Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Are we willing to hear the voice of the I AM... and be obedient to Him? Many are willing to embrace the LORD's love and forgiveness, the fact that He died for us... yet somehow fail to come to a knowledge of Who GOD Is.

We cannot separate Jesus from God... we cannot claim to love Christ... yet shun the FATHER. Jesus said in John 10:30 I and my Father are one.Also in John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? The God of the Old Testament is the very same God we find in the New Testament.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. God has not changed. We are facing the same God today, that the Israelite children faced in their exodus from Egypt... and throughout the 40 years they rebelliously wandered through the wilderness. Their experiences are recorded for our enlightenment... that we might learn from their mistakes.

What has God required from men in the past... and what is God like?

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for am the LORD that healeth thee. It is well documented, that prominent faith teachers like to emphasize the last 7 words in the above verse... however, we would be wise to recognize that we must take the entire verse, not just the part that is most pleasing to our flesh. There are conditions that the people were required to meet, in order to receive the blessings. This is consistent throughout the Bible, and applies to us today as well.

Leviticus 11:45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Leviticus 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.

Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

We have countless examples of how God has dealt with man down through the ages. He is not going to conform to us; we must be willing to conform to Him. We must comply with all of His commandments. We must believe with our whole heart. We must humble ourselves before Him. He knows that we are but dust, for He created us, albeit in His own image. He knows all of the thoughts we think... we cannot deceive Him.

All of the secrets of how to live a victorious Christian life are found in the pages of the Holy Bible. We will not discover them with our intellect; they can only be discerned by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit. God has given us many promises in His Word... but they come with strings attached. No man shall glory in His presence. We will never walk in victory from the realm of our flesh. Jesus is our example... the only one we are called to follow in this life. He lived in a fleshly body, susceptible to all of the same desires and temptations that we face, yet did not sin. He spoke and did here on earth what He heard and saw the Father do in heaven. We are called to do no less. To do that however, necessitates that we know the Father.

Jesus said in John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. This statement is, in itself, a 'stumbling block' to many. Many would ask, "With all the diversity in life found in this world, how can we be expected to believe that the only way to God is through His Son?" This is where we see the importance of faith and belief... to accept the simplest of God's requirements is more than some can bring themselves to do. Without acceptance that Jesus is indeed, the Son of God, and that the Bible is the Word of God, we have no hope of ever receiving any of the promises of God.

1 John 2:3-6 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

We can know all about Jesus; claim to be a Christian; yet not have any part with Him. We need to ask ourselves, "Are we willing to follow Him, all the way?" Are we willing to let go of the things we have been taught? Our lives... are a reflection of how well we know God. We do not know all that we should... or we would be making an impact on our world. We are no different than the previous generations. We are overflowing with the doctrines and interpretations of men, calling it knowledge and claiming it is of God. But is it?

We cannot judge by carnal reasoning, for the things of God are foolishness to men, and we cannot grasp the things of the Spirit, except by the revelation from the Holy Spirit within us. We must decide for ourselves, who and what we will worship. Even those who claim to be atheists worship something... be it power, wealth, self... man was created to worship God, and when he refuses God, then he replaces God with something else. We have the written Word of God... we have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, to lead us into all Truth. We will have no excuse for failing to believe... for refusing to obey... when the Great Judgment Day comes.

History has recorded mankind's civilizations, with his many governments, beliefs and gods. Satan, being the master of deception that he is, has devised all manner of belief systems to hinder man from coming to the truth. We have so many more religions that appeal to the flesh of man, that play upon his natural talents and intellect, making him confident and self-sufficient. This makes the way of the cross seem even more ludicrous when compared to the wisdom of the world... comparing things that are tangible... with the intangible.

John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

And again in John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. Whose will are we executing? Christ walked by the power of the Spirit of God, not the power of his own flesh... nor after the things of this world. And he has called all who believe on Him to do exactly the same thing.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Isn't it ironic that the world is full of people who believe and act in exact opposition to this... trying to do everything in their own strength, their own wisdom, following after their own desires and understanding... and call it "doing the work of the Lord?"

Even the ruler of this present darkness, inadvertently has pointed to the one true God... all the while trying to discredit and invalidate man's perceptions of the I AM. He still is only a created being, a fallen angel, and he can only go as far as God allows him to. It occurred to me one day, that the whole world acknowledges Christ... perhaps unconsciously, but regardless of race, creed, nationality, all of the world measures time by Christ's life and death. There are many other religions, with greater numbers of people following the teachings of once great men, yet how is it do you think, that time isn't measured by the life and death of Buddha... or Mohammad... or Allah... or any of the other multitude of god's that people worship?

For many reasons, people often gravitate towards certain parts of the Bible, without really reading the rest of the scriptures. It is important for believers to realize that the Bible is important to us from Genesis through Revelation, if we would gain a balanced understanding of the God we serve.

Isaiah 14:24-27 The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

If we want to know God, then we need to know what He has said in the past... what He has promised to them that believe... and what He has told us concerning our future. Who indeed can stand against God? We should also be aware, that if we are not with Him, we are against Him. We are challenged to grow-up in Christ, not to remain in a demanding childish state, but to mature to full stature sons. We have to grow beyond the 'I want' and come to the place where our greatest joy is to fulfill what God wants. If you are most comfortable reading in the New Testament then follow it through to the end. Jesus is not the little babe in the manger. Jesus is not still hanging on the cross. Jesus is risen, sitting at the right hand of God, in all power and glory, and holding the keys to death and hell. We find a beautiful, more accurate picture of Christ in Revelation 1:11-18

Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

The Apostle John new and loved Christ as a man, as he followed Him with the other disciples. But in his old age on the Isle of Patmos, when he saw the risen Lord , he fell at his feet as dead. The I AM is not to be taken lightly or trifled with. Christians today are taught next to nothing about the reverential fear of the LORD. We act like spoiled little children, always clamoring about our wants and needs. We need to grow up. There are no free rides. We claim that we want to see Jesus. Do we really? If John fell at His feet as dead, what would happen to us, if we were to behold the God of all Glory?

Read Jesus' high, priestly prayer in John 17. That we may be one with God, even as Christ is one with God... That we might have His joy fulfilled in us... thus glorifying the Father. Religion is not going to get us to this place... doctrines of men and devils is not going to get there either. The only way to get to this place in God, is by dying to self, submitting our will to God's will, and growing up in Christ to full stature sons of God. It is freely offered to the whole world... but few there be that are willing to press in and make it their own.

John 18:11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Christ did not refuse to go through with it, when it came time to lay down His life for us.

Matthew 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

Hebrews 5:8-9 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Are we willing to follow Him all the way... to take up our own cross... to be obedient unto death?

Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. The purpose of suffering is that we might reach perfection... being conformed to His very Image. God's grace to us does not annul our need to live a holy life, or change the fact that we too, must suffer persecution. The very nature of the Gospel of Christ in this fallen world cannot help but attract persecution... because the Gospel of Christ, the life of the perfect Lamb of God... exposes the darkness for what it is. The more one walks through the fire, the more one learns the awesome, real, saving power of God, and comes to an understanding of what grace is. Jesus is not only our Savior... He is also our Judge. As believers we may need to adjust just how we perceive Christ.

Rev 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

THIS is our LORD and SAVIOR! If we begin to see Him as He is, we cannot help but develop a reverential fear and awe of Him. That He should love us is one of the greatest marvels of all. We are so undeserving of such love and caring. Mankind down through the ages has experienced both God's saving power, as well as His well deserved wrath. This generation is no different, and in no way exempt. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to open our understanding. Our greatest desire should be that we might be conformed to Christ's own image... that we might be found acceptable in His sight. May God have His Perfect Way in all our lives.