Prayer 1 John 5:11-15

Our relationship with God involves prayer! How would you describe your prayer life? Here are some possible answers to this question. 1. Unashamed begging-desperate 2. Loud and lengthy-convicted 3. Terrified whispers-uncertain 4. Sterile and formal-religious, distant and impersonal 5. Speechless-do not know what to say, wordless 6. Confident prayers. Some say prayer is just a conversation with God. No! First you need to know who God is and then teach our children who God is! If we know who God is we can pray confidently! If you do not know who God is then you will pray amiss! If you do not trust God then you will trust in the wrong things. How would you describe God? God is love! He has given us eternal life through His Son! What is eternal life? Eternal life includes past, present and future. He cleans all your files past, present and future! Life means an existence without end. Jesus gave us a sample when He raised the dead! He has promised to raise you one day from the dead! He has prepared a place for you! When I came to Christ a new life began in me! All things were made new! A new reality struck me like lightning! Born again! A blessed assurance of confidence entered my life! Fear and anger and hate were replaced by love, peace and joy! Now I know He loves me and it changed everything! He is more precious than silver and more costly than gold! When we find out who God is we can pray with confidence! The world will wear you down with it’s troubles and religion! We are talking about relationship here! When you come before the creator and ruler of the world and ask anything according to His will and purpose for your life you got it! God is unique in that He can hear all our prayers all at once! Like a mother who can hear all her screaming kids at once. God’s faithfulness is like a money back guarantee! After 25 years of marriage I have learned about non-verbal communication. With eye to eye contact I know the answer before I ask her! When we are intimate with God we know the answer before we ask Him! I know of some schools that give the students the answers before the test but that is cheating! With God you ask in prayer and He will give you an answer! Either yes, no or wait. We can approach God with confidence and know He is listening! He respects you and hears your prayers. Through the Holy Spirit it is like eye to eye contact with God! God is leaning into you! He is paying attention to you! He also wants your attention! We should ask for things He wants to give us! Revelation; Pray His promises to you! Reading and studying the Bible will lead to proper conversation and prayers to God! We already know the answers to our prayers if we pray His promises! God will bring good people into your life and lonely people to minister too! Just as in marriage intimate relationship with God leads to success! That is why Satan works overtime to break up relationships and marriages. We are going to tackle next year with a strong foundation for our families as provided to us in the Gospel of John Chapters 14, 15,16 and 17. Jesus said, “Ask in my name and I will do it!” If we remain in Him we will ask the right things! Marriage should be a picture of our relationship with God! We His church are His bride! In regards to prayer we can ask from those we know very well! Our promises from God are guaranteed! They are sure! Good as gold! Here is a sample of His promises to us from the Bible. 1. He gives us peace. John 14:27. 2. He wants to give us rest. Matthew 11:28. 3. He wants to give us courage. John 16:33. 4. He wants to give us wisdom. Luke 21:15. 5. He wants to give us a family. Psalm 68:5-6. The Bible says you have not because you ask not! Do you take time to ask or try to go it on your own? Pray God’s promises! It is so exciting to give God the Glory when He comes through! God loves to hear from you as you remind Him who He is! A father likes to hear from his children that he is their father! Prayer changes circumstances! One of the Greek words for prayer in the New Testament means to invert in a good sense! From poor to rich! From sad to joy! From lonely to relationships! From purposeless to purpose! From weakness to power! From hate to love! From hell to heaven! Try God and see He is good! Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Discernment Versus Deception 1 John 4: 1-4

Some will talk about Jesus but want you to follow them! Heresy is about self-promotion! Is Jesus at the center of our worship? Right worship should lead us to follow Jesus and not a personality. Some people want you to follow them and use Jesus to accomplish this. Some want to gather followers around themselves rather than lead people to be followers of Jesus! I am not cynical and do not see a devil behind every bush but let the Holy Spirit give you discernment to see deception even in a religious place! Source; Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Warning to Gays and Lesbians! Romans 1:24, 26, 27, 32

Dear Pastor Brady Boyd,  Paul in verse 32 says that those who do those things are worthy of death! Verse 31 says without natural affection which to me would mean a man attracted to a woman. It is interesting in verse 24, God gave them up to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. We often look at  God delivering us from sin but it looks like here God is keeping us from sin! God is not just the medicine to treat the sin but He delivers us from the disease of sin! You mentioned Sunday that some gays have an attraction for each other but never perform the physical act! Jesus said that if I look on a woman with lust it is the same as committing the physical act!. It says in verse 18 of Romans, chapter one, that ungodly men attempt to restrain the truth through unrighteousness! The sin of gays and lesbians appears to be against creation itself! Greed is a sin no doubt but I have a problem lumping them together for Paul did not say greed was worthy of death! We appreciate our questions being addressed by you and presenting your answers on Sunday! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse.  GodWhoisGod.com

The Good The Bad and The Ugly!

We were in a Methodist Church yesterday on Nevada Avenue here in Colorado Springs. We were looking into a ministry offered there. I like old churches since they have a lot of history behind them! They had a missions room where I really love to hang out! This church supports a church in Russia. They had photos of the church in Russia along with members from here who have gone there to help with the work. In one photo it shows the picture of the pastor from here with the Russian pastor shaking hands in the Russian church office. Really nice except for one thing? In between them hanging on the wall was a portrait of Lenin? Then I remembered the church in Russia is state run! In fact the Bishop of the Russian Orthodox church lives in the Kremlin with Putin! Where is Putin’s portrait in the church? I personally would make a dartboard out of their portrait’s and move their images to the church recreation room where the children could throw darts! We cannot change1500 years of church history in Russia but we can give them the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

History Endorses The Bible! Genesis 16:11-12

God told Hagar one of the wives of Abraham that her son Ishmael would be a wild man with his hand against every man and every man’s hand against him! The Book of Genesis was written about 1450 BC by Moses during the wilderness wandering after leaving Egypt. Abraham lived about 420 years before Moses. Islam did not come along until about 650 AD. So this prophecy about Ishmael and the Arabs was given about 2100 years before Islam came along. This family feud between the Jews and the Arabs has gone on for thousands of years. All Islam did for the Arabs was legitimize their hatred towards Christians and Jews. There is no political solution for this problem and no military solution. This is a spiritual battle that wages on through the flesh! There can only be a spiritual solution for a spiritual problem! God reconciled Himself to man through His Son Jesus Christ. When we reject the Blood of Christ as the atonement then man’s blood will flow! Christ came to make us spiritual brothers and this peace is the only lasting peace man will ever know and experience! In Christ’s Love. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Happy Easter! 2014

God raised His Son Jesus Christ from the dead and gave us a spouse for the wedding of His Bride, “The Church!” If you are a Bride of the Church of Jesus Christ you have a spouse that will never leave you or forsake you from yesterday, today and forever! In Christ’s Love. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Good Friday! Mark 8: 27-38

As we reflect on our life we can conclude that many responsible people have paved the way for our success and Blessings! Think of the millions of American’s who have laid down their lives in war to defend our freedom and way of life we benefit from here in America today! The foundations we enjoy have come at a very great price! Think of the church congregation members that took up arms against the British Army at Concord in the Revolutionary War! Think of the 600000 men who died in our civil war to free the slaves! Think of the thousands of men and women in our VA hospitals across America from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Also our Vietnam, Korean and World War II veterans! How about our great science inventors and business people who have made our lives more comfortable here in America. How about our great spiritual leaders that have set an important foundation for our understanding of God over the generations! As important as all these American’s are we have to go back to a greater foundation that has established the true meaning and purpose of life! A price paid by God Himself that would give us a hope in this life and beyond! No one represents humanity better than a disciple of Jesus named Peter. Jesus asked Peter who do men say that I am? Peter replied some say Elias and some say a prophet. Then Jesus asked them who do you say that I am? Peter got it right and seemed to be the smart one when he said you are the Christ! Then Jesus went on and said that he would be rejected, persecuted and would be killed but would rise on the 3rd day! Peter immediately took Jesus off to the side and rebuked him? At this time Peter was in remedial training and Jesus rebuked Peter and called him Satan! Peter at this time could not see from an eternal perspective but from a flesh viewpoint. Jesus went on to explain to them that they must deny themselves take up His Cross and follow Him! Peter eventually got it and became the leader of the Jerusalem Church and later martyred in Rome hung upside down on a cross. Good Friday is not good without the Resurrection on Sunday! We have no future unless we understand God has made a way for us and then accept the eternal foundation that all history has shown us is hopeless without the Cross! Happy Easter! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

What Happened To Jesus’ Prosecutors? Easter 2014

1. Judas Iscariot- Hung himself 2. Pontius Pilot- Married the daughter of Emperor Tiberius. He was ordered back to Rome after harshly supporting a Samaritan uprising after the death of Tiberius which occurred on March 16, in 37 A.D. He was replaced by Marcelus who the new Roman Emperor installed. The new Roman Emperor Caligula (37-41 A.D.), exiled Pilot to Gaul and Pilot committed suicide in Vienne. 3. Herod the Great- Murdered the infants of Bethlehem trying to get Jesus. He murdered one of his wives and several family members. Afraid no one would mourn his funeral he ordered distinguished people of the culture to be executed on the day of his death so people would mourn! Josephus the noted Jewish historian said Herod suffered an excruciating death! He suffered from Founier’s Gangrene (Rotting of his testicles), severe itching, intestinal pain, shortness of breath, convulsions, raging fever, tumors of the feet, inflamed abdomen and severe kidney disease. 4. Herod Agrippa- The grandson of Herod the Great. He was eaten by worms in 44 A.D. 5. Tiberius Caesar- Murdered in Capri in 37 A.D. Killed at the hands of the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard Nevis Sutorius Macor with the help of his successor Emperor Caligula. 6. Saint Claudia Procks of Judea- Pilot’s wife became a revered Saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Remember she warned Pilot after a dream not to have anything to do with Jesus. Some say the dream was from Satan to spare Christ from the Cross and the redemption of man. 7. Joseph Caiaphas (High Priest)- Remember the High Priest was appointed by the Roman governor. Remember Caiaphas said it is expedient that one man should die for the people. A new governor Proconsul Vitellius deposed Caiaphas from his position as High Priest. 8. Annas (High Priest)- He was the son-in-law of Caiaphas. He was deposed by Procurator Gratus. Annas was assassinated in 66 A.D. Comments: What would Jesus do? Father forgive them for they know not what they do! The same applies to all of us today. Thank you. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane Matthew 26:36-46

The word Gethsemane is a Hebrew word that means an oil press. Gethsemane was an olive garden with olive trees with an olive press most likely located on the western slope of the Mount of Olives. Have you ever been severely pressed in your soul, mind and body? Ever feel like you are being squeezed to death? Combat soldiers in battle experience this as death knocks at the door. If you were being executed for a crime you committed you could rationalize that I deserve it. If you were being executed for a crime you did not commit would you voluntarily step forward for execution? That is what Jesus did for you! Jesus and His disciples entered the garden late at night. Cold and darkness surrounded them as Roman soldiers were in the hunt for them. Jesus takes Peter, James and John into the interior of the garden with him to pray. While Jesus prays he becomes exceedingly sorrowful even unto death! Let this cup pass from me but if not your will be done. Meanwhile the disciples fall asleep? Jesus cautions his disciples to watch and pray and not to enter into temptation for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Jesus prays again the second time the same prayer. The disciples fall into sleep again! Jesus prays again the third time the same prayer. Then the Chief Priest, elders and soldiers come and take him away. In Jewish culture if you say something three times that is the most you can say it. Peter do you love me? Peter do you love me? Peter do you love me? On the third day Jesus rose from the dead! Three strikes and your out. Jesus spoke to the mountain on the mountain three times and then He let God’s will and providence for His life and purpose be done! Let not our prayers be a fire escape but let His will for our lives be done so that others may benefit! When olives are squeezed they produce oil which is used for light and heat. Jesus was squeezed so you could have light in the dark world we live in. Jesus was, is and always will be the light of the world! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com