"Confidence?"

“Confidence?”

 

In union with Christ and through our faith in Him we have the boldness to go into God’s presence with ALL confidence.          Ephesians 3:12

Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace.  There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.         Hebrews 4:16

 

Confidence:  Firm belief; trust; reliance.

 

When an individual comes to Jesus Christ for the SALVATION of their soul, it entails MORE, MUCH MORE than just a FREE TICKET into Heaven, and an ESCAPE MECHANISM from spending an ETERNITY in Hell.  It is a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with not ONLY Jesus, but the Almighty God.  And in this RELATIONSHIP, we can obtain CONFIDENCE in the capabilities of the Almighty God, such as; KEEPING His PROMISES, and providing a FOREVER HOME for His children, making His presence KNOWN, and being our REFUGE in our darkest times.  

 

However, many of His Children LACK CONFIDENCE in the ALMIGHTY GOD, and live a defeated life, because their relationship with God suffers from a LACK of CONFIDENCE, and their FAITH becomes WEAK and VULNERABLE to Satan’s attacks.  And they try to FIGHT their OWN battles, ALONE without calling on God for His HELP.  Their CONFIDENCE in the Heavenly Father is non-existent, at least that’s the impression they make.  Some may even believe that as long as they have the PROMISE of HEAVEN, that’s ALL they NEED.  WRONG!!!  God’s offer of SALVATION includes a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him.  One in which you can be CONFIDENT in Him and His CAPABILITIES. HE IS ABLE, in ANY SITUATION!!!  ALL you have to do is CALL ON HIM! If you TRULY BELONG to Him.

 

The Apostle Paul tells us that because of our UNION with Christ, and our FAITH in Him, we can have the BOLDNESS to go into God’s presence with ALL CONFIDENCE.  In Hebrews 4:16, the writer tells us that we, God’s TRUE Children, SHOULD have CONFIDENCE, and approach God’s throne, where there is GRACE; receiving blessings WE DON’T DESERVE.  And there we will RECEIVE MERCY; which is NOT receiving what WE DO DESERVE.  Then we will find GRACE to HELP us JUST WHEN WE NEED IT.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you cannot have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him, nor can you ENTER HIS PRESENCE with CONFIDENCE, because of your sinful lifestyle.  You’re headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  In order to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  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 ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and when you have done this, you may have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the ALMIGHTY GOD, and can enter His presence with BOLDNESS and CONFIDENCE in Him.  Do ALL of the ABOVE NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Rescued!"

“Rescued!”

 

He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the kingdom of His dear Son, by Whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.        Colossians 1:13

And so the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and how to keep the wicked under punishment for the Day of Judgment, especially those who follow their filthy bodily lusts and despise God’s authority.         2 Peter 2:9

 

Have you ever been RESCUED from a DANGEROUS situation?  If so, then you know the anxiety and nervous tension, situations like that can bring.  Many times, in the Bible, we can read where King David, and other Old Testament people were under immense persecutions and attacks upon them.  Even in the New Testament times, the Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ were TEMPTED, TORMENTED, and TORTURED, some to the point of death.    Yet, one way or another they were RESCUED from their PERILOUS environments.

 

So it is with the TRUE BELIEVERS of today, God has RESCUED them from the POWER of DARKNESS, and with HIS POWER, He has brought them SAFELY into the KINGDOM of His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to RESCUE mankind from their sins, and brings them FORGIVENESS , when they come to God for the SALVATION of their SOULS.  

 

God, not ONLY is ABLE to SAVE mankind from their SINS and from an ETERNITY in Hell, but He is ABLE to RESCUE them from their trials and persecutions.  He is the ALMIGHTY, EVERLASTING GOD, a GOD of LOVE, MERCY and COMPASSION.  He LOVES His Children and is ABLE to RESCUE them from the clutches of the WICKED, which He will keep under punishment for the DAY OF JUDGMENT, ESPECIALLY  those who FOLLOW their FILTHY, BODILY LUSTS and DESPISE the ALMIGHTY God’s AUTHORITY.  Has He RESCUED YOU from an ETERNITY in HELL, with all it’s HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE?

 

If NOT, He can!! If you will TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and let Him RESCUE you from the pits of Hell, and BLESS you with ALL the GLORIES of an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"The Word of Life"

“The Word of Life”

 

We write to you about the Word of Life, which has existed from the very beginning.  We have heard it, and we have seen it with our own eyes; yes, we have seen it, and our hands have touched it.  When this Life became visible, we saw it; so we speak of it and tell you about the Eternal Life which was with the Father and was made known to us.   What we have seen and heard we announce to you also, so that you will join with us in the fellowship that we have with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.          1 John 1:1-3

 

John, an Apostle, of the Lord Jesus Christ, was addressing the TRUE BELIEVERS of his time.  Who were the objects of the antichrists or false teachers, who denied the INCARNATION of Jesus Christ, the Word of Life. 

 

John tells his readers, the reason for his letter to them.  First, let us look at the title, the WORD of LIFE, which John has ascribed to Jesus, and rightly so.  In John 1:1, John stated:  “In the beginning the WORD already existed; the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God.”  Verse four says:  “The WORD was the Source of LIFE, and this LIFE brought light to people.”  In verse fourteen, John says:  “The WORD became a human being and, full of GRACE and TRUTH, lived among us.  We saw His glory, the glory which He received as the Father’s only Son.  This description pretty much describes the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the LIVING GOD.

 

John wanted his readers to KNOW that JESUS came in FLESH and BLOOD, as a MAN, who dwelt among mankind, for the PURPOSE of SEEKING and SAVING the LOST.  The LIGHT of LIFE, brought LIGHT and LIFE to those LIVING in the DARKNESS of their SINS. 

 

John wanted the TRUE BELIEVERS to KNOW that he and the other disciples, had FIRST-HAND, PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.  He said that they HEARD IT, SEEN IT with their own eyes, and even TOUCHED IT with their own hands.  Not ONLY is Jesus the WORD of LIFE, He is LIFE, ETERNAL LIFE. It is because of HIM that mankind can EXPERIENCE that ETERNAL LIFE, and be able to have FELLOWSHIP with FATHER GOD and His SON, JESUS CHRIST.  In John 14:6, Jesus says: “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE; no one goes to the Father except by Me.”  Jesus, the WORD of LIFE, is the ONLY WAY to ETERNAL LIFE with God.

 

Have you ACCEPTED the WORD of LIFE, as your SAVIOR and LORD?  If not you are living in DARKNESS and will be spending your ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY OF ESCAPE.  You are NOW being given the OPPORTUNITY to ACCEPT Him.  This is what you MUST do to be able to have ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then you MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be able to have SWEET FELLOWSHIP with FATHER GOD and His SON, the WORD of LIFE, Jesus Christ.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"What an AWESOMEGod!"

“What an AWESOME God!”

 

By the Word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.  He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; He puts the deep into storehouses.  For He spoke and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. 

The LORD foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples.  But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.                        Psalms 33:6, 7, 9-11   

 

Have you ever just stopped and contemplated on the AWESOMENESS of the ALMIGHTY GOD?  Have you ever looked around at NATURE, or been outside on a STAR-STUDDED NIGHT, and wondered how those many stars and the moon and the sun, in the daytime can stay suspended in the heavens?  Isn’t it AMAZING how the EARTH is just the RIGHT DISTANCE from the sun, so that the earth and the things on earth won’t disintegrate?   Yet it provides the right amount of WARMTH and LIGHT to sustain mankind and the other parts of God’s creation. 

 

The Bible tells us that God SPOKE the world into EXISTENCE, by the POWER of His WORD.  (Gen. 1)  What God orders, HAPPENS.  The Psalmist tells us, that ALL PEOPLE of the WORLD should WORSHIP Him.    For He SPOKE and it came to be; he COMMANDED, and it STOOD FIRM.  The earth was not BLOWN off course nor did SUN, MOON or STARS fall from the heavens, yet they have STOOD FIRM, right where the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE put them. 

 

Then the Psalmist speaks of God’s POWER in the HISTORY of mankind.   The plans of the Almighty God FOILS the plans of the EVIL NATIONS.  His PURPOSES are STEADFAST and SUSTAINED, no matter what mankind purposes to do.   His PLANS and PURPOSES stand FIRM FOREVER, through ALL generations.  Surely, God’s POWERFUL WORDS and WORKS SHOULD evoke our VERY BEST WORSHIP and PRAISE, for He ALONE is WORTHY!!

 

Are you AWARE of who holds the DESTINY of this WORLD and UNIVERSE?  And who also holds YOUR destiny in His MIGHTY, POWERFUL HANDS? If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, then your DESTINY is an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY OF ESCAPE.  In order to change your ETERNAL DESTINATION, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST THEN BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that, God’s ONLY SON, Jesus Christ died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and realize just how AWESOME He is, and WORSHIP and PRAISE Him, because HE ALONE IS WORTHY.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!                                                                                              

 

"Living By Faith"

“Living By Faith”

 

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”         Galatians 2:20

 

Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, tells them that being JUSTIFIED by FAITH in Christ is not done by the works of the law, because by the works of the law NO ONE will be JUSTIFIED (V16).  He stated that; “Through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.”  He went on to say that he had been crucified with Christ and it is NO LONGER he who lives, but CHRIST, who lives in him.  This is done through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. 

 

The life that he lived in the body, he lived by FAITH in the Son of God, the One who loved him to the point of giving Himself for Paul.  Paul reasoned, if Christ loved him to the point of dying in his place, then he could DIE to self, and LIVE for Jesus Christ. This would bring him something that the law could NOT, which is JUSTIFICATION by FAITH in CHRIST. 

 

You see, LIVING BY FAITH, is not being OBEDIENT to a set of rules and regulations, but it is being OBEDIENT to the ALMIGHTY GOD, and living in accordance to His will.  If the Law could bring SALVATION, then Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, was in vain.  And the Law would nullify God’s GRACE. 

 

SALVATION by the Law would be SALVATION by WORKS.  And it is NOT BY WORKS that we are saved, but by God’s GRACE and MERCY, through the DEATH and RESURRECTION of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Therefore, in order to LIVE BY FAITH, we MUST be like Paul, and be CRUCIFIED with Christ, so we MIGHT LIVE for Him, and gain an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its blessings.

 

In order for YOU to LIVE BY FAITH, and have an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, you MUST DO this FIRST:  TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle (be crucified with Christ), and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that, Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and begin LIVING BY FAITH for CHRIST JESUS, the ONE, who DIED for YOU.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Who Are the Enemies of God?"

“Who Are the Enemies of God?”

 

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!        Romans 5:10

 

Who are the ENEMIES of God?  The ENEMIES of God are those who REBEL against and REJECT God and His Son, Jesus Christ.  They are the COLD, BLACK HEARTED SINNERS, who FIGHT AGAINST God’s Laws.  WE were, and some of you still ARE the ENEMIES of God.   Those who have NOT COME to Him for the FORGIVENESS of their sins, but instead are living in ENMITY against Him. 

 

God’s plan to RECONCILE His ENEMIES, is carried out by the SACRIFICIAL DEATH of His ONLY SON, Jesus Christ.  To RECONCILE is to make FRIENDLY again.  It is God’s desire to bring RECONCILIATION to His ENEMIES.  To change them from; His ENEMIES to His CHILDREN, from SINNERS to SAINTS.  RECONCILIATION is the BASIS of a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP between God and mankind.  RECONCILIATION is the REMOVAL of the ENMITY, which separates God from mankind.  Therefore, before mankind can be RECONCILED to God, they MUST COME to the CROSS for the SALVATION of their SOULS, and to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS.  This is the FATE of God’s ENEMIES.

 

Jesus Christ died for His ENEMIES, verse eight, tells us that:  “While we were still SINNERS, Christ died for us.”  And now, since we are RECONCILED to God, through the DEATH of His Son, how much more shall we be SAVED through His life!  We are not speaking of His earthly life, but His life in Heaven, where He is EVER INTERCEDING for US.  What kind of LOVE is it that a HOLY, RIGHTEOUS GOD, would RECONCILE and bring SALVATION to His ENEMIES, and accomplish it through the AGONIZING, TORTUROUS DEATH of His ONE and ONLY SON?  Are you STILL living in ENMITY against God and His Son?

 

If you are, you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE once you are there.   God is offering you His RECONCILIATION, IF you will TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO HIM, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  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.  Then You MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and STOP being the ENEMY of God and BECOME the CHILD of GOD.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Who Are the Children of God?"

“Who Are the Children of God?”

 

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.  By this it is evident who are the Children of God, and who are the children of the devil:  whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.      1 John 3:9-10

Jesus answered him, (Nicodemus), “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”       John 3:3

Jesus said to him (Thomas), “I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”         John 14:6

 

Some people are under the FALSE assumption that EVERYONE on the face of the earth, is a child of God.  This is NOT FACTUAL, and I believe that a lot of God’s Word, the scriptures, explicitly tells us that.  EVERYONE is a CREATION of GOD, but EVERYONE is NOT a Child of God.

 

First of all, in 1 John 3:9-10, we are told that:  No one who is BORN of GOD makes a practice of sinning, this means that they DO NOT CONTINUE to LIVE in a sinful lifestyle.  And the reason being is because God’s seed or the very NATURE of God abides in them.  They CANNOT keep on sinning because they have been BORN of GOD.  However, because we are in the flesh, we sin against God, but it is NOT a continual SINFUL LIFESTYLE.  A TRUE Child of God will come under CONVICTION and REPENT of that act of DISOBEDIENCE, and then they will CONTINUE to STRIVE to LIVE in OBEDIENCE to the Almighty God.  And because of this, they are KNOWN as the CHILDREN of GOD. 

 

One evening a man, named Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisees, came to Jesus, and Jesus told Nicodemus, that “NO ONE can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again.”   Jesus was NOT talking about being physically born again, but He was telling Nicodemus that in order to see the Kingdom of God, to become a TRUE CHILD of GOD, there MUST BE a SPIRITUAL BIRTH.  Which meant that whoever BELIEVES in Jesus Christ, and will come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, would NOT PERISH in Hell, but would have ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, and thus they will be called the CHILD of GOD. 

 

Jesus, talking to His Disciple, Thomas, told him; “I am the WAY and the TRUTH, and the LIFE.  No one comes to the Father EXCEPT through Me.”  If you are feeling uneasy and convicted about living a SINFUL LIFESTYLE, COME to JESUS, and be BORN AGAIN into the FAMILY of God. To do this you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then you MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BELIEVE that; Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be BORN AGAIN and KNOWN as a CHILD of the LIVING GOD, and RECEIVE an ETERNITY in Heaven.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!