February 2012

WE ARE BLESSED!

Think about that statement for just a moment.  Can you think of any day when you are not blessed?  I know we all walk through valleys and dark times but we are still blessed.

Paul and Silas were in JAIL and at Midnight they prayed and Sang Praises unto God and He sent an earthquake and delivered them out of the prison.

Psalms 95:2 instructs us, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.  Let us Shout Joyfully to Him with Psalms!”

Sometimes when you don’t feel like praying, or you’re consumed with needing to speak to the Lord but can’t gather the words, that old Standby song still works: “Count your Blessings, name them one by one, count your many blessings, see what God has done!”

It’s amazing how you can get carried away from worries and woes and self-concern.  But when you start naming out loud what you’re thankful for: right away your focus shifts from your needs to the Father’s graciousness and love.

Try it!

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

January 2012

God really does answer our prayers!

Go back and report to John what you hear and see: “the blind receive sight, the lame walk. . .and the good news is preached to the poor.”

This was Jesus’ answer to John’s agonized query for the dungeon of doubt: “are you the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

We don’t know how John received Jesus’ message but we can imagine.  I like to think of a slight smile coming over his lips as he heard what his Master said.  For now he understood.  It wasn’t that Jesus was silent; it was that John had been listening for the wrong answer to his earthly problems, while Jesus was busy resolving his heavenly ones.

That is worth remembering the next time you hear the SILENCE of God.  He is listening and he is answering!

Pay Attention!

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

December 2011

Struggling with Worldliness?

1 John 2:15 tell us “Love NOT the world, neither the things of the world. . .

John the Baptist would never get hired today.  No church would touch him.  He was a public relations disaster.  He “wore clothes made from camel’s hair, had a leather belt around his waist, and ate locust and wild honey.” (Mark 1:6)  Who would want to look at a guy like that every Sunday?

His message was as rough as his dress: a no-nonsense, bare-fisted challenge to Repent because God was on his way!

John the Baptist set himself apart for one task, to be a voice of Christ.  Everything about John centered on his purpose.  His dress.  His diet.  His actions.  His demands.

You don’t have to be like the world to have an impact on the world.  You don’t have to be like the crowd to change the crowd.  You don’t have to lower yourself down to their level to lift them up to your level.  Holiness doesn’t seek to be odd.  Holiness seeks to be like God! 

A relationship with Jesus is what we all need to live like HIM.

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

November 2011

Does the world know that you have been Transformed?

Romans 12:1-2 teaches us to “...present our bodies a living sacrifice...and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind...”

Others can not see what goes on inside of you: your thoughts, and emotions, your dreams and motives.  Nor can they “see” your inner commitment to the Lord.

All they can see is your body - and they will judge what is on the inside of you by what they see happening on the outside!  A frown signals concern or disapproval; a smile signals gratitude or welcome; a clenched fist signals hostility or anger.

Do you see why Paul tells us to “present our bodies a living sacrifice?”  The reason is simple: The way we use our bodies will signal to others what we really are on the inside. 

We may claim to be a follower of Christ, but if our actions tell a different story, people will have a right to question our claim.  Our dress, our speech, our habits – all should Honor God.  Philippians 2:15 tell us we are to live “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.”

Do your outer actions signal your inner commitment to Jesus?  Keep your mind renewed in Jesus each day.

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

October 2011

Changed for Life

2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all...are being changed (“transformed”) into the same image from glory to glory. 

You can scrub a pig, sprinkle Chanel No. 5 on him, put a ribbon around his neck, and take him into your living room.  But when you turn him loose, he will jump into the first mud puddle he sees because his nature has never changed.  He is still a PIG!  We constantly try to reform ourselves.  Stores are filled with self-help books claiming to hold the secret to personal reformation.  But such efforts are only temporary at best.  A deeper transformation is needed – a transformation of the HEART!

And it is possible!  The Bible teaches that when we come to Jesus in repentance, baptism in Jesus name and the infilling of his Spirit, we are spiritually “born again,” God’s Spirit comes to live within us and change us.  Our motives change, our objectives change, our disposition changes, our eternal destiny changes.

No, it doesn’t happen all at once.  We will spend the rest of our lives learning what it means to follow Christ.  But it begins NOW, as we open our hearts to Him.  Is your life “being transformed . . . from glory to glory?”

Thanks for being with us today. This is the “first day of the rest of your life.” Live it for Jesus!

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

September 2011

Because of Prayer

James 5:16 “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

John Knox prayed, and the results caused Queen Mary to say she feared the prayers of John Knox more that she feared all the armies of Scotland.

John Wesley prayed, and revival came to England, sparing the nation the horrors of the French Revolution.

John Edwards prayed, and revival spread throughout the American colonies. 

History has been changed time after time because of prayer.  I tell you, history could be changed again if people went to their knees in Believing Prayer.

Even when times are bleak and the world scorns God, He still works through the prayers of His People!  Pray today for Revival here in Las Vegas and around the world. 

Prayer Really Works!

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

August 2011

Rest For The Weary

Matthew 11:28:  Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Few people know HOW to rest these days.  Even on vacation, many people rush to cram in as much as they can before retuning to their jobs, where they spend twice as much energy catching up on the work and mail that has piled up in their absence!  Many of us need vacations just to rest from our vacation!  Perhaps we have been looking for rest in the wrong places.

Jesus said, “Come unto Me…and I will give you rest.”  Like peace, rest and contentment can be found ONLY in one place, from one source, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus gives us the ultimate rest, the confidence we need, to escape the frustration and chaos of the world around us.  Rest in HIM and don’t worry about what lies ahead.

Jesus Christ has already taken care of tomorrow!

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

July 2011

Find Us Faithful!

The wealthy city of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.  A great number of people from all walks of life were buried in the ruins.  During the excavation of that great city, in the year 1748, many of the victim’s bodies were discovered in a variety of places.

Some of the casualties were found in deep vaults beneath the city, while others were crouched together in the lofty chambers of numerous buildings in Pompeii.  The ash-enshrouded body of a wealthy woman was happened upon, still clutching the jewels that were apparently as important to her as life itself.

But the most startling discovery was made when the archeologists began uncovering the gateway to Pompeii.  At the entrance to the city they found the Roman Sentinel standing guard at the gate where his captain had placed him.  The old soldier was still clutching his ancient weapon.

There he stood, while the ground shook beneath his feet; while smothering ashes and hot cinders fell from the heavens like fiery rain; while a rushing torrent of molten lava surrounded him in a burning shroud of death, there he stood.  Seventeen hundred years later archeologists discovered the loyal Sentinel, the testimony of his faithfulness to duty preserved by the suffocating blanket of Vesuvius’ wrath.

We serve a God who is always faithful, ever unto the end.  May we be as faithful to God, as God is to us! Luke 18:8 “. . .  Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

Can God count on you?

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

June 2011

A Friend Like YOU!

Do you have any True Friends?  It is said of a man that if he has 5 real friends in a lifetime he is a blessed man!  True friends are hard to find and even harder to loose!

The Bible tell us in John 15:12-17:

12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  15  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.  16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.  17  These things I command you, that ye love one another.

All around us are people who need a real friend.  One who can introduce them to the Savior of the World: Jesus Christ!  Can we count on you to be a friend to someone this week?  You may be their only hope. 

It may be that God has placed you where you are at work, school or even in your neighborhood, just to reach someone with HIS love!

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

May 2011

Mother’s Indelible Impression

Prov. 23:25.  Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you!  Let’s face it, without mothers, NONE of us would be here today!

There is no more influential or powerful role on earth than a mother’s.  As significant as political, military, educational, or religious public figures may be, none can compare to the impact made by mothers.  A mother’s words are never fully forgotten, their touch leaves an indelible impression, and the memory of their presence lasts a lifetime...

Abraham Lincoln was right: “No one is poor who had a godly mother.”  Instead of camping on the negatives and emphasizing how far many mothers have drifted from this magnificent calling to shape the future of our country, I want to throw you a distinct opportunity to soar!  A harmonious marital partnership and a solid, unselfish commitment to motherhood have never been of greater importance to you or, for that matter, to our nation.  Talk about a challenge worth your effort!  In spite of what you may have heard, this role is the most rewarding in all the world.

Mothers, we salute you this month at Praise Tabernacle.  Show us the way into the presence of Jesus.  Remember your children are watching!

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

April 2011

Are YOU a Disciple?

“If you abide in My word, YOU are MY Disciples indeed.”  John 8:31

A Disciple in Jesus’ time was someone who followed a teacher or philosopher.  A disciple was both a learner and a follower – believing the teacher’s message and then putting it into practice.

Jesus gave the word Disciple added meaning, however, because His disciples also went out to tell others about Him.  A disciple of Jesus, therefore, is someone who has committed his or her life to Jesus, and seeks each day to Learn, to Follow, and to Share HIM with others.  Does this describe you?

No, the first disciples weren’t prefect, and neither are we.  Like them, we need to Learn more, Follow more, and Share more.  But all of us who belong to Christ are called to be Disciples!  Unlike the original disciples, we can’t physically spend time with Jesus, but we can learn from Him by reading HIS Word.  We can follow Him by obeying His Will.  We can share Him with a world that desperately Needs to be Saved!

He is worthy to be Shared with those around you each day; are you a Disciple?

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

March 2011

Jesus Cares For US!

The Psalmist tells us in Psalms 116:1-2, “I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.  Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live!”

The shepherd knows his sheep.  He calls them by name!

When we see a crowd, we see exactly that, a crowd…  We see people, not persons, but people!  A HERD of HUMANS.  A flock of faces.  That’s what we see.

But not so with the Shepherd.  To him every face is different.  Every face is a story.  Every face is a child.  Every child has a name...

The shepherd knows his sheep.  He knows each one by name.  The shepherd knows YOU!  He knows your name.  And He will never forget you.

When you feel lonely and forgotten, remember JESUS for he cares for you!

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

1 Corinthians 2:9: But as it is written, Eye hath hot seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.

The only ultimate disaster that can befall us, I have to realize, is to feel ourselves to be home on earth. As long as we are aliens, we cannot forget our true homeland.

Unhappiness on earth cultivates a hunger for heaven. By gracing us with a deep dissatisfaction, God holds our attention. The only tragedy, then, is to be satisfied prematurely. To settle for earth. To be content in a strange land.

We are not happy here because we are not at home here. We are not happy here because we are not supposed to be happy here.  We are "like foreigners and strangers in this world." (1 Peter 2:11).

And you will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth! Oh, you will have moments of Joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moment of even days of peace. But they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead!

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

Matthew 10:42 tells us “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

Here’s a suggestion: We should all wear antennas to work, to church, to school---antennas that pick up on people who seem out of place, whose loneliness shows.  We should be the one to approach these folks and extend friendship to them. Maybe you think the last thing you need is another friend. But friendliness---hospitality---is a virtue that brings as much joy to the giver as to the receiver.

When you extend hospitality to others, you’re not trying to impress people, you’re trying to reflect God to them!

So during this Thanksgiving season, look for someone lonely to share Jesus with them.

Love,

Pastor Blizzard

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; But as for Me and My house , we WILL SERVE the LORD!”

We are thirsty.

Not thirsty for fame, possessions, passion, or romance. We’ve drunk from those pools. They are salt water in the desert. They don’t quench—they kill.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. . .”

Righteousness. That’s it! That’s what we are thirsty for! We’re thirsty for a clean conscience. We crave a clean slate. We yearn for a fresh start. We pray for a hand that will enter the dark cavern of our world and do for us the one thing we can’t do for ourselves---make us right again.

Let God make us right and keep us right!

Love, Pastor Blizzard