"Turn"

“Turn”

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.   Acts 3:19



I know that this was a message to the nation of Israel, which was to compel them to REPENT or to TURN AWAY FROM their sins INDIVIDUALLY, and then TO TURN AWAY as a nation.  And they were to TURN TO GOD, in order for their sins to be WIPED OUT, therefore, they would NOT be held ACCOUNTABLE for them. 



I believe that this verse of Scripture could be applicable to UNBELIEVERS, whether they are JEW or GENTILE.  Isaiah 45:22, says: “Turn to Me and be saved, ALL you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is NO OTHER.”  He is the RIGHTEOUS GOD, and a SAVIOR, and there is NO OTHER GOD apart from Him.  “SALVATION is found in NO ONE ELSE, for there is NO OTHER name under Heaven given to MANKIND by which we MUST be SAVED” (Acts 4:12).  Just call out the PRECIOUS, WONDERFUL, POWERFUL, MERCIFUL name, JESUS, which is ABOVE ALL OTHER NAMES in Heaven or on Earth. 



The act of REPENTANCE is to TURN AWAY FROM SIN and TURN TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is found in the act of SALVATION, which was brought about through the shed blood of the PRECIOUS SACRIFICAL LAMB of GOD, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  Who died in YOUR and MY place on an old, cruel, rugged cross.  He took our SUFFERING and DEATH, and ALL the sins of ALL mankind, upon Himself, in order for MANKIND to be SAVED, and to PROVIDE them with an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  And to be able to ESCAPE HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS.  Have you made the TURN that will determine your destiny?  HEAVEN or HELL? 



In order to receive God’s gift of SALVATION, you MUST BE WILLING TO TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and to TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and TURN FROM sin, TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, and TURN FROM an ETERNITY in HELL to an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Plans"

“Plans”

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’S purpose that prevails.          Proverbs 19:21



Everyone makes plans, plan-making, is not a bad thing, unless you make plans, and leave the Lord God out of your plan-making.  It is ALWAYS a WISE thing to allow God to guide you, when charting out your plans.  Because, it is with the HEART that mankind plans their course, BUT it is the LORD that ESTABLISHES their steps. 



When a person makes plans without talking to God, and getting His guidance, they open themselves up for DISASTER.  The LORD’S purpose will prevail in EVERY situation.  He will NOT allow us to FAIL, when we are OPEN, CONSIDERATE, and RESPECTFUL of His LEADERSHIP.  Proverbs 16:3 says: “Commit to the LORD WHATEVER you do, and He will ESTABLISH your plans.”  This is an ESSENTIAL STEP in having SUCCESS in you plan-making.  God is very much aware of the motives of a person’s heart, and as long as those motives are PURE and UPRIGHT, then the potential for SUCCESS is EXTREMELY FAVORABLE. 



The LORD works out EVERYTHING to its PROPER END. (v 4) Of that, you can be assured.  So, if you are a TRUE CHILD of the LIVING GOD, one who has given their HEART and LIFE to Him.  You NEED to PUT EVERY FACET of your LIFE, especially PLAN-MAKING, in His Hands.  Because He KNOWS what is BEST for EACH of His Children. 



And if you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to Him, you are NOT His Child, until you are WILLING TO 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.  And BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and give Him OPEN ACCESS to your PLAN-MAKING, and ALLOW Him to change your DESTINY from an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL its HORRORS to an ETERNITY in Heaven, with ALL its BLESSINGS, a REAL SUCCESSFUL PLAN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Trust in the Lord"

“Trust in the Lord”

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.      Isaiah 26:3-4



Mankind stresses over a lot of things, situations, and other people.  And a lot of the time, there is NOTHING THEY nor ANYONE else can do to resolve the scenario, which becomes a HUGE STRESS FACTOR for them.   So, they end up with medical problems, which complicates an ALREADY STRESSFUL scenario.  We definitely live in a world FULL of STRESS and ANXIETY, and the NEWS of ALL that is happening adds to the STRESS LEVEL.  Just WHERE can you go to get some RELIEF from living with STRESS?



The Word of God, the BIBLE, tells us exactly what we CAN and SHOULD do, to be able to exist in these types of surroundings.  FIRST:  You NEED to have a RELATIONSHIP with the ALMIGHTY GOD. ONLY HE can give you PERFECT PEACE, when your MIND and HEART are STAYED or KEPT on Him.  Then you NEED to TRUST Him with EVERY FACET of your life.  Even the things that you think are trivial. When you give your HEART and LIFE to Him, He TRULY CARES about ALL that affects YOU.  And He wants to HELP you.  He wants to be your EVERLASTING ROCK, your FORTRESS, REFUGE, and your PEACE of MIND. 



He wants you to TRUST in Him FOREVER.  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to:  “TRUST in the LORD with ALL your HEART, and lean NOT on you OWN understanding.  In ALL your ways ACKNOWLEDGE Him, and He will DIRECT your paths.”  After all, He is OMNISCIENT, meaning He KNOWS EVERYTHING, and who better to TRUST, than the ONE who KNOWS what lies ahead, and the BEST WAY to be able to COPE with EACH situation. 



However, the ONLY WAY you can TRUST in the LORD forever, is to become His Child.  To do that you MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and to TURN to GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  Then BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  And you MUST ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and TRUST in the LORD to SAVE you from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, and to PROVIDE you with an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Are You Being DECEIVED?"

“Are You Being DECEIVED?”

Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”  Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God.  I say this to your shame.                                      1 Corinthians 15:33-34



The Apostle Paul was speaking to the Corinthian Believers, who were being influenced by FALSE TEACHERS, who had infiltrated the Church at Corinth, and were teaching a FALSE doctrine, concerning the RESURRECTION.  The believers were being DECEIVED, and STRAYING from the TRUTH.



Paul’s fear, was that the minds and hearts of the believers in Corinth would be SEDUCED from a COMPLETE and PURE devotion to Christ, which would CORRUPT their GOOD morals.  The sentence: “Bad company corrupts good morals,” is from the poet Menander. Yet it holds MUCH TRUTH.  BAD COMPANY CAN and WILL influence an individual’s morals and attitude about things they once denounced, but may be embracing, because of the DECEPTION that is influencing their behavior.  DECEPTION is one of the devil’s most effective tools.  He is the master of deception.  And given the opportunity he CAN and WILL destroy a BELIEVER’S witness, by DECEIVING them, and CORRUPTING their HEARTS and MINDS. 



So the Apostle Paul goes on to WARN the BELIEVERS: “Come to your senses and STOP SINNING, for some people are IGNORANT about God.”  They PROFESS to be WISE in the ways of God, but they are NOT.  And the devil will use your weaknesses concerning the lack of your knowledge, and the lack of a CLOSE relationship that you have with God, to DECEIVE you into BELIEVING and ACCEPTING LIES instead of the TRUTH.  You MUST be STRONG in your FAITH, POSSESS A CLOSE and INTIMATE relationship with God. And you MUST have KNOWLEDGE of God’s Word.  And have an ACTIVE and PERSISTENT PRAYER LIFE. 



If, however, you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God then you are being DECEIVED and DESTINED for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE.  In order to NOT be DECEIVED, and to CHANGE your DESTINY, you must be WILLING TO 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.  Then 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 TURN AWAY FROM the BAD COMPANY and CORRUPT MORALS, and TURN TO GOD.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Condemned or Not Condemned?"

“Condemned or Not Condemned?”

“He who believes in Him is NOT condemned; but he who does NOT believe is condemned already, because he has NOT believed in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God.”            John 3:18



To CONDEMN is to give grounds or reason for convicting.   If you continue reading verses 18-21, you will see that the CONDEMNATION was, that the LIGHT has come into the world and men LOVED darkness rather than the LIGHT, because their deeds were evil.   Jesus said:  “I am the Light of the World.  He who follows Me shall NOT walk in DARKNESS, but have the LIGHT of Life.” (John 8:12)



When an individual comes to BELIEVE and ACCEPT Jesus Christ as their SAVIOR and LORD, they are NOT CONDEMNED, and will NOT be JUDGED for their sins, PAST, PRESENT or FUTURE, because the BLOOD of the LORD JESUS CHRIST COVERS ALL SINS.  Yet, they are obligated to CONFESS ALL SINS to God, because of their LOVE and DEVOTION for His Son, Jesus Christ, who took their CONDEMNATION and GUILT away, when He was CRUCIFIED on the cross.  And He gave them ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.    John 5:24:  The words of Jesus: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and BELIEVES in Him who sent Me has EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall NOT come into Judgment, but has passed from DEATH into LIFE.”



However, this is NOT what awaits the UNBELIEVER, those who REJECT the Son of God, and REFUSES to BELIEVE in Him and the One who sent Him.  Nor do they DESIRE to LIVE in the LIGHT, but prefer to LIVE in DARKNESS, because their DEEDS are EVIL.  The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, says, “They PERISH because they did NOT accept the love of the truth in order to be SAVED. For this reason, God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false, so that ALL will be condemned---those who did NOT BELIEVE the TRUTH but enjoyed UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. (Read: 2 Thess. 2:9-12) Their destiny is an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE.  Are you CONDEMNED ALREADY, or NOT CONDEMNED?



The ONLY way to NOT be CONDEMNED to an ETERNITY in HELL, is to be WILLING TO 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, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  And ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and be ASSURED that you are NOT CONDEMNED, and on your way to an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Greatest Evidence of God's Power"

“The Greatest Evidence of God’s Power”

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.        1 Corinthians 1:18



In my opinion the GREATEST EVIDENCE of God’s POWER is in the MESSAGE of the CROSS, which is the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST, and His mission to SEEK and to SAVE the LOST.



 In this verse of Scripture we clearly see mankind divided into two groups. Those who are PERISHING, the LOST, and those who are BEING SAVED, or the UNBELIEVER and the TRUE BELIEVER.  The Apostle Paul, saw a need for the RENEWAL of the minds of the Corinthian believers.  They were trying to live their CHRISTIAN lives under their own POWER, and using UNSANCTIFIED common sense, which leads to:  SELF-seeking, SELF-serving, and SELF-destruction.  And they were NOT depending on the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT, which indwelt them, and still indwells EVERY TRUE BELIEVER, today. 



The MESSAGE of the CROSS, will eliminate SELF-CENTEREDNESS, and bring the individual to the CROSS, giving them the MESSAGE that JESUS SAVES, and there is NO OTHER WAY to become a TRUE CHILD of the LIVING GOD.  It brings them to first, being JUSTIFIED, then after JUSTIFICATION, they will be SANCTIFIED, and then GLORIFICATION.  The MESSAGE of the CROSS brings SELF-DENIAL, and OBEDIENCE to God and His Word. 



The GREATEST EVIDENCE of the POWER of God, I believe is the REGENERATION of the HEART of MANKIND.  The POWER of the CROSS, resulting in the POWER to SAVE mankind from the POWER of SIN, ETERNAL DEATH, and the GRAVE.  To me, this is the GREATEST EVIDENCE of God’s POWER.  Have you experienced His SAVING POWER?



The way for you to experience the SAVING POWER of GOD, is for you to be WILLING TO 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.  BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and experience the POWER of GOD, and the POWER He has to give you an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, and to be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Barriers"

“Barriers”

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.       Isaiah 59:1-2



What BARRIERS do you have that are SEPARATING you from God, maybe even SEPARATING you from your ETERNAL INHERITANCE of an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then your ETERNAL LIFE will be in a place called HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE.  If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, and you have UNCONFESSED SIN in your HEART and LIFE, then you are SEPARATING yourself from God, and are unable to fellowship with Him. 



It is NOT God’s fault in any of these situations.  He has provided SALVATION to ANYBODY, who will come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and CONFESS their iniquities, which are the BARRIERS that are SEPARATING you from God and ALL He has to offer His TRUE CHILDREN.  Whether, SAVED or UNSAVED, your sins are like FILTHY, ROTTEN, PUTRID rags before the RIGHTEOUS, ALMIGHTY GOD, and that you are still clinging to.  And as long as they are in your life, UNCONFESSED, they will cause God to HIDE His face from you and He will NOT HEAR you, when you PRAY, unless it is a PRAYER of REPENTANCE and REMORSE for your UNCONFESSED sins.



King David tells us, in Psalm 66:18:  “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would NOT have listened.”  UNCONFESSED SINS are BARRIERS, which SEPARATES us from God, and for the UNSAVED they are SPIRITUAL DEATH WARRANTS that will bring JUDGMENT and CONDEMNATION of an ETERNITY in HELL.  For the SAVED, it breaks the line of FELLOWSHIP and COMMUNICATION to God.  These BARRIERS MUST be CRUSHED in either case.  There is ONLY ONE who can do that, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.



In order for Him to be your BARRIER BREAKER, you MUST BE WILLING to 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 that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and let JESUS break down ALL those BARRIERS that are SEPARATING you from your HEAVENLY FATHER.  And receive Heaven as your ETERNAL HOME, and for the TRUE BELIEVER, have your FELLOWSHIP with God RESTORED.  Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!