And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. Joel 2:28-29 NKJV
 
Jesus is going to pour out His Spirit on people we would not normally look to for spiritual leadership. Jesus is going to confound the wisdom of the wise in the way He pours out His Spirit on people. 
 
Jesus is going to use the lonely the brokenhearted and outcast to bring glory and honor to His Name. Jesus looks at people’s hearts not position status or resources. The Lord wants us to know it is Him doing the work.
 
We do not know when God will end the current world system. We do not know when Jesus will return to claim His bride. We are living in the end times. What does that mean? It means the Holy Spirit is among us today!
 
We do not have to wait for signs and wonders. God is pouring out His Holy Spirit today. He has already taken up residence in our hearts. Jesus wants to do great and mighty things in us and through us today!
 
These verses remind me of when I first met Jesus.
 
Jesus showed me things in dreams and visions. The Lord spoke truth to my heart. Jesus taught me His word in miraculous ways. I was amazed.
 
No one told me God would communicate with me. I did not know He would interact with me. I did not know Jesus would love me in practical ways. I did not know Jesus would actively pursue my love. It was the most exciting time in my life!
 
Why did Jesus communicate with me so freely and often in the early days of my walk?
 
It is because my walk with Jesus was fresh and new. I was excited about my relationship with Jesus. He transformed my life so completely and unexpectedly nothing could distract me from Jesus. The Lord had what He always wanted, my undivided attention. 
 
Jesus wants your undivided attention today!
 
Jesus wants you to be excited about your relationship with Him. He wants to communicate with you today. Jesus wants you to keep your eyes wide open so you can see the practically ways He pours out His love on you!
 
Jesus never changes. He is calling each of us to follow Him into a life of faith. We can explore the height and width and depth of His love in unique and amazing ways. Jesus will not lead you with a pillar of fire the way He led Israel. Jesus will be easy to follow if you give Him your undivided attention.
 
Give Jesus your undivided attention today!
 
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So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And my people shall never be put to shame. 
Then you will know that I am in the midst of Israel; I am the Lord your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. Joel 2:25-27 NKJV
 
God is speaking to the children of Israel in biblical times. The Lord is speaking to His children today. God’s mercy triumphs over judgment today!                                                                      
 
God judges sin. He judges nations for the sins of their people. God has poured out His wrath on the ungodly people of the world in the past. He will pour out His wrath on the ungodly nations of the world in the future.
 
God will show mercy to all people who call on the name of Jesus!
 
God deals wondrously with the people He created. The Lord made a way for His mercy to triumph over His just judgment. Jesus Christ is the way!
 
Jesus is the Lord of second chances. He is the God of new beginnings. Jesus wants to make all things new in your life today. He wants to make you a new creature. Jesus wants to give you a new future. He wants to give your life new meaning. 
 
How will God do these things in your life? By faith in Jesus Christ. The Great I Am will bring healing and restoration into your life if you trust Him with it!
 
God is going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh. The sons and daughters of His people will prophesy. The old among us will dream dreams. The young will see visions. The poor in spirit and resources will be filled with the Spirit of God. The will serve Jesus in amazing ways. Will you be one of them?
 
Great wonders will appear in the heavens and on the earth before Jesus returns for His people. And all people who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved! Have you received the salvation God longs to pour out on all people?
 
The most amazing time in human history awaits us. Will it be a blessing beyond measure for you? Or will it be a curse?
 
The God of New beginnings longs to bless you from this day forth and on into eternity!
 
Human beings are reward driven. Jesus will grant the desires of our hearts when He returns. People who love honor and worship the lamb of God will spend eternity basking in the Sonlight of His love. We will worship the God of new beginnings night and day.
 
People who thumb their noses at the love of God in this life will be greeted by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. They will spend eternity separated from the love of God.
 
 
Jesus is at the door of your heart knocking. Will you choose a new beginning with the God of mercy and grace or a horrible ending not designed for the people God created in His image and likeness?
 
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Now, therefore, says the Lord, Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him-A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God? Joel 2:12-14 NKJV
 
What can we offer the God who created everything? We don’t have anything Jesus needs. We can give Jesus that which He desires above all things. God desires our hearts. He desires our love and our worship. The Lord desires intimate relationship with us!
 
In Old Testament times a person who was in mourning ripped or tore his clothing. It was meant to be an outward expression of what was in a person’s heart!
 
God sees straight into our hearts. He sees the motives hidden there. God is calling us to cast aside ritual worship and ceremonial religion. Jesus wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
 
What is truth? Where can it be found? Truth is found in the bible. Truth is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. The bible reveals the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The truth is that Jesus is God!
 
Most people do not believe in the God of the bible. They may say they believe in God. They may invoke His name. Most do not believe the bible is the infallible Word of God. They do not know the person they refer to as “God”. Some even invent a god of their own imagination.
 
God is kind and loving. He is forgiving and gracious. He is also righteous and holy. God cannot tolerate sin. The Lord will not allow opposition against Him to prosper.
 
It may seem as though evil people and plots are prospering. They are not. God will hand out eternal rewards and punishments befitting our works and actions.
 
I spoke to a man who does not want to live according to the laws of society. He said he did not agree to live by the social compact of society. He declared himself sovereign.
 
Some people want to be separated from God. Some rebel against any type of authority. Some believe God wants to spoil our fun. They think churches want their money.
 
The God of the bible does not want to spoil our fun. He does not need our money. Jesus wants to love and bless us. Jesus wants to live in intimate relationship with us. Jesus wants to be blessed by us.
 
We can bless Jesus by our love for Him. We can bless Him with our worship. Give Jesus what He desires above all things. Give the Lord a heart with a pure desire to worship Him in spirit and in truth!
 
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Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, “You are My people!”  And they shall say, “You are my God! Hosea 2:23 NKJV
 
God chose Israel from all the nations of the earth. God wanted Israel to be set apart for Him. God chose them to live in a special loving relationship with Him. God told Israel “I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.” 
                
God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. He revealed His power His might and His great love for Israel to the world. His greatest commandment to them was; “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength.”  
 
No other people or nation was blessed by God in the way the Lord blessed Israel
 
Israel turned their back on God. Israel rejected God’s plan. They chose to live like the nations that surrounded them. Israel did not want to be holy unto the Lord. They embraced a ritualistic religious system that replaced relationship and offended God.
 
God loved the people of Israel. He chose to restore them to their special place in His creation. He said, “I will show mercy on a people who rejected Me. My people who are called by My name will be blessed. They will be My people. I will be their God!”
 
The infinite God of Love and mercy wants to live in a loving relationship with you today!
 
Jesus does not want us to live like the people surrounding us. Jesus does not want us to embrace religion. Jesus wants us to give Him our Love and devotion. Jesus wants our worship. God wants to pour out His love and mercy on us today!
 
Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. 
 
Jesus will pursue you with His love. He will shower you with mercy beyond what you could earn or deserve. Jesus called you out from the multitude living apart from Him today. Jesus calls you His beloved. Will you call Him your God?
 
God’s greatest desire is to be loved by you!
 
Jesus will restore the loving relationship He created us to enjoy with Him. Call out to Jesus from the depths of your soul. Ask Jesus not to leave you to yourself. Jesus will answer with mercy and love!
 
The Creator of Heaven and Earth wants to show you how much He loves you today. God wants you to express your love for Him today!
 
Let Jesus bless you and protect you from anyone or anything that curses you. Let Jesus pour out His love on you and use you to reveal His love to the unbelieving multitude living all around you!
 
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I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving kindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord. It shall come to pass in that day That I will answer, says the Lord; I will answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth. The earth shall answer with grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel. Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy, Then I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people!  And they shall say, You are my God! Hosea 2:19-23 NKJV
 
God created us to live for Him today and with Him throughout eternity. Time and time again in these messages I declare that you can spend time with God today. He desires to spend time with you today. You can spend time with God today by faith in Jesus!
 
One day we will stand in the presence of Almighty God. We will live with Jesus in His Kingdom. All people who choose to live by faith in Jesus Christ will live just as God intends for us to live. We will live in intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.
 
God has already declared His intentions for His creation. He will make all things new again. The Lord will create a new heavens and a new earth. We will receive new glorified bodies free from the corrupting influence of sin. We will worship Jesus night and day in His very image!
 
We should live our lives in faith today. We should walk by faith and not by sight today. We should live our lives according to the truth of God and not be swayed by our feelings and emotions. We should turn to Jesus and away from the sin that so easily besets us!
 
When I think about the future Jesus has in store for those who love Him I am overcome with joy. One day we will live in holy perfection in perfect sinless bodies. We will worship God in the beauty of His holiness without distractions or opposition.
 
The glory f Almighty God will cover all of creation. There will be no need for light because the light of God’s love will illuminate His creation.
 
Praise God for all that He has in store for His bride. He is worthy to receive praise honor and glory from people who live by faith in Jesus Christ.
 
Let out a shout of joy today! Cry tears of joy today! Express your love and thankfulness to your God today and every day! 
 
You can live in blessed perfection and glorify Him who sits on the throne of creation throughout eternity. God can receive the glory praise and honor He alone is worthy to receive. You can receive the eternal rewards Jesus has prepared for you since before the foundations of the Earth were laid in their place!
 
How can all of this happen for you? Live by faith in Jesus Christ today so that your future can be all that God promises to people who love and honor His son today!
 
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The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. Habakkuk 3:19 NKJV
 
The Lord of heaven and earth sits upon the throne of creation. He is in total control of all things. People who place their trust in Jesus will never be disappointed. He is our strength, our hope and our ever present help in times of need.
 
The Lord God is my strength!
 
When we surrender to God and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit takes an active role in our lives. He lives in us. We are forever joined together with the eternal God who created us.
 
God has no limitations. If we learn to walk in His ways Jesus will do the most incredible things with our lives. 
 
He will make my feet like deer’s feet!
 
The Old Testament prophets saw and experienced incredible miracles.
 
He will make me walk on my high hills!
 
The servants of God rose above and tread upon obstacles that prevented them from obeying God.
 
God is the same yesterday today and tomorrow.
 
Jesus wants you to see and experience incredible miracles today. Jesus wants you to see and experience the miracle of transformation that takes place when people surrender their hearts and lives to Him.
 
Jesus wants you to tread upon and rise above obstacles that prevent you from serving Him today.
 
God is for you and not against you. Trust Him to lead you and guide you as you tread upon and rise above obstacles that keep you from living the abundant life. 
 
Trust Jesus to be your strength. Trust Jesus to complete the transformation work He wants to accomplish in your life today!
 
Some people believe Jesus still performs miracles. Others do not. I believe Jesus still performs miracles. I have witnessed the greatest miracles of God with my own eyes. I have seen people with stiff necks and hardened hearts surrender their lives to Jesus. The Lord pulled me out of the cesspool of sin cleansed my soul and cleaned up my life!
 
Do not doubt God. Trust Jesus with your life. Who knows what great and mighty works Jesus may use you to accomplish!
 
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Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls- Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV
 
This is a Hymn of Faith. It is a song.
 
The prophet and the people of Judah may have used this hymn to worship the Lord. They may have sung this song as a reminder and encouragement to trust God in times of trial and hardship!
 
These words were written to encourage us. They were written to remind us to trust Jesus in times when we surer trial and hardship!
 
Our young men are sent off to fight in foreign lands. Some of them return maimed or scarred physically and emotionally. Others never come home. Our enemies lay down on the altar of death to strike fear and intimidate us wherever they can.
 
Our government is led by scandalous people who force feed their new age agenda to us.  The cost of living rises drastically even when jobs are hard to find.
 
Drugs addiction is rampant. Gangs and organized crime run the streets of our cities. Homeless camps can be found in communities all over the country.
 
Where is God? What are we to do?
 
God is with us. Jesus promised never to leave us or turn His back on us. We must continue to trust Jesus. We must continue to seek the Lord. We must continue to worship our Lord and Savior!
 
God wants to display the power of His might in us and through us! 
                        
Jesus has the power to raise us up above the obstacles in our path. He can work miracles in us and through us. Jesus will meet our needs. Jesus will be glorified in us and through our lives! 
 
In times of need, trial and hardship draw near to Jesus. He will draw near to you! 
 
Jesus wants to show you how much He loves you. Jesus wants to show you how much He can accomplish with one surrendered heart. Be a living example of God’s love, grace, mercy and power to the people living all around you today!
 
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But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him. Habakkuk 2:20 NKJV
 
Habakkuk was troubled in his spirit. He did not understand why God allowed evil to prosper. Habakkuk did not understand why the people of God suffered at the hands of the ungodly. He did not understand why bad things happen to good people. 
 
When Habakkuk complains that the Godly suffer at the hands of the wicked he is not referring to a distant land. He is speaking of his own people and nation. Why would God use an evil nation to punish Israel?
 
God does not destroy ungodly people because He wants them to turn from wickedness to faith in Jesus.
 
The term wicked does not necessarily refer to people who do bad things. It applies to people who do not humble themselves before God. It applies to people who do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Wicked people deny God’s authority and live as they please!
 
When the Lord sent Israel into captivity it was with the intention of drawing them back into a loving dependent relationship with Him.  
 
God allows bad things to happen to us so we will realize our need for Jesus. God brings trial and hardship into our lives so we will learn that being good in our own eyes is not enough to earn His love and favor!
 
Jesus is good. He is for us and not against us. He will never leave us or turn His back on us. God is faithful and true. He will protect us. He will meet our needs. The Lord wants us to prosper in every way!        
 
My life has been a roller coaster ride. I rode the wave up into prosperity and financial blessing. It was exciting. I rode the wave down into failure and hardship. I am reminded of why I do not ride roller coasters.
 
I am grateful trials and hardship rolled into my life. I did not enjoy it. Jesus did bring me to a place of greater dependence on Him. The Lord showed Himself faithful and true in ways I could have never experienced in times of plenty and ease. 
 
If you are in a season of trial and testing be thankful. God is in His Holy Temple. He has not forgotten you. He has not abandoned you. He wants to draw you closer to Jesus!
 
Jesus is doing a work in your life. When God has brought you to a place of greater intimacy and dependence on Him you will be blessed. God will be glorified. 
 
Trust Jesus to turn your trails into victories and hardship into blessings!
 
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But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him. Habakkuk 2:20 NKJV
 
How does it profit us to construct a God of our own making? What good will result from building an idol of wood or stone? There are consequences for people who put their faith in useless idols made of human hands. 
 
Not all idols are made by human hands.
 
An idol is anything that takes the place of Jesus in our lives. What matters most is not what we do. What matters most is who we do it for. It is possible to do all the right things for all the wrong reasons. 
 
Verse nineteen describes idols that are overlaid with gold and silver. The idols of our day glitter and shine. They are just as useless. But the Lord God Most High, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, reigns on high today. He is in total control of creation today.
                                         
Jesus is God. We have no excuse, argument, or grounds to dispute with Jesus. He is a jealous God. Jesus wants us to worship Him and only Him! 
 
Jesus is willing to forgive our sins past present and future. He is willing to overlook our mistakes shortcomings and failures.
 
We will stand before Jesus one day. He will hold us to account for how we lived. Our hearts will be laid bare before Him.
 
If we did not live by faith in Jesus we will receive the just judgment of a holy God. If we  lived by faith in Jesus we will receive the grace and mercy of a loving Heavenly Father.
 
God is in His Holy Temple today! You are His beloved! His thoughts toward you are always for good and never for evil!
 
The false gods that draw us away from Jesus today can never save your soul. Only Jesus can do that. That idols that glitter and shine today can never take the place in your heart that was created for Jesus. They grow old and decay just as all created things do.
 
Jesus will deliver you into the promised land of His presence if you trust Him with your life today. Jesus is was and will always be the One True and Eternal God who created you in His image and likeness.
 
Jesus created you to shower His love upon you and be loved by you!
 
Do not dispute, oppose or struggle against God’s authority over creation. Humble yourself before the Lord by submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ!
 
You do not have to be completely silent before the Lord today. Worship Jesus in spirit and truth everyday of your life and it will be well with your soul!
 
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Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
Habakkuk 2:4 NKJV
 
Habakkuk did not understand why evil men prospered. He did not understand why evil nations could be so powerful. He turned to the Lord for answers. 
 
Many of us struggle with the same questions today. Why is there so much evil in the world? Why is there so much pain and suffering? God is love, so why is there so much hatred in the world? 
 
My son had a serious illness. Doctors found tumors in his lungs. His spine was leaking fluid. One day we were celebrating his birthday. The next he was in the hospital. How could a healthy teenager get so sick from one day to the next?
 
There are many questions that go unanswered. There are many things we do not understand. We know God loves us. We know He is for us and not against us. We know the Lord is still in control.
 
Jesus wants us to trust Him. He wants us to live by faith!
 
My son’s medical care was unacceptable. A hospital sent him home undiagnosed. His condition was unchanged. Another hospital diagnosed him with a reportable infectious disease. A doctor said they could not document it. They terminated his treatment.
 
One Doctor said my son made himself sick because he did not want to go to school. They told us to buy him a video game to take his mind off the pain. They chose not to treat him so they would not have to report an infectious disease.
 
What is going on? We live in a fallen world. Sin has tainted God’s perfect creation. Greed injustice sickness and death have polluted our world!
 
We must turn to what we do know when we cannot find the answers we seek. We know God does not want anyone to go into eternity separated from His great love. We know God gave His Son so we can spend eternity with Him.
 
In God’s presence there will be no injustice. There will be no pain or suffering. We will have answers to all our questions. We will have joy unspeakable and unending in eternity with Jesus! 
 
God will have questions for us. He will ask if we knew His Son. He will ask us if we lived by faith in Jesus. The Lord will answer the only question that matters. He will tell people who humbled themselves to enter-into His rest. He will tell people who did not know Jesus to depart to from Him!
 
Will you turn to the Lord for answers to your questions? Will you live by faith in Jesus Christ? Humble yourself before the Lord now so you can stand before Him in eternity!
 
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