Whatever it is that's going on in your life right now, know this: God can save you, but you have to stop trying to save yourself.
God, not you, is the one who does the saving. You can't do this through working harder, through deeds, or even through going to church, but it is ONLY through the free gift of grace that you can be saved. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8) Ask God to forgive your sins, come into your heart and surrender your life to Jesus, so that you may be born anew. "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10)
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Have I mentioned beware of false teachings lately?
We are seeing it in one of the largest "religious" organizations in our country. It is very important to know where your church and denomination stands in relation to the Bible. If you've never asked, I'd start asking. In fact, the Bible forewarned of these days: "God’s Spirit specifically tells us that in later days there will be men who abandon the true faith and allow themselves to be spiritually seduced by teachings of the devil, teachings given by men who are lying hypocrites, whose consciences are as dead as seared flesh. These men forbid marriage, command abstinence from food—good things which, in fact, God intends to be thankfully enjoyed by those who believe in him and know the truth. Everything God made is good." (1 Timothy 4:1, 3-4) Right now, there is a speaker slated for a major youth gathering later this year that is actually anti-marriage and for permsiscuous sex. Wow. Hard to look at 1 Timothy 4:3 above and not draw a parallel. People (even Christians) all of a sudden want Jesus to conform to this world instead of shielding and saving us from it. How this must grieve our Savior, as He warned us all well in advance of what was to come: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:16) and "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." (Matthew 7:15) We are not in some new age of enlightenment folks. A life of walking with Christ is not about what "we" feel first and what the Bible "says" second. Quite the contrary. Those that know me, know I'm not a "religious" guy, but an "it's all about you and a personal relationship with Jesus" guy. That said, I will follow the Apostle Paul's God inspired word in 1 Timothy, and speak out against such false teachings: "You will be doing your duty as Christ’s minister if you remind your church members of these things (false teaching), and you will show yourself as one who owes his strength to the truth of the faith he has absorbed and the sound teaching he has followed. But steer clear of all these stupid Godless fictions. Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit." (1 Timothy 4:6-7) We should not sit in judgement of anyone, as "only" Our Lord and Savior sits in that seat, but rather pray that those who are promoting this doctrine, seek counsel from the Spirit on this path they've started down. It's not too late. Be a voice to "halt" what your church leaders are doing. Get back to sharing about the goodness of Jesus's sacrifice. A sacrifice that provides people hope, in an otherwise broken world, rather than relenting to wordly pressures, and sending people down a path of possible damnation. Yours in Christ. Nathan By Bob Yacobucci (https:bobyacobucci.blog) We exist in a world filled with tragedy; where is God? One of the many things Christians struggle with in our faith journey is explaining the “Why” as it relates to tragedy in our world. When tragedy occurs, whether a personal tragedy or a global event, the inevitable question is asked: “Why did God allow this to happen?” And in an effort to justify the tragedy, Christians will try to explain these events away with a canned answer such as, “Part of God’s plan” or “There is a purpose for what God does, we just don’t know what it is.” Both of these answers make the assumption that God caused the event to occur. One of the most painful attempts at justifying tragedy occurs when a child passes away. A well-meaning person falls into the justification trap by suggesting to the parents that God called the child to heaven because God needed to make heaven a brighter place. I suspect trying to justify the death of a child does very little to soothe the pain of grieving parents. God understands completely the pain a parent is experiencing when a child dies; God has experienced this as well. I do not believe God causes the death of a child anymore than God caused the death of His own son. God does, however, receive the child in Heaven as His own and the child immediately feels the comfort of God. The child smiles, comforted in knowing that someday they will be joined together again as a family with their parents in heaven. Instead of going down the path of seeking to justify tragedy, we are better served to understand the answer to the abstract question of “Why?” Why do earthquakes happen that cause a tremendous amount of loss of life? Or a tsunami, or a man-made disaster, and the list goes on. Why? Where is God? If God did not cause it, then He certainly could have stopped it. These are very good questions, and I also have asked these very same questions. I recall seeing the video and images of the tsunami which occurred in 2004 that caused the death of 230,000 people. Innocent men, women, and children died. People carrying out their day-to-day life activities were suddenly swept away by water, drowned, and left floating in the water or lying on the side of a street to decompose. Where are you God? Really! And you say you love us? None of these events seem to make sense, none of this seems justifiable, or explainable. So where is God? When we reflect on the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we know the world in which we live is not where we are meant to be. Genesis tells the story of a place God created for us called, “God’s Garden”, a perfect place for us. But when Adam and Eve committed the first sin of disobedience, they were cast out from God’s presence; and therefore, we all became separated from God’s pure purpose, His plan, and yes, His protection from terrible events. We caused ourselves to be cast into a place of evil and a place where terrible events occur that have no justification. We originated from a place of great order to a place of great disorder. Genesis further explains how the first sin of disobedience evolved into the first murder; a brother murdering a brother as a result of a jealous heart. And from that day until today and all the tomorrows we know with certainty sin will continue. We released evil into the world and we have no choice but to watch it evolve and we are powerless to turn it back; we have lost control of our sin. We are in a place where good people die, a place where a child is senselessly murdered, a place where careless traffic accidents cause the death of an entire family, a place where men and women kill each other, a place where trusted friends lie to gain money, and the sin goes on. Sin seems to spread like a virus unchecked. A virus that we willingly receive, we willingly carry, and we unwittingly and wittingly share with others. The origin of sin, and what sin is, is for another discussion. But the fact is sin does exist and we are all just as guilty as anyone else for propagating it. And just as a man who commits murder and is placed on trial and found guilty, we have also been placed on trial by God for our sin and found guilty. The place we are now, a place of disorder, is our prison created of our own doing; our own guilt. And along with our prison comes earned pain and suffering. We are left in a prison cell to sit on our cot wondering who it is we are, and why we are in this place. And when we look around, we see others who are just as guilty as us. We see people who pass sin from themselves to others as though they are trying to rid themselves of sin with the goal of ultimately finding contentment. But no matter how much we spread sin around, it will not end because our bodies and our blood make up a factory which produces an endless stream of sin. We can never completely rid ourselves of our sin because we are part of it; we all have become part of what is wrong with this world. And no matter how many songs are written or videos made which allude to our human abilities to create a place of perfect order, it will never happen. We are the sin and we cannot escape this prison we are in. And just as a man in a jail cell ponders his fate, we look around and ponder our relationship with God and try to make sense of this world. The good news is that we can realize that Jesus is the only one who has conquered sin. The jail cell door has been unlocked by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ descended into Hell, the absolute place of sin, He conquered sin, and now He offers us a pathway back to the presence of the Father through forgiveness. Some of us choose to find comfort by sitting on our cot passing the time in our cell waiting for peace to be placed on our lap, but some of us hear a faint noise; a tapping on the door and a willingness to stand up and open the door. Jesus calls to each one of us in a way that only our individual hearts can hear. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. –Revelation 3:20 This Bible verse above reflects that Jesus is willing to spiritually bridge the gap from the place we are now to the comfort only His presence can offer (“I will come in to him…“). Jesus is ready to come to each and every one of us and sit with us in this place; if only we have the courage to stand up from our cot and open the door. He will come to us and He will sit and eat with us; He will provide us sense of comfort in this place. Jesus will laugh with us, cry with us, and most of all, Jesus will whisper in our ear the words, “I am in control, everything will be okay, be patient for I am with you! Rejoice!” Jesus is communicating to us that the battle over sin has already been won and to be of good cheer! We are to sit with Christ, trust in Him, listen to Him, and absorb the presence of His spirit in our soul. We are to take comfort in the promise that we are forgiven of our sin through the power of Christ. And through the forgiveness of our sin, Jesus promises us that through our eventual death in this life we will shed this place of disorder and be reborn in a place of great order. The “how we pass away” will not matter to us. All that will matter to us is the warmth that we will feel of an unobstructed Love; a pure form of the passing of Love from God over to us without the hindrance of sin. Our soul will absorb the essence of who God is. We should eagerly anticipate the day Jesus will take us by our hand, tell us to stand up from the cot which has been our comfort zone, and walk us out the door and guide us to the place where we are all meant to be. A place where children do not die, a place where there is no greed, a place of no disease, no hate, no murder, no pain, no tsunamis, and no more tears; this place is His place; a place of Peace. I hope that you know who Jesus is, and if you’re not sure, continue to seek Him. Our faith is not a destination or a single word, it is a journey which only comes to fruition when Jesus takes us by the hand and leads us to a place of Peace. When you are in a season of waiting, it's very easy for the enemy to play mind games with you. Satan wants you to worry about what's going to happen "next". He wants to create in you anxiety over what mistakes you may have made that landed you here.
This is the time you need to keep your focus on the cross and not listen to the enemy's lies. God knows you're anxious and confused, and that's why He tells you to cast your anxiety onto Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). God doesn't want you worrying about anything, but instead, He wants you to be praying about everything (Philippians 4:6-7). Talk to God when you are feeling under attack. He's right there and wants you to share your feelings with Him. “From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.” (Proverbs 61:2-3) Ask God to forgive your unfaithfulness, and remember that He is ALWAYS faithful, even when we are not. (2 Timothy 2:13) Pour yourself into the word of God, devotions, prayer, and song, so that He may comfort and guide you during this difficult season. “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:8) Lastly, "do not fear"! The Lord your God is always with you, will never leave nor forsake you, and will use all this for your own good, and for His glory in the end. This life is short folks and it's our time for choosing. Most will choose the trappings of this world over Jesus. How about you?
"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) Waiting is immensely painful at times. It reminds us we aren’t in control … and that it is impossible for us to change our own circumstances. We need the Lord to move on our behalf. We can’t get ourselves into that pool. We can’t heal ourselves.
The good news is that Jesus always shows up. It’s not usually in our way or in our timing, but He doesn’t leave us alone — and He’s never ignoring us. Jesus knows your story. Whether you’re waiting for healing in your body, your mind, your relationships, your finances or something else — you’re not alone. Christ is with you. He isn’t ignoring your prayers. We may never fully understand His timing, but we can trust in his love for us — a love that took Him all the way to the cross for our ultimate healing and wholeness. How can you actively choose to trust God today in the middle of your waiting? - Ann Swindell When God sent His Son down from heaven to die for the forgiveness of our sins, the ultimate standard for forgiveness was set.
Jesus never committed a sin, and did absolutely nothing but love you (even before you were born), yet He offered Himself up as a sacrifice so that "your" sins could be washed white by the blood of His righteousness. Even when suffering and dying on the cross, Jesus was thinking of those around Him rather than Himself, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34) No one will be able to forgive like God forgives us, but we need to do our best to be a close second. In fact, it is demanded of us if "we" desire to receive God's grace and mercy. "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15) Don't give into the hatred and vengeance of this world when somebody wrongs you, but instead choose to turn the other cheek and forgive, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32) Never forget that you TOO are a sinner, "let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" (John 8:7) Is it always easy to forgive? Most certainly not. In fact, there may be times when you may need to forgive someone many, many times. But be at peace, as Jesus will be there to help you do just that. Ask Him to help when you are struggling to forgive. "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." (Matthew 18:21-22) Remember, not only do we forgive so the offending party can be forgiven for their offense, but also for our own peace of heart and mind. "You ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him." (2 Corinthians 2:7-8) Don't condemn. Don't judge. Don't seek revenge. Leave such things to our Lord and Savior and just forgive (as you have been forgiven), "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:37) With forgiveness can come peace, and with peace, can come love. "Love one another. As I have loved you." (John 13:34). There will never be a better example of love and forgiveness than the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Who have you yet to forgive? What actions or offenses have you let remain unforgiven? Let TODAY be the day you let go, let God, and finally "forgive". "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1:3)
Happy father's day! On this day when fathers are honored, I think it's important to recognize the father who reigns above all fathers. "One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:6) A Heavenly Father who created us, loves us, and pursues us, as He wants not one of us to perish. "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish." (Matthew 18:12-14) A father who is compassionate and slow to anger, "The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love." (Psalm 145:8) and sent His one and only son for the forgiveness of our sins, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) As He is our father, we are His children, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1) And as such, He will mold us into the person He desires is to be, "Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." (Isaiah 64:8) In turn, we as fathers should bring our own children up with an understanding of God's goodness and His free offer of grace for those who believe in Him, "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6) We need to prepare oursleves (and our children), because we know not when Jesus will return again, and we'll be held accountable for our words and actions, "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows." (Matthew 24:36) Jesus has prepared a room for us for that day, if we have surrendered our lives to Him, "There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going. "No, we don't know, Lord," Thomas said. "We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (John 14:2-6) Are you ready? If you haven't yet, no better way to honor your Father in heaven, on Father's Day, than to give your life back to He who gave it to you. "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10) Amen. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24)
"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Matthew 6:24) Think about it. If God allowed somone to have all the money and all the pleasures of this world, why would they see the need for God? Jesus isn't saying that a person with money can't get into heaven, but what He is saying is that can be much more difficult, because their attention may not be where it needs to be, and that is on the cross. "But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." (Matthew 7:14) The enemy rules over this world. By giving you all the pleasures and sins it has to offer, you can be blinded to God's goodness and desire to have a relationship with you. How about if along with all that money and all those pleasures that person (and their loved ones) also never got sick, had any marital problems, etc,. Would that make it more or less likely they'd ever cry out to God? Folks, this is why God "allows" struggles in our lives. He wants us to realize we can't do this this on our own. He wants us to see through the devil's tactics and come to Him. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Even if you have all the money in the world, perfect health, a perfect marriage, perfect kids, all the success and recognition you could ever have hoped for, recognize yourself as a sinner. Confess that to Jesus and turn your life over to Him. The reality is we live in a broken world. If yours hasn't broken yet, don't be too content, because at some point it will. And when it does, all those worldly "things" listed above will be of little solace to you. Come through that narrow gateway, cast aside your old master and run to the one you were created to embrace. "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) If you want God to help you in your struggles, you have to surrender all to Him. And I do mean, ALL.
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. " (Matthew 6:33) God is not a genie to be thrown "wishes", where if granted, you would go on your merry, but still sinful life. God wants you to seek Him. To know Him. To trust Him. How do you do that? Spend time with Him everyday in prayer, devotion, song and in the Bible. God sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross so that you may not perish. All you have to do is respond, repent and believe. (John 3:16 and 2 Peter 3:9) "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10) I used to worry much more about what I thought God wanted me to do versus who He wanted me to be. That changed for me last year. Now, with the fresh understanding of who He wants me to be, I let Him guide me on what He wants me to do, "in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5)
You may start with your own plan in life, but remember that God may have another one for you, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails." (Proverbs 19:21) Trust in God's plan versus you're own. If you're finding above average resistance in your current journey, or you just aren't happy, start talking to God about it. Ask Him if this is indeed His will for you. Then be patient. Be still. Wait. Don't quit your job. Don't just stop living your life as you have been. Just trust that God will provide you encouragements on your path, one way or the other. God is ONLY faithful. When you accept Jesus into your life "He's" now in charge. He will work on you from the inside out from that day forward, only for your good, and ALL for His glory. God has big plans for those whom He has chosen, are faithful to Him, and will be obedient to His calling. Is that you? I hope and pray that it is. "be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) when you find yourself in God's waiting room.
Understand He knows what's best for you, so the solution may be one you never anticipated. Trust that God is looking out for your long term good versus whatever short term pain may be involved right now. "Dear Lord, you know the areas in my life where I need breakthrough. Help me to have patience amidst the highs and lows and the discernment to hear your voice regarding the steps I need to take. Help me to draw closer to you on this journey and to trust that you will release my breakthrough in your perfect timing. In your name, I pray. Amen."
From Carrie Lowrance (www.carrielowrance.com) "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8)
Run to the One that IS love. Run to the One who will never run from you. Run to the One who will never reject you. Run to the One who will never leave you. Run to the One who gave His only Son, so that you may be saved. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Don't look for love anywhere else, including a spouse, friends, or even yourself, until you know God's love. His love is the only one that will endure forever. (Psalm 136) The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines religion as, "the service and worship of God or the supernatural". Roughly 8 out of 10 people in the world claim to have a religious affiliation and roughly a third identify as Christians. When we look at religious affiliations there's a multitude. The most popular are Christianity, Buddism, Hinduism, Isam and even Agnostic atheism (yes, a religion for those who don't believe in "religion"). Then of course, WITHIN Christianity there's Catholic, non-denominational, Methodist, Baptist, and about a half dozen synods within the Lutheran religion...this is just to name a few!
Now, with all that understood, let's unpack the meme/picture above. People can have ALL THE RELIGION IN THE WORLD but if they don't know Jesus, then all their religion is for naught! I listened to a message recently where the pastor said about 90% of self professed people of "religion" would end up finding themselves on the outside looking in (or in other words, they'll be in "Hell"). Why? Because they followed a "religion" but never acknowledged Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Matthew 7:13-14 states, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Translation: People may profess to be religious, but at the end of the day, are still living by "worldly" standards and/or are following a religion (or thought process) that will NOT FIT through that narrow gate. Doing "good works" or being a "good person" will NOT gain you entry into heaven. There is only ONE key to salvation and that's through Jesus. "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12). God did not send Jesus down from heaven to create a "religion". Jesus did not die on the cross to create a "religion". Simply put, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). Jesus came down and died on the cross to save us once and for all from all our sins...past, present and future. PERIOD. This is "not", nor should it have ever been about, religion folks. This is, and has ALWAYS been about, receiving Jesus into your heart so you can have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. As Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." (John 8:12). Are you walking in darkness or in the light? Are you rampaging through the WIDE gate of worldly things that will lead to destruction or are you striving to enter the NARROW gate that will lead to everlasting life in heaven? If you don't know where you stand on your salvation, start here in Romans 10:9-10, "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Don't wait my friends, nobody is "promised" a tomorrow. Sometimes God will allow situations in our lives to "reach" us.
You may have a perfect marriage. You may have a successful career. You and your family may be in good health. You may have a fat savings account. "Why do I need God?" you might ask. Maybe you don't actually "say" that, but through your thoughts and actions, God knows what you're saying and where your priorities lie. How does God reach someone who has the world by a string? I mean, if their life is going along swimmingly, how does He get their attention if they are ignoring Him? One way is by allowing satan to overplay his hand. What does that mean? The enemy's sole purpose in this world is to keep you away from God and retain your soul for satan. Why do I say "retain"? Because we are born a sinner, will grow up a sinner, and will die a sinner, UNLESS we make the conscious decision to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior along the way. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) God will allow satan to run roughshot through your life when you aren't listening. Many times the enemy will use money and other worldly pleasures to keep you in the dark, but sooner or later satan just wont be able to help himself, and he'll push the envelope of your selfishness because of his hatred for God. Maybe he'll introduce you or your spouse to an affair, give you so much money that you begin to question your purpose in life, or perhaps you or a loved one falls ill because the enemy wants you to curse God for this misfortune! This suddenly puts your life into perspective. All those worldly successes are now of little comfort when a marriage is falling apart, there is a serious health issue or we are facing another of life's crisis'. God doesn't cause this, but will allow satan to do it, because He wants no one (including you) to perish. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) These are the times when people finally cry out for help. They recognize that money, sex, and yes, even family, can't solve the problem they are encountering. That's when they'll search for something else. Something that will bring peace back into their lives. And that something is Jesus. "and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." (Psalm 50:15) Recognize satan and the things of this world as your enemy. Repent for your sins and surrender your life to Christ. Allow Him to start working on, not only your problem, but most importantly you! If you haven't given your life to Jesus yet, I pray you do just that today. "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10) If Jesus is already in your heart, know that God is always faithful, even when we are not. "If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is." (2 Timothy 2:13). Trust God's plan and will in what you are going through right now. There is a reason for everything. Pray to God to search your heart for the things you are still letting get in between you and a closer relationship with Him. Give those things, along with your worries, over to Him. Remember, God is not out to harm you, but to give you hope and a future (even if it's a future you never saw coming). "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Romans 10:9-10
"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Romans 10:9-10
For the Lord is ALWAYS with you.
There will be times in your life when God seems distant, but those are the times when He is closest to you. "No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5) No matter what's going on in your life, or who may be causing you worry or pain, God will strengthen and help you through it. "So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6) and "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6) Understand also, that this too shall pass. Trust God's longer term plan for you, in spite of the current struggle. "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose for them." (Romans 8:28) "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)
The world says he who dies with the most toys wins. Jesus said, he who dies to himself wins his life.
In the end all the world brings is death. Death is not winning. With God, there will be no end. When you walk in the eternal, the temporary loses power over you. “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). Lord, take away from me the desire to grow and to gather in this world. Replace it I pray, with the desire to grow and to gather for Your kingdom. The one is for but a breath, the other is for eternity. It is when we get to heaven that we will realize what has the most value, and so we will only use gold as pavement for our streets. Blessings to you, Paul Tripp "Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." (Colossians 3:2) |
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