Believing

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It is important what you believe. We can not get to heaven by any other way than believing in Jesus Christ.

“Jesus answered, I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” John 14:6. NIV

“ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him should have everlasting life.” John 3:16. NIV

You can’t get to heaven by:

Being good

Going to church

Loving others

Giving money to the church

Parents who are Christians

These are some of the ways people believe they will get to heaven. They say that if they are good enough and don’t do too many bad things (sins) then God will let them in.

There will be no sin in heaven. God can not exist among sin. It tells us in the Bible that all man have sinned and no one is worthy to get in. So how can we get in.

By believing that God loved us so much that he was willing to give up his one and only perfect son to be brutalized to the point of death just so we could be with him throughout eternity.

He withstood all to take away all of the sins of this world with him to death so we could be righteous through him. As they whipped him time after time he thought of us. It was all worth it to be able to see us in heaven with him.

He took those sins to hell and came back to life again and it was finished. We can now be adopted into the great family of God as a joint heir with Jesus. Heaven is a perfect place where there is no sin, no pain, no trials. We will have perfect bodies and perfect minds.

We still sin but we now have the mind of Christ living inside us and with his help should try to live our lives for him. Trying to do the things he has asked us. Trying not to sin anymore.

People say they would rather be in hell with all their friends. Well I have news for you. Hell is a place of total isolation from everything. Total darkness where you can not see your hand in front of your face. Pain of burning to death but never being consumed continually forever.

I don’t know about you but that thought is something that makes me want to know for sure where I will end up. No maybes will do. I must know without a shadow of doubt that I will be let in.

I know for sure that my redeemer lives and when I close my eyes on this earth for the very last time that my future is certain. When I breath my last breath I will go to be with those brothers and sisters who have passed from this life before me. I know many who are already there and I can’t wait to see them again in that perfect place.

If you would like to know more you can comment to me and I will get back to you.

Don’t we all want to be in that perfect place together forever.

I AM His

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Last week I talked about how awesome and mighty our God is, and he. He is all that and more. He also wants to be our personal best friend. This same God who created everything that exists knows everything about me and loves me. Even though I’m far from perfect and I always put things off and tend to wander aimlessly. He wants a relationship with me of my own choice.

He knows all there is about me and why I am the way I am. He wants to make something beautiful with my life and to totally bless me. He knows what is best for each of us but do we want that too. He has told us what to do to have that life but are we willing to trust him?

If we read his word he has proved himself to be trustworthy and he has never lied or deceived. His words are the only ones worth trusting. But we doubt and waiver. Will he ask too much of us? He has promised to give us the strength we need to do all he asks us to do. He promises to never leave us or forsake us.

This seems like a win win situation. But we have learned to be cautious, maybe cautious to our own fault. We need faith, without it we will never please him. With it the sky is the limit he can take us to. Be prepared for great things if you choose to let him work in your life.

Not only is his spirit working to guide you he will work all for your good. He knows the plans he has for me and they are good. He has always got my back. I have the awesome mighty God on my side. What shall I fear. I should be excited to tell others this great news that I have learned.

The more I trust and see him do great things in my life the more excited I get. He can take little me and touch others in such an amazing way. I can be important in his plans. My life can matter when he gets ahold of it. I just keep asking for more of him.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.

Give me more! Wouldn’t you like more, and to be blessed beyond your wildest dreams? Take the first step and he offers to meet you right where you are. Hold on!

Awesome Creator

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How can I begin to help you understand the complete awesomeness of our God? It is said that man just knew of a master designer by the world around us. Even those in far away remote tribes in the jungles of Africa knew of a power greater than ourselves out there that designed this planet.

Why it took so many years for some of our greatest thinkers and geniuses to come to a conclusion that we didn’t just evolve but that there was a master designer behind it all. Still today there are those who refute creation for evolution. They can not fathom something greater than themselves..

Talk about ego’s.. it is impossible for my brain to even comprehend anything coming from nothing.. I know that as many times as I have read through the Bible that I am biased,, but miraculous describes what I know. I am by no means a scholar or great thinker. Just look at the few facts we know.

There are billions of people on this planet, all different colors, races, sizes, languages, and no two exactly alike. With their own unique fingerprints. That’s just today, but also over thousands of generations. Not only humans but animals, fish, birds, creepy crawlers, and then there is plant life.

Deep breath, trees, grass, flowers, shrubs, environments of many kinds, different ecosystems, and so on and so on. I could go on for hours. There are even studies done on each of them. Mind blowing. I can’t help thinking about the one with wisdom to think it all up. Then to create it.

Just in one ecosystem there are different wind, rain, and temperature patterns that accommodate different plants, animals, and types of people. How many different ecosystems? I remember reading to my daughters when they were little about a little reddish frog somewhere in the jungle that was very poisonous if eaten. That is how it survived.

That story has always stayed with me. Showing me the uniqueness of all Gods creatures.. I’ve spent many nights watching animal shows about so many different animals and their own lives. Things different creatures can do and their behaviors.

Then start to think about our own creations made from just what was already on this planet from the beginning. How one mind thinks different ideas up. Someone came up with a little bean and now coffee is a billion dollar industry. I thank God every morning for that one. All we ever needed was already thought of and on this planet from the beginning.

There is so much beyond our atmosphere that we will never know but someone knows and thought it up for a reason. As a Christian I can’t help thinking about how he sees His creations, very good. Do you know that before any of us were ever born God in his infinite wisdom thought each of us up. He wrote a whole book on just one of us.

He designed me, who my parents would be, when and where I would be born. Who my husband would be and how we would meet. My daughters and their families and who I would become. The same is true for you. Isn’t our God awesome.

Deceived

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To be deceived is a horrible thing. There was a time in my life where I really thought I deserved whatever would make me happy. Because I made a good living it meant if I wanted something I should have it. I pursued things that struck my fancy. I was very selfish but I didn’t see it.

I was very deceived by our enemy and I grew apart from the Lord. I was doing so many sinful things and with poor motives. I had been raised right in a Christian home but I was blinded by pride. Finally I got mixed up with a married man and had an affair.

I was messing up my life all by myself. I had a wonderful husband and we had a great marriage but I was filling passing fancies I guess. My husband has forgiven me and is very supportive but we did divorce after my stroke and moving away to be taken care of.

After my stroke I had plenty of time to think and devoted my life to doing what God wants for me only. I still am very much interested in deception and the effect it has on people. My heart goes out for people who are lied to and taught untruths all their lives.

Deception is to mislead by false statement or action. I heard a minister speak one time about doing things for God. He said find the one thing that you can’t take anymore of in this world and that’s a need you can fill. Well for me it is helping others overcome deception.

I did a biblical study on deception in the Bible and there are things that cause deception and things to prevent it. First the devil is a liar and the father of all lies so he will deceive. Hanging out with sinners and bad company will bring deception.

Watching bad movies (rated R), poor music, spending time in the wrong places.

All these things will mislead you. But there are many things you can do to avoid deception in your life. Spending time reading the Bible and Christian books, listening to praise and worship music. Watching faith based encouraging movies. Attending church and socializing with other Christians.

Spending good quality time talking to God and praying for others. These are all things that will edify your soul and bring you closer to God. Don’t let anything else become an idol in your life. You should desire more of the things of God in your life then you will be able to see deception coming and flee from it.

If you keep yourself in a right relationship with God you will see the devil coming. His Holy Spirit will warn you. And if you have been taught wrong things they will be exposed. Walking in a right relationship with him and believing in Christ promises us eternal life with God in heaven.

“Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest

If we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 NIV

Many will grow weary and stop serving the Lord but if we want to go to Heaven for eternity we will persevere. Do not be misled God should not be mocked. What you reap you will sow. So sow good things in life. To reap eternal life with God.

God’s Calling

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“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared for us in advance to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

We were all destined to be great. Do you want to be average when God wants you to be great. Before you were ever born God had your life planned out. You could say he had a book on just you that told all the great things you would do to further the kingdom and bring glory to him.

That’s the reason we were put here on this earth. We were not put here for us. We were put here for God. He wants us to have a great life, but to do that we need to focus on God and seek his desires. Now remember that the greatest commandment he gave you was to love God and your neighbor.

To truly love others you will want to fill others needs. So do all you do as unto God. Don’t do it for the money or prestige, but do it out of love to fill a need.

“But seek first his Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things, shall be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 NIV

You don’t have to worry about the money for things you need because when you’re seeking his plan and his righteousness for your life the money will come. It we take faith also because we haven’t read his book. We don’t know how it turns out in the end.

Now don’t expect it to always come easy. You have to have scary complicated moments to grow. Trials bring on that growth that you need to get where God wants you. If you don’t want trials and want the easy life, you won’t get greatness either.

The pressure and breaking you go through brings about that greatness and the greater you want to be the scarier and harder it will be. It all starts with you. It doesn’t happen till you make the first move. God promises to help you but he can’t do it for you.

You have to be walking forward or stumbling or crawling, but unless you are moving forward it’s not happening. And it’s never too late, look at Moses who was in his eighties before God called him to lead his people out of Egypt. Many great people didn’t start being great til later in life.

Colonel Sanders didn’t start Kentucky Fried Chicken til he was in his sixties. And there are KFC,s around the world. There is timing involved but we don’t know what that is without trial and error. Be willing to take risks.

Look at your trials and errors as blessings because they will get you closer to your greatness. Remember the book is all ready written and it has a great ending if you follow God’s lead.

All of God’s Words

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“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteous, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

I have done a lot of thinking about this scripture lately. I want to be equipped for every good work and I don’t want to do bad works that my father doesn’t like either. I worry about being deceived by not knowing God’s true and perfect will for me. Many people I know skip around in the scriptures from Psalms, Proverbs, to the gospels, but there

is so much rich understanding throughout the Bible that I don’t want to miss.

I used to zip thru from beginning to end only picking up small truths along the way. Every time you read thru the same words you will get something new. It is such an exciting book and really does need to be pondered. I guess that is why God tells us to meditate on his words. This time through I decided to read thru very slowly, but try to really digest what I was reading.

Reading only a chapter or two a day. That was so easy as I went through stories of Noah, Abraham and his sons, Moses and the Israelites, and David, but there is a lot of other stuff too. What was it really saying to me in my life? I remember recently watching a movie about a mob king turned minister and his take on the Bible. He said there are some really messed up people in the Bible struggling to make it through this life from generation to generation.

Look at King David. He was messed up in affairs, murder, and fleeing for his life. Yet he was a man after God’s own heart. Someone to aspire to be like. One time I was deep in prayer and listening to God as to what he had for me to write about in one of my books.

I heard him say to me, “ I love you as much as I loved my son David.”, well that meant so much to me to be compared to David. But then David was far from perfect, having screwed up time and time again. But one thing he did know was how to come before God in repentance and say I really screwed up. Will you forgive me? He humbled himself in the sight of the Lord and received what I like to call, a do over.

All right God forget that it was wrong let me start all over. And God wants that. He knows we are living in an imperfect world and at times we will make mistakes. No one is without sin not even one. Only Jesus, who we should aspire to be like but probably won’t come close.

What about Numbers and all those incredibly difficult names to pronounce. I am getting pretty good at shortening and simplifying some of those names so I know who I’m talking about but able to pronounce them. Like Queen Esther’s husband Art.. For King Ahasuerus or Xerxes. So much easier to get through that chapter saying Art every time and not King Xerxes.

There are so many people mentioned in that chapter. Forget remembering who each one was and who they were related to. But God I his infinite goodness loves each and every one of us, generation after generation, just as much as David . Good or bad he will always see us as his dearly loved children. See all that we have potential to be.

That is very important to me because again I am not perfect but he thinks of me and smiles and that makes me smile too. He looks at you too and loves you just where you are. He will always remember you and your family line and the importance you will make in the world.

How about Moses and those cantankerous Israelites. They saw some of God’s greatest works but they still did not get it. They whined and complained something awful. And read some of those commandments he had for them. I have been reading in Leviticus lately and I am just glad He chose to put me where I am in history.

The grace of Jesus Christ is something I will never take for granted. The old law was so exact. So hard to keep. Because God is so Holy it really took a lot for his people to be Holy also. You can see how you would have to trust and revere God so much to keep those commands.

There were laid out rules for everything. We are not really told why for a lot of them but they are very specific. You would really have to love God and know him to remember all of them.

I want to be more like some of the great prophets and teachers of the past. Leading His sheep into all truth and love just like Jesus. I don’t want to miss anything that might help me be better at that.

Forever

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“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” Mark 13:7. NIV

We have been hearing these things for years, but the end is sooner than we think. It may be twenty more years or tomorrow. It will come though so where will you be? Where will you spend eternity? This life we live in is really very short. It all depends on how we live this life as to where we will end up.

“By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35. NIV

“If you love me, keep my commands”. John 14: 15. NIV

It is easy to love God but not always easy to love others. It is not a request though. God has commanded us to love him as well as those who hate us. If we love, we will keep his commands. Boy we are extremely lucky we live in this day and age because back when Moses was in charge there were so many more commands to keep. You could hardly breathe without screwing up.

Now that Jesus has redeemed us it is so much easier, but our actions are so important. Imagine with me for a minute that the doctor just told you that you only have 24 hours left to live. How will you spend that next 24 hours? Where you will end up for eternity is in the balance.

We watched Scrooge for years turn from the Scrooge he was to the loving person he was meant to be. Yet we never really take it to heart. Every action we make has long lasting consequences. This life is but a blink of the eye compared to 10,000 years in eternity.

Back to my imagining. Would we not take seriously our actions for 24 hours? Do we obey his commandments or do we really need his forgiveness. All sin and all need forgiveness from those sins. One sin is not any worse or less than others. That little white lie is as bad as murder. Sin is sin.

Am I close enough to God. Is my relationship as good with him as I can make it. Many of these same questions would be going through your mind. We need to spend every day with him as if it will be our last, because it may. Nobody knows if they will wake up tomorrow or if we will be in a tragic accident.

We need to spend time with him every day. Get to know him just as a loving father and close friend. The more we know him, the author of love, the more we will be like him and be full of love. Love for him and all men. He will help us to love even the unlovely.

Then we can know for sure that we may close our eyes in this life, but when we open them again we will be in heaven. Spending forever in his presence. In that perfect place where no sorrow or pain exists. Only joy and peace forever.

Holiness

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“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 NIV

We need to learn what Holiness is. It is described in the dictionary as sanctity or sacred. Our God who we serve is sacred above all. We owe him the utmost respect over everything. He has done so much for us. Not only did he send his one and only son to willingly live a perfect life just to show us how to live, he came just to give his life up for each of us. He knew only he could be that perfect sacrifice for all of our sins.

Without Him we would not be able to be redeemed, we would be destined to die in our sins as we deserved and to suffer in torment for all eternity in the lake of fire. Separated from him and his goodness forever. What a horrifying thought.

“Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His Holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.” Psalms 99:9. NIV

He is worthy of all our worship, but worship is not just singing and dancing before the Lord. It Is doing what he has asked us to do. Keeping his commandments, and doing the right and true things he has shown us. This is true spiritual worship. If we truly love him we Will keep His commandments.

They say you can tell a tree by its fruit. We are his children, but how far have we fallen from the tree. It is important for any relationship that you respect the person you love enough to do the things they have shared with you. Those things that show respect and that you truly honor that person’s opinions.

How much more the one who made us and loves us more than anyone. He knows what is best for us and tries to get us there. By following him and his will we are actually helping ourselves.

Sometimes we just don’t understand why he is telling us to do something. I was reading in Exodus last week all the things he had for the Israelites to do. Some of it made no real sense. God seemed to be so nit-picky. But it’s just like my mom used to say. “ Because I said so,”. She was my mother and knew more than me. She knew what was best for me even if I didn’t know why.

Out of respect and love for my parents I obeyed them. I did just like they taught me to show them I loved them. I trusted that all they taught me was for my good and they would never hurt me. I respected them and now I can respect me Heavenly Father even more.

I wouldn’t do anything that could possibly hurt him. I love and respect Him so much that I always wish to do His will. He has rewarded me with an abundant life because of it. I look at so many people’s lives and see so much trauma and turmoil, but then they have chosen to do things their way. It seems so sad but how else can we learn.

I read a book last week talking about the good and bad kings who reigned over Israel. Some were Godly and some were wicked. God’s people fared far better when the King honored God. When they tore down idols and high places for worshiping idols and did all that God had commanded they prospered. The people lived in peace and were blessed.

I choose to be blessed in my life. I will love the Lord who is so worthy of my respect and honor. He has never failed me and never will. This is my act or true worship.

Childlike faith

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Without faith it is impossible to please God. But faith like a little child is what helps get us to heaven. When we were young we put our confidence in our parents to always take care of us. They were who we ran to when we were scared, worried and confused. When it was stormy outside and I didn’t know what to expect, in bed with my parents is where I would run. It made me feel safe.

I can remember times when we all ended up in there. No one got much sleep those nights but it helped. That is what our Heavenly Father wants. Run to him. Concerns, worries and questions. He wants to be there for us. Calm our storms. Defend us and care for us. He is stronger and wiser and more loving than any earthly father can ever be. With God all things are possible.

We need to know his words in the Bible and believe in them. All of them. I tell myself every day that I believe your words and choose to do your will, your way, always. I ask for him to help me do them always. It’s not my will but yours be done.

His ways are best for me and that’s what I want. Because I love and adore him I will keep all his commandments. When I screw up, and we all do, I run to him in repentance. Asking for forgiveness . I don’t want to sin and hurt him.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous and wrongdoers will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived : neither the impure or immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality. Nor cheats, nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foul-mouthed revivers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the Kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 AMPC

I do not wish to be separated from God. I want my ways to please God. So many people do such things and believe they’re going to heaven. Oh I do not wish to be deceived. It is important to read and know God’s word. How else can you be sure you are obeying.

We don’t think of ourselves as robbers but do we pay tithes? Do we cheat on our taxes? Do we take things at work? The money we use is just that. Ours to use as we obey him and help others. We came into this world with nothing and leave with nothing. It was God who taught us how to earn that money and he deserves his tithe. I would rather be blessed on ninety percent than cursed on one hundred percent.

It is through our tithes that he uses us to serve the orphans and widows. Help those in need and support our churches. I love seeing all the great things my church is doing in hurting and lost lives.

I may be naive but I know Gods plans work. I want to be apart of what he is doing in my community. And one day I want to hear ‘ Well done my good and faithful servant’.

I want that more than ever.

This is Love

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“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” John 4:10. NIV

God loved us, each and everyone of us. At any given point in time that would be several billion people for several years. The God who created this wonderful planet and everything on it. Thought of each and everyone of us, before even time began, and he loved each of us with a perfect love. He is the great creator and He created love in the first place.

Propitiation means being reconciled with my God. I have been redeemed and nothing can separate me from the perfect love of my Father.

No one or nothing can ever love us with a perfect love. No one is perfect but God. We will all fail to love perfectly because we are not perfect. When men separate themselves from God, thinking that they are better or all they need, they are missing out on the greatest that this life has to offer. Saying, basically, I don’t need it!

The mercy and grace that my Father has for us, as well as the hope of eternal, forever perfect life, is not to be missed out on. I can wake every morning with a joy that is unbelievable but it is mine through his great love for me his daughter. I never ever want to lose that.

I have listened to so many people talk of their endeavors for that perfect life apart from God. There is such turmoil and striving after perfection. Happiness isn’t really an option. It’s just making sure you are better off than the next guy. That you have more than the next guy. Having more on your own is supposed to make you the winner. It doesn’t matter that it might never be enough to make you happy.

So many people go through life this way and it’s so sad. I don’t care if I have the most toys when I die. Not even if I have no toys. I can have nothing but the love of my Heavenly Father and a life with him forever. That’s all I want. I have learned over my time in this nursing home that our earthly bodies are failing. We can not know forsure that we will always be in the race for success.

But all I need to do is keep his commandments and love him all I can and love all others. That is simple to me because I have his help. In myself I can’t do that but with him I can do all things. This makes me happy! When someone asks me, ‘How’s your day going?’, I think of all I have and can’t help but smile.

I may be wrong, I don’t care, it works so great for me God’s way. I have a future and a hope that carries me through anything. When I face my final days on earth I have an eternal faith that God is waiting for me at the end with dessert. His glory.