Jesus Gives Life to the Dead

John 5:21-30

Death is a reality to all of us and it is an ever present truth because we all have buried loved ones and know certainly that physical death is sure. Each of us mourns the death of those we know and love differently but nevertheless we do mourn because they have been taken away from us here on the earth. We are unable to talk with them or laugh with them because of their physical death. When God created man, he was not meant to suffer the death of his physical body but God made him to live in fellowship and communion with Him perpetually here on the earth in the wonderful Garden of Eden God prepared for the man (Genesis 1:26-28). However, man was given only one command from God at that time that forbid him to pick fruit from only one tree, but God provided the man with an abundance of other trees that he could freely eat from as much and as often as he desired.

Well, the man and woman rebelled or sinned against that command and ate from that forbidden tree and in so doing brought death to themselves (Genesis 2:16-17). Their sin and rebellion brought to them two kinds of death, spiritual death and physical death. The death that they experienced immediately was not the physical death but it was the spiritual death. As soon as they sinned they lost their connection, communion, and companionship with God which plunged them into a life of guilt, shame, depravity, and corruption. The life of comfort, peace, tranquility, and purity that was theirs because of their continuous connection to the source of that life God through obedience was severed. Instantly from that moment they began the process of decay in their physical bodies which led to their physical death and their bodies returning to the earth from which it was made. Because these were the original man and woman all subsequent human beings come from them and have inherited the same curse of spiritual and physical death.

Every beautiful, lovely, and innocent baby born anywhere in this world is born disconnected from, depraved in nature to, and dead in trespasses and sins before the One True Holy God. We must not blame God for our disconnection, depravity, or deadness because we human beings disobeyed Him and plunged ourselves into this reality. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses (Ephesians 2:4) has made a way for us to overcome our spiritual death and physical death because God came to earth (in the person of Jesus Christ) and became the sacrifice for our sinful hearts Himself and will give freely to anyone who comes to Him new life or resurrection life in Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the author of life and it was through and by His power that the first man and woman were made and it is also through and by His power only right now that a sinful man or woman can receive life that will instantly make them alive form their deadness in trespasses and sins (John 5:21-23; Ephesians 2:1-3).

Psalms 68:20 God is to us a God of deliverances {and} salvation; and to God the Lord belongs escape from death [setting us free]. QAB

1 John 3:14-15 We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is held and kept continually) in [spiritual] death. Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (persevering) within him. QAB

Our Lord Jesus gives His life to whomever He wills and no race, gender, socioeconomic, religious, political, or cultural barrier or any other perceived barrier can prevent a soul from receiving this great resurrection life. From the first moment of our Lord’s own bodily resurrection from the dead, His voice speaks through the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) to every sinner calling them to life in Him. The bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ proves that physical death has been defeated and destroyed and the one who had the power of death (the devil) (Hebrews 2:14) has been deposed or forced to leave his office forever. Right now every sinner can come to our Lord Jesus Christ acknowledging their sin and repenting or turning away from their sin and trusting Him alone and they will immediately be given new life and be no longer spiritually dead, but made alive spiritually to the Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:24-25).

Psalms 36:9 For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light. QAB

To refuse or resist this only way to be made alive to God the Father is spiritual suicide and it is what billions are doing today by listening to the Dali lama, Buddha, a spiritist, a psychic, scientology, other new age mysticism, or any other spiritual path that deceives you into thinking you are being drawn to the light or to “god” which all represent lies and false gods who are but demons masquerading in disguise. True spiritual life is found in the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him only can a soul pass from death into life (John 5:26). I have said this so many times and I believe it is the will of my Heavenly Father to keep saying it as often as I can and that is that God made one and only one way for human life to exist (through the womb of a woman) and it is absolutely certain that God also made One and Only One Way for true spiritual life to Him to exist and that is through Jesus Christ and Only through Jesus Christ (John 5:27). At the moment of physical death the eternal destination has been sealed forever and it cannot be changed not even the Lord Jesus Christ can change it (John 5:28-29). This life is but a brief vapor and then you will spend forever in either heaven or @#!*% . The Lord Jesus Christ is the life giver and when you receive His life you are assured of spending eternity in heaven with Him, but if you reject or resist His life and go on in pursuing the pleasures of sin for the season of earthly life you are granted, then His righteous judgment that is impartial and true must give you the eternal death you so coveted by continuing in your love of sensuality, spiritlessness, and sinfulness (John 5:30).

Psalms 9:7-8 But the Lord shall remain {and} continue forever; He has prepared {and} established His throne for judgment. And He will judge the world in righteousness (rightness and equity); He will minister justice to the peoples in uprightness. QAB

Psalms 96:11-13 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all the things which fill it; Let the field be exultant, and all that is in it! Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy before the Lord, for He comes, for He comes to judge {and} govern the earth! He shall judge the world with righteousness {and} justice and the peoples with His faithfulness {and} truth. QAB

“What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we have in life? To know God. What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? To know God. What is the best thing in life? To know God. What in humans gives God most pleasure? Knowledge of himself.” J. I. Packer

“I believe that nothing happens apart from divine determination and decree. We shall never be able to escape from the doctrine of divine predestination - the doctrine that God has foreordained certain people unto eternal life.” “Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of God’s grace.” Charles Spurgeon

“To Christianity, ‘he that hath the Son of God hath Life, and he that hath not the Son hath not Life.’ This, as we take it, defines the correspondence which is to bridge the grave. This is the clue to the nature of the Life that lies at the back of the spiritual organism. And this is the true solution of the mystery of Eternal Life.” Henry Drummond

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 57

 Final Greeting and Peace 

1 Peter 5 12-14 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. The Church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you, and so doth Marcus my son. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. KJV Note: NKJV=New King 👑 James Version 

The Apostle Peter now sends his final greeting to all the brothers and sisters 'in Christ' who will read this his first letter 💌 to them. Peter wants everyone to know of how much he loves them and wants to see them flourish in their walk with Christ despite the brutal conflicts, controversy, and commotions that have come their way and will continue to do so because of their/our alliance, allegiance, and association with the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) Jesus Christ our Lord. Peter declares to them and to us that he has written this first letter 💌 through the hands of a faithful brother 'in Christ' Silvanus who also was mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his letter 💌 to the Corinthians and the Thessalonians. Peter probably dictated this letter 💌 to Silvanus to write ✍️ down because he was skilled in short hand and it made it possible for Peter to get his message throughout the various wide spread regions that those saints had been scattered into much quicker as we recall his first words of greeting to them when he wrote, "Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia 🌏, and Bithynia," (1 Peter 1:1) (KJV). This Silvanus was most likely Silas who spent most of his time on missionary work with the Apostle Paul. This letter 💌 was most important to the Apostle Peter and the urgency of the believers receiving said letter 💌 was of utmost importance to him, for he wanted them to be encouraged, energized, and emboldened because of the 🔥 fiery trials, test, and tribulations that were occuring with all of them because of their turning to Christ. Here in 1 Peter 5:12 he says, "I have written briefly,  exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand." Peter wanted them to know that what he has written in the entirety of this first letter 💌 is the truth and nothing but the truth that they can stand firmly, faithfully, and forever upon despite being physically persecuted vehemently by their own Jewish brethren whose spiritual eyes 👀 were still closed to the truth of Jesus Christ being the Messiah. Peter used the English word 'testifying' (used this one time only right here in the entire New Testament) here in 1 Peter 5:12 and it is translated by the Greek word epimartureo meaning to attest further, that is, corroborate: - testify or to be a witness to the truth. To what truth is Peter speaking 🗣️ of here? That truth he has written throughout this first epistle that it is 'the true grace of God wherein ye stand.' For example, when he wrote this in Chapter one, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5) (KJV). The TRUE GRACE of GOD within them and within us is incorruptible by any foe visible or invisible 🫥 and they/we are kept or guarded/garrisoned more securely than Fort Knox or any fortified military 🪖 post 🏣 where troops are stationed. Like wise the Apostle said this in the first Chapter of this letter 💌 declaring the TRUE GRACE of GOD, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold 🪙, from your vain conversation/conduct and behavior received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a  lamb 🐑 without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world 🌎, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by Him do you believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." (1 Peter 1:18-21) (KJV). Lastly these words of the Apostle Peter also declare everything written in this first epistle to be the TRUE GRACE of GOD, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." (1 Peter 1:23) (KJV). This is why they were receiving such vile, vicious, and violent persecution from their fellow Jewish people because they (the persecutors had not yet been 'born again', but were still spiritually dead to God. This is the very same reason throughout the centuries up to this very day that those of us who have been 'born again' receive the same vile, vicious, and violent persecution from those who are still spiritually dead. Here is what the Expositor's Bible Commentary had to say of 1 Peter 5:12, "The grace in its several stages has just been summarized: the calling, the perfecting, stablishing, strengthening; and the whole letter 💌 is occupied in showing that at every advance God puts His servants to the test. But the Apostle knows that the agents of the adversary are busily scattering the tares of doubt and disbelief where God has sown His good seed. The wrestling is not against flesh and blood alone, but against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual host of wickedness. Hence the form of his exhortation: 'Stand fast.'" 

The Apostle Peter declares in his final greeting to all of these scattered Jewish brothers and sisters 'in Christ' that they are graciously greeted by Gentile believers in the 'Church at Babylon' and Marcus (who is most likely John Mark) the ✍️ writer of the Gospel of Mark. The Apostle Peter wanted them to know that their fellow brothers and sisters 'in Christ' of the Gentiles were aware of their persecutions and themselves endured like persecutions from their own fellow Gentiles who also were still spiritually dead. Peter in 1 Peter 5:13 says of them that they are 'elected together with you', that is, they too have been 'born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.' (1 Peter 1:23) just as you Jewish believers. This little English phrase 'elected together with' is translated by the Greek word suneklektos (used this one time only right here in the entire New Testament) meaning chosen in company with, that is, co-elect (fellow Christians): - elected together with. Here is what Alexander McLaren had to say of 1 Peter 5:13, "'The Church that is in Babylon' was in a very uncongenial place. Thank God, no Babylon is so Babylonish but that a Church of God may be found planted in it. No circumstances are so unfavourable to the creation and development of the religious life but that the religious life may grow 🪴 there. An orchid will find footing upon a bit of stick, because it draws nourishment from the atmosphere; and they who are fed by influx of the Divine Spirit may be planted anywhere, and yet flourish in the courts of our God. So 'the Church that is in Babylon' gives encouragement as to the possibility of Christian faith being triumphant over adverse conditions. But it also gives a hint as to the obligation springing from the circumstances in which Christian people are set, to cultivate the sense of belonging to a great brotherhood. Howsoever solitary and surrounded by uncongenial associations any Christian 👞 may be, he may feel that he is not alone, not only because his Master is with him, but because there are many others whose hearts throb with the same love, whose lives are surrounded by the same difficulties. It is by no means a mere piece of selfish consolation which this same Apostle gives in another part of his letter 💌, when he bids the troubled so be of good cheer, as remembering that the 'same afflictions were accomplished in the brotherhood which is in the world 🌍.' He did not mean to say, 'Take comfort, for other people are as badly off as you are,' but he meant to call to rememberance of the solitary sufferer the thousands of his brethren who were 'dreeing the same weird' in the same uncongenial world 🌍. If thus you and I, Christian men, are pressed upon on all sides by such worldly associations, the more need that we should let our hearts go out to the innumerable multitude of our fellows, companions in the tribulation, and patience, and Kingdom of Jesus Christ." 

Lastly, the Apostle wants holy love to manifest itself among all of them Jewish converts to Christ and Gentile converts to Christ having these words in mind as written by the Apostle Paul when he said, "There is neither Jewish nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28) (NKJV). So, Peter says to them and to us, "Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen." (1 Peter 5:14) (KJV). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of 1 Peter 5:14, "He exhorts them to fervant love and charity one towards another, and to express this by giving the kiss 😘 of peace 🕊️, according to the common custom of those times and countries, and so concludes with a benediction, which he confines to those that are in Christ Jesus, united to Him by faith and sound members of His Mystical Body. The blessing he pronounces upon them is peace, by which he means all necessary good, all manner of prosperity; to this he adds his Amen, in token of his earnest desire and undoubted expectation that the blessing of peace would be the portion of all the faithful."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray 🙏 this from your heart ❤️ to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking 🗣️ directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn 🛞 from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart ❤️ and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen!!!

Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 56

 Submit to God, Resist the Devil Part 4

1 Peter 5:10-11 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. KJV Note: NKJV=New King 👑 James Version 

After all that our dear brother Peter has commanded us and has exhorted us into and has implored us to live in and to live by, he now 🙏 prays for us coming to the end 🔚 of this his first letter 💌 to those early believers and to all of us who have come to our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ after them. Peter knows that it is his Father/God and our Father/God that can and will keep him and us faithful until the very end 🔚 of each and everyone of us as we come to the end 🔚 of our pilgrimage and sojourn here on the earth 🌍 as aliens in a foreign land. Let us remember this prayer 🙏 King 👑 David lifted up to our Father/God in Heaven and meditate upon, that is, mull it around in our minds/hearts 💕 thinking 🤔 deeply about his words and letting them bring comfort to each and every one of us who have become the true children of God by a miracle spiritual birth from above, "'Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in Heaven and in earth 🌎 is Yours; Yours is the Kingdom. O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your Hand ✋ is power and might; In Your Hand ✋ it is to make great And to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious Name. But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth 🌍 are as a shadow, And without hope." (1 Chronicles 29:10-15) (NKJV). Surely this prayer 🙏 or one of many others like this one did the Apostle Peter have in mind when he wrote these words to us, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5:10-11) (NKJV). When the Apostle writes the little English phrase 'who hath called us' this little phrase is translated by the Greek words kaleo and hemas which means to 'call' (properly aloud directly): - to bid or call forth each one of us individually out of spiritual death, that is, to resurrect us to spiritual life in Himself. In other words, we were dead to God, but when we heard the 'Gospel of our salvation' (Ephesians 1:13) we were made alive to Him by what Christ Jesus our Lord did on the Cross and we were then sealed for all eternity 'with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.' (Ephesians 1:13-14) (NKJV). All of this was done in the Mind of God before the foundation of the world 🌎 for each one of us individually. When our Lord Jesus Christ stood outside of the tomb of Lazarus who had been dead for 4 days, and said these words, "'Lazarus, come forth!'" (John 11:43) Lazarus came out of the tomb alive from physical death and so it is with each one of us who are spiritually dead to God from our Mother's womb, He (Christ) said to me, "'Clifford Sr. come forth'" and I was made alive to God/Jesus from that very moment for all eternity and my Lord Jesus Christ is now and forever my life just as the Apostle Paul wrote with these words to the Colossians, "When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:4) (NKJV). 

Here is what the Apostle Peter wants us to fix our focus and our fervor upon and that is that the 'GOD of ALL GRACE' will do this and bring us through all of our sufferings to eternal glory 'in Christ' forever, for this suffering is for a very little while here and now on the earth 🌍 compared to eternity, as Paul declared to the Church @Rome with these words, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18) (NKJV). Our Father who is in Heaven and called us in His Son Jesus Christ already sees us glorified as Paul also wrote these words to the Church @Rome as well, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also GLORIFIED." (Romans 8:29-30) (NKJV). The Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 5:10 that it is He/God/Abba who will 'make you perfect' and this little English phrase is translated by the Greek word katartizo which means to complete thoroughly, that is, repair (literally or figuratively) or adjust: - fit, frame, mend, prepare, restore. In other words, God the Father is in the business of repairing, reforming, and restoring our old wrecked lives (which we wrecked because of our slavery to sin) into something glorious for Himself. It is like the people who take old broken down cars from the fifties or sixties and they restore them to their original condition and in so doing the cars are now referred to as classic cars. The Apostle Peter says also in 1 Peter 5:10 that He/God/Abba will 'stablish' and 'strengthen' and 'settle' us and these little English words are translated by the Greek words sterizo and sthenoo (used this one time only right here) and themelioo and they mean to set fast, that is, (literally) to turn 🛞 resolutely in a certain direction, or (figuratively) to confirm: - fix, and stedfastly set; to strengthen; to lay a basis for, that is, (literally) erect, or (figuratively) consolidate: - lay the foundation, ground, settle. In other words, we will be made resolute, that is, firm in our belief in the truth of the Word of God and our spiritual knowledge and power we will extract from the Word of God as the Spirit of God teaches/illuminates us daily. We will not be moved away from what it declares (we will be grounded and settled in its truth) and we will become as the Apostle Paul declared to the Ephesians grown up believers and no longer children or babes 'in Christ', as it is written, "That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking 🗣️ the truth in love 💕, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ." (Ephesians 4:14-15) (NKJV). It is to Him ALONE be the Glory and Dominion and Power forever and ever Amen!!!

Here is what John Wesley had to say of 1 Peter 5:10-11, Now the God of all grace - By which alone the whole work is begun, continued, and finished in your soul. After ye have suffered a while - A very little while compared with eternity. Himself- Ye have only to watch and resist the devil 👿: the rest God will perform. Perfect - That no defect will remain. Stablish - That nothing may overthrow you. Strengthen - That ye may conquer all adverse power. And settle you - As an house 🏠 upon a rock. So the Apostle, being converted, does now 'strengthen his brethren.'"

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray 🙏 this from your heart ❤️ to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking 🗣️ directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn 🛞 from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart ❤️ and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord,  Savior, and my God. Amen!!!

Jesus Calms the Storm in the Sinners Heart

 Mark 4:35-39 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. NKJV

Her name is not important but her story is one of millions throughout human history. She is 35 years old and has been selling her body to any man that would pay her. The reason she does it is because she is addicted to heroin and she must feed her body this drug every day now or else it will become sick and bring her into severe pain. The cycle of addiction is the same each day. She has to have sex with enough men to buy her daily dose or fix of heroin to satisfy her bodies need.

Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.” NKJV

Her soul is snared and restless yearning and longing for something or someone to break the chain that has it bound and to calm the raging storm that spreads within her heart day after day after day. She looks within and sees no good thing wondering if this is all there is and if she will ever be free. She reaches her breaking point and cries with the voice of her soul, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” and she hears a whisper in her soul, “Peace, be still, it is I Jesus your Deliverer.”

Proverbs 12:25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. KJV

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. KJV

The account of the Apostles getting into a boat to cross over the lake was given to us by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is not a parable but a recording of an actual event that took place during our Lord Jesus’ earthly ministry. I have always seen in this actual event a great, gracious, and glorious picture of what our Lord Jesus does in the heart of a sinner when He freely gives His grace through faith as He resurrects the soul from spiritual death. First, just as the disciples stood on one side of the lake needing to venture to the other side, so does the soul of every person born into the world stand on the side of spiritual death needing to get to the other side where spiritual life in Jesus Christ only is found by the new birth.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” NKJV

John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” NKJV

John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” NKJV

Secondly, as our Lord was with the disciples crossing the lake, so is He in the Person of God the Holy Spirit present everywhere sinners are in the world sowing the seed of His Word through His already redeemed sons and daughters through radio, television, the internet, gospel tracts, in local churches, magazines, journals, newsletters, and other methods shining the light of His truth into this world of darkness.

John 1:9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. NKJV

Romans 1:18-21 For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. NKJV

Thirdly, a sinful heart is the inheritance of every one of us but the way the sin is expressed through the soul out of the body is different for each person. The Apostle Paul shows us in Romans Chapter 1 the deep extent that sin can be expressed out of the body for some hearts still darkened by sin. The life lived continually to indulge sins pleasure for a season or the life enslaved by sin of whatever manner it is expressed is a life of toil, tempest, and terror just like the raging storm faced by the disciples that night crossing the lake.

Romans 2:5-11 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness --- indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. NKJV

Fourthly, just as our Lord was asleep in the boat as the disciples were frightened at the violent nature of the storm, so does He appear to the world at large to be dis-engaged or not in control, or non-loving (as many atheist would assert), or powerless to intervene in individual lives lived in affliction and oppression and powerless to defeat and overthrow the evil being manifested throughout the world. I recall a scene in the movie “The Encounter” when this young woman was speaking to Jesus and He said to her, “All you have to do is ask Me” and she got so angry as she said she had asked for God to intervene many times as she was molested by her step-father but that Jesus did not hear. You see just like that scene in that movie many horrific scenes like that are being played out every day and God does see and hears them all. When sin entered into our world, it guaranteed for us pain, suffering, violence, sickness, hate, murder, rape, addiction, stealing, and all the other evil we see in our world.

Job 5:7 Yet man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward. NKJV

Job 14:1 “Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble.” NKJV

Finally, humanity has been given the greatest gift and we did not even ask for it because we human beings are so spiritually dead we could not foresee the violent storm that’s in our hearts from birth. When the Prophet Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it” these words surely did not come from his own reasoning or understanding but it was a direct revelation from God. That diagnosis proves the worst storms are not hurricanes, tornadoes, or any other like those, but it is the storm of sin that rages inside the human heart. God’s love for us even after our disobedience caused Him to send our Lord Jesus Christ to not just forgive our sin, but to actually become sin in our place that we might be made righteous. There is no greater love He could have shown for humanity. Now, because of what Jesus did by dying and shedding His blood, being buried, and resurrecting three days later, He stands at the door of every heart raging with the storm of sin waiting to hear, “Come in Lord I receive You as my own Lord, Master, and Savior and wash me from my sin in Your Blood and speak to this stormy sinful heart”, “Peace, be still.”

Here is an excerpt from the Book my Lord Jesus Christ wrote through me, entitled “Silent Assassins of the Soul”, Chapter 16: The Promise of Rest: Matthew 11:28 (AMP): “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]” “In this verse from the Gospel of Matthew, the word “rest” that Christ uses means “repose or a freedom from work, strain, or responsibility; the absence of mental or emotional stress or anxiety.” He is talking here about peace of mind. Not a false or made up peace, but the peace that only He can give. His peace enables a person to deal with the most tragic events of life with a calm confidence and assurance that such things are not happening in vain but for an eternal purpose.”

Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. NKJV

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” NKJV

John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” NKJV

“You were placed here to train for eternity. Your body was only intended to be a house for your immortal spirit. It is flying in the face of God’s purposes to do as many do - to make the soul a servant to the body, and not the body a servant to the soul.” J. C. Ryle 1816-1900

“Original sin may be defined as the hereditary corruption and depravity of our nature. This reaches every part of the soul, makes us abhorrent to God’s wrath and produces in us what Scripture calls works of the flesh.” John Calvin 1509-1564

“You will never find Jesus so precious as when the world is one vast howling wilderness. Then He is like a rose blooming in the midst of the desolation, a rock rising above the storm.” Robert Murray McCheyne 1813-1843

“Let the current of your being set towards God, then your life will be filled and calmed by one master-passion which unites and stills the soul.” Alexander MacLaren 1826-1910

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Jesus shows the Futility of Salvation by Human Effort

Matthew 19:6 (I wrote this on 3/20/13)

The story of the rich young ruler coming to our Lord Jesus Christ is so well known even non-believers have heard about it. Here was a young man considered rich by all who knew him or knew of him. How he got his wealth was not disclosed for us or what he did with his wealth on a regular basis is also information we were not given. Most of us have placed our focus on his earthly wealth and rightly so, but that is not initially where our Lord focused His attention. Although the man’s wealth was near and dear to him, he also had a misguided view of himself morally and spiritually.

This young man no doubt grew up in a family with a Father and Mother who were devout Jews who went to the synagogue regularly and took him along. The young man probably knew much of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) or at least the main stories of the origin, pilgrimage, struggles, and overall history of the Jewish people. The young man probably no doubt was circumcised on the eighth day and knew the tribe that made up his family heritage. The young man probably heard the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees and came down on the side of the Pharisees because he believed in life after death as did the Pharisees.

The question he asked our Lord reveals what he had been taught all of his life and he now wanted this new Rabbi that was growing more and more popular among the common people to confirm his belief and give him a list of “good things” he could do to assure eternal life for him in heaven. When our Lord ran through the commandments with him, he confidently asserted the certainty that he had kept all of them from his youth. This man was not trying to be pious. In reality, he truly believed he had kept them all because he no doubt pattern his religious life after that of his Father and Mother as well as the other men and women of the Synagogue he regularly attended. The young man truly believed he was a “good person” and he meant no disrespect to our Lord or any of the people standing around listening.


The sin of human “goodness” is probably the worse sin on the planet next to unbelief/atheism. It is the sin practiced every single day for years and centuries in Synagogues, Muslim Temples, Churches, and other places of religious worship. It has always been easy for the “good person” to look inwardly and not see the sin hidden down deep in the heart that is so desperately wicked. Jeremiah said our human hearts are so sin sick that we don’t even know them. Such was the case of this young man and many of the people of his family, friends, and fellowship that really did not understand how depraved we all are from the womb. This is why our Lord said according to Marks account of this discord, “He looked at him and loved him.” Our Lord sees the humanly sweetest, dearest, and kindest person on this earth apart from the Holy Spirit’s regeneration and the new birth as depraved. Listen to the words our Lord gave the Prophet Isaiah many centuries before He ever was born of a virgin, died on the cross, and rose the third day about the works or deeds of the “good person”:

Isaiah 64:6 For we have all become like one who is unclean [ceremonially, like a leper], and all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags {or} a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away [far from God's favor, hurrying us toward destruction]. QAB

Please listen to the words of the Prophet if you are counting on your Church/Denomination membership, your giving to a charity, your good deeds outweighing your bad deeds, water baptism or infant baptism, your outward keeping of the Ten Commandments, any religious rituals observed daily, weekly, monthly or yearly please stop and turn around and look up at the cross of Calvary. The Lord Jesus Christ shattered this young man’s perceived “goodness” by reaching into his heart and exposing his covetousness. The first sin we commit condemns us all before God the Father for the wages of sin is death, but the sin we hold onto, we grip tightly, we justify vainly, we practice regularly, or we obstinately won’t turn from is the sin that will keep any person from the regenerating work of God the Holy Spirit through the gospel of Jesus Christ because He (God the Holy Spirit) is here now to convict of sin and God the Father right now requires all men to repent of sin (turn from it) or all will go away from the Lord Jesus Christ just as this rich young man did because he would not let go of his sin of covetousness.

Job 35:6-7 If you have sinned, how does that affect God? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what have you done to Him? If you are righteous, what do you [by that] give God? Or what does He receive from your hand? QAB

Our Lord made this very clear to the disciples when they realized that this perceived “good man” was not going to be saved. They were perplexed and wondered, if he can’t be saved and we thought of him as a “good man”, then who can be saved. Our Lord said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Salvation from sin is not the work of any man’s human effort, but it is the Divine work of a loving God that intervenes in the life of a man or woman and recreates them internally and then adopts them as His son or daughter giving them Resurrection Life that enables them to live differently for the rest of their earthly life and then makes them completely perfect after death. If anyone is reading this and the Spirit of God has pricked your heart and made you agitated because you consider yourself to be a “good person”, then rejoice because He is beginning the work of conviction that I pray will spring forth into eternal life today bringing you to Jesus Christ The Only “GOOD PERSON”.

“Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works.” Martin Luther

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 55

 Submit to God, Resist the Devil Part 3

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, vigilant; because your adversary the devil 👿, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world 🌎. KJV Note: NKJV=New King 👑 James Version 

Having all of our spiritual and physical care cast upon our Abba/God in Heaven, even so, the Apostle Peter now warns and exhorts us as good sons and daughters and as good soldiers and pilgrims to be always on our guard both spiritually and physically because we all who belong to Christ Jesus our Lord have a vile, vicious, and violent enemy the devil 👿. Peter first tells us "Be sober, be vigilant;" and this first little English word 'sober' is translated by the Greek word nepho which simply means to watch or be watchful and discreet. The second little English word 'vigilant' is translated by the Greek word gregoreuo which means to be awake spiritually and to keep awake. In other words, the Apostle Peter wants us to stay in the Word of God and to yield our whole self to the power of the Holy Spirit by staying constantly in prayer 🙏 as the Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians with these words, "Pray 🙏 without ceasing," (1 Thessalonians 5:17) (NKJV) and likewise as he Paul told the Ephesians with these words, "Praying always with all prayer 🙏 and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18) (NKJV). The Apostle Peter had just told these early brothers and sisters in the very last Chapter this very same mindset they must have and so must we, as it is written, "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers." (1 Peter 4:7) (NKJV). We can see what urgency are in these warnings and exhortations from our brother Peter as certainly he was recounting, recalling, and remembering the words spoken to him and the other Apostles when they were with Christ Jesus our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane when He said to them, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray 🙏, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'" (Matthew 26:40-41) (NKJV). This is exactly 💯 where the devil 👿 wants to find any of us being slack, or slothful, or slow in our alertness in prayer 🙏 and supplication and in bathing 🧼 ourselves in the Word of God daily, for then we are vulnerable to his attacks. The Apostle Peter in this passage of Scripture 1 Peter 5:8 calls the devil 👿 our 'adversary' and this little English word is translated by the Greek word antidikos which means an opponent; specifically Satan (as the arch enemy): adversary. The Apostle Peter warns us to watch and be vigilant because our enemy/adversary "as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" and this description of the devil 👿 is on point 👉, for just as a lion 🦁 in the wild is always looking for an opportunity to find unsuspecting prey to make a meal out of them, so is our enemy always seeking to find us sleeping 😴 spiritually so that he can cause us harm physically or spiritually. The devil 👿 wants to push 🫸 us into walking/living in the flesh and not in the spirit but our Lord Jesus wants us always awake and sober walking/living in the spirit and by the power of the Holy Spirit that we not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Romans 13:14) & (Galatians 5:16). Being watchful in prayer 🙏 and continuing in the Word of God by yielding to the Spirit of God we can and will defeat our enemy/adversary. Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of 1 Peter 5:8, "He shows them their danger from an enemy more cruel and restless than even the worst of men, whom he describes, 1. By his characters and names. (1) He is an adversary: 'That adversary of yours; not a common adversary, but an enemy that impleads you, and litigates against you in your grand depending cause, and aims at your very souls.' (2) The devil, the grand accuser of all the brethren; this title is derived from a word which signifies to strike through, or to stab. He would strike malignity into our natures and poison into our souls. If he could have struck these people with passion and murmuring in their sufferings, perhaps he might have drawn them to apostasy and ruin. (3) He is a roaring lion 🦁, hungry, fierce, strong, and cruel, the fierce and greedy pursuer of souls. By his business: He walks about, seeking whom he may devour; his whole design is to devour and destroy souls. To this end he is unwearied and restless in his malicious endeavours; for he always, night and day, goes about studying and contriving whom he may ensnare 🪝 to their eternal ruin. Hence he infers that it is their duty, (1) To be sober, and to govern both the outward and the inward man 👞 by the rules of temperance/self-control, modesty, and mortification. (2) To be vigilant; not secure or careless, but rather suspicious of constant danger from this spiritual enemy, and under that apprehension, to be watchful and diligent to prevent his designs and save our souls."

Now it must be our duty, our diligence, and our desire to 'resist' the devil 👿 and this little English word in 1 Peter 5:9 is translated by the Greek word anthistemi which means to stand against, that is, oppose: resist and withstand. Not only are we to oppose our enemy but we are to be 'stedfast' in so doing and this little English word is translated by the Greek word stereos which means stiff, that is, solid, stable (literally or figuratively): stedfast, strong, and sure. In other words, our withstanding and opposing and fighting against our enemy the devil 👿 must be strong and solid and sure resistance, but that can only be accomplished by what we have declared earlier and that being what Peter has already exhorted and encouraged us into and that is submitting to God/Abba/Jesus always and at all times, for our strength is in Him alone because He has already told us this, as it is written, "'I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.'" (John 15:5) (NKJV). We must remember that our Lord Jesus Christ has come and by His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead He has destroyed him/the devil 👿 who had the power of death (Hebrews 2:14) and He has destroyed all the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), therefore, as we are 'in Christ' we have His power within us to defeat our adversary (1 John 4:4) always when we abide in Him. We know that all of our brothers and sisters who are 'in Christ' are fighting the same warfare and we all can be confident in this reality and wage a good warfare knowing as the Apostle Paul declared to the Corinthian believers (who were themselves under attack from the enemy trying to get them to believe lies and live in lies and not the truth) but Paul reminded them and us of what our weapons are against the enemy, as it is written, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down 👇 strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought 💭🤔 into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:4-6) (NKJV). Let us who belong to Christ Jesus our Lord do this, Amen !!! Here also is what Matthew Henry had to say of 1 Peter 5:9, "It was the faith of these people that Satan aimed at; if he could overturn their faith, and draw them into apostasy, then he knew he should gain his point, and ruin their souls; therefore, to destroy their faith, he raises bitter persecutions, and sets the grand potentates of the world 🌍 against them. This strong trial and temptation they must resist, by being well-grounded, resolute, and stedfast in the faith: to encourage them to this, he tells them that their care was not singular, for they knew that the like afflictions befell their brethren in all parts of the world 🌎, and that all the people of God were their fellow-soldiers in this warfare. Learn, (1) All the great persecutions that ever were in the world 🌍 were raised, spirited up, and conducted, by the devil 👿; he is the grand persecutor, as well as the deceiver and accuser, of the brethren; men are his willing spiteful instruments, but he is the chief adversary that wars against Christ and His people, Genesis 3:15; Revelation 12:12. (2) The design of Satan in raising persecutions against the faithful servants of God is to bring them to apostasy, by reason of their sufferings, and so to destroy their souls. (3) Sobriety and watchfulness are necessary virtues at all times, but especially in times of suffering and persecution. 'You must moderate your affection to worldly things, or else Satan will soon overcome you.' (4) If you would overcome Satan, as a tempter, an accuser, or a persecutor, you must resist him stedfast in the faith; if your faith give way, you are gone; therefore, above all, take the shield 🛡️ of faith,' Ephesians 6:16. (5) The consideration of what others suffer is proper to encourage us to bear our own share in any affliction: The same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray 🙏 this from your heart ❤️ to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking 🗣️ directly to Him) Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I want to turn 🛞 from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart ❤️ and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen!!!

Jesus & Salvation (I wrote this about 13 years ago)

 John 6:35-40

The most important question that confronts every person who has ever lived and who will ever live is “Are you saved or lost?” The career the person pursued, the philanthropy they engaged in, the wealth they amassed, and what people thought of them will matter nothing on that last day as they stand before Jesus Christ. How a person is saved has been and continues to be a hotly debated and contested subject at times in many circles around the world. The Apostle Paul was the primary teacher in the New Testament books about how a person’s soul is saved by God from sin and @#!*% . The Apostle Paul taught that God had an elect group of people that He would save eternally. The Apostle Paul taught about the foreknowledge of God which means He knows everything that will transpire in human history before it ever happens, therefore He already sees every soul that will be eternally saved and eternally lost.

To us human beings this can sometimes seem unfair, unkind, or even unloving but because God knows who will truly believe and who will not truly believe does not mean that He rigged or fixed the outcome. The responsibility for truly believing still rest upon every individual soul and therefore God never shows partiality or favoritism to any person, no not one. Must we human beings forget that it pleased God the Father to bruise His only Son? He poured out His wrath against sin upon the Lord Jesus Christ. If God the Father did not spare His only Son from His wrath when sin was upon Jesus, how does any human being think God the Father will spare them when their sin remains on them, I tell you He will not.

Isaiah 53:10-11 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. NKJV

The Apostle Paul also taught individual human responsibility in salvation for every soul. A person cannot go to heaven because they grew up in Church, their Father was a Pastor or Deacon, or because they were born here in America, or because they feel they are a good person. The Apostle Paul taught that every person was responsible for their sin and must repent/turn from their sin and trust Jesus Christ for their own personal salvation. The Apostle wrote these words, Romans 10:11-13 “For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’” NKJV Where did this man the Apostle Paul get this understanding and wisdom concerning the salvation of the souls of men and women? The Apostle Paul tells us that he received these truths straight from our Lord Jesus Christ and that he was privileged to be taken into Arabia for 3 years and taught by Christ Jesus as he documents in Galatians 1:11-18.

Before our Lord ever took this man Paul into His personal school of Apostleship, He taught us from His own lips that salvation is according to the Sovereign will of God but that every individual person must come to Him to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Our Lord Jesus use the word comes which is a present tense verb and all verbs are action words. Our Lord is saying that the soul that comes to Him will receive salvation His life in them which produces new affections, desires, hungers, and thirst that will be in opposition to the affections, desires, hungers, and thirst longed for in their souls when He was not present. The word comes He uses also denotes a continuous coming to Him through His Word to feed, nurture, and sustain this new life birthed in the soul. Our Lord is teaching in this very text the responsibility of the hungering soul to act upon this spiritual malnutrition individually (John 6:35).

Our Lord Jesus cements for us by the very next text the absolute reality of human responsibility. These Jews saw the Divine Son of God in the flesh, were eyewitnesses many of them to His numerous miracles, they like Pilot knew deep in their hearts/inner man there was no fault in Him, none of them could convict Him of any sin ever, they were also witness to His going about always doing good and His great heart of compassion as He healed many people of diseases as well as those who were oppressed by the devil, and yet despite Him being right before them in grace and truth they did not believe. Today, especially in this country of America, people are exposed to the gospel of Christ death, burial, and resurrection from the dead and yet they still refuse, reject, or resist believing in Him as the only way for salvation (see the article entitled “Will you Reject, Resist, or Receive Jesus Christ”, http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=130955) (John 6:36).

Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. NKJV

It is God the Father who draws (John 6:44) the lost soul to our Lord Jesus Christ. For example it was the Father who impressed upon heart of the woman in John Chapter 4 to come to that well at that very time and hour of the day knowing that our Lord Jesus would arrive at that well also at that time. God the Father had been preparing her heart and drawing her to the truth maybe for years even before our Lord Jesus began His earthly ministry for this one moment that would change her eternal destiny. The Father did the drawing but He did not make her believe and receive Christ Jesus the Lord, she had to respond to the truth that confronted her at that very hour (John 6:37).

It was God the Father’s will which directed our Lord Jesus to go through Samaria and not take the normal route His disciples would have been accustomed to traveling all because our Lord knew from the Father that He had an eternal appointment with this one Samaritan woman that could not be missed (John 6:38). This is one of the clearest pictures of Sovereign Election plus human responsibility equaling eternal salvation. Many of the hard hearted stiff-necked Jews during the days our Lord Jesus walked the earth as the God-Man saw Him but did not believe, but many common people saw Him and did believe and the same holds true today. The gospel is preached on radio, the internet, in stadiums, on television, in churches, on the streets, in jungles, in schools, and everywhere but still all do not believe. However, the ones the Father draws that do come to our Lord Jesus and believe will never lose this new life which we have been given because it did not come as the result of our human effort but simply in our freely receiving Him forever (John 6:39-40).

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV

“All that feel themselves lost, and follow the drawings of the Father, He in a peculiar manner giveth to the Son: will come to Me - By faith. And him that thus cometh to Me, I will in nowise cast out - I will give him pardon, holiness, and heaven, if he endure to the end - to rejoice in His light.” John Wesley

“Everyone that comes - that is, everyone that comes in a proper manner, feeling that he is a lost and ruined sinner. This invitation is wide, and full, and free. It shows the unbounded mercy of God; and it shows, also, that the reason, and the only reason, why men are not saved, is that they will not come to Christ. Of any sinner it may be said that if he had been willing to come to Christ he might have come and been saved. As he chooses not to come, he cannot blame God because he saves others who are willing, no matter from what cause, and who thus are made partakers of everlasting life.” Albert Barnes

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reader, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…