6/12/2022

Recently, I visited a church, and they had a person stand up and give their testimony. It was a very uplifting, see what God can do, type. Then the next church I visited did the same thing. Now I am like the rest of you who enjoy hearing what God does for people. At one time I wished I could have a testimony like that.

It was like God sent me a personal special answer in the form of a question. “Do you want to go through what they did to get that testimony?” Naturally the answer was, NO. Then He explained the answer and stated that to get a great testimony, first you must go through a great trial.

Several years later, I was listening to another great testimony, and I heard them say that they wished they had stayed in church and not gone through that great trial. Even if it meant they would not have that great testimony.

Over the years I have only heard someone say that less than five times. And that included the one I heard last Sunday. In fact, they went on to tell the church and even called it to the youth’s attention. That you need have that one-on-one relationship with Christ Jesus and keep it. If you were to leave that relationship with Jesus, who knows if you would ever get the opportunity to get it back.

The person made it seem that those who meet Jesus face to face as a young child and stays in church, keeps that relationship, and matures into a strong Christian is the person that we should strive to be like.

Are you a person that tries to influence the younger people to stay in church or do you give them the impression that the great testimony is worth the risk of losing your home in Heaven?

C.I. Wilson

Dear Heavenly Father, help me to encourage the younger people that living for you all their life is worth it all. That serving you is more important and anything the devil can give you. Amen.

6/5/2022

Let me tell you a true story.

There once was a woman who had some chickens. She wanted to protect the chickens so that she would have a supply of eggs. So, she had a chicken house built with a fenced in yard where nothing could get in, then she got a dog to make sure no varmints could get in.

One day she went to gather the eggs. Now she had one hen sitting on some eggs to hatch them, which would be OK, except for the fact that another hen liked to lay her egg in the same nest. The woman had to entice the hen to leave her nest so that she could get the new egg out.

On the day in question, the hen would not leave the nest, so the woman reached into the nest and moved the hen. After moving the hen, she saw one egg that had a hole in it, after reaching in and getting that egg she noticed a snake coming after her hand with the eggshell.

Long story shortened, the snake died, the woman calmed down and the hen went back to her nest. End of story? No. The Lord took this event to bring a point home to the woman.

First, chickens do not like snakes, second, the woman does not like anything to surprise her and third, God will use everyday things to bring His point out.

What did God have to say about this true happening?

We, as Christians sometimes think that we are protected from the wiles of the devil because we attend church every time our church doors are open, we read our Bibles and pray every day.

Yet, the devil still gets up next to us, in our safe place. How he manages this, I do not know. What I do know is that by now he has had so much practice doing so that he can be described as an expert. We do not need to be like the woman in this story, reaching without looking first.

We, as Christians need to do some praying and seeking God’s will in everything that we do. Yes, this includes volunteering for church related events, going to things such as retreats, revivals, other churches holding services with special speakers. Remember, the woman had been checking under the hen for two weeks and never saw a snake.

The woman met a harmless snake in the hen house. What if it had been a poisonous snake. She might have died. And if we go where God does not want us to go, it could be poisonous to our souls. Which could lead to us losing our salvation and going to Hell.

C.I. Wilson

6/29/2022

I was talking with a minister the other day about the signs of the times. It has gotten me to thinking.

In the Old Testament it talks about mighty men who knew the signs of the times and it makes me think about the people today. Are we knowledgeable enough about what the Bible tells us is going to happen “in the last days” to see and understand the signs of the times? Up until about fifteen to twenty years ago, I did not. I could read Daniel and Revelation and not understand. However, today it is different. I have learned to read the Bible and if I do not understand or have questions about my understanding, I do several things instead of closing my Bible and trying to hide from my fears. I ask people who understand the signs of the times, I read several commentaries that I have learned are trustworthy (never just one) and most importantly, I pray and ask Good to help me understand.

Back to my conversation with that minister. The point that Jesus, Himself, stated that He would rather we be hot or cold then lukewarm. We need to look at our lives frequently and ask ourselves questions like:

1. Have I let something creep into my life that God finds distasteful?
2. Have I grown cold in my desire to spread the Gospel to the Lost?
3. Am I letting the concerns about the future causing me to keep my faith hidden?
4. Is the situation that I am in causing me to put God second?

These are just a short list of questions that we need to ask ourselves when we search our hearts, and not just once a year. The signs of the times that I am seeing are pointing out that it may not be long before the Trumpet of God sounds and calls His Children home to the Great Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Are you ready?

C.I. Wilson

5/15/2022

As Christians we are given a ministry from the moment that we receive Christ into our hearts. We are called to by a “Soldier of the Cross,” a “Laborer in the Field” that is White unto Harvest, and an “Ambassador of Christ”. Just to name a few titles. However, most new Christians do not know this, mainly because they have not read the Bible.

What is sad is that some people that have been Christians for years still are in the dark about their ministry or calling. I have heard many a person over the years make statements that comes down to, “I don’t know what God called me to do.” Being honest, I was one of those people for many years. Finally, I reached the time in my life that God was able to show me that all those years I was in training for the secondary calling on my life (which I am still learning and will continue learning about until I am called home).

Every Christian is called to lead the lost to Christ. That is their number one calling. How do you lead someone to God and have them accept Christ into their hearts? Mainly, you live the life before them that is different from how the world lives, because you are living by the Bible, God’s Holy Word. Then you talk, in such a way that Jesus approves, which is different from the world. And when you walk and talk in a Godly way, people will notice and start watching your life, which can lead them to wanting what you have that they do not have.

C.I. Wilson

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for helping us be better people that follow Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us be the Christian that leads to lost to Jesus. Help us to be better Soldiers of the Cross. Help us to become stronger in our faith, so the world may see you, dear Father, in our lives all the time. Amen.

5/8/2022

Today is a day that we need to take the time to ask God to bless the mothers that abound around the world.

The first mother in the world was Eve. Then the Bible go and tells us about other mothers, some it names and some it does not. With each generation of children there is a corresponding generation of mothers. Eve is an important mother since she is the mother of all nations.

The mother that holds a special place is the mother of Jesus, Mary. Without her, Jesus would be like every other person born. Instead, Jesus was born of a virgin. Back when there was not the scientific knowledge of today that can cause it to happen. She holds a place alongside of Eve as being a unique mother.

Now we come to the women we call Mother. They can be the one who gave us life, a stepmother, a grandmother, or any women that has been there for us during a time of difficulty in our lives. Let us not forget the ones who have been there for us while we became spiritually strong.

Let us thank God for each of the women who have played a big part in our lives.

C.I. Wilson

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us mothers. I ask that you bless them, give them strength, courage, wisdom and love for each person you place in their path. Amen.