Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Apr 19th The Saturday Morning Post – The Temple And Prayer

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 8 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 9 – 10; Proverbs 19; Psalms 91 – 95

Read the “0419 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.” (1Kings 8:26-30)

Good morning. How is your prayer life? Have you ever noticed that when your prayer life goes down, so does everything else? Your Bible reading slows down or comes to a halt. You stop telling others about Jesus. Is it that you don’t want fellowship other believers anymore, you just want to be left alone? Does your life seem to be getting hard? Is it because your “elected officials” in Washington taking more, and more of your money? Could it be that you don’t pray anymore?

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” (James 4:1-2)

Were you cheated by someone, or did someone do you wrong? Pray…

“If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house: Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.” (1Kings 8:31-32)

Remember…

“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:17-19)

Were you having a rough time because the United States had been over run (or should that be run over) by a bunch of God-less Socialists? Then pray…

“When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.” (1Kings 8:33-40)

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2Chronicles 7:14)

Maybe you have sinned against God somehow, and that sin has carried you away as the enemy nations carried Israel away?

“If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee. For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.” (1Kings 8:46-53)

Sin will bring us to places where we do not want to go. The prodigal son found himself in a pig pen when he came to his senses…

“And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” (Luke 15:14-20)

If you are in the pig pen – pray! David said…

“Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Psalm 51:9-13)

“Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake; (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name. If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name: Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.” (1Kings 8:41-45)

The unsaved will hear the gospel and be converted: we will be back to fighting the good fight, and our already defeated enemy will suffer more loss one soul at a time. Pray.

Peace.

Apr 13th Absalom’s Rebellion by Lexi Parker

Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 18 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

Second Milers also read – Matthew 25 – 26; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 47:1

Read the “0413 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king’s son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.” (2 Samuel 8:12)

In the verse I’d like to focus on, we’re at the end of Absalom’s rebellion against his father, King David. I’ll just briefly recap the backstory for anyone unfamiliar with this passage.

Back in Chapter 13, Absalom’s brother, Amnon, raped their sister Tamar, out of wicked lust. Though King David was upset, nothing had really been done to Amnon. Absalom had been plotting his revenge ever since. So, after two years, Absalom took matters into his own hands by planning a dinner with the king’s sons and having his servants murder Amnon when his heart was “merry with wine”. After his brother is murdered, Absalom flees.

After a series of events, King David forgives Absalom, and Absalom comes back home.
But his intentions were not of peace and restoration. He began stealing the hearts of the people of Israel, in plans to steal the throne. Right after King David hears this news, he flees with his mighty men.During this time, Absalom takes the liberty to disrespect his fathers throne in any way he can. King David knew Absalom would do whatever it took to follow through with this plan, including taking the life of his own father. But, David had a spy on the inside named Hushai, who acted as a servant to Absalom and devised a plan that ultimately led to the victory of David and his men taking back the throne.

So here’s where we get to the part that matters. In the heat of all of this, King David instructs the three men leading up the war teams (Joab, Abishai, and Ittai) to deal gently with his son.

“And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.” (2 Samuel 18:5)

So boom. The Battle starts, and in the next few verses, Absalom gets caught up in an oak tree. Hanging like a fish on a hook. A man sees this happen, and reports to Joab.

“And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.” “And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? And I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.” (2 Samuel 18:10 – 11)

The man replies with this.

“And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king’s son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. Otherwise, I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me.” (2 Samuel 18:12 – 13)

I can’t help but applaud this man for separating the hype of battle, and his own emotional investment, from what he was told by the king to do. And I get it, naturally, I am very much on the side of “off with their heads”, but that wasn’t the order. This man knew even though Absalom chose the wrong way, and soon would get what was coming to him; that didn’t mean he should take matters into his own hands. Even when those matters would even seem right according to human reasoning.

In application to our own lives, you may have every reason to blow somebody’s spot up, but remember child of God, the way you go about things STILL matter. This man chose to, despite what he might’ve felt, and might have been humanly deserved, follow through with the king’s order. He states that ten shekels of silver mean nothing when it comes to doing the right thing. It may all look justified in your mind, or even the mind of others, but there’s a way to slaughter your spiritual giants in life. Run it by God and see what He tells you. Even if you don’t like the answer, and it may seem the “weaker option” in your eyes, trust that God knows all things, and He’s got it under control. Let wisdom and discretion take hold.

“How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!” (Proverbs 16:16)

Apr 12th The Saturday Morning Post – One To Care And One To Curse

Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 15 – 17 Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 23 – 24; Proverbs 12; Psalms 56 – 60

Read the “0412 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king’s household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.” (2Samuel 16:1-2)

“And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came. And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.” (2Samuel 16:5-8)

Good morning. Two different kinds of people come to king David at the beginning of 2Samuel 16: one to care and one to curse: one to build up and one to tare down: one to encourage and one to discourage: one to edify and one to destroy. God’s Word teaches us to try and restore those who have fallen, but many will kick a person when He’s down.

“Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.” (Proverbs 12:25)

How hard could it be to speak a “good word” and encourage someone. These days: hard. In the second miler readings, in Matthew 24, Jesus talks about the love of many shall become cold…

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:3-12)

We may have to encourage ourselves as David did…

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” (1Samuel 30:6)

Didn’t anyone realize that the Amalekites had taken David’s wives also, and that he was hurting as much as his men were? They should be comforting each other, but they talked of stoning David.

In a world where a child can’t pray in school for his or hers food: a world where sexual perverseness and hatred is running rampant: a world where it’s okay to say allah, buddha, and not Jesus Christ (unless it’s being taken in vain) the love of many will wax cold… but be encouraged… and be a Ziba, not a Shimei.

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1Theselonians 4:13-18)

“We’ve been told:

God’s done warned us:

Jesus is coming soon.”

(Blind Willie Johnson 1897-1945: Jesus Is Coming Soon)

Peace.

Mar 29th The Saturday Morning Post – Have You Heard God Today?

Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 10 – 12; Proverbs 29; Psalms 141 – 145)

Read the “0329 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” (1Samuel 3:19-21)

Good morning. The LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of the LORD. Have you heard God today?

“And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.” (1Kings 22:19)

Have you heard God today?

“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30)

Have you heard God today?

“For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.” (Psalm 33:4)

Have you heard God today?

“And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” (Acts 13:44)

Have you heard God today?

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

O ye dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD. Have you heard God today?

Peace.

Mar 22nd The Saturday Morning Post – As The Man Is, So Is His Strength

Today’s Passage – Judges 7 – 8 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 1 Peter 1 – 5; Proverbs 22; Psalms 106 – 110

Read the “0322 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

(Judges 8:18-21) Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. (19) And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. (20) And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. (21) Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

Good morning. The two kings of Midian were in the custody of Gideon. They had killed Gideon’s brethren. Now Gideon”s son Jether was there: the beginning of Gideon’s strength. Gideon ordered his son to kill the two kings, but he would not because he was a youth and was afraid. Gideon had to kill them himself.

Jacob, (Israel) even had problems with his firstborn: Reuben…

(Genesis 49:2-4) Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. (3) Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: (4) Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

Let’s check out another youth: David. He obeyed his father’s request, but above and beyond those.

(1Samuel 17:17-23, 40-52) And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; (18) And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. (20) And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. (21) For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. (22) And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. (23) And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. (40) And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. (41) And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. (42) And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. (43) And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. (44) And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. (45) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. (46) This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (47) 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. (48) And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. (49) And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. (50) So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. (51) Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. (52) And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.

Who would you rather have for your firstborn? He will be the beginning of your strength.

(Proverbs 22:6) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

(Ephesians 6:1-4) Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (2) Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) (3) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. (4) And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Peace!

Mar 15th The Saturday Morning Post – What’s In A Name?

Today’s Passage – Joshua 10 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 1 Timothy 1 – 6; Proverbs 15; Psalms 71 – 75)

Read the “0315 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

(Joshua 10:1-4) Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; (2) That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. (3) Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, (4) Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.

Good morning. What’s in a name? Most of you know that me and Pastor Phil went to Texas Baptist College together.. We were sitting together in the auditorium when a kid came up to me and asked me to sign his Bible. He startled me with such a request. I asked him, “Why do you want my autograph, I’m a nobody?”

And he told me why: “Nobody can be a somebody someday.”

So, I signed his Bible.

Am I a somebody? Paul was somebody…

(Act 19:11-16) “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: (12) So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. (13) Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. (14) And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. (15) And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? (16) And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

The evil spirit knew Paul. Am I somebody? Of course the evil spirit knew the Lord Jesus, and rightly so…

(Php 2:9-11) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

So am I somebody? You betcha. I have God’s Word on it.

(Joh 3:16-19) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

And Jesus said…

(Joh 6:37-40) All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (38) For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (39) And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. (40) And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

I am a somebody, and you are too, if you called on Jesus to save you…

(Rom 10:13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Are you a somebody?

Peace.