Teen moms, God wants to provide your needs, just ask Him

First, God loves you. I don't know what you know about Him - He wants us to use things like humility, equality, and common sense, for instance, and to help us avoid danger and so on. I've posted elsewhere on this blog about proofs of God, etc.; you can read those on your own. (Here for instance is a good one focusing on reaching Muslims with God's unconditional love.) I also wrote this free blog book you can print out on how to run a family God's way, too.

Your child is a blessing and so are you. Each person is always special to someone - especially God. Psalm 139:14 and beyond proves it. You are "fearfully and wonderfully made." You got pregnant because God wanted to bless you. You haven't ruined your life. You just have added responsibility now, but God can and will use you.

I'm sure some will read that and say, "All I want right now is for him/her to be healthy." That's great - but God's promise is for now and the future. Because you can and should pray for your child even when they are wee little so you can model it and teach them of Jesus' love. As I share here, you can share anything on your heart, just trust God to change your heart to be more like Him, too; that's part of intercessory prayer. And, why it's so powerful.

​​​​​Others may wonder how to ask. Maybe things have been really hard for you. Maybe people let you down. Remember, though, God is real and He's there for you. But, like a child who needs something, we have to communicate to God or otherwise it's like we're trying all on our own. And, we can't do that well without Him, since He has perfect love, wisdom, goodness, etc..

I'll be typing a longer prayer at the end of this. Your prayers, especially to start, don't have to be that fancy. Just saying like above, "Lord, cause my baby to be healthy," is good enough to start.

But, like a child, you need to grow in that relationship. And, you can. He wants to give you life and life more abundantly.

How to have a relationship with God

I'm not perfect. Nobody is. Most people aren't really horrible like some we see in the news. But, I've used the example on here before of a person who gets mad at someone speeding and cutting them off in traffic - yet that person might be rushing to the hospital to see a sick loved one, or rushing their own child there, or something else vital. You'd say that person who got mad and cursed at them was wrong, correct? We should not be a Pharisee when dealing with others.

We need to be known for the love, justice, mercy, etc. we stand for - not just what we're against.

I always tried to be kind, polite, help others, etc.. But, my thought life was a mess, and Matthew 5:48 - "Be ye perfect even as My Father in Heaven is perfect" - and other verses convicted me that I needed to trust Jesus to save me personally. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.(Rom. 3:23)

Of course, we don't like it when someone bullies us or doesn't listen when we try to explain things or whatever, right? But, we don't always act like we should, either - we've all told lies or cheated someone or been selfish, for instance. There is none righteous, no not one. (Rom. 3:10)

Because I was not perfect. I didn't deserve God's perfect Heaven because no sin can be there. Same with anyone else.

God made a way for us to be there, though. He'll forgive any sin by making that person new inside, by coming to live in them.

I'm writing near the time of Jesus' birth, which started the process. God "became flesh, and dwelt among us."(John 1:14) He lived a perfect life, yet God made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us.(2 Cor. 5:21) The wages - what we earn - for sin is death - separation from God forever in a place called Hell. But, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.(Rom. 6:23)

And, the great thing is, it was "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."(Rom. 5:8)

He then rose from the dead on the third day, . The disciples saw Him  and would go on to die horrible deaths and suffer great persecution for Him; even Thomas, who doubted so much, believed when He saw Jesus alive again.

But, it's not just knowing those facts that matters - you have put your trust in Jesus to save you from your sin.

So, we can't get to heaven on our own. Salvation is by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves as the gift of God. Not of Works lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9.

Receiving that gift is as easy as ABC.

Admit you're a sinner. That just means that you're not perfect, that you've lied or disobeyed rules or been mean to someone or just wanted your own way selfishly sometimes. We've all been like that because of our sin nature.

Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take punishment for your sins and rose from the dead. He did all that was necessary to get you to heaven.

Call on Jesus to save you from your sins and to make you new inside so he can transform you into being more Christ life, more loving and compassionate and everything else like God wants us to be.

You can pray a simple prayer like this. "Dear Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I can't reach your perfect heaven myself because of my sin. But I know you made a way for me to get to heaven. I believe you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. Today Lord Jesus I trust you to save me from my sins. I call on you with all my heart to forgive me and come live in me and make me new inside so I can get to heaven and so I can have life forever with you here on Earth too. In Jesus name, thank you for hearing my prayer saving my soul and coming into my heart, amen."

You can go to https://godlife.com/en/gospel/read and learn more about God's love and even talk to someone who will help as an online missionary. Tell them of the decision you made if you made one. They have wonderful lessons that will help you grow in the Lord also.

Okay, so now what?

 God is personal, and wants to fix your stress and help you through rough times. You can read my previous blogs​ at prayercallamerica.blogspot.com​ on various topics. (Also see one with a few different ones at questfortruthradio.blogspot.com) I talk about things like forgiveness and love and peace and how we need to come together as a country and pray and everything else.

Share that Godlife.com site and the gospel with others so they can hear the gospel and trust Jesus to save them also. Pray for them first because there is a great spiritual battle going on.

But, also, God living in a believer is the key to that person having life more abundantly here on Earth. So many who rely on cell phones at such a young age need to hear and I love trying to use anything I can, however God calls me, to share His love. After all, He came that we might have life and life more abundantly. John 10:10. That doesn't just mean in Heaven. It means right here, living with a peace and freedom from anxiety and fear and so much else that grips today's young people.

 So, living for God is all about letting Him use you to impact your world - starting with being a Godly parent and having right priorities in life. (Because prayers don't work if we don't have repentance, as I explain here.

Once you are doing that, you can use the most powerful thing possible - prayer. You can also know that you have God in you to guide you and give you hope, peace, etc.. 

Your soul is free to focus on good things like Philippians 4:8 teaches, because - like other things where God warns us - He wants us to have that abundant life that comes from a life lived for Him. You can meditate on all those things - remember, meditate on something, don't clear your mind and let the devil come in.

Doing the above and building the fruit of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22-23 will help you to be a more caring parent, too - you won't yell at your kids all the time like some do, you'll discipline and enforce limits with love and meekness.

It will also help you to remember good times, it is vital that you catch your child being good and praise them a lot also so they will know it is possible to be good.

Those good thoughts will also help you to avoid the pitfalls of relationships that can hurt your child - if you're not married, you need to keep away from boys (if you're a female, which 99.99% of teen parents are) till you have found one who is so on fire for God that he truly loves you as Christ would; don't settle for anything less. Be so lost in God that a boy needs to seek God with all his heart to find you.

Because there is safety in following God. And, you want safety for your baby, right?

See, that's all God is saying when He tells us to be pure - He is sharing with us how to be safe. For your child. And, for you. You can easily commit to remaining pure from now till your wedding day.

You may have added responsibility and priorities have changed for you, but life isn't over.

Find a church where unconditional love is practiced, where older mothers will help you, where you can be sure that your baby is safe and cared for, where that child will not be considered a mistake but a blessing. But, make sure it's a doctrinally sound church as shown here which preaches the Gospel and where peope are truly getting saved.

Timing might be off on something, but that doesn't mean God is finished using you. He is just going to use you differently now - as a parent, as a praying mother, as someone who can impact your community, your city, your nation, for good.

So many are seeking true love - and God's love is truly unconditional when we come to Him, and He won't just let us languish but will work in us to make us better. If you know him personally as Savior, then Phil. 1:6 promises "He who hath begun a good work in you will  be faithful to perform it."

Let's pray. "Lord Jesus, thank you for this teen mother who is reading this. Lord, give them love and hope and peace as they raise their child. May they be Godly influences on their child,and ive them the wisdom and patience as they rear this child so they can help that child make good choices in life - help them keep their child safe from any predators, safe from any men who would do them or their child harm emotional or spiritually as well as in other ways. For you want them to protect their child from those who would turn them away from you.

"At the same time, Lord, guide them toward a loving church - even if it's just a home church - which preaches the Gospel but which also shows God's love to them and helps them to grow as mothers - and fathers if a boy is willing to be the dad and is safe for that child.

"Lord Jesus, may their son or daughter grow to honor their parent(s) and especially to honor you. May this teen mom grow to love you and if she is not saved may she call on you now and trust you as Saviour. May her child grow to love you and trust you as Saviour at an early age.

"Lord, we are all sinners, we still have that flesh nature even after we trust you, so when she messes up, as we all do, may she turn to you for forgiveness and know that once she has forsaken that sin it is forgotten forever. May she teach her child that, too, so they keep in right relationship with you and you can guide them most effectively. May they have a family altar they can go to and pray whenever they need.

"Lord Jesus, may you protect and guide them in the difficult things of life. May their lives be filled with worshiping and honoring and showing the unconditional love that you have for each of us if we'll only come to you by faith.

"Lord, help these parents, when times get rough, to realize that their lives are different now with a child, but while they may miss some parties they don't have to miss everything, they just have to find sitters and make decisions that are more of an adult nature, like someone almost twice their age might, but help them to be surrounding by friends who care and understand and support them.

"Lord, may this mother reading this and any teen mom surround themselves with people who will bring them closer to you, and help them to be redy physically, mentally, and spiritually for raising their child. Lord, when they struggle with patience, guide them to walk away rather than mistreat their child, give them people they can call to come help them and take the load off them. Lord, I remember my uncle's new bride was in her mid-20s when she first had a baby - actually twins - and she needed grandparents on both sides of the kids helping, so of course it's okay for this mother to seek help. Don't let the Pharisses and backstabbers inflict their wounds of the devil on them, but instead help them to be surrounded with those who will help them be Godly mothers.

"Lord, help this baby of theirs to also have good friends and great help and support in growing up.

"Lord, help this mother to avoid going afte rthe first boy she sees, but instead direct her to the right one, a boy or young man sold out to Jesus who will show Christ's love, and until that time help her by surrounding her child with male roles models - then and after she might find a guy if she does.

"Help her teach her child to pray and to follow you and may this teen mother lead family devotionals effectively.

"Help her also to to find good books that are wholesome for her child to read, do not let her use the TV or DVDS as a babysitter but help her to be involved in the education of her child, to read and talk to her child consistently and even sing if she can. May she expose that child to so much joy that the love of Jesus just abounds in her and her baby grows up to say, 'My mom is a praying mom, she knows God personally.'

"Lord when this child misbehaves, may the mother be a Godly mom and discipline in love, showing grace and mercy and comforting as well, encouraging that child and showing them they are still loved.

"Lord, help this mother to make wise, Godly decision about education, too, and sitters, and everything, so that she can have the Godly wisdom you promise to anyone who asks, as James 1:5 says in Your word.

"Lord Jesus, there are surely more things that can be prayed, help her to pour her heart out to you for everything, praying for and with her baby. Help her to be a Godly woman who can overcome all the problems she faces. May her own education be a good one, and may she one day find employment somewhere and be able to help her child in a lawful way without turning to evil things, without having to commit sin. Lord, help her to steer clear of all those with drugs and other things which can cause such harm.

"Lord, help this teen mom to keep all doctor appointments and to have all the help she needs to overcome anything. Not in her own strength, though she will feel like it is all her sometimes, Lord, but in your strength. For your Word says that with You, all things are possible. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Thankful for God's great love and salvation

​​​​​As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you can thankfully say you have life forever in Heaven someday, including a relationship with God right now. Or if not that you will be able to after this.

I have a special little one there. After I share about the situation I will share how to know God personally so you can share with others as well.

I prayed often for a child, and God has given me peace that despite my had some child somewhere child been born, I would have had the chance. Tomychildinheaven.blogspot.com is written to her but for others also, to encourage them.

I'm thankful for so much on Earth of course. However, all the things that I have are nothing compared to the wonderful things available in Heaven. And, good relationships are ones you want to keep in heaven oh, so they can truly last forever, right?

And thankfully, God has a way of making bad things good when people trust him. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. So, anyone who does bad things will be changed by God working in their hearts. Even if God has to drag them Kicking and screaming sometimes. :-)

Most people aren't really horrible like some we see in the news. However, we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.

You can read my previous blogs​ at prayercallamerica.blogspot.com​ on various topics. (Also see one with a few different ones at questfortruthradio.blogspot.com) I talk about things like forgiveness and love and peace and how we need to come together as a country and pray and everything else. Here however it is different.

I am thankful for God's salvation and that I have a relationship with him that begin the moment I called on him to save me.

I always tried to be really well behaved and usually was. Even when I was little. However, I was not perfect. I didn't deserve God's perfect heaven because no sin can be there.

So, God made a way for me to get to heaven. It takes heart knowledge, not just head knowledge. It takes complete trust in Jesus Christ to save you from your sins. That means trusting that he died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead. And, believing that what he did was all that was needed.

So, we can't get to heaven on our own. Salvation is by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves as the gift of God. Not of Works lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9.

Receiving that gift is as easy as ABC.

Admit you're a sinner. That just means that you're not perfect, that you've lied or disobeyed rules or been mean to someone or just wanted your own way selfishly sometimes. We've all been like that because of our sin nature.

Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take punishment for your sins and rose from the dead. He did all that was necessary to get you to heaven.

Call on Jesus to save you from your sins and to make you new inside so he can transform you into being more Christ life, more loving and compassionate and everything else like God wants us to be.

You can pray a simple prayer like this. "Dear Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I can't reach your perfect heaven myself because of my sin. But I know you made a way for me to get to heaven. I believe you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. Today Lord Jesus I trust you to save me from my sins. I call on you with all my heart to forgive me and come live in me and make me new inside so I can get to heaven and so I can have life forever with you here on Earth too. In Jesus name, thank you for hearing my prayer saving my soul and coming into my heart, amen."

You can go to  https://godlife.com/en/gospel/read and learn more about God's love and even talk to someone who will help as an online missionary. Tell them of the decision you made if you made one. They have wonderful lessons that will help you grow in the Lord also.

And especially share that site and the gospel with others so they can hear the gospel and Trust Jesus to save them also. Pray for them first because there is a great spiritual battle going on. We know God will be the winner in the end though.

With God living in a believer, that is the key to having life more abundantly here on Earth. So many who rely on cell phones at such a young age need to hear and I love trying to use anything I can, however God calls me, to share His love. After all, He came that we might have life and life more abundantly. John 10:10. That doesn't just mean in Heaven. It means right here, living with a peace and freedom from anxiety and fear and so much else that grips today's young people.

So, go forth and spread the word that Jesus saves from all that when you trust Him and call on Him by faith to save you from your sin - agreeing with God that your sin deserves a price to be paid and that Jesus paid the price for you.

Because, so many are seeking true love - and God's love is truly unconditional when we come to Him, and He won't just let us languish but will work in us to make us better. Phil. 1:6 says He who hath begun a good work in you will  be faithful to perform it.

How to be on the right side of changing culture, end times

I haven't posted lately since not only has the news lately been very sad and depressing, but I have been very busy otherwise.

Still, I wanted to encourage young people that they have a voice. Not everyone can have a radio show like young star Kacey Fifield has or even start a blog. Everyone can do something however. Even if it is helping just one person. Indeed, you can be a spiritual leader, as I show in this free blog book.

We lack the strength to impact the world on our own, and even together, we imperfect people can't create a perfect world, only God can do that - and He will. Even adults lack the total foreknowledge needed. None of us knows every fact about a situation, since that would include peoples' hearts. We only know this nation has a major problem with evil hearts - but God can use us through intercessory prayer to change that, as I noted earlier.

I debated about how to start and what to include. You can check out other posts here about avoiding the coming Great Deception which will bring false peace or about how we're all equal or the keys to stopping violence. There is plenty on how to have peace,the need to unite in truth and how, the need to value life, how souls need saved for things to change, etc., I won't link to all of them. gthere is plenty on repentence, forgiveness, etc. you can find yourself, even one on what to do if many disappear.

I will simply say this.

Some are trying to use their voice to push for things that there are major arguments about. I don't want to get on either side right now, because my main concern is the hearts of people. I want our young people to feel safe. People can't make bad guys stop being bad, no matter how hard they try. However, God can and will put a stop to all this evil and violence.

He is personal, loves unconditionally, and will fix your stress when yo trust Him. As noted in a few posts, if a person claims they follow Him and don't act like it, they don't follow Him. It's just like if I say I'm the king of Belgium and whatever I do it has no impact on the real King of Belgium.

God is trying to draw people to His side right now before it is too late, so they can be saved from their sin. Because there is so much sin going on in this world.

Will you be on the right side? The winning side? You may say you think so because you support this position or that, but think of the following....

1.None of us is perfect. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.(Rom 3:23) We are on the right side in some issues at times and not at others. For instance, if you drive and someone cuts you off, your first reaction might not always be forgiving. They might have to speed to the hospital to see a dying loved one, but we don't always think of those possibilities. We think only of how it impacted us.

That attitude of selfishness is normal, but it's also sin, just like lying, cheating, impurity, etc.. But, that okay, because...

2. God must punish sin, but took that punishment on Himself. God is holy and just, so He must punish sin. It wouldn't be fair if God just kept letting sin go on, would it? He gives grace and mercy by not destroying sinners right away, but He does make sure that sin has a price.

Yet, He wants us to live forever in His perfect Heaven where we will be free from sin. How was He going to do that?

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."(Rom. 6:23)

God gave us a free gift. It is hot earned or deserved. We can't work our way to Heaven. Because we would still have that sin in oyur hearts.

God God God came to this world in the person of Jesus Christ, who was fully God and fully man. He was perfect - He never sinned.Yet He became sin for us.(2 Cor. 521) He bore our sins in His body. (1 Pet. 2:24) On Him was laid the iniquity of us all.(Isa. 53:6)

Yes, my sin, your sin, everyone's sin, was laid on Jesus.

But wait, you ask, that doesn't seem fair because some people still keep sinning. That's true, becuase it is not mere head knowledge. Knowing this fact isn't enough. Many who claim to be Christian aren't becaue they think it's about words and supporting certain things, but it's not.

It's about turning from your sins and letting Jesus make you new inside. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, old things have passed away, behold all things are become new"(2 Cor. 5:17) So, is is trusting Jesus to make you new. "Whomsoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."(Rom. 10:13)

3. To be saved from your sin, call on Jesus by faith to save you.

Just sitting in a chruch won't save - neither does believing one particular view or one particular part of culture. Not believing something won't keep you from being saved, except for not trusting Jesus to save you.

God wants us to be known by our love for others. He does this because of His love for us. Since we are loved by Him, we ought also to love one another.

Being saved from your sin is as easy as ABC - Admit, Believe, and Call/Choose. \\Think of it this way. It is like you are drowning. There is a life preserver thrown your way. You must make a choice to take it and put it around you cto be dragged to safety. You can't just choose some other way.

Trusting Jesus by faith will let Him come live in you through the Hily Spirit. He will be a constant guide, comforter, helper, friend, and so much more. He promises the peace that passes understanding.

Think about that. You can have peace in the midst of all the turmoil.God will give you His peace, and He will help you cope. Yes, you can still impact the world, but you will be doing it for Him, not for yourself or even others. You will be doing it to show Godly love.

He can come again before you know it. You jsut need to pray something luike this, believing with your whole heart as you pray.

"Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know you died for my sins and rose fromt he dead, though. You took my punishment because I can't get to Heaven on my own. Lord, today I trust you to save me. I call on you by faith to to come into my heart and life and make me new inside. Lord, thank you that you took the whole punishment for my sin, and I pray you will work in my heart to make me new inside, and new every morning. Thank you that your mercies endure forever. In Jesus' name, amen."

If you truly meant that in your heart, then Jesus has saved you. You could go here and learn and grow in the Lord and even talk to a Christian who will help you grow in Him.

God Will See You Through

No matter what happens, though, you can have peace about the present day's problems.

Yes, there are problems with many things, but our evil hearts need to be reached by God for there to be major change.

New laws are opposed by some and supported by others. Some programs may work for some and notj others. But, God is universal. His ways are heigher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts.

What this means is that we won't always know the right solution for a problem, but God will. People can use the Bible in so many different ways for their own ends - I'm surprised we never hear gun opponents using the Bible with "Some trust in chariots (weapons), some trust in horses, we trust in the Lord our God."(Psalm 20:7) God gives us the right to defend ourselves but we also can't trust fully in our own strength (or our own weapons) either.

What this world needs is for all sides to realize that a Holy Ghost Heaven sent revival must take place for people to truly change. That means souls getting saved.

Then? If souls are saved, there will still be battles, but you will be on the winning side.

So, see how to avoid being fooled and make your stand in a loving way for what is right so others can see that Christlike love in you and want it, too.

Have peace now and forever

The international day of peace is celebrated September 21st. In fact, the United Nations has declared that this year will be one focused on peace and safety, along with a couple other words. It makes one wonder - with all the other things going on - if God made this to happen becasue He wants our attention. The Bible talks about these specifically in relation to the end of the world. "When they say peace and safety, sudden destruction will come upon them." 1st Thessalonians 5:3

I'm not trying to say when the end will come. I do, however, want to discuss how you can have that perfect peace.

Because, of course, this world has a lot of things that bring fear to people's hearts. All the Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters combined with the increased violence and other problems make many people long for peace.

Here is how to have peace in your life. It's a peace we must share with others so others know how to be free from the burden of fear and sin and shame.

Know the Prince of Peace

Peace comes in a relationship. That can be hard for some people. Sometimes betrayal and bitterness and sadness at things that did not go the way you hoped they would can bring much pain. However, there is hope.

It is not just a hope like the world gives, such as I hope the Indians finally win the World Series. Hey, the Cubs finally did last year so who knows? What's important is that this is more than just a possibility or even a likelihood. The hope that this relationship gives is one where you have a certainty of God's love for you.

Even when things don't go the way you expect them, they will go according to God's perfect plan, which is better than what any of us can hope for. We plan for things thinking we know the perfect solution, but we don't always. We don't know the future, except for what God tells us in general about the world.

That's because we are all sinners. We all say, do, and think things that are not perfect. They hurt ourselves or others or they go against that perfect plan that God has for our lives that will make things so wonderful. Not everything will be pleasant in this world, but that is why the Bible calls it the peace that passes understanding. Philippians 4:7. It is a piece that gives us strength to go on even when things go very badly.

For instance, I know a woman who just had a stillbirth. People may wonder how she gets through it. The answer is she knows Jesus. She really has to rely on him a lot because it is very painful for her. All the world can't give the assurance Jesus can give.

She knows she'll see her little boy again, because she has trusted Jesus Christ, God in flesh, to save her from her sins.

You can do that right now. It's as easy as ABC. Admit you are a sinner and fall short of God's perfection. Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead, because you can't get to heaven on your own. And, call on Jesus to save you, choosing to let him forgive you and make you knew inside.

You can pray something like this. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I don't deserve your perfect heaven. But I believe you died to take my punishment for my sins and rose from the dead. Lord Jesus, today I calling you with all my heart to save me and make me new inside. I trust you to forgive me and I believe that you have written me in your book of life. Not because of anything I have done but because I have called on you today because this is all because of what you did. In Jesus name, amen."

If you wander from Him of course you will struggle. However, He will always be there working in you lovingly drawing you back to Himself. You can go here to talk to someone about that life forever that begins right now.

Pursue peace with others

I have written several times, like here, about how we must all work together. We are all One race and one people. There have been people who have thought they were superior because of false pride. However, those people are wrong. We are all equal before the cross. And, God made us all equal here too.

The only difference is some of us are Saved Sinners and some of us are still Lost Sinners. Those of us who are saved need to be sharing our love as well as that of Jesus Christ so that those who are lost can be saved. After all, as I said we don't know when the world will end but it could be soon. It has been very recent for a number of people.

See, we need to ask Jesus to help us to love others despite their differences. This can be hard for some. It's easy when you have families who go to the same school and work in the same offices. At least it should be. It's harder when they are from different communities.

We need to work on building common ground. That common ground is that this is a world of sin and we need to be protecting others and helping them.

While it is true that we cannot bring God's Kingdom on our own - the time spoken of in Revelation must come first oh, a horrible time in this world I will mention later - it is also true that we must work to show God's love while we are here. We must not sit back and just wait for others to do things. We should be feeding the hungry and helping the poor and things like that and not relying on government for it, because we can do so much better as God's people helping them to help themselves.

That means getting rid of some of the sin in our own lives. It means getting rid of sensual things and things were we simply consume them for our own lust. It means getting rid of the vulgar language. It means being dedicated to good, clean, wholesome things. There are so many good things and hilarious things that can happen which do not involve vulgarity and meanness and stuff like that.

The world tries to enforce this on its own through things like political correctness. But, again, this is a human creation and therefore imperfect. No imperfect creature can ever create a perfect system. Only God can help us truly be resilient in this world so we can help others to be.

God, on the other hand, has a perfect system where we accept others and where we do work to respect others and not be bullying and treat others with kindness, doing to others what we would have do unto us. the Holy Spirit must be our guide, being filled with the Spirit means being controlled as God leads us to be the people He wants - but that includes standing for the truth of His Word and speaking it in love. This is why the Bible is so important, especially the New Testament. It shows how we should live Godly lives. And, as I mentioned before, the King James version is the one that should be followed. It is from the original Antioch Greek.

This focus on Godly attitudes toward others will eliminate the problems people have caused. It is not the political correctness as much as it is the lack of calm, consider a discussion with each other which has so damaged Society. We must get to the back to the point where we accept and understand each other, talking to understand and not just to respond.

A warning about false peace

If I am not predicting the end of the world, what am I saying?

As I mentioned in the beginning, there is a false peace coming. This is the peace of which I said the Bible warns, when they say peace and safety sudden destruction shall come upon them.

This destruction does not mean the end of the world right away. Of course, as you can see in Revelation, many things will happen eventually that will lead to the Lord needing to return to restore things. When he does, as we see in other passages about the millennial Kingdom as well as Revelation 20, it will be a world of peace that lasts.

The Bible tells of many things that I have warned before, such as the mark of the beast. Nobody can take that Mark and enter God's perfect heaven. Those who do take it will be lied to by the devil into thinking that it will give them some sort of immortality or a connection with the Antichrist that is so pleasing for the moment but will be destructive in the end.

This is the kind of thing God wants us to avoid. He has made a way to avoid it, by knowing Jesus Christ is your personal savior. As mentioned before, if you are reading this after many have disappeared, it may be that there will be a false peace developing that was also prophesized about. It will last three and a half years and will lull many into a false sense of security. This is why it is so important to know God so that he can protect you and guide you away from this.

That false peace we'll begin with some sort of Covenant that is signed or confirmed buy a world leader known as the Antichrist.

There have been many things stated by others and we don't know what is actually going to happen. Will there be some demon coming down claiming to be an alien life form? Will Holograms and artificial intelligence and other things be a major part of the deception which will come? These things we do not know.

We Do know, however, that God will protect us and save us from that terrible Wrath. Because, he is about to come sometime and bring down judgment upon the terrible evil of this world. People who have acted like Monsters doing so many horrific things, but also people who have been so prideful thinking that they can do anything they want without any consequences. Remember, that false Pride is something that I said in the beginning leads to such horrible things as racism and hatred of others and all sorts of things.

People, in their imperfect way, have tried to stamp out those things. They have been unsuccessful because only God can change hearts.

Our own hearts need to change, too, so we'll be reconciled to God and, following Him, to each other. That is the most important thing to remember. It is in our hearts that we have that peace from God. It is in our hearts that God must work to bring that peace, so we can share it with others.

Get freedom by turning to God for salvation, strength

I promise not to discuss how much better the world seemed when I was a kid. You've heard - or told - all the stories. (The world changes so fast a grade schooler might tell them to a preschooler. :-)

Rather, I encourage everyone - especially those going to school, who can relieve their stress with God's unconditional love- to be specially bold in the Lord's love, just as I urged youth early in this blog to take back their inner cities, and in this free blogged book to take the lead in families or with friends where there's no spiritual leadership. I've blogged about all the freedom we have in Jesus to help, care for others, be kind without worry, and so on, and how that freedom is so much different than what the world has to offer. You can read these posts at your leisure.

You can claim God's promises and let Him provide you freedom from all of the problems and then declare independence from this world's system of corruption, evil, hatred - Jesus says we are all equal with no distinction between races - and so on. Yes, that system that ignores God is to blame, as several posts here show.

First, claim God's promise of salvation and a relationship with Him

It's hard to find lifelong commitments today. Thankfully, God will give you one. He will give you perfect peace, comfort, strength, and so much more. whenever you turn to Him, because He promises to come live inside you. This relationship will free you. Some call this relationship dangerous, but that's because they don't have your best interests at heart. In fact, only God can have your best interests at heart because He knows all things. Take a baby who wants to put something poisonous in their mouth. Obviously, you say, that child doesn't have their own best interests in mind.

It can be true of adults, too. Just by not following a map, you can end up in a totally different part of the world, or where you don't know the language.

Sin is not following that map God created for our lives - it also offends God, too, of course. Look how lying, for instance, can hurt others, lead to anxiety (what if it's found out?), lead to bigger sins to cover it up, etc.. Sins like racism, cruelty to others, etc. aren't done by everyone the way lying ot selfishness are, but the point is, we've all sinned, we've all acted agaisnt that map God has for us.

There is a penalty of sin, a price Jesus paid when He died on the cross for our sin and rose from the dead. Of course, we have freedom to reject Him, but like with anything else, we must understand the consequences of rejection of His free gift of salvation.

Accepting His free gift of salvation is as easy as ABC. 1. Admit you are a sinner in need of a Saviour, that you can't save yourself becasue your sin separates you from God so you can't get to His perfect heaven on your own; 2. Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins and rose from the dead to take the punishment for your sins; and, Call on Jesus to save you, Choosing to trust Him completely to forgive you and make you new inside, to change your "want to." You can do that right here reading this blog, as can anyone you share this with.

Rejection of God's free gift of salvation means separate from Him forever in a horrible place that He doesn't want to send anyone. It was created for the devil and his fallen angels. In God's great love, He clearly spells out that He doesn't want anyone to go there and how they can avoid going there.

Because God loves us, He wants us as His followers to share that love and salvation with others You can share it like above, use the Gospel here or in a tract on another page on the site, send them to abundantlife.godlife.com, etc.. But, for it to work, remember they must believe you, so don't be a Pharisee.

I'll share some other ways we can have freedom, and joys through it, in the last segment of this post, but read all of it to help you grow in the Lord once you know Him, or just to understand more.

Drawn to God's love to gain freedom

He wants to draw people to that love so they can have freedom.

This is where those who call a relationship with Jesus dangerous are wrong. They do not have your best interests at heart. They have their own. Sometimes, it is for selfish reasons such as wanting to have control of you. Other times, they don't want to have consequences to their actions, even though there will be no matter what they want. Just like that baby who wants to put poison in his or her mouth. It will hurt them even if they don't want it to.

God tells us in His Word - which we know is fully reliable - how much He loves you. He draws you to His love by giving you that comfort, perfect peace, nurturing, understanding, and so on. However, he alsoshows it by letting you know that sin has consequences and how to let Him take those consequences on Himself. It has consequences even  if someone doesn't want or believe in them.

So, there is freedom from the penalty of sin. There is also freedom from the power of sin.

This is a wonderful promise. It means we can withstand all the evil of this world, though only through the power of the Holy Spirit in each believer. Yes, we are flesh, too, so we will still sin, and we must put our full trust in Jesus to be our strength so we don't.  However, the Word of God is a valuable tool in doing this, because it is the major way the Lord speaks to us. The Spirit teaches us how to apply it to our lives. He will show us how to avoid sin.

This avoiding of sin is needed because sin is what enslaves us. Sin can only be escaped through God's mercy, through what Jesus did for us. This is why the Bible says the truth will set you free - Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6.

Indeed, Jesus will one day save is from the very presence of sin. That just shows, though, that all that sin will be somewhere else. A place you want to avoid if you're looking for your own best interest.

It's not just in Heaven we can have that great peace, though.

Life More Abundantly Here, Too

I've posted before about how we can have life more abundantly here on Earth(John 10:10) and indeed that there is a even a verse speaking to those who would love life, 1 Peter 3:10-11.

This can't be done on our own, of course. We can't bring the Kingdom in ourselves, as discussed on shows 115 and 116 here. That's because some aspects are impossible for mankind to create in the Millennium, such as all animals being peaceful or no more war occurring. It's also because in Heaven, nothing will grow old or wear out.

 The way we have life more abundantly here is through the joy the Lord gives each of us when we are clsoe to Him, and the tenderness with which He treats us when we wander , being slow to anger and rich in mercy.

Being strong in the Lord in the Bible is from a Greek verb meaning a continual action from the outside. We need Jesus to work in us to provide that strength, because we can't fight the intense spiritual warfare ourselves.

It may seem rough because this world has so many problems. There is so much injustice. There are so many charities that need support, so many spiritual needs people are trying to fill on a shoestring, especially because inner city ones like this don't get church support.

It's pretty silly to say to imagine something with what I'm doing next: Quoting part of 1 Corinthians 2:9 - "eye has not seen, nor ear heart, nor has entered into the heart of man" the wonders that God has prepared for those who love Him. His mercies are new every morning. He loves to make all things new, and He will create a totally new world one day. Imagine the incredible beauty of colors that are much more dazzling than anything we have ever seen.

 But, we can have joy in other things, too. It's not just in looking forward to what is to come.

Other joys God gives when we receive His freedom

Sharing that message of God's free gift of salvation with othersgives great joy when we know we have a part in God's plan. It's vital to pray first, of course, nd let Him guide us, since as noted He knows what's right in each situation. WHen we mess up, we must admit our wrong right away and confess and forsake it to God, but even that shows growth just like a batter who sees and corrects a flaw in his mechanics so he can improve.

Knowing God will make everything right and end injustice helps so much; our sin nature is such we always make things more of a mess when we try to fix things, as numerous posts here show. We can't hope to re-create the awesomeness which will come.

However, the devil will try to seduce us, which is why I've noted before we also must avoid the great deception which will come on the world. that's SO vital I made this which should be spread everywhere if millions disappear. If you put your trust in God, though, you'll be safe, and just imagine what's in store.

You can have joy in good, wholesome entertainment. You don't have to do evil or mean or raunchy things or even tell such jokes. You're free from having to tear others down; you can work to build them up, as Jesus tells us to do.

 You can enjoy the freedom of knowing whatever life brings - even the frustration and pressure of tests and grades, and all the popularity stuff that is just false pride - it doesn't have to define you.

Instead, you can trust in what God says about you - that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that He is a personal God who desires a relationship where he shares with you His unconditional love, no matter who you are, no matter what happened on some day in school.

You can stay away from those bullying sites, for instance that tear you down, and you can lead others away, too, by helping them realize they are special to God and to you. You can be an encouragement, you can be someone for whom other people matter.

There are so many other joys and promises, but just get alone with God and pray each morning that He will use you to impact lives for His honor and glory, to bring them to salvation. (There are many good tracts you can hand out if you don't feel comfortable talking as well, search for them on the Ineternet or ask your local church - oens with itles like the above "God's Simple Plan of Salvation" which was linked, or "Amazing Love," or "Who Can Enter," ones that minister to others and can be ordered in some cases for free. Just be sure you use the King James version if you can, becasue it's fromt he original Antiochan Greek, as mentioned elsewhere in this blog and here.)

Above all, remember to make much of the Lord Jesus, and He'll make much of you. Becasue, He truly wants you to know Him and to be a great force for change in your world, to reach out to the hurting and share that message of His hope and salvation.

Humility, equality, common sense key to stopping violence

A rash of assaults on women and other complaints have dotted the landscape in and out of sports. While the previous post on coming together for racial equality contains keys to solving this problem, as do posts on things like the good thoughts of Philippians 4:8 and other posts in this blog, this is a specific problem which has troubled people since man brought sin into the formerly perfect world,and death by sin, so that death passed unto all men, for that all have sinned.(Rom. 5:12)

That need for humility, of course, is crucial. That post shows how we must never see one race or any group as superior, something discussed more in show 143 here. Here, it means one must not see one gender as worthy of more respect than another. However, it is much more than that.

A desire to be better can be used in a positive way when it leads to hard work, learning new information, strategies, and skills, etc., in order to improve one's lot in life. However, those all deal with raising oneself up in ways that please God, so His perfect plan for your life can be fulfilled, not putting others down. They involve honing God-given things to improve one's abilities to glorify God.

Not only that, but not since Ben Franklin's time has it been possible to know everything there is to know. There will always be someone better than you at something and someone worse than you at something. Hence, there is a need to accept that God has given skills and talents and accept His perfect plan for your life, That perfect plan is fulfilled when you grow in Godliness and develop those rather than letting lust rule and tear others down or wanting what isn't yours.

Yes, I used lust there. Envy, jealousy, and so on could all be placed there. However, what are those but certain kinds - envying someone with better clothes or cars or something is just a lust for those things, for instance. The Bible sums up sin by referring to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.(1 John 2:15) Certainly, we want to live, but we don't want to have such pride in it that we think that we have a better plan than God, because God's perfect ways are much greater than our imperfect ways.

Good Thoughts and Attitudes to Ponderr - Putting Others First

This is why, as in Philippians 4:8 above, we must "flee also youthful lusts"(2 Tim. 2:22); this isn't just about physical affection, it is about fleeing that selfishness that causes a person to lust for power and therefore to mistreat those less powerful than them.

This brings us to equality a little more first, to move forward to common sense by making a few comments about the body from the above links, namely that we all perform different roles in that perfect plan, but they all work together to move the body forward along the right path.

To use a silly example, let us suppose that the eye decided it wanted to do something different than the legs says the person was walking along. So comma the eye starts moving the head a different direction. Then comma di convinces the arms to move one of the legs into that direction. Of course, that is silly, although at first you might have thought of a person distracted by something, turning their head, and walking right into a telephone pole. Indeed, that happens sometimes. The point is that this is causing the body to lose focus. There are, of course, timesthe eye see something and realizes that the legs are moving in the wrong direction. That is where the brain as a central processing unit is so important, such as when you are walking around trying to find something, and suddenly you see it out of the corner of your eye.)

Let's use that analogy with the brain as the central processing unit and explore the area of common sense. However, it will not be common sense as imperfect people see it, but as God created us, because His ways are perfect.

There are many reasons that the Fruit of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) includes things like temprance(self-control), longsuffering(patience), etc.. We need these things to be Godly people; He calls us to be holy not just in our actions in refraining from certain sins but in all manner of conversation, a word which means conduct.

I'd like to take a moment to praise a few boys; these 6-8 year olds are in our church's Wednesday night AWANA program at the same time as a similar-aged girl who has some autism traits. Because of this, she pushes hard at times. She has only done this a couple times, and we as a staff and her parents stay on top of things, but the point is that this girl can't control herself as well as most kids that age.

So, a few times she has pushed these boys playfully, not realizing how hard she is doing it. And, these boys either just stare at her and then walk away or just ask me, "What's her problem." They don't fight back. I have praised them quite a bit for not pushing back, let alone hitting. They know quite well there is no reason to hit this girl. Other workers and I are rightfully proud of their self-control at those times.

All that is to say this. It should be very easy for us to get in our minds an image of a person just walking away from a situation. At their age, of course, it helps to know someone is going to praise them for their self-control, and that praise will sink in and - in the future - help them remember that self-control is a positive thing. Even if a person hasn't had that self-control praised before - or even practiced  it - self-control is still required.

Why? because women are built differently, just like the parts of the body are different. You wouldn't put eye drops in your ear to try to get ear wax out, nor would you put hydrogen peroxide on your skin to make an insect bite stop itching. Things need treated differently depending on where they are - eye drops go int he eye, hydrogen peroxide goes in the ear, etc..

Of course, it's also wrong for women to bully men, but the vast major5ity of this selfishness in hwo they treat others is done by males in a relationship. This is why Jesus kept pushing meekness, another Fruit of the Spirit - thsi is power under control, not overpowering people but tenderly guiding.

Not only that, but men and women are equals, we just have different general attributes, with each individual having their own and needing to be accepted for how God made them.

We have shared that some but as a church generally failed to speak out strongly against abusive behavior, a failure we must repent of, as I've noted before, in praying for revival. Of course, it can also be argued that the Holy Spirit convicts people of the evils of such things, and that people who do them are not going to be in church or will just sit and pretend to be Godly because their hearts aren't right or perhaps they never trusted Jesus Christ to save them in the first place.

Whichever the case is, domestic violence is an evil which must be stopped. The way to do it is by changing our attitude toward others.

Proper Attitudes About Relationships - Eliminating Lust

Before, such as here, the need was discussed to center our focus on others and not ourselves. That is certainly part of it. When we realize other people matter, we will be kinder and more considerate and realize that some people have handicaps, for instance, like I do with several physical and developmental ones. However, it goes beyond just helping a blind person see something that you can see perfectly well.

The important part is to recognize that while we refer to girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses, and children as "ours" in one sense, they really aren't in another sense. Oh, relation ally, there is a logical sense that, yes, you are related to someone in such and such a way - "this is the computer's mouse" means that mouse is used by that computer - but relation does not equal possession. Any mouse could be used as long as it's compatible, to use that example further.

Relationships were created by God before the fall of man - Adam and Eve are married in Genesis 2:24-25, while sin doesn't come into the world till the next chapter. After sinc omes in, there is suddenly disputing and arguing and the chance for all sorts of things. Physical lusts suddenly existed when they didn't before. Instead of automatically being a perfect situation, a relationship takes work on all parts - A healthy relationship requires communication, and that communication is easily broken if we're not careful.

This is where that lust comes in. Even without that problem in language, there is that desire to make a relationship everything we want rather than working together toward a common goal. It's as if the eye and the ear, working together in a body, suddenly decide they want to do different things. Or, worse yet, the left leg and the right leg try to go off in different directions.

Some central processing unit is needed. God provides that processing unit through his Word, the Bible, which tells us to love one another, to edify (build up) one another, to be subject to one another  and to work with one another. The Bible never commands one side to boss the other around and doesn't even allow it, in fact. As that one link said, Eve was created from Adam's side, not his head or foot.

And, parents are to be examples of Godly love, compassion, gentleness, kindness, and so on, teaching their children to be part of that loving unit by co-operating and becoming kind, caring people who will not act selfishly. Just as most if not all of the boys have been taught who were being so kind when that girl was being so pushy.

If one party is not able to be a spiritual leader, that God commands, another shoudl take over and try to work themselves out of a job jsut like a missionary would. This free blog book, based on the Shunemmite woman's story beginning in 2 Kings 4:8, shows how, and should be widely distributed.

We need the courage to stand up for woman and children because they need protection. Yes, at times we must sand up against female abusers, too; we should always look at the facts of a case as well. However, we must be willing to take a stand for the absolute right and wrong that God commands us to have in protecting those who are mistreated, so that they know they can feel safe in coming to us and that we will stand for them and against abusers. Look at it as getting an abuser help if you must, but we as a society should not accept what is really just a form of lust - a lust for power, power that is not our right to have. There is never any reason to hit a woman, and in fact even nonverbal abuse is wrong because we are not meant to force others to do anything in a relationship. We are supposed to lovingly guide. (Yes, even discipline of children, though it may have to be harsh at times, should NEVER be about brutality and power but has to be about showing Godliness by guiding them in a Christlike manner to be examples of Godly character themselves, by showing those fruits of the Spirit so they will want to copy and will know how. You might, as that blog book shows, even be able to be the one a kid copies who isn't your own, becasue we all need role models and some kids need to use other adults as those models of good behavior.)

This iswhy such violence is wrong - communication must be the center of every relationship, and adults are able to verbalize their concerns without such threats against someone who is less able physically. If a person has trouble, they must walk away till they're calm; against part of that meekness Jesus had and that we should have, too.

In fact, I'll go a step further and say that the entire appetite for lusts is way off. There are many better things to do than that, and it should be an honor to be a virgin. Sadly, not everyone will be, but there is no excuse for any man to be taking advantage of someone. If one man wants to do stuff with a woman outside marriage that's one thing, even though it's sin and cheapens it, but life is not a video game and there should be no competition or guys getting together in what was created to be a very special time for one man and oen woman to share! God created that stuff to be done within marriage as a special thing between a husband and wife, in fact! No woman should ever be put in a situation where she feels pressured into doing something she doesn't want to - and no man should, either!

After all, God gives freedom, the freedom that He provided on the cross when He died to take the punishment for our sins and rose from the dead. Each of us is only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life. It's a prayer one can pray right now - just Admit you're a sinner and fall short of God's protection, Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins and rose from the dead, and Call on Him to save you, Choosing to let Him make you new inside and forgive and cleanse you and come live in you.

Once you trust Him to save you, He makes you new inside.He will grow the Fruit of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) in you. You can do it right now where you are. And, go he to e-mail with someone and get gerat encouragement.

No matter what circumstances, God can change hearts, let's trust Him

In every situation, someone won't like the results.

Take something as little as rain. Farmers like it to grow crops, but kids don't if it cancels their baseball game. Yet, those same farmers want dry weather to plant and let the sun work - so even they don't want rain all the time. No wonder God chose rain to demonstrate how the things of this life happen to everyone.(Matt. 5:45) Thankfully, while "In this world ye will have tribulation," we can be of good cheer, since He has overcome the world.(John 16:33)

Some stuff is much worse than rain, of course. God allows bad things because to not do so would be to end cause and effect. Cartoon physics would result if He stopped everything in a freeze frame each time someone was about to do something wrong. (And where would the frame end? What if someone put one foot in and the rest was outside?) You can't have a knife cut food and not a finger if a hand slips as one chops vegetables. Cause and effect are necessary to make the world make sense so we know what to expect.
 

Even in those bad things, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them which are called according to His purpose(Romans 8:28), as He works His perfect plan to save anyone who trusts in Him by faith to save them from their sin.

God gives us another way to know what to expect, too. He warns us of things to come, such as the terrible decline in morals near the end(2 Timothy 3,etc.), or the increasing attention on Jerusalem(Zech.12:1-3) and cooming war with Russia, Turkey, and iran aand others against Israel.(Ezek38-39) He also warns of His judgment unless we repent.

Those who wanted someone else to win the election may say the result is God's judgment. Those who got the result they wanted might even say that. With the choices given, one could argue the entire process was God announcing His judgment no matter who won, as politics has developed the stench of a sandwich left in the refrigerator... since 1991!

Whether or not you got the results you wanted, imperfect people can't create a perfect world. The world won't be perfect till  Jesus returns.

There are things we can do to make things better, though. As shown before, such as here, for instance, prayer works wonders - as long as there's nothing between you and the Saviour.

How can we make positive change?

Make sure your heart is right

One person won't change everything, nor could one party. The world's problems come from a heart problem.

So, you ask, If I'm going to change things, why does my heart need to be right?" Because, if you want to drive a friend to Miami, and keep heading for Alaska, you'll never get to Miami, right? 

I've often used the example of getting mad because a person cuts you off in traffic - but it turns out they are rushing to the hospital to see a hurt loved one. God's justice is best because He alone knows what is best in each situation; He doesn't create a one size fits all world but instead allows freedom within His boundaries. After all, He didn't just say "don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," He also said they could eat of every other tree. The world was perfect till sin came into it.

We've all sinned in action, word, or thought, falling short of his perfection. The wages of sin - what we earn because of it - is death, separation from God's perfect heaven and His perfect love forever. However, that verse, Romans 6:23, goes on to say that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In other words, we need to recognize the sin in our lives and confess and forsake it. That includes making sure we know for sure we have His salvation so God can guide us in any situation.

This world can't last forever. God tells us what will happen. One day, He will step in and judge all the wickedness of this world. Given events in the Middle East, it could be very soon. Nobody knows when it is their time to go anyway. So, it's vital to make sure you are saved and walking with Him.

So, if you were to stand before God, and He asked why He should let you into His perfect Heaven, what would you say?

Salvation isn't earned or deserved; we have all lied, hurt others, been selfish, etc. at some point. You must be saved by grace - a free gift - through faith, and "not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast."(Eph.2:8-9; works come in verse 10 but only after we are saved to earn us rewards in Heaven.)

There was lots of boasting in the election, as well as all over the world, of what people can do. God realizes that's not very pleasant when people can boast of how they get somewhere. He knows equality is vital - we are all equal before the cross. Many worry about income and other disparities, but God knows this world isn't forever and Heaven is what's important. There's no pain, no suffering, no heartache, nothing bad there. Nobody can do anything bad to anyone there because God has made them new inside. Nobody has seen, heard, or even imagined the wonders that await us.

That being made new inside is what is needed, so He can forgive you and save you from your sins - lying, selfishness, etc. and give you a new hear.

You can invite Jesus to forgive you and save you from your sin right now if you haven't, with a prayer something like this in your own words - remember the words aren't what saves, it's you repenting and turning from your sin and letting God make you new that saves. "Dear Lord Jesus, I realize I'm a sinner and don't deserve your perfect heaven. I know you tookt he punishment I deserve for my sins, though. Lord Jesus, I believe You are God in flesh and did all that was needed when you died on the cross to save me and rose from the dead. Lord Jesus, today I turn away from my sin and invite you to saveme and make me new inside, I call on you to forgive me, a sinner, aend I turn from my sin, and I believe by simple faith you have saved me and written me in your book of Life. In Jesus' name, Amen."

You can go someplace like here if you've trusted Christ as your Saviour and have online mentors help and answer questions. This is a good place to have questions answered, too.

Godly priorities found in His Word help us grow, impact the world positively

 As noted above, God wants us to have peace. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."(Is.26:3) "My peace I leave with you, NOT as this world gives; in this world ye will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."(John 16:33) The way to have this is to have Godly priorities.

The only thing we'll take with us if we go to Heaven are the souls of others and what we did for Jesus - He is preparing places for us there.(John 14:1-3) God doesn't want anyone to miss out; He created that place of outer darkness only for the devil and the angels that rebelled.(Matt. 25:41) People go when they spend a lifetime rejecting His free gift of salvation over. Sure, we want to be happy in this world, and there is a verse specifically addressing those who would enjoy life. However, God knows that the things of this world won't make us happy the way the things of God can. And, by following his priorities, we can show others His love and help them understand how different His ways are from this world of wickedness, faint praise, and shallow, physical satisfaction.

After all, as the above link shows, Jesus offers "life more abundantly"(John 10:10) - so if it's more abundant than what the world offers, it makes sense to make sure to focus on that. Second, while salvation is instant, God wants us to grow in Him and be more like Him once we do trust Him to save us.(Phil.1:6, etc.)

That growth is how we improve the world, as well as lead someone to want to be saved from a lost and dying world. It may seem to some like there's little they can do, but this world isn't all there is, anyway.

What are those priorities? Letting God grow the Fruits of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) is one, including playing your part by choosing each day to do so and being proactive ain that. Philippians 4:8 gives a bunch of great things to focus on. Laying aside not only sins but weights - things that take us away from God - is another(Heb.12:1). Being kind, considerate, caring for others, and so on are very important to God because He wants us to show who He is. After all, some have never heard or seen an example of Jesus Christ.

however, while God wants to change us to be more like Him, transformed by the renewing of your mind(Rom.12:2), we are supposed to work in this world helping others, too.

Here, then, is where we can take action no matter who won - and, that is what people really want, just as Franklin Roosevelt, in part of his 1933 Inaugural Address, said the people of America needed "action, and action now." Whether your candidate won or lost, the steps to take are the same because, as noted, only God can impact the hearts of people. Here are steps to take, with one more major one discussed at the end since it wound up going a lot longer than I'd planned.

A Few Ways To Come Together

1. Pray without ceasing. The Bible says to "Pray without ceasing"(1 Thess.5:17), which means we must always be in an attitude of prayer. Of course, as noted, one's heart has to be right first, instead of harboring sin in one's heart one should confess and forsake it. However, otherwise, we must pray that God's will be done. That will is first and foremost to bring others to Jesus.

2. Stand against the world's system. The world's system is one that ignores God. It is people who want to do whatever they want to anyone they want, instead of Jesus' rule of doing to others whatever you would have them do to you.(Matt. 7:12) That can mean getting rid of cable TV or not subscribing to certain things. The world's system will one day keep anyone from buying or selling unless they have a mark that causes them to swear allegiance to the antichrist, and you must NEVER TAKE THE MARK.

3. Ignore attempts to divide and unite under the cross. Galatians 3:28 says we are all equal before the cross. There is so much division in America, and in the world, because we focus on it. Yes, I've posted before how to heal it numerous times. And, yes, we do have things we need to discuss, like how to end senseless violence and how to solve still inadequate housing and so on There is still discrimination.

     However, the division is being fanned by those who want to create strife, and we shouldn't allow that to happen. People of every race, creed, and color need to sit down and accept that we have problems and isntead of complaining, actually discuss ways to solve things rather than just slogans.

4. Trust God to solve those problems. When the disciples had problems in Acts, they prayed. Then, they let the Holy Spirit move in the situation  and followed His leading. We cans till do that today.
     It might seem like a huge task, but if we each start by reaching one person and trying to achieve a solution, God can use us. We may be spiraling out of control in our eyes, but in God's He still has control and as we rush toward the End Times, he can still bring revival.

The only way we can do this  is by celebrating the fact there are differences between us, but we are all special to God.

Celebrate diversity while rejecting sin

One big thing one can do is something all sides should.

First, of course, sound doctrine is vital for the same reason directions on how to get to Miami must be followed in order to get to Miami; you can go to Anchorage, Alaska and upon arrival say you're in Miami; and you sure better not try wearing a bathing suit in the winter. :-) Here is a good summary of that sound doctrine, complete with some good radio show links on different aspects; this is also good on what to unify on.

God requires mercy and not sacrifice. (Micah 6:8, Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13) We are called the body of Christ because every part of the body has different roles. However, if a person as no arms and must use feet to eat - yes, it can be done, as John Foppe has shown - that doesn't diminish value, it just means that part of the body must functions differently. Sadly, we have often failed to show it - I mentioned earlier we need to repent not only for things we've done but for things we should have done but didn't, such as not preaching against violence against women.

This is part of a larger problem. We must show others the love of Christ by being Christ-like. However, in previous years, honesty, marital fidelity, and other things were givens. We knew that stealing, lying, cheating, etc. were wrong. So, we must still stand against sin. We must simply do so in a loving way, helping people understand why God's way is best.

A good example of this is in families. We must accept single moms lead some families and love and support and help them. We must do the same for those like the Shunemmite woman, whom God calls great(2 Kings 4:8), who must lead because a husband can't or won't, or like Mordecai raising Esther. People from nuclear families must stop acting superior and show love and acceptance - and help the children of any situation. As I note in this free blogbook, the Shunemmite woman is a model for anyone to be a Godly leader, especially women and kids in a home without one.

At the same time, we must stand against sin. The Bible praises those like the Shunemmite because she put God at the center of her life, but it also condemns sexual sin.  We can praise and support those like the Shunemmite or single parents who follow the Lord with all their heart while still taking a stand against immoral lifestyles. The Bible calls sex outside of marriage a sin, and also says men and women were created to be unique and work together. He created the physical relationship to be only the cherry on top of the sundae of marriage, which was ordained to allow people to be fruitful and multiply, for the man and the woman to complete each other in a tenderhearted way without abuse by either party in any way. (Hence the warning that you should be so lost in God that your future partner needs to be seeking God with all their heart to find you; many bad things can happen when you are unequally yoked with unbelievers.)

The point is that within the boundaries God created - which are for our own protection - there can be diversity. We must accept as equal those like single parents or those who are very different. For instance, a tough guy or gal who gets hurt for fun and a docile, bookish doctor who sews them up can be very different even as kids. We must rely on the Holy Spirit to handle each effectively; children need boundaries but some need harsher discipline than others; some are hypersensitive, etc.. If it's not something involving the doctrines needed for salvation, people should "be of one mind in the Lord" like Euodice and Syntyche are told (Philippians 4:2-3), agreeing to disagree agreeably and not call each other names. Pray for each other to rely on the Holy Spirit to make Godly decisions with His leading, and pray nobody is traumatized, since God doesn't want people to traumatize each other. He wants us to walk away when too angry, so we don't sin(Eph.4:26); we must employ the fruits of the Spirit.(Gal.5:22-23) such as meekness(power under control), gentleness, etc..

As a hypersensitive who judged "bad behavior kids" and adults harshly before I trusted Christ as my Saviour, I'm reminding myself here. If someone talks mean, they might really hurt inside, like a fellow high school student I was asked to mentor. I did so with no questions asked. He taunted me for being so much nicer on my own without needing told... Well, I'll leave it there and say he had lots of issues - though he says now he was being sarcastic, which I can't read, and he is a Godly, caring person - so likely people don't look down on those like me, though I still have times I hope others accept and like me. Some people need it explained how to respond nicely. All the more reason to be forgiving and discuss one's feelings and accept each other.

Communicating with each other is vital

That communication is vital. God created us to be conversational and to learn while growing more understanding and accepting, because we are supposed to love one another and be known by that.(John 13:35)

That requires that we show a Godly example to others. I couldn't have helped the guy I mentioned above had I not been following the Lord, and while I was ridiculed for it by him because he struggled to accept that there were kind, gentle people in the world, eventually it paid off. (It would have been better had I had a road map, but I struggle verbalizing things at times as well as reading nonverbal stuff - I've had Middle school-aged kids tell me they'd have had all sorts of red flags going up in their minds if asked to include a new student in stuff with their friends, etc.)

However, I can laugh at my inability now. It's frustrating and sad that we don't communicate much as a country. The amount of corruption is a huge problem, and one that some people might not want revealed. So, for them it might be best to write them off and simply pray for them.

However, God can still change hearts. When we turn to Him with all our heart and accept each other while still rejecting sins like cruelty, corruption, lying, cheating, physical relations outside mrriage, etc. - all of which really boil down to selfishness and idolatry - then we can see God start to create real change.

Because, no matter who had won, the only real change can come from the Lord. Let us allow Him to help us to reach out and talk about those concerns and work together for solutions.

Part of revival; Avoiding danger in fallen world

Would you avoid something you knew was awful if you could, be it something as awful as a mile fall from a plane or a shark attack, or as simple as spiders or mice, which spook a lot of people?

We all avoid things we think will destroy us. This recent post discussed celebrating the Abundant Life Jesus gives when we trust in Him to save us from our sins, it's so much greater than what we get when we look at only what we can get out of it. And, as much as we say "live life to its fullest," nobody rushes to be attacked by a shark. Even "Shark Tank" has people taking huge precautions. That or falling a mile from a plane without a parachute would be on everyone's list of things to avoid. For some, even something as simple as spiders or mice make them run in horror.

In the wake of the tragic death of Jose Fernandez, I considered that recent post on enjoying the abundant life Jesus gives. It's very appropriate as a subject itself, of course. And, there are so many good thoughts - like these from Philippines 4:8 - which God shows us in His Word are important for us to live happily.

(Notice I didn’t say to be happy? Happy is an adjective. Happily is an adverb which modifies the verb "live" in the old fairy tale ending. They live happily ever after, but that doesn't mean everything is happy. They simply choose to focus on what they are thankful for. Even if Mongols attack there castle or smallpox ravages the kingdom, they can focus on the love they share no matter what happens. We shouldn't let circumstances define us.)

So, God clearly gives us some wonderful things to focus on as we enjoy the abundant life He has given those who trust Him to save them from their sins. It's something we need as only He can give divine protection against evil.
 

However, one should also avoid certain other things just like one avoids the really bad stuff mentioned above. (And as some people avoid spiders, etc.) We can avoid evil, nightmare-inducing things on our own and - as long as we have a relationship with God - improve it. Just as you avoid things that you know will kill you (a shark or a fall from a plane) or that you are really scared of.

Divine Protection From Evil

 The first step to avoiding evil is to make sure you're on God's side so He can protect you - sit in that chair of grace, so to speak.

God is holy and can't touch sin; He can't allow it into His perfect Heaven; I'll explain in the next section where that sin came from originally. You can go to that section if you want and come back, of course, but for now, suffice it to say that God has it this way so those who are covered by His atonement for sin can't have anything bad happen to them in Heaven.

We have a sin problem, though. We are all sinners; nobody is totally, 100% righteous.(Rom.3:10,23, etc.) Though all we like sheep have gone stray, and turned to our own ways, God laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.(Isa. 53:6)

So, we all have sin in us, but God reconciled us to Himself by bearing our sins in His own body.(1 Pet.2:24) Jesus, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for each of our sins - yours, mine, everyone's and rose fromt he dead. That gift of His grace and mercy is free to anyone who trusts in Him to save them. It's not about praying certain words, it's calling on Him in your heart to save you and forgive you.

A good way to remember that is ABC - Admit you're a sinner, Believe Jesus, God in flesh, died to take your punishment for your sins, and rose from the dead, and Callon Him to save you from yoru sins, Choosing to repent (turn from your sins) and make you new inside.

You can do that right now, in fact. If you haven't, you should do so now because we never know what will happen. You can turn from your sins and tell God something like this: "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, I know I can't get to heaven on my own, but You died to take the punishment for my sins and rose from the dead. Lrod Jesus, I trust you today to save me from my sins and make me new inside, come into my heart today and save and change me. I believe you have saved me not by anything I have done but by the fact I totally trust in what You did for me. In Jesus' name, Amen."

If you don't know Jesus as Saviour, you can't go to God's perfect Heaven where you'll be free from sin and all those burdens when you die. You'll be separated from that perfect love and peace and goodness forever in a horrible, wicked place meant only for the devil and his angels.(Mat.25:41) So, it's important to trust Jesus as your Saviour first.  Here is a great tract with more explanation. Gotquestions is a great site to help with questions, and online mentors here can help personally.

Anyway, we should love God's grace and mercy because He has given it as a free gift to anyone who will trust him to forgive them for their sins. He will cleanse them from all unrighteousness. A saved person can't be possessed by the devil.

However, a saved person can be oppressed, just like Job when he followed the Lord and the devil was allowed to try to ruin his life, but Job apparently kept his sight on those eternal rewards. And, the devil can certainly possess an unsaved person and, made bad enough, can totally wreck that person.

Thankfully, there is hope for such a person, as we see witht he possessed man in Mark 5, but the best thing is to never allow evil to be in your life in the first place.

Yes, i talked about possession. there is a spiritual realm; indeed, superstring theory has proven there are more dimensions than jsut what we can see plus time. I mentioned it because it, and all spiritual warfare, is very real. We need God's protection from that evil so we can enjoy the freedom from oppression God gives us.

 

Making the shark from Jaws look tame

This leads to the main subject - avoiding Deception like mentioned to some extent in the previous post, though it focused more on the devil counterfeiting things. This centers more on a type that would be a big problem even without a movie about it. it is something which can appear harmless but is really dangerous and is something to avoid at all costs.

Before the Sharknado movies - which I have never seen but which I have heard one could make fun of on the level of Mystery Science Theater 3000 - there was Jaws. A shark attack is one of those really important things to avoid, though thankfully there will not be tornadoes with many, many sharks in real life. They almost certainly won't happen even in the tribulation period, that terrible time when God will judge the evil of the Earth and the devil will try to take as many as he can with him to hell.

Even today, however, the devil is at work trying to lure people away from God's goodness and to his evil. And, he does that through things that look innocent.

As discussed before, the devil was a created being that had untested creature holiness, meaning he had not been tested to see whether he would sin. He chose to try to overthrow God. (Isaiah 14:12-15,Ezekiel 28) This rebellion caused him to lose his place in Heaven and he took a third of the angels with them him(Rev. 12) and they became demons.

So, think about it. When you see images of things that are demonically possessed, these are things that hate God and want to destroy His perfect love, peace, compassion, and all the other good things about God. They do not love His grace and mercy.

These things are real and they can and do possess things and even people. It may seem innocent, and when you walk out of a movie theater or turn off a TV you may think it's okay now" - or at least after about a month when you finally go near the water again after watching "Jaws." However, keep in mind that these things not only hate love, mercy, and other good things, they also hate you. The beasts of the field stalk their prey by blending in with their surroundings till they can pounce. Even so, the devil walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.(1 Peter 5:8)

God gives us hope. he gives us freedom from the terror those evil things cause. However, we need to put our faith in Him to do somust as one must put their whole eight into a chair to sit in it; you aren't trusting it if you think it'll collapse and thus you're ready to spring out of it if it starts to teeter.

How To Avoid Evil

As noted numerous times, revival begins with us. That means not just trusting Jesus as your Saviour and then doing good, but also staying away from things which can hurt us, just like you stay away from a shark attack.

 Yes, demonic things and things which have them in them can hurt us. They want to, in fact, because they hate God's creation. Therefore, we should stay away from them.

How far away? Obviously, some people can handle a little more than others. But, there are some limits all need to have as we trust the Lord to protect us.

First, understand that any so-called games or other activities involving magic really are inviting evil spirits into your life, those bad guys that want you to eventually be miserable even if they make things look fun at first.

Next, remember that Hollywood and other places want to make money. They want to make things seem innocent because if they made things really horrible and gory who would watch? Okay, things have gotten a lot worse than they were with Jaws back then, so maybe people would watch.  But, that just shows that the devil is trying to downplay things so that people can be drawn in.

If you have to deal with the subject, bathe it in prayer. Jesus is more powerful then these things. He cast them out all the time, after all. But some can't be stopped without prayer, and lots of it.

This is where I say that some people can handle it better. Look at a passion play, for instance. Somebody has to play Judas, who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and had so much hatred in him, right? Someone else may play people who shouted to crucify him. Still other performers have played Nazis like the Gestapo and SS. They weren't the bumbling people who were likely in on the prisoners' plans and worked to defeat Hitler in Hogan's Heroes. They were cruel and hateful and despicable people. Some actors and actresses can do that and not have it affect them, well others might find themselves deeply bothered by it.

However, that is when acting is someone's job. There is no need to pretend the scary stuff at other times.

When it comes to certain things, of course, they are urban legends and really can't happen. A youth told me once of a story that if you said "Bloody Mary" she would appear. That is a trick to scare people, although there was a real queen named that - she persecuted Protestants in the 1500s in England. Her spirit won't reappear if you say her name - although it might cause you to then think bout her.

Evil spirits do exist, though, and we should be careful never to attempt to communicate with them or use them. They are not dead loved ones - those types of things are really calling up demons. Same with any sort of fortune telling or astrology. The devil might try to trick you into thinking he's guessing right, but it's usually very vague, and God commands us to live by faith anyway, and He actually does reveal quite a bit to us when we trust Him. He gives us as much as we need to live and the rest, well, some people really want to live an adventurous life, right? Not knowing everything about your future is actually an important part of that adventure. Of course, you want to be sure where you'll go when you die, but that's different.

Things like that prey on the imagination. The imagination can be good, of course. It's great to be creative and use the talents God gave you, of course. The key is, first, people with imaginary friends when pressed will admit they are imaginary, and they serve a developmental purpose anyway, though not everyone has them. They should ot be turning the person away from God, though. In fact, when I got older I prayed and dedicated my stuff ed animals to the Lord to be used however he wanted; because of some developmental delays(possibly very mild Asperger's Syndrome) I knew He could use them to help me and He did.

You know what I found then? They always pointed me toward God or if I was talking with one of them since it was hard to verbalize stuff that "animal" would remind me to talk with God about the situation. Why? because I knew that God was using them. In fact, my biggest struggles in lie came at a time I thought I was grow up enough I'd never need them anymore to help me verbalize things and make sene of thigns in my mind. It was never "them," though - in fact, I readily say I'm them or they're me. That ws God at work using what He needed to use to help me.

Don't let it take you away from God

Whatever it is you are thinking about, then, make sure that God remains on the throne of your heart.

The devil wants control of this world, and one day he'll hve it for seven years of the worst stuff in human history. God will judge the world's sin then. This post tells how to avoid trouble and what to do if it starts and you're still here.

For now, remember that there is great deception out there even without the devil having complete control of things. To avoid deception, stay in God's Word and away from the evil things like the next Ouija movie and any boards or other things like it. There are so many good, family-friendly things you can d, and so many non-spooky characters you can be and things you can write. You don't have to include the Gospel in everything you write - unless God leads you to do it. However, God wants to protect you from bad stuff He knows is out there.

So, stick close to Him, know He is personal and knows you better than you know yourself. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him(Ps.139:14) for a special purpose, and that is to glorify Him and show His love, goodness, grace, mercy, compassion, and all those other great attributes of His to a lost and dying world.

The only way to show them is to be following Him and not the spirits of darkness in this world. He died and rose from the dead to give you freedom from all that, and to give everyone else that freedom, too.