The Story Of Lazarus

John 11:38-44

Lazarus Raised from the Dead 

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” 

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said,“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 

42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 

43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 

44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

I love this story! I remember an old song by Carmen...it tells the story from a little different perspective...Lazarus was dead, he arrives in paradise and he starts telling Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Daniel, King Solomon, King David and many more about how he knew Jesus...but then Jesus starts calling "Lazarus, Lazarus, Lazarus, Come Forth!"  What an amazing and wonderful story...of Jesus' love and compassion, but also of His magnificent power!   

Here is the song by Carmen from way back in 1984 - and oldie but a goodie...Enjoy!

Unshakable Faith - Day 46:Walking With God

Unshakable Faith

Day 46:Walking With God

1. Have you accepted your invitation to draw near to Him?

Yes, I so long to be close to my Heavenly Father...I hunger for more of His Word and His presence in my life...I spend hours studying, and getting to know Him...I also talk with Him and spend time just listening to Him as He speaks to me...I love the Lord more than anything...He is my everything!

2. Have you sacrificed all of the things that distract you from becoming closer to Him?

I have given up many things that were distractions to me, but I sense the Holy Spirit nudging me telling me that there are other things in my life, that distract me from spending time with Him, and growing in my relationship with Him.  You see, God already knows everything about each one of us.  He made us, and He knows our every thought and even the number of hairs on our heads.  We are the ones who need to learn more about Him, and to draw near to Him...If there is something in our lives that keeps us from doing what we need to, to get to know Him and spend time with Him, we need to sacrifice it, let it go, give it up, the trade off is always worth it.

3. "There is nothing that says we cannot walk with God to the point that He just takes us up like He did Enoch. Could this in fact be what the rapture really is?"

I would love to walk that closely with God! WOW!!  And I agree that there is not anything in God's Word that says it is not possible, if one man could do it, any of us could...but I believe that the rapture of the church is when Jesus returns for His Bride (the whole church,  all Christians)...Not just a few christian's who grow close enough to God that God takes them.  

The Last Prophet - Chapter 8: Living Today in Light of Tomorrow

The Last Prophet

Chapter 8: Living Today in Light of Tomorrow

Questions To Ponder

1. What is one of the most memorable trips you have ever taken?

The most memorable trip for me was a trip I took as a teenager, over to Slovakia on a missions trip.  I saw God move in the hearts and lives of people whose aim was to hurt the local church...a church that had a very small congregation of maybe 15 or 20 people including the children grew to standing room only with people outside straining to hear through the windows.  There was a gang who caused lots of trouble in that city, and the leader of the gang came to know Christ along with a couple other gang members...Satan fought us every step of the way, But with God all things are possible and so we had to take scripture and claim it and quote it, memorize it, pray it, and most of all believe the promises therein.  I learned a lot about spiritual warfare, and I will never forget watching God work in a situation that looked impossible.

  

2. What are the three prophetic announcements in Malachi chapter 4?

1. The Day of Judgment
2. The Day of Restoration
3. The Rapture of the Church 

3. In your opinion, what recent events point to Christ's return?

There are so many...wars and rumors of wars, false prophets and teachers, the culture of today to live for yourself, and the belief that everyone should be entitled to choose what is okay for themselves...no defined morals or absolute truths, the list goes on...earthquakes, tsunamis, famines; and just about all of the prophesies that must happen before the return of Christ for His Bride, have been fulfilled. 

4. What impact should the return of Jesus Christ have on a person's life?

Well, I'd say it should make us thankful and give us hope...if we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then it only brings joy to our hearts when we think about Him returning.  But for those who do not know Jesus, and have not found the hope He offers through the gift of Salvation, for them I would imagine it is scary to think about, and I would hope it might cause them to stop and think about their life and maybe realize that it is time to make things right with God.

If you are at that point in your life and you want to make things right with God please click Here for more information.