“ The One TRUE God”

“The One TRUE God”

 

We know that God’s Children do NOT make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely and the evil one cannot touch them.  We know that we are Children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.  1st John 5:18-19

This Scripture is NOT indicating that CHRISTIANS are SINLESS. In chapter 3:5-6 of 1st John, it tells us that IF we truly know Jesus and that He takes away our sins, and there is NO SIN in Him then ANYONE who continues to LIVE in Him will NOT sin. But anyone who KEEPS on SINNING does NOT know Him or UNDERSTANDS who He is.

Those who have been born into God’s Family do NOT make a PRACTICE of SINNING, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

We KNOW that the SON of GOD has come, and He has GIVEN us UNDERSTANDING so that we can KNOW the TRUE LIVING GOD, and HE is ETERNAL LIFE.  WE must KEEP AWAY FROM ANYTHING that might take GOD’S PLACE in our HEARTS. 

Where do YOU stand with the SON of ALMIGHTY GOD, who takes AWAY ALL SINS of ALL MANKIND?  If you BELIEVE that He DIED for YOU, why would you KEEP ON SINNING and REJECTING His FATHER’S Invitation to COME to JESUS for the SALVATION of YOUR SOUL? You are at RISK of spending YOUR ETERNAL LIFE in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. 

However, God, in His INFINITE MERCY and AMAZING GRACE is NOW giving YOU the OPPORTUNITY to: 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 STOP the CONTINUAL SINNING.   Just let me add:  We ALL SIN and NEED to CONFESS our SINS.  What is MEANT here, is LIVING IN CONTINUAL, HABITUAL, SIN and NOT HAVING A TRUE REPENTANT HEART, to the point of becoming a TRUE CHILD of the LIVING GOD.  So, do the above, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Because He is WAITING and COMING SOON. Don’t be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“How to Live According to You WORD of GOD”

 “How to Live According to the WORD of GOD”

 

I have treasured Your Word in my heart so that I may not SIN against You.  Psalm 119:11

 

How can a person stay PURE? The answer is: by KEEPING IT according to God’s Word.  And by SEEKING GOD with ALL our hearts, and for us NOT to WANDER from God’s Commands. And to TREASURE His Word in our heart. So, we might NOT SIN AGAINST God.

Also, that God SHOULD BE PRAISED; and we should be TAUGHT God’s Statutes (laws). We SHOULD PROCLAIM ALL the regulations He has given us. We should FELLOWSHIP with Him and GLORIFY Him in all that we SAY and DO. We SHOULD spend TIME in God’s WORD and MEDITATE on it.  The HOLY SPIRIT enables us to do this as we YIELD to Him. We MUST SPEND TIME in the Word and TREASURE IT in our HEART. 

VICTORY OVER SIN is NOT because of OUR PROMISES to the LORD, but it is His PROMISES to US. I AM so HAPPY about that. We have a habit, at times of NOT KEEPING our promises.  We MUST LIVE according to God’s Word, which means “CULTIVATING a HEART for GOD” and to be able to have VICTORY over SIN.

We NEED a THANKFUL HEART, and a TEACHABLE SPIRIT that ENABLES us to LEARN from God. Our blessing does NOT COME from HEARING the Word but in DOING it. “But don’t just LISTEN to God’s Word. You MUST DO what it SAYS. Otherwise, you are fooling yourselves.” (James 1-22).

Some believe that if you LISTEN or READ the WORD of God without DOING what we are SUPPOSED to do ACCORDING TO the WORD, we are OK with God.  But that is something the Devil would want us to BELIEVE.  REMEMBER: FAITH without WORKS is DEAD. “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of FAITH save anyone”. Faith by itself is NOT ENOUGH.  Unless it PRODUCES GOOD DEEDS, it is DEAD and USELESS.” (James 2:14,17) Do you possess a DEAD and USELESS FAITH?

To be able to have a LIVE and ACTIVE FAITH, You NEED a LIVE and ACTIVE RELATIONSHIP with the LIVE and ACTIVE GOD.  And the WAY to do that is through the wooing of the HOLY SPIRIT, and then when that happens, 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 LIVE ACCORDING to THE WORD of the LIVING GOD.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!! 

 

 

“God is Our REFUGE “

 “God is Our REFUGE”

 

O My people, TRUST in HIM always. Pour out your HEART to Him, for GOD is our REFUGE. Ps 62:8

This is one of many psalms that King David penned, and it tells us of David’s FAITH and HOPE that he speaks of in this particular Psalm.  The King tells us that he WAITS QUIETLY before God because he KNOWS that his VICTORY comes from the ALMIGHTY God. David confesses that God alone is his ROCK, FORTRESS and SALVATION.  And because of that he will NEVER BE SHAKEN.  (Vv 1-2)

David’s situation was not good; he takes note of the serious situation he has encountered, in verses three and four: “So many enemies against one man —-all of them trying to KILL me.  To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence. They plan to topple me from my high position.  They delight in telling lies about me. They PRAISE me to my face but CURSE me in their HEARTS.” 

And then David repeats his words, with which he began this Psalm: “Let ALL that I am WAIT QUIETLY before GOD, for my HOPE is in Him.  He ALONE is my ROCK and my SALVATION, my FORTRESS where I will NOT be SHAKEN. My VICTORY and HONOR come from God alone. He is my REFUGE, A ROCK where NO ENEMY can reach me.” (Vv5-7) 

Then with CONFIDENCE, David gives a word of advice:  “O My People, TRUST in HIM always. Pour out your HEART to Him, for GOD is our REFUGE.”  Is God YOUR REFUGE?

If you have NOT GIVEN your HEART and LIFE to GOD for your SALVATION through the SHED BLOOD of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, God’s ONLY SON, then you cannot proclaim that God is YOUR REFUGE, ROCK, HOPE, or your SALVATION. Because, PLAIN and SIMPLE He IS NOT.  In order for Him to become your REFUGE, ROCK, FORTRESS, HOPE and SALVATION, You MUST BE DRAWN to Him and you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, the SON of the LIVING GOD.  You MUST BELIEVE 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 with CONFIDENCE, like DAVID, PROCLAIM that GOD ALONE is your ROCK, SALVATION, FORTRESS, and your REFUGE.  Do this NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!                           

“GREAT Mercy and GREAT Expectation”

 “GREAT Mercy and GREAT Expectation”

 

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is by His GREAT MERCY that we have been “BORN AGAIN,” because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  Now we live with GREAT EXPECTATION, and we have a PRICELESS INHERITANCE—-an inheritance that is kept in Heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.          1st Peter 1:3-4

MERCY is NOT GETTING what WE deserve.  And this ACT of God is a GIFT from God, which is what we NEED to be “born again” and that means we have TOTAL FORGIVENESS.  We are taken from our OLD SINFUL LIFE and BROUGHT into a NEW LIFE. One that is TOTALLY FREE from JUDGMENT, CONDEMNATION, and being HELL-BOUND for ALL OF ETERNITY. 

We have this opportunity because JESUS, GOD’S ONLY SON, SUFFERED, BLED and DIED TO PURCHASE OUR SALVATION and because GOD RAISED CHRIST from the dead, we can LIVE with GREAT EXPECTATION. Now you might want to KNOW:  What is this GREAT EXPECTATION?  It is having an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS, and we have a PRICELESS INHERITANCE that is KEPT in HEAVEN for US, who are TRUE BELIEVERS. This INHERITANCE is PURE and UNDEFILED, BEYOND the REACH of CHANGE and DECAY. 

And because of the RESURRECTION of JESUS CHRIST, we will have a BETTER FUTURE on the horizon.  The RESURRECTION of JESUS guarantees our OWN RESURRECTION. Thus, we have been “BORN AGAIN!”  With our FIRST BIRTH, we were born into a DEAD HOPE.  We were BORN to DIE with HELL as our ETERNAL HOME.

But NOW with GOD’S GREAT MERCY, we have the GREAT EXPECTATION of HEAVEN as our ETERNAL HOME.  And with that we are GUARDED by GOD’S POWER for the FULFILLMENT of our SALVATION that is YET to come. So, be TRULY GLAD!! There is a GREAT JOY ahead, even though we MUST ENDURE many TRIALS for a little while. It will prove that our FAITH is GENUINE.

Have you ACCEPTED GOD’S GREAT MERCY?  If NOT, you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. In order to ESCAPE HELL, you MUST COME to JESUS and ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the ONLY 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 and His GREAT MERCY and GREAT EXPECTATION of spending an ETERNITY in HEAVEN with the FATHER and His SON.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!

“Promised Rest”

 “Promised Rest”

So, God’s Rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they DISOBEYED God. So, God set another time for entering His rest, and that time is TODAY.  God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you HEAR His Voice, don’t harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4:6,7

 

To whom was God speaking of when He took an oath that they would never enter His REST? It was the Israelites, who had DISOBEYED HIM by their UNBELIEF. They REFUSED to go into the PROMISED LAND, like He had TOLD them to do. And they were BANNED from entering God’s DIVINE Rest. This SPIRITUAL REST is therefore an issue NOT JUST for the PAST, but it is for the PRESENT and FUTURE.

God has PROVIDED His DIVINE REST, for the TRUE BELIEVERS, TODAY.  It includes the PROMISE of FORGIVENESS, PARDON, and PEACE. Those of the OLD TESTAMENT ERA, were not able ENTER the DIVINE REST, because they DID NOT BELIEVE GOD, they did not TRUST Him.  Without FAITH, it is IMPOSSIBLE to PLEASE GOD!

Realizing the Promises of God has always been conditioned on mankind’s RESPONSE of FAITH. God is SERIOUS about people coming to KNOW HIM.  He CALLS us with a STIRRING of OUR HEARTS by the HOLY SPIRIT. This is a SIGN within us for ACTION, on our part, because of our FAITH. So, how is YOUR FAITH?  Have you been OBEDIENT to GOD’S commands for your life?  Do you BELIEVE and TRUST Him?

God’s Promise of entering His REST STILL STANDS, so we ought to tremble with FEAR that some of you might FAIL to EXPERIENCE it. For this GOOD NEWS that God has prepared this REST—-has been announced to US just as it was to the ISRAELITES. But it did them NO GOOD because they DIDN’T SHARE the FAITH of those who LISTENED to GOD. And ONLY those who BELIEVE can enter His REST.  As for the others, God said, “In My Anger I took an oath:  “THEY WILL NEVER ENTER MY PLACE of REST.” (Vv1-3)

If you want to have GOD’S DEVINE, ETERNAL REST you MUST DO the FOLLOWING THINGS: You MUST ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, God’s ONLY SON, who GAVE HIS LIFE to SAVE YOUR SOUL.  You MUST BELIEVE 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 ENTER His DIVINE REST.  Do this NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

“No Judgment”

 “No Judgment”

 

“There is NO judgment against anyone who BELIEVES in Him. But ANYONE who does NOT BELIEVE in Him has already been JUDGED for NOT BELIEVING in God’s ONE and ONLY SON”.  John 3:18

Most people know John 3:16 by heart: “For God So LOVED the world that He gave His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON. That WHOSOEVER BELIEVES in HIM should NOT PERISH but have ETERNAL LIFE. Verse seventeen follows it up with the FACT that He did NOT SEND His Son into the world to JUDGE the WORLD, but to SAVE the WORLD through the SACRIFICE of JESUS, His SON.

God’s PURPOSE of sending His Son is SALVATION (to SAVE) and NOT to CONDEMN. God does NOT ENJOY the DEATH of the wicked. It is His DESIRE that ALL would be SAVED. First Timothy 2:1-6, the words of the APOSTLE PAUL to Timothy, his son in the ministry: “I urge you, first to PRAY for ALL people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them.  Pray this way for kings and ALL who are in authority so that we can live peaceful, quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.  This is GOOD and PLEASES God our SAVIOR, who wants EVERYONE to be SAVED and to UNDERSTAND the TRUTH.  For, there is ONE GOD and ONE MEDIATOR who can RECONCILE GOD and HUMANITY—-the man CHRIST JESUS. HE GAVE His LIFE to purchase FREEDOM for EVERYONE.”

There is NO JUDGMENT AGAINST anyone who BELIEVES in the SON of the LIVING GOD. But those who do NOT BELIEVE in JESUS and His SAVING WORK has ALREADY been JUDGED for NOT BELIEVING.  And this JUDGMENT is based on this FACT:  God’s LIGHT (Jesus), came into the world, but people LOVED the DARKNESS MORE than the LIGHT, for their ACTIONS were EVIL.  And ALL who do EVIL HATE the LIGHT and REFUSE to go NEAR IT for FEAR their SINS will BE EXPOSED.

A TRUE BELIEVER is also a sinner that has been REDEEMED and will NOT FACE JUDGMENT or CONDEMNATION for their SINS because they have come to CHRIST JESUS (the Light) and have CONFESSED their SINS to HIM and ASKED HIM for His FORGIVENESS with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. And their ETERNITY WILL BE in HEAVEN, where there is NO DARKNESS caused by EVIL ACTIONS. And they now carry the TITLE of a TRUE BELIEVER of JESUS CHRIST. What about you?  Are you a TRUE BELIEVER?  Or are you a SINNER, who desires the DARKNESS and hates the LIGHT?  I PRAY that ALL who may read THIS, will realize that HELL is NOT A PLACE of PARTYING, but it is a PLACE of HORRORS and UNENDING AGONY. And the ONLY WAY to ESCAPE IT is to come to JESUS and ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS, God’s Only Son.  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 NO JUDGMENT and LIVE in the LIGHT. Do this NOW while you STILL can!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

“WARNING: DON’T DRIFT AWAY”

 “WARNING: DON’T DRIFT AWAY”

 

We must listen very carefully to the TRUTH we have heard, or we may DRIFT away from it. For the message of God delivered through angels has always STOOD FIRM, and every violation of the law and every act of DISOBEDIENCE was punished.  So, what makes US think WE can escape if we ignore this great SALVATION that was first announced by the Lord Jesus, Himself and then delivered to us by those who heard Him speak?   Heb. 2:1-3

The Author of the Book of Hebrews gives his first WARNING to those who are part of God’s family. He tells them to LISTEN CAREFULLY!  To me these words imply that this is VERY IMPORTANT and we SHOULD take it to HEART.  So, what is SO IMPORTANT that we SHOULD LISTEN CAREFULLY well it is the TRUTH. 

There use to be a game show called “TRUTH or CONSEQUENCES” and the contestants had to guess if the person they were questioning, was telling the TRUTH or NOT.  If they guessed WRONG, then they faced the CONSEQUENCES.  And the WARNING here tells us that the CONSEQUENCES of NOT LISTENING CAREFULLY to the TRUTH could cause us to DRIFT AWAY FROM the TRUTH.

The Message (law) of God that was delivered by the ANGELS had ALWAYS STOOD FIRM, and EVERY VIOLATION of the LAW and EVERY ACT of DISOBEDIENCE was PUNISHED.   So, what makes US THINK we can ESCAPE if we IGNORE this GREAT SALVATION that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself?

If God was SERIOUS about His Message (the law) that came through the ANGELS, how much MORE serious is He about His Message that came through His Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST (the Gospel). 

Yes, by God’s GRACE, Jesus tasted DEATH for EVERYONE.  God, FOR whom and THROUGH whom everything was made, chose to bring MANY into GLORY.  And JESUS, through His SUFFERING, was a PERFECT LEADER; FIT to BRING them into their SALVATION. So, now JESUS and the ones He makes HOLY have the SAME FATHER.  That is WHY He is NOT ASHAMED to call them His Brothers AND Sisters.  Are you STANDING FIRM in your FAITH or are YOU DRIFTING AWAY from the TRUTH? 

If you have NOT GIVEN your HEART and LIFE to GOD through His Son, JESUS who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED and ROSE from DEATH and the grave.  Then you are CONTINUALLY DRIFTING AWAY from such a GREAT SALVATION. And are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  In order to RECEIVE SUCH a GREAT SALVATION, you MUST ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, and 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 DON’T IGNORE this GREAT SALVATION.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s. WAITING and COMING SOON!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!