4.15.2008

Convenient Excuses

Jesus said "These things I do, you will do.". Jesus said "They will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover.". Jesus said "Whatever you ask in my name, believing, you will have it.". These statements of Jesus are simple and to the point. They are not shrouded in mystery; they are plainly spoken and easily understood. And yet we come up with all kinds of excuses why we can't do what He said we could do! We say that this person remains sick because God is working out something in their life. We say that God doesn't heal anymore, that miracles were just to prove that Jesus was God. We say that we don't know everything that God is doing and it may be His will that this person be sick for awhile to teach them something.
I say, BALONEY!!! Let's be honest! We make excuses because we don't really believe what Jesus said. We make excuses because we think it's just too good to be true. We make excuses because we're afraid we'll try it and it won't happen and then we'll look foolish.
The simple truth is that we can do what Jesus said we can do (actually, we must do what Jesus said we can do!). We have many "religious" leaders who have conned us into believing that we need to let them explain the scriptures to us because they are "more knowledgeable" about the things of God than we are and they say we can't do those things that Jesus said we could do. (Sounds like the same trick the priests pulled on people during the Dark Ages to me!) We believe them because we think they are smarter than us (just because someone "sounds" smart doesn't mean they are smart). When will the people of God quit listening to these excuse-makers and believe Jesus?! Don't expect me to believe your human reasoning instead of Jesus' plainly spoken words! When Jesus says I can, all your reasons why I can't don't matter!

4.10.2008

Pardoned or Paroled?

Some people think that God pardoned their sins when He saved them. They seem to think that God just said "I understand that you can't pay for your sins and since I'm a loving, merciful God, I'll let it all slide this time. You're sins are pardoned." No fuss, no muss, no need for shed blood or a Saviour. No need to be faithful or holy or righteous. God signed the pardon and they can live any old way they want.
Some people think that God paroled them when He saved them. They feel like they have to watch every little step they take lest they sin again and thereby violate parole. God is watching very closely to catch them so He can ship them off to Hell.
What extremes! And neither one is right! The Bible doesn't say we were pardoned or paroled. It says we were bought with a price! God didn't just "let sin slide"; Someone had to pay. Jesus shed His blood for us; He paid the debt we couldn't pay! And God isn't looking over our shoulders just waiting for us to "violate parole" either. He said He doesn't want us to sin, but if we do, we have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ! If we repent and ask to be forgiven, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us!
We need to stop getting off into extremes. There's a ditch on both sides of the road, you know! Stay with the word of God, not someone's opinion of the word of God. It really is a simple gospel, but it's not a cheap gospel!

4.08.2008

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

There's an old gospel song that says "Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die." Ain't it the truth! Let me add to that: Everybody wants a Saviour, but nobody wants a Lord; Everybody wants to be in authority, but nobody wants to be under authority; Everybody wants their sin debt paid, but nobody wants to hear about the blood; Everybody wants God's covenant blessings, but nobody wants to keep the covenant. I say everybody, but actually there are a few who want what God wants. But the great majority (Christians and non-Christians) want to have their cake and eat it too. They want what they want, but they're not willing to do anything for it. "Paying the piper" is so politically incorrect! The government owes them a living and God owes them a blessing.
Well, guess what?; The government may give them a living and ask nothing in return, but God will not. Salvation is the only thing that's free and even that requires that a person repent and have faith to believe! Jesus said that anyone who follows Him must deny themselves and take up their cross daily. God the Father said that He would bless those who keep his commandments and walk upright before Him.

4.01.2008

Back to the Garden

When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, they had a choice: will I depend on God and trust Him to take care of me or would I rather be my own boss and make my own way? We all know what decision they made. We have all criticized them for doing what they did and "making it hard on the rest of us".
When Jesus died and offered His blood on the mercy seat in Heaven, God accepted that sacrifice as the payment for the sin of the whole world. Anyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Saviour is forgiven of sin because of Jesus' sacrifice. We are given the free-will decision to accept Jesus' sacrifice or reject it. Do we not then have the same decision to make that Adam and Eve had to make in the Garden? Sure we do! Do we trust in God and let Him be our master or do we live our lives dependent upon ourselves?
Christians have made the decision to trust in God and let Him be Lord of their lives, but guess what? Christians have to make that same decision every day! Not that Jesus is their Saviour, but that we will trust in Him and let Him be Lord of our lives! We are tempted every day to take matters into our own hands instead of letting God handle everything. Paul tells us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices every day unto God!
We can't blame everything on Adam and Eve. We can stay in the garden of God's love and blessings if we decide every day to let Jesus be both Saviour and Lord!

3.31.2008

The Proof is in the Pudding

Remember the old saying "The proof is in the pudding."? The saying means that in the end we'll know what the truth is. As human beings, we can't see the end from the beginning. We are bound by the laws of space and time. Many times what we believe at the beginning is proved to be untrue by the end result.
This is my answer to those who refuse to believe in God, Heaven, Hell and Jesus. I can witness to them, I can explain what I know to them, I can read them the Bible and I can tell them of my personal experiences. Some believe, some take my words into consideration and some refuse to even entertain the possibility of God, Heaven or Hell.
The proof is in the pudding. The day will come when we will all know for sure because we will all see with our own eyes. Unfortunately, it will be too late then to make a decision. The object of the exercise is "do you have faith to believe without the benefit of seeing?". Will you believe God just because He said so, or do you require sensory proof? God is looking for people who take Him at His word.
The proof is indeed in the pudding and the pudding is almost done. It's too late to believe once the end result is revealed. God is looking to see who can walk by faith, not by sight.

3.17.2008

More Than That

"I fall to the ground
‘Cause I want to be better
Though You take me as I am
You deserve more than that"

"More than That" by Monk and Neagle


I love the last two verses of that chorus. It reminds me that, although God accepts me as I am, He deserves much more than I give Him. He deserves my everything. He deserves my absolute best. He deserves to be first in all things.
The Bible says "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord". Everything that has breath owes the Lord praise because He gave them breath. God has given us life and we are mistaken when we think that our lives are our own. He gave us life so that we could serve Him. If I gave you $100 and told you to go buy me a gift, but instead you bought something for yourself, you would be a thief. You would have stolen my money because you didn't use it for it's intended purpose. We are thieves when we use life to please ourselves instead of God.
We should always be striving to be better because God deserves the best. He wants us to be the best we can be and He has given us everything we need to grow and mature. He'll take us as we are, but He deserves more than that.

3.05.2008

Real Peace

We Christians talk a lot about having the peace of God. But I have noticed that we don't always seem to live in that peace. Jesus said He left us His peace, but He commanded us to "walk in it". Living in peace is a matter of faith. Staying in peace is a matter of decision. Some people know that Jesus gave peace and they claim His peace by faith, but they never really decide that they will stay in it. It's hard to make a decision in the middle of hard times. Circumstances tend to blur our vision and make it easy for our flesh to control us. Make the decision now that when uncomfortable circumstances arise, you will walk in God's peace by faith and stay in His peace no matter what. And then stick with it!; Don't give up! Learn to rest in the peace of God. And this is His peace: knowing beyond a shadow of any doubt that His promises to you are true (the Bible say they are yes and amen) and He is well able (and willing) to take care of you through any trouble you may encounter. You can go through anything if you are confident that He is there with you, working out everything for your good! This is my favorite verse in those times: "This I will declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety. He is my God and I am trusting in Him.".
A lot of people say they have faith and are walking in God's peace, but at the first sign of trouble, they throw up their hands in despair. Either that or they hold on for a while only to let fear talk them out of their peace. You can never walk in peace aside from faith and you certainly can't walk in faith if you give in to fear. Fear and faith can't exist together; one or the other will rule you.

2.29.2008

Who Do You Blame?

If someone offered you an umbrella to use in a rain storm and you said "No, thanks.", who's fault would it be that you got wet walking in the rain? It would be your fault for refusing to accept the protection you were offered! Protection is worthless if not accepted and put to use. Yet almost everyday, I hear people asking why God let a particular thing happen to them. I ask them if they pray or go to church or try to live holy lives and they say they don't. Some don't even confess to believe there is a God. (It seems that the only time some people will acknowledge the existence of God is when they need to blame Him for something!) God promises to take care of His children, not someone else's children. If you don't belong to Him, why would you expect His mercy and protection?
Someone once said that our lives are like a car we're driving. We won't let God drive because we think we're better at it than He is. We even tend to relegate Him to the back seat and if He tries to warn us of danger, we call Him a "back-seat driver" and ignore Him. When we wreck our car however, the first thing we do is look in the back seat and ask Him "Why did you let this happen?". Ain't it the truth! Another wise person said "Never give the devil a ride because he'll always want to drive.". Did you ever look to see who's driving your car?
God's promises are always true (the Bible says they are yes and amen), but only to those He promised them to. That's where people get confused. A lot of people are claiming things that don't belong to them and then they get mad when they don't get them! God wants us to come under His protective wing and be forgiven and safe, but He is not responsible if we decide not to come. Jesus is our refuge, our place of safety. If you put your trust in Him, you can claim the promises of God and be sure they will overtake you. If you decide against Jesus, your on your own. We need to stop blaming God for our own mistakes.

2.26.2008

Mercy

The greatest thing about God, to me, is His mercy. Where would we be without it? We would be helplessly waiting for eternal punishment without any hope of escaping. Jesus is the supreme manifestation of God's mercy. Jesus is the way made where there was no way. Jesus is the payment for our debts when there was no way we could pay for ourselves. Jesus is God's mercy with skin on; He is walking, talking mercy!
Unfortunately, the mercy that brings life and hope is also the very reason many people don't believe in God. Because God is merciful and doesn't judge sin swiftly and severely, people think He either doesn't care or doesn't exist! Because God is merciful and doesn't punish people immediately, some people think that they are getting away with something. They think that either God can't or won't interfere in the daily lives of people. Other people think that there is no God and that's why He doesn't do anything. They don't realize that God is merciful to everyone and is only giving people time to see their mistakes and repent. God doesn't want to punish people; God doesn't want people to go to Hell; God doesn't want people to suffer for their mistakes. God created us because He wanted us to exist with Him and He loves us more than we could ever imagine. He is merciful by His very nature and if He wasn't, we would be lost forever!
If God judges sin and we suffer for what we have done, we complain that God is unfair. If God is merciful and delays punishment and is willing to forgive, we say God doesn't care if we sin or we say that since God doesn't act, He must not exist.

2.25.2008

Becoming

When I think about my life, who I am and what I am, I remember a scene from the animated film, The Lion King. Simba, son of the Lion King, has run away from his rightful place as King, following his father's death. He didn't see himself as a king; He didn't feel like a king; He didn't think he could handle being king. His father appeared to him in a vision and said "Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become.".
Those words have stayed with me for years now and have come to be a reminder to me that there's never a good stopping place in life. Life is a journey and we are meant to keep moving until the journey is over. If we stop at a comfortable place, we are in danger of staying there forever. Remember what you learned in science class: an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion? In other words, it's easier to keep going than to get going.
I must admit that I am one of the world's worst at staying motivated and keeping up the pace. I get tired and allow my feelings to stop my progress. My intention is to just slow down long enough to rest, but then I look around and notice that I am standing still! I'm just grateful that the Holy Spirit loves me enough to not leave me in that condition. He comes along side me and reminds me of that scene in the Lion King (among other things) and whispers in my ear "You are more than you have become. Keep going. Seek completeness. Be all you were created to be!"
Contemplate your life. Think about who you are and who you were created to be. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and insight into what God wants for you. Let's all seek greatness. I believe that God created us to be extraordinary beings, we just have to keep on keeping on.

2.22.2008

Make Your Declaration

"This I declare of the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God and I am trusting in Him." Psalm 91.2

"The LORD says, 'I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. I will satisfy them with a long life and give them my salvation.'" Psalm 92.14-16

When I wake up in the morning, I thank God for a new day of His blessings and I make my declaration of faith just as the Psalmist did in Psalm 91. The Lord alone is my refuge. He is my God and I am trusting in Him for everything. I am convinced beyond any doubt that He is able and willing to take care of me. I am not living in some fantasy world where I sit on my couch and expect some supernatural creature to serve me hand and foot without my having to lift a finger. I go to work, I pay my debts, I care for my wife and kids; I do what I can with what I have and I do it all in gratitude and joy for the ability and means to do it. But I know that God is making a way for me every day. I know that He works behind the scenes causing circumstances to work for my good. He does for me exactly what He said He would do for those who love Him and trust in Him. I believe I will live a good, long life full of God's grace and mercy and even in times of trouble I know He will be there and will bring me out quickly and unharmed.
God has blessed me with faith to believe in Him and I am going to use that faith to make my declaration every day. We all need to confess what we believe and then expect to see what we hope for happen for us. God is faithful. He will never let you down of leave you alone. He will do what He has promised for those He has promised it to. Wouldn't your day go much better if you knew God was working behind the scenes on your behalf? Believe in Him and be blessed;Trust in Him and receive the promises; Declare His name and enjoy His deliverance and His salvation.

2.20.2008

In a Box

There's a popular saying these days among Christians concerning not putting God "in a box", meaning, of course, that we shouldn't hem God in by trying to define Him according to our human understanding. Any attempt to define God by saying "this is how God does things" or "this is what God thinks about it" (beyond what the Bible teaches us) is sure to limit God's working in our lives and is not only unwise, but dangerous. God is sovereign and has proven to us in His word that He always thinks, as we say, "outside the box". He does things in strange ways sometimes just to confound "the wise". God is beyond definition.
We understand that it is unwise to put God in a box and yet we still put each other in a box. We define "Christian" and then try to make everyone fit that description. We say Christians "talk like this" and "act like this" and "think this way". The Bible gives clear instruction on Christian behavior and we can trust in what it says. The problem starts when we begin to add our human traditions to what the word of God says. Besides, who are we to judge another man's servant? Christians are God's children and God's servants and we have no legitimate right to judge anyone outside of what the Bible clearly states. The world condemns us enough already; why do we insist on downing each other?!
We shouldn't put God in a box and we shouldn't put our fellow Christians in a box and we shouldn't put ourselves in a box. Being a Christian is all about freedom. Jesus set us free!

2.19.2008

Pure Religion

In the book of James God says to us that "to visit the widows and the fatherless" is what He considers pure and undefiled religion. I've always heard that "God helps those who help themselves", but in reality, God helps those who can't help themselves. All through the Bible God shows His concern for the less fortunate, the widows and orphans, the oppressed, the weak and the helpless. God is for the underdog. He picked Israel to be His people because they were so small and helpless. Since this is God's attitude about pure and undefiled religion, shouldn't it be ours as well? After all, we say we are His children; shouldn't His children want what He wants and feel like He feels? I'm afraid we will find out at the judgment of the saints that a lot of the "Christian stuff" we have been doing kept us from doing what God really wanted us to be doing. People are hungry; people are without hope and in need of encouragement; people are alone and need to be befriended; people are sick and need prayer; people are in prison and need to be visited. Jesus said that whatever we do for these people, we do for Him!

2.12.2008

Hope or Faith?

Many who claim to live by faith are actually living by hope. Hope and faith are two different things and understanding the differences and interdependencies of the two is very important. Hope is a good thing, but hope isn't the secret to pleasing God; faith is.
Hope is the believing that something you want to happen can actually happen. When all hope is lost, what is the point in living? Without hope people perish. Without hope, there is nothing to fend off fear and despair. As long as there is a chance, there is still hope and as long as there is hope, there is still that flickering flame that lights the darkness.
But, hope is a future event. We hope that something will happen. We hope it is going to happen. Our hope is for someday. But faith is for right now! Faith is a present thing. Faith gives substance to hope. The Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for. Faith is the present knowing that what we hope can happen, absolutely will happen. It's the difference between will and can! Did you ever hear someone say they wanted something so bad they could taste it? That's faith! How can you taste something that you don't have yet?: by faith! Faith allows us to know and expect what hope only allows us to want and and look forward to.
I believe that faith takes spiritual things and makes them natural things. The Bible says that every good gift comes down from from Heaven from our Father. What is in Heaven but spiritual things? Heaven is a spiritual place full of spiritual creatures and spiritual things. I believe that it is faith that gives literal substance to those spiritual things we hope for that come down from Heaven from God our Father. It pleases God when He blesses His children with good things and the Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God. When we have faith for the things we hope for, God is able to send that spiritual blessing to us and our faith gives it substance so that we can use it. Before you start thinking I'm a nut or something, think about this: God created everything out of nothing. Everything was spiritual before God made it into physical matter. The Bible tells us to have the faith of God.
Check yourself and see if you have faith or just hope; you need both. No hope leads to despair. No faith leads to no hope.



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1.29.2008

Respecting Authority

While watching the President's State of the Union address on TV last night, I saw something that helps me understand why our country is in such sad shape these days. All our government leaders were gathered there in one room and I saw in their actions (or lack thereof) a real spiritual problem. This country has lost it's respect for authority! When President Bush would say something, the Republicans would stand and applaud and the Democrats would not. I understand that the two parties have different, sometimes opposite, viewpoints. I understand that the Democrats are not going to applaud something they didn't like. But I noticed that while the President was speaking, many of the Democrats were reading the newspaper or looking around at something else. They were ignoring the President on purpose. I know the Republicans do the same thing when a Democratic President is speaking. And that is the problem; disrespect for authority!
Respect for authority has nothing to do with one's politics. When a person is elected as President of the United States, that person is every American's president. It doesn't matter if you like them or not; it doesn't matter if you agree with their policies or not. If that person was legally elected, then you must respect their authority. If a Democrat can say about a Republican President, "That's not my President!" then how can they not expect Republican citizens to say the same thing about a Democratic President! It divides our country and makes us weak! If you don't want someone to be president, vote against them! But once the voting is over, it is time to come together as a nation and follow (and respect) our leader!
God is the ultimate authority and He is the only one who can delegate authority. All authority comes from God. When we disrespect authority, we disrespect the one who gives that authority. When we call President Bush names (whether it be W or dubya or old Bush or whatever), we are disrespecting God and that is sin! A nation in sin won't enjoy the blessings of God. If our nations leaders act in such disrespect of authority, how can we expect our young people to act any differently?! When you disrespect authority, your authority will be disrespected. If you don't respect police, teachers and presidents, then you're children won't feel they have to respect you!


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1.28.2008

Bless His Name

In prisoner's chains with bleeding stripes
Paul and Silas prayed that night
And in their pain began to see
Their chains were loosed and they were free

I bless your name
I bless your name
I give you honor, give you praise
You are the life, the truth, the way
I bless your name
I bless your name

Some midnight hour if you should find
You're in a prison of your mind
Reach out praise, defy those chains
And they will fall in Jesus' name

I bless your name
I bless your name
I give you honor, give you praise
You are the life, the truth, the way
I bless your name
I bless your name

(I Bless Your Name - Selah)

God is worthy of praise in the good times and in the bad. He is worthy of worship because He is God and He is worthy of praise because of His mercy to us all. When we find ourselves in tough situations, we have to make a choice about how we will react. We can grumble, complain and fall to pieces or we can stand tall, push through and praise the Lord. The first way is sure defeat, but the second is sure victory.


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1.18.2008

Speaking Peace

I'm not one of the so-called "name it and claim it" crowd. (Don't you just hate it when Christian brothers and sisters come up with derogatory names to call each other just because they believe something differently?) But I do believe that what we say (and don't say) has more effect on our lives than we know. I believe that we can speak peace and favor and even health into our lives. I'm not talking about chants or magic words, I'm talking about speaking the word in faith. I'm talking about saying about ourselves what the word of God says about us. I'm talking about claiming the promises of God for ourselves. I'm talking about deciding what we want our lives to be like and then saying it (out loud!) and then not settling for anything less! I believe through faith (or lack of it) we create our own circumstances. And I know we enlist God's help through faith.What we believe, we should say!
Try it today. Say "I believe in the name of Jesus that today will be a peaceful, prosperous, and happy day filled with good health and favor for me and all my house!". Expect it, look for it and I believe you will see it!


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1.15.2008

Owner or Renter?

If you own your own house and the roof begins to leak, guess who has to pay to have it fixed? Right... you do! But if you rent the house you can call the landlord because it is his responsibility to care for the house.
If you choose to live your life and leave Jesus out of it, then you are responsible for fixing anything that goes wrong. Don't expect Jesus to come running to fix a life He's not responsible for. But if you have given ownership of your life over to Him, then call on His name and He'll be there for you every time.
We can't have our cake and eat it too. Either we keep control of our lives and along with it the responsibility, or we give our lives away and know that Jesus will take responsibility for us. I choose to let Jesus be in control of my life. I have proven to myself over the years that I am not nearly as capable of running things as I thought I was. I want someone wiser and more powerful than I to run my life. There are too many things I don't understand and too many things that can go wrong that I don't have the power to fix. I'm not saying that I just sit down and do nothing while Jesus does everything for me. He will lead me, but I must follow! I want Him to make the decisions and guide me through this world. He sees the end from the beginning. He knows what's going to happen tomorrow. He has the power to manipulate circumstances to work out for my good. I would be foolish to choose my own limited abilities over His unlimited knowledge and power!
If you take up your life, you will lose it. If you lay down your life for His sake, you will gain it. It's that simple. You decide.


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1.14.2008

Conquering the Flesh

It's obvious that most Christians don't understand the flesh problem. I'm talking about the battle to be spiritual-minded, not carnal-minded. I'm not talking about the meat under your skin; I'm talking about the way the bodies desires tempt your soul to sin. Most people seem to equate carnality with sexual sin and they think that because they're not failing in that area then they're alright. Well, think again.
Did you ever see that game in the arcades called "whack-a-mole"? A little mole pops it's head out of a hole and the object of the game is to whack it on the head with a little mallet. When you whack it at one hole, it pops up from another hole somewhere else and you get points depending on how many times you hit it on the head. That's the way most Christians fight the flesh. They fight their flesh and deny it in one area and think they're OK. But then it pops up in another area and they fight it there. And then it pops up in another area and they have to fight it there too. The cycle is endless and very tiresome. No one can keep it up for long!
We must understand that the flesh is a many-headed beast. If you only kill one head, another one will pop up somewhere and it will feed through that one. Many Christians will deny their flesh when it comes to sexual sin, or drugs and alcohol, or maybe stealing. But then they will gorge themselves at the dinner table and they don't realize that gluttony is a work of the flesh and therefore their over-eating is keeping their flesh alive! It's like trying to kill a bee in a mason jar. If you don't plug every air hole, the bee will not die. He may get a little weaker, but if there is any hole left through which it can get air, it will continue to live!
The answer is to deny the flesh in every area. We must cut off all it's heads at one time. We mustn't give in to any temptation (even if we feel it is a "small" thing) or the flesh will live on. If you know that something is a temptation to you, stay away from it! If it's something you have failed at in the past, avoid it! Don't give place to the devil by allowing him to use your desires against you. The devil will use even legitimate desires (like food and sex) by tempting you to excess in those areas. Be wise and be careful. Think and pray.


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1.11.2008

Cultivate the Relationship

I've had people tell me that they believe in God and they want to live right, but they just can't seem to get started. These are good, generous, kind people who just can't seem to make the life commitment. They want to go to church and serve God, but for varied reasons, they just can't seem to do it. If you are in this position, let me offer some advice.
Cultivate the relationship; that is the first order of business. Going to church is not what saves you. Living right is not what saves you. Jesus saves you. Get alone with Him and cultivate a relationship. Spend a few minutes each morning (or each night) talking with Him. Tell Him how you feel, what you're afraid of, what you want from life. Get to know Him and all the other things will come along naturally. Everything will blossom from the relationship. People tend to get things backward; they want to change and then go to God. But without God, people can't change. Once you get to know Him you will be drawn to that feeling of love and forgiveness and peace that you feel in His presence. Going to church, reading the Bible, and living right will all emerge from that personal relationship.


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1.09.2008

Be Myself

The only place I can really be myself is when I'm alone with God; everywhere else I have to be what I'm supposed to be. When I'm husband, I have to be strong, decisive, and manly. When I'm father, I have to wise, nurturing and supportive. When I'm employee, I have to be faithful, hardworking and productive. When I'm minister, I have to be thoughtful, spiritual and caring.
But when I'm with God, He knows that sometimes I'm all those things and sometimes I'm none of those things and usually I'm a good mixture of those things. He lets me be me and it feels so good to just be real and not have to put on a face. I'm no hypocrite; I don't do things just to impress people, but I do feel pressure to play the role. All I have to be with God is His son. He knows the real me anyway, so it would be foolish and futile to be anything but myself! I can feel His love when I'm in His presence and I know that He accepts me as I am. He does let me know when I've done something wrong and I know He expects me to learn from my mistakes and mature, but He corrects me in such a gentle and kind way that I don't feel "judged", just loved.
Go to God and be yourself; it feels great!


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1.08.2008

He Believes in You

We Christians are always asking people, "Do you believe in Jesus?", but how often do we tell them that Jesus believes in them? I remember how I felt before I accepted Jesus as my savior. I knew there was a God and I'd heard of Jesus all my life, but I figured that if all the things I'd heard about Him were true, then He certainly wouldn't want me. If He was really perfect and holy and righteous and selfless then He was everything I wasn't and I was convinced that I wasn't good enough to go to Him and ask for anything (or expect anything from Him).
I believed in Him, but I didn't know that He believed in me. I didn't know that He was pulling for me, working behind the scenes to get me where He wanted me to be. I can see now that throughout my life He was leading me to Himself, but I couldn't see it at the time. I thought He would judge me and wanted to punish me for all that I had done. I didn't know that He was waiting anxiously to forgive me and was pulling for me to make it. I didn't know that He believed in me; that He saw the goodness that He had created in me and knew that some day it would come out and I would pull through. I wish someone had told me.
If you don't already know it, I'm telling you now; Jesus believes in you. Even if you don't believe in Him yet, He believes in you. He created you and put a little of Himself into you and He is standing on the sidelines cheering you on. He is your biggest supporter. He wants you to win. It's not that He's some power-hungry monarch who only wants you to bow down and serve Him; He wants what's best for you and He knows that He is what's best for you. He wants to be able to forgive you and take care of you and provide for you and bless you. He believes you can make it even if you don't. Yes Jesus loves you, but He also believes in you!


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