Christ wants us to be aware of the signs of the times, but He clearly wants us to spend our energy on getting our act together if it isn't together. As we await His return, not so much watching what is going on, but watching ourselves. Christ is coming back; the question is will I be ready? Don't look back!

The 23rd Psalm, begins and ends with "the LORD". The ultimate goal in David's life was a face-to-face relationship with God forever. What is most important in this life is not what is happening in this life, but what is coming after this life - a face-to-face relationship with the Father and Son forever.

Psalm 23:4 - Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. When you put this verse in the context of the entire psalm, it speaks more about life than it does death.

Psalm 23:3 - . . . He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. The Hebrew word for "leads" here indicates difficulty and is different from the word for "leads" used in verse 2. The path to the Kingdom is difficult and hard, but it has been traveled by Christ and He has shown us the way.

This early celebration we are doing is about change, but change is not easy. Repentance is hard, but it is not impossible. God's festivals are days of joy and hope.

Why did God harden Pharoah's heart? To the modern mind that is unethical, immoral, cruel and harsh. What lessons can we learn from God hardening Pharoah's heart?

Who is worthy to take the Passover? Who among us is? Must I take it? Absolutely! Every believer who has committed himself to God and accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for his/her sins and has been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and is willing to remove sin from his/her life should partake of the Passover.

Christianity will call the ceremony everything but what the scriptures call it - The Passover.

In order to be in God's Kingdom, it starts with humility. In order to be in the Kingdom of God it starts on our knees with foot washing. We won't be there until we capture that attitude of humility.

Proverbs 6:16-19 - God lists seven things which He hates. We need to avoid them and stay clear of them and embrace what He loves.

Psalm 23:3 - He restores my soul. God's goodness leads us to repentance - to restoring what was lost as brought out in Luke 15 with the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son.

Psalm 23:2 - He leads me beside the still waters. Water symbolizes the Spirit of God and that Spirit gives lasting peace.

Words can be hurtful in many areas of life. Words can shape our self-perception. Do we sincerely choose our words every single day because we can hurt other people with what we say.

Psalm 23:2 - He makes me to lie down in green pastures. Four requirements have to be met in order for the sheep to lie down - the sheep must be free from: 1. fear, 2. friction with other sheep, 3. pests (i.e. flies and parasites), and 4. hunger.

Where is God in spiritual winter? He is closer than you and I think. We need to open our eyes like Job and see and learn about God who will never ever forsake us in the spiritual winters of our lives. We need a way to hold on to God when we feel God has let go of us.

What did Christ mean by "Your will be done" and instructing us to make this request when we pray? Why is it so important that God's will be accomplished?

There are a number of quizzes online regarding Christmas, many dealing with modern music, movies, books and traditions. Today's quiz is a quiz dealing with Christmas in light of the Bible and history.

Learning about sheep helps us understand why God compares us to sheep.  There are over 500 references to sheep in the Bible. Psalm 23 is somewhat unique because it is written from the perspective of the sheep.

There are three characteristics of Jesus Christ as Shepherd in the New Testament - Good Shepherd, Great Shepherd and Chief Shepherd. These characteristics are covered in Psalm 22, 23 and 24.

There are seventeen personal pronouns (my, me, etc.) in Psalm 23 and thirteen references to the LORD, shepherd, and pronouns for a total of thirty which indicates relationship. It involves the LORD/Shepherd and the sheep and that relationship is described in the names of God.

We have completed another year of God's Festivals. The last four help us see more clearly a future, not just for ourselves, but for the world. We are in a world edging closer towards destruction. Is my anchor secure?

Don't let your vision of what is possible be limited by what you perceive as your own strengths and weaknesses but have that reliance on God. Finishing means staying on the job until it is done.

Ezekiel deals with how the problems of the world will be resolved in the World Tomorrow - people will repent and understand and come to know who God is.

The Day of Atonement is one of the most important holy days, maybe even the most important holy day. The Day of Atonement is so important God tells us to fast on this day. What is so important about this day that we are commanded to fast?

Sabbath after Sabbath and holy day after holy day we are being educated to internalize the words of God from God so we can fulfill the commission of Jeremiah 1:10.

Semioticians are those who have trained themselves to know and observe the signs. Semiotics is the study of signs. Let us look at signs in a biblical sense of understanding of the times. Let us look at the signs leading up to the return of Jesus Christ.

Where is there good news today? The gospel is the good news of the Kingdom of God - the wonderful world tomorrow. In the midst of our collective trials we need hope, we need a vision, we need good news.

As we begin the fall festival season of 2025, we can get so involved in our day-to-day routine, our jobs, even our preparation for the Feast of Tabernacles, and pre-Feast problems that we don't take the time to consider the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement.

Daniel 8:23-27 Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Live today to do the King's business. Daniel 1 - purpose in your heart not to defile yourself today and you will see the Kingdom of God established on the earth in the future.

Daniel chapters 8 and 11 deal with Antiochus Epiphanes.

As we study God's word each day, do we invite God into our thoughts inquiring what He wants us to see and what He wants us to behold in His word?

The theme for this year's COGWA youth camps is "Seek First the Kingdom". This should be the theme that completely fills our lives. It is imperative that we as parents, as adults, as a church, model that theme in our lives. What matters to a disciple of Christ? Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness - that is what really matters.

Explanation of the "little horn" mentioned in Daniel 7.

When we call on God's Name in our prayers we are saying more than just a formal salutation. We will look at how calling on God's name should be reflected in how we live and conduct ourselves every day.

Daniel chapters 6-8. The overall lesson of the book of Daniel is God rules in the kingdoms of men. He rules over all and He rules supreme. We must purpose in our hearts like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah that we will keep the law of God within and without no matter what.

Daniel chapters 4 and 5. History gives us a prism to look forward because it has a tendency to repeat itself. A look back helps us see forward. We have to watch through the prism of history.

We need to trust in God. The Eternal is always there - never doubt His intention toward us. God has the last word and not the devil or circumstances or people. God is always at work on behalf of His children.

The Church of God is founded on the Rock - Jesus Christ and He said the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. That Church would not die and would continue to exist. That being the case, how do we identify it? What makes the Church of God different? Or what should make the Church of God different?

The Feast of Pentecost serves as a reminder of the transformative nature of God's Holy Spirit. It shows the importance of faith and belief that the Holy Spirit is actively working and will continue to work in the lives of believers.

We need to be able to remember helpful pieces of information from God's word in a timely manner in times of crisis that will help us through trials and very trying times.

Abraham Maslow created a hierarchy of human needs. In his hierarchy of needs, where is the need for God - for reliance on God in our daily lives? At every level of Maslow's hierarchy there is a need for God.

You never know what is going to happen next, so consider. What should we consider? What can we glean from the book of Daniel? The important lesson from the book of Daniel is God rules in the kingdoms of men - He rules supreme.  All things going on in my life around me are for a reason.

We grapple with certain problems in and out of the church and we wonder why? The book of Habakkuk deals with that. The theme of the book of Habakkuk is "the just will live by faith". When faced with adversity, live by faith.

Rizpah is an example of mothers, grandmothers, mothers-in-law, stepmothers who are there for their children, grandchildren and other children and who show up every day for them.

The people of God look forward to a time of total freedom - it will have no end - it will be for all eternity.  No one of us needs bondage; we want to be free.

There is a special kind of leaven that has permeated this world - the leaven of Babylon. There is a price for what modern Babylon is offering us because the focus on materialism can cause us to think that we don't need God.

Why is the unleavened bread called bread of affliction? It is supposed to be the bread of freedom.

God will repair our broken heart and restore our crushed spirit. Forgiving when it hurts isn't easy, but it is a process. Forgiveness should not have a limit.

There is an expectation on the part of God that we live what we believe. We must be made in the image of God and Jesus Christ is the image of God and we must be made in Christ's image. Christ has opened the door to eternity for us. The Holy Spirit was given to us so we could become like Christ.

Jesus Christ is the image of God. He is God. He is the creator over all things visible and invisible and He is the sustainer of all things. He is supreme. Jesus is the head of the church and He controls the church. The church must be connected to Jesus Christ to receive the commands of God. 

We are in a time of self-examination. We must ask ourselves did we and do we really mean what we said at baptism that Christ is our personal savior, our lord, our master and soon-coming king? Are we doing what we promised - to put sin out and put righteousness in?

Marriage is for correlation. It is to be patterned after the marriage of God and Israel and morph into the marriage of Christ and the church. The essence of love is not on self but on the other person. Christ gave His life for His wife.

We are instructed how to prepare for the upcoming start of the new year and to prepare for the Passover.

Marriage is a covenant of committment. Proverbs 2:16-17 is to the wife and Malachi 2:13-16 is to the husband. Marriage is a covenant with God. This is very serious business. Three are involved - the wife, the husband and God.

Faith doesn't eliminate questions but faith knows where to take them. Four truths of "even if He doesn't" kind of faith. Daniel 3:14-18.

What is apathy - indifference, lack of feeling emotion, interest or concern. What happens when we no longer care for or have the same interest in the issues, activities and the people that once captured our imagination and attention?

Marketing Mix - 4 P's: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Satan knows his time is short, the environment is changing and he will aggressively adapt. We must be strong in the Lord and resist Satan's trickery.

Marriage is for creation - Genesis 1:28 - 1. Be fruitful; 2. Multiply; 3. Fill the earth; 4. Subdue it; 5. Have dominion. God created man in His image and family teaches us about God - who is God, what is God, why is God. He created the physical family to teach us about Himself.

Genesis 2:25 - the aim of one flesh is intimacy. Intimacy which is more than sex - it is physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Husbands need to learn about their wives and listen to her and understand her, and wives need to learn about their husbands and listen to him and understand him.

God gave us instructions for a happy marriage in His word. For those called by God, He expects us to follow His instructions on happiness in marriage. Marriage is for communication and the goal of communication in marriage is two becoming one - Genesis 2:25.

Marriage is for companionship which is a synonym for friend or friendship. We are to be soul mates. God intended two to become one. Are we close friends, best friends, soul mates?

God wants marriage to be built on knowledge, understanding and wisdom and these come from God. He provides the blueprint and design for  marriage. The first foundational pillar of marriage is completion.

In this world it is becoming easier and easier to become angry and hate. There is a missing dimension in knowledge and God is not part of the knowledge in this world. God expects us to love even our enemies.

Our Master has gone on a long journey and has left instructions - specific, smart instructions - for us. Tasks to be carried out by the time He returns. How are we doing? Are we diligent and busy or procrastinating? What are we supposed to be doing while Christ is gone?

God has given us the blueprint in the Bible for marriage so we can “live happily ever after”. Why don’t we have 100% success in marriage? Why aren’t all our marriages in the Church happy?  Marriage fails because of the people involved.

Are the children of the members of God's church called now? The answer affects how we view our children and our expectations and how our children perceive themselves.

As we leave the Feast and go back into the world there are things that we should be able to see – things that are good and things that are not good. We must have our spiritual eyes trained to see when the things presented to us contain sin.

You can have the greatest Feast ever if you are properly prepared. In order for the Feast to excite us and inspire us to prepare for the future and the future of the world, it is absolutely necessary that we don't let the Feast just happen.

God's Festivals or Feasts are important to Him and should be important to us.  We are to keep God's appoinments and when we do, we feast with Him. When God is not in the picture, these fesivals or feasts become my appointment and leads to a disappointment.

Explanation of three scriptures some in mainstream Christianity use to say God's Sabbath and holy days are done away: Romans 14:5-6; Galatians 4:9-10; Colossians 2:16-17.

Proofs that God exists - Laws and their origin; Life and its origin; Fulfilled prophecy; Answered prayer

Proofs that God exists - Origin of the Universe and Design of the Universe.

Who would you consider to be the most dangerous man who ever lived? The most dangeous man to ever live was Charles Darwin. Darwinism broke man''s link with God and set him adrift in the cosmos without purpose.

Do you listen to others intently and make them feel that nothing else matters but them? Or are you preoccuplied focusing on your own world? Talking instead of listening will get you into troouble. We need to make time to listen to show that we care.

God is for us because we believe Hiim. A psalm a day can help keep doubt and fear away. No matter how severe the trial is if I really believe God then my salvation is assured.

It is imperative that we not only impart a knowledge of God's existence to the next generations, but also live lives based on that knowledge. We must not live atheistic lives - lives lived as if God does not exist. 

How Christ exemplifies these characterics.

We don't belong to this world. Don't let the world around us sweep us into its mold. Christ was the embodiment of righteousness. He said I am in you and the world should see that righteousness in us. How are we doing?

First Day of Unleavened Bread Sermon - Deuteronomy 16:1-3 - bread of affliction. The way of life Christ has called us to is hard. If we quit when things get hard we won't reach our true potential.

Jesus Christ is the vine, we are the branches. In order to be fruitful, we must abide in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ must abide in us. Part of the fruit is that our prayers will be answered. God will be glorified, and we will experience a deeper love and a fuller joy. Next, love one another by sacrificing, communicating and praying for one another.

Forgiveness is based on respect and love which will bring peace to our lives. Make forgiveness an integral part of godly life.

Jesus Christ said "Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe also in Me. I'm going to prepare a home for you and I will return. I am the Way (to the Father), Truth (I will return) and the Life. Because the Father is in Me and I in Him, you in Me and I in you, I am your life through the Holy Spirit. So pray."