“The PERFECT Savior”

 “The PERFECT Savior”

 

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors.  And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver.  It was the precious BLOOD of Christ, the SINLESS, SPOTLESS, Lamb of God.   1Peter 1:18-19

 

God chose Christ Jesus, His Son, to be the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for our sins before the world began. God is OMNISCIENT meaning He is ALL-KNOWING; He knew that mankind would SIN against Him.  He knew they would be DISOBEDIENT, and that they would REBELL against Him and His laws. Nevertheless, He LOVED the CROWN of His CREATION, so much that He PROVIDED a WAY for US to be SAVED from the ravages of our transgressions. 

And so, His plan was to provide a WAY for mankind to be FREE from the BONDAGE of their SINS and to be able to have a RELATIONSHIP with GOD and JESUS, His ONLY SON, the One who became the RANSOM for our SINS. And to become that SACRIFICE, He MUST have the qualities of an ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, which required a PERFECT, UNBLEMISHED and SPOTLESS LAMB (JESUS), who is the LAMB of GOD, the ONLY ONE who is ABLE to TAKE AWAY the SINS of ALL mankind, for ALL ETERNITY.  JESUS was GOD’S SACRIFICIAL LAMB.

He SUFFERED, BLED, and DIED on an OLD RUGGED CROSS.  In AGONY and DISGRACE, He, who KNEW NO SIN, became SIN, so that mankind might have a WAY to be SAVED from the JUDGMENT of their sins, and to be able to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with their CREATOR GOD. And to be able to have HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS as THEIR ETERNAL HOME. And to be able to ESCAPE an eternity in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.

Jesus Christ, GOD’S ONLY SON, the PERFECT SAVIOR, and LORD.  Have you come to Him for the FORGIVENESS of your SINS?  Or are you continuing to live in DISOBEDIENCE and REBELLION to the FATHER GOD and His SON, JESUS CHRIST. 

To receive JESUS as your PERFECT SAVIOR and LORD, You MUST do the FOLLOWING THINGS TO RECEIVE SALVATION and a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with GOD.  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR.  YOU MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, the PERFECT SAVIOR, and be FREE from a DESTINY of HELL for ALL of ETERNITY.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  HE’S WAITING and COMING SOON.  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

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“You Are Part of God’s Divine Plan “

“You Are Part of God’s Divine Plan”

 

You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in Your Book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are Your Thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, You are still with me!   Ps. 139:16&17

Our God is an AWESOME GOD!  He is MIRACULOUS and FULL of LOVE for His Children.  King David penned this PSALM. And I MUST SAY; “These verses STIR my HEART.  We are not here through the process of EVOLUTION, and we are NOT here by CHANCE. In fact, David penned: “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. (V13) You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.” (V15)

God has known YOU from ETERNITY PAST and He has NEVER FORGOTTEN who YOU are, nor the PLANS He has for YOUR LIFE.  David wrote:  You saw me before I was born.  Everyday of my life was recorded in Your BOOK. Every MOMENT was laid out before a SINGLE DAY had passed.  And just like King David, God knows ALL your days from the BEGINNING to the END. Your NO ACCIDENT, but YOU are part of GOD’S DIVINE PLAN.

Do you have someone who REALLY LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALLY? GOD DOES!! Just like He LOVED and STILL LOVES King David.  God LOVES with an UNFAILING, UNCONDITIONAL AGAPE LOVE. A LOVE that is ETERNAL it will NEVER DIE, and it will NEVER FADE AWAY. And David had the ASSURANCE of being in GOD’S Presence and that he had and ALWAYS WILL have an INTIMATE relationship with the LIVING GOD. 

No matter who you are or what station in life you have, you have been a PART of GOD’S DIVINE PLAN from conception on. He has ALL your days written in His Book and has PLANNED each one before a SINGLE one began. HIS PLAN is the BEST of the BEST.  He knows what lies ahead of you and can PROTECT YOU FROM DISASTER.

But you MUST be HIS CHILD, to be able to EXPERIENCE such a relationship.  Here is where your DIVINE PLAN BEGINS:  If you have NEVER given your HEART and LIFE to JESUS CHRIST, God’s Only Son, who GAVE His LIFE on an OLD WOODEN CROSS, which was the PRICE He paid to SAVE your SOUL from spending ALL of ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN making intercession for you before God. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and HIS DIVINE PLAN for your LIFE. Do the instructions above, NOW, while you STILL CAN!!! HE’S WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

“A Heart Filled with JOY!”

“A Heart Filled with JOY!”

 

The Lord is my strength and shield. I TRUST Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with JOY. I burst out in songs of Thanksgiving. (Ps. 28:7)

Has there ever been a time in your life that you were dealing with something that was so profoundly bothering, that you became extremely distraught, wondering where to TURN, or what to do?  Well, King David had that kind of PROBLEM. But he knew that the LORD was his STRENGTH and SHIELD. And he knew something else EXTREMELY IMPORTANT if he was going to be VICTORIOUS over such a DILEMMA, he MUST TRUST GOD!

David did TRUST GOD, with ALL his HEART, and GOD did hear His plea and answer his requests. He KNEW that GOD would HELP him to OVERCOME his problems, and He did. And the result was a HEART FILLED with JOY!

And what prompted David to break-out in SONGS of PRAISE and THANKSGIVING to God? He TRUSTED God to HELP him. God HEARD and ANSWERED David’s prayer. David had CONFIDENCE that God would HELP him, he not only TRUSTED in GOD with ALL his HEART, but he KNEW that GOD was His STRENGTH and SHIELD and that FILLED the KING’S HEART with JOY.

When you are a TRUE BELIEVER of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the SON of the LIVING GOD, it means that you have COME to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, BELIEVING and ASKING for His FORGIVENESS for your SINS and have SURRENDERED to Him for the SALVATION of your soul.  Then God wants to be YOUR STRENGTH and SHIELD and to FILL your HEART with JOY.

However, if YOU have NOT come to JESUS with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART and have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to Him for the CLEANSING of your SOUL, you will NOT be ABLE to have a heart filled with TRUE JOY. You MUST do the above to receive Him as your SAVIOR and LORD and your STRENGTH and SHIELD to be able to have ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, and a HEART FILLED with JOY.

Do the ABOVE NOW, because He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

“CONFLICT —CAUSE, CONSEQUENCE, and CURE”

 “CONFLICT—CAUSE, CONSEQUENCE, and CURE”

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.  James 4:4

In verses 1-6, we see CONFLICT among the Followers of Jesus.  There were FIGHTS, QUARRELS, LUST, HATE, ENVY, PRIDE, and SIN. In chapter 4, it opens with these IMMORAL BEHAVIORS. And so, James confronted this type of behavior among the FOLLOWERS of JESUS, beginning with severity in his tone by NOT addressing them, in this portion of his letter as, “my brothers”, instead he addressed them as “adulterous people,” because their relationship with God had become COLD. And some had LEFT Him to FOLLOW FALSE GODS.

James revealed the CAUSE of the CONFLICT was from their OWN DESIRES that battled within them. CONFLICT comes from inner sensual lusts and pleasures, which still cause wars to RAGE in people’s HEARTS. (V1)

Next James addresses the CONSEQUENCES of CONFLICT: Selfish desires are frequently manufactured in the HEART.  And whenever anyone prevents another from getting what they desire, they are tempted to see that person as an ENEMY, which cultivates; hatred, envy, malice, and so many other IMMORAL FEELINGS that are very DISPLEASING to GOD.  And the CONSEQUENCES of the CONFLICT is WORSE than ending up without whatever your desire was.

The CURE for CONFLICT is to HUMBLE yourselves before God to experience the OUTPOURING of His GRACE. HUMILITY should be the MANTLE of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER. You MUST SUBMIT to GOD and DRAW NEAR to HIM.  Next, RESIST the DEVIL. Don’t UNDERESTIMATE the devil, he’s smarter and stronger than you. After all he’s been at his EVIL DEEDS for a LONG TIME.

The ONLY WAY to RESIST him is to do what JESUS did by WIELDING the SWORD of GOD, His WORD. And to be able to do this you MUST KNOW what His WORD says: READ and STUDY God’s Word, the BIBLE. And when the devil whispers his LIES to you, PROCLAIM the TRUTH with the HOLY SCRIPTURES, GOD’S WORD and OUR SWORD.  And REGULARLY CLEANSE your HANDS and PURIFY your HEART.

To be in a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with GOD, you MUST SURRENDER to HIM.  You do that by: ADMITTING that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the SON of GOD who is the ONLY WAY to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with GOD. You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for you and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN making intercession for you before God. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and KEEP your RELATIONSHIP with GOD PURE, CLEAN, and FREE from anything that would JEOPARDIZE your STANDING with the FATHER and the SON.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!

 

“A WONDERFUL Inheritance “

 “A WONDERFUL Inheritance”

 

LORD, You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine, the land You have given me is a pleasant land. What a WONDERFUL INHERITANCE!  Psalm 16:5-6

 

I think that King David’s CONFIDENCE in the ALMIGHTY GOD, was a BIT OFF the CHARTS, so to speak.  Verse one, tells us that: David said, “Keep me SAFE O God, for I have come to YOU for REFUGE.” (V1) “You are my MASTER! Every GOOD thing I have comes from YOU.”  “LORD, You alone are MY INHERITANCE, MY CUP OF BLESSING. YOU GUARD ALL that is mine.” (V5) “The land You have given me is a PLEASANT LAND.  What a WONDERFUL INHERITANCE.” (V6).

King David’s life was RIDDLED with TROUBLES.  He lived in some ANXIOUS TIMES. His enemies were CONSTANTLY chasing him, and he brought on some pretty HEFTY troubles of his own making.  Yet still the MIGHTY HAND of the LIVING GOD was on him.  And David KNEW beyond doubt, that God would PROTECT him from his ENEMIES.  Thus, we see in verse one David’s CONFIDENCE in God: “KEEP ME SAFE, O LORD, for I have come to You for REFUGE.” King David did not go to the MIGHTY MEN of BATTLE to KEEP HIM SAFE. His TRUST and CONFIDENCE was in HIS LORD.

In verse two, we see that the ALMIGHTY GOD was his ULTIMATE JOY and TREASURE.  David declares that EVERY GOOD THING that he had came from his LORD. Is GOD your ULTIMATE JOY and TREASURE?  Are your CONFIDENCE and TRUST, SOLEY in HIM

King David ‘s DELIGHT in God grows to his DELIGHT in what GOD DELIGHTS IN; His HOLY PEOPLE, those who were IMPORTANT to GOD was IMPORTANT to DAVID.  He had GREAT JOY in KNOWING that GOD and NOT his POSSESSIONS was his TRUE INHERITANCE. And he could take REFUGE in GOD’S PRESENCE of which he was GRATEFUL for. 

TRUE BELIEVERS of JESUS are CALLED to REMAIN in CHRIST. And when they do they gain STABILITY in an UNCERTAIN life.  And the GREATER the CHALLENGES that we FACE each day, the MORE we SHOULD REMAIN in CHRIST.  However, for those who are NOT TRUE BELIEVERS, TROUBLESOME TIMES are coming and when the SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD, starts dealing with your HEART, you NEED to SURRENDER to His wooing and ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the SON of GOD, who has already PAID the PRICE for YOUR REDEMPTION, all you MUST DO is BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for your sins and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL lifestyle and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s GIFT of SALVATION, and His WONDERFUL INHERITANCE that is WAITING for you!!  So, do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

“Pure Joy”

 

“Pure Joy”

 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your FAITH develops PERSEVERANCE.  James 1:2

Do you think it’s impossible to consider your TRIALS as PURE JOY? Is this POSSIBLE to do?  Well, it MOST CERTAINLY is POSSIBLE, because WE are CHILDREN of the ALMIGHTY GOD, who LOVED us SO much, that He sent JESUS Christ, to SUFFER, BLEED and DIE for ALL our SINS. And to be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  Instead, He has provided HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, to be our ETERNAL DESTINY.  Now, REMEMBER, this FUTURE EVENT will begin when Jesus comes in the CLOUDS to take us to our HEAVENLY HOME.  Are you READY?

However, we MUST FACE TESTING and TRIALS, along the way. James tells us to CONSIDER it PURE JOY, WHENEVER we face TRIALS of MANY KINDS. So, how do we do that?  God wants us to be JOYFUL, because He is in the PROCESS of making us just like CHRIST. And PART of this PROCESS is for us to FOCUS on His PURPOSE for sending VARIOUS TRIALS our way. It teaches us to DEVELOP PERSEVERANCE, and to TRUST in Him for our DELIVERANCE from this part of our make-over. 

NOTICE that James, says:” WHENEVER” and NOT “IF” It’s SOMETHING that ALL of GOD’S CHILDREN MUST go through, because they MUST BE HOLY as HE is HOLY.  They MUST be STRONG in their FAITH, just LIKE JESUS. And God’s Children MUST FOCUS on the PURPOSE and NOT the PAIN of their TESTING. 

The TRIALS and TESTING of our lives are to make us JUST LIKE JESUS! And we can CONSIDER IT ALL JOY because we KNOW that we will LIVE FOREVER in HEAVEN, our GLORIOUS, AMAZING, ETERNAL HOME.  Are you able to say with CONFIDENCE that You will have that HEAVENLY ETERNAL HOME?  And that you will FACE those TRIALS and TESTINGS with a STRONG, STEADFAST FAITH?  You can be if you will:  COME TO JESUS and ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. And then you MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN making intercession for YOU, before GOD.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE-STYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and be ABLE to FACE your TRIALS with PERSEVERANCE and PURE JOY.  Do this NOW, while you STILL CAN. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

“JESUS, Who is He?”

 JESUS, Who is He?

“For God loved the world in this way:  He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have ETERNAL LIFE.  For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  Anyone who believes in Him is NOT condemned, but anyone who does NOT BELIEVE is already CONDEMNED, because he has NOT believed in the NAME of the One and Only Son of God.”  John 3:16-18

Now, the question is:” Who is JESUS? Who is this man, Who canTURN WATER into WINE, HEAL the SICK, MULTIPLY FIVE barley loaves and TWO FISH into ENOUGH to feed 5,000 HUNGRY people, whoCALMED ANGRY SEAS, and brought people BACK from DEATH and the GRAVE to LIVE AGAIN?

Here are seven “I AM” statements that JESUS uses to describe exactly WHO He is:

1.        “I am the Bread of Life.”  John 6:35, as bread sustains physical life, so Christ offers and SUSTAINS SPIRITUAL LIFE

2.        “I am the Light of the World.” John 8:12 To a world lost in darkness, Christ offers Himself as a GUIDE

3.        “I am the Door of the Sheep.” John 10:7,9, Jesus PROTECTS His followers like shepherds protect their flocks from predators.

4.        “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” John 11:25, Death is NOT the FINAL word for those in Christ.

5.        “I am the Good Shepherd.” John 10:11,14, Jesus is committed to CARING and WATCHING OVER those who are His.

6.        “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” John 14:6, Jesus is the SOURCE of all TRUTH and KNOWLEDGE about God.

7.        “I am the True Vine,” John 15:1,5, when attached to Christ, we enable His LIFE to FLOW in and THROUGH us.  Then we will bear FRUIT that will HONOR the Father.

Now, that we see a little about WHO Jesus is. HE is the SOURCE of our SALVATION. We cannot have ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, unless we BELIEVE He is WHO He CLAIMS to BE.  He is OUR REDEEMER, CONQUEROR, KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS, and He is COMING SOON to RAPTURE GOD’S CHILDREN from a DOOMED WORLD. 

If you have NOT GIVEN your HEART and LIFE to GOD through, His One and Only Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. The ONE who GAVE UP His LIFE to give us ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, and ESCAPE HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. You are putting your ETERNITY at a GREAT PERILOUS RISK!!

 So, this is what you MUST DO to GET TO HEAVEN.  ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and KNOW WHO JESUS IS. Do this NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

(Seven “I Am” statements are from: Thomasnelsonbibles.com)