Welcome to another Edition of the Chaplain's Corner. I hope you all have had a great week.

Let's start by opening in Prayer

Heavenly Father, It is always good to come before you in prayer and to acknowledge you as Lord. We ask you now that you guide us through your Holy Spirit and direct us and teach us your word. We thank you for the many blessings daily in our life and we worship you as Lord.

Direct our paths and help us to listen as you speak to us today, in your name we pray aman

It is important to know what the Word of God says for our lives. Sometimes we get questions and don't know the answers. I thought it would be good if we look at various subjects to see what the Bible says and how these can apply to our lives as we share with others.

The Honest Use of Scripture

"Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." (Mark 7:13)

Jesus uttered these sharp words of rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees, who had encumbered the plain teachings of Scripture with numerous "interpretations" which enabled them to ignore whatever teachings they found inconvenient. The Lord Jesus Himself always took the Scriptures literally and as of divine authority, and so should we.

Furthermore, He taught that every word was true and authoritative: "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18). He also said that "the scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35).

Skeptics may pose certain difficulties in the Bible, evolutionists may ridicule its account of creation, and sinners in general may try to wriggle away from its moral constraints, but the Scripture cannot be broken! Jesus said, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). He Himself is the living Word of God, and we dare not tamper with the written Word inspired by the Holy Spirit. Christ, of course, could and did in some cases extend and apply the Old Testament Scriptures, because He Himself was their Author, but He never questioned their factuality or literal accuracy, and neither should we.

Nevertheless, many modern "Christian" intellectuals and cultists are following in the example of the Pharisees, rather than that of Christ, "wresting" the Scriptures for their gain but "unto their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16). God has spoken plainly in His Word. It is our responsibility to believe and do what He says.

What Jesus Said about Hell

"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." (Matthew 5:29)

People do not like to think about hell--especially those who are headed there! But that doesn't mean it isn't real.

We need to know that the Lord Jesus Himself often warned about the reality of hell. Today's verse is in His Sermon on the Mount, a message often quoted because of its wonderful promises. Hell is also mentioned in the same sermon in Matthew 5:22 and 5:30. Jesus also stressed in that sermon that "broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Matthew 7:13). He later warned that we should "fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

The religious leaders of the day were not exempt. To them, speaking of their religious hypocrisy, He said, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23:33).

Hell is also a place of fire or possibly of some fearful environment that could only be described adequately under the metaphor of fire. "Depart from me," He will say to the lost souls at His coming judgment, "into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). Hell is called a "lake of fire" by Christ in John's vision of Him on His great white throne, where He will have to say, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, . . . and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

Hell will indeed be very real--eternally real! Since Christ is both our Creator and our Savior, who died for our sins and defeated death by His resurrection, it is foolish for anyone to reject His revelation about hell.

The Battle Is the Lord's

"And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17:47)

These were the ringing words of faith uttered by young David as he faced the Philistine giant, Goliath. Without armor, or spear, or shield, and with only a sling and five smooth stones, David confronted the nine-foot champion of the pagan army in the name of the true God, and soon the giant lay dead with his face to the ground.

The battle must always be the Lord's. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against . . . the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). Spiritual battles are not won by bullets, nor by ballots, nor by any human means. "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God" (Psalm 20:7). "There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. . . . Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy" (Psalm 33:16, 18).

We even have a mandate to attack the enemy in His stronghold. Christ taught, "Upon this rock |of faith in Christ as divine Savior| I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18)

It is easy, in trying to do a work for God, to rely on human abilities and devices, but these will fail, for the battle is the Lord's. When the battle is going well, we must not boast, for the battle is the Lord's. When the battle is going hard, we must not despair, for the battle is the Lord's.

He is our strength. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)" (2 Corinthians

May The Lord Bless You

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, 
and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, 
and give you peace.

The Chaplain's Corner is here for all of you. If you have questions, Need Prayer, feel free to contact me. You can call me also any time on my Cell Phone because I have limitless usage each month

Call Jerry Ballard at (559) 331-7780

Also, I have posted many Christian Video Movies, and Bible Studies as well in the discussion pages. Hope you find these useful and if there is a topic you would like covered, let me know

God Bless you and Lord Willing, I will see you next week