Did God Punish Texas With Hurricane Harvey?

The Boston Globe newspaper headline read, “A professor said Harvey was ‘karma’ because Texas voted Republican”

The headline from the Daily Mail, a British publication read, “God drowned all the neo-Nazis of Texas': French magazine Charlie Hebdo prints controversial cover depicting Harvey victims as white supremacists”

These are just a few examples of the hateful accusations from across the country and the world over Hurricane Harvey making landfall in the conservative, Republican, President Trump supporting state of Texas. The claim is that the wrath of God is punishing Texans for their vote, politics and their beliefs.

The entire accusation is built upon two false premises. First, that Republicans, our President and Texans are evil. Secondly, these publications purport that God attacks and punishes evil people for their sins.

Does God work this way? Would God create a natural disaster just to punish “evil” people for their vote, politics or misdeeds?

Let’s see what Jesus has to say about it.

“There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5).

Pilate invaded the Galilean’s and caused their blood to mingle with the sacrificial blood. A tower fell on 18 people, killing them all. Jesus asks, “think ye that they were sinners above all men” because these horrible events happened to them? He then answers His own question with, “Nay”!

But Jesus does give a warning to everyone, “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”.

Jesus gives us another great example of how sin and adverse situations don’t necessarily go hand in hand.

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from birth. And His disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath the man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:1-3).

We have the wisdom of Solomon who teaches the same thing.

“For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath…I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them” (Ecclesiastes 9:1-2,11-12).

We have an entire book in the Bible dedicated to how horrible things happen to good people. In the Book of Job, God describes Job as, “none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil”.

Everything was taken away from this “perfect” and “upright” man. Job’s family, his possessions, his wealth and his health. Even Job’s friends turned on him.

So why do bad things happen? Simple, because we live in an imperfect world due to sin. No one is insulated from tragedy. As Solomon said, “All things come alike to all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11).

Albert Barnes, the 19^th century theologian makes clear that, “This is not a world of retribution. Good and evil are mingled; the good and the bad suffer, and all are exposed here to calamity.”

John Calvin, the 16^th century theologian, hits the nail on the head when he said if, “God gave a display of his judgment, no more would others, though they might be spared for a time, escape his hand.”

Adequate punishment for sin cannot be handed out in this world. That comes in the next.

The true evil is the propaganda being spread about our country, president and the people of Texas. Always consider the source. Who is spreading these horrible, unbiblical and ungodly lies. It can only come from a horrible, unbiblical and ungodly person.

Bill Hitchcock

He increaseth the nations

“He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.” (Job 12:23)

It is best that as a nation, if we put all of our trust in God. After all, He is the one and only at the helm. We may think we are in control of our destiny, but God’s will, will be done. And what is His will? It can be boiled down to one word. Love. Love of God. Love of each other. True love is holy and righteous, and that’s what God wants us to be.

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1;15-16).

“…God is in the generation of the righteous” (Psalm 14:5).

God will course correct His children back to the way, the truth and the life, no matter how much we yell, kick or scream.

Bill Hitchcock

So Might Grace Reign

“That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21).

Remember LSD. It is an acronym for Lust, Sin, Death. James talks a lot about this in the first chapter of his epistle. We first have the lust or the desire to sin. We then act upon that desire, which is sin. Eventually, we pay the ultimate price and suffer the consequence for our actions through death.

Man, on his own accord, cannot escape this vicious LSD cycle.

Fortunately for mankind, God loves us. It is because of this love that God offers His grace freely. But what is grace”

B.B. Warfield, a professor of theology at Princeton in 19^th & 20^th centuries, defines grace as a, “free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving.”

Grace is administered through the direct operation of the Holy Spirit upon us. It is the influence of the Spirit upon our souls that leads us to Christ, solidifies our faith and keeps us in the way of righteousness and truth. Belief in Christ allows for the blood of Christ to be our sacrifice and atonement for sins. All of this is due to God’s grace. It is not required or obligated. We did not deserve it, aren’t owed it nor can we earn it.

Grace is freely given by God. Salvation comes through the grace of God and no other way.

Bill Hitchcock

 Justified By Faith

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).

We have been rendered righteous by our faith in Jesus Christ. No longer are we at odds with God. Wrath has been transitioned into peace, the seas of inner turmoil have been calmed. Our wretched world is now our righteous world. And because of our faith, we now have complete access to the full power and mercy of God. How amazing!

Bill Hitchcock

Cause and Affect

Some believe that the cause is our election to holiness and good deeds with the affect being our entrance into heaven.

That is backwards.

The cause is God’s election of us into heaven which has the effect on our holiness and desire for good deeds.

Bill Hitchcock

To Make our Calling and Election Sure

To make our calling and election in Christ sure and to prevent us from falling out of the way, Peter in his second epistle tells us to add seven things to our faith.

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-11)

Let’s examine these seven qualities in a little more depth.

1. Virtue: A virtuous course of thought, feeling and action. Virtue, moral goodness. Any particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity

2. Knowledge: General and deeper understanding of Christianity, a continuous process of learning.

3. Temperance: self-control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites)

4. Patience: Time, endurance and steadfastness. A man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings

5. Godliness: Piety towards God. The doctrine that promotes God.

6. Brotherly kindness: (Philadelphia) Cherish for each other as brethren

7. Charity: (Agape) Godly love.

(Sources referenced: Thayer & Vine)

Adding the above seven qualities to our faith will enable us to stand secure and assured in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It will empower us so as to never be barren or unfruitful. Virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, Godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity are seven posts in our fence of faith. Our faith fence keeps sin out and keeps us in the way of salvation.

It is very important to highlight one key phrase from the above passage. Peter said to “give diligence” in making your calling and election sure. To “give diligence” means to put forth effort, to exert oneself. Adding these seven attributes to our faith is work. It requires mental acuity, a conscious effort and a desire so strong to become these Godly attributes that any conflicting fleshy desires will be defeated. Our desire to overcome the flesh is rooted in our love for Christ.

There will always be a price to be paid for something of value. In other words, there is no value in something that is free. This is why David insisted on paying Araunah for the threshingfloor, after it was offered to David for free, when he was looking for a place to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord (See 2 Samuel 24:24). No price, no value, then no worth.

One may argue that if there is no value in free, and God’s grace is freely given, then there must be no value in His grace. That’s absurd. Although God’s grace is freely given, there is a tremendous price in receiving it. To accept God’s grace, we must accept God. This requires that we give our all to Him; heart, mind, body, soul and spirit. Christ gave His life for us. We are to do the same for Him.

Faith and these seven attributes are of immeasurable value and worth. This is why the devil will present what appears to be insurmountable problems in attaining them. Overcoming worldly problems and the flesh is a great price we must pay while here on earth. God’s grace is sufficient to overcome any obstacle, no matter what we may confront.

The price we must pay for faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, Godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity is our diligence in obtaining them. It is our responsibility to pass them along to others.

Bill Hitchcock

Attack Ideas, Not People

In a 2008 interview, Justice Antonin Scalia said, “I attack ideas. I don't attack people. And some very good people have some very bad ideas. And if you can't separate the two, you gotta get another day job. You don't want to be a judge. At least not a judge on a multi-member panel.

Whether Justice Scalia knew it or not, or intended it or not, his statement was rooted in the Bible. Never are we to attack the person and never are we to be the judge.

Peter tells us of angels that dealt with sinful people who walked, “after the flesh”, and how the angels did not speak adversely to them or about them.

“Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. ” (2 Peter 2:11-10).

The archangel Michael treated the devil in similar fashion.

“Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.” (Jude 9)

There are several things we can learn from Michael and the angels

.

1. There is never a cause to bring a “railing accusation” against anyone. Even if you come from a position of superior strength or righteousness, even if you are right and they are wrong, and even if you are good and they are bad, never is justification for personal attacks.

2. We are to be like Christ, imitators of Him in every way. Never should we act in opposition to His Spirit that fills us. Abusive, reproachful, critical, cynical, disparaging language is not Christ like. Never should we bring such a thing “before the Lord”

“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:24-27, 29)

3. Turn it all over to the Lord. Let God rebuke the evil doer in His time and in His manner. God said, “To me belongeth vengeance and recompence” (Deuteronomy 32:35).

The Apostle Paul made it clear: “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:14, 17-19).

Regardless of right, might, or offense, always remember the following:

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:14-15).

Bill Hitchcock

Fewer Prophets Of Prophesy

We need fewer prophets of prophesy. We need to move away from the ministries of personal profit and gain. We need to stop trying to force the Shekinah cloud to fill the sanctuary every Sunday morning and stop trying to force the Holy Ghost to take over our bodies. We also need to remember that God’s grace and gifts are given according to God’s pleasure and will and are not “on demand” according to our wishes.

We need to rediscover that Church services were never intended to be entertainment, concerts, theatre productions or multi-media presentations.

We definitely don’t need more Preachers of church protocol and reciters of religious rites and rituals.

What we do need now more than ever are for Preachers to be more like Ezra and Nehemiah. We need more Bible exposition and less self-expression from the pulpit.

“So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” (Nehemiah 8:8).

Preach and teach the word of God. Increase people’s understanding and sense of scriptures. Teach how to learn and the process of “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Selah! Then will you have planted the seeds of God within the hearts of the saints, plus, enabled them to plant, water and grow God’s seed on their own. This will create a much happier and healthier congregation, one that is growing both in numbers and direction towards God.

“And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.” (Nehemiah 8:12)

Money, politics, publicity, self, sententiousness and power; are any of these bricks of your ministry? Are any of them cornerstones? If so, then you are not assembling a welcoming Church built on the word of God, but rather fabricating the middle wall of partition, founded on pride and contention.

The weight of this great responsibility of learning does not fall on the Ministers shoulders only. The congregation must put forth the effort to understand as well. We as congregants need to be like the Bereans in that “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).

Preachers, throw your religion, ministry and self out the window. Then open your Bible and read God’s word without prejudice, faithfully and “distinctly”. Read so as to cause your congregants “to understand the reading”. Teach how to learn and understand scripture. Cause the Bible to be the power source that everyone can plug into.

If we do not teach how to learn, then the Bible will remain locked to the very ones it was written for.

Bill Hitchcock

The Qualifiers

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

The first qualifier. Jesus is not addressing everyone in the above passage. Jesus is not addressing the non-believers or the unregenerate. He is speaking only to those who believe on Him.

The second qualifier. Jesus makes it very clear that belief in Him alone does not automatically make someone His disciple. Jesus gives a conditional statement in the form of “if-then”. Some call this deductive reasoning.

Jesus says, “IF ye continue in my word, THEN are ye my disciples indeed”.

We must not only believe in Jesus, but abide in Him and His word. This is what separates us from the devils, for the devils surely believe in Jesus as well, but do not continue in His will or ways. See James 2:19.

Once we believe in Jesus and abide in Him explicitly and implicitly, then and only then shall we know the truth. Then and only then can we break the bondage of sin and the shackles of this mortal coil and be free from this earthly, temporal domain.

Believe and abide in Jesus. Then comes knowledge of truth which allows for true liberty.

But why did Jesus only address those who believed in Him? Because the others can’t hear or comprehend what he said, or would be so offended by the truth that they would want to kill Him.

“But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.” (John 8:40)

“Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.” (John 8:43).

“And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” (John 8:45)

“He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” (John 8:47).

Watch how people react to Jesus and His word. Does it fall on deaf ears? Does the truth agitate and infuriate?

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3:17-18).

Only a devil could be offended by the truth. The Child of God seeks it out.

Bill Hitchcock

Look Unto Me

“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

(Isaiah 45:22)

All that is required of us to be saved is to simply look upon God.  We are to affix our gaze and attention on Him. Notice that God does not require us to necessarily see or to even understand, but simply to look unto Him.

To look at God we must first turn away from our ways and our own direction. We will always head towards what we look at. It is impossible to go to God whilst looking elsewhere.

Looking at anything other than God is looking at sin and destruction. Line of sight of our Lord is the straight and narrow path. Wide is the gate to destruction and Hell and does not require our attention. We can stumble through the broad gates of Hell with our eyes closed. In fact, most do.

We are to look upon Him. Never will we fall out of the way when we ever look directly unto Him. This straight line to God is the way to holiness, it is righteousness, and it is the way to God.

Bill Hitchcock

The Truth Is Our Liberty and Freedom

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

1) You will know the truth. 2) The truth shall set you free.

To have knowledge of the truth is not enough, one must abide in it. We must not only know, believe and have faith in the truth, we must strive to become it, applying its principles and precepts every waking moment of our life.

Knowledge and awareness of the truth is not enough. Even the devils know and believe in God and tremble! (James 2:19) But they do not abide in Him nor continue in His word.

To have knowledge of the truth and then ignore it, is a conscience act and a personal decision. Denying the truth in Jesus Christ will enslave us to sin and sentence us to death.

The truth is our liberty and dominion over sin and evil.

Jesus said, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36)

Jesus is the way, our course and conduct. Jesus is the truth, absolute and total. Jesus is the life, essential, ethical and eternal.

Bill Hitchcock

Jesus’s Confusing Statement About Love

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35).

Why is loving one another a new commandment? To love your neighbor as yourself is part of the Old Testament Mosaic Law.

“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:18).

It would be one thing if Jesus was reminding us to love one another, but He said that this was a new commandment. What does Jesus mean?

Adam Clarke, the famous 18^th century theologian explains it this way:

Now Christ more than fulfilled the Mosaic precept; he not only loved his neighbor As himself, but he loved him More than himself, for he laid down his life for men. In this he calls upon the disciples to imitate him; to be ready on all occasions to lay down their lives for each other. This was, strictly, a new commandment: no system of morality ever prescribed any thing so pure and disinterested as this. Our blessed Lord has outdone all the moral systems in the universe in two words: 1. Love your enemies; 2. Lay down your lives for each other.”

To love our neighbor more than our self, to the point where we would lay down our lives for each other. Adam Clarke is quite correct when he said that, “no system of morality ever prescribed any thing so pure and disinterested as this.”

Albert Barnes, a famous 19^th century theologian called this new commandment of love a, “badge of discipleship” by which followers and disciples of Christ would be known. It is the evidence of Christ within us, this dying love for others.

The love Jesus speaks of is more than a willingness to sacrifice bodily life. The sacrifice is a spiritual one as well. We can atone for a sin against us by forgiving the sinner of his sin. Jesus said, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” (John 20:23). The decision to loosen or bind a sin that has been committed against us is a sacrifice decision often difficult to make. It goes against the desires and whims of the flesh.

Here are some questions we should ask our self; Do we love friends, family and neighbors to the point where we can forgive them of wrong doings, to uplift and edify them always and to love them unconditionally? Do we have the love of Christ within? Are we willing to put the interest of others and their lives above our own?

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.” (1 John 3:16-19)

Bill Hitchcock

The Law Written In The Heart

“Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts” (Romans 2:15).

Question. What law is actually written in our hearts? If each of us were to print out the literal text of our heart’s personal creed, how would it read? How consistent with God would it be?

This isn’t a question of belief, acceptance, pursuit, desire or attempt. It isn’t even a question of love, for even though Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), we all know that man will always fall short of divinity and righteousness while here on this earth.

This is a question of actuality and reality. What is really in our heart? What really steers us through this life?

Solomon warned that the issues of life come from the heart. (Proverbs 4:23). What we hold fast in the heart will manifest in our life. Okay, so what is there?

We ask God to look.

“Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” (Psalms 26:2).

We look ourselves.

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

The fact of the matter is that if we do not look at what is inside our heart, we will never discover what we need to repent of. Often times, when we don’t examine, God will show us anyway. And, that’s not always the most pleasant option.

“I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:10)

So, what is written in your heart? Do you know? Have you looked? Do you look?

Examine. Repent of the bad and hold fast the good. But by all means, examine your heart. What resides there, is the rudder that steers us through life. It will bring us to our final port of call. Which port that is, Heaven or Hell, will be determined by what is in your heart.

Bill Hitchcock

Purer Eyes

“Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity…” (Habakkuk 1:13).

God is perfect. We are not. God can not mix with unrighteousness. We are unrighteous. The solution? Jesus Christ. Jesus is the covering for our sins. He is our atonement. Jesus is the mediator, the bridge, the go between for us and God. The only way to the Father is through the Son.

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

Even though we are unclean, God still does not want us to die. It is by His mercy that He gave us His Son Jesus, our avenue away from sin, unrighteousness and death. Salvation and life become ours when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. 

Bill Hitchcock

Notes and Questions on Faith

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear…But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11: 3, 6)

Notes and Questions on Faith

-How does your comprehension of a situation affect your faith? Can you have faith in God over a situation or problem you do not understand?

-Can you have faith in God when there is no end in sight with any conceivable solution?

-How does time affect your faith? Does faith wane with each passing moment?

-Why do you keep listening for what has already been said? Why do you keep searching for God who is already at hand?

-How can you have faith for other people but not for yourself and God? (i.e. Believe that someone else shall receive a blessing but not you.)

-Is faith swayed by prevailing emotional winds or societal fancies?

-Is your faith tied in with a potential of success? Is your faith more of a measurement of probability, a percent chance of a thing being accomplished?

-Is faith attached to results?

-Does wish overpower faith? Do we believe in faith when it is of a future benefit and doubt it when it is a possible harm? (i.e. faith in heaven but not in hell).

-Do you have faith only in those things which support and justify your ideals, beliefs and actions? (i.e. murder is a sin but homosexuality isn’t).

-“God’s word endureth forever” but is your faith affected by time? Is your faith altered or shaken depending on what is foretold?

-Does your faith need the support of proofs? Does your faith need company? Can it withstand the attacks of reason and nature?

-Is hope or fear masquerading as faith? Or do you have an absolute conviction in things that are presently not as if they already are?

-Do you have faith when there are no grounds or past experience to substantiate that faith?

-Is faith attached to anything or is your faith a state of being, independent of all else?

Faith does not need signs, wonders or proofs. Faith is the ground floor of which our relationship with God is built upon. We can have encounters and experiences with our Lord but all will be fleeting if we are not building a solid foundation in which to have and to hold our experiences with Him.

Faith is made manifest in our being. We move towards what we have faith in. Our faith causes us to act and think in terms of now, not tomorrow and not maybe. God is present. His word is alive. And the last times are now. Our faith, our foundation supports all of this.

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

The last times are now. The time of reckoning is now. When Jesus said he shall “come quickly” it means that there will be no advance notice or warning. No time to get your house and life in order. He will come quickly like a thief in the night. Are you ready now?

“When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

Bill Hitchcock

The Covering Of Our Sins

Jesus Christ died and resurrected for the covering of our sins. This includes all of our sins past, present and future.

“…Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” (Romans 4:7-8)

God will not pass the conviction of sin unto our account when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and place all of our faith in Him.

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26).

Does this mean since our sins are covered that we can go about sinning freely? No! Keeping God’s commandments and avoiding sin is a natural outpouring and display of our love and devotion to Christ.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:15, 21).

We are not justified by our works but rather by our works show that Jesus Christ is in our heart, soul, spirit and mind.

“But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.” (Galatians 3:11-12)

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” (James 2:17).

Our sins are forgiven when we have faith in Christ. All sins, past, present and future. Living by the law, doing good works and deeds alone will not save us.

“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Galatians (3:10)

But due to our faith in Christ, His will becomes a natural by-product of our character and being. Christ’s will, will be our desire to fulfill, and not a commandment to follow. The devil can follow a set of rules and commandments, and often times does. But only a follower of Christ will have a heartfelt desire, need, an unction, the spiritual urge to perform His desire.

Bill Hitchcock