Tag: Christianity

Is there a point of no return?


Many today believe that when things get so bad in your life that there is a point that you reach where there is no way back or out of the situation that you find yourself in. In a legal sense that may be true but I am speaking of your heart and your life as God sees it. It is true that the Bible says that there is a sin that is unforgivable, but that is referring to rejecting God’s call on your life repeatedly until your heart no longer responds.

If you have ever felt that tug on your spirit from God and just brushed it away as a fly, that is the call that I am referring to. When we brush God off many times and refuse to repent and come to Him, that is the sin for which there is no pardon. At which point, God will refuse to hear as you have done for so long. Our hearts can be hardened just as the pharaoh’s in Egypt were when God was about to liberate the Jewish people from their captivity.

When that happens, there is no argument or persuasion that will result in your salvation. It is at this point that God has turned His back on you just as you have done to Him. It is also a very sad and lonely place to be in your life because there is nothing that can help your spiritual condition at this point. It is one of those times that no parent or friend ever wants to see, but sometimes it comes and you just have to move on.

Why do we turn away from God? Usually the cause is a mixture of pride and our own arrogance. “I can do it myself”, “Christianity is too elitist”, “Their way can’t be the only way to heaven”, these are all arguments that I have heard or witnessed and they are all wrong!

The Bible says that “the only way to the Father is through the Son”, which is my paraphrase of John 14:6 which says:

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Belief and faith in Jesus is the only way to Heaven and everlasting life. I know that is a restricting way of saying so but it is true because the Bible is Truth and none of it is false. The world and the one who is in this world tries and succeeds in deceiving people into thinking that they can get by without God and without Jesus. It is true you can live your life without Him in your life, but the rewards of giving your heart to Him allow you so much more!

So much more life and effectiveness in this world and a future in the next one! I would never trade or attempt to return to my life before Christ because my life has become so much more alive with Him. God created us to have a daily walk with Him and that is what was restored when Jesus took our sins and paid the debt for us on the cross. All that we have to do is accept that, believe it and determine to follow His example and His Word in our life on a daily basis. He will give you the ability and show you what you are to do with your new life.

We are not just pawns to Him we are disciples, teachers, prayer warriors, preachers, evangelists regardless of where we work or live. These are our vocations once we are saved to be His. We are new creations in Christ and as such we are to boldly go out and tell others of how we became the adopted children of God! We also have the responsibility to mature into our new life by reading His Word and prayerfully accepting the truth that comes from the Spirit while reading it.

The Spirit of Truth which came down on the day of Pentecost to the disciples is the one that Jesus promised to us. We receive it at our conversion and acceptance of Christ, although it may not look like a tongue of fire when it arrives. Our life is so much more and can be much more meaningful with a relationship with Christ than it ever can be without Him. He wants all to come to Him if we will only believe in Him and what He did for us.

 

Small sins cause the greatest pain


When we do sin, even in the smallest way, we are breaking God‘s laws. Not that we are bound by the Laws of Moses since we are under the sacrifice of Jesus and under grace, but consider that God said that we are to be subject to our government and its laws. Every time we break the speed limit, even a little, we are breaking the law of God and man.

I know that many people don’t count those “little sins”, but God does. In the least, those “little sins” like speeding, lying to someone (just a little), cause problems with our prayers and with our relationship between God and us. If we are to call ourselves Christians, we should act like it, and that means obeying the law.

“For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth.” Leviticus 11:44

Christians and those who believe in God and who He is are called to be holy by claiming Jesus as our Saviour because He is the Messiah and the One prophesied about by the prophets in the Old Testament scriptures. We have to come to Him before it is too late because the only way to the Father is through the Son.

There will be a great falling away of people from their faith in God and Christ during the time of tribulation coming upon the world. Your faith in what you have been taught and in the Bible itself will be tested and the only way to hold firm to that is to claim it fully and completely. God does not want any to perish but if you cannot or will not accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus, that is what will happen.

I know this is a harsh message to read and hear but the time will come when these things are happening. It is prophesied in the Bible and God’s words are true!

Are you a broken vessel?


Does your life feel broken? Do you feel broken in your walk with God? Sometimes our lives feel this way but Jesus and His Father have not left you. If anyone has moved in the relationship, it is you. Even though you may not have moved very far, distance makes the relationship a little harder to feel from our perspective.

Is your relationship with God feeling empty or lacking in depth? Mine does at times. At the point where we are in history, our lives and our relationship with God needs to be fresh and refreshed daily. Walking with Christ daily from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep at night is a process and it is one that He desires from you. It is also one which will enhance your life with Him as long as you keep your part of the relationship active and alive.

In biblical times, when pottery became broken and useless, it was thrown away much as we do today with things that don’t work anymore. The pottery and the clay of which it is made can be used again, unlike electronic junk today. Pottery just has to be broken and wet to the point of being remolded and shaped into something useful again. In our lives, it is the breaking and remolding which causes us discomfort but it is necessary if we are to be useful to Christ.

A few verses which show this are found in the book of Jeremiah: “Arise, and go down to the potter‟s house, and there shall I announce my words to you.” Then I went down to
the potter‟s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?‟ declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter‟s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” (Jeremiah 18:2—6)

God can work with us as a potter does with clay to make whatever is needed and to make it better suited for the job. How can we help the Potter in making us a suitable vessel for Him to work into the shape that is needed? By keeping our lives on the path which is set before us and by studying His Word and asking Him to show us what He would have us to do with that which we learn.

I am not saying that we will become as wise as Solomon or as effective as Paul was but God knows what we can do and He will equip us to do that which He has purposed for us to do. All that is required of us is to obey Him and listen to Him. Just as Abraham and all of the other prophets did when they were chosen to be His servants, so are we to do in our walk with Him. All of the disciples which followed Jesus and were faithful to Him in their service while He was about His Father’s work did this as well. They listened to Him and to what He taught and then when He told them to go and teach others to do the same, they did. The commission that was given to them was passed to us as believers today and the church too.

We, as the body of Christ which is the church, are to go and make disciples of all nations. That includes those at our workplace or at home or anywhere else that we may be asked about the joy that is in us. I know that there are times when we don’t feel “joyful” but when you have Jesus in your heart, the joy will leak out whether you feel it or not. Those around you can and will see it.

What kind of vessel are you? Are you a pitcher to bring forth prophetic words, a bowl brimming with the Spirit of Truth, or a perfume vial filled with anointing oil? Are you a basin to wash feet, a fine goblet fashioned for the King’s table, or are you a large platter to hold the bread and meat of His gentle Word?
We are uniquely made in the gentle hands of Jesus, and He alone knows your color, shape, and purpose. Are you going to allow Him to mold you and shape you to do great works? Do others see the works that you can do but you are not doing them? Could that be why your life seems to be off just a bit?

We are at the beginning of a journey, one which will be wonderful for some and endless for all who have come to know Him. If you have not made that commitment in your heart to Jesus, do it today. He patiently waits for you and He loves you more than you can know. Living the life of a follower of Christ is not the easiest journey that you will make but it is the most rewarding. We don’t know and can’t imagine the life that we will have with Him in Heaven and we won’t know if the decision is never made.

Show Christ what your heart is made of so that He can live there and He will show you what you are made of and He will make you better than you are now. You will be a new creation when He comes to live with you, one which can do all things through Christ and with His power so that others will see Him through you and your witness for Him. The finishing touches won’t be done until you are born into your heavenly body and it will be there that your eternal life will truly begin!

Can you see?


When we are born our eyes take a while to get to the point of actually seeing what is around us. Our brain and the nerves have to grow to the point of being able to process the information. What about when we get older? Can we see things as they are or do we only see what we want to see? It depends on what we are looking at.

When we are looking at things or people that we like or love, we usually see the best in them. Then at other times we may see more or less good or bad, it depends on our mood and sometimes how we feel. Then there are times when we are looking at things with our spiritual eyes, especially if we are Christians. Those who have not accepted Jesus don’t have spiritual eyes yet.

I have had people to ask me about this and it seems odd that people who have been in church for many years don’t understand about their spiritual eyes and what they are for. We have to use all of our gifts from God if we are to be successful in delivering His message to a world that needs it. There are so many people in the world and outside the church that do not see things happening according to prophecy and the scriptures that refer to this time in our history.

Why is that, you may ask. It is because of the deception from Satan‘s spirits and demons and the lies that they get people to believe, especially those within the church! We are the ones that are targeted more often than any others because we already claim to belong to Jesus. If he can get one or many of us to slip up or believe something which is “twisted scripture”, or scripture that is true but has been altered so that it says something different or means something different, then that is what he wants to do. Corrupt the message and the messenger so that others will be deceived and follow a teaching which will carry others straight to hell.

In that way, Satan can take unwitting victims which may have been searching for the truth and lead them down a path to destruction without them ever realizing it until it is too late to do anything about it. Our scriptures show that he is good at that because he is the father of lies. Back in the garden of Eden, he twisted God’s words and added a question to make Eve question God. He did it again when he tempted Jesus by leaving out some parts of scripture to fit his purposes, although Jesus knew what he was doing we don’t! When he comes at us through a preacher or some other messenger that we trust, with words that sound right, we have to ask God to help us to understand the message so that we get the correct message.

If we don’t do that, Christians can be deceived just as easy as everyone else. Satan has been at this for thousands of years and can craft a lie that sounds true and he can do it well enough to fool even the angels of Heaven. That is how he got so many to follow him in his rebellion against God!

Now those that followed him are the ones who deceive us and cause us pain and disease and depression and heartache. The world that doesn’t know Jesus may not even know about the work that Satan and his demons and spirits do because they are already outside the love of God. Satan doesn’t care about them unless he finds out that they are going to give their lives to Jesus. Then they become a target because they can cause him problems, especially if they are going to be a strong in their witness for God.

Our lives are worth a lot to God because He loves us and He created us. When these spirits cause rifts in churches or families, Satan loves it. Especially when there is a death in the family. He will use that death to cause more anger and frustration between members of the same family when there wouldn’t be if he weren’t right in the midst of it. Prayer is the only avenue that we have in this to have power over him and what he does to us. That is why I am still praying for those who have lost a loved one recently because they do need it, whether they want it or not. God can do wonderful things in your life if you will let Him.

Give Jesus a chance in your life and you will never regret it, on this side of Heaven or when you get there. When we get there, we won’t have anymore pain or sorrow, or anything that comes from our enemy here on earth. We will have life everlasting and a home for all of eternity.

We live in unsettling days


There are so many things that are happening right now all over the world, especially in the Middle East, until some days it is hard to watch the news. We are not left alone in these times though because the Creator, our God, knows about everything that is going on and who it is affecting. Everything that is happening today and in the future is happening according to His plans. Satan is trying to derail those plans and fool the world into believing his lies, but in the end God will win and so will all of those who belong to Him!

Our lives are not in vain as long as we keep our faith and our life’s focus on Jesus and on the purpose that He has for us. The time that we have with our loved ones is short compared to the time that we will have with them in eternity. That is why we must be bold in our witnessing to our family and to all of those that we love! If you care about them, you have to witness to them! You must! This is not an option that we can ignore and we must not quit because the seed that we plant must be watered and yet the Holy Spirit will give the increase and call that person to Jesus.

God loves us all and does not want anyone to perish and yet, He knows who will come and who won’t. It is our responsibility to make sure that everyone hears the gospel of Jesus and His offer of salvation, given freely through grace if we will believe. Once we have told our friends and loved ones about Him, if they have not decided to follow Him, then we must pray without ceasing until our Lord calls us home. Shower them with prayer, love them regardless of their actions because once we have done our part it is up to God and His Spirit to bring them to Him.

In 1 Chronicles 16:8-9 says: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name. Make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him. Talk ye of all His wondrous works.”

We are to praise Him and tell others about Him so that they may be saved from the coming wrath during the Tribulation. Our time is not done until Jesus calls us homeward so we must do everything that we can to get the word out about Him and His grace and mercy. During these days and in the near future, our faith will be tested in ways that we have never experienced before. We must pray that our faith will keep us true to Him and that we will have the strength to tell others about Him, because that is what we are here for.

Jesus will come back for us when the Father says that it is time and no one knows exactly when that will be. Although the signs are showing up, a little at a time right now and will increase as we get closer to the Day. We have to watch and be ready for in that day one will be taken and one will be left and the sign will be seen by all people over the world. There will be no secret snatching away, everyone will see and then the truly Great Tribulation will come.

There will also be a falling away of those who are of the faith. There will be some who have been in the church and will lose their faith and begin to trust in lies. Those of us who stand firm in our faith and stay true to Jesus will come through and be rewarded.

1 Chronicles 16:10 says: “Glory ye in His Holy name; let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord”. We must put our trust and our faith in Him and pray that our loved ones truly seek Him too. God loves us all and will take care of us through trials and hardship, grief and in joyful times, in sickness and in abundant health. These He promised to those who love Him because He loved us first. How much more could be expected of our Creator and our God? What could we ask of Jesus who gave His life for all of us? He endured the torture and flogging and the crucifixion as a man, and yet was raised to eternal life three days later! In doing this, He conquered death and the grave and made a way for all of us to come to the Father through His sacrifice and by faith in Him. What more could we possibly ask of Him than this?

Many would say that they want a healthy life or more money, these things are temporary because they are from this world. Your life and its comforts last only a short time, like a puff of smoke compared to eternity with Him. While we are here, if we are believers, we must do the things that Jesus told us to do:

Mark 16:15-16 “and he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned”.

This is our commission and our duty for our Lord. It is the highest and best calling for any Christian and one that we should be honored to do. Go and tell because our days are not given us as promised, we have today but not tomorrow until it is here. While we have the time and the breath we must be about our Lord’s business and our Father’s. Tell others, pray for those to whom you cannot go to in person, give someone a hand toward the Hands that were pierced for our transgressions. He loves you all, can’t we do likewise for those that we love?

Can you see or are you blind?


When we sleep or just close our eyes to the outside world are we like little children who think that because they can’t see anything, they are invisible and the world is too? There are times that I would like for that to be true but, it isn’t. When we were blind to the truth of God, did His truth still exist? Of course it did!

The world and all of the created things in it exist regardless of our position in it or our comprehension of it. The sun comes up and the moon rises, the tides come in and flow back to the sea, seasons change and the wind blows. All of these have been since the beginning when God put them into motion and they will not stop until He causes them to.

The same is true in our lives. We go to sleep at night and dream, we wake in the morning, eat breakfast and get ready for our job, and this is a daily ritual that goes on until we retire or we die whichever comes first. The novelty of life is that it shouldn’t be a novelty; we should live it as real as it is and thank God that we can do so.

The ground under your feet and the air that we breathe are real because God made them so. We did not and cannot create anything that He did not create first; a painting or sculptures are only as real as our imagination and our talent allows us to make it. He created the stone and the paint pigments that are used in its creation by us if we have the talent to do so. God Himself sculpted Adam from the mud and breathed His life into him and afterward He said that it was very good. Adam’s own decision to not follow God’s instructions caused all of us to pay for his mistake but God knew that was going to happen before it happened. He had a plan then and He has a plan for all of us today through Jesus and the work that He did for all of us.

The life that we are given to live here is for God’s glory and for His purposes. Whether we choose to work for Him and with Him is still our choice but our life will be the greater for it if we do choose His ways and purposes. While we are living and working in this world, regardless of our vocation, we should use our time and energy to further His kingdom as much as we are able. The pay for working for God in this life may not be profitable as our world views it, but the rewards in the next life are beyond measure by any standard that anyone on earth can fathom.

If you died today, where would you go? I hear many people say, “I hope that I will go to heaven”. If your hope is in Christ and your faith is in Him too, you will. If you are counting on your own deeds to get there, you will be disappointed. Our righteousness is as filthy rags without Christ because nothing that we can do on our own is good enough. Give your life to Him and ask Jesus to save you from your sins today. Once you do that, there will be no doubt about where you will be after you die. You will be with Him. Then your life will really start!

 

Just as you are


It doesn’t matter what you look like or where you live, Jesus loves you just as you are. He has always known you because He knew all of us before we were born. He knows and knew ahead of time who will come to Him and who will not. He also knows the gifts that He has given you and how to teach you to use them for Him and for the glory of God.

You are special to Him, it doesn’t matter who you are or your status here on earth. If your family has lots of money and status and fame, you are special to Jesus. Not because of who you are or because of what you think you have in this world, but because Jesus values you because you are you!

The “stuff” that we and our families gather during our life and on a daily basis doesn’t matter at all, especially with eternity hanging in the balance. The only real stuff that matters is what you choose to do with Jesus and whether you accept His gift for your life! God loves you and truly wants you to come to know Him and His Son, Jesus.

Once you make that decision, your life here will be forever changed in ways that you can’t imagine if you have never given your life to Christ. If you think that you are a Christian, but are having doubts, ask Jesus to clear things up for you. Ask Him to show you exactly what He wants you to do and what you need to read in God’s Word. Once you find the meaning and purpose for your life through Christ, eternity is your destiny because you will have that long to serve Him and to find out more about Him.

If you have access to a Bible, read Romans chapter 8. It has plenty of information for new Christians and for those of us who have gotten a bit rusty in our faith as well. For example: Romans 8:28 says: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

God loves you all and wants you with Him, please come to Him before it is too late. You won’t regret this decision, I guarantee it!

What should we do about Jesus?


If you are asking this question, of yourself or just wondering, isn’t it time that you made a decision for real? Your eternity hangs in the balance. The condition of your eternity, whether it is comfortable and with friends or terrifying and painful and alone, also hangs on your decision about Jesus. There was a preacher once who preached a sermon about humanity hanging by a frayed rope over the pit of hell and the only way that we could get free from that situation was by accepting Jesus as our Savior and into our life.

What will your decision be? Do you have an opinion about Him based on what the world tells you about Him and Christianity? Or have you got a relative or someone that has told you that it is a bunch of baloney and don’t worry about your “so-called immortal soul” because when we die, we are dead and that is it. That is some dangerous advice to listen to!

You know what really bothers me? It’s the fact that so many people in this country “claim” to be Christian when in actual fact, they are not! I am not judging anyone in this regard, but if eighty percent of Americans really are Christians, why is our country so messed up? When I say that I am a Christian, I mean that I believe that Jesus died for my sins and that the Word of God, the Bible, is true….all of it! Our world and the universe that He created is not billions of years old, and the Book of Revelation is not fiction nor is it allegory. The prophecies contained within it will come to pass at the appropriate time.

God sent His one and only Son to earth to be the sacrifice for all of mankind. If you cannot believe this, read the Bible and pray about it. Your life will never be the same once you accept Jesus as your Savior, it will be more alive and vivid than you can possibly imagine! Without Him, you can do nothing, with Him, you can do anything!

If you repent and turn from your worldly ways….


“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.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Our world is in sad shape. Not just in America but everywhere, especially in the Middle East around Israel and north Africa. There are so many people who are dissatisfied with their religion and their life until they are looking for something, ANYTHING that will help in some way! Our lives are tied together all over this world regardless of where you may live. If we turn to the only One who can help, He will!

Give Jesus a chance in your life. He loves you and will come into your heart and heal the brokenness that is there from whatever may have put it there. Our lives don’t last very long in this world but by following Jesus and giving our life to Him, your life will never end.

There are many religions in our world, so many that I won’t try to name any other than the few that I know about; there is Buddhism, Hindi, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism just to name a few. They all have an “end of the world” scenario of one kind or another and each one is similar in some respects. There are other so-called “religions” which were devised by mankind which really don’t count in my opinion so I am not going to name them here. Even though a few that I did mention were devised by men but they are followed by many and are not “fringe” religions.

Our God loves you all because He created everyone of us and did so with a purpose, His purpose. When we wise up and realize that He wants us to fulfill that purpose, we are drawn to Him. Although some of us tend to go our own way and ignore that “still, small voice” which is calling us. Truly, once we are called, we will serve God’s purpose. It may take a while, but He will work us toward His purpose and His calling one way or another. Please, give your life more meaning by accepting Jesus into your heart. You will never regret that decision.

Are you selfish or living for Jesus?


Is it possible to be selfish and a Christian too? Yes, if you aren’t living for Jesus and for His purposes in your life.

Our selfish side is still there regardless of whether we are Christians or not. If we have not given our heart to Jesus, that part of our “old” self is and always will be there. But, there is a way to tame that part of you. Prayer and reading God‘s Word will give you the ability and the tools to be able to resist the temptation of being selfish.

Our life, especially when we are living for Christ, is about so much more than just us. It is about getting the message of Christ and what He did for us, while we were yet sinners and before we were born, out to a world that is searching for answers. The only truth that is available is from God’s Word and if they will not receive it then the fault is their own. Our job is to get the message to them, it is the Spirit‘s job to bring that seed to fruition and call them to salvation.

That is why the commission was given, to the twelve disciples and by extension to the rest of us, to go into all of the world teaching and preaching the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. When we do that, we are doing the will of Him who saved us and of the Father, our Creator.

He loves us enough to do these things and much more on a daily basis, like allowing us to live and see our children grow, to come to know Him and to know that we will be with Him. Those are just a couple of things that our Creator gives to us. Just imagine what He gives us that we don’t realize who it came from. Your job, your friends, your children every good thing that we have in this life came from Him. All of the bad things which happen to us are either caused by bad choices which we made or came as a result of Satan‘s handiwork.

We are in a war between the two, Satan and God, which we know who wins in the end! Our life should be in service to Him who is and who was and who is to come. The Alpha and Omega, the everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace, Jesus who is the Son of God but who is God as well. To be in service to Him is to be in our Father’s will, regardless of the occupation which we have to use to get paid in this life.