The Sinners Prayer

 “Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”

Sitting on a pew every Sunday does not make you a Born Again Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a Cadillac or holding a light bulb in your hand makes you a lamp. You may fool a lot of people but you CAN’T fool God. Time is running very short so if you haven’t already Confessed your sins, Repented, Asked Christ into your heart and been Born Again spiritually, please, PLEASE do so ASAP.  Spending eternity with Satan and his followers is NOT  what any thinking person really wants.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Come As You Are

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29

I come just as I am to Jesus.
I come happy—He rejoices with me.
I come sorrowful—He comforts me.
I come hurting—He heals me.
I come tired—He offers me rest.
I come fearful—He provides me peace.
I come unsure—He creates hope.
I come insecure—He assures me of His presence.
Poor in spirit—He makes me rich in relationships.
Humble of heart—He fills me with grace.
Soul starved—He feeds me with His limitless love.
I come to Christ—He accepts me.

“The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed” Isaiah 50:4.

Therefore, come as you are and receive the grace of God.
Come with your accomplishments and place them at the feet of Jesus as an offering of thanksgiving for His favor.
Come with your anxieties and receive Christ’s peace.
Come with your striving over issues out of your control and trust God with the outcomes. Come with your grieving heart and receive the Holy Spirit’s comfort and concern.
Come as you are and cast your cares in your Savior’s gentle, loving, capable hands.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Heavenly Father, I come to You with my sorrows and success. I leave them in Your care. Amen

Separated

I remember a time while driving through an area where a couple of nightclubs were located, I once again realized the necessity for myself to remain sober in these last days. As I drove through this area looking in through the windows at the people drinking and carrying on, I felt sorrow for those who do not know Christ at this hour. Right here in America, the greatest bastion of Christianity in the entire world, most don't know or trust that God has preserved our nation and our very lives to this hour.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10

Unfortunately, we live in a world that does not place much value on Godly wisdom. If you disagree, just turn on your television. It is horrifying what is considered 'normal' today. What passes for 'entertainment' today is indicative of a culture in absolute moral decay. To make matters worse, modern culture and human tendencies have developed a 'herd mentality.' Many choose to go with the flow of society and rarely question the status quo. Like the frog that sits in the boiling pot of water until it is too late, the majority of our culture is willingly submerged in decadence, whether we realize it or not. Try as we may, we cannot escape its grasp. This decadence fills the television and radio airwaves. It lies in wait for us on the internet. It winks at us from advertising billboards. It saturates our nation's marketing tactics and is even seeping into the churches. Some people have even fooled themselves into believing that they can live however they desire without fear of any negative repercussions. It has been called the ultimate fool's game: "I can live my way & win."

As Christians, we have been purchased by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been justified and sanctified. We have been 'set apart' for God's plans and purposes. We do not have the luxury of going along with the crowd, even though our 'flesh' may desire it. We have an important job in the Church to spread the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection to an unbelieving sea of humanity. In today's homogenized culture, a commitment to Christ should make us stand out. In fact, as Christians, we are supposed to be different from this world. We are to be in this world, but not of it. Of course, I am not advocating that we should stand out solely for the purpose of standing out. Rather, as followers of Christ, this world should not feel like home to us. We are pilgrims, sojourners. Does this world feel like home to you? Have you become comfortable here?

We live in truly remarkable times. What a day and an hour to be living in! The lateness of the prophetic hour is staggering to the imagination. Each and every day, this present world is growing ever darker. We must do all we can to avoid strong attachments to the things of this world. Instead, we should seek to root ourselves in the Word of God and lose ourselves in His plans and purposes for our lives.

The time to dive into the things of God is now. You must make up your mind that you are going to follow Christ, no matter what happens in the natural. Financial disaster may strike, persecution may come, war may loom, but in all of those things we must CHOOSE to follow Christ and seek after His wisdom. With an attitude like that, you will be prepared for whatever may come. Readers, you are in my prayers continually. May the Lord richly bless you and may your faith be evidenced by your wisdom in these last days. Come, Lord Jesus!

His Love Is Greater Than Fear!

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:5

Before I met my husband, I was preparing to make an important decision that would deeply impact my future. Someone in my life cautioned me about taking a path I was considering. They warned me that this particular choice could harm me. They listed a bunch of bad things that could happen to me as a result.

This person had some pretty strong opinions about the choice I should make, but I felt God was leading me in another direction. The problem was that the more I listened to their predictions of disaster, the more fear I felt—and the more I doubted my ability to make a good decision. That’s when I sought counsel from a very godly friend who told me not to make any decision out of fear. Then she said something that has stuck with me ever since: “Wherever there is fear, there is control.”

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

A light bulb went on. That’s when it struck me that the desire of fear isn’t just to cause us to feel some uncomfortable emotion. The desire of fear is to control our very lives. The desire of fear is to put us in emotional bondage. The desire of fear us to keep us from doing God’s will.

I also realized that because fear wants to control, fear is pushy. I don’t mean that fear is always obvious and in your face. Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s subtle and it creeps up on you. But it’s pushy because it pushes people to go when they should stay. It pushes people to stay when they should go. It pushes people to avoid rather than confront, or to run rather than remain. Fear is pushy. Wherever there is fear, there is control.

One of the ways fear tries to control us is through imagination, because fear thrives on what is imagined. Fear wants you to dwell on the horrible, awful things that could happen to you if you do this or that, or if another person does this or that to you, or if this or that happens in your future. Through imaginations fear attempts to control, because imaginations manipulate emotions. Maybe that’s why you’ve heard the acronym for fear. False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear is nothing but a lion without teeth.

This doesn’t mean that some fear isn’t healthy. Healthy fear keeps you from walking down a dark alley or driving faster than you should. Unhealthy fear is when you are worried, scared, or shaken by what you face, rather than trusting God.  Thankfully, the Lord has an answer for fear,  love. Remember, there is no imagination that is greater than God’s good will toward you. His love is greater than anything you could possibly fear or that could possibly happen to you.

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. . .” Believing God’s love gives us courage. It doesn’t just give us courage when we stand before Him after we die (v. 17) but every day of our lives as we face uncertainties and questions, changes and challenges on the road of life and making decisions about the future. God’s love gives us courage because we know He has our back. There is nowhere we can go, there is no decision we can make, there is no failure we can experience, or any problem we will encounter that God won’t be there to help.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).