The freedom we live to come and go, to buy and sell. To be who we are comes at a price because freedom isn’t free! All that is valuable, precious, and good was bought with a price from one who stood because freedom isn’t free!
To escape bondage, tyranny, and fear. Our freedom’s price was paid by someone so dear. A price willingly paid for others to live free. Was a reward to the rescued because freedom isn’t free!
Will we so easily forget, diminish, discard, or take for granted? The ones who were scarred to make freedom available? To provide a peaceful life? Let us always remember with heartfelt reverence those who gave to assure our pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness because freedom isn’t free!
Our military willingly offered their lives in service to us, so that our daily lives had hope of life’s full gain. Our Lord Jesus Christ did the same and added eternity’s blessings as well. Remember those that paid the ultimate price for the freedom we live and the hopes we hold fast because they fully understood–Freedom isn’t free!
Copyright. Gregory L. Plants- (2016)). Brother Gregory Plants is a personal friend of mine. I have known him for many years. He has a deep love for God and his country. Having served in the US Navy for many years, he shares his thoughts on the word and the USA. Please pray for Greg and his family. God bless.
Studytoshew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15)
Greetings, here are the last three of my podcast for this week. Since most of you are on my mailing list and were sent Monday and Tuesday’s program, I decided to include the other three podcasts. Take some time to study and learn. God has a word for you. Please let us know if you need the other two, and we will gladly send it. We are, also, on Spotify, so you can use the link below to catch up. (1) God bless.
(1) If using Spotify—-look for us under the Christian Corner Broadcast/Caleb A Santos and click follow. You should hear all of our teachings. Here is the link provided…https://spoti.fi/42rxOtZ
But as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny (Isa 65:11-NIV) (1)
We have been studying the life of Samson. A lot can be gained from observing his life and the choices he made. His birth was miraculous. His mom was barren, and it was during a dark period of time when Israel was under Philistine rule. Their parents named him Samson, which means Sunshine.
He had a calling to deliver his people from the Philistine rule, But God saw that he would only begin to deliver his people. (Judges 13:5) God knows all things and knew that Samson was going to have a hard time dealing with the temptation of the world and the flesh. For more detailed studies of his life, click on the link below. (2) Now, fast-forward to Judges 14.
Judges 14 presents us with Samson and his flirtation with the world. First, he fell in love with a Philistine woman. This woman was not Jewish and had no covenant with God. This made him unequally yoked. Along the way to visit her, Samson encountered a Lion. He gave way to the enemy because of his disobedience, but God had mercy on him.
Samson killed a Lion with his bare hands, which meant that he touched a dead body, violating his Nazarite vow. A few days later, he returned to the scene and found honey around the dead body of the Lion. Again, he violated his Nazarite vow and touched Lion’s dead body in order to get the honey. He hid his sinful acts from his parents.
Betting Woes
Samson failed to see the mercy and grace of God. He took it for granted. At a party with his Philistine buddies, He wanted to make a bet with them. He tells them a riddle and gives them 7 days to solve it.
This reminds me of the movie–The Hustler with one of my favorite actors by the name of Paul Newman. (3) It deals with a fictional story of a pool shark by the name of Eddie Felsen. In the movie, he enters a pool hall and declares that he is going to win ten grand in one night.
He is confident in his skills concerning the game of pool. He meets up with a seasoned Pool player by the name of Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). Eddie bets Minnesota for the grand prize, and it’s game on. Along the way, Eddie starts to win and surpasses his goal of $10,000. His partner begs him to quit, but Eddie gets greedy.
He starts to drink and can’t hold his liquor. This affects his game, and he winds up losing everything except for $300. A sad state of affairs. Concerning Samson, he made a bet with his Philistine buddies. He thought that he would get ahead by using God’s anointing to win some nice suits from the Philistines. Meanwhile, the Philistines went behind Samson’s back and intimidated his wife. They wanted her to pressure Samson into revealing the answer to the riddle.
Deadly chains of events
The Philistines came with the answer, and Samson knew that they used his wife. Outraged, he killed 30 men in cold blood to get his garments for his buddies. The next thing that happened in Samson’s life was that his wife abandoned him. She ran off with his best friend. What lessons can we learn from this?
Don’t take God’s grace and mercy for granted. Stay away from betting your money on the Lottery and Casinos. Betting may not land you in hell, but it can set a chain of events that will bring destruction and chaos to your life and family. Lady luck and Destiny are not your source. Beloved, hear me out. I know some Christians get desperate and play the lottery.
Some have won some great amounts of money, but be careful. God is your source. Forsake the game of chance and learn God’s way of how to be blessed. Above all, respect God’s grace and his anointing.
A look at this week’s podcast. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. We have a live podcast now. Check us out Monday-Friday at 12 noon for a word. You can find us on our Facebook page—The Christian Corner Community church 56. Hope that you can join us.
All things work together for good (May 8, 2023)
Many have heard this scripture quoted–All things work together for good (Romans 8:28), but do we really understand it? We are continuing our study of the life of Samson. God had brought a champion to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines, but he fell short. The Lord, who knows the end from the beginning, said that he (Samson) shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:5). Listen to this podcast listed below..
Don’t give place to the Devil. (May 9, 2023)
A look at Judges 14:1-9 and a good look at the life of Samson. We see that there were various factors in his walk with the Lord-
He played with the world. He was drawn in by a woman of the Philistines. His youthful hormones were at work. (Judges 14:1-2)
He was a control freak. He liked having his way and was a spoiled child. (Judges 14:3)
He gave place to the devil and got himself in trouble (Judges 14:5)
God delivered him even though he was out of the will of God. A picture of God’s great mercy (Judges 14:6)
He violated his Nazarite vow by touching a dead body. He killed a Lion with his bare hands. He did not tell his parents what he had done nor repented before the Lord. (Judges 14:5-9)
God was orchestrating his Master plan with Samson and the Philistines (Judges 14:4)
The word for today–Do not give place to the Devil. Let’s learn from Samson’s mistakes and avoid further headaches in our lives. Take time to listen to this podcast below.
Respect the anointing (May 13, 2013)
A look at the life of Samson. How grace and mercy were given by God. A lesson concerning guarding against manipulating people for your gain. Samson was used to having his way, and he manipulated his parents. He was used to having his way.
Samson, also, disregarded the grace and mercy of God. Time and time again, God gave him a chance to repent, but he descended further into sin. He was co-mingling with the Philistines, who were enemies of Israel. He was yoked to the world when he married a Philistine woman . Brethren, be careful with what God has given you. Guard yourself against using the anointing for your own gain. Samson looked for an opportunity to have a bet with his enemies by telling them a riddle. When you play with the world, there are bound to be consequences. A word to the wise, don’t play with your anointing and talents that God has given you. Take time to listen to the podcast below.
Bonus—Do you want to go deeper in your prayer life? The word of God says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God! (Rom 10:17) Learn how to use word-based prayers and get the answers you need. My wife and I have our own personal copy of this book, and it has blessed us. It will bless you as well. Click on this link for details…https://amzn.to/3BtQhtP
This website receives some income from our affiliates. Please take some time to read our disclosure and privacy statement. Link provided below (1) We have a free E-book to give you. It is entitled-How to pray for finances. Just fill out the contact form and join our mailing list. Thank you for your interest. May God bless you richly. (Rom 10:17)
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. (James 1:23-24)
Beloved, we live in a time when confusion seems to abound. We hear on the news media about gender Identity and how many of our young children are being confused with their gender. Chaos is the order of the day. People are looking for answers in the wrong places. As I observe what is happening to our society, I see there is a hunger in people’s hearts.
Deep inside, there is a hole. Many will try to find substitutes to fill that hole. This may bring satisfaction for a season, but knowing your Identity in Christ can help solve many problems in your life. It is an intoxicating and incredible experience when you know who you are in Christ and what belongs to you.
Let’s Learn From History.
As you well know, I like to read about history. My favorite topic is War History. In reading about Adolph Hitler, it is possible that he had an identity crisis in the natural. During his rule over Germany, there were some reports from his hometown of Döllersheim that disturbed him. Döllersheim was a village located in the nation of Austria. Among the villagers, there was talk that he had Jewish blood.
This news so enraged Adolph Hitler that he destroyed his village. Now, some historians may debate the fact that he had Jewish blood, but my question is, why did he destroy his own town? Was he afraid of the truth? (1) (Food for thought)
Another one who forgot his Jewish roots was Karl Marx. Now he had the best of both worlds. His parents converted to the Lutheran religion, so he had a Christian background added to his life. The enemy blinded him to where he took God out of society and created Communism. His lack of Identity caused ripple effects that are even affecting our younger generations (2)
Know Who You Are In Christ.
Considering the identity crisis of Adolph Hitler and Karl Marx, let’s learn from these examples. Beloved, we are in the last days. Let’s pay attention to sealing our Identity in Christ. Start spending time with his word and get it rooted deep within our spirits. As we meditate on the word and do what God requires of us, we will be conformed to his image.
In doing this, patience is the key to bear in mind. The change in our lives will not come overnight. There will be distractions and obstacles to overcome, but don’t be discouraged. You may progress gradually, but keep your hands on the plow. God is pleased with your progress; the important thing is consistency. There is a saying–Rome was not built overnight!
Above all, watch over the souls of your children and grandchildren. Teach them the word. Get involved in school board meetings—demand to know what is in the school’s curriculum and start making your views known. Start having family Bible studies and share the importance of following Christ. Remember, children are our most valuable asset and weapon. The word says that they are arrows. Let’s help point those arrows in the right direction so they can affect society with the word of God. (Ps 127:4)
Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. (Gen 49:16-17)
Understanding the Prophetic word
A few thoughts on our week’s podcasts. We were studying the life of Samson and we covered the gifts and callings of God. In today’s program, we will look at a few things that stand out. How the Prophetic word was uttered to the Tribe of Dan. What can we learn from the Prophetic word?
Let’s look at Jacob when he prophesied over his children. He uttered a bittersweet prophecy to Dan. He saw his future and declared that he was going to be a judge, and in the next verse, he called him a serpent. (Gen 49:16-17).
Looking at this, this prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. Let’s look at some insights–
Samson was from the tribe of Dan. He later on, became a Judge. (Judges 13:1-5, Judges 16:31)
The tribe of Dan was the first tribe that got into nationwide idolatry, and it caused them to lose their place within the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob’s prophecy came to pass, and It identified this tribe with the serpent, the devil. This and other sins caused Dan to lose his place with the twelve tribes. (Rev 7)
Take some time to listen to how Samson could have changed his prophetic destiny but played around with sin. Let’s learn from his mistakes and change our destiny for the better. So sit back and listen to our podcast lesson on the life of Samson.
Gifts and Callings–Part 1 (May 1)
A look at the gifts and callings of God. We will look at the life of Samson and how he was to impact his generation. Scriptures teach us the following–
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. (Ps 127:4)
Bow and arrows were one of the choice weapons of the time. For the good, they were used to hunt. To provide food and protection for the family. On the other side of the coin, It was a weapon that was used as a tool of evil. To kill in cold blood and destroy families. Children are God’s secret weapon to impact generations. They are compared as arrows. As parents, we have a role in instructing our children to do the right thing.
Samson was a child who had an usual gift, but he was not raised right. His example gives us a valuable lesson in life. Children are valuable and they are our future. Let’s train them right and use them as arrows to impact their generation.
Gifts and callings—Part 2
A look at the Spiritual gifts and callings of God. God is a God of mercy, love, and judgment. An example was Moses. God gave him instructions to provide water to his people. In the first incident, he was obedient and followed God to the letter. (1) In the second incident, he let his temper and anger get the best of him. (2) Two times, God tested his people with the lack of water. The pressure was building up, and people were blaming Moses.
Can you blame Moses for losing his temper in the 2nd incident? Yet, in spite of Moses’s disobedience in the 2nd incident, God provided water. On one side of the coin, we see a picture of God’s grace, but on the other side –Judgement! This last incident cost Moses his life, and he could not enter the promised land. Let us learn from this example. A message to the fivefold ministry in the body of Christ–To whom much is given, much is required! (Luke 12:48)
Mysheephearmyvoice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27)
Greetings. This morning, My dear WordPress associates asked me what gives me direction in life. Without hesitation, I will answer that question with four words –Follow the Holy Spirit! He can bring answers to all of your problems. I understand that people use different kinds of methods in order to get guidance for their lives. Some will seek the counsel of friends. Others in business will listen to and read motivational books and DVDs. Nothing wrong with that.
When I was in sales, I enjoyed (still enjoy) listening to motivational speakers. I like to drop in some TED meetings and get blessed hearing the latest in the business world and the field of technology. Years afterward, I became a minister and now have a new perspective on life. I have witnessed how the Holy Spirit blessed me with extraordinary wisdom and insights.
While I do not know it all, I do know that I can depend upon the Lord to provide answers through his word. You can be blessed with his guidance and wisdom, also. Let’s look at some basic and easy steps to consider. Here are some useful tips–
Make sure your name is in the Book of Life. Having a relationship with Jesus is so vital. When we accept him as our savior, he will see us thru our problems and give us victory. (1)
Pray and ask God to give you direction concerning joining a church. Seek a Pastor who can teach the Word and help apply it to your life. Joining a church is very important because that is where you will find your calling and direction. Allow yourself to be mentored by others. Get to know your spiritual family.
Get baptized in water. (Matt 28:19) and in the Spirit. (Act 2:1-4)
Spend some time in Prayer and the Word. Jesus gave us an idea of how much time to spend in prayer. An hour a day is the ideal model. (Mark 14:37-38) Notice Jesus said to watch and pray. The praying part is having a conversation with God. The watching part is studying the Word to hear God’s voice. A helpful tool would be to pray the prayer of Ephesians (2) and Ps 112.
Start the day and ask God to show you his perfect will for the day. An optional but not required tool is the book entitled Prayers that avail much by Germaine Copeland. This book will enhance your prayer life. This book does it all for you. It gives you the scriptures and prayers to help strengthen your faith.( https://amzn.to/3B3gyPq )
Another thing to consider is knowing that not everyone is called to be a church minister. There are many ways to fulfill God’s calling for your life. For example, the Business world, Arts and Entertainment, would be a few fields in which God can use you. Remember, the Holy Spirit is your friend. When you become Born-again, you have a genius that lives inside you. So, that is my take of the day. I hope it helps someone.
Greetings. I was asked by my WordPress colleagues what is my favorite quote. How do I live my life by it? How often do I think about it? I have quite a few quotes that I use. My favorite quote is when life gives you a lemon, you start making lemonade.
Living life can be full of disappointments. As a minister, I have spoken to many people who are discouraged and frustrated in life. I will start with myself as an example. I have repeatedly complained before the Lord about my frustrations in life, and he brings up another one of my favorite quotes (I have quite a few)—Stop and smell the roses.
So, if you are frustrated, disgusted, and discouraged in life, take a deep breath. Stop and smell the roses. In life, we need to pause and count our blessings because believe it or not, we are blessed. We are blessed to live another day. Blessed to have 24 hours to make it profitable. Do an inventory of things to be thankful for, and I guarantee you will feel better.
Now, regarding my favorite quote–When life gives you a lemon, you start making lemonades. I like that saying because it gives me hope. How many times have we had goals, dreams, and visions in life? How many times has life disappointed us with failure in not achieving our dreams?
If you are in that category, you are not alone. Having a vision is what keeps people alive and motivated in life. There is nothing more frustrating than failing to achieve your goals. When that happens, reinvent yourself. Start making new goals. Learn from your past mistakes and let those rocks of obstacles lift you higher to your mountain of success.
How many of us have had our hearts broken by that special someone? We think that we can never recover from such a blow. The word of God says that he heals the brokenhearted. (Luke 4:8) I have had my heart broken many times in life, but my faith in Jesus keeps me going. He can turn my lemons into lemonade.
Whatever lemons you are facing, take a good hard look at how you can make lemonade. Discover where your gifts, talents, and skills are. Be creative and set new goals and visions. As you do this, life will be worth living. God bless.
Thinking about my favorite holiday, it’s hard to pick one. I have some like Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, and Memorial Day. Taking a wild guess, I would say Memorial Day. Memorial Day is special to me. First, because I am a Navy veteran. As a veteran, I consider the sacrifices and services that my fellow shipmates and soldiers have made for our country.
I love America and am proud to be an American. Yes, I know it’s not perfect, but I still love America. For those who have served in the military, I salute you. These men and women are special. Some have even given their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have. We honor you, Veterans, and appreciate your service. You are the true superheroes that help protect America.
Picture of me and my wife Terry. (Approx. 1979)
The other reason I enjoy Memorial Day is family and food. I like to eat and cooking a good steak, burger, or whatever on the barbecue is exciting. Most of us have time off from work, and it’s a season of rest. A time to kick back and watch your favorite movie on TV.
In summing up my thoughts, Memorial Day as a veteran means a lot. As a family man, I like spending time with loved ones and eating. What is your favorite holiday? Feel free to share.
The Christian Corner Ministries 