Category: Choose Christ

What do you need?


In truth that is the WRONG QUESTION!! It is not what do you need or how much money do you need, but Who do you need? Is it that hard to understand? It is Jesus the Christ that our world needs! Every country, every individual, NEEDS Jesus in their life! Why do they not know about Him as their Savior? It is because of us.

Americans claim to be Christians but our society and the culture,which every other country sees evidence of in the news, does not show that our country and our people truly are Christians!

It is because of our collective claim of being Christian but it has a faulty proof.

We have come to think or believe that just because we are born into a family which goes to church that we are Christians. Some think that because they have attended church most or all of their lives, they are Christians. Christianity does not come to each of us because of osmosis or proximity. Each of us is called by God through interaction with the Holy Spirit and by faith as well.

The person and nature of Jesus is the One that came to save us and He put His nature as God the Son aside to do this. That is something that we don’t understand because our needs or rather our wants are not centered around being disciples of Jesus, which is what we are actually called to do.

Although, in being disciples we are supposed to be more like Jesus too. What do I mean by that? I mean that we are supposed to tell others about Jesus at work, in Walmart, on the street if the opportunity presents itself. In other words, we are supposed to take Jesus with us and be His witness to every person that we meet. If we don’t know them, then we should get to know them.

I don’t mean to be pushy about it and don’t act like a street preacher yelling at people, but if or when the opportunity arises then tell them what Jesus did for you. God sent Jesus to all people and when Jesus told His disciples to go into all of the world and preach the gospel, He meant ALL OF THE WORLD! Good places and places you might not feel comfortable with, but if you take another believer with you then Jesus is there in the midst of it with you too!

Life places us in places where we are comfortable and uncomfortable, when it does then tell anyone who might listen about your Lord and Savior. If it is at work or school or wherever it might be, then make sure that Jesus is there with you. If you aren’t carrying Him out of the church, then what good is your faith and your Christianity doing in this world?

Will the world end this week?


theworldendsI heard that someone has predicted that it will. I would like to know where these people get their information from. The Bible foretells of the end of the world and yes, there are many things happening right now that seem to point in that direction. BUT…until you see the church taken out of the world or see Jesus coming in the clouds with the host of Heaven, I don’t think that our world will end. Especially not when someone says that it will on a certain day. Humanity is not given that information in the Bible or anywhere else.

So what are we supposed to do? First, don’t worry about it. If the world ends, there isn’t anything that we can do to stop it. If the church is taken up to Heaven, that is God’s decision and there is still nothing which will change that.

The most useful outcome of this would be if people really began to read and study their Bibles to find out if there is an end coming because it is, just not this weekend. God has given us, humanity, nearly two thousand years to learn that we need Him and to give our lives to Him. In may opinion He has been very patient with us when we have been doing some things which would provoke any human to just kill everyone!

Thankfully, God is not like us. He loves each of us with our faults and our fears and our tears. He doesn’t care how much money we have or how big our house is, but He does want us to give our lives to Him and to tell others about Jesus! If you are looking for your calling or your purpose in life, that is it as far as God is concerned. Study His Word, learn as much as you can about Him and His Son, pray about your problems, your fears and your joys in this life because He is the One Who supplies all of our needs and our ability to live in this world!

In the news it seems that more people want to cause chaos and destruction in the world. For what reason, I don’t know. Maybe their idea is if the world is on fire, a Savior will come to fix things. Maybe the rest of the population will decide to follow their god or their ideology so that there will be “peace”. Honestly, a peaceful world doesn’t get that way by killing and burning everything in sight! At least, that doesn’t sound like a way to bring about peace  to me!

Seek peace in the Word of God and learn from its wisdom because mankind’s wisdom is foolish to the rest of the world and peace does come through God alone.

Fear, what does it mean to you?


I read this recently and it does make sense, if you look at it the way the definitions are worded.

Fear has two meanings:

Forget Everything And Run  or

Face Everything And Rise

Which would you prefer? We all have a fear of something, it just depends on how deep that fear is regarding how we will react to it. The circumstances also come into play as well because as you get older your fears change. Some will cause less panic than they did when you were young. Some will cause more panic when they confront you as you get older.

Don’t be afraid of things which you have no control over, such as a hurricane or a tornado. God has your future mapped out perfectly and He knows exactly how and when you will die and where you will be tomorrow. His angels will guard you in every step that your life takes you through no matter what you have to face. You are never alone when you have Jesus as your Savior!

But what if you don’t have Jesus in your heart? What do you do then? If you don’t know or you’re not sure about your salvation, then I would say you need to turn to Jesus for your salvation very soon. Why? Because, He is coming back soon and you don’t want to be caught in the camp of the enemy when He does. If you are, then you will find out what FEAR really means!

God loves each of us and He doesn’t want us to be left here during the time of His wrath on Earth, so the simple solution is…don’t be! Give your heart and soul to Jesus today so that you will be caught up with the church when He returns. Seek Him out and get to know Jesus while you have the time because you don’t know when your time is up!

Bible verses about salvation

The classic hymn Amazing Grace says “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me”. In this post you can read a couple of Bible verses about salvation.

For this is the commandment that the Lord has given us:
‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
so that all the world may be saved.’ (Acts 13:47)

I wait patiently for God to save me;
I depend on him alone.
(Psalm 62:1)

Jesus said to him, “Salvation has come to this house today, for this man, also, is a descendant of Abraham. The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:9-10)

Salvation is to be found through him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us. (Acts 4:12)

I am telling you the truth: those who hear my words and believe in him who sent me have eternal life. They will not be judged, but have already passed from death to life. I am telling you the truth: the time is coming—the time has already come—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will come to life. Just as the Father is himself the source of life, in the same way he has made his Son to be the source of life. And he has given the Son the right to judge, because he is the Son of Man. (John 5:24-27)

He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace by means of Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but now it has been revealed to us through the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus. He has ended the power of death and through the gospel has revealed immortal life. (2 Timothy 1:9-10)

If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God. In the same manner Christ also was offered in sacrifice once to take away the sins of many. He will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27-28)

I am telling you the truth: he who believes has eternal life. (John 6:47)

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior. (John 3:16-17)

 

Living on borrowed time


Life is given to each of us to live in a way that seems right in our own lives, at least that is what we think anyway. God places each of us here so that we can fulfill part of His plan for our lives. The problem being that we have to find out which part and how to do it. Sometimes we don’t come to know Him early enough in our lives, but I imagine that is part of His plan too. Then there are times when we push Him away or we don’t agree with Him on our part and how it is to be done.

We seem to act as if we are the ones being inconvenienced by God’s plan when it is His plan which is being placed on a back burner so to speak. Although, God can work around our stubbornness too, it just may take a bit longer but His purpose will be done by and by. Why did I pick this topic or subject to write about today? Because a wonderful songwriter died today. Don Williams.

I am not going to get off topic and spout how wonderful his songs were or what a melodious voice he had, because if you have ever heard him sing you already know it. It’s just that our world is near the end of the age and many of those who influenced my life are already gone on before me. I makes me kinda nostalgic a bit for the days of youth when we all thought we had as much time as we would ever need.

The problem with that thinking is that each of us soon finds out that our time is getting shorter almost on a daily basis. The older we get, instead of slowing down so we can enjoy it, time seems to speed up and get faster as we age. It also seems to be happening to our world too. Most of the prophecies concerning the time prior to the Tribulation have already come to pass. All of the “little details” like the weather going crazy and other nonsense which is supposed to be happening around us, you see and hear that on the news every day.

I don’t mean that we should jump up and down in the street shouting “The end is near!!”, “Repent while you can!”, but honestly the world will soon find out that every word and every punctuation mark in God’s Word will be fulfilled whether you or many millions of others believe in it or in Him! The problem today is that the world and those in it don’t want to hear how God’s Word is coming true before their eyes if they would just recognize it, but even when Jesus was standing in front of them the religious leaders didn’t recognize their Messiah.

If you feel that you need Jesus, please seek Him out soon and learn as much as you can about Him. Give your life to Him so you won’t be left to endure the horror which is coming.john317

So much, yet…


It seems that in our culture today, we have so much and yet we still complain. Now, I am not saying that we are similar to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, but they complained about a lot of things too. We have so much in the way of possessions and stuff but it is all disposable and we still want more! Why?

It just seems that we are never satisfied with what we have. God has given us a planet that is moderate in its temperature range, we have gravity to keep us firmly on the ground. There is air to breathe and our days are split between night and day so we have time to work and sleep too. So why do we complain about life and the stuff that we have or don’t have?

We should be thankful for our family and our health, if we are enjoying good health. If you have a job, be thankful for that. Life and living for Jesus is so much more than…stuff! Living for the Lord and with Jesus in your life is so much more than things that we see and have to deal with each day. But, it seems that we are never satisfied with life, particularly our life if we have given our hearts to Jesus.

We look around at all of the stuff that others have, some of whom we think are not followers of Jesus and some who are. We question God, like Job did in his time of testing, and we ask “Why can’t we have xxxx car or this huge house and a bank account to go with it?”.

The answer is the one which Jesus gave to His followers about the rich man. “It is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.“; my quote is a paraphrase but you get the meaning of it. I qualify this by asking a couple of questions: Does a wealthy man need anything? He can have anything that he desires, so why would he want God in his life? Is a wealthy person ever hungry or thirsty? Not unless it is forced upon him I’d wager, so why would he or she ever hunger for Jesus and the freedom that being a Christian affords?

Wealth and so-called privilege can give a person much that the world has to offer. But, being a Christian and living your life as one who is a follower and a disciple of Jesus is not something that the world nor the wealthy would desire. Until, somehow, they are brought to a point of true and desperate need which their money cannot give them. Or if they grew up in poverty and became wealthy later in life and they knew that it was the blessing of God which brought their wealth, which they cheerfully gave to help others in need.

Because, until someone gets to the point of realization which shows them Who they truly need, it doesn’t matter if you have money or not, you will not seek out Jesus for your salvation. Until you know that there is nothing which you can do for salvation or healing or whatever you may feel that you need, not in this life but to bring you into God Presence, you will not seek out any knowledge of God nor will you look for salvation in Jesus.

The message is true!


Nobody's mad but youThis message about Satan being angry or rather furious with Christians is true, but we are protected by the blood of Jesus. He cannot harm us at all! He can cause us pain and heartache by the death of loved ones, he can also cause our death, if God allows it, but he can do nothing without God saying that he can.

Long before Jesus came, Satan attacked Job and took everything from him to try to force Job to curse God or lose his faith in God. It didn’t work. Learn from Job and from the rest of the Bible because the Truth is absolute whether you like it or believe it at all!

Life is hard enough living day by day without understanding that Satan HATES you immensely! Yes, he would love to take your life, your children, your job, and everything else that you have away from you and then gloat in watching you suffer through it all! In Christ we have an advocate and a Protector that will stand with us through it all. That doesn’t mean that we won’t ever have trouble as Christians, but we will have His Strength and His Presence in our lives to help us get through any trouble that we have.

Some people call Christianity a “crutch” or a weak-minded way of dealing with life. Some even try to tell others that what we believe in is a lie and that the disciples just made it all up. Let me ask you this: if someone was going to put you to death by fire or any other means if you didn’t recant your belief in Jesus, would you recant? If you knew it was a lie you would.

That is why the testimony of the book, Foxes Book of Martyrs, is so powerful! Stephen wouldn’t have been stoned for a lie. There were many Roman soldiers who died because they became Christians. Many of the early church were killed in the arena by lions and other horrible ways for their faith! This has been happening for nearly 2000 years, and it is still happening today. Because, the testimony of the Bible and all of the Christians who have died for their faith shows that our faith is not in some made-up story or fantasy.

Jesus is REAL and He is coming soon, so you need to decide which so-called “lie” will you believe. The one where Satan tells you that all of it is hogwash and that you can rule with him in hell one day or will you believe the Truth of Jesus the Christ Who came and paid the price for your eternal soul?

What is the difference?


IamtheWayIt seems that there are so many different divisions of believers! Why? Aren’t we supposed to be worshipping the same Jesus and from the Bible which is God’s Word? Why do we have all of these denominations?

Mostly because of the work of Satan in the church. You didn’t think he could do that did you? If Satan can attend a meeting in Heaven and accuse Job, speaking to God about him, he can surely come into each of our churches! He may come in as a new convert to Christ or he may show up as a deacon or maybe someone who isn’t satisfied with the preacher.

I don’t mean that he has possessed them, but he plants thoughts into their minds which will take root in the congregation and even begin to fracture the family in the church. If you think about how problems arise in the church, regardless of the denomination, this will make sense. Many times after the church is either split or in some way diminished, the “new” person will leave or the person who planted the seed won’t have any recollection of the problem.

I am not writing this to accuse anyone but I am writing it to bring attention to this problem which does come up in churches all over the world, not just here in America. Paul wrote that we are at war with powers and principalities and these are just some of the forces that Satan has under his command. Thoughts of things which Christians shouldn’t think of, consideration of sinful things which we know we shouldn’t do, these are the “arrows” that our Spiritual armor should protect us from.

But, if you haven’t studied God’s Word and placed it in your mind to give you strength and power to resist these thoughts, then you may entertain them and it will become a stumbling block for you. The war for your spirit and your soul is in your mind and it is there that Satan attacks because he can see what each of us is attracted to the most and he uses it against us.

It is the same when we are having trouble in our churches, Satan and his demons and powers are attacking us, each one of us. Pulling up little things which irk us about a certain speaker or topic and making them seem far worse than they are. This is how he caused Adam and Eve to envy God in the garden and he has been doing it ever since all over the world.

Seek out the truth in God’s Word and study it. Learn from the Old and the New Testaments because they complement and interpret each other. With God’s Wisdom in your heart and in your head, Satan can’t twist it and make it say something when you know it well enough to thwart his plans. He knows scripture better than you do so you have to study it in order to know it at least as well. If you don’t, then he will make it sound like it came from the Bible even when he has changed a word or two to make it seem better or more appealing.

This is why we can’t stop learning scripture. Just because you may have read the entire Bible through last year doesn’t mean that you know it well enough to take him on. If you are like me in your reading, when you have finished reading the Bible, the next day feels empty without reading more of it. Every year I read it through but usually when I have finished it, I go back to Genesis and begin again. Each time over the last seven years I will find something or the Spirit will reveal something to me that I didn’t see or understand before!

I am about halfway through another reading of it and I feel that I should begin again. Why? I don’t know, maybe it is the Spirit prompting me to read again a part of it that I have read so that I can understand it a little better. I usually do find some insight in a passage every time that I read it which didn’t jump out at me before and it makes more sense this time.

I am not claiming to be perfect in my studies because I miss a day or two at times, when life gets in the way or maybe I’m not feeling well for a few days, but the more scripture that you put into your mind and heart the less you will be deceived by cults or by Satan.

Do you believe?


There are many reasons today for belief in Jesus and yet there are many who do not believe in Him. How is this possible? Because, so many wish to choose their own truth, their own version of “Jesus”, their own version of “God” even. Do people do this? Absolutely!

You hear it in the news and on other websites where people express their beliefs like, “Truth is relative”, “My truth is different from yours”, etc.

Truth is NOT relative! The Truth of God’s Word is absolute which is what frightens people, because they don’t know what to do with it or how to live by it! In the book by A.W. Tozer The Crucified Life, Mr. Tozer tells us that “The Christian should not have a secular mind at all. If you are a Christian, you should “seek the things which are above”–there should beWomanbytheWell no worldly mind in you at all.”

Some people might ask, “Then how am I to pursue a career or do my housework or run my business?” Do all of these earthly things as sacrificial offerings to God, just as you give your life to Him and you give in tithes. Like the widow who gave two mites into the Temple offering, our daily work and our lives should be given to God as a sacrifice to Him daily.

A.W. Tozer died in 1963 yet much of the writings by him and others who knew him still apply to our churches today. Many of his books which were written nearly a decade before his death sound as if they are speaking directly to our generation. Just as the Bible speaks to us through prophecy in Daniel and the book of Revelation, his book speaks of the church leaving its first love.

Is belief so hard to accomplish in our time? I mean, it is or seems to be politically incorrect to be a Christian these days since all of our views are based upon the Bible. If you haven’t noticed this then you haven’t been watching much news today, although I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. There isn’t much good news on TV or the Internet these days.

That is why we must hold onto our beliefs as Christians. Study God’s Word and pray that you will not be deceived in the coming trials or hopefully you will be taken up when Jesus comes for the church one day. Remember, there are very few prophecies which need to happen before His call to the church to “come up here”. Make sure that you know where your heart is and whether you have given it to Jesus. If there is any doubt, be in prayer and ask Him to come into your life and change you from the inside out!

He came so that the debt for all would be paid, all that we have to do to receive eternal life is to believe in Jesus and ask for forgiveness, repenting of our old ways and turning toward Him, to follow His lead in our lives! A time of testing and tribulation is coming upon the world and if you haven’t given your life to Jesus, you will be tested through it. You can be saved during this time, but it will be harder to make that decision and stick to it through the persecution and hunger. Seek Him out while there is time to do so, please.

 

Who is in control?


Our government and those serving their own interests are not in control of much, particularly with regard to our society. So, who really is in control? Satan?

I know that many of you don’t really believe that he exists, but God said that he does so that settles that argument. But is he in control of all of the things which are spiralling out of control today? I don’t think I would give him that much credit. He may be influencing those who are stirring up trouble to be more violent, more destructive even, but he isn’t in control of them exactly.

IamtheWayBesides, if you have ever read the book of Job or heard a sermon from it, then you know that Satan has to get permission to do the things which he does, especially if it may harm Christians or Israel! The One Who is in Control and Who watches everything unfold in its time, is God. Sometimes bad things do happen to good people, but not without God’s permission. He knows that occasionally something has to happen if it will bring about a greater good in His Kingdom. It may cause pain for now, but in eternity the pain is taken away.

Many people seem to be searching for the Truth of God today, although some seem to be looking in the wrong places. Yes, God is still speaking through His Word, the Bible, and preachers who read and study it and then expound on His Wisdom trying to make it as understandable as possible. The message of salvation is easy enough for a child to understand but as adults we tend to make things harder than they should be. Either by not reading the instruction book, the Bible, or by adding our own ideas to those contained in it.

God doesn’t need your help or mine in order to save you. He already provided the remedy and the way of salvation for each one of us, through belief in and trust in Jesus the Christ.

Period.

No other doctrine or work needs to be applied to your life in order to be saved! There is nothing that you or I can do to get us into Heaven, Jesus did it all. Just believe in Him and His atonement for your sins, turn away from them (repent) and follow Him. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Truly, it is simple…although living your daily walk with Him is going to be hard at times. Your friends will call and ask you to come to this new bar they found or maybe go for a weekend off to the Bahamas with your fiance which you aren’t married to yet. These are the stones which can trip you up and cause you to stumble and fall.

But…if you truly have given your heart to Jesus, even if you fall, you can ask forgiveness and strength and He will give you both! Don’t turn away from Him and go back to your old life. Don’t feel the pull of the Spirit in church or after you hear a sermon on TV and then decide NOT to give your heart to Him. Remember, we are not guaranteed tomorrow so don’t back away from Him when you know you need Him!

Life goes on….


Pain and grief, disease and heartache all of these are part and parcel of our lives on Earth. Even though it is hard to see that God is present even during the times of “testing” in our lives, He is there. At times it seems that we can’t feel His Presence in the days which bring pain and depression…but God is there. He doesn’t leave us, even those of us who don’t believe in Him. How can He leave us alone when He occupies all of Heaven and Earth?

Good shepherdWhen we don’t acknowledge His Presence, it doesn’t cause Him pain. It just magnifies our suffering because we are not seeing His goodness in things which seem to be hurtful to us. Allow Him to be in your painful days, ask Him to give you the strength to go on during those times of feeling without strength or even the faith to believe that He will do it! God is there in the dark with you and He is there when you come out of the dark places. Whether the dark is caused by a personal problem or by a death in the family or even by some other happenstance, God has not left you alone.

He was present when Job was going through all of his trials and Job didn’t give up his faith in God. He questioned God and was angry with God for his suffering but he didn’t lose faith in Him. That is how we are supposed to live our days out on this Earth. Whether we are battling cancer or having to handle the death of a loved one, God is there when we go to sleep after a long night of grief. He will be there to wake us after we have rested and He can carry us through the next day and the next if we will allow Him to do so. Don’t do this on your own strength because it will tear you down physically and emotionally!

We were never designed to live our daily lives without God, so be mindful of His Presence in your day. The drops of rain which fall to nourish the Earth and its plants also causes floods which can be dangerous. God is still present in all of this no matter what the outcome is. Seek Him out in your pain. Ask Him to give you strength to get through today, then make sure you do it again tomorrow. That is what Jesus meant when He said to walk with Him daily.

The walk of a Christian is not one that is to be done alone. It is one that we must acknowledge our Savior as our Messiah and determine to walk with Him every day. It is a walk of purpose not a casual walk. That is why Jesus said that we had to take up our cross and follow Him every day. Meaning that you are to “die to yourself”. You are to give your life to Him as a sacrifice on a daily basis. It isn’t a burden to carry or a problem that you alone have to handle. Give your LIFE to Jesus purposefully, every day, determine that He is in control…not you! Follow Him as a sheep would follow the shepherd because they know that by following him they are safe and cared for!

The same with us. As long as you and I follow along with Him every day, He will keep us on the path with Him. Don’t try to do things on your own, seek His guidance and His strength in all things so that your days will be productive and useful to yourself and to His Kingdom. This is what is called “storing up treasures in Heaven”. It may not be spendable here on Earth, but the reward is eternal.