Category: Salvation

God is always close to you


Hebrews 13:5 says: 5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

As adopted children of God, if you are a believer, we should never covet or be enticed by something that someone else has. We should remember that our relationship with God is worth more than all of the money in the world! I know there is no way to spend it in this world and most people who would see you on a daily basis might not know about it. But the life that each of us has here on Earth is just a little while compared to eternity. Even the lives of the early children of Adam before the flood only lasted for a few hundred years but compare that to 100,000 years or 1,000,000 million years. Looking at those numbers, even Methuselah’s age of 969 years seems small.

Life today is not viewed with the respect that should be given to it. We don’t think about a child in the womb as being a person until they are outside the womb and making noise. People don’t view elders with gray hair as someone to respect and admire for the life they have lived. Historical figures such as George Washington Carver and Abraham Lincoln aren’t looked at with reverence today because they belong to a past that many people want to forget.

Jesus came and died for all of mankind’s sins even though He knew exactly who would believe in Him for their salvation and who will reject it. He took ALL of the sins of mankind on Himself when He was on the cross which is why God had to look away from Him for a time. He was never abandoned on the cross, God was still near Him but He could not look at His Son. God sees all of the trouble and pain which is happening and that has happened in our world. He knows who is responsible for it and for some things Satan is responsible for them…but not all evil comes from Satan.

Just before the flood, God saw that mankind’s heart was set toward evil continually and much of what we see and hear about today is caused by man as well. Humanity is capable of some great evil as history proves to us if people will read it and learn from it. Although they seem to be wanting to change the history that they don’t like these days.

God is always close to us and if we would just listen to His Word and live by it instead of our emotions and our own ideas the world would be a much better place.

It doesn’t matter….


It really doesn’t matter how much or how big you think your faith in God is because He gave you enough to believe in Jesus so you could become His child.

Amen

God is our refuge…


Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalms 91:1‭-‬2 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.91.1-2.NIV

The Lord is faithful


But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/2th.3.3.KJV

God is there in time and on time


Some of the attributes of time:

Time moves without legs. 

Time only moves in one direction.

Time moves without regard to religion or creed.

Time seems to slow down with anticipation and speed up with our dread of an outcome or our age.

Time will never stop.

God’s promises are always on time and they are never late or early.

Psalm 46: 1-3 says: 1 …God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

God is as near to each of us as our next breath so regardless of the trouble we may be facing, He is there to strengthen us and comfort us in times of trouble. During the past few weeks, we have seen a lot of trouble in our nation and in the world itself. Racial tension has been drawn as tight as a bowstring and it seems to be near the breaking point. 

Our people need to be drawing closer to God during this time but it seems that most of the people on the streets and in the news are more interested in pushing God away. This is really nothing new. God has been pushed to the edge of our collective conscience in America and in most other countries as well and it began during the early ’70s or late sixties. Once the people began to move away from Him, it has been very hard to get it to stop or reverse.

Numerous evangelists have preached to those who would listen and some did but the majority didn’t take their message about Jesus and His love for us to heart. I pray that there will be a revival in America and around the world but it seems that the part of the world that does not revere God or Jesus as their Messiah is just not interested. They seem to be inviting as much violence into the world as possible. That is not going to prompt God to send Jesus or the Tribulation any sooner than He has it planned for.

Violence and uprising, looting, and burning will do nothing for their “cause” except to draw the news crews out in force…which is what they want. The truth is not part of their narrative. Yet, they want any reference to ANY historical event from 140 years ago stricken from the public square or from TV or movies. Any reference to a figure which had anything to do with the Civil War regardless of their view on slavery should be taken down or destroyed.

Slavery was never sanctioned by the Bible and God never intended for us to enslave people but people are still being sold into slavery today. Particularly children. We, as a society, need to become more social with each other across racial barriers. In the culture that we live in today, it will be hard to do because of the hate and mistrust that is being spread on the Internet and in the news but it needs to be done!

When parents and grandparents teach their children that they are different from the other children it sends the wrong message. Yes, we have different skin colors and tones but we don’t have to hate each other because of that. Did history record that there were some really terrible things done to people in the past just because of their skin color? Yes, but if we change our view of each other today we can be an instigator of change in that area as well. But we need to look at each other not as black or brown or white or any other shade of color but as people who are made in God’s image.

God listens


Many times we think that He doesn’t hear our prayers and that He doesn’t care but God has loved each of us since long before we were born. He hears your prayers, then if you will be quiet, you will hear Him speak to you and as long as you have faith in Him that doesn’t waver at all…He will take care of all your needs.

He has always heard your prayers, even when you didn’t believe in Him but He couldn’t act on them until you gave your heart to Him. Once you prayed that prayer then you became His child. A real Father takes care of His children’s needs to the best of His or his ability. In God’s case He is able to take care of all your needs regardless of what they may be.

Love cannot be defeated!


So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.13.13.ESV

In Him we lack nothing


The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalms 23:1‭-‬2 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.23.1-2.KJV

His promise of forgiveness


1 John 1:9:  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The promise which we see illustrated in this passage has a condition attached to it of “If we confess our sins…”. Why would that be there? Mainly because of our need to be convicted of being a sinner and needing forgiveness. If we don’t think or feel that we need to be forgiven of our sins, whatever they may be, then we won’t seek the One Who can forgive them. Jesus Christ came and died to pay the penalty of our debt for our sins and it is only by having faith in Him for salvation that we will realize that we need Him and the forgiveness that is offered.

It seems that many people believe that they can come to Jesus any time they feel like it and everything will work out in the end. But until the Holy Spirit touches your heart and convicts you of your sinful nature, showing you that you truly do need Jesus, you won’t seek Him out because as far as you are concerned there is no need. It is our decision to turn away from our old way of living and to seek to follow Jesus but without being convinced of our need for salvation by the Spirit not one of us would ever go down that pathway. God knows which people will make that life-giving decision to follow Jesus and which ones will not but He doesn’t force this decision on anyone.

Walking with Jesus on a daily basis is not for the faint of heart. Satan and his demons will attack you with all sorts of temptations and they know exactly which buttons to push to get your attention. They will do this at night and during the daytime and when you see something you like or want and you know you shouldn’t get it. This is not a one-time temptation, it is ongoing. This is what Jesus meant when He said to “take up your cross and follow Me”. It is a daily fight which you will be living with but you won’t be alone. The Holy Spirit will be there with you every step of the way.

The best way that I can do this, and I am not successful at it all the time, is to wake up thanking God for today and everything it will bring. Be in the spirit of prayerful thankfulness during your day. If you feel a cool breeze thank Him for it. If you find a parking place that is convenient for you, thank Him for it. You get the idea. Every good and pleasant thing which comes your way during the day, no matter what it may be, thank Him for it!

Life is much easier when you do this but it is a way of life that has to be practiced. It doesn’t come naturally for us. We wouldn’t think of any of these little blessings at all if we weren’t saved through the blood of Jesus. When we were our natural selves being thankful probably didn’t come to mind unless our parents or grandparents taught us that while we were growing up. Even when they taught us this way, as my parents did, I still questioned why? What is the point of thanking God for something that I did?

The problem is that until we realize that He is in control whether we see Him or believe in Him or not we will continue to think that we did it. When it is God Who has given us the ability and the thoughts and knowledge to do what we do every single day! Seek Him and His Kingdom through Jesus Christ and every good blessing will be yours. That doesn’t mean that God will drop a block of gold in your yard but your strength will be renewed every morning, your day will be more like a pleasant walk than a grind to get through so do this every day, one day at a time until you are called home to be with Him.

Jesus died to save you!


He died and rose from the grave three days later to pay your debt for your sins. He did this because He loves each of us. Not because of your skin color or how much money you make or where you live but because He loves you!

The whole world needs to know Him as their Savior and Lord, not just America or any single country but everyone in the entire world! Seek Him out to be your Savior and Lord because it won’t be long before He comes for His Bride, the church, and if you are His you will be part of the church. Don’t wait because none of us are guaranteed even tonight to be alive.