of the most emotional books in the Bible, an outpouring of persistent love from God’s heart. Hosea begins with a love story – a painful, personal love story, the prophet’s very own. Hosea had married a woman who became unfaithful to him and brought great shame upon him. Yet though she cheated on him, Hosea still loved her. Though she humiliated him, he did not divorce her. Why not? Because God had told him that his painful love story would help him understand and feel with another more painful love story: the painful love of God for His people. Hosea’s feelings about Gomer give us a sense of how the Lord felt about Israel and how He feels about us today.  God made Hosea live the tragedy of Israel’s unfaithfulness by marrying a harlot. And if Hosea scandalized the good people of Israel by doing this, that’s exactly the reaction God wanted… because Israel’s own idolatry and spiritual adultery was shocking and scandalous in God’s eyes! According to one theologian, “In God’s eyes, whoever forsakes the Lord is an adulteress, a harlot, and a whore. There are no religious “singles” in God’s eyes. Everyone is either faithfully married to God or is a prostitute to the idol they are serving” he said. God made you for himself. If you “get your kicks” from somewhere else, you are committing great harlotry against God. That was Israel’s condition.

And so God took Hosea and said, as it were, “Before I give you a word of judgment and grace for Israel, I am going to make you know what it’s like to be married to an unfaithful wife. Hosea, marry a harlot!” His marriage is an acted-out parable of God’s relations to Israel.  Hosea would understand and feel the magnitude of God’s broken heart and deep sorrows. “If the prophet could be so wounded in his spirit by his wife’s adultery, then what must the Lord feel by centuries of such treatment by the very people He had formed for His own glory, as His personal possession?”  Stop and think about what it would take for a loving father or mother to say to a child: “I disown you. I disinherit you. You are no longer my son or my daughter, I will not show you anymore love, mercy, or pity, no matter how much you cry out to me!” It would take decades of rebellion, hate, and evil atrocities on the part of an adult held to merit such a harsh judgment, right? So God wants us to feel His heart here, which has been broken and trampled on, for centuries, by the people He loved and rescued and cared for all these years! To know that you deserve to be broken, disowned, and shown no more love, how could God remain just and righteous in His judgment of us, and at the same time, show us such bountiful mercy? The only answer – God, in His immeasurable grace and mercy, will not give up on His people forever. This is a love that will not let us go! Does this grip your heart? Does this move you to respond to God’s mercy? It should! And if it doesn’t, then you better check to see if you have a spiritual pulse. Cry out to the Lord and ask Him to revive you.

Listen, the Christian life is about loving Christ. It is about loving Him singularly. It is about loving Him totally. It is about loving Him sacrificially. It is about loving Him obediently. It is about loving Him worshipfully. It is about loving Him in terms of service. It really is about loving Jesus Christ. That’s what it means to be a Christian. Now, if you understand the Old Testament, the great commandment was to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. This is the sum of all that God requires, and your neighbor as yourself. But it starts with loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, which is just a way of saying loving God comprehensively, totally, completely. Now if that’s the sum of the law, then that has to be the sum of the relationship. That can’t be altered when it comes to being a Christian.

So I ask you as a believer today – “Have you left your first love? Have you become so busy and preoccupied with life, that Jesus is no longer that important to you? If you sense you have, you need to stop and remember what it was like when you really loved the Lord. You need to repent of the things that have come between you and Him. And you need to return to the basic things of a relationship with the Lord: joyful worship, glad serving, and thankful living. Remember your first love…Remember how much you loved Jesus at the beginning and go back to that. Love Him like you used to!

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

You need to know that God isn’t happy with how you are living. He declares that things will not be pretty until you acknowledge your guilt and seek [his] face [Hosea 5:15-16]. Our brothers, Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah tell us the same thing in so many words…“You think God is impressed with your worship? You think God is impressed with your prayers? You think God needs your sacrifices? You think that if you’re loud enough or earnest enough or put a little extra in the offering plate that God owes you attention? You’ve got it all twisted! God says, “Stop bringing him meaningless sacrifices! Your incense is detestable to him. New moons, Sabbaths and consecrations, he cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New moon, festivals and appointed feasts, his soul hates. They have become a burden to him.” [Isaiah 1:13-14]. “You come near to him with your mouth and honor him with your lips, but your heart is far from him. Your worship of him is made up only of rules taught by men.” [Isaiah 29:13].  Paul says, Stop it right now! Start to change by renewing your mind with God’s truth. In the Old Testament God wanted His people to serve Him with ALL their heart, soul, mind and strength (Deut. 6:5).  I tell you, you must sacrifice your selfish desires and live for God every day. You must put to death the selfish tendencies that rise up and push your agendas, your plans and desires over God’s.

God desire is that we live a righteous life which is the best life we can live.  God told Israel to: Wash themselves and make themselves clean.  To put away their evil doings. To suit it up… To get the sin out of their lives, and today He is telling us the same truth. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!  I don’t know who you are trying to please with your life, but today you are being challenged to live lives which are pleasing to God.  You must come to yourself and realize that you are God’s own and created for His purposes. You must come to yourself and forsake the foolishness in your life, the vain pursuits, that carry you farther and farther away from God.

Now I don’t know whether you know or not, but more than 60 times the New Testament tells us that something either is or is not God’s will for His people. Four of those times are in Peter’s letter written to hurting believers. In verse 2 of chapter 4, Peter says, instead of living for “evil human desires” followers of Christ should live “for the will of God.” He tells us that we have spent enough time living as pagans, but now we need to live for God. Don’t desire sin as much as you desire God. Don’t desire sin’s lie as much as you desire God’s truth. As Romans verse 1 chapter 12 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and the perfect, will of God.”

I want to encourage you to give yourself to God. Don’t let your mind get twisted to where you refuse to take godly instruction from God’s Word. I know what I’m talking about. You see when you live for the devil your mind gets warped to where you can’t think right. You begin to think God is expecting too much out of you, making too much of a demand upon your life. The Devil is a liar! Seek Him while He may be found. “Be transformed, not conformed to the world.” For God has called you to live a separate life, to be a peculiar people unto Him. Therefore, come out from amongst them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; so that God will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be His sons and daughters.

Learn from Jonah’s example. Jonah was a man who decided he wasn’t going to do what God had told him to do: He wasn’t going to go to Nineveh, where God had called him to go. So, he decided to take a ship for Tarshish rather than going to Nineveh as God said. Off he went, sailing in the wrong direction. He made life miserable, not only for himself but for everybody else that was on that ship. When you’re out of the will of God, nothing goes right. You can’t be blessed when you’re out of God’s will for your life. And you certainly won’t have a smooth running life when you’re doing your own thing, rather than obeying the Lord. While Jonah was out to sea, he thought he was running away from the Lord, but God blew up a storm while he was on that boat. The mariners didn’t know what to do. They expected the storm to break up the ship at any moment and destroy them all. Those mariners also knew that somebody on that ship wasn’t right with God. They were all praying to find out what was wrong. Jonah’s interest had disappeared, and his disobedience was causing such misery to those around him. I tell you, life can become one continuous storm when you’re out of the will of God, tossing you to and fro. The only way to stop the storm is to enter into God’s will for your life.

Consider the following scripture regarding choice. Deuteronomy 30:15 through Deuteronomy 30:20 (NKJV) “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

I want you to know that not only did God admonish the people to choose life; He also gave them a good reason for doing so, namely life. God has given us His Word, which reveals His Way. Why not learn it and graft it into your heart and live your life accordingly? May what you’ve read have a practical effect in your daily life… You needed to know!

By Lou Coleman

This is a different article from the norm of a mission project update. It’s an article as I struggle with the unease and sadness and grief about what I encountered in Ghana Africa as I represented the Brother’s Keeper Mission Project recently. Upon arriving in Ghana I was taken to the aftermath of a great flood that happened two days prior to my arrival. A city destroyed. Homes washed away. Roads covered. Buildings inundated. Communities and villages flooded. The smell of death in the air. The circumstances were so overwhelming as to be mind-boggling. The pictures shown are some of the destruction from the Flood.

As I witnessed some of the destruction, I began in my thoughts about Israel of old and how they experienced natural disasters as judgment because of sin. Filled with emotion, I remember reading Psalm 29 verse 10 that said… “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood…” Then as I continued reading verse 11 it said, this same Lord, “May He, give strength to his people. May the Lord bless his people with peace.” It seemed, at first, odd that they sought peace from the same God they ascribe such awesome and terrible power. But I was also reminded of God’s grace and awesome power which was proclaimed in the ancient story of Noah and the flood and what Israel noted over and over, that there was destruction and wind and storm and uncertainty in this world, but God is still God, and God is not in the wind, nor is He in the earthquake, nor the fire, storm, or even the flood, but mostly in the hope and the hearts of those who can discern His persistent, still, small voice in the background beneath and above and beyond the chaos. As I tried to think about a flood of that magnitude, one question kept floating to the surface. Why would God do such a thing?

In order to answer that question, the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:37-39 to his disciples on the Mount of Olives before he was crucified drew a fascinating comparison with the days of Noah. He tells his disciples that the past is the key to the future. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. They were buying and selling and continuing in all the usual activities of human life. Business as usual. Children went to school each day, businessmen made deals, teachers taught, doctors dispensed healing, and farmers tended their crops. They paid no attention to Noah as he warned them of impending judgment; they paid him no mind whatsoever until the day that Noah entered the ark. Study the days of Noah because what happened in those days will happen again at the end of this age. The spiritual conditions of the pre-flood world will be replicated in the days preceding the return of Christ to the earth. One translation said, “They did not know.” What a damning indictment. It was an age of enlightenment. But they did not know. It was an age of great progress. But they did not know. It was an age of music, fine arts and literature. But they did not know. It was an age of military might. But they did not know. It was an age when mighty men roamed the earth. But they did not know. They knew so much but understood so little. They knew more and more about less and less until they knew everything about nothing and nothing about what really mattered. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. They had no time for God until it was too late. That is the world of Noah’s day. They were wise fools who did not heed the warnings of the preacher of righteousness. Then the flood came and took them all away. Genesis 6:1-8 offers the Bible’s most detailed answer to the question, “Why did God send the flood?” There was a rapid spiritual degeneration after the first sin. Once sin entered the human bloodstream, it quickly spread until it dominated humanity. But now, with the passing of a few generations, the entire world has become a cesspool of sin. Things have become so evil that God decided to start all over again. Lord have mercy on our soul! For those that have ears, hear what the Spirit is saying.

The Bible speaks directly then and now to our struggle for meaning in the face of chaos. It speaks to our conflicted hope and trust in God, God within and somehow behind this world of uncertainty and violence, and yes, even death. Could it be that the God of all creation allows such things to happen to remind us that He created us to be our brother’s keeper? For when disaster strikes people come together for a reason. When there is a disaster neighbors begin to talk with each other. The poor widow living across the street becomes important. We begin to touch base with each other seeing if the other person is okay. Now my question is this, why does it take a disaster to bring people together? When disaster happens a community comes together and all of a sudden lives are important. I think it is so awesome and great when we help each other, but this shouldn’t be only because of a disaster. We shouldn’t wait for a disaster to become friendly. Thousands of people survived the flood because neighbors or complete strangers reached out to those in need. They became their brothers’ keepers. And that purposefulness and connectedness brings joy even amidst death, chaos, fear and loss. Don’t wait for your neighbor’s house to be destroyed or a death happens before being neighborly to them. All who claim Christ, we are being called to this opportunity to serve and reveal our faith. Opportunity request personal responsibility and urgency in action. When the question is raised, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  I hope that the spirit wells up within you and says, “You bet I am!

The good news – In the midst of such devastation I want you to know that what the Brother’s Keeper Mission Project set out to do was accomplished. Praises go to the Most High God! Special thanks to Am I My Brother’s Keeper… Yes I Am – Conduit of Grace Church/Pastor Martin & Dora Lucero; 2 God Be All the Glory Inc. / Dr. Bruce & Carla McMorris; God’s Promise Church/Pastor Robert & Gwen Phillips; Church of the Living God, Temple 208/Bishop Ernest & LaShawn Dowdy; The Beautiful Gate Church Worldwide, Ghana Africa/ Pastor Richard Yeboah; MDISNET/ Reginald Young; Oliver Lambert Realty; Westside Story Newspaper; The San Bernardino American News; Universal Property Solution; Universal Transport Group; Krystal Louie and Deacon & Missionary Warren & Ruthie Roberson. May God continue to bestow His blessings upon you!