Archive for the ‘Scripture’ Category

God Owns Everything!

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture, Worship on March 2, 2007| 3 Comments »

TrmpetSwan 

 Psalm 24:1-2 (NASB)

 The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.
For He has founded it upon the seas. And established it up the rivers.

Have you ever stopped to think that God owns everything?  He created everything and it is His to do with as He pleases.  He laid the foundation of the earth.  He created mankind and owns us.  We are His possession.  He can do with us whatever He pleases.  God is sovereign.  He is universally supreme.

If He owns everything then He is in charge of everything.  When we allow God to be in charge of our lives He blesses us.  When we try to run our lives ourselves then we are actually going against God and are in rebellion.  We will not be blessed.

 When we become successful in the work place and make a good living it is only due to God allowing us to do so.  The money we make is actually His.  Do we spend it in a way that is pleasing to Him?  Whatever we have comes from His hand to ours.  Our homes, food, clothing, friends, family come from God.  We can’t think of anything that He isn’t ultimately responsible for giving us.

 I know everyone doesn’t think this way.  A lot of people think they are responsible for their own success.  They think they have worked hard and earned what they have.  It may be true that they worked hard, but God is the one who allowed it to happen. 

Psalms 50:10-11

For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

When we look at the beauty in this earth; the birds, flowers, sunsets, sun rises, oceans, lakes, stars on a dark night, we can see the results of God’s handiwork.  He made all that, and it is His.  He shares it with us to enjoy and we can be grateful and in awe at what He has done.  Man certainly could not have made these beautiful things.  God is possessive of His creation.

 

 

 

 

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Walk in the Spirit

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture on February 28, 2007| 3 Comments »

 

We have discussed the secret of being a contented Christian in the previous post. We found that Paul says we are to be content in whatever situation we are in. Also, that we can be that way if we rely on God to strengthen us in all things. To accomplish this we must walk in the Spirit.

If you are a Christian and you are not content with your life perhaps you haven’t learned how to walk in the Spirit. It is so important for us to learn to live above our circumstances. We are in this world and it effects us all day long. We are pressured on every side, but it doesn’t have to get us down. We have problems at work, in relationships, with our families and spouses. There must be an answer for Christians to live a peaceable life in this world.

Do all the awful things you see on the news make you nervous? Do family problems drive you to distraction? Do health problems scare you? Then, read on and learn how to walk in the Spirit.

When we became a Christian we received the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in flesh, but in Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His.

The question becomes, “How do we walk in the Spirit in our daily lives?”

Again, we turn to the Bible for the answer.

Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

It should be easy then to walk in the Spirit if he dwells in us. However, there is a conflict going on inside us. We still have our flesh to deal with. The flesh and the Spirit collide with each other at times.

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

God has given us the option to walk in the flesh or walk in the Spirit. We have something to say about this. We must first decide that we want to walk in the Spirit and then take action. It doesn’t come to us automatically, but is something we can learn. We won’t be truly content until we master this.

We start out with prayer admitting we cannot do this in our own strength and that we need His help. We are like a little child learning to walk. We launch out, become shaky, stumble and fall. Then, we have to pick ourselves up and start all over again. This is how one learns to walk in the physical sense and also in the spiritual sense.

Here are some ideas to help you learn to walk in the Spirit:

  • Pray and confess any known sin and ask forgiveness. God won’t hear our prayers if we are not right with him. (1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
  • Accept God’s forgiveness and ask to be refilled with the Holy Spirit.
  • Spend some time each day with God in Bible study, prayer, and meditation on the Word.

Now start out your day as you walk in the Spirit. When we slip and sin we break our fellowship with God and fall back to walking in the flesh.

As soon as we realize we have sinned we need a spiritual shower. We need to confess and ask to be refilled with the Spirit.

As you practice your walk in the Spirit habit, you will find you spend more time in the Spirit. Also, at the same time you’ll find you become more satisfied with your life. You will be able to live above your circumstances and won’t be pulled in all different directions. You will actually feel contentment! This is not natural but is supernatural. You will live on a higher plane above your problems, and will depend on God moment by moment to handle everything.

Once you catch a glimpse of this new way to walk, you’ll be on your way to becoming the person God created you to be. You will begin to see the fruit of the Spirit in your life; such as love, joy and peace. You’ll be connected to God’s power which enables you to function in His power and strength and not your own. As you yield to Him and allow Him to live through you, you can be effective and victorious in your daily walk with our Precious Savior. Daily problems won’t seem as frightening because you can live above them in the power of the Spirit.

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The Contented Christian

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture on February 23, 2007| 3 Comments »

Two Cardinals 

If you are a Christian, allow me to ask you, are you content? By that I mean do you have a peace inside that transcends your circumstances? On a daily basis are you mostly happy and satisfied? If you can say, “yes,” to these questions you probably are a contented Christian.  However, if you say, “no,” then you need to read on to discover the secret to contentment.

Now, let’s look at the Word of God and see what Paul says about being content.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. (Philippians 4:11)

Paul is actually shows us here the secret of being content. First, he says that he had learned to be content or satisfied no matter what his circumstances were. He learned to live above his circumstances. His circumstances did not dictate his happiness. Can you honestly say that is true in your life?

How many times have you thought “if only this or that would change I’d really be happy.“ I know people who seem to think their circumstances are the measuring stick of true happiness. One person I know believed if she could just have a new car she would be happy. Well, her husband gave in and even though they could not afford it, they got the car. She was thrilled, for a little while, but it didn’t last. Then, she thought she needed to repaint the house inside, and that would make her happy. That didn’t do it either. She had a pattern of thinking “things” would make her content. Others think happiness lies in a new job, or more money, or a vacation.

There are many people who think that way, but Paul said he could be happy no matter what the circumstances. It wouldn’t take a new mule or anything else to make him content. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be like Paul?

I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. (Philippians 4:12)

He also said it didn’t matter if he was rich or poor, or what was going on in his life. We know that he suffered while he spent years in jail. He was beaten up several times and even left for dead. He was also in a ship wreak. Yet, he could say he was content? What’s the secret Paul?

Are you ready? The next verse tells us the secret of contentment.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

That’s it! Paul said it is because of the strength he has in Christ that he could do all things and still be content.

If a person is not a Christian they do not have this capacity to actually be content and strong in every situation. Our wonderful Savior has given us the Holy Spirit who lives in us to enable us live on a different level. Isn’t this exciting? Here is what the Bible says:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. (Ephesians 6:10)

Do you see it? Be strong, in the Lord. We need to have the Lord first of all and then he gives us all of his mighty strength.

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:1)

And, he gives us his grace which he keeps pouring out to us over and over as we need it. His grace gives us strength.

…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, (Ephesians 3:16)

Here he is says that this strength and power we have in Christ is IN US. We have it! If we are Christians then we have the Holy Spirit IN US. He is already there! He is waiting for us to call on him in our times of need. When we do this we have peace and contentment. There is no need for us to live in disharmony, and have anxious and fearful lives. We can live above whatever is going on when we walk in the Spirit.

Walking in the Spirit will be the subject of my next post. We will look at how we can either hinder or help the Holy Spirit give us contentment.

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An Unhappy Christian

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture, Worship on February 15, 2007| 39 Comments »

Paint1

Many Christian people are not really happy deep down inside.  Oh, they can put on a good front, and smile and make small talk, but when they are alone and all is quiet there is no peace inside.  This kind of person finds it easy to become involved in bickering, quarrels and arguments, especially at home.  Is this the way it is suppose to be?

Have you ever noticed when the electricity goes off we say the POWER is off?  When that happens we have all kinds of unexpected problems.  We can’t take a shower, do a load of wash,  or run the dishwasher.  We have no water period.  Also, most likely, the heating system in our house won’t work without electricity.  In the winter this can be a serious problem.   All those things that we take for granted every day are suddenly out of bounds for us just because something unexpected happened at the power station and the power went off.  We feel helpless!

The POWER can go off in our Christian lives also.  When that happens we cannot function right. Too many people today have a  powerless and miserable life.  Yes, we continue to try to do the right things.  Perhaps we get up on Sunday morning and have an argument with our spouse while getting ready for church, and yell at the kids.  Then we all pile in the car and go off to church.  When we arrive we put on a happy face, and look just fine on the outside.  We can participate in the choir and greet each other with a handshake or hug.  But, at the same time we might be miserable on the inside.  We leave church and again find ourselves in the same old situation quarreling and arguing with others.  What has happened? You have lost your power source!

The Holy Spirit is our power source.    Do you know that we short-circut the Holy Spirit’s power in our life when we sin?  This happens even when we do so called little sins.  We sin and it breaks our connection with God.  We no longer have fellowship with him.  We immediately then revert back to living in our flesh like we did  before we were Christians.  It would be good if a bell would go off in our heads and alert us to the fact that we have sinned and lost our power source, but it doesn’t work that way.  Instead we find ourselves thinking and doing things that are not pleasing to God.  We try to accomplish things in our own strength  which will not work.  This behavior will go on until we realize we are not right with God. 

God is holy and He cannot look upon our sin.  He tells us in His Word:

“So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.  (Isaiah 1:15) NASB

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,  (Isaiah 1:16) NASB

God doesn’t want us to be powerless Christians.  He does not want us to quarrel and argue.  God loves families and He wants us to have peaceful, loving homes to bring up our children. He wants us to be blessed with all spiritual blessings.  He wants the very best for us.  After all He bought us with His own blood when He died on the cross for us. He is invested in us.

When we get into arguments with others the issue is not what we are arguing about.  It is about us.  We are sinning, and we can’t be happy inside in this state.  We are being selfish and prideful. We insist we have to get in that last word.  We need to examine ourselves against the scriptures and see if we measure up.  Where are we going wrong?

God tells us when we become a Christian a change takes place.  We become a new creature  in Christ. 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  (2 Corinthians 5:17) NASB

He has told us to put these old things aside.

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.  (Colossians 3:8)

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,  (Colossians 3:9)

If you have a short temper and fly off the handle easily something is wrong.  We are not to fight and use abusive speech.  We are not to get even.  Some people I know say “I don’t get mad I just get even!”  That is the way of the world.   We are not to slander one another. And we are not to lie.  We are to practice telling the truth.  All of the above things are sin in God’s sight and when we do them we disconnect from our power source, the Holy Spirit. 

Some people say they can’t help themselves in these things because they are just made that way.   “Oh, I just have a short fuse.  My dad was the same way.  I come by it naturally.”  Well, that may be so, but just because your dad was a sinner doesn’t mean you have to continue in the same path.  These are simply excuses.  God requires change!  And, he has given us the tools to make those changes.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,  (Romans 6:12) NASB

We are to be in control and not let sin have it’s way.  Before we were Christians this was very difficult because we didn’t have the power in ourselves to do this.  But, now we have the Holy Spirit to help us, and we can have victory over sin. 

If you are an unhappy Christian on the inside, take time to examine yourself and see if you have unconfessed sin in your life.  Confess, repent, and get connected with your power source so you can please God and find true happiness.
 

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God’s Wonderful Grace

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture, Worship on January 23, 2007| Leave a Comment »

Butterfly 

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud,but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) NASB Let’s take a brief look at this scripture

But This word shows us a contrast between the previous verses that show us how sinful we really are, and God’s wonderful grace.

He God is the one who gives us grace.

Gives God actually gave us grace before time and eternity. And, He keeps on giving it and will throughout the ages to come.

Greater This word is a comparitive word showing us that God’s grace is greater than all our sins. Isn’t that wonderful?

Grace Grace is God’s unmerited favor. Or, it is His goodness extended to those who deserve wrath. That is us, my friends. None of us deserve God’s goodness and kindness. It is His grace that forgives us and His grace that enables us to live in obedience to Him. We cannot do that on our own.

There is a wonderful old hymn that shows us the wonder of God’s grace.

He Giveth More Grace
by Anna J. Flint

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Oh, what a wonderful, merciful, giving God we have.  If you are having a bad day full of anxiety and stress remember that God wants to help you.  If you are a believer and go to Him in prayer, confessing any known sin, our God if faithful to extend to you the fullness of his abundent grace. 

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Key to Prosperity

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Scripture on January 16, 2007| 1 Comment »

 

Ponderosa Pine3He is like a tree planted by rivers
of water, which brings forth its
fruit in season and whose leaf
does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 1:3

Here is a wonderful promise from the Word of God.  The thought is of a beautiful tree growing by a river of water.  The tree grows abundantly and never has to worry about drought as the water continuously provides all its needs to bear its fruit in due season. This sounds great but wait, there is a catch!

Yes, God does give us a great promise, but there are some strings attached.  At first glance this sounds like a very easy way to have a wonderful, prosperous life.  We just wait like the tree and God does all the rest.  But, to get the full meaning of this verse, we must go back and look at the verses proceeding this one. 

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 scoffers! (Psalms 1:1)

Blessed, or happy, is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked.  Let me ask you this.  When you have problems where do you go for advice?  People are always ready to give us advice.  Have you ever thought about who is giving it?  Do you take advice from people in the workplace?  Are these people who are walking close to God?  It just seems natural to ask those around us for advice.  But, God says not to take advice from the ungodly people of the world.  Their mindset is different and they do not take in consideration the moral values God wants for us.

 When we need advice to work out some problem we have with daily living we need to go to trusted people who are walking with the Lord.  Look for a mature Christian who is strong in the Word.  He can help you discover what God says about your particular problem.  We are not to cozy up to the world. 

First, he says “walk,” in the councel of the wicked.  Then, there is a progression to “stand” in the paths of sinners, and finally, “sit,” in the seat of scoffers.  If we follow this path we are finally living just like everyone else who are not Christians. If we follow this path we will not be given the right advice.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. (Psalms 1:2)

Instead of hanging out with the worldly people the person who wants to be prosperous delights in the Word of God.  He spends time in the Word reading and studying it, and he continuously mediates on the Word.  As Christians we need to keep in the Word and we will find how God wants us to live so we can make decisions based on his morality, not the worlds.

As you can see the key to prosperity is not just sitting back doing nothing, nor is it going to worldly people for advice.  The Psalmist says that in order to be prosperous we must keep in the Word, keep close to God, and look for our help from Him.  When we do this we will be prosperous!

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The True Gospel Message

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, Faith, Gospel, inspirational, Scripture, Worship on January 9, 2007| Leave a Comment »

                      WHAT IS THE TRUE GOSPEL MESSAGE?

There are many “gospel” messages being circulated today. In some circles one would believe that if we simply say “Jesus come into my heart,” we are saved.  They do not teach the whole gospel.

They leave out the cross and resurrection.  They don’t tell us that we are sinners and that we need a Savior. They don’t tell us that we will either spend eternity in Heaven or hell and our destiny depends on what we believe about Jesus.  They don’t tell us that now is the time to make that decision and after we die it will be too late. The gospel is sometimes presented as something we do, like going forward in church, or having some kind of emotional experience, so that we can find peace, happiness, wealth, and good health. The emphasis is not on the fact of how we are all dreadful sinners and in desperate need of a Savior.The Word “gospel” means good news.

What is the good news of the Bible?

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day  according to the Scriptures,…” I Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV.

The Apostle Paul wrote this scripture as he was inspired by God.  He tells the Corinthian believers that the first and most important thing he wanted to share with them was the gospel message as follows:

  1. Christ suffered and died on the cross for our sins, according to the scriptures.
  2. He was buried in a borrowed tomb, which was then sealed and guarded.
  3. He rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures. Death could not hold him.

My friends, that is the gospel message. Very short and to the point.

In order to understand the importance of these scriptures we must dig a little deeper.

Why did Christ have to die for our sins?

In the beginning God created the first man an woman, Adam and Eve.  They were made perfect. At that time there was no sin in the world. God placed them in the garden of Eden to live and populate the earth.

Genesis 2:16-17 “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. ‘”

But, Satan came along and enticed Eve to eat of the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve picked the fruit and ate it and even gave her husband Adam some to eat too.

Sin is disobedience to God.  Adam and Eve became sinners, and they passed that heritage down to us. From then on everyone was born with a sin nature. We do not have to learn to be sinners it comes naturally to us.

God came to visit with Adam and Eve, but they hid from him.  Why? Because they were ashamed and full of fear.  Here is where the blame game got started. Adam tired to blame Eve and Eve blamed the serpent (Satan) who enticed her to eat the fruit.  But, as God is all knowing He  knew the whole story. He knew they had disobeyed Him.

Up to this time Adam and Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden, and that didn’t bother them.  After they sinned they became aware of their nakedness and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. They became aware of themselves. This is when conscience entered the human picture.

God did not view the fig leaves as a proper cover for them so he sacrificed animals to use their skins to make Adam and Eve clothing. Have you ever wondered why God replaced the fig leaves with animal skins?

God had told Adam and Eve that if they disobeyed him they would surely die. (Genesis 2:17) You see life is in the blood. If a person gets cut bad and loses too much blood he will die. Without blood there is no life.

Leviticus 17:11 says, ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for [Heb 9:22] it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’

God could not go back on His Word. He didn’t want to end the human race so He had to make another way.  He allowed the slain animals shed blood be a substitution for their own. Blood was shed and the sins were covered or atoned for. The skins were their covering and a reminder of the shed blood.

God is love. He made mankind so that he could communicate and fellowship with them.  But, God is also just.  He requires that justice be done. That is why he had to shed the blood of animals in the place of shedding the blood of Adam and Eve. The animals paid the price, for the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

In the Old Testament times, God required the people sacrifice animals daily to cover their sins. These sacrifices were looking forward to the day that God would give the ultimate sacrifice, His only Son, to die for the sin of the world. This happened in the New Testament era when the Lamb of God, which is Jesus Christ, came to this Earth to give His live and shed his blood on the cross to cover our sins.

God also said in the book of Romans that the wages or payment for sin is death.  Because God is just this payment must be made.

Romans 6:23   “For the wages of  sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The other side of the coin is that God will give us eternal life as a free gift when we understand and accept the true gospel message.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

So, we can plainly see from the Bible that we need a Savior because we all are sinners.  God met our need by allowing His Son to come and be a substitute our sins.

Could anyone have died for our sins?  Did it have to be Jesus Christ?

Yes, it had to be Jesus Christ, because the sacrifice for our sins had to come from a perfect person, and none of us are perfect because we are born with a sin nature. He wasn’t because he did not have an earthly father. Christ was born of a woman and the Holy Spirit.  He was perfect without sin or imperfection.  He is fully man and He is God. He is the only one who could qualify to die in our place.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not parish but have eternal life.”

How was his burial different from others?

Jesus was buried and placed in a borrowed tomb.  He didn’t even own one of His own.  The Roman officials didn’t want anyone to steal the body and say that Christ rose from the dead. They didn’t want to stir up the people. So, they placed a huge stone in front of the tomb and even sealed it. Then they set a guard to watch it. There was no way the Lord’s disciples could pull a fast one. (Read John 19:38-42)

Why is the resurrection important?

Do you realize that the Christian religion is the only one that has a risen Savior?  All the others worship someone who is dead!  What good is a dead savior?  How could prayers be answered if our Savior was dead?

Jesus Christ rose from the grave on the third day, just as the scriptures foretold.

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40

He now sits at the right hand of God in Heaven pleading our case before our Father.

Hebrews: 10:12 “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”

Romans 8:34  “Who is he that condemns?  Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life– is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

The resurrection of Jesus is what makes the Christian faith different. He not only died for our sins, but he beat death.  Death could not hold Him! He rose again just as predicted in a glorified new body.

Oh friends, this is what gives us so much hope.  If Jesus could die and rise again with a new body, we can too. Death doesn’t have to be the end!

Some day we who know him as our Savior will meet Him face to face in Heaven and spend eternity with Him. Those who don’t know Him in this personal way will spend eternity in hell with constant torture and suffering. He has given each of us a choice.

Would you like to accept the true gospel message?

If you have read this far you now know the true gospel message. Perhaps you are wondering if you have accepted the correct gospel message.  If you have any doubt or question about it at all, then here is your chance to know for sure!

Or, you may be one who has have never been privileged to hear the gospel message before, and you are reading it for the first time in your life.

II Corinthians 6:2b “…behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.“

Lets again look to the Bible to see what it says about how to accept the gospel.

Romans 10: 9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:10 “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth that you confess and our saved.”

Have you ever noticed that what is deep inside us eventually comes out of our mouths?  We are ready to pray when we really believe deep down in our hearts what the Bible says about how Jesus died and rose again for us, and our hopelessly lost condition without Him. And when we are willing to count the cost of following Jesus and truly submitting to Him as Lord of our life.  Yes, then we are ready to pray.

Instead of walking an aisle and repeating some words that really mean nothing to you, like, “Yes, I accept Jesus into my heart.”  Or, just raising your hand in some church service where the pastor is asking if anyone wants to “accept Jesus.”  Instead you need to go to God on your knees, repent and confess, beg and plead with Him to accept you into His family.

Are you willing to follow Him?

II Corinthians 6:2b “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (KJV)

I could give you a sample prayer, but I’d much rather it came right from your own heart in your own words.  I pray you will submit to Jesus Christ as Lord of your life today.

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Holiday Depression

Posted in Holidays, inspirational, Scripture on December 13, 2006| 4 Comments »

Christmasfloral

Do you ever get depressed around the holidays?  Many people do including myself. This year I decided I’d float through the holidays and just enjoy every minute.  Right!

I must explain that I have a physical handicap.  I have a serious eye muscle problem.  I’m only using one eye in order to avoid double vision.  This causes me to tire very quickly and I get many headaches.  The added pressures of the holiday season wear on me and I tend to dread them as my frustration level increases.

I’ve been trying to get into the swing of the holidays and yesterday set out to bake some wonderful Christmas cookies.  Well, after setting the smoke alarm off three times I gave up.  I can’t believe I burned up the Peanut Butter Blossoms.  They are now called Burnt Bottom Peanut Butter Blossoms.  Try saying that fast six times in a row.  🙂  My patience ran out, and my dh had to take over.  I thank for Lord for a wonderful husband who came to the rescue.

That was the second cookie failure in less than a week.  A few days ago I attempted some Pecan Tea Tassies.  I’ve never made them before, but they are one of my favorites and my niece said they were easy so I got busy.  To make a long story short, they didn’t turn out. 

After my cookie failures it would be easy for me to sink into a depression, as I was fighting it in the first place.  It seems like such a waste of time and money, and I feel like I failed.  I know there must be a lesson here some place, but I’m not sure what it is right now.  Maybe it is to really appreciate how patient and kind my husband is.

Depression robs us of our joy at the holidays.  Why does this happen?  Many of us are over stressed at this time of year.  There are so many things to do, and the pressure mounts.  We have many parties and celebrations with family and friends.  We have too much to do and to little time.  Much is expected of us.  There is the financial pressure of how much to spend.  In some parts of the country the weather can be another factor weighing on our shoulders.

We need to clean, shop, bake, wrap gifts, order things,exchange things that we bought by mistake, watch for the best sales, make sure we have all the ingredients on hand for the holiday baking, buy groceries for the parties, get the kid’s teachers gifts, make sure they have everything for their school functions, and on and on it goes.  All of this is crammed into a very short period of time and it is no wonder it gets of us down.

There are other reasons why some people get depressed at this time of year.  Many people have lost loved ones near the holidays and all of those unpleasant memories are again stirred up.  They miss those who have gone on.  Some have panic disorder and even the thought of shopping, crowds, and parties can be debilitating.

Some are lonely as all the family has either moved far away or they don’t really have any family.  Christmas is a time for families.  There are all kinds of problems associated with holidays and family gatherings.

So, if you are one who is experiencing holiday depression you are not alone, that’s for sure.  If you are a Christian, then you most likely are adding guilt on top of depression.  As everyone knows, “Christians are not to be depressed!”

Reality is that anyone can get depressed.  The important thing is to learn how to deal with it.  

Here are some ways to beat depression before depression beats you.  

Here is a very important one:

1.  Check yourself.  See if there is any unconfessed sin in your life.  If so, get right with God.  Confess your sin and turn from it.  Are you holding grudges?  Is there someone in your family or at work you need to forgive or ask forgiveness of? 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NASB)

2. Think of others more highly than ourselves. We need to think of others needs before our own.  In other words, not be selfish.

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think;  (Romans 12:3)

3.  Pray and ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and walk in his strength through the holidays making sure your actions and words are honoring to him.

4.  Be realistic.  Look at your schedule and see if it is overloaded.  Then, see where you can cut back. Give yourself a break.

5. Don’t be afraid to say no.  You can say “no,” if you have too much going on.  Use common sense.

6. Downsize.  We really don’t have to buy every new thing on the market for our kids and families.  Why not think about just getting one gift for each family member and take the rest of the money you would spend and give it to charity?  It’s a thought, and it might teach the children that it is better to give than receive.  It might be too late for this one this year, but what about next year?

7.  Take time to meditate on the real meaning of Christmas.  Listen to some relaxing Christmas music while sipping a hot cup of tea and enjoy a few Christmas cookies.  Hope they turned out better than mine.  Of course, my husband and I have to eat the Burnt Bottom Peanut Butter Blossoms!

The Lord wants us to have love in our hearts and joy in our lives this holiday season.  Remember the only one we really need to please is God himself.

May God bless you this holiday season!

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