Dealing Effectively With Anger

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

Today we are going to talk about effectively dealing with anger. A large number of people have problems dealing with anger effectively. When anger is not dealt with effectively, the effects can be severe. Anger gone wild will adversely effect communication, relationships, mental health, spiritual health, emotional health, and physical health. Obviously, when a person’s anger spirals out of control, their levels of joy and happiness are seriously depleted.

Just how serious of an issue is uncontrolled anger? Do you remember that Jesus pointed out that being angry with another person without cause is akin to being guilty of violating God’s commandment against murder? You can find that in Matthew chapter 5, verses 21-26. If Jesus says that man’s anger is akin to violating this commandment (and He does), then we should accept that this is an extremely serious issue to get our arms around.

Let’s start off by dividing anger into two classifications. The first classification is God’s anger. This is the type of anger that the Lord God Almighty is okay with. Do you know what this type of anger is normally called? It’s normally referred to as righteous indignation. Consider the following example of righteous indignation that Jesus provided us when He visited the temple only to find moneychangers and merchants defiling the temple of God:

“And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, ‘Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.’” – John 2:14-16 (KJV)

Another example of righteous indignation was Jesus’ anger with the Pharisees when they were trying to catch Him working a miracle on the Sabbath day, so that they could accuse Jesus of violating the Sabbath. In Mark chapter 3, verses 1-6, we see this situation explained. Jesus was angry that the Pharisees had such hard hearts that they would actually condemn as sin the work of making a man’s withered hand whole again.

You notice any similarities in these two real-life examples? In both instances we see a kind of anger that is selfless. On both occasions the anger was motivated by defense of someone else, rather than being a tool of self-defense. Beloved, God’s anger/righteous indignation is ultimately distinctly different from man’s anger, because righteous indignation is effective at helping to solve a problem.

The second classification of anger is man’s anger. As we know all too well, God’s nature and human nature are very different. It is no surprise then that there is also a very real difference between God’s anger and man’s anger. God’s anger is righteous, selfless, and productive, as we saw in the aforementioned examples. On the other hand, man’s anger is completely opposite, and it is indeed a sin.

All too often man’s anger is selfishly motivated. Think about it. Oftentimes when someone is the target of verbal abuse, or gossip, they become angry. They feel that their name/image have possibly been tarnished as a result of such personal attacks. Subsequently, they justify their anger-fueled response by pointing out that they were just defending themselves when they responded in kind. Why is this wrong? It’s simple really. We do not serve ourselves. We serve Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are to put His will before our own. When we respond in anger to personal attacks, we are prioritizing our own pride above our love for, and obedience to, the Lord. This is sinful.

Through much more severe personal persecution than we will ever have to experience, Jesus did not respond with anger and spite. He responded with love and forgiveness. Jesus never displayed man’s anger. He only displayed God’s righteous indignation when He was defending others, or some principle. When casting the moneychangers and merchants out of the temple, He was defending the temple of God. When He had righteous indignation towards the Pharisees trying to prevent Him from healing the man with the withered hand, He was defending both that man’s opportunity for healing as well as God’s authority to provide such a healing. None of this was selfishly motivated.

Another thing that makes man’s anger particularly destructive is our tendency to allow anger to linger for a long time. We often refer to this as holding a grudge. Yet we have no biblical justification for allowing our anger to linger for a long time. We do not see any examples of righteous indignation over an issue being carried on for an extended period of time. Righteous indignation is dealt with in a timely fashion. Man’s anger, however, often abides in the very human thought that we should bide our time until we can unleash our anger for maximum devastating effect.

Unfortunately, by holding onto such foolish anger for an extended period of time, the effect is indeed devastating, especially to the person who is carrying that anger. You see, beloved, this anger all to often transforms into hatred. That results from a lack of willingness to forgive; yet all that serve the Lord are instructed to readily forgive others of their wrongs against us. Jesus not only told us to do so by His words, He also demonstrated this lesson by dying on the cross to pay for our sins. Beloved, we did not deserve to have our King sacrifice everything for us. Yet, because Jesus loves us, He chose to suffer the cross so that we might be reconciled unto God and saved for all of eternity. The apostle Paul also instructed us not to hold onto our anger when he wrote the following:

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil.” – Ephesians 4:26-27 (KJV)

You see, brothers and sisters, we are to let go of the anger and forgive, just as Christ forgave us. When someone chooses not to let go of the anger and forgive, they are not doing the Lord’s will. Frankly, they are unwittingly/wittingly choosing darkness over the light of the Lord. When they do this, they give a place in their heart to the devil rather than choosing to have their heart filled with the Lord and His love.

Another destructive aspect of man’s anger is that, in addition to being selfish, it is oftentimes unrestrained. Oftentimes this anger is unleashed without the least bit of clear thinking having been done at all. This is nothing more than acting on emotion without the benefit of thought. Oftentimes the consequence this has is an overblown and destructive response that we usually regret afterwards. Consider what the apostle James has to say about anger:

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. ” – James 1:19-20 (KJV)

Beloved, it really is all supposed to be about God and doing His will. If we truly believe that, and live that belief, then there is no place for man’s anger in our lives. The only anger we should ever exhibit is righteous indignation/God’s anger.

So, in a nutshell, how can we keep from being consumed by being filled with man’s anger? First and foremost, take the apostle Paul’s advice whenever you do anything. Here is what Paul wrote:

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV)

• Always remember, beloved, the highest aim of our lives is to do the will of our Lord and Savior and to glorify God. We are not to love our own selves more than we love the Lord. We know that anger does not glorify God. However, we also know that love and forgiveness definitely glorify God. Our choice then should be clear.

• Next, remember that God can and will bring something positive out of every situation. No matter how badly someone attacks/persecutes you, just remember the lesson that Joseph learned after he was sold into slavery by his brothers and later falsely accused and imprisoned for allegedly trying to take his master’s wife. You can read Joseph’s response to his brothers’ fear of his retribution in Genesis chapter 50, verses 19-21. In short, Jesus pointed out to them that what they had intended for evil, God had turned to good. Beloved, we need always remember that. No matter what terrible situations people subject us to, we need only remember that the Lord can turn that situation around. Remember, Daniel in the lion’s den? Remember the rewards for Job, after he had gone through a severe period of tribulation brought on by the devil himself? In each of these cases, beloved, the Lord took what was intended for evil and turned it to good. This happens all the time. If you keep this hope in your mind and in your heart, then it becomes much easier to let go of the resentment.

• When you feel yourself filling up with man’s anger, let go of it. Do not allow it to linger. Choose love and forgiveness over that anger. Hold fast to God’s promise. Do not give that foolish anger the place that should be reserved for the Lord inside your heart.

• Should you act/speak in foolish anger, repent to God and to the person(s) that were targeted by your anger. Accept responsibility for the mistake you made, without marginalizing it through empty excuses and justifications. Sincerely apologize for your sinful anger so that it may no longer have a hold over you.

• Be honest with others. While we may think at times that people can read our minds, they most certainly cannot. Speak openly and honestly when communicating with others. Speak the truth in love always, as the apostle Paul instructs in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 15 & 25.

• Attack problems not people. By doing so, you avoid falling into the trap of judging others and delivering vengeance unto them. Judgment and vengeance do not belong to man. Both are reserved for God. By attacking the problem, you realize an opportunity to ally yourself with the other person(s) to counter the problem. This builds stronger and more loving relationships between us. Consider what the apostle Paul instructed when he wrote:

“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. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” – Ephesians 4:29-32 (KJV)

• Seek the Lord’s will in determining what action you will take. You can do this through prayer and through reading His word.

• Lastly, do your part to diffuse the anger. Do not fall into the trap of saying/thinking, “I wanted to let it go, but then they said/did such and such.” Beloved, control what you can control. In this case, you are to control your response. You do have the ability to forgive someone for wronging you, even if they are not seeking your forgiveness. Likewise, even if someone may not forgive you for offending them, you will have the power to sincerely apologize for what you have said/done.

Through adhering to these steps, beloved, you will be enabled to effectively identify and deal with anger in a manner that serves the Lord and does His will. I can tell you from my personal experience, that when you start choosing love and forgiveness over anger and hatred, life becomes much more enjoyable. Remember, beloved, our ultimate priority is to do the Lord’s will and glorify Him always. When we focus on that as our ultimate priority, we truly receive a very different perspective on life. Believe me when I say that it is indeed a wonderful and blessed perspective. All you have to do to find that out for yourself is try it:-) The Lord will help you to see things in a whole new way, and you will overflow with His love.

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, but you would like to, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You. I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

If you just sincerely prayed that prayer, then you are now born-again spiritually in Christ Jesus.  You will still face many problems in this world, but you will never again face them alone:-)  Your new relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship you will ever have.  I would encourage you to cultivate your relationship by getting to know the Lord better.  You can do this by spending a few minutes each day reading His word (bible), talking to Him frequently in prayer (& listening), and by reaching out to enjoy fellowship with other Christians.  God knows all there is to know about you.  He formed you in your mother’s womb.  He made you unique and for a purpose.  Ask Him to show you how to fulfill the purpose for which He created you, and then follow His guidance.  He won’t disappoint you:-)  Welcome to the family, precious one!!!  If ever we can join you in prayer, or help you in any other way, please don’t hesitate to reach out through the “Comments” box at the end of this message, or by emailing me directly at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces).  I am your brother in Christ Jesus, and it is always a blessing to be able to support you in any way that I can:-)

I want to thank you all for joining us for today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for tomorrow’s message, as well.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

 

 

Rev Jason Thurwanger

A Day of Prayer

Welcome back, brothers & sisters!!!

Thank you for joining our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world  in today’s day of prayer over this week’s prayer requests.  As the last 24 hours have clearly evidenced, our country and our world need a great deal of prayer right now.  Let’s get to work unleashing God’s power through prayer. 

Here are this week’s prayer requests:

• Please pray for all of those wounded in the massacre at Fort Hood on Thursday.  Please pray for them to be comforted by feeling the Lord’s presence, and pray that they would all achieve a speedy and complete recovery.  Please pray for the families, friends, and loved ones of those that were killed and injured.  Pray that the Lord would bless them to be filled with His strength, peace, and comfort as they go through this terrible and traumatic time.  Please pray for the shooter’s loved ones to seek the Lord and to be protected from retribution by misguided vigilantes.  Lastly, please pray for the Lord to open the shooter’s heart and mind to truly see the evil thing that he has done so that he might repent of this terrible evil he as committed and turn to the Lord, if it’s not too late for him already. 
• Please pray for those gunned down in Orlando within the past hour.  Pray for those injured to take refuge in the Lord and to receive the healing, peace, and strength that only He can provide.  Please prey that the other people that come across the gunman are covered by Lord so that no others are harmed.  Please pray that the Lord would comfort the loved ones of those that have been killed or injured thus far, and pray that they would turn to Him as their strong tower in this time of tribulation and turmoil.  Please pray that the gunman gives himself up and/or is apprehended soon so that his reign of terror can come to a close.  Lastly, please pray for the gunman to see the evil that he has committed and repent.  Situations like this are not resolved with vengeance, hatred, and more violence.  Only prayer, love, and the Lord’s intervention truly resolves these situations. 
• Please continue to pray for a man in his later 30’s that has embraced atheism as a result of the wrongs that people have continually subjected him to for all of his life.  This young man has fallen for Satan’s lie that if there was a God, he would have been spared from all of these things.  Pray for this young man to realize that the only thing that has allowed him to survive all of these trials is the very grace of God.  Pray that he would realize that God has been there with him through every trial, sustaining him and propelling him forward.
• Please continue to pray for a middle-aged married couple to receive the Lord’s blessing and intervention in their lives.  Please pray that they would seek help from the Lord in dealing with the physical, mental, and emotional ordeals that they are presently going through, and please pray that they would submit to His will when He provides guidance to them.  This is a loving couple that has experienced a very hard string of trials, and the pieces are starting to come apart.  Please pray that the Lord would mend them and restore them completely, as well as helping them to keep their focus on Him rather than the cares of this world.
• Please continue to pray for a young man that is in need of the Lord’s guidance as he struggles to meet the commitments of being a single parent.  Please pray that this man would recieve healing for his emotional, mental, and spiritual wounds brought on by a wife that left him after cheating on him.  Please pray that this man would parent his child out of love, rather than out of fear, so that he can help his son grow to be the man that God created him to be. 
• Please continue to pray for one of our sisters in Christ Jesus.  Her name is Tiffany, and she has been diagnosed with a form of scoliosis.  Let’s pray for the Lord’s healing over our sister and that she would also receive the Lord’s strength, peace, and comfort as He leads her through this tough time.  Pray that she would feel His presence continually and be restored to full health quickly. 
• Please continue to pray for a two year old girl with cancer.  Pray that this little princess would receive healing in the name of Jesus Christ, and please pray that the Lord would comfort her throughout this ordeal.  Furthermore, please pray that the Lord would bless the loved ones of this little princess to be filled with His peace, strength and comfort during this trying time.
• Please continue to pray for a middle-aged woman that is suffering through the affliction of having liver cancer.  This sister loves the Lord with all her heart.  Please pray that the Lord would sustain and strengthen her as she battles this disease.  Please pray in Jesus’ name in faith with thanksgiving and supplication that the Lord would unleash His complete healing power over our sister, healing her mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
• Please continue to pray for the people of Israel to recognize that the long-prophesied Messiah is none other than Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father.  Recognizing this will enable many more Jewish people to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, so that they may be reconciled unto the God that chose them as His people so many thousands of years ago.  Many Jews have converted to Christianity in the last several years.  Let’s pray that a great many more do the same:-)  Furthermore, let’s pray for the Lord’s continued protection and blessings for Israel in the face of the world’s disdain for this nation.  As many of Israel’s enemies will find out the hard way, the Lord will not forget His chosen people:-)  Praise God for His ceaseless faithfulness, perfect and enduring love, abundant mercy, and amazing grace!!!
• Please continue to pray for those churches and Christians that have abandoned Christ by embracing abominations such as homosexuality and humanism to see the error of their ways, repent, and return to the Lord.  There is a rapidly growing movement of churches and people seeking world unity through diversity of faith in order to gain acceptance from the very world that rejected Jesus Christ.  Please pray that they would reverse course and esteem seeking the Lord’s will, rather than giving in to man’s will. 
• Please continue to pray for a young man that is currently lost in homosexuality.  Pray that his heart and his mind would be opened to the Lord’s word, truth and love and that he would see the error of his ways.  We pray that this young man will repent of his sins, accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and be freed permanently from the chains of bondage that this world’s ways have wrapped him with.  Please join with myself and this young man’s parents to pray for him to be awakened to the Lord’s truth and love.
• Please continue to pray that Christians around the world would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would boldy go about proclaiming Jesus Christ and sharing the Lord’s word, truth, and love to all peoples everywhere.  Pray that they would not be intimidated into silence by the ridicule and persecution that this world will meet them with, but rather that they would be energized by knowing that they are being blessed with the honor of sharing in Jesus’ suffering for us.  Jesus told us that all that would follow Him would need to take up their own cross.  Please bless Christians to remember this and to be filled with the strength, courage, and faith to boldly carry their crosses through this world in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ!!!

If you have not yet given your life to Christ Jesus, but you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost. I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself. Lord, I know that only You can save me. I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross. I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You. Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You. From this moment on, Lord Jesus, I completely trust my life to You. I open my heart to You, Lord. Please come into my heart. Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child. From this point on, I commit my life to You. Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You. In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

If you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you have now been born-again in Jesus Christ.  Your sins of the past have been forgiven, and you now have a clean slate with which to begin living your new life for Jesus Christ.  You will still have trials and challenges in this world, but you will never again face them alone.  Get to know the Lord better by regularly studying His word (the bible) each day, by speaking to Him frequently through prayer, and by seeking fellowship with other Christians.    Welcome to the family, precious one!!! 

As always, if you have a prayer request, please send it along so that we can join you in prayer over your request(s).  You can either submit your prayer request(s) in the “Comments” box at the end of this message, or you can email your prayer request(s) directly to me at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces).  We are always happy, thankful & blessed to join you in prayer in looking to the Lord for His blessed support and intervention:-)

Thank you for joining us in supporting our brothers and sisters around the world in this week’s prayer requests.  I hope you will be able to join us for our next message on Monday.

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend, and be sure to share Christ Jesus as freely and lovingly with others as you have been blessed to receive Him by the very grace of God!!! 

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

Rev Jason Thurwanger

The Cost of Misinterpreting the Constitutional Mandate of Separation of Church & State

Welcome back, brothers and sisters.

I know from many of the emails I have received from some of you that we have people all over the globe that take part in these daily discussions. It is an incredible blessing to have you join us each day:-)

Today, I want to talk about the current condition of the United States of America. Whether you live in the U.S., or in another country, there is a great lesson to be learned from today’s discussion.

Beloved, many of us have read the accounts of civilizations falling from the Lord’s favor in the bible. I’m sure that many of us have wondered at one point or another in reading about the civilizations why these people just would not serve the Lord faithfully. It’s a simple equation, right? When God shows favor for a country, that country prospers. When a country falls from God’s favor, it crumbles. It’s actually pretty straightforward.

In today’s discussion we will not be talking about any of those civilizations from the bible. After history has provided us so many examples of how bad an idea it is to fall from the Lord’s favor, you would think that each country would be committed to serving the Lord faithfully and staying in His favor, right? Unfortunately, our nation clearly has not been mindful of this lesson.  However, it was not always so.  Beloved, the United States of America has known the Lord’s favor previously.

Think about how relatively young this country is. The US has only been in existence for 233 years. That’s not such a long time when you consider that humanity, beginning with Adam, is just a bit over 6,000 years old.

When the US won independence from Britain, it was nothing short of amazing. Consider the fact that Britain had a better equipped and trained military. Also, consider the fact that Britain had us outnumbered 10 to 1. Nonetheless, the Lord blessed the US with victory and independence.

The leaders of our new country, also known as the Founding Fathers, were men of very strong faith in the Lord. It is evidence of ignorance or deceit for anyone to say that our country was not founded as a Christian nation. Furthermore, the same people who deny that this country was founded as a Christian nation are the same people who have completely altered the meaning of the “separation of church and state” in the Constitution.

Beloved, the separation of church and state was meant to ensure that no particular religious order could take control of the government to be used as a tool of persecution, as had happened in England. Do you remember that many of the colonists were dumped in the US because of the practice of their faith? Brothers and sisters, keeping the church from controlling the government to persecute and control the masses (and vice versa) is the true reason why the separation of church and state was put into the Constitution in the first place.

At no point did our Founding Fathers intend for the United States government to operate with no consideration for the same God that created us and blessed our greatly outnumbered and out-armed country with independence. Don’t let anyone fool you on this!!! Research this for yourselves, and you will find that our Founding Fathers very much so envisioned this country continuing to grow and prosper by staying in the Lord’s favor. Consider the following statement made by a couple of this country’s original leaders, John Adams and John Hancock:

“We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!” [April 18, 1775]

Here’s a quote from another founder, Samuel Adams:

” Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, unite their endeavors to renovate the age by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity… and leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system.” [October 4, 1790]

Here’s a quote from Patrick Henry:

“It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”

Here are a couple of quotes from Thomas Jefferson:

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever.”

“I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus.”

Here’s some quotes from James Madison:

” We’ve staked our future on our ability to follow the Ten Commandments with all of our heart.”

“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” [1778 to the General Assembly of the State of Virginia]

“I have sometimes thought there could not be a stronger testimony in favor of religion or against temporal enjoyments, even the most rational and manly, than for men who occupy the most honorable and gainful departments and [who] are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to declare the unsatisfactoriness [of temporal enjoyments] by becoming fervent advocates in the cause of Christ; and I wish you may give in your evidence in this way. “

Here are a couple of quotes from Thomas Paine:

” It has been the error of the schools to teach astronomy, and all the other sciences, and subjects of natural philosophy, as accomplishments only; whereas they should be taught theologically, or with reference to the Being who is the author of them: for all the principles of science are of divine origin. Man cannot make, or invent, or contrive principles: he can only discover them; and he ought to look through the discovery to the Author.”

” The evil that has resulted from the error of the schools, in teaching natural philosophy as an accomplishment only, has been that of generating in the pupils a species of atheism. Instead of looking through the works of creation to the Creator himself, they stop short, and employ the knowledge they acquire to create doubts of his existence. They labour with studied ingenuity to ascribe every thing they behold to innate properties of matter, and jump over all the rest by saying, that matter is eternal.”

Here are a couple of quotes from our first President, George Washington:

” It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.”

“To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian” [May 2, 1778, at Valley Forge]

And of course, beloved, we can’t take quotes from our Founding Fathers without also tapping into the quotes of Benjamin Franklin. Here are a couple of his quotes in regards to God’s place in our country:

” God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel” –Constitutional Convention of 1787 | original manuscript of this speech“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered… do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?” [Constitutional Convention, Thursday June 28, 1787]

Now, beloved, these represent a very small sampling of the larger number of quotes you can find from our Founding Fathers about the importance of embracing God as a nation. It is quite clear in reading the words of our Founding Fathers that not only did they believe that we needed God’s blessing to become an independent nation; we also need His blessing and favor to grow and prosper as a nation. To take any other stance in representing the founders of our country is nothing more than rewriting history based on one’s own agenda rather than the truth.

Unfortunately, over the years our nation has allowed the true intentions and beliefs of this nation’s founders to be twisted into perverse claims. Our country has done it’s best to push God out of our schools. Murdering defenseless, innocent, unborn children has been relabeled as abortion and has become all the rage. Do you realize that there have been an estimated 46 million + abortions in the US since it was legalized in 1973? Brother and sisters, that many babies represents a population larger than a great deal of countries around the globe!!!

Homosexuality, which is an abomination unto God, is now trumpeted in the United States as something that we should be proud of and celebrate. It is only a matter of time before same-sex marriages are legalized throughout far more of the US than just the present 5 states that have legalized it thus far. Do you think that the Lord is okay with us thumbing our nose at Him? Do you think that He is impressed by the fact that we have put our perverse will before His? Absolutely not!!! Yet, many will celebrate their “victory” via legislation, without realizing the eternal implications that the legislation carries with it.

Our politicians are now labeled as right wing fanatics if they express their faith in God and admit that this very faith guides their actions in office. Subsequently, in order to be a “populist” politician, you have to be willing to try to put God in a box, claim to keep your faith completely separate from carrying out your leadership duties, and you are expected to not share your faith, or to at least be willing to marginalize it and apologize for it.

Our nation has put more faith into our politicians and our economy than it has put into the very Lord who blessed us with this nation and our prosperity as a nation to begin with!!! In the future, as our healthcare becomes socialized, you can expect that medical decisions will be based on economics rather than compassion.

All this to say, beloved, that the Lord’s blessing has been very evident in the story of the United States of America. The Lord blessed us to prevail against insurmountable odds against the British in gaining our independence. The Lord blessed us continually in the years following and helped us to grow and prosper as a nation. Just as evident, however, is that our nation has now fallen from God’s favor. By denying the Lord, murdering millions of unborn babies, pushing the Lord out of our schools, promoting the practice and acceptance of homosexuality, and by putting our faith into man and money instead of the Almighty, we have successfully alienated our nation from God.

As many of us can agree, this is not a good thing. Since we insisted on being our own masters, rather than serving our Righteous and True Master, we have achieved many things. Here are just a few:

• Economic ruin – Beloved, the bottom has not been reached yet. Don’t fall into the belief that the best way to come out of debt is to incur exponentially more debt. Our country has been bankrupt for a long time. We just haven’t acknowledged it.

• Godless government – As a result of wanting to be led by man, instead of being led by the Lord, we have the government we have. Seriously, in the last several years have we gone 2-3 weeks without a new scandal involving a politician. Why is this? Perhaps it’s because our politicians serve their own wishes rather than doing God’s will. Read the bible front to back, and you will see that God smiles on selfless giving, love, compassion, forgiveness, and those who embrace His will instead of their own.  On the contrary, bribery, slander, libel, adultery, deceit/lies, and other scandalous behavior are attributes that belong to Satan and sin.  These attributes are also known as human nature.

• Education system that is broken – Brothers and sisters, our education system has regularly revised history, fully embraced evolution, tolerance, and a flawed belief that truth is a matter of perception. Is it any wonder our children are not getting quality education?  There are actually those who believe the Big Bang Theory is actually credible.  Seriously.

• Immoral values – Frankly, our nation’s morale bankruptcy is even more devastating and complete than our economic bankruptcy. Pick up a newspaper, turn on a television, or go for a walk/ride, and you will see more than enough examples of this.

• No accountability – That’s right. It’s not your fault. It’s never your fault. If you are a drunk driver that kills a family in a car accident while you are drunk, you’re not a criminal. You’re just a victim of a disease called alcoholism. If you are a drug addict that would rather purchase and consume illegal narcotics, rather than feed your children, you’re merely a victim of substance abuse. If you are caught engaged in some other illegal activity, then you are just a victim of circumstance. This nation has perpetuated this “no fault” belief, and it has made many numb to any sense of guilt. Without this sense of guilt, there is no repentance. Without repentance, we cannot be cleansed.

For those of you who do not live in the United States, please learn this lesson that we have previously refused to learn. True prosperity is found by serving the Lord faithfully and abiding in His favor. If you reject the Lord and His will, you can expect to reap the same rewards that our nation is reaping.

For those living in the US, or in another country that has turned its back on the Lord, there is a bit of good news. We can still turn back to the Lord. Our focus should be in doing so with no hesitation. The United States of America will not prosper again without returning to the Lord God Almighty. Let’s turn our hearts and minds to focusing on doing our part to make that happen.

If you have not yet given your life to Christ Jesus, but you would like to, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost. I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself. Lord, I know that only You can save me. I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You. From this moment on, Lord Jesus, I completely trust my life to You. I open my heart to You, Lord. Please come into my heart. Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child. From this point on, I commit my life to You. Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You. In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

Precious one, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you can rejoice in knowing that you are now saved!!!  Jesus Christ is now your Lord and Savior, and He has washed away the stain of your past sins.  You can now begin to live your new life in Jesus Christ with a clean slate.  Beloved, we were created to serve and glorify God and His holy name.  Pray to the Lord to ask His guidance in helping lead you to glorify Him in all that you say, all that you do, and in all that you think.  You will still have troubles in this life, but you will be able to face them with boldness and confidence since you know that the Lord is on your side.  Always remember that if the Lord has brought you to it, He’ll bring you through it:-)  I would encourage you to dedicate time each day to growing in your relationship with the Lord by reading His word (bible), talking to Him frequently (prayer), and by seeking out fellowship with your other brothers and sisters in Christ.  Welcome to the family, beloved!!!  We are happy to have you, and you have made your heavenly Father exceedingly happy:-)

I want to thank you all for joining us for today’s discussion.  I hope you will join us tomorrow in supporting our brothers and sisters around the world by praying over this week’s prayer requests.

Each and every one of you that takes part in these discussions is a real blessing. Whether you agree or disagree with each discussion, I am happy whenever you are able to join us. If you have any area of your life that you would like us to join you in prayer over, please don’t hesitate to let me know. You can either leave your request in the “Comments” box, or you can email me directly with it at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces).

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day!!! Remember, God loves you with a perfect and complete love that passes human understanding. We love you, too:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

 

 

Rev Jason Thurwanger

The Battle of the Ages: Free Will vs. God’s Will

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

Today I’d like to talk about one of the greatest gifts that God has blessed us all with.  That gift is free will.  Yes, God has bestowed free will upon all of us that walk the earth, as well as all that walked the earth before us.  As a matter of fact, God even granted free will to the angels.  Think about how awesome the gift of free will is.  The Lord God is truly the Almighty.  He can make anything happen, and He possesses the ultimate power to ensure that His will can always be done.  Yet, rather than repressing all of the angels and humans that He has given life to by forcing us to do His will, the Lord gave us all the ability to choose our own path.

Ah, yes…..our own path.  We live in a day and age where we are to be our own man/woman and make our own way in the world.  Turn on the television, radio, or go online and you will be bombarded with constant messages luring you with the opportunity to appease your various appettites with all sorts of self-gratifying and self-serving products and services.  All of these advertisers are trying to influence your excercise of your free will by “encouraging” you to accept what they have to offer. 

Why are there so many of these advertisements?  Well, they work.  Why do they work?  They work because we find the exercise of “always take care of #1 first (#1 being yourself)” to be very gratifying.  We want people to see that we are our own man/woman.  We are strong enough to make our own way in this degenerating world.  Oftentimes, whether we are doing something right or wrong is only a secondary consideration, with the first priority being that we preserve the right to make our own choice.  To admit to being led by another means being labeled a follower, weakling, sheep, spineless, insecure, and many other negative things.

How important is our free will to us?  We have fought on battlefields, courtrooms, streets, and many other venues to preserve our ability to make our own choices.  We have “legally” killed over 46 million unborn babies since Roe vs. Wade in the USA, with the abortion proponents’ main argument being a protection of the woman’s right to choose (pro-choice).  This is just one of countless examples of what lengths we are willing to go to in order to save our right to choose our own path in life.

Several months ago, I received a message from someone asking if I thought that God would move the timetable for the Rapture if we all prayed together for the Rapture to take place immediately, since Jesus told us that we will have granted to us those things that we ask for in His name.  Moving up the appointed time for the Rapture would allow us to avoid experiencing the further degeneration of this corrupt world.  I explained that, when kept in the context of Jesus whole body of teaching during His ministry on earth, Jesus was telling us that whatever we asked for in His name, to serve the will of God, would be granted unto us.  The key being that it serves the will of God.  Furthermore, I responded to the individual that the appointed time had been set by God.  His will is for that time to not be known to anyone.  As Jesus told us himself, only the Father knows the appointed time.  I further explained that all those that submit to God’s will and serve Him faithfully and obediently are not expected to merely lie low and wait for that appointed time, while commiserating about the moral degeneration taking place in the world.  The servants of the Lord are to be continually doing His work until such time as Jesus calls us home to be with Him.

You see, beloved, we are free to make our own choices, but we should never confuse that to mean that we have the wherewithal to impose our will on God’s will.  God is the one and only Lord God Almighty.  For example, just because our courts and legislators have decided to redefine morality by condoning the mass murder of innocent, unborn children, we need to know that God does not condone this.  Just because our courts and legislators have decided to redefine morality to embrace homosexuality and the perversion of the sacred instituation of marriage, we need to know that God’s moral law still bans such abominable practices.  When standing in front of the judgment seat of Christ, a great many people are going to find out the hard way just how non-binding man’s redefined moral laws are in Christ’s kingdom.  Unfortunately, when the people of this world are in front of the judgment seat of Christ it will be too late to repent and find salvation for these sins.

You see, beloved, while God has given us free will, the value of that free will is ultimately determined by what it yields, right?  I mean, an incredibly talented athlete is only considered great if he/she turns that talent into high performance, right?  I’m sure we all remember that King Solomon was blessed with unparalleled wisdom by the Lord.  All could see this blessing based on the wisdom of his judgments.  As we also know, King Solomon was blessed with worldly riches that surpassed the worldly riches of any king before or after him.  However, as his reign went on over the years he began serving himself and others, rather than serving the Lord with all his heart.  This sowed the seeds for the eventual fall of Israel and Judah, as well as the resulting displacement of the Jewish people from the land that God had set for them.  Yet even though God served justice in the consequences that befell Israel and Judah, God also kept His promise and asserted His will in once again restoring a place for His chosen people as evidenced by the nation of Israel being re-established in 1948.

There is only one way to exercise free will in a manner that glorifies God, while at the same time profits the one exercising it to the greatest degree.  What way is that?  It’s quite simple really.  The best way to exercise free will is to choose to give up our own free will in order to serve God’s will obediently and faithfully. 

Why would you voluntarily give up your own free will?  Well, simply stated, we are to love the Lord God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength.  Sound familiar?  It should.  Moses delivered this commandment of God unto the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 6:5), and Jesus reminded us of this commandment during His time here on earth as noted in the book of Mark, chapter 12, verse 30.  Beloved, God does not ask us to love Him and serve Him with just the leftovers of our heart, soul, strength, and mind after we have first taken care of our own priorities.  We are to put Him first!!!  If we only serve the Lord, after we first serve ourselves, then we do not truly serve Him at all.

The next time you see a commercial encouraging you to “be your own independent person”, “make your own way”, and telling you that “image is everything”, just remember the initial trailblazer of these principles.  For surely there is one poster boy who definitely has a well-documented history of making sure that he focuses on putting service to himself before service to the Lord.  His name?  Satan.  That’s right, brothers and sisters, Satan has been embracing his free will since before humanity even existed.  You see, he also believed in taking care of “#1″ before serving anyone else.  As a matter of fact, he still believes that.  You see how well that worked out for him, right?  He lost his position as the exalted and covering cherub.  He became an offense and an abomination in the sight of the Lord.  He has made countless failed attempts to impose his will on God’s will.  Lastly, his story will wrap up by being sentenced to spending an eternity of torment in the lake of fire, having lost any remaining ability to exalt or serve himself as he will no longer even be allowed to reign over hell.  How are those for the fruits of embracing free will over God’s will?

Perhaps we need to also briefly explore the fruits of man’s love of maintaining free will.  Here are a few:

• Over 46 million innocent, unborn babies murdered in the US alone since Roe vs. Wade.  That doesn’t include the countless abortions around the world, including in countries with state-sponsored abortions, like China.
• Ever increasing levels of moral depravity around the globe, as evidenced by the embracing of homosexuality, child prostitution, human trafficking, etc.
• Millions of people murdered in acts of genocide, “ethnic cleansing”, in order to propel man-made “religions” and idealogy, and for countless other twisted reasons.
• A reliance on financially and morally bankrupt governments to save us and help raise our children, even though those governments continue to lead us down the path of decline that is quickly becoming irreversible.  The people of the world look to corrupt government systems for their savior, by looking to that savior to rise up from the very people that are products of the very corrupt government systems that continue to let them down.
• God has been pushed out of our schools, out of our government, and mostly out of our lives so that we can continue to indulge in spending money we don’t have while taking part in the “pleasures of sin” without the depressing thought of accountability.
• Mentally retarded peoples and elderly/handicapped peoples are now used as weapons by being strapped with explosives in order to advance the cause of terrorists.
• We have created new religions that make us feel better about ourselves, including reaching a new height in stupidity with some of the Scientology religions that teach that there absolutely is no sin.  So, you can now choose a “religion” that essentially makes you your own god, meaning that you can define right and wrong for yourself.  In short, this path leads to hell, however, the adherent spends their life on this earth in blissful igorance paying no heed to the eternal buzz kill they will be served when they eventually come before the judgment seat of Christ only to find that there definitely is a very real and absolute right and wrong that they ended up on the wrong side of.

Interestingly, beloved, though Satan was created as a heavenly being, while we are created as earthly beings, those who die choosing to serve sin rather than the Lord will end up in the same place for eternity with Satan and his fallen angels.  That place would be the lake of fire that provides all of its guests with unceasing torment for all of eternity.  Those who are sent to the lake of fire will never leave.  There is no appeals process, because all judgments handed down by Christ are perfect.  Why are they perfect?  They are perfect, because Christ himself always does the will of the Father.  Yet one more lesson that Christ not only verbally taught us, but also exempliflied for us, was that we were to value serving God’s will before our own.  Do you remember Jesus praying to the Father the night that Judas was going to betray Him and lead His persecuters to apprehend Him in the garden of Gethsemane?  Jesus knew what was coming, including the torture leading up to the cross and culminating in His death on the cross.  Understandably so, Jesus did not relish the thought of going through unspeakable torture/torment/abuse and being nailed to a cross that He would be hung upon to die.  Yet, He submitted to experiencing this.  Why?  Let’s revisit part of His prayer to the Father:

“Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from Me:  nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” – Luke 22:42 (KJV)

The cup Jesus was referring to was the cup of God’s wrath that needed to be administered in order to have justice done in response to all of man’s sins.  By submitting to God’s will and drinking of this cup, Jesus had to experience extreme abuse/torture/torment, humiliation, and ultimately death on the cross.  As a result of Jesus willingly fulfilling God’s will, the immense debt that we sinners had incurred as a result of our numerous sins was paid once and for all.  Furthermore, when God raised Jesus from the grave on the third day to everlasting life, we were also given a pathway to everlasting life.  How?  Beloved, when we choose to serve Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, a few things happen.  We become ostracized, criticized, and persecuted for our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  We are rejected by the world in general, just as Jesus was rejected.  However, we are also made new as we experience the spiritual death of the sinner within ourselves that served sin, and we experience the spiritual birth of the new beings we become as faithful and obedient servants of the Lord.  This separates all of our former sin from us, as Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross paid for those sins.  Furthermore, when we eventually experience physical death, we are able to rise to eternal life with Jesus as a result of having given ourselves to Jesus completely.  You see, beloved, though we share in Christ’s suffering when we follow Him, we also share in His victory, including His victory over death:-)  Praise God for His amazing grace, abundant mercy, and perfect love!!!

Beloved, free will is a beautiful thing when exercised properly.  However, rather than loving and embracing that free will with all our might, it is far better for us to love and embrace the One who blessed us with that free will in the first place.  There is only one way to do this, and that is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  When we do this we exercise our free will by relinquishing it in order to commit all the rest of our life to serving God’s will. 

Faithful and obedient service is the manifestation of our choice no matter how you look at it.  The choice then is whether that faithful and odedient service will be to the Lord, or to sin.  The choice is yours to make, and you already have the full clarity about the ultimate consequence of your choice.  If you choose sin, you will embrace the pleasures of sin available in this world, and you will be accepted by this world, at the expense of spending all of eternity in torment in the lake of fire.  If you choose to serve the Lord completely, faithfully, and obediently, your time on this earth will be rough, but you will enjoy everlasting life in the presence of the Father and the Son in the perfect kingdom that has no pain, suffering, sin, death, or sadness in it.

Unfortunately, we know that a great many people will continue to choose sin and death over an eternity of life with the Lord.  However, I pray that you, personally, will make the right choice if you haven’t done so already.  Furthermore, for all that choose the Lord and life, we need to live that choice by spreading the Lord’s love and word to as many people as possible throughout all the world.  By doing so, we can help people that are presently lost to find the Lord and life.

I am a servant of the Lord God Almighty.  I am not my own man.  I serve Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and I do so boldly and unapologetically.  While this diminishes the world’s view of me, it brings a smile to my Master’s face.  Please join me.  Let’s make our time on this earth as productive as possible in service to the Lord, no matter the price we have to pay.  Let us not look to the comforts of this world, and to be made to feel at home in this world, when we know that our true home awaits us in the kingdom that the Lord has gone to prepare for us.  Let’s embrace our mission to spread the Lord’s love and word, and let’s get busy in carrying out God’s will:-)

I you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you are ready to do so now, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost. I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself. Lord, I know that only You can save me. I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You. From this moment on, Lord Jesus, I completely trust my life to You. I open my heart to You, Lord. Please come into my heart. Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child. From this point on, I commit my life to You. Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You. In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you are now a blood bought, spiritually born-again child of God.  Welcome to the family!!!  You are saved:-)  Though you will still face many trials in this world, you will never again face them alone.  You have the Lord on your side, and through Him you can overcome anything!!!  Get to know the Lord better by studying His word each day, talking to Him frequently (prayer), and by seeking out other Christians to enjoy fellowship with.  Many different people wrote the various books of the bible, but only One authored every single one of those books.  The Lord inspired different people to the write the different books of the bible so that you could know Him and His will much better.  Take the opportunity to get to know the Lord in a way that only His word can provide.

I want to thank you all for joining us today.  I hope you will be able to join us for our next message tomorrow.  Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

There Can Only Be One

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!

Did you know that there are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament of the coming Messiah sent from God? Of these 300+ prophecies, there are 108 distinct prophetic claims. The last one of these prophecies was given between 480 and 500 BC

We’ve heard the arguments over the ages about who the true Messiah is. Judaism still waits for the initial coming of the Messiah, not believing that He has come to the earth as of yet. Why don’t they believe this? Well, for several reasons, but one in particular is that the Messiah was to bring peace. If you look around the world, there is certainly no peace. In particular, Israel suffered conflict up to the scattering of the country, and it has suffered conflict since it was re-established a few short years after WWII.

We all know there have been many different people over the course of time that have claimed to be the Messiah. You can probably find a few new claimants in this week’s edition of the National Enquirer, or by looking in some other source seriously lacking credibility.

You see, beloved, the true Messiah will fulfill all of the messianic prophecies. This one person, without a single exception will fulfill all 108 distinct prophetic claims. To give you an idea of the chances of this, a gentleman wrote of the statistical possibility of someone fulfilling just 7 of the 108 distinct messianic prophecies. You know what he found the statistical chances of someone meeting just 7 of the 108 prophecies were? I’ll share it with you.

You have to imagine that the state of Texas, which is incredibly large, is completely filled with silver half-dollars up to a height of knee high. One of those half-dollars would be marked with an “x” with a black marker. Once you filled up all of Texas knee high with half-dollars, you would then bring in thousands of bulldozers to mix up the silver half-dollars really well. Once done, you would take someone blindfolded and drop them into the middle of the state. You would allow them to pick up only one coin, out of the billions of coins that are piled throughout the state. This represents very vividly how low the odds are that the one coin the person picked up would the silver half dollar that had the black “x” on it.

Beloved, that is how enormous the odds are to find a person that just meets 7 of the 108 distinct messianic prophecies!!! All who believe in the prophecies know that only the true Messiah will fulfill every single one of these 108 distinct prophecies. Any pretenders will always be exposed when measured up against these prophecies, as you will see that they meet almost none of them.

Do you want the Good News? There has been one person in the history of mankind that has fulfilled every single one of the 108 distinct messianic prophecies. EVERY SINGLE ONE!!! His name is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father!!! Without fail, imagination, or wildly liberal interpretation, Jesus Christ is the only one that fulfills perfectly every single one of these prophecies.

Now there are those that will do Satan’s work and try to say that Christians wrote these prophecies only after Jesus had lived among us. This is erroneous, and it’s a complete lie. It is true that prophecies were oftentimes actually written down in the Old Testament quite a while after they had been initially given. Take the messianic prophecies for example. A large number of people were put together to review all of the previous prophecies, scrolls, and scriptures in order to chart out all of the messianic prophecies. This proved to be an enormous task. They started their investigative process in 270 BC and finished around 50 BC. As you can see, this process took over 220 years to complete. However, do you also notice that it was complete by or before 50 BC? This is not opinion or speculation, beloved. It is the truth, and it is documented. As we can see, this work was completed well before Jesus assumed the body of man on this earth.

We know the Truth, beloved. His name is Jesus Christ. Whether looking at the prophecies from hundreds of years before His birth, or looking at the prophecies that were made thousands of years before His birth, Jesus Christ clearly and perfectly fulfills each and every one of the messianic prophecies.

Furthermore, brothers and sisters, Jesus did bring peace to the earth. For every man, woman, and child that lives in Christ Jesus is filled with His perfect peace that only He can give. Why would we look for peace as it is defined by this world when we can receive heavenly peace in our souls from the Lamb of God? Jesus continues to give His perfect peace to all those that sincerely seek Him and accept Him as their Savior.

Jesus Christ is the Messiah that every single prophet that prophesied about the Messiah was speaking of. This is not opinion based on emotion. The truth is that the only historical document that has a 100% accuracy record on prophecy is the bible. Again, Jesus fulfills every single messianic prophecy ever given, from those given hundreds of years before His earthly birth to those written thousands of years before His earthly birth.

I personally believe that this will eventually lead many of Judaism to convert over to Christianity. You see, beloved, as followers of Judaism study the Old Testament scriptures more and more, many more will see the truth that the Messiah has truly already come and that His name is Jesus. For those who are not aware, there have been an increasing number of Jewish Christians. That number continues to increase at an accelerated rate today.

Praise God, beloved, for His perfect and complete love, amazing grace, abundant mercy, and righteousness!!! The only thing better than seeing a great number of God’s chosen people return to Him is to actually help them to see the path lit by Him, that leads to Him. We have that opportunity:-) Thank you, Jesus!!!

As you can imagine the 300+ messianic prophecies, including the 108 distinct prophetic messianic claims would be a very involved read. I am not detailing each of those prophecies on this blog, as it is a very large piece of work. In the next year, however, I will be releasing a book that details each of these prophecies. As you read each one, beloved, you will easily and clearly see that the person that fulfills the prophecy is Jesus. As you finish reading all of them you will notice that He fulfilled every single one.

I want to thank you for joining today’s discussion.

Have a wonderful rest of the day! Don’t forget that you can either send prayer requests in through the “comments” box or by emailing them directly to me at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces).

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

 

Rev Jason Thurwanger

How Can A God of Justice Allow Sinners to Be Forgiven Without Consequences?

Have you ever heard this question come up before? It sometimes comes up when discussing Christianity with someone who is trying to point out an inconsistency within Christian theology. There are times that the questioner is asking genuinely, while there are also times that the questioner raises this issue solely for the purpose of pointing out a flaw in the Christian message. Either way, it is a question worth answering, and so I will proceed to do just that in today’s message.

So, how can a God of justice allow sinners to be forgiven without consequences? The short answer would be that God doesn’t allow sinners to be forgiven without consequences. Quite frankly, the only sufficient consequence for the totality of each person’s sins is death. Sin always requires blood for payment.

The price to be paid in order for sinners to be saved was paid ~ 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father, paid that price one time for all sinners. When Jesus went up on that cross, He certainly wasn’t suffering the consequences of His own sin. Jesus lived a perfect life here on Earth. When Jesus suffered the cross, He was paying the sin debt for all sinners. Because He is the spotless Lamb of God, His one-time sacrifice was sufficient to pay the wages of sin (death) for all of us. By His blood, we our enormous sin debt is settled.

When Jesus arose from the grave on the third day, showing that His life is eternal, we were all given the opportunity for eternal life through Christ Jesus. Through His sacrifice on the cross we are blessed with the opportunity for forgiveness of our sins, and through His resurrection we are all afforded the opportunity for eternal life by accepting Jesus into our hearts and turning our lives over to Him.

Though a physical death is no longer required to pay for our sins, since Christ suffered this death for us already, there is still a spiritual death that we must suffer. The good news is that if you have already turned your life over to Christ, this spiritual death has already taken place.

You see two things happen when we accept the forgiveness of sins that Christ already paid for and when we accept His gift of salvation and eternal life with Him. First, we experience the spiritual death of the person that we had been up to the point of accepting Christ. That person that chose sin instead of life can no longer live inside of us, and so they die. Immediately, after that spiritual death takes place, a new spiritual birth occurs inside of us. This new spiritual life will never end, as it is the beginning of the eternal life that we have through Christ Jesus.

With this eternal life inside of us we have peace and joy in knowing that when our physical bodies eventually die in the flesh, we know that our spirit will live on forever with our Lord and Savior. Furthermore, just as Christ was resurrected, we rest in the promise of knowing that we will also be resurrected when the Lord eventually calls us home to the place He has been preparing for us since His ascension to be at the right hand of God the Father. When this resurrection takes place, we will join Christ in His kingdom in our glorified bodies. These glorified bodies will not age or break down over time. We will be blessed to serve the Lord for all of eternity. Here is what Peter had to say about the incorruptible inheritance that we receive when we turn our lives over to Jesus:

“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.” – Peter 1:3-4 (KJV)

When you live with Jesus in your heart, you can rejoice in knowing that your eternal spiritual life has already begun! You can know that you will never again spiritually die since you are filled with everlasting life in Christ Jesus.

Praise the Lord for His truly amazing grace, perfect love, and abundant mercy!!!

Thank you, and have a blessed day!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

 

Reverend Jason Thurwanger

Have You Ever Really Found True Love?

Well, have you ever really found true love?

Before you answer that question, please consider the following questions:

• Have you ever knowingly allowed your son or daughter to suffer indescribable punishment for someone else’s lies?  Taking that one step further, have you ever knowingly allowed your son or daughter to suffer such punishments for your enemies’ lies?
• Have you responded with affection, forgiveness, love, and compassion for those people who regularly and purposefully antagonize you, disrespect you, and persecute you?  If someone has insulted you, or wronged you severely in some other way, have you responded by giving them that which you love the most?
• Have you ever had someone steal money from you and responded by offering the thief even more money in order to make sure that they had what they needed?
• Have you ever offered one of your children’s lives in order to save the life of someone who had never done anything in life that was considered positive, productive or beneficial to society in any way?
• Have you ever welcomed someone to live in your house, knowing that they had previously been repeatedly guilty of robbery, arson, violent crimes, sexual immorality, lying, and an assortment of other heinous crimes/sins?

Most people would answer most of these questions with an emphatic “No!”  Such a response would be very understandable, as it represents the human side of all of us.  We typically believe in protecting what is ours, getting payback when someone wrongs us, keeping our children safe at all costs, and we tend to believe that each person should suffer the consequences for his/her own actions.

However, answering “no” to the questions above, while human, would also keep you from knowing true love.  The problem with trying to define love in human terms is that love is not a part of human nature.  Love is truly divine.  True love is unconditional, powerful, and enduring.

Let me tell you about someone I know that answered all of the questions above “yes” and was being completely truthful in answering that way. I’m not joking.  For years and years people disrespected him, went against his wishes regularly, and broke every promise they made to him. They actually went so far as to rape, torture, enslave, and murder a great many people that he cared about.  People regularly used offensive remarks in talking about him, and oftentimes they railed against him irrationally when talking to him.  When he would help someone in need, all too often they would take advantage of his help and compassion, while showing no real or lasting appreciation at all.

As I said before, this had been going on for years and years with no clear end in sight.  He knew that he would never be able to condone what these people had been doing, as well as what he knew they were bound to do in the future.  Furthermore, he knew that by themselves, they would never step off of the path of destruction that they had been travelling all their lives.  He knew that if they were ever brought to trial for their actions, they would be found guilty and condemned.  While he knew that they deserved to pay the ultimate price for their transgressions, he loved them each so much that he made one last attempt to provide a means for them to be rescued from the bleak future they had earned. Rather than describing the action he took, I will let my friend, John, explain to you the mind-boggling and radical step taken to save these people from themselves:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16 (KJV)

You see the He I have been speaking of is God the Father.  As many of you know, His only begotten son is Jesus Christ.  It is through His sacrifice and blood on the cross that we are each given the opportunity to be forgiven for all of our wrongdoings and washed clean of the stains of our past sins.  Additionally, people are able to share in the victory over death that Jesus claimed once and for all when He rose from the grave on the third day.

You see, once we receive God’s ultimate gift in accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God the Father chooses to forget all of our past sins.  Subsequently, we are awarded everlasting life and we are spared the eternity of torment that our sins merited.  Furthermore, accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is the only way we can be reconciled with God the Father.  As Jesus himself said in John 14:6 (KJV), “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”

God is indeed love.  His love is so strong and far-reaching that it passes all human understanding.  Envy, jealousy, hatred, and anxiety are all very much a part of human nature.  Love, however, is a divine gift from the Lord.  When we show and practice true love, we are showing the presence of the Lord in our hearts and in our lives.

Make no mistake, my brothers and sisters, Jesus was not just paying the price for the sins of those people on the planet at that time when He was nailed to the cross and crucied.  He was willingly paying that price for every human that has ever been, or ever will be born, even knowing the poor choices and sins that we would be guilty of ahead of time.  Knowing every wrong turn we would take, He still chose to pay that price for us for one reason and only one reason.  That reason is love.  This, beloved, is the face of true love.  Jesus knew we could never “earn” eternal salvation given all of our sins, so He paid the price to provide the path to eternal salvation through Himself as the only one to have ever lived a perfect and sinless life here on Earth.

Now I would like to close by once again asking you our original question for today’s message.  Have you ever really found true love?  I certainly have.  His name is Jesus Christ.  He loves us with a love so complete and perfect that it passes our ability to fully comprehend.  However, though we cannot fully comprehend the fullness and greatness of His love, we all have the ability to accept His love.  It would behoove everyone to exercise that ability by choosing to abide in the Lord’s love.  Beloved, the best place to find true love is to go to the Author of true love.  Though His love is priceless, He will fill all that seek Him with it.

Praise the Lord God Almighty for knowing exactly who and what we are and deciding to love us anyway!!!

If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, please join me in the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  From this moment on, Lord Jesus, I completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just sincerely prayed that prayer, you can rejoice in knowing that you are now born-again in Jesus Christ!!!  Welcome to the family:-)  You will still face many trials and tribulations in this world, but you will never again face them alone.  You have the Creator of the heavens, earth, and all life standing with you now, so every problem that could possibly be thrown your way just become infinitely more manageable.  Get to know the Lord better by spending a few minutes each day reading His word (the bible), talking with Him frequently, through prayer, and by reaching out to other Christians in fellowship.  The Lord formed you in your mother’s womb, and He knows every possible thing there is to know about you.  Now He wants you to get to know Him better.  God made you for a purpose.  Ask Him to guide as you willingly submit to His will so that you may fulfill that purpose.  Precious one, now that you have let Jesus into your heart, you’re going to love what He does to the place:-)  Congratulations on your new life in Christ Jesus that begins today!!!  You’ll find it’s the only life that is truly worth living:-) 

Tomorrow we will address the argument some have made that a God of justice cannot allow sinners to be forgiven of their sins, without having to pay the price for those sins.  It will be worth your time:-)

As a reminder, copies of my new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God” are available at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  There are multiple ordering options available, including one as low as $8.00.  The purpose of this book is to help believers understand how to effectively put on the full armor of God that the apostle Paul instructs us to put on so that we may be successful in defeating Satan’s attacks against us.  Additionally, 30% of the proceeds from each book are being donated to ongoing relief efforts in the Philippines where tens of thousands of families were left homeless by severe weather recently. 

I thank you for taking the time to join us today.  I hope that today’s message has been a blessing to you.  Have a wonderful rest of the day!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

Reverend Jason Thurwanger

Are You Truly In Control of Your Own Life?

Welcome back, brothers & sisters!!!  It is a blessing to have you with us today:-)

I’d like to ask you a question.  Are you truly in control of your life?  This is a very important question to answer.  Of even more importance is how you answer it.

Most people believe there are one of two categories that all people fall into.  These are:

1. People whose lives are controlled by other people (spouse, siblings, peers, parent(s), friends, etc.),
2. People who are in control their own lives.

Let’s take a deeper look at each of these categories.

People whose lives are controlled by others

You’ve got to admit that you have known more than a few people in your lifetime whose lives were seemingly controlled by other people. Maybe you’ve met people that have no sense of self worth, except for what worth they are assigned by others.  Perhaps you’ve known many different people throughout your life who had a mind and a will of their own that they never acted on, as they seemingly always deferred to another person’s ideas/wishes, often without even giving voice to their own.  I’ve met many people in my lifetime that based their purchasing decisions (i.e. clothes, furniture, automobiles, computers, etc.) on what other people were typically purchasing so that they could fit in, regardless of whether they could truly afford it or not.  Perhaps you’ve known a battered woman who stayed with her spouse, because someone was telling her that she should.  Perhaps they told her that it was her own fault that the abuse took place, or maybe she was told she couldn’t do any better in terms of finding another spouse.  We could use countless more examples, but I think we all get the point.

Whenever you take a long look at someone who is seemingly controlled by other people, you will notice some very real universal qualities amongst them.  First, any happiness appears fleeting.  Their moods often have more ups and downs than a roller coaster.  Any smile or laugh often comes off as an effort.  Secondly, you will notice that they usually have a higher sensitivity level.  Sometimes this manifests itself in outbursts, while it manifests as sudden and profound quietness at other times.  Thirdly, you will notice that the actions they take/don’t take are based on the wishes of someone else.  Additionally, you will notice that hope is usually a hollow word to these people, as they almost always expect a less than promising outcome/future.  While there are many more common characteristics that you will find amongst people who are controlled by others, these mentioned are some of the more common/dominant traits displayed.

Interestingly enough, the truth is that another person is not controlling these people’s lives.  The thing that is in control of their lives is fear.  Can you remember a time in your life where something happened, and you were afraid of the consequences that would ensue?  Maybe there was a time during your childhood when you disobeyed one of your parents.  Do you remember fearing how they would react when they found out? Maybe you made a costly mistake at work that you knew your manager would find out about.  Do you remember fearing what action that manager would take, as you awaited their response?  In either of the examples I just mentioned, the fear you would have experienced would have felt like the weight of the world was upon you during the minutes/hours/days that you waited for your punishment/consequences to be handed out to you.  That fear sand anxiety made you miserable, right?  Now imagine that instead of agonizing for that brief period of time, you constantly lived every single day of your life in that kind of fear.  Looking at it from this vantage point, it is very easy to understand why people that belong to this group are never truly happy.  I have never known a single person who enjoyed life while they constantly lived in fear.  Those two characteristics just do not go together.

In short, a person that fits into this category feels incapable of controlling their own life, and so they turn control over to someone else.  While they have a much-diminished sense of self worth, they are counting on someone else being better able to control their lives than they themselves are.  These people don’t need our pity, our anger, our sarcasm/ridicule, our scorn, or our rejection.  They need our prayer, and they need our love and encouragement.  Most of all, they need Jesus.

People who are in control of their own lives

All of our lives we are taught/conditioned to aspire to be someone in control of our own life.  We are to travel our own road and make our own way.  We have to be strong and not show the slightest hint of weakness.  We need to prove to the world that there’s nothing that we can face that we can’t handle (insert a macho “Hoo-rah!!!”).  We must be capable of not only controlling our own lives, but we should also be capable of “helping” other people by controlling their lives.  We are to be reliable, dependable, tough, creative, smart, and bulletproof (did I already say “Hoo-rah!!!”).  We don’t “need” anyone to help us.  We are completely self-reliant, self-made, self-propelled, and self-sustaining.

Has this ever described you?  I have to admit that I lived most of my life in this mindset.  I had to grow up at a very young age.  I learned early on to rely on myself for many things.  When I eventually became old enough to enter the workforce, I entered with supreme self-confidence, a strong work ethic, boundless creativity, incredible drive and passion, and with more than a little arrogance regarding my view of myself.

I quickly excelled in the business world, and I gained promotions, respect, a great reputation, and a sharply increasing income along the way. Those who worked with me knew me as someone they could always count on.  I was the guy that could produce results in very short order that others could work 3 times as long on and still not achieve.  I always had the answer to any problem.  Adversity just bounced off of me.  There was nothing I was incapable of.

Interestingly, I was almost never truly happy for any extended period of time.  There was always this feeling of emptiness inside of me.  No accomplishment was enough.  Whenever I reached a peak, I didn’t take time to enjoy it.  Instead, I brooded over knowing that there was a higher peak that I could have, and should have, attained.  No one I worked with was privy to this unhappiness and emptiness.  If they had known, it would have meant that I had shown weakness and frailty.  That was not going to happen, because I was the “go to guy”.  In short, I continued to push myself harder and harder, continually impressing others as my achievements piled up.

My business career was truly growing at an impressive pace.  My family had money to go buy and do what we wanted, on a pretty frequent basis, without having to be married to the concept of “budgeting”.  I had no problem believing all the great things that people had to say about me. You know what happened next, don’t you?  That’s right.  Reality set in.

I started to experience a barrage of severe adversity in my personal life all at the same time.  Being the ultimate hunter/gather and alpha male, I was not going to accept that I had come to a point where I needed help.  In my mind, I needed to continue to be “the guy” for my family, my co-workers, and my friends.  I was working tenaciously at battling all this adversity, and I was working at it harder than I ever had before.  Do you know what happened?

I completely ran my life into the ground.  I lost these battles with adversity, and I lost these battles decisively.  I was like that bug that flies into your windshield when you’re traveling at 75 miles per hour.  I had completely and utterly failed.  I knew that I had failed myself, my family and everyone that counted on me.  Nonetheless, the adversity didn’t leave once it had defeated me.  It just continued to pound away at me.  I was out of a job, and we were almost out of money.  My consulting business was not doing well financially, and there were no immediate job prospects in our area that would enable us to financially support ourselves.  These were just a few of our problems.

I could not feel any lower than I felt.  I knew I needed to defeat all of this adversity for the sake of my loved ones, as well as for myself.  The problem was that I knew without a doubt that this adversity was beyond my ability to overcome.  I had already fought as hard as I could, and all that had gotten me was defeat.

I can still remember being in my consulting office alone on a Saturday night.  I was in tears as I was covered in the ashes of my failure, and I was sorely afraid of what would happen to our family as a result of my inadequacy.  I will not repeat the terrible thoughts that ran through my mind. I was absolutely raging against myself and my inability to fix everything.

Finally, in my ultimate moment of despair, I fell to my knees and apologized to the Lord for my pride, my vanity, and for every other sinful characteristic/act that I had taken part in up to that point in my life.  I asked the Lord to forgive me for my many transgressions.  I confessed to the Lord that my pride had kept me from Him to that point in my life.  I accepted the gift of forgiveness that Jesus Christ paid for on the cross, and I asked Him to come into my heart.  I accepted His gift of salvation and offered my life as a living sacrifice to Him.  I let the Lord know that I wanted Him in control of my life, and that the remainder of my life would be dedicated to serving Him.

You know what happened?  Well, all of the adversity that I had been fighting against was still present and we still coming at me.  It didn’t go away with a snap of the fingers.  We still had the exact same adversity to face as before.  However, the moment I prayed that prayer unto the Lord, I immediately was filled with something that I had never known in my life up to that point.  I was filled with perfect peace.

I knew that I would still have to face all of the challenges/adversity that were before me at that time, but I also knew I would not have to face them alone.  I knew that any adversity I would ever face in the future could be overcome, because I knew that the Lord God Almighty would be with me.  We have faced a great deal of adversity since that time, but we have always been able to claim victory over it thanks to the Lord being with us.  You see the Lord is the Almighty, and He can ALWAYS lift you up and make you soar no matter what you are faced with.

Being in total control of our own lives means that our ability to live, be happy, prosper, and overcome adversity is completely reliant on our own strengths, skills, and talents.  The problem with this is that we are human, which is to say that we are far from perfect.  The truth is that standing entirely on our own, the things that we are incapable of far outnumber the things that we actually are capable of.  We actually have a limit.  Once that limit has been reached, we start to wear down.  When we stand in Christ, we are able to stand fast regardless of the challenge coming at us.  Why?  Well, the Lord does not wear down.  There is no challenge that can come our way that cannot be overcome through Christ Jesus.  Therefore, when we stand in Christ, we need to be overwhelmed by the trials of this world.  We can rejoice in knowing that our Lord and Savior will deliver us time and time again:-)

In summary, those who lead the happiest and most fulfilling lives are not people who control their own lives, and they are not people whose lives are controlled by other people (or fear).  The people whose lives are happiest and most fulfilling are those that have trusted their lives to the Lord.  The apostle Paul wrote the following about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)

We can always count on the Lord. He will always be there for us, and He will always see that we have what we need when we need it most.  As Jesus himself said:

“Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they?” – Matthew 6:26 (KJV)

What a great reminder from our Savior that the Father will always make sure we have what we need!  If He makes sure that the birds have what they need, we can trust and know that He will definitely make sure that we have what we truly need as well.

I am incredibly happy to say that I stopped controlling my own life several years ago.  The Lord God Almighty is now at the controls of my life, and I finally have come to know what true happiness, peace and contentment feel like.  If you have not given your life to the Lord, please consider doing so.  The Lord truly loves you with a perfect, pure, enduring, and powerful love that passes all human comprehension.  He knows the sins you have committed.  As a matter of fact, He knew you would commit those sins before He ever went up on the cross.  Yet, even knowing the mistakes you would make, He loves you so much that He died on the cross for you and I so that we could be forgiven of those sins. By rising from the grave on the third day, Jesus also opened the opportunity to everlasting life to all that trust in Him.  He is knocking at the door of your heart.  All you have to do is let Him in:-)

Becoming a Christian will not make your problems go away.  However, your problems will become manageable as you will realize the security and peace of knowing that Jesus stands with you.  Choose to live in Christ, rather than to die in sin.  As a Christian you will not be perfect, but you will most definitely be forgiven:-)  Praise God!!! 

The Lord is the author of all life.  He created the stars, planets, and universe.  The Lord created all of the delicate and intricate balances involved in all forms of life.  Surely you can trust Him with your life.  I know that my wife and I have trusted Him with ours.

Thank you for taking the time to join us today.  I hope you have an opportunity to visit us again.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

Reverend Jason Thurwanger

“Strapping On the Whole Armor of God” Website is Officially Launched!!!

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

I’m happy to announce that the website for the “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God” book as now officially launched!!!  You can now purchase copies of the book online at:  http://yourbrotherinchrist.com .

We are very excited about this book that will walk you through how to effectively put on the whole armor of God so that you can withstand the enemy’s attacks.

There are four purchase options for the book, and they are as follows:

• Soft-bound copies of the book are $15.00 each, or
• You can also get copies of the book on cd for your computer for $11.00 each, or
• If you are looking for the most economical option, you can order a copy of the book in pdf format.  Rather than being shipped, this book would be emailed to you.  The price for this option is $8.00 per copy
• We’re also offering a bundle package that includes 1 soft-bound copy of the book, as well as 1 copy of the book on cd, for a price of $20.00.

There are no shipping fees charged at this time.  For those who would rather order the book by mail, you can just send your check or money order to:

Rev Jason Thurwanger

PO Box 1043

El Mirage, AZ  85335

All orders will ship/email within three days of receiving your order request and payment. 

In addition to helping better understand how to effectively put on the armor that God has made available for you to be victorious in spiritual warfare, you will also be a blessing to others as 30% of all proceeds will go to aiding the ongoing relief efforts in the Philippines.  As many of you know, tens of thousands of people saw their homes destroyed by severe flooding during the typhoon season there.  Though the storm and the subsequent floods are long gone, there is much work to do in order to help our brothers and sisters get back on their feet again.  The 30% of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be very helpful in enabling more adults and children to once again have a place they can call home.  Children should not know the pressures of being homeless.  Together we can help to bring them out of the nightmare that they are now living in.

I pray that many are blessed through reading this book and are much better prepared to defeat Satan’s daily attacks that come at us. 

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

Rev Jason Thurwanger

New Book Release Coming Friday, October 16th!!!

Hello, brothers and sisters!!!

I’m very excited to announce the release of my first book, titled, “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare”.  This book will be released on Friday, October 16th. 

This entire book will center on helping people better understand how they can effectively be covered by the whole armor God.  Spiritual warfare is constantly going on around and within us.  We will discuss in detail each piece of the full armor of God that we are to put on in order to withstand the relentless and merciless attacks of Satan and his army.   Make no mistake, beloved, those who are not covered by the full armor of God will became casualties of the enemies attacks.  This book is meant to inform you and arm you so that you can defeat Satan and his armies in battle after battle.

This book will be available in a soft-bound, printed version, and it will also be available on cd for viewing on your computer.  The book will sell for $15.00, and the cd will sell for $11.00.   Upon initial release, this book will be available for purchase online, as well as by mail order. 

In addition to the invaluable information and instruction that you will receive when you read this book, you can also receive joy in knowing that you are actively helping to ease the pain and suffering of others.  Tens of thousands of people had their homes destroyed in recent severe weather situations in the Philippines, and 30% of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to helping ongoing relief efforts there. 

On Friday, October 16th I will be announcing the official launch of a new website where you will be able to purchase “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare”.  For those that prefer not to make purchases online, we will also provide instructions on how to order by mail.

I want to sincerely thank you for your support.  Always remember that we are the body of Christ.  Let our actions, thoughts, heart, and prayers always reflect our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

 

Rev Jason Thurwanger