Posts Tagged ‘salvation’

Corvid 19 – Are You Ready?

Posted in Christian Living, Faith, Gospel, inspirational, tagged , , , , , , , on April 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »

I’ve been listening to the news which is non-stop lately about the Cornavirus.  To be truthful it is scary.  I hear a lot from the scientists and our leaders both at the national level, state and county level.  They have news conferences one after another. But, I find something very important missing.

What about the spiritual side of this?

I’ve read that some think this is brought about by some kind of conspiracy.  I’ve heard some say it is part of a long standing plan to take over the world and control people.

I’ve been thinking is this from God as a judgement on our wicked world?  Or is this from the devil who is trying to mess everyone up and be in control of us completely?  That brings me to this:  No matter what it is, or who caused it, the fact remains that we are in this situation and what we each do is of the utmost importance. We must listen to the authorities and take their advice about social distancing so that the virus may not spread as much. We must take it seriously!

How do we handle this time?

Do we worry and fret about what is going on? Or do we put our trust in God who we all know is ultimately in control of everything.  You see, for a Christian, we can look at this differently than those who don’t know God.  We have an edge.  I’d like to leave you with a couple of scriptures to help during this difficult time.

2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

We should be concerned and take the steps we need to keep us and our families safe, but we should not be terribly full of fear.  God is still in control and we know of his power and love which we have in us. A sound mind means a disciplined mind.  Discipline is very important especially now. We need to control our minds.

2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

According to this scripture we do not need to imagine the worst all the time. It says to bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”  That shows us that we can control our thoughts.  If you take something captive you are in control of it not the other way around.  Think of soldiers when they are captured, who controls them? The one who captured them.  So it is with our thoughts, we can control them.  If it were not true God would not have said this.

What to think about

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

God loves us so much He even teaches us what to think about.  Look over this list.  Judge your thoughts at this time by these things: are they true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtuous, praiseworthy?  If you are worried pray and ask the Lord to help you think on these things instead of the fearful ones.

The most important thing!

Know matter what happens during this unprecedented time the most important thing is to know that you are ready to meet your maker.  What is your spiritual relationship to God? Have you ever admitted that you are a sinner and need to repent which means turn from your sins? Have you ever gone to God and admitted that and asked him to forgive you? He sent His only Son to die on the cross for your and my sins.  God is holy and we can only approach Him through the blood of Christ shed on the cross.  Now is the time to really seriously think about these things.  My friend, there are only two outcomes for everyone in the end. We all die at some point and when we do we either go to Heaven or Hell. And, that is a true fact.  (Think about what is true.)

If you are already a Christian which means Christ follower, then you know whatever happens you will eventually go to Heaven and be blessed beyond belief.  But, if you are not a believer in Christ than your destination is Hell where you will be tormented forever and ever.  Which will you choose?  Today may be the last opportunity you will have.

Click here to read my little booklet  The True Gospel Message

May God bless each and every one who reads this post.

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A New Hope!

Posted in Abolish Anxiety, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on February 24, 2017| 1 Comment »

2corinthians5_17txt

II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

When we know Christ personally he makes us new persons. Our sin debt has
been paid, and our old selves have been crucified in Christ. This takes place
on the inside of us in our spirits.

Since the old self has been “put off” and the new self has been “put on,” we
are totally new people and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be conformed to
his image. Because of this we are directed by God’s Spirit and are able to understand the things of God which are revealed to us in the Word.

The hope within us is that we can change. This is really important to
understand. Christians are different when we fight the battle of fear because we
have a special power inside us for the fight. God wants us to become more like
him, and with his enabling power we can. He doesn’t want us to be slaves to fear.
It is his will that we change. We can hang onto this hope!

There is one problem with the above scripture. It sounds as though we are a
new and fully capable creation instantly. Actually, we are new in our inner spirit,
but we still have to learn how to apply the teachings of the Bible to our lives. As
we begin to do that we will begin to see the new creation that God gave us
surface to the outside. It is a process.

The old things will pass away and new things will take their place. We will
begin to think differently having more healthy thoughts.

I trust this scripture thought today will help fill your heart with a new hope!

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Why do we Suffer?

Posted in Christianity, Panic Attacks, tagged , , , , , , , on March 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »

How do you suffer?  Perhaps you suffer because you have some form of physical illness.  Or, you may suffer because you have anxiety, and panic attacks keep you from doing what you’d like to do.  There are many ways we suffer, but have you every thought about why we suffer.  Do you realize that Christians suffer and that we will keep on suffering until we reach heaven?  That is the truth of the matter.

There are many reasons  we suffer, but as believers we might wonder why God allows it.  Doesn’t He love us?  I believe that many people who come to Christ think they will get out of all the hardships of life.  They think everything will be peachy if they raise their hand in a service and say, “I invite Jesus into my heart.”  Sometimes that is what they are led to believe by the pastor.  Yes, get Jesus and live your best life now!  Things will be great!

I’ve sat in churches like that and I can remember the pastor leading us.  He would say something like this:

“There may be someone out there right now who is hurting.  They might be having trouble in their marriage.  There is someone who is physically ill today but they are here anyway.   Do you want to be well?  God will heal you.  There is someone who needs financial assistance.  They need money for a bill they can’t pay.  Receive Jesus right now and he will take care of all of your needs.  If you’ve never invited Jesus Christ into your heart do so now and feel His comfort.  With every head bowed and eyes closed raise your hand so that I can pray for you.  Yes, I see that one.  There is another, and yes, I see you too.”

On it goes till the pastor is satisfied that enough people have given their lives to Christ. This is sad because that is not how a person becomes a Christian and it gives them false hope.  They think they have just received Christ and their lives will be so much better from then on.   Sorry folks, but that is not the way it works.   They are not taught the truths of the Bible.  They go back out into the world and try to live right, but it doesn’t seem to work.  That is because they are not truly saved, and they don’t have the power of the Holy Sprit working in them.  They think they are  saved, but they are deceived.   These people need to hear the true gospel message, repent of their sins, and get saved.

If you are a true Christian you will still suffer.  How do I know this?  Because the Bible tells us so.  Take a look at Philippians 1:29-30 with me:

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.  (emphasis mine.)

Yes, you saw right.  We will suffer for His sake.  It says that this has been granted to us on behalf of Christ.  That would indicate that it is Christ’s will for us to suffer and that we should think of this as a privilege.    Have you ever thought of suffering for Christ as a privilege?  I hadn’t.

Now let’s look at I Peter 5:10

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.  (emphasis mine.)

Again we see that the Bible says we are going to suffer, and the purpose of it is to perfect us.

Here is another interesting scripture on suffering:  2 Timothy 3:12

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (emphasis mine.)

The apostles all suffered persecution and were killed in many horrible ways.  We too will suffer persecution if we live for Christ.  In this country, at this time, it isn’t that bad.  People may shun us and not like us if we stand for Christ.  In fact, in some families if a person becomes a believer their family might turn against them.  Sometimes, as in my case, I lost many of my old friends as they did not understand me anymore and we didn’t have much in common anymore.  You might suffer persecution for Christ’s sake in the work place.  But, in some countries, even today, people are being persecuted for Christ to the extent that they are killed.  It is illegal in some countries to become a Christians and if one does they are thrown out of their family and can be killed for being a Christian.  They can also be killed for attempting to spread the gospel.  That is true persecution for Christ’s sake.

So, again, why do we suffer?  Well, for one thing to identify with Christ and what He has done for us, and for standing up for the gospel.  But, there are other reasons also.

Have you ever noticed Romans 8:28-29?

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God forknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Emphasis mine.)

When things are going wrong people are quick to quote Romans 8:28, but I seldom hear them add verse 29.  Yes, all things do work out for good for Christians, but the reason is found in verse 29, and that is so that we might be conformed to the likeness of Christ.  In other words, some of our problems and suffering are allowed to change us.  We come to Christ with many rough edges that need to be smoothed off and our loving heavenly Father has to shave them off.  Little by little we change as we go through the hardships that come our way.

Can you identify with this?  I can.  I suffered tremendously from panic attacks and agoraphobia for 20 years.  I found Christ during that time and believe me I had many rough edges that needed smoothing.  I continued to suffer, but I also turned to Christ for the answers.  I studied my Bible daily.  I learned many precious promises and I learned how to claim them in my own life.  I learned how to apply my faith to my problems.  I grew in Christ.  Eventually, I no longer had panic attacks. I got my life back and it was so much better than before.  God was good to me!  The biggest thing I learned was not to depend on myself or others, but totally depend on Jesus Christ for everything.  He has sustained me to this day!  He will do the same for you if you turn to Him.

I will close with this quote from Elisabeth Elliot in her book,  A Path Through Suffering.  (Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1990), 197-198

We suffer that we may learn who God is; that we may learn to trust and obey; it is required of soldiers; it is the condition of discipleship; to prune us, shape us to Christ’s image; to qualify us for the kingdom, to strengthen our faith; refine and test us, grow us; produce endurance; character, hope, joy, generosity; so that Christ’s power can be manifested in us; we suffer for the sake of God’s people; that we may share in His sufferings, His glory, and identify with Him in the crucifixion.

Here is a wonderful video by Joni Eareckson Tada that you will enjoy.  It really brings suffering home.

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Heaven: Who’s In and Who’s Out?

Posted in Faith, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 20, 2013| 5 Comments »

First, I want to say that I am writing this because I’m finding that many people, even church-going people, don’t know what the Bible says about heaven.  The Bible is very clear on who will be allowed and who will not be allowed to enter.  We can speculate all we want but the final say comes down to what God says. Many people think that everyone will go to heaven, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Do you know for sure that when you die you will got to heaven?  How about your friends and relatives?  To tell you the truth I cannot know for sureSatan011 if a person is saved and on their way to heaven or if they are on their way to hell.  Only God knows the heart.  The Bible tells us who will and who will not be allowed in heaven.  This is not me saying this, it is God speaking and warning us.

Who’s Out?

1Co 6:9-10 (NASB) Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,  10  nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Rev 21:8 (NASB) “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Eph 5:5 (NASB) For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Gal 5:19-21 (NASB)  Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,  (20)  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,  (21)  envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  (Emphasis mine)

Rev 21:27a (NASB) and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, (referring to heaven)

You will notice that in the last two scripture references it says that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  You see these verses are talking about people who live a lifestyle that is mentioned in these verses.  We all know that no one is perfect and that even those who are truly born-again Christians can and do sin at times.  But, this is the difference.  They do not live in those sins as a life style.  They don’t practice them.

Who’s In? KingJesus

Rev 21:27b (NASB)  but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

This is a very short list isn’t it?  So, we want our names written in the Lamb’s book of life, but how do we accomplish this?

As you can see from the first verses showing who is not going to heaven there are many horrible sins that stand in the way.  If we take a good look at these lists we are sure to find ourselves.

Be sure you’re  saved. It’s that simple.  Confess that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior. Repent, (turn from) your sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  God is holy  and He cannot look upon our sin and therefore we cannot be allowed in heaven.  We need to be cleaned up.  There is a great gulf between us and God and the only way to bridge that gulf is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  He willingly went to the cross to take our place.  You see the penalty for sin is death.  He took on the wrath of God as He bore our sins on the cross and then died in our stead.  They buried Christ and on the third day He rose from the grave.  His resurrection is our proof that He was who He said He was and that we have the promise of rising from the dead and being with Him in heaven for eternity.  Oh, what a Savior!
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The Key to Heaven’s Gate

Posted in Christianity, Gospel, inspirational, Spirituality, tagged , , , , , on March 5, 2012| 1 Comment »

Almost every week I get a shiny colorful flier in the mail. I scratch off the gold circles to see if I am a winner.  I’m always a winner, and so is everyone else. The catch is that you have to go to the car dealer’s showroom and show them your winning card and number.  Most likely it will NOT match theirs.  One time I did this and I won a $5.00 gift certificate to Wal-mart.  I accepted it but the salesman pressured me so much to buy a car that it really wasn’t worth it.

There is also a real key attached to the flier.  If the key will start the car they are giving away then you win the car.  Well, that never seems to work.  I’ve never heard of anyone who has won one of these free cars.  Have you?  I suppose they do have to give one away but your chances of winning are astronomical.

Heavens Gate Pictures, Images and Photos

One of these days each and every one of us will stand before the gates of heaven.  Will we be able to enter in?  Yes, but only if we have the correct key. That key will not come in the mail on a colorful flier.  I find there are many “keys” to heaven.  So, where can we find the authentic key to heaven’s gate?

Imagine arriving at the gate of heaven and the gate-keeper says,”Do you have your key?”

“Yes,” you say.

“Go ahead and let yourself in!”  You slip the key into the lock and it doesn’t work, just like at the car place.  What then?

You say to the gate-keeper, “Please sir, let me in.  You can open the gate for me. You are on the inside!”

He answers, “Why should I let you in?”  “You have the wrong key!”

“But, Sir,” you plead, “I’ve been a good person.  If you get out the scales of justice and put all my good deeds on one side and all my bad deeds on the other, you will see that the good outweigh the bad. I’m really not a bad person.  I’ve worked hard to be good and decent.  I’ve gone to church most of my life and supported it with my money. I’ve been baptized, and I’ve given to the poor and needy, so please let me in.”

The gate-keeper replied, “You think being a good person is the key to heaven?  I’m sorry, but you are wrong!  The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  (9) not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

“You cannot come in!”  He turned, “Next!”

Do you know that approximately 250,000 people die each and every day in the world.(source: www.wiki.answers.com)

Just imagine what the line outside of heaven’s gate must look like.  In order to filter through all those people the gate-keeper might make this announcement.

“All those who belong to any of the religions of the world, other than Christianity, please follow the path over there marked “to hell,”‘  That would clear out the line pretty fast wouldn’t it?  He continues, “All other religions including Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism ,(source: www.evangelical.us) plus Catholics depend on works to save them from hell.  So does Christian Science, Spiritualism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Eastern Mysticism, plus many other religions throughout the world. But, works are not the key to heaven! Now depart from me!”

I’m curious as to how many people would be left in the line to heaven’s gate? You will notice what Jesus said in Matthew, that wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who enter it.  Then he said the gate is small and the way narrow that leads to life and few find it.  So, maybe that large number of people has been cut down to just a small number. How sad!

Matthew 7:13-14 NASB says “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. (14) “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

So, what is the key to heaven’s gate? Simply put it is the gospel message.

I Cornithians 15:3-4 says:
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,

There is no other key to heaven.  It is only through Jesus Christ that we can be saved.  He says he is the way. The only way. He is the truth.  His Word is true. He is the life. Eternal life is found in none other than Jesus Christ

John 14:6 NASB
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Acts 4:12 NASB
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Romans 10:9-10 NASB  that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;  (10)  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Do you have the key that will open heaven’s gate? I sure hope so!

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My Christmas Prayer For You

Posted in Christian, devotional, Gospel, Holidays, inspirational, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on December 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Dear Heavenly Father,  I come before you a poor soul who has been graciously saved by grace.  Lord, I don’t know why you chose me, but I am forever grateful that you did.  I certainly didn’t deserve anything at all.
You are a holy God and you are full of mercy and grace.  Lord, I lift up to you all of those who read this prayer and ask that you open up their eyes of understanding to know that they are sinners because of their heritage in Adam and Eve.  When they sinned in the garden, sin entered into the world and has been passed down from generation to generation. 
Help the reader take a good look at themselves and be honest.  Help them see that they  are not capable of saving themselves but need a Savior.  God, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to this earth in the form of man so we can identify with Him. Your precious Son took on all the sins of mankind when He went to the cross and died.  He took on mine and He took on the sins of those who read this prayer. Oh, Lord, thank you that you made a way for us to be right before a holy God.
Jesus beat death when He rose from the grave three days after he was buried.  He is ALIVE, in Heaven right now at your side.  This shows us that we too can have the promise of a new life after death. 
I pray that the reader will turn to you Lord. That they will bow their knee to you and allow you to be master over their life.  Lord, please open their spiritual eyes so that they may see their desperate need. 
Your Word tells us that this life is not the end of it all.  When we die we will either go to heaven or hell depending on who we serve down here.  Some will continue to serve themselves and will not respond to your Word.  They will spend eternity in Hell.  Your Word teaches that Hell is a real place and it is eternal torment.  Lord, please, don’t let anyone who is reading this prayer go to Hell.  I beg you Lord. Please help their unbelief right this minute.
There are others who believe they are Christians and on their way to Heaven, but have been deceived by false teaching.  Lord, if anyone is reading this prayer falls into this category, please give them a nudge in their hearts to examine themselves to see if they are truly in the faith.  It is not by good works that they will be saved, and it is not by being a nice person, joining a church, giving money or anything else man can do. 
Lord you want us!  You want our soul and you want our bodies for service.  If there is someone out there who does all the right things in their mind, but does not love you God, does not love your Word, and does not love their fellow Christian brothers and sisters, then by you own Word, that person is not saved.
They need to be born again.  Born anew, and become a new creation.  That is what you do for us.  And, it is wonderful that you actually adopt us into your family, God.  You become our Heavenly Father, and we can call you Father.  Once that happens then you take care of us.  We don’t have to worry or fear anymore.  We will have peace deep down inside knowing when we die we will go to Heaven.  There is no uncertainty about it.  We can be sure! 
If there is someone reading this that is not sure, then Lord I pray you will touch their heart today and nudge them to get right with you.  Open their eyes that they might see.  Help that person to become one of your family members Lord.  Help that person to make a fresh new committment to live the rest of their life for you and not for themself.  Help them to allow you to be Lord and Master.
Oh, this is a beautiful time of the year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  But, it is so much more.  It is a time when we can take a look at ourselves and make sure we are on the right path for eternity.  Jesus did so much more for us than we can even imagine, and Heaven awaits us with multitudes of blessings and things we can only dream of.  What a day that will be when we meet him face to face! 
Lord, please bless the readers of this prayer and have mercy on them. 
In Jesus name, thy will be done.  Amen

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Complete in Christ

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Religion, Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , on October 2, 2010| 2 Comments »

Do you know that when we become Christians we are finally complete in Christ?  At least from God’s perspective.

Before we were born-again we were on our own.  The Bible teaches that we were dead in trespasses and sin.  We were in the realm of Satan’s kingdom, and were subject to sin, death and hell.  Isn’t that an awful picture of those who live in the world today without Christ?

So, how are we complete in Christ now?  What does that mean?

Let’s take a look at Colossians 2: 8-15 to find our answer:  These are marvelous scripture verses and loaded.  I can only skim them.

Col 2:8-15 NASB See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

First of all Paul tells us not to let the world take us captive through philosophy or man’s worldly ideas and deception, and not to follow the traditions of men.

(9) For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

Wow!  In Christ, in His human body dwells all the fullness of Deity!  That is amazing.  He is complete!

(10) and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

If you are a Christian you also have been made complete!  Let’s try to see what that means as we read more of this passage.  Christ is also the head over all rule and authority.  Keep that in mind.

When we were saved we were completely saved:

(11) and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; (12) having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

This is talking about our salvation.  We were made spiritually complete in Christ when we were saved.  When He died on the cross we somehow joined Him.  At the moment we were saved, we were baptized with the Holy Spirit, (not water baptism).  And, we died and were raised up with Christ by God.  God raised Jesus from the dead literally, and He raised us from our spiritual death.

When we were saved we were completely forgiven:

(13) When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, (14) having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

We were spiritually dead because of our sins and the uncircumcision of our flesh.  But God made us alive with Christ.  He forgave us all of our sins, past, present and future.  He nailed them to the cross and canceled out the debt that we owed because of them.  God the great judge declared us to be free from the penalty of sin.

Joh 19:30 NASB Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

When we were saved we were given complete victory:

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

(15) When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

When Jesus died on the cross He also went and disarmed all the rulers and authorities.  He was victorious over them and took them all captive.  That is great news for us because they no longer have any hold on us.

Heb 2:14-15 NASB Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, (15) and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

Being complete in Christ means that we can live in this world without fear.  We are capable of being victorious over sin.  The sting of death has been removed so we don’t have to fear that anymore, and we do not have to worry that we will spend eternity in hell.  Satan has been defeated and he can not claim you as one of his.  I like that!

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

When we get these things settled in our minds, it is much easier to face life.  Trials and temptations will come our way, but knowing we are complete in Him, gives us the courage to face them head on.  God is always in control and sovereign over what happens to us.  We can trust Him to make our path straight and to take care of us in every situation.  He loves us as a dear Heavenly Father and will take care of his children.

2Pe 1:3-4 NASB seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (4) For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Isn’t that an uplifting scripture?  We really don’t have to worry about things.  God has granted us everything we need that pertains to our life and to be a godly individual.  He gives us that through the true knowledge of Him.  As we study the Word we learn how to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God and He also gives us the power to be successful in doing that. That power is in us because Christ is in us and it is the same power that raised Jesus from the grave.  Now that is power!  We can even escape the corruption that is in the world. I praise God for that. 

I pray we will all try to realize all that we have in our possession when we become Christians, and that we will know in our hearts that we can overcome anything that comes our way.

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What About Hell?

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, devotional, inspirational, Religion, Scripture, tagged , , , , , on February 22, 2010| 3 Comments »

For the past few weeks my pastor has preached sermons on what the Bible says about Hell.

After listening to them I must say I feel very upset.  I struggle with what I’ve learned.  Have you ever really taken a good look at how the Bible describes Hell?  Here are some of the descriptions:

  • A bottomless pit
  • Eternal torment
  • Weeping and gnashing of teeth
  • Eternal destruction
  • Gehenna
  • Fire
  • Outer darkness
  • Loss and regret
  • Second death
  • Everlasting

The pastor went into detail on all of these items.  We also learned why God created a place like Hell in the first place; what it is like; and why a loving God would send anyone to a place like that.

I know often times when ever the subject of Hell comes up in a conversation someone asks this question, “Why would a loving God send anyone to Hell?”  It is a good question and does make one wonder why. It just doesn’t seem like a kind and loving thing to do, does it?  We can’t understand from our own human logic because we are not God and can’t see things from His perspective.

Isa 55:9 NASB
(9)  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Do you know that God is Holy, Holy, Holy?

Rev 4:8 NASB
(8)  And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”

God is completely holy.  We don’t have anything to compare his holiness to.  He is holy and pure and cannot even look upon sin.  Sin cannot be in His presence, period.  That is why sinful people cannot go to Heaven.  We have to first be washed with the blood of Christ.  He took on our sins and paid our death penalty on the cross.  Only those who repent and call upon the Lord will be sin free.

Hell is real according to the bible.  Many people don’t believe there is a real Hell.  They think that all we do is live this life the best we can and then die,  are buried, and that’s the end of it.  For people who believe that way, life should be: eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.  I know people like that, and I must admit years ago I would have joined in with their chorus.  It’s really sad if this life is all there is. Wouldn’t you agree?

But, the truth is, this life is not all there is.  This is only a tiny part of what God has planned for each of us.  The Bible says, this life is only a vapor, and it vanishes.

Jas 4:14 NASB
(14)  Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

But, we have eternal life.  In fact, everyone has eternal life.  Those who during this lifetime come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior will spend eternity in Heaven, and those who reject Him will spend eternity in Hell.  It is that simple.  And that is why these messages on Hell upset me. Hell is a very nasty place to spend even a second in, let alone eternity.

Oh, there are so many people I know in my own family, neighborhood, and  circle of friends who are in the second category.  They are on the road that leads to destruction.  They are on their way to Hell. And, some of these people are very religious folks who attend church regularly and think they are alright. That breaks my heart! 

Could you ever wish ANYONE to spend eternity in Hell?  No way!  Remember, some of those descriptive words:  fire, but not a consuming fire. A fire that burns forever, and the stench of sulfur (brimstone); constant and never ending torment; weeping and gnashing of teeth; a constant falling into a bottomless pit; horrible sounds and smells; a constant deep sorrow that they rejected the Savior; the awful loneliness of solitude, and loss of all friends (there won’t be any partying with friends in Hell as some say) and loss of loved ones; and a eternal separation from God.  Oh, my, to think anyone who I love would have to go through that.  It makes me very sad.

I know you have been to funerals where the speaker or a family member of the deceased said things like this:  “Well, he is in a better place now, we can take comfort in that.”  Really?  Or, “At least he isn’t suffering anymore.”  Really?  That all sounds nice but is it true?  We don’t know. That person may not be in a better place, and may be suffering much worse than when he was alive.  I don’t like hearing those kind of things because I know they are not usually true.  They say that about everyone not matter what kind of a life they have lived. 

It is very difficult to think about my own dear mother.  Did she make it to Heaven?  Or is she suffering in Hell?  I wonder.  I know she was a good person.  She always did nice things for others.  Later in life after I became a Christian, I talked to her about the things of the Lord.  I tried to live my life in a way that showed her a Christian life.  I do believe she became a Christian in her old age, but I DO NOT KNOW for sure.  I cannot know her heart, only God can. But, I cannot bear to think of her in that awful place called Hell.  It brings tears to my eyes just pondering it.  My mom in Hell? No! No! No!  I truly hope not.  I will never know for sure until I get to Heaven and look for her.  For now, I have to leave it in God’s hands.

If a Christian I loved was captured by a terrorist, tortured, and beheaded, it would be much better than going to Hell.  At least it would be over with.  But Hell is far worse than that and it never ever ends.

So, now that I’m all upset about the awfulness of Hell and the thought of anyone I know going there what should I do?  I want to cry.

I know I will pray more that God will reveal to them the fact that they are sinners and need Him.  I will pray more, and I need to talk to people about their eternal security.  I need to ask them if they are right with God, and if not, encourage them to get right with Him.  I need boldness of spirit and courage to do this.  Please pray for me.  I need to tell them what God has done in my own life and how He has saved me from an eternity in Hell.

Oh, I’m so grateful for that.  Why me Lord?  Why me?  For some reason, only God knows, I came to the realization that I needed Christ as my Lord and Savior.  I repented of my sin and accepted the free gift Jesus offers to sinners. I made Him Lord of my life.  I’m so thankful! 

If you have any suggestions of what else I can do please share with me.

If you would like to hear some of these stirring messages by Pastor Ron click on this site:

Faith Bible Church

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