SonShine Station

Stand or Fall?

2010-03-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first..." (2 Thess. 2:3a)

This scripture teaches that in the last days before the Lord's return, there will be those who fall away from the faith.

We wonder why we must suffer in this life and why so many trials. A faith which is not tried by fire is a faith unproven. When the Lord shakes us up by allowing trials in our life, we find out how genuine our faith in Him is.

I am not a person who speaks from something I just read about regarding trials and suffering. I have gone through the fire in my life and took my husband and son with me. But the Lord was faithful to bring us through the fire. We did not lose our faith in Him because His Holy Spirit kept working in our hearts and we believed Him as best we knew how even when it was only one step at a time. That is why I know it is so important in these days to keep our focus on Jesus. This is a great burden in my heart that does not seem to die; As a matter of fact, as I watch people go through trials and they get depressed and seem to get disheartened and discouraged, the burden gets greater.

If you want to be proven genuine, then keep your eyes on Christ. What does that mean exactly? We must know His Word in order to know the heart of God and His promises. If we don't know His Word, we will surely stumble and possibly fall. I am not talking about losing salvation, I am talking about proving whether our faith was genuine in the first place.

I plead with anyone who reads this who may be struggling...Please, take your eyes off of earthly things and earthly circumstances and place them on Jesus. Believe His promises. He promises to provide for your needs. He does not say He will fulfill all your wants. Maybe you won't even have the size of house you desire, or maybe you won't even have a house. Maybe it would be His will that other Christians care for you and take you into their home. Are you willing to obey Him that far? Would you let go of pride to do that? He promises not to let you go hungry or without clothing. He says He clothes the lillies of the field and clothes the sparrows, will He not take care of you for whom He paid such a high ransom?

I pray you do not believe that I think I am better than anyone as I write this. I know my faults and weaknesses and believe me, they are plentiful! But I know the Lord is Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11). It is time we (Christians) realized that this life is NOT ABOUT US! We are to live to glorify God, to love Him and serve Him in what way He chooses, even if it costs us everything...yes, everything.

The Lord will not lead us to go through anything from which He cannot receive glory and be for our good (Romans 8:28).

Brothers & Sisters, please realize that when the Lord bought you, He bought all of you and everything in your possession. You own nothing, not yourself, not your loved ones, not your home, health... nothing. He is a better steward than we are anyway. Therefore, if you want to remain standing in Christ in these last days and be found faithful, count the cost, lay down everything and follow Him regardless of the circumstances. Let your emotions follow your faith and do not allow your emotions to dictate your faith.

The rewards of a faithful life will be worth it. It isn't how we started the race, but how we finish it that matters. If you have stumbled, get up, let the Lord dust you off with His forgiveness, and get back in the race.

It is time to stand for Christ. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13)...

Truth or Consequences

2010-03-11T10:52:00.000-08:00

I am old enough to remember an old radio, then later on a television show called, "Truth or Consequences." The gist of the show was that a contestant would be asked a question. If the contestant was unable to tell the truth, they would have to face the consequences.

The Apostle Paul talks about how Christians are contestants in a race: "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." (1 Corinthians 9:24)

Christians will be rewarded for what they did out of obedience to Christ. One of the largest ways to be obedient to Him is not to be ashamed of Him before others. Jesus said, "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32-33)

Christians are commanded to submit to those in authority over us (Ref.: Romans 13:1-8), but...when those in authority over us begin to restrain us from spreading the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have to decide, "Will we compromise truth and water down the message, or will we be faithful to Christ?".

Children are no longer hearing the truth in schools, but secular teachings on evolution, and teachings that morals are relative. People say, "Prayer was taken out of school. God was taken out of school." No they weren't. Prayer was forsaken and so was God on the altar of secularism and by a false reading of the U.S. constitution! But, Christians, we are not even to bow to the U.S. Constitution if on any given point it defies the truth of God's Word!

An example of how we ought to submit to God when man's authority is in conflict can be found in Daniel 3:16-18, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, then let it be known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up."

What if you wouldn't make as good a salary or your job would be compromised if you told the truth of God's Word? Will you water it down with secular opinions, or will you be faithful to Christ? God promises to provide "all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Ref.: Philippians 4:19), so why worry about your income or your job?

When the Apostle Paul preached, he said, "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." (1 Cor. 2:4-5) The philosophies and psychologies of man's mind and tongue will never demonstrate the power of God unto salvation to anyone.

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap unto themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

This may sound like a big soapbox to some of you, but Christ NEVER compromised the truth, even to the point of death for us. He is returning soon... The question He is asking still is: "...When the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8)

Unity in the Body of Christ

2010-02-22T07:08:00.000-08:00

I believe, and it has been confirmed through other godly Christian witnesses, that the Lord is impressing upon His Church, the Body of Christ, the need for unity.

It was never in the Lord's plan for there to be different denominations within the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul addressed this issue with the church at Corinth.

1 Corinthians 1:10-17, "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you says, 'I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or, were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be of none effect." [Bold emphasis mine.]

Currently there are all sorts of denominations within the one Body of Christ. Denominations occurred because of varying interpretations of scripture, which people then allowed to divide the Body. There is only one Lord and one Holy Spirit. There should not be varying interpretations, but because we don't always walk in the Spirit and instead of waiting upon the Lord for understanding, we proceed ahead and make whole doctrines from those things which we do not yet understand. James 1:5 states, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him as of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him." We need not let ignorance of the truth divide the Body of Christ. As long as the church has the one important focus, "Jesus Christ is Lord, was crucified for our sins, and raised on the third day", then we should be able to have unity in the Body. It has been said, "Let us not major in the minors!" I don't know who said it, but I believe it is a wise statement.

Note: I do want to emphasize that there is a vast difference between the ignorance which causes some misinterpretations and outright false teachers and prophets. There are many "religions" which have blatantly mixed truth with lies and are NOT a part of the Body of Christ. Those who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that "all the fullness of the godhead dwells in Him bodily (Ref.: Colossians 2:9), that He is therefore divine, are false teachers. For if Christ is not Himself God, then all are still lost in their sins. If a "religion" teaches something other than Jesus Christ being the only, "Way, truth, and life, and that no man comes to the Father but by Him" (Ref.: John 14:6), then they are false teachers and NOT members of the Body of Christ. However, we are to love outsiders and share the gospel with them, but that is a topic of discussion for another time. [End note.]

The Body of Christ needs focus on the Lord and the Holy Spirit's leading. Let's keep the main thing the main thing! I have been saddened by those within the Body of Christ who have made so many man-made rules that they have hindered the Holy Spirit's work. We have membership lists, rules that only "members" of a certain denomination can be active in ministries within a local congregation of believers, closed communion if one does not belong to a certain denomination, rules that a person of another denomination can not be employed at a Christian school, etc. These rules are NOT ordained of God. Such man-made rules are foolishness which are divisive and ought not to be! As the Apostle Paul said, "Is Christ divided?"

Recently, my husband and I have experience some wonderful unity within the Body of Christ. Many members of the Church (The Body of Christ)are coming together to worship and to accomplish great things in the Spirit for the Kingdom of God!

Please, pastors and leaders, don't be afraid to cast off those traditions of men and open your hearts to the Spirit's leading regarding unity in the Body of Christ. And don't be afraid to encourage your parishioners to do the same. Pray for His Spirit of discernment. The Lord will set your spirit free in ways you never imagined, will bless you, and will build His Kingdom! I challenge you today to pray to the Lord and ask Him for direction in what you can do to bring unity to the Body of Christ, within the walls of your own building, and outside the walls as well.

Do you want more people to be drawn to Christ? Then realize the world is watching the Church. They want to see that we love one another and that we practice the love of Christ that we so preach. A sad statement made by Ghandi went something like this "It is not Christ that I have a problem with, but those who call themselves Christians. They are so unlike their Christ" [Paraphrased]. Ouch! This did not relieve Him from choosing to follow Christ, but Satan used it for an excuse to keep him from Christ. The reason the Mormon religion is so popular is because they have formed a sense of community and family. Isn't it a shame that false teachers seem to have grasped that concept better than the Body of Christ?

Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; As I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another." (John 13:34-35)

The Source of Joy

2010-02-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

As I walk through a crowd of people I often look at their faces. As I smile at them I often have one returned, but I notice I do not see joy in many of those whom I pass.

Everyone wants to be happy, but happiness is only temporary, based on the condition of our current situation. Joy, on the other hand, can be permanent if you know the source of joy.

Yes, I am going to tell you that joy is in Christ, but if I leave it there with out explaining, then you may just view that statement as one of "religion" and not life practicality and experience.

Christ is the source of all joy but only if we put into practice those things of which His Word speaks and in which the Holy Spirit leads. I talk much about dying to self and preferring others before ourselves because Jesus spoke often of those precepts as well. Not many are willing to die to self, but true and lasting joy is only available to those who will.

The world teaches us to "Go for the gusto!", "Get all you can and can all you get!", "Happiness is within yourself.", "It's all about you!", "What's good for you is good.", etc. However, the problem with those lines of thinking is that they are self-focused. So, if everyone is focused on themselves, then no one really cares about others do they? Some of you may say, "So what?"

If we take a good look at our world today, the moral condition of humanity is not so appealing. Why? Because many are practicing actions based on the aforementioned worldly thoughts. Where there is self-centeredness, there is no love and no joy. I will even be so bold as to say, "If you are self-centered, you don't even love yourself." That may sound contradictory, but think about it. If you loved yourself, you would want the real source of joy in your life and would be practicing those things which allow joy to flow, not following the world's precepts which lead to death of love, peace, and joy.

Before I came into a personal relationship with Christ, I too practiced the world's precepts of self-focused, self-centered living. I probably ranked close to the top if there was a list of those who were most miserable in life. I didn't love anyone, not even myself! I certainly had no peace or joy in my life.

On the flip-side, since I have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, I have His Spirit within me enabling me to love Him, others, and myself in a healthy way. I derive great joy in loving others. No, I am not perfect. I still mess up and get self-focused at times. But, when I do, the Holy Spirit convicts me and puts me back on the right path to love and joy.

How can we have joy by preferring others before ourselves? It is because when you are being kind and doing something for someone else, you are doing it for Jesus. When you live life in that manner, you can, with your heart's eye, see a smile on His face. I think He smiles the widest when we are loving and kind to those who treat us though we are their enemy. There is no greater purpose and calling in life than to serve the Lord, the Creator of all things!

You might say, "I am not about to be nice to some mean person who treats me like dirt." Then you will be robbing yourself. Bearing grudges and continuing the hate process just breeds more hate, more grudges and robs yourself and the world of love, peace, and joy. Proverbs 25:21 states, "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink: For you shall reap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward you."
Note: In ancient times, a person would place a pan of coals upon their head as a sign of repentance.

Maybe you are in a relationship with someone who is totally self-centered and self-serving. So, you might say, "If I serve them and am kind to them, won't I just be adding to their self-centeredness?" That is a very good question. Loving a person does not necessarily mean we give into all their whims and self-serving desires. Loving a person is when you do what is best for them at all times. Sometimes that might require holding the tongue instead of unleashing it. Or, if the Holy Spirit leads (and ONLY if He leads) it might mean giving a word of reproof spoken in the spirit of meekness and love (See Ephesians 4:15). When that word of reproof is spoken, it will not be for a self-serving interest, but for the best interest of the person receiving it. I have found that most often the best way for the Lord to work in a person's heart is through our unselfish prayers for that person.

How badly do you want a life of joy, peace, and love? If you really want it, then as I said previously, "It is found in Christ." It is found in being obedient to Him in all things, especially when it comes to how we relate with other people.

If you are lacking joy in your life, how about examining yourself to see why and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you those hidden sins. Then, confess your sins, receive forgiveness and follow Christ. 1 John 1:9 states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

No matter where you are in life, His grace is sufficient and His joy can be full in you. Choose from this day forward to live a joyful life!

The Joy of Justification

2010-02-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

I think if more Christians realized what Christ really did for them when He died on the cross, they would live more freely and with more joy. It is my prayer and my hope that even though this is a bit lengthly, each of you will take the time to read it and believe what the Lord says about a believers justification in Christ.

Romans 8:29 states, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren." So what does it mean, "whom He foreknew?" The word, "foreknew" is the word proginosko in the Greek. This words means to perceive or recognize beforehand. In Romans 8:29 it occurs with the verb proorise, did predestinate. "This foreknowledge and fore-ordination in the Scripture is always unto salvation and not unto perdition. Therefore, it could be said that the Lord never foreordains anyone to be lost, but those who are saved as a result of their exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ were known ahead of time and thus chosen unto God." (Ref.: Greek-Hebrew Key Study Bible)

I love it that the Lord foreknew that I would exercise the faith He gave me to believe in Jesus. Since He knew I would, then He chose me in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world (Ref.: Ephesians 1:4). The same goes for ALL of those who truly believe the gospel and have exercised their faith in Jesus.

The Scriptures go on to tell us that since He foreknew us, He predestined us, "and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." (Romans 8:20) [Bold emphasis mine.]

The word, "justified" in the Greek is the word, dikailoo. "This word, to justify, in the New Testament never means to make anyone righteous by doing away with his violation of the law by himself bearing the condemnation and the imposed sentence. In the N.T. man in his fallen condition can never do anything in order to pay for his own sinfulness and thus be liberated from the sentence of guilt that is upon him." (Greek-Hebrew Key Study Bible).

We are set free because of our faith in what Christ did for us, and not by our own works; We are justified in Christ! It as though we have never or will never sin! The Scriptures tell us in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Don't be afraid to believe that because it is the truth! John 8:36 states, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." [Bold emphasis mine.]

I really want to emphasize just what we have in Christ when it says we are justified. Romans 3:21-28 states, "But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for their is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forebearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." [Bold emphasis mine.]

Romans 5:6-10, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners,Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." [Bold emphasis mine.]

Romans 8:1 states, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Did you get that??? NO CONDEMNATION! When Satan comes to accuse you and tries to tell you that you are doomed, tell Him to "Take a hike, in Jesus's name" because you are justified in Christ and no longer under condemnation!

Romans 8:31, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"

Romans 8:32-34, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect [Those whom He foreknew and predestined]? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us." [Bold emphasis and amplification mine.]

Romans 8:35-39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'FOR THY SAKES WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.' But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." [Bold emphasis mine.]

Brothers and sisters, if you want to be free, have peace and joy, then accept who you are in Christ and that you are JUSTIFIED and glorified (in Christ) because of what He did, not what you do. Stop worrying about losing your salvation every time you fall into temptation and sin. You WILL sin in your flesh because the flesh is nothing but corrupt (Read Paul's speech on his struggle with sin in Romans 7:14-25). That does not mean to say that we are to intentionally practice walking in sin (Read Romans chapter 6), but to reckon ourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. We died in Christ and we arose in Him! It is time to take off the grave clothes and live!

A true believer, one who was given the faith to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and is exercising that faith, has been justified. There is no double-jeopardy when it comes to God. God foreknew you, so He redeemed you and your redemption is a sealed fact in Heaven, one that cannot be undone. If you can undo what God foreknew the God isn't God and you are without hope.

"For what says the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." (Romans 4:3)

Wickless Candles

2010-02-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

In today's markets we can find candles which are wickless. They smell good and look very much like a candle that burns, however they give no light.

It reminds me of the difference between those who possess Christ and those who merely profess Christ. Some shine light and some do not. Some are authentic Christians; they put off the fragrance of Christ and they have His likeness in their actions. They also provide His light for others to find their way to Him. But there are others who are professing Him, but don't necessarily possess Him. They have a certain "religious" look and can even smell like the real deal to those who don't know the difference, but they do not have the relationship with Christ; therefore they do not light the way for others to see Him.

You may say, "Well who are you to judge who is a Christian and who is not?" I am no judge at all, but I do believe God's Word which states, "Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore, by their fruits you shall know them" (Matthew 7:17-20) [Bold emphasis mine].

Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). It is impossible to shine the light of Christ unless He is indwelling by His Holy Spirit inside of you. People are not turned to Christ through religion, they are turned to Christ through the relationship we have with Him.

Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Jesus knew that if we truly love Him, we will trust and obey Him. By doing what He says, others will be drawn to His light like a moth to a flame.

Satan love Christians who profess Christ then live like the devil and he also is the puppet-master to many who are not Christians at all, but merely are going through religious motions and call themselves Christians. It helps his strategy when people turn others away from Christ in this manner. That is why it is so important that true Christians live their faith, honoring God. 2 Timothy 2:19 teaches us to, "Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." This is so that God is glorified and not Satan. The world can spot a hypocrite!

There is so much blessing in believing, trusting, and obeying Christ. It is not easy being a Christian. Many will turn away from you if you are walking your faith because Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).

A person who walks their faith will even be hated of other PROFESSING Christians if they are not wanting to be obedient to the Lord. Therefore, it is very important when you come to Christ for salvation that you count the cost because if you are not willing to deny yourself, then you will fall away. Jesus said, "If any man comes to me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost whether he has sufficient means to finish it" (Luke 14:26-28) [Bold emphasis mine]? Once you have counted the cost and determined that the future reward in heaven is worth it, then don't look back. Jesus said, "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Matthew 9:62).

I pray that all who profess Christ will ensure that they truly posses Christ by surrendering their lives to Him. Then, go on to maturity by putting away the lust of the flesh and worldly actions. No authentic Christian should be like a wickless candle. Let your light shine for Christ so others will be drawn to Him and our Father in heaven will be glorified.

Enduring Sound Doctrine

2010-01-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

A soldier of Christ in the army of the Lord will be one who can endure sound doctrine. This will be part of our sifting, to see whether our fruit is genuine or not.

2 Timothy 4:3-4, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap unto themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

"Itching ears"...There are a lot of false teachings in the world and much of it has to do with desiring the gifts and manifestations MORE than desiring the Lord Himself. We have to tread very carefully in this area. Everyone wants to be blessed. I know I certainly do! And, we should desire God's blessings because He wants to bless us. But, we have to be very careful that we don't start desiring the Lord's blessings MORE than the Lord Himself. We must not seek His manifestations more than we seek Him for to do so leads us to idolatry of the manifestation rather than the worship of the Lord. Most importantly, we have to ensure that in whatever gifting or manifestation is taking place, it is pointing people to Christ and not to men! God only will receive the glory, not men or angels!

We must each ask ourselves: "Am I willing to receive the blessings of God, but not the correction and chastening of God?" If we are seeking His blessings, but refusing to remove ourselves from those things that poison our lives, hindering our fellowship with Him, then we need to ask Him to send us His Spirit of repentance to change our hearts.

Brothers & Sisters in Christ, we MUST be able to withstand even the hard words that God speaks through His Word. I admit, no one likes to be reproved or corrected, but God chastens through His love so that we do not stray from Him. Hebrews 12:5-7 states, "...My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord nor faint when you are rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loves He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives." If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the Father chastens not?" If you are chastened of the Lord, whether it be through His Word or whether He uses another one of His children to bring you the message (Such as Nathan did with King David), do not faint, but be glad that you are His child whom He loves.

God will use more than one method to keep us on track. He will use His Word, His Holy Spirit, circumstances, and His other children. Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering yourself, let you also are tempted." We are to help one another not to stumble. This is not to be a judgmental type of behavior, but gently and with meekness we are to go to our brethren and help them back on track, considering our own selves so that we are walking the right path also. If we have a spirit of haughtiness or pride in the matter, then we need to confess our own sins first (removing our own planks) before we move on to remove the speck in our brother's eyes. If we are on the recipient end of correction, we need to respond in a manner of confession and asking the Lord to help us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. Let us all remain humble.

Brothers & Sisters, since there are so many false prophets and teachers, let us practice 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confessed that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God;and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."

A great rule of thumb: If it tickles your ears but does not challenge you to grow closer to Christ, be leery of it. COMPARE ALL THINGS TO THE WORD OF GOD! The Lord will NEVER contradict His written Word. If someone is teaching you and you do not know whether what they are saying is true, ask them to provide scriptural reference; then go look it up and ask the Holy Spirit to work in your heart about it.

1 Timothy 6:12-15, "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time - He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords..."

Death Has No Victory, So Take Off Your Grave Clothes

2010-01-22T18:21:00.000-08:00

As I was reading in God's Word this morning, the Holy Spirit began to reveal to me about how there is no death whatsoever in God. Now, this may sound like a no-brainer to most of you, but the roots of that thought go very deep.

I remember in the late 60's and early 70's that it was popular among unbelievers to use the expression, "God is dead." Well, I assure you, He is not dead, has never been and never will be! Now, you may say, "Christ died." Yes, Christ certainly died, as a man, but His divinity did not die. Psalm 16:10, "For Thou will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Neither will Thou allow thy Holy One to undergo decay."

The grave could not contain Christ because death has no victory over God! This is good news to those who are in Christ because as believers, we are sealed in Christ and have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13-15 "In Him [Christ] ,you also,after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory." Christians, the grave cannot contain you!

Not only can the grave not contain those who are sealed in Christ (Ref.: 1 Thess. 4:13-18), we have victory in Christ over those things which cause death in our lives while we still breathe. The same Spirit by which Christ commanded evil spirits to flee, rose the dead, healed the sick, the lame, and the blind, He sent to indwell all true believers in these times. It is time Christians took off their grave clothes!

Why do we as Christians walk around with our heads hung low accepting all the things the enemy and the world throws at us as if we have the power of the resurrected Christ in us? Those who are believers in Christ, were crucified in Him on the cross at Calvary and arose in Him! Are resurrection is already a sealed fact in Heaven!

Ephesians 1:3-12- "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."[Bold emphasis mine]

Brothers and sisters, we were chosen in Christ and sealed in Him through His Holy Spirit. The same power that is in Christ is in us! He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and as heirs of God and joint-heirs in Christ (Ref.: Romans 8:17) we have an incorruptible, eternal inheritance. We have that inheritance, not only when we leave this earth, but now! Just as Christ did, we also can command demons to flee, raise the dead, heal the sick, the lame, and the blind. In the presence of Christ, death has no victory! When the Holy Spirit moves in you to do these things, then count them as done, and do not be moved away from the faith you have in Christ. Then, when it has been accomplished, be very careful to give Jesus the glory.

Do you want it straight from the mouth of Christ? Well good, so do I, so here you go: John 14:12-15, "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments." [Bold emphasis mine].

There you have it, straight from the mouth of Jesus. Why will we do greater works than He? He said it was because He goes to His Father. It is only after He went to His Father that He would send His Holy Spirit to indwell all true believers. John 14:16-17, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you."

Christians, it is time we walked in the newness of life we have. The Lord wants to use us to reflect His glory. I reemphasize, we MUST remove those grave clothes to which we have been clinging. We are no longer dead in sin and without power, "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have come" (2 Cor. 5:17). Death has no victory over the Holy Spirit within us so let's set Him free by faith to work through us!

Romans 6:3-9 "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death: Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him."

We must not wait until we get to heaven to live the resurrected life. We have the Holy Spirit in us now! The body will go into the grave, but the spirit will be in Christ and with Him forever, if we truly believe in Christ. He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us so that we would manifest His power to the glory of God the Father today, not later...TODAY! "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts" (Romans 6:11-12).

So what has been inhibiting Christians from manifesting the power of the Holy Spirit, resulting in diving miracles? Two things are preventing this manifestation; they are faithlessness and worldliness.

The greatest sin that a person can commit is unbelief in the Holy Spirit. That is the unpardonable sin. When the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to a person and that person rejects the Holy Spirit's promptings, teachings, and power, then there is no further sacrifice for their sin than the atoning death of Christ on the cross (Ref.: Hebrews 6:6). Take heed Christians...when the Holy Spirit of God desires to work through us and we are in unbelief as to His power, we are committing sin against the Holy Spirit. I am not saying that one loses salvation because when God said we are sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, and that we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world and will never perish, He meant it and cannot lie. But what I am saying is that when the Father wants to reveal Himself and His Kingdom workings through us by the power of His Holy Spirit, and we deny that power within ourselves to be manifested, then we have sinned against the Holy Spirit and will have LOST REWARDS because of our disobedience, therefore not glorifying the Father.

Therefore, I plead with my brothers and sisters in Christ, "TAKE OFF THE GRAVE CLOTHES",turn away from the things of the world, place your complete faith in Christ (who He is, His power, His love, His character, His promises...) and let the Father be glorified by the Holy Spirit working through you.

"And when He [Jesus] thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth.' And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said to him, 'Loose him and let him go.'" (John 11:43:44)

Reconstituted Christians

2010-01-19T01:33:00.000-08:00

A word from the LORD:

Ezekiel 37:1-11(NASB):

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. And He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, Thou knowest." Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.' "Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. And I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'" So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, "Prophesy and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, they that come to life."'" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life, and stood on their feet, an exceeding great army. Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.'

Ezekiel 37:12-14(NASB):

"Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then, you will know that I, the LORD have spoken and done it," declares the LORD.'"

Our Every Day Savior

2010-01-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

O' how much misery we could be spared in our lives if we would surrender to let Jesus save us from every day choices that would harm us and not just save us for our eternal destination.

Every day is full of choices: whether we will respond to anger with kindness, to crime with hatred, to harm with grudges, to undesirable situations with bitterness; or to follow Christ, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. We choose whether to wait on the Lord to guide us for the right job, school, relationship, home, and personal expenditures, or to run ahead and make a heady decision on our own.

The Holy Spirit never leaves a true Christian. He continues to abide in them forever, helping them to make godly choices, comforting them, and yes, reproving them when they err. He wants to save us from making those choices that will bring death to relationships or that will damage our lives in some way. He wants us to make choices that will glorify Christ, build up the Kingdom of God, and give us joy, knowing that we are doing the will of the Father just as Christ did while He was on earth.

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" (Matthew 16:24). That verse is the KEY to everyday salvation in Christ. Surrendering to Him is the only way to be saved from bad choices or through adverse circumstances.

No one in their natural flesh likes to deny themselves gratification nor do they like to wait for it. We are a human race that cannot stand uncertainty or difficulty so we often rush ahead of God. We often make our own choices outside of His will and then expect Him to bless them. God cannot and will not bless that which is unholy.

It is very important especially to wait on the Lord in regard to relationships. 2 Corinthians 6:14 states, "Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what has righteousness to do with unrighteousness? And what has light with darkness?" If you put two horses in a yoke together and one has a habit of only turning right and the other only turning left, the result will be that you will not be getting any work done or traveling anywhere. Christians should never choose to be unequally yoked with unbelievers in personal relationships or as business partners because they will not have the same godly goals in mind. However, if a couple is married and one becomes a Christian after the marriage and the other does not, they are to remain married unless the unbeliever chooses to leave the marriage. If the unbeliever chooses to leave, then the Christian spouse is to let them and is no longer bound to them (See 1 Corinthians 7:10-17).

We often wonder how to make the correct decisions. The answer to that is, through prayer. They Holy Spirit is our guide and the Bible (God's Word) is our guidebook. We have to have both. If we do not know what God's Word says, then we may get off track. God's Spirit will never contradict His written Word.

The Lord may send you guidance through another godly Christian. It is very important not to make any decisions through the counsel of an unbeliever: Psalm 1:1-3 states, "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers."

Why is it that we do not wish to learn from others mistakes but would rather make the same mistakes ourselves? Those who have made choices before us and know the results can give us more wise and godly counsel that those of us who choose to walk into situations or relationships blindfolded.

The Lord rarely has us to make quick decisions, especially under stress. The first key to godly decision making is to be still before the Lord and to know He is God (Ref.: Psalm 46:10). Then, "Trust in the LORD [the covenant keeping God] with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." ( Proverbs 3:5-6) [amplification mine]

As Christians we need to learn to be patient. I hear people say, "I prayed for patience once and it brought me trouble, so I won't do that again!" While I understand that sentiment, we need to realize that as Christians, we already have patience. We have all that Christ has and need to appropriate it to the point that it manifests results in our actions. We don't have to fight our circumstances, we merely have to surrender and rest in the Lord. He bought us with His blood; therefore we are His responsibility. Do we think He is a bad steward of His possessions?

Let's choose from this day forward to let Christ be "Our Every Day Savior."

Psalm 35:5-7-8, "Commit your way to the LORD [the covenant keeping God]; Trust also in Him and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;...Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing." [amplification mine]

The War of the Ages: Works vs. Promise

2010-01-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

The greatest war of all times is not one that has been fought on soil, but one fought in the hearts of mankind: the struggle between the flesh of man and the promises of God.

Why is it so hard for humans to wait before the Lord trusting in His faithfulness, trusting that He cannot lie and will fulfill His promises?

It happened with Abraham. God promised Abraham that his descendants would outnumber the stars (Ref.: Genesis 15:5). "Then he [Abraham] believed in the LORD [the covenant keeping God]; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." [amplification mine] Sounds like Abraham was on the right track, and he was, for awhile. But, He and Sarah had no children, so instead of waiting on the LORD to fulfill His own covenant promise, they decided to help God out (works). The result was Ishmael, "a wild donkey of a man" with his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him. (Ref.: Genesis 16:12). Ishmael, the child of works, has been warring against Isaac, the child of promise, ever since (Arabs & the Jews).

When we don't see the LORD working as quickly as we would like, we tend to want to help Him. Or, if we have seen Him working in a certain manner previously, we may try to duplicate His previous work for today's need. This is what is called in the Bible, "offering strange fire" which can lead to disastrous results.

We read in Leviticus 9 how Aaron offered a sacrifice before the LORD. Aaron was a Levitical priest, appointed by the LORD. The LORD approved Aaron's sacrifices and sent fire to consume the burn offering. But, Aaron's sons tried to duplicate what had been done without having the LORD's approval upon their works. "Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective fire pans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them and they died before the LORD."

Note: When LORD is in all caps in the Word of God, that is speaking of our covenant keeping God. He is the same God always, but it is to remind us that He is one who keeps His promises. You will see in both passages, Genesis and Leviticus, that LORD was in all caps. He made His covenants and He fulfills His covenants and does not need man's help to do so. Whatever we are going through, we must trust in the LORD to provide.

I have personally been waiting before the LORD for what seems a long time to me. It really has not been all that long, but to me it seems like an eternity. I keep praying, asking for guidance, and the answer I am receiving is, Isaiah 40:31: "Those who wait for the LORD [the covenant keeping God] will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." [amplification mine] In my flesh, I get very frustrated and impatient and sometimes am tempted to help the LORD out. However, as I keep my face before the LORD in prayer, He reminds me that He is the covenant keeping God.

I am glad, in my spirit, that the LORD does not answer prayers right away. It helps me to grow in my faith toward Him and helps me to remain humble, understanding that He is God and I am not. How can our faith ever be tested and proven if we always receive what we ask for immediately? Anyone can trust in what they see or what they receive at the first request. God wants more from His children than instant gratification. Our world is filled with instant this and that mentalities and I personally cannot see where it has helped us a great deal to be that way.

We MUST learn to wait before the LORD [the covenant keeping God] and rest in Him. We must have faith in Him.

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."(Hebrews 11:6)

When Life Seems Uncertain

2010-01-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

Life often seems uncertain. None of us know exactly what our tomorrows will bring. I see many who fear what will happen each day. As Christians, we need not fear anything. I know that sounds like a bold statement, but it is written in the Word of God. "Do not fear" is mentioned hundreds of times throughout the scriptures. Then why do we fear?

Those who do not belong to Christ have a great reason to fear. They do not have a solid foundation. They are building their lives on shifting sand. " Jesus said, "Therefore, whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to be as a wise man which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that hears these sayings of mine and does them not, shall be likened to be as a foolish man which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." (Matthew 7:24-27)

Even Christians, if we are not walking in the Spirit, exercising our faith in Christ, will also be building our lives on a foundation of sand. This should not be so. If we profess that Christ is our Lord and Savior, then we need to know what His Word says and be surrendered to the Holy Spirit so that we can do what He says; Then, we will not need to fear what happens in life as our lives are not our own, but His! We can trust the One who died in our place to guide us in life in a manner that will glorify the Father. Christ is the solid rock, the firm foundation on which Christians must build their lives.

This won't be a popular statement, but one I feel needs to be made: Many Christians have become too self-focused and do not walk in the Spirit. I do not say that to be mean or even to appear superior. Believe me, I preach to myself way before I ever write to others. I believe in 1 Corinthians 10:12, "Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." Therefore, I admonish and encourage all of us to rethink our Christian walk. We need to refocus and walk in the presence and influence of the Holy Spirit!

I fear that some do not know how to walk in the Spirit because they have not been discipled, either because they did not seek to be discipled, or the Church body neglected to disciple them. However, that does not excuse the Christian. We have the Spirit of Christ in us from the point of regeneration, therefore we must seek to walk in Him. The way to walk in the Spirit is to surrender the self will and pray, asking the Spirit to lead; Then do what He says.

The reason we worry about everything or allow circumstances to get us down is because of what James 1:22-25 teaches us: "But be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any person is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who beholds his natural face in a mirror: For he beholds himself and then goes his way, and straightway forgets what manner of man he was. But, whosoever looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues therein and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

We must read the Word of God, not as an obligation, but to learn, to be reproved of any wrong, and to be able to walk in faith through the Spirit. "For without faith, it is impossible to please God..." (Hebrews 11:6)

I pray that all Christians will turn away from negativity, worldly focus, and self-focus, dying to self and living unto Christ. Let us go forward in this year being sold out to Christ and surrendered to His Holy Spirit to work in us and through us. We have a God who is able and on Whom we can depend.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah." (Psalms 46:3)

How to Know if You are Truly A Christian

2010-01-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

I am writing this because I truly believe that the Lord is returning very soon because of the current events happening daily which are fulfilling scriptural prophecy. I so want people to be ready when Christ comes in the air to call His Bride to Himself (Ref.: 1 Thess. 4:16-17).

I believe the Lord is impressing upon His Bride (true regenerated believers) that we must be alert, standing in the faith, and ready for His return. The first step is to be sure you are truly a Christian. Some have said, "No one can truly know if they are saved (born-again in Christ)." That is a false statement. God's Word, the Bible, teaches that we CAN know for certain.

There are many who believe they have eternal life and are on their way to heaven who are indeed not. I do not say this in my own judgment, but by what the Word of God teaches. The certain way you can know if you belong eternally to Christ or not is whether or not you have His Holy Spirit indwelling in your earthly body.

Romans 8:5-12 , "For those who are according to the flesh [who do not have the Holy Spirit] set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you [true Christians] are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. And, if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But, if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you." [Amplification and bold emphasis mine.]

The scriptures above tell us for certain that only those who have the indwelling Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) truly belong to Him.

How can you know if you have the Holy Spirit indwelling in you?

Jesus, when speaking to His disciples regarding His coming death and earthly departure, said this, "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me, and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, he will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come." (John 15:6-13)[Bold emphasis mine.]

The Holy Spirit speaks truth. The Spirit convicts sinners that they are indeed sinful. He convicts in such a way that the sinner understands that they are lost and undone unless they repent and surrender all that they are to Christ. Every person on this planet has some moral understanding, but moral understanding does not save a person from the pits of hell. The conviction the Holy Spirit brings shows the sinner without a doubt that apart from Divine intervention, they are without hope. Do you have this conviction? If you have never had it, then you do not belong to Christ according to God's Word.

The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to the sinner, for without belief in Christ no one will enter heaven. This belief is not just a head knowledge of who He is (the demons also believe and shudder (Ref.: James 2:19)); but is a belief to the point of absolute surrender to His Lordship. Has the Spirit brought you to a point of absolute surrender to the authority and Lordship of Jesus Christ? If the Spirit has not revealed Christ in such a way to you, then according to the scriptures we just read in John 15, you do not belong to Christ.

The first signs that a person's spirit has been brought from death unto life (regeneration) are if the Holy Spirit has convicted the sinner of their sinful state regarding unbelief in Jesus as Lord, and their hopeless condition, and if the Spirit has shown the sinner that Christ died for them and is their righteousness before God if they place their faith in Him. If the sinner believes that and responds from the depths of their heart, then they have been born-again (regenerated) and have the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence. If not, then according to God's Word, the person is still lost, undone, and on their way to hell.

The Bible speaks much about good works. However, the Bible does not tell a person that they will enter heaven because of good deeds. Any deed, good or bad, done outside of faith in Christ is a sin (Ref.: Romans 14:23). God's Word states in Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." Even if a person always did good deeds, if they do not belong to Christ, they will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. A person is born with a sin nature and their spirit died in Adam; unless the Holy Spirit indwells them, they remain dead in their sin. The most moral person in the world cannot even compare in righteousness to the worst Christian in the world because a Christian's righteousness is in Christ alone. No person on earth is without sin. 1 John 1:8 states, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." It is only through faith in Jesus Christ and His shed blood that we receive the Holy Spirit and are made righteous in Christ before God through Christ.

The Bible teaches that those who are of the Spirit, walking in the faith will produce good deeds. The Holy Spirit will prompt a believer in Christ to good works. James 2:14 , "What does it profit, my brethren, though a man says he has faith and has not works? can faith save him?" James 2:17-18, "Even so faith, if it has not works is dead being alone. Yes, a man may say, 'You have faith and I have works'; show me your faith without works and I will show you my faith by my works." Again, works does not keep a person out of hell. Works alone is useless. But, if a person is truly led by the Spirit of Christ, that believer will be prompted to do good works that will glorify the Father in heaven (Ref.: Matthew 5:16). Is the Holy Spirit leading you to do works that will glorify the Father? If not, then your works are your own and you are still lost and undone. It doesn't matter how successful your ministry is; if it is not led by the Holy Spirit, then your works are of the flesh.

Another way to discern if you have the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence is that you will have a love for other Christians and will want to be around them. 1 John 3:14-16, "We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loves not his brother, abides in death. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Hereby we perceive the love of God, because He laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." Do you love Christians and enjoy fellowship with them? If not, then according to God's Word, you do not have eternal life because the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit would cause you to love them.

Note: Murder is a forgivable sin if one repents and belongs to Christ. King David was a murderer and an adulterer, but he repented and was forgiven of God.

A person can also know they have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit if they are chastened by God. Hebrews 12:5-6-8, "...My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord nor faint when you are rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loves He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chastens not? But if you are without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then you are bastards and not sons." [Bold emphasis mine.]

I pray that all who profess to be Christians will take these words into consideration and prayerfully examine themselves to find if they are truly in the faith. If you have read these words and believe that you have not had the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence and influence working in you in these manners, then it is my fervent prayer that you will be drawn by the Father through His Holy Spirit into repentance and regeneration.

Those who have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit shall never perish, "...after that you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment." John 5:25-29

Who Goes to Heaven and Who Doesn't?

2009-12-30T10:48:00.000-08:00

I was reading a post on Amazon.com today from a woman. She was asking if Christians believe that most people go to hell when they die.

I want to preface this by stating, "It does not matter what one's opinions are or even what they believe if those opinions and beliefs contradict the Word of God." It is a fact of life that if we do not believe what God says in His Word, we will fall for anything. Our own opinions and beliefs will never change God or negate His plans. There were many "opinions" and false beliefs given in response to the woman's post.

So, what does God's Word say about who goes to heaven and who goes to hell?

John 14:6, "Jesus said unto him [Thomas] 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me.'" [Bold emphasis mine.]

The woman on Amazon.com also asked, "What about babies?"

There are a lot of opinions floating about regarding babies, children, and the "age of accountability", etc. I don't know about any of that because "age of accountability" is not mentioned in the Bible in that sense. However, I do know that Ephesians 1:4-5 states, "According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."

God knows in advance who would be accepting Christ if given the choice and who would not. He can for-do because He for-knew. Some things we just have to leave up to God's foreknowledge.

There is only one sin that keeps a person out of heaven and that is the rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Romans 3:20-26 states, "...because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." [Bold emphasis mine].

All who will enter heaven will be there ONLY because they have been made righteous and justified through Christ and His shed blood.

Romans 3:27, "Where is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law."

I read the response of many people to the woman's post who said, "I do not believe in a tormenting hell." Those same people will complain that God allows "bad things to happen to good people". They don't want Him to punish evil, but they don't want Him to allow it either. Do you see the convoluted thinking of people when they depart from what God says?

In response to the woman on Amazon.com. I don't know if MOST people will go to hell, but I do know that ALL who reject Christ as Lord and Savior will not enter heaven but will be in a place of torment where the fire is not quenched and the worm dies not and eventually the lake of fire. (Ref. Mark 9:43-44, and Rev. 20:14).

I pray that all who read this have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior or will at this very moment.

God's Word states in Hebrews 9:27-28, "And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

All a person has to do to receive Christ is say "Yes" to Him when His Holy Spirit convicts them of sin and of who Christ is. That "Yes" involves a heart of repentance toward sin and faith in Christ. A person who really means that "Yes" will not be ashamed of Christ, but will confess Him before others and will follow wherever He leads them.

Repent, say "Yes", and follow Jesus TODAY because Christ will return for His Bride (all true believers) soon!

Removing All Obstacles

2009-12-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

"From that time [after His wilderness temptation] Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17)

Jesus, the Emmanuel, God with us, had come. He had been tempted of Satan and was now beginning His earthly ministry. And His message was, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." [Bold emphasis mine.]

Jesus proclaimed over 2,000 years ago that the kingdom of God is at hand. This turns many people's hearts lukewarm. They believe that since it has been so long for His return, that it will continue to be a long time. But, the events of these days do not indicate that He will delay His return much longer. It would be wise to believe and take heed!

As the disciples had the calling of God placed on their lives, so does He place a calling on each of His disciple's lives today. Part of the calling He has given me is to build up the Body of Christ; encouraging them to stand firm in their faith and to be ready for His return.

"And it shall be said, 'Build up, build up, prepare the way. Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.'" (Isaiah 57:14)

Brothers & sisters in Christ, we must prepare the way for His glorious return. What does that mean? Luke 18:7-8 states, "...shall not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?'" [Bold emphasis mine.]

We must each prepare the way so that when Christ comes we are not ashamed before Him. We must be faithful and remove all obstacles to our faith. We can have many obstacles to our faith. Below is a list of just some of them:

- Anxiety over yesterday and the future (Trust in Him, He is powerful and sovereign!)
- Material gain
- Religion instead of relationship
- Worship of idols [whatever is taking priority over our relationship with Christ]
- Jobs (A Christian's job should be their mission field at all times!)
- Poor attitudes
- Lack of focus
- Improper focus [too much focus on the ills of the world and not enough on Christ and His power and kingdom]

When Christ gathered His disciples close to Him, He taught them and then He sent them out to proclaim the gospel to the world. Are we just gathering in our church buildings, hearing a message, and then going home, or are we truly learning from Christ and then proclaiming the gospel to all we meet through God's Word and His power working in us to do His deeds? Church gatherings are to worship the Lord, and to edify and build up His Body for His kingdom work!

We must remove all obstacles to our faith and to the proclamation of that same faith! Jesus said, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) ALL of our works must glorify our Father! We MUST remove all obstacles to our lights shining for Him!

Make 2010 the year that you sell out completely to Christ. Let us refocus our thoughts heavenward so that all our actions are those which will glorify our Father. This earthly life is temporary and when we leave, we will be in eternity, either with Christ or without Him. For those who are in Christ, we will be with Him, but until then, we have a great responsibility and commission to fulfill.

Remove all obstacles! Prepare the way for Christ's return!

The Birth of Glorious Desires & Dreams

2009-12-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

I pray this message today will be one that encourages the hearts of everyone who reads it, especially those who have unrealized desires or dreams. Perhaps you are in some wilderness places or deep valleys and clouds are obscurring your vision; I believe this to be a message of hope from our LORD to those that receive(d) Christ..

Do you have a dream or a hope that you believe is from God that possibly has not yet been realized? I can tell you with full assurance, that if God has conceived a dream or desire in your heart, then He will birth it at the proper time. What must we do if we have not seen the realization of our desire or dream? Psalms 37:3-7 states, "Trust in the LORD [the covenant keeping God], and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD [the covenant keeping God]; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD [the covenant keeping God], trust also in Him and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD [the covenant keeping God] and wait patiently for Him..." [Amplification mine].

All that He conceives is to bring Him glory. If the desire or dream you have in your heart does not have the motivation of bringing God glory, then you can take it to the bank that it is not of God; For all that God does is to accomplish His good pleasure and glory. However, He can birth a desire or dream in your heart and while your motivations may get off track at times, He will bring them back on track for His glory.

Isaiah 46:9-10, "Remember the former things long past, For I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'"[Bold emphasis mine.]

Remember brothers and sisters, God does not conceive anything which He will not also bring to full term and deliver. Keep your hope in Him, for He will accomplish that which glorifies Himself and is for your ultimate good.

Whether it is a desire, a dream, a calling, or your personal salvation, the following verses are a great example of how God accomplishes those things which He conceives:

Romans 8:28-30, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those that love God, to those that are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren, and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He allso justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

Romans 8:31, "What then shall we say to these things: If God is for us, who is against us?"[Bold emphasis mine.]

"Build up, build up; Prepare the way!"

2009-12-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

Joel 2:28-29, "And it will come to pass after this That I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions, And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."

I believe the Lord is issuing warnings to His people in these last days. He has been impressing messages on my heart that I feel He wants me to share.

Message #1:

The Lord spoke to me saying, "Matthew 4."

Please read Matthew, chapter 4. I believe the Lord is issuing a warning to His people. Just as Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, we shall also be tempted.

We all have wilderness experiences. Just as the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, He also leads us to such places. Perhaps you are in a wilderness area in your life. The Lord promises never to leave you nor forsake you (Ref.: Hebrews 13:5); Therefore, He will be with you even while you are in a wilderness area in your life. The Lord was with the Israelites in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to guide them (Ref.: Exodus 13:21). His Spirit will remain with you and I to guide us also.

DO NOT FEAR THE WILDERNESS, because it is the Holy Spirit who has led you there, but as you are there, trust Him, lean on Him, and follow Him. As the Lord wanted to show Himself faithful to the Israelites in the wilderness, He also wants to do the same for us. It is easy to fear the wilderness and begin to doubt God's provision, but we must not! We must remain faithful and trusting. He will not fail us.

One of the scriptures Jesus spoke against Satan was, "Man shall not live by bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4) Isaiah 55:11 states, "So shall my word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire."

While we are in the wilderness, we must read and heed His Word. It is food for our soul and spirit, and is our survival gear.

The rest of Matthew, chapter 4 tells of when Jesus called Simon Peter, and his brother Andrew to follow Him and become fishers of men. If we are to spread the gospel to the world, then we must be following Christ daily. We must feed on the Word of God, resist the devil as Christ did, and proclaim the good news to the captives.

Message #2:

Three times the Lord spoke to me, "1 Corinthians 10:12". It states, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."

I believe again the Lord is warning His children that times of testing are coming. We must stand fast in Christ. We must hide His Word in our hearts because there may come times when we do not have Bibles or His Word with us. We must be able to withstand the enemy while in the wilderness places of our lives.

Message #3:

The next message the Lord gave me was, "Build up, build up."

I believe the Lord was asking me to encourage the brethren and I believe we should encourage one another. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 states, "Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing."

In accordance with the Lord's message to "Build up.", I believe these verses are important for us to receive: "And we urge you brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophetic utterances, but examine everything and hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." [Bold emphasis mine.]

Brothers and sisters, I am encouraging you, "The Lord is coming very soon!" You must believe it. Be alert, be awake, walk in the Spirit at all times. The Lord has not forgotten you, He is about to gather His harvest. Let us as the Bride be found waiting in readiness four our Bridegroom with our lamps filled with oil [The Spirit].

Message #4

The next message I received from the Lord was, "Prepare the way. Prepare the way."

Isaiah 40:3 states, "A voice is calling, Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God." Isaiah 57:14 states, "Build up, build up, prepare the way; Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people."

What are the obstacles to you hearing Christ, the Shepherd's voice and following Him closely? Is it eartlhy worries and obligations? Is is religious activity instead of relationship with Christ? Ask the Holy Spirit to pinpoint it in your life; then confess it and repent of it and be restored.

I pray you will be encouraged by this. The Lord does not want His children to be afraid at His coming but to look to His appearing and be ready.

Our Bridegroom could come at any time now! Pleasse make sure He finds you ready!

"...When the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8)

1 Thessalonians 5:27, "I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren." [Bold emphasis mine.]

Who Will God Forgive?

2009-11-10T00:30:00.000-08:00

I know there are many people who think they have fallen farther than God's grace can reach. I want to encourage you today, that the Lord asks in His Word, "Is my hand so short that it cannot ransom?" (Ref.: Isaiah 50:2). He can forgive anyone who confesses their sin and repents, placing their lives in Christ.

Below are just some of the people, of whom God's Word records, that committed sin(s) and were forgiven:

Adam and Eve: They disobeyed God by eating from the Tree of Knowlege of Good and Evil. They tried to cover their nakedness (their sinful flesh) on their own, but God sought them out and made coats of skins and clothed them. He sacrifice of an animal to clothe them was a symbol to Adam and Eve of the ultimate blood that would be shed in Christ for their sins.

Abraham: He ran ahead of God and fathered a son by his wife's handmaid. God forgave him and kept His promise of giving him a son of promise.

Moses: He murdered an Egyptian and buried him in the sand. God forgave Him an anointed him as the one who would lead the Israelites to the promised land, although he did not enter himself.

Samson: He had an affair with Delilah and told her of his secret strength. God forgave him and allowed him to kill the enemy, the Philistines, although he also lost his own life in the process.

David: He committed adultery and murder. God forgave him and promised him: "Your seed will I establish and build up your throne to all generations." (Ref.: Psalm 89:4)

Jonah: He ran from God because he did not want to preach repentance to Ninevah. God put him in the belly of a big fish, but when Jonah repented, the fish vomitted Jonah onto dry land and God allowed him a second chance to preach to Ninevah.

Saul of Tarsus: He slaughtered Christians, one of which was the disciple Stephen, of whom Saul consented to have stoned. God forgave him, renamed him Paul, and Paul became one of the greatest apostles who has ever lived, preaching abundant grace in Christ.

Peter: He denied Jesus publicly three times in one night. Jesus forgave Peter and Peter became the first new testament preacher and about 3000 souls were saved at his first sermon.

Thomas: He doubted that Christ had arisen as He said he would. Jesus did not harbor a grudge, but went to him and proved to him that he had indeed risen.

Rahab: She was a harlot, but you will find her listed in the Hall of the Faithful, in Hebrews 11:31.

The sinful woman: This woman of the city, who was a sinner (Luke 7:36), had been forgiven by Jesus and she showed her gratitude by anointing him with the oil from an alabaster box, washed his feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair.

The Samaritan woman at the well: The woman at the well had been married five times and she was not married to the current man with who she lived. Jesus forgave her and offered her The Living Water.

The adulterous woman: Jesus said to the woman who was about to be stoned after being caught in the act of adultery, "Woman, where are those who accuse you? Has no man condemned you?" She answered, "No man, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you: Go and sin no more." (Ref.: Luke 8:10-11)

There were others of which the Bible records received God's forgiveness. No matter what you have done or where you have been, God's grace through Christ is immeasurable and more than sufficient to cover your sins. Whether you are already a Christian and have stumbled, or whether you have never received Christ as your Lord and Savior; Today is a new day; Accept His free gift and walk in freedom.

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)

A Dangerous Grace

2009-10-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

As I believe the signs are in front of us to warn us that we are indeed in the last days before Christ comes for His Bride, I am sensing an urgency from the Lord to issue some warnings to the Church, the Bride of Christ. I realize that warnings are never popular as no one likes to be reprimanded. I also realize that as I obey the Lord and issue such warnings, that I too must heed them. Having said that, I will continue:

After Jesus was tempted in the wilderness he went to Capernaum where from that time He began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17) [Bold emphasis mine.]

You may be wondering why I would issue His warning to repent to the Church, His Bride, instead of those who still have not come to know Him. It is because many who profess Christ as Lord and Savior appear to be as the foolish virgins who did not fill their lamps with oil (Ref.: Matthew 25:1-13). The Bridegroom came and they were not able to go with Him.

There is such beauty in the mercy of God, His grace, and His forgiveness. Those who come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, inherit all three. However, there is also a danger in grace. We can come to a point of complacency where we may begin to feel as though we can use our libertly as a license to sin. Brothers and sisters, the flesh is weak! It is very easy to take advantage of grace in this manner. We may begin to presumptiously sin, knowing that we can confess later. That, my brothers and sisters is "A Dangerous Grace".

Romans 6:1,"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you now know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. [Bold emphasis mine.]

2 Peter 1:2-8, tells us how through Jesus we have been given things that pertain to life and godliness. Through Christ we have been partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption of the world through lust. It tells us to add to our faith such things as: virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. We are told that if we will do these things, we will neither be barren nor unfruitful.

2 Peter 1:9-11, But he that lacks these things is blind and cannot see afar off and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Therefore rather brothers, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things you shall never fall: so an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. [Bold emphasis mine.]

God WILL NOT bless that which is not holy. If we are continuously practicing presumptious sin, believing that grace will take care of it, then we are doing as the unrighteous ones spoken of in 2 Peter 2:20-22, which states, " For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."" [Bold emphasis mine.]

Brothers and sisters, we need to make our calling and election sure. Sin never glorifies God and it brings death in the lives of those who practice it. This may not be a physical death, but it may be the death of a relationship, death of finances... any number of things. Not only does it bring death in the life of the person who commits sin, but there is no sin whatsoever that is a private sin. Whatever we do affects those who love us and those around us. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, our sin grieves the Holy Spirit of God. If we can sin and justify it within our own minds to the point it is not bothering us, then we either never received the Holy Spirit therefore being still lost in our sins, or we are grieving Him. Ephesians 4:30 states, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Brothers and sisters in Christ: I plead with you as urgently and as humbly as I know how, "Please, if you have sin in your life, perhaps others have even warned you about, repent and confess it to the Lord. He promises if you will repent and confess it to Him that He will cleanse you of all unrighteousness (Ref.: 1 John 1:9). Don't wait until it is too late, for we do not know the day nor the hour Christ will return for His Bride, but according to the signs (Ref.: Matthew 24) it appears to be very very soon."

"Many will say to me in that day,' Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and in your name have cast out devils, and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me you that work iniquity." Matthew 7:24 [Bold emphasis mine.]

Pressing on to the Blessing

2009-10-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

John 10:10: "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I [Jesus] came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly."

Our heavenly Father wants to bless us. He gave His Son so that we could have a relationship with Him, inherit eternal life, and live an abundant life. But, sometimes instead of pressing on to receive His blessings, we settle short of receiving them. Instead of receiving our eternal needs, we settle for our earthly wants.

The thief mentioned in John 10:10 is Satan and his demons. The thief can also be our own carnal nature. Both the Satanic forces and our flesh are our enemies. If we allow them, they will steal our joy, kill our dreams, and destroy our blessings.

Terah, Abram's father was one who settled short of his blessing. Genesis 11:31, "And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there." [Bold emphasis mine]

As we know, Canaan was the land flowing with milk and honey. It was the land that the Lord promised to Abram and his descendants (Ref.: Genesis 12:1-7). How sad that Terah, Abram's father was on his way to Canaan, but settled just short of the blessing in the country of Haran.

Many times in our Christian walk, we may be tempted to stop short of our blessing. But, if we know the Lord has promised to give us the desire of our hearts, those desires which He births in us, then we need to keep following Him, pressing on to receive our blessing.

For what blessing have you been waiting? Possibly you are awaiting the blessing of a godly man or woman to marry. Don't settle for someone God does not have for you. We may begin to rationalize in our own minds that a person is for us, but yet the circumstances in the relationship contradict the Word of God. If that is true, then that is not the one God has for you; Press on to the blessing. Perhaps you are seeking the Lord for His calling on your life; You have hear the call, but have not seen it come to pass so you are tempted to work it out in your flesh. You may begin to doubt and think God has forgotten or needs your fleshly efforts to help Him. For whatever blessing you are waiting, rest in the Lord and wait upon Him or you will create an Ishmael in your life instead of His promised Isaac!

Whatever blessing the Lord has promised you, wait for it to arrive from the LORD [the covenant keeping God]. He is a God who cannot lie. His timing and ours are often not the same. We must not try to duplicate God's blessings through fleshly efforts.

Leviticus 9:23-24, "And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces." Moses, Aaron, and the people received the glory of the Lord because of Moses and Aaron's obedience. But Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's sons, then try to duplicate the blessing by offering strange fire on the altar. Leviticus 10:1-2, "Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective fire pans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD."

We must not let our earthly wants deprive us of our heavenly blessings. If we try to duplicate or create what God wants to do for us, we will bring the death of our blessing.

Beauty in the Death of His Saints

2009-10-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

Ah, the colors of autumn! I just love the changing colors of the leaves and the briskness of the air.

God made all of the seasons for a specific reason. Think of the beauty in the autumn leaves; all the various shapes and colors. Beautiful they are, but they are dying. Soon they will turn completely brown and will fall from the tree.

How can such beauty come from death? I don’t believe it is a coincidence that the leaves are beautiful in their dying process. I believe God designed them to be that way for a specific reason. Everything on earth is made after a heavenly pattern. So let’s think about what God wants to speak to us in His creation and why the leaves are so beautiful as they are dying.

Throughout the summer the sap is up in the trees. They are providing shade from the heat and beauty for those who pass by. Perhaps our life is like that: we are serving the Lord and our ministry is flourishing; many are coming to Christ. Our life seems lush and beautiful. Then, the Holy Spirit moves us in another direction. Autumn winds begins to blow.

Psalm 116:15 states, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” I have read that passage before and I thought, “Well, I reckon the LORD is just glad to have them home.” But, I have come to believe it is much more than that. I believe there is a beauty in dying and in the death of a Christian that we sometimes cannot see because of our grief.

A Christian can be ministering the love of Christ to others in various ways, bearing fruit as they go. As they are obedient to what they have been given, they will bear even more fruit. However, it is God’s will that we bear much fruit. So often we think that our fruit bearing is over once we die, but my friends, that is not so! The seeds that have been planted in our lives must all germinate and come to fruition and that may take generations! The old seed must die for the new growth to come forth.

In John 12:24, Jesus is speaking, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Just as the leaves have their beauty in the autumn, a dying Christian is given a beautiful measure of grace. Many continue to minister to others through their dying process, manifesting their faith in a loving, merciful, gracious, and forgiving God. I have seen many times how the Lord uses the death of one of His children to reconcile those who have been estranged; to lead others to ponder their own lives; and have heard of the lost being found and the weary and worn finding new hope through the dying of a saint.

Winter will follow and the Saint has died, but the seeds are in the ground, waiting...waiting for the water from the snow, waiting for the spring sun to come and warm the ground. The birds begin to sing and new life springs forth, but only because the grain of wheat fell to the ground and was buried.

Friends, the Lord’s perfect plan is for death to be a new beginning, not an ending! That is why He sent His Son to redeem us, so that we may have eternal life with Him, not eternal torment! John 3:17 states, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” From the death of Christ came a new beginning for many, and a vast inheritance in the Kingdom of God.

The autumn leaves change color because they are dying; dying with grace. They are beautiful in their process, making room for new growth. The saint receives eternal life, their new beginning, and those left behind receive new growth from the seeds that have been planted and watered.

Let us ponder the autumn leaves and do not fear nor grieve beyond hope, the death of a child of God. The Lord wants to bring in an abundant harvest and will do so through the gracious death of His saints.

“O death where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:55

Walking In Freedom: A sequel to "The Price of Freedom"

2009-09-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

How can we say, "Thank you" to those who paid such a high price for the freedom we enjoy in the United States? I believe the best way to express our gratitude is by living in that freedom and upholding it. The quickest way to lose freedom is to neglect it.

And, how can we express our gratitude to Jesus for the ultimate sacrifice He gave so that we could be pardoned of our sins and go free? I believe the answer is the same, to walk in the freedom for which He paid, upholding His commandments.

Walking in the freedom we have through His grace means to walk in the power and direction of His Holy Spirit. One cannot do that until they have repented and given all that they are to Christ, acknowledging Him as their Lord and Savior. But once one has done that, they are to walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 states, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

Being free in Christ does NOT give us liberty to live for our own selfish desires, but gives us liberty to live above and beyond a life bound in sin, and onto a life lived for the eternal purposes of Christ. We are not to accept Christ as fire insurance and then go on about living in our own sinful lusts. Romans 6:1-2 states, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?"

Probably the biggest hinderance to walking in the freedom for which Christ paid is to walk in a manner of which we are continuously focused on ourselves. We need to examine ourselves. Are we worried about having our own "rights" upheld; Wanting others to behave in a manner to our liking; Having to have the last word? A person who is insistent on having their own desires met will be a most miserable person. By contrast, a person surrendered to the will of Christ who is a servant to others will find a life of joy and purpose.

God's Word does not exort us to seek our own rights, but to deny ourselves. Matthew 16:24-25 states, "Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

Many will say, "Well so and so has no right to treat me that way... I don't deserve that!" Did Jesus deserve the cross? We are so bent on having our own rights and wanting to "teach them a lesson" that we neglect to walk in Christ's freedom. The Lord will avenge us; He does not need our help. Romans 12:19 states, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay says the Lord."

Do you want to know what denying oneself really looks like? Let's look at Matthew 5:39-45, "But I say unto you that you resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue you at the law, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. And whosoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two. Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow of you, turn not away. You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefullly you use and persecute you: That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven..."

I hope that if you have not chosen freedom or if you have not been walking in it, that you will lay everything down to Christ today. If you try to carry your burdens yourself, you will not be free...If you try to handle your problems or try to meet your own selfish desires, you will not be free. Sometimes a person can get comfortable in their own misery, but that is not freedom, that is captivity.

Many people have had their sin debt paid by Christ, but are still sitting in the prison of their own choosing because they have refused their pardon papers. Galatians 5:1 states, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again in the yoke of bondage."

I pray, if you have not accepted your pardon and are not walking in the freedom for which Christ paid, that you will repent and commit your life to Christ today.

To neglect freedom is to lose it... "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him." (Hebrews 2:3)

The Price of Freedom

2009-09-21T09:51:00.001-07:00

My husband and I went to an event today to honor our veterans who through their sacrifices served our country. "All gave some, but some gave all."

I appreciate the privelege I have to live in this country and the freedom available to me. We are blessed beyond measure, especially when compared to almost all other countries in the world. There was a price that was paid for that freedom and it was the price of blood.

Indeed, our service men and women paid a very high sacrifice for us to walk in the liberties and freedoms we enjoy in this country. What if we chose to live under socialistic or communistic rule after our service men and women paid such a high price for our freedom? Would that not be a slap in the face to them after such a sacrifice?

There is an ultimate freedom to be found; It is far above any earthly realm and it is available to all. It was also paid for with the price of blood, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son.

John 8:32 states, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" And John 8:36 states, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom from sin and death. He gave all that He is. He took our place and paid our sin debt. But still, so many people choose to remain in captivity rather than surrender their lives to the Lord who loves them and promises them eternal life and rewards for a life lived for Him.

There is only one way to enjoy the price of freedom for which Christ paid: Die to self, laying all that you are at His feet, and letting Him dwell fully in you.

Walk in freedom friends... the highest price that could ever be paid for anything was paid for you!

Cooking Noodles with God

2009-09-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

A few years of my life were full of difficult days. I was a new Christian and didn't realize all that I had yet in Christ. Most of those days I spent in a deep depression. Even when we are at our lowest, God still speaks to us.

One day, knowing I still needed to function, I realized I needed to fix something for my husband and me to eat. One of the safety nets I learned early on is that I needed to pray continuously. So, speaking to the Lord, I said, “Okay God, let’s you and me go fix some noodles.“ I went to the kitchen with the intent of making Beef Stroganoff. I pulled the ingredients out of the cupboard which normally includes a couple of cans of Chicken Mushroom Soup. Mixing all the ingredients together, I noticed that I had dumped a can of Chicken Mushroom Soup and a can of Cream of Chicken Soup into the Beef Stroganoff. Remarkably, my husband and I ate it and it it tasted pretty good!

This taught me a spiritual lesson. God will use all the ingredients [circumstances] in the lives of those that belong to him to make something good just as He promised He would in Romans 8:28.

Do you think your situation has taken God by surprise? Being the all-knowing God that He is, He is continuously aware of your circumstances. Learn to live with great expectations from God. He will plow the ground of your heart, apply the fertilizer, water you, and make you blossom. Rejoice from the point of where you are or, as one of my favorite quotations state, “Bloom where you are planted.”

When a seed is placed in the ground, it may look as though it is all over for that little seed. It has been buried under the dirt and is no longer in sight. But a storm comes bringing the rain and the little seed begins to grow and at just the right time in the season, it blooms and becomes a beautiful flower.

God is the great orchestrator of our lives. Even when we fail, He does not. Let us keep "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

2009-09-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD [covenant keeping God], My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust!" Psalm 91:1-2

Life is full of shadows. As children, someone may have come along and taught us to be afraid of the dark. Even as adults we fear the shadows of the unknown. But shadows can only exist where there is also light. For Christians, though we may have dark days, the light of Christ will always lead us out, if we wait and trust in Him.

Speaking of true believers in Christ, Colossians 3:3 states, "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." A Christian need not fear any of life's shadows for God is our shelter. How much more secure could we possibly be than in Christ, in God, and sealed with the Holy Spirit? (Ref.: Ephesians 1:13-14). No one can undo what God Himself has done. Psalm 118:6 states, "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear, what can man do to me?"

Psalm 91:1 teaches us that Christians "dwell in the shelter of the Most High and will abide in the shadow of the Almighty". As a large oak tree provides shadow, a cooling shade in the midst of a hot summer's day, God provides Himself as shelter and shade for us from the heat of our trials and adverse circumstances.

By God's own Word He calls Himself our refuge and fortress. God is not just a fortress like one we would see on earth than can possibly be penetrated; No, He is an unpenetratable fortress! Isaiah 54:17 states, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD."

Psalms 91:4, "He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings shall you trust; His truth shall be your shield and buckler." When you feel you are in the shadows of life, remember... you are in the shadow of the Almighty, under His wings, safely abiding.

The world tells us that Christians are weak and that Jesus is our crutch. And my reply is, "I am very weak, but Jesus Christ is more than a crutch; He is my God, my shelter, my fortress, and I will abide in the shadow of the Almighty forever!"

The Key that Unlocks the Door to Victory

2009-08-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

If someone were to ask me what the one key is that would enable them to overcome every obstacle in life I would tell them this: "Realize all that you are and have in Christ and appropriate those attributes to the point that they affect your behavior."

People often pray for what they already have in Christ. Why pray for patience? Christ is patient and His Holy Spirit lives in you. Therefore surrender to Him and you will be patient. Or, if you feel insecure, surrender to the security and acceptance that you have in Christ and you will be at peace. Insecurity comes from trying to please others. We should not live our lives seeking the praises of men nor dodging their criticisms. We only need to surrender to the will of God, focusing on pleasing Him. We are able to appropriate what we have in Christ because, as Christians, we have the same Spirit working in us as He did when He walked the earth. We should focus not on what we can do in ourselves, but what Christ can do through us.

It seems that most Christians believe in Christ and claim Him as their Lord and Savior, but do not believe Him to the point that it makes a radical difference in their everyday lives. However, before we can believe Him, we have to know His Word: II Timothy 3:16 states, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

It is important for Christians to read their Bible as it is their guidebook for life. It reveals the heart and character of the Lord; It provides His promises and His commandments. How can we know what we have in Christ if we have not read the Bible?

Sometimes we let fear control our lives. What do we have to fear? As Romans 8:31 states, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" If what we are about to do is in God's will, then go forward and do it with courage because he has already paved the way.

It is easy to fall into a pattern of negative thinking which leads to a complaining spirit. We should remember that God inhabits our praises, not our negativity. We are commanded in God's Word to, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, Rejoice." (Philippians 4:4).

Complaining may get us the attention from others, but praising will get the attention of God.

Finally, James 4:7-8 states, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..." There you have the key: If you want victory, surrender to the Lord; walk in Him. By doing this you will be resisting the devil. As you seek the Lord, He will be found.

Be blessed.

Leisa

The Return of Christ

2009-08-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

I believe that all one has to do to understand that Jesus is returning soon for all true believers is to pick up a Bible and a newspaper and compare the two.

Prophecy for Christ's second coming to earth is being fulfilled right before our eyes. Political leaders around the globe are touting a New World Order and a global, one world currency (The antichrist will have his mark ensuring that no one can buy or sell without it. (Rev. 13:16-18)). The organization, United Religions Initiative is trying to get all religions to unite. This is also prophesied in the Word of God. Many occurances such as famine (world hunger), wars & rumors of wars, earthquakes in diverse places and more are all in propecy and all happening with greater intensity and frequency than ever before.

All these things do point to Christ's second coming to earth... BUT before that happens, the Word of God teaches us that Christ will call His true Church to be "caught up" with Him to meet Him in the air, thus to be forever with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

The Bible tells us that in the last days there will be scoffers (II Peter 3:3-4) walking after their own lusts and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming, for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation?"Perhaps you are not a scoffer but are a "lost sheep" looking for Christ the Great Shepherd.

Are YOU Ready for His return? Commit your life to Christ today. Please don't be left behind.

Note: If you would like to know how to accept Christ into your life, click on "Will I go to Heaven when I Die?"

Will I go to Heaven when I Die?

2009-08-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

How can I know I will go to Heaven when I die?

God's Word states in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Everyone will stand before Christ after they die whether they believe in Him or not. Believers will only be judged for rewards (Ref.: II Corinthians 5:10 and I Corinthians 3:12-14), but unbelievers will be judged for their sin and their deeds (Ref.: Revelation 20:11-12). Even good deeds done outside of Christ are sin because God's Word states, "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." (Ref.: Romans 14:23)

Therefore, no one will get to Heaven by their own works. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

God Word states that we are all like sheep that have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

God's Word states, "He that believes on Him [Jesus Christ] is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already." (John 3:18) [bold emphasis mine] Would you would like to ensure you have HOPE for today, tomorrow, and forever?

God's Word teaches that Jesus is the sinless Son of God who was crucified on the cross of calvary bearing the sin of the world (Read Isaiah 53 for a description). But to receive forgiveness, you must confess [agree to surrender your life to] Him as your Lord [Master, Owner, Boss], believe that He died to pay your sin debt, that He arose from the grave on the third day after He was crucifed, and repent from a life bent toward sin knowing He will help you to overcome temptation.

If you would like to place your faith in Jesus Christ, inviting Him to be your Lord and Savior, then with a repentant heart, pray a prayer like this:
“Lord, I know I am a sinner and if I reject you as my Lord [Master,Owner]and Savior then I will miss Heaven and will spend eternity in a place of eternal torment. I repent from a life bent on sin and of unbelief in you. I believe you died on the cross to pay for my debt of sin (Ref.: Romans 6:23). I now ask you to forgive me Lord, save me and place your Holy Spirit within me and I will make you the Lord of my life.”

It is not the words that save you. There is no magic formula. But if you prayed a prayer like this and sincerely meant it then, Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me shall come to me and the one that comes to me I will certainly not cast out.” (John 6:37).You can now say to Him, “Thank you Lord for forgiving me and saving me.”The Bible states, “If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus , and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10).

Accept that you are forgiven. You are now on your new journey , in a personal relationship with Christ. Begin to communicate with Him through prayer, reading your Bible and worshipping Him with other believers. You may still stumble, but be close to Him and quick to confess your sins. 1 John 1:9 states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Now go tell others what Christ has done for you!

Are You Trying to Get to Heaven?

2009-08-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

I have heard people say, "Well I'm tryin' to get to Heaven." I want to say, "Well stop it!"

There are no works that man can do to earn a place in Heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 states,"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast." Christ reveals Himself to us through faith and saves us by His grace.

Those who will come to Christ were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). He knew in advance who would say "yes" to His gift of forgiveness and eternal life and who would reject Him.

We cannot work our way to Heaven. When Christ reveals Himself to a sinner, the sinner must agree with Him that he is lost, undone, and on his way to Hell unless he repents and gives his life to Christ. Once that person agrees to accept the pardon that is found in Christ, believing Him to be their Lord, they are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:10-14).

Some may say, "Well how do I know if He chose me or not?" Do you want Him to? If you have the desire for Him, that desire came from Him. Philippians 2:13 states, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." If you have the desire to be saved, it is because the Heavenly Father is drawing you. John 6:44 states, "No man can come to me except the Father who has sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day.

"There are people who feel they have sinned way to much to be forgiven. I would share with them how that cannot be so. II Corinthians 5:21 states, "For He has made Him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." And if that isn't enough, there is Romans 5:7-8 which states, "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Christ bore every sin of humanity, past, present, and future on the cross of calvary. He paid our sin debt once and for all. Then, He arose from the dead to prove He lives to intercede for us and that He is able to raise us from death unto life bringing us to where He is. John 14:2-3 states, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And, if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am you may be also."

Christ already paid our debt. We can either reach out and receive the gift or we can leave it laying there... the choice is ours. He knows already whether you will say "yes" or "no". He will only accept that you place your faith in Him for your righteousness, so don't go trying to work your way to Heaven by your good deeds because anything done outside of a relationship with Christ is sin (Ref.: Romans 14:23).

But, if you have already come into a relationship with Jesus, then celebrate your eternal life. John 6:37 states, "All that the Father gives me shall come to me and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out." John 10:27-28 states, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

Can a Christian still sin? Yes, unfortunately one can, but if you are His you will be convicted of your sin by the Holy Spirit. If you go murder someone and have no conviction of that sin, then you never belonged to Christ because God's Word states that "He cannot deny Himself" (Ref.: 2 Timothy 2:13).

There is an old saying, "The proof is in the pudding." The proof of whether you have ever known the Lord and are saved by Him is whether you are walking by faith or not. James 2:16 states, "Even so faith, if it has no works is dead being alone." If a person belongs to Christ by faith, it will show in how they live their life. The proof of our faith [belief] is in our actions.So, please... if you are trying to get to Heaven, please stop trying in your own efforts and just surrender all that you are (past, present, and future) to Jesus. Let Him be your Savior and your Lord. He already paid for your redemption.