““O our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to You? Everything we have has come from You, and we give you only what You first gave us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.” King David’s Words, 1 Chronicles 29:13-15 NLT
“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”
Pastor Kerry Willis
“Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit].” Galatians 5:19-25 AMP
“Ears Wide Open…. Listening…”
Pastor Kerry Willis
"We should love God more than anything or anyone else; we should hate sin and iniquity even as Jesus hated them, and we should be willing always to obey God through the leading of His Word and His Spirit." A.W. Tozer
"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"
Pastor Kerry Willis
A portion David’s Song of Praise sung when the Ark returned to Jerusalem…
“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises. Tell everyone about His wonderful deeds. Exult in His holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him. Remember the wonders He has performed, Him miracles, and the rulings He has given,” 1 Chronicles 16:8-12 NLT
“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”
Pastor Kerry Willis
This is a great Trinity verse in the Old Testament:
“Come near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was done, I was there: and now the Lord God has sent me and his Spirit.” Isaiah 48:16 JUB
“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”
Pastor Kerry Willis
“Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do You mean, ‘You will be set free’?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” John 8:31-36 NLT
“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”
Pastor Kerry Willis
“Our destiny is determined by our disposition. We cannot alter our disposition, but we can choose to let God alter it. We are only free when the Son sets us free; but we are free to choose whether or not we will be made free.” Oswald Chambers
“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”
Pastor Kerry Willis
"O Jesus, come and dwell in me,
Walk in my steps each day,
Live in my life, love in my love,
And speak in all I say;
Think in my thoughts, let all my acts,
Thy very actions be,
So shall it be no longer I,
But Christ lives in me. Amen."
Prayer by A.W. Tozer
"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"
Pastor Kerry Willis
"How could i, one who claims to walk in the light as Jesus is in the light, ever see another soul deceived in their own sin, and somehow encourage them -- in any way -- to continue on such a detour of the devil that will only lead to their ultimate destruction? To do so, would not their blood somehow be on my hands? God forgive it. God forbid it. How can helping anyone to live out a lie of the enemy ever be called Love?" -kww
Jesus’ words: "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him]. This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. [Is 5:20] For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. But whoever practices truth [and does what is right--morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are--accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him]." John 3:16-21 AMP
Years ago i played this video clip in a Sunday morning message. The vulnerable words spoken powerfully by a devout atheist still inspires, challenges, awakens and moves me -- heart, mind, soul, and strength.
"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"
Pastor Kerry Willis
In his commentary on 1 Peter 1:13, A.W. Tozer wrote:
"If ever there was an hour when we needed to be serious about our Christian faith, this is the hour!"
"So prepare your minds for action, be completely sober [in spirit--steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace [of God] that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:13 AMP
"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"
Pastor Kerry Willis
When i was just a boy, my Granny Margery and Aunt Edith, taught me so much about Holy Spiritual things by the way they lived and spoke.
One day i was with them when they stopped to visit a new convert to Christ, Mrs. Fanny. She was in the garage when we arrived and when she saw my Granny coming towards her, Mrs. Fanny, had a sudden outburst of joy. She didn’t understand how or why it happened and was a little embrassed until Granny assured her with words like these: “That’s the witness of the Spirit that you’ve been born again.”
Granny knew the Holy Spirit intimately and Mrs. Fanny immediately received Granny’s good words and let the joy just overflow again.
A.W. Tozer said this about “The Witness of the Spirit”: “The Witness of the Spirit is a sacred inner thing which cannot be explained. It is altogether personal and cannot be passed from one to another. The Spirit whispers its mysterious Presence to the heart, and the heart knows without knowing how it knows.”
And the Apostle Paul wrote: “Now we have received… the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God.” 1 Corinthians 2:12
“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”
Pastor Kerry Willis
In my quiet time saturating in the Holy Word, today, this imagery inspired my soul:
“Then Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, The One who is the stairway between heaven and earth.” John 1:51 NLT
Jesus, truly You are “THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN!”
“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”
Pastor Kerry Willis
“Only a spiritually ignorant person TRIES to be a Christian. You cannot be a Christian by TRYING. You must be BORN into the life before you can live it.” Oswald Chambers
“Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’” Jesus’ words in John 3:5-7 NLT
“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”
Pastor Kerry Willis
i awoke with this prayer on my mind and on my lips, this morning:
"Dearest Lord Jesus, the desire of my heart is that You would reveal Your Presence through my life wherever i am, to whomever i am with, for as long as i live. Amen."
"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"
Pastor Kerry Willis
As i walked with the Lord in the outdoor cathedral on this new morning, this new song just came into my mind, and i offered it to Him as my gift of worship:
Oh Lord, i love You, there’s no one above You. Oh Lord, i need You, to always be near me.
Oh Lord, i want You, let me become Your will. O Lord, embrace me, speak peace be still.
"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"
Pastor Kerry Willis
