Jesus is the same no matter what - He is the only true salvation, trust Him today

The 2020 election, like the rest of the year, worried everyone. The world's problems aren't over, though. That isn't because someone might have sinned greatly, though some claim this is true.

Rather, it's because no human can solve the world's problems.Jesus can provide guidance and help; one of my most recent posts was this to help teen moms and pray for them. You can read numerous ones I've written on repentance and why it's needed, on unity and equality, etc..Only God can truly help everyone, though, and solve the world's problems, though - which He will someday at the 2nd coming.

I've written of His great salvation, especially in one I have on the front about receiving Jesus as Saviour, which includes what to do if millions disappear.This world has an endpoint, and only God knows when that is. It's not necessarily the climate clock, though the Bible does talk in Revelation about major disasters such as the sun scorching men with fervent heat. One of the Four Horsemen in REv. 6 is the "beasts of the field," which in Greek can refer to germs or insects that carry disease.

Jesus - our faithful friend who will be the same for us yesterday, today, and forever

These things show the world is always changing, even more than an election does. (Or this crazy year.) But, no matter who you voted for, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.Heb. 13:8.

Isn’t the stability of Jesus’ friendship great? His commitment, certainty, guidance, etc., no matter how much it rains in our lives. There’s a cool song to apply to that; I’ll get to it in a bit.

The first key to Bible interpretation is to interpret Scripture with Scripture. Look at the verses before it. Verse 5 should be very familiar, for instance: He will never leave us or forsake us. This is why we should be content with what we have. Verse 6 promises we can boldly say that the Lord is our helper. Another little nugget is that – by connecting this to verse 8 – we have another passage to show Jesus Christ is the Lord our God. This is what we teach because of the love Jesus has shown us. 

We can go many ways with this. Gordon Lightfoot’s “Rainy Day People” is good to use in illustrations, like Paul (Acts 17) says God created us all (Biblical truth), said their own poets say this, and went right back to the Gospel. The lyrics are about friendship, kindness, and how those who really care about you put you first and know when there’s a need. They don’t seek what they can get, they don’t care about the physical, they know time spent on others is important regardless of what they get. The song mentions love, but must mean phileos/BFF love since one verse talks about how they’ll share they’ve been down, too, and can help others rise above it because of that. (It should apply to spouses, too, though, since one’s spouse should be a best friend, too.)

That love is one of Jesus’ many great attributes. Of course, His love is agape, unconditional, before we even knew HIm, but let's stick with that phileos/brotherly love for a moment. God will be there for you no matter what. He provides stability in ever-changing times, no matter what problems the world throws at us.

 

Imagine if He was our friend but changed with the seasons - it would be awful. But, whether we're up or down, His love is there for us. His friendship, peace, etc., are all for us to take freely because of His death on the cross and resurrection.

 

Jesus' will in our lives and our country - to strengthen us, help us keep away from sin

 

 We should pray for God to triumph over that sin and evil in the world. But, His ways aren't always ours, so we must pray for His will first as we pray for Him to work in each person's heart. A true friend should also be there to comfort and strengthen those who go through hard times. Just like Jesus does for any believer who calls on Him for help. so, if His ways aren't what we expect or want, He will get us through it.

This is how we strengthen others by sharing God is there for them, quoting Scripture to help (the Word of God never returns void, Isaiah 55:11), or just listening and consoling. And, it’s also how we help those who don’t know Jesus to see a difference in us, to see Jesus through our actions and our words. So their hearts will be tender when we share the Gospel and we can lead them to Christ.

There is still uncertainty in the world. There will be after everything is settled. But, having Jesus as a friend makes it easy to have peace no matter what.

 Know Jesus personally

So you know Him? If not, knowing HIm is as easy as ABC: Admit, Believe, Confess. Here is a good site that goes further with more verses, but basically:

Admit you are a sinner. This just means you fall short of God's perfect glory and can't save yourself throughyour own works.

Believe Jesus Christ is God in flesh and died to save you from your sins and rose from the dead; He took the punishment for your sins by dyng in your place, and through His resurrection we can have eternal life by simply trusting HIm to save us.

Confess and forsake your sins and Call on Jesus to save you, Choosing to welcome Him into your hear to make you new inside.

You can pray a simple prayer like this right now. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I believe you died on the cross to save me from my sins and rose from the dead. Lord Jesus, I confess I need you as my Saviour, and I call on you today to save me and make me new inside. In Jesus' name, Amen."

That's all there is to it. He will help you grow in Him. Visit here to talk to someone (unless the Rapture happened, in which case hopefully you still get the teachings at Godlife :-) ) if you have questiosn or want to share your decision for Jesus.

Jesus said true Christian would be known by our love.(John 13:35) We must take stands against sin, but we must still love the sinner and help them follow the Lord. Our care and compassion for others will help us to be the friend Jesus wants us to be. Because we are not supposed to be each other's enemy. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers, against principalities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.(Eph. 6:12)

Intercede for others

Because we are fighting a spiritual battle, it's important to pray without ceasing and to know that God's ways aren't ours. We can pray for God to work in each situation, but it's important to pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to us how to pray. Even if it's not something we'd expect - like the prophet Habakkuk prayed and God sent the Babylonians to judge His people, because God knew His people wouldn't turn toward Him otherwise.

But, we don't have to know exactly - we just need to pray for God's truth to win out, for sin to be vanquished, etc.. And, we need to do that with our whole heart, and lean not on our own understanding. Ina ll our ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct our paths.(Pro. 3:5-6)

And, we need to remember that Israel is the center of God's prophetic timietable, not america. He raises up kings and brings down kings - only God is forever. He has a plan, and who knows if that plan is to bring the Ezekiel 38 war ( in addition to the link, see J.D. Farag or Amir Tsarfati for a great summery on it and other End Times things) quickly so He can be glorified, or if the covenant with man that the antichrist will sign is close. (they are also good for info on that.)

We don't know what His plan is, but we know He holds our future in the palm of His hand. And the great thing is, any of us is a single, sincere prayer of repentance from eternal life - eternal life begins the moment you trust Jesus by faith by calling on Him to save you from your sins.

I pray if you haven't, you'll do so before it's too late. We're not promised tomorrow. So, share with others as well now.

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.

Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves for revival to happen

More is happening with the previous post and other warnings, as one can see with this video by JD Farag.There is great deception coming we must avoid, as noted in the previous post, with much danger from our fallen world that will leave us fooled if we're not careful.  Even such facts as that the God of the Bible is not the same as that of Islam are hidden by our sinful world.

The most important wisdom is that God wants a person relationship with you, something that isn't taught elsewhere. It isn't about what you can do, it's about what God already did for you.

All you need is to:

1. Admit you're a sinner and fall short of the Perfection of God, and while your sin separates you from Heaven God created a way for you to get there;

2. Believe thatJjesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose fromt he dead; and,

3. Call on Him to forgive you and to save you by Calling on Him, repenting of your sin and trusting Him to make you new inside.

Being wise, then, means knowing what is right and wrong. After all, if you are going the wrong way you wont' get where you're going, right? You want something reliable, right? Here is a good site, by the way, on how we can know the Bible is reliable. (Read below, too, for an answer ken Ham says has help many believers with just a simple verse.)

Jesus told his disciples 2,000 years ago to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. This is important to do even today. How do we do that to survive in this confusing world?

Center wisdom on the God of love, comfort, mercy, etc.

Sometimes people don't notice words. Some see "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" and ignore that word, "beginning." (Some also ignore that the word "fear" means a healthy respect, like when you choose not to put your hand into a fire because you will get burned. You're not scared of it.) That's really dangerous because it can make a person sound like a Pharisee if they act like there is nothing more to know. I wrote a lot here on not being a Pharisee. We can open our minds to so much as long as we remember to keep the Lord's wisdom at the start of what we know - that's why it's the beginning of wisdom.

That ties into salvation - you get saved because you have a healthy respect for the fact you're a sinner in need of a Saviour because you can save yourself through good works, since we have all sinned; nobody is perfect. Once you are saved you can easily live by getting other wisdom as long as you keep that salvation and God's Word, the Bible, in general as your foundation.

Here's an example of other wisdom - germ theory. It was laughed at when it was first proposed because it was unlike what people had known before. However, it didn't contradict the Bible. As a matter of fact, Hebrews 11:3 says that things which are seen were "not made of things which do appear." In other words, they are made of things which don't appear to the eye without help. The Bible sometimes talks of the invisible meaning the spiritual realm, which Chuck Missler notes in a number of places is proven to exist by scientists; there may be as many as 10 dimensions or more. (He is in those links and some in a few of the links above.) However, unseen things can just as easily mean things we can't see with our own eyes, as it does in this case meaning atoms and electrons. (This is likely a verse with a double meaning, physical and spiritual.)

So, after a while science established germ theory. it was not part of science "falsely so called" as Paul warns Timothy of; germ theory is proper science. It doesn't conflict with the Bible. On the other hand, there are many things which do, as just a study of Answers in Genesis can show.

It's important to note that you don't have to be a Creationist to be saved from your sin, of course. That will be discussed later when I talk about sharing God's love and salvation with humility and care for others. For now, I'll just link this very good site if you are interested in the discussion and scientific evidence for Creation, and go back to the idea of centering wisdom on God's Word.

Just like the germ theory example, there are other things the Bible is silent on, but that isn't a problem. Even though the Bible is not a science book, it is still true in everything it says about science - indeed, it warns against science falsely so-called(1 Tim. 6:20), that is things that are called science but are not.

It's like a person who has not studied history for a living can still know George Washington was the first president. There are other things one can learn. One must use the Bible as a guide to the truth of such things, though - just like that non-history student needs to look at the list of American presidents to find others and not at the list of British monarchs. :-)

Wisdom means applying knowledge, too. Now, unless you are a time traveler, you don't need to rely on George Washington being the first president for more than a test answer. However, other wisdom can be used.

Like germ theory, things come up that didn't in the old days. Traffic safety rules, for instance, have a basis in Scripture - put others before yourself - even without laws being passed about them. Something like post-traumatic stress disorder, for instance, is not mentioned but we know that we are to be compassionate toward others and tenderhearted, understanding that some need treated differently as we see in Jude 22-23. (I suppose 1 Samuel 30, where David pursues and enemy and lets those who remained behind to take part of the spoil, could be an instance of those with PTSD,  but I think those are simply people who were not physically capable of fighting. However, this is a good example of where Christians can easily agree to disagree.)

The ones in first Samuel and those mentioned in Jude also are good verses to show how we need to be very kind to others, and Jude demonstrates how with some we must share the gospel as Jesus did with the woman caught in adultery, not condemning but simply loving and understanding she needed saved. That will be covered more in the second part of this post on not being a Pharisee, though.

Back to the person with PTSD, we also have to realize that there are ways to help a person recover from it and to deal with what they are going through that are Biblical and some that are not. This, then comma shows that need to have a Biblical foundation, how following the Lord needs to be the beginning of wisdom so that when you go out and find all the other things that are out there, that you have that foundation that can leave you being a Godly person and faithful follower.

Be harmless as doves

One big aspect of wisdom is knowing how to figure things out. This requires using be praying that God gave you. Not everyone has the same brain. Some, like Ravi Zacharias, have incredibly deep minds. But, you don't have to be someone like him to be able to use Godly wisdom. as noted aboveAny believer can determine how to act even in areas where the Bible is somewhat silent, like post-traumatic stress disorder, which was discussed before, or totally as with the aforementioned Germ Theory, becasue of the power of the Holy Spirit in that believer. We can't do it in our own strength, but God can and will strengthen us when we trust Him to.

Being harmless as doves is one command of Jesus that will greatly help as you interact with others - and, since Jesus is God, He will give power to obey that command. (Yes, the context is that He tells His disciples this then, but there is clearly a spiritual aspect where we must do it today, too.)

One important thing to remember is that we should not be Pharisees. I wrote this post looking at some of the major problems with being a Pharisee and why one should not do that. There are others, too, though.

Pharisees, by definition, are not as harmless as doves. Jesus says they of their father the devil, among other things. They do nothing to draw people to Christ.

In today's world, Pharisees keep people from Jesus by not being kind, understanding, and so on. Of course, we must take a stand against sin, but we must also love the sinner, just like Jesus with the woman caught in adultery in John 8.

How do we do this?

Loving Others to Jesus

While we have to take stands against sin, we don't know peoples' hearts, so we can't even presume they are committing specific sins unless we see them doing it. Even then, the simple ABCs above need to be done in such a way that draw people, not repel them. A dove is a symbol of people, and is a very harmless bird - it doesn't go around attacking others like, say, a blue jay.

In other words, admit you're a sinner, too. We all are. We all fall short of God's perfection. So, it doesn't help to just accuse the person of sin -the Holy Spirit does that well enough anyway. (Yes, john John 16:712 it says the Spirit is even there to convict unbelievers.) They need to know that sin is a problem impacting all of us, ut that there is a remedy so that God doesn't have to keep us out of Heaven, and that in fact He desires a person relationship with each of us.

That relationship is the key. A person who is having a discussion about Creation might be convinced that God created the world, but what good does that do if they don't trust Jesus Christ to save them? It is worthless. However, if they trust Jesus Christ to save them, they have a erlationship with God and they can then pray and read the Bible and have the Spirit convict them, or they can just go to Heaven someday and have a very stunned look ont heir face, as if to say, "Wow, I never realized that."

You can even tell them, "One of us will have an amazed look on our faces, and wouldn't you want to be there to see mine if you're right?" It's just like if you are witnessing and you tell someone, "If I'm wrong, I have lost nothing, I have pleased many by being amoral, upright person who loved and helped others. if you are wrong, you have lost your soul, and it won't matter what you havd in this world. Because, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"

In the same way, you can be friendly and engaging with others while keeping the Gospel the main thing. For instance, that person with PTSD may struggle with ordinary life. Even such thigns as getting out of bed can be a struggle for someone suffering from depression. They may have suffered horribly in a war, or maybe just because of issues growing up. Certain thigns you say may have little meaning to you or even be very positive things but may bring very negative reactions to them.

In cases like that, you need to keep an open mind. Don't make it so open your braisn fall out, as the joke goes, but remember to approach the situation from their perspective. If you hd, for instance, been mistreated growing up by people who claimed to be Christians but weren't, how would you be able to be won to Christ? Isn't it by being told calmly and gently that God isn't like the abusive people they knew, but that God is instead a loving God who never acts out of spite, malice, etc.. Just explaining that anyone can claim to be a Christian can help.

No, the Bible doesn't talk about PTSD or some of the worst things people can have done to them or germ theory or other things, but the Bible does have principles that can govern our lives, like being tenderhearte, acting just like Jesus does throughout the Gospels.

His itneraction with the woman at the well in John 4 is a great example of how He interacted with someone He encountered ina  way that drew her into the conversationa nd got her thinking about spiritual things. And, there are ways you can get others thinking, too.

Answers You Can Use for Everyday Encounters

One example I've used here before concerning people who claim to be Christians is the King of Belgium example. If I say I'm the King of Belgium, whatever I do, good or bad, has no bearing on what the real King of Belgium is like. In the same way, people can't define what Christians are based on their own ideas, it has to come fromt he Bible, jsut in the same way the definition of "King of Bekguim" isn't, "anyone who claims to be King of Belgium is automatically King." it is, "The person who was born into the royal family and succeeded to the throne after the previous King's death."

Of course, some might just complain about the hypocrites in general, but with that, you can say something like this: If you are a dog lover, and you want to hang out with other dog lovers, does the fact not everyone love dogs impact your love if them? No, it shouldn't if you really love them. You might hang around people you think are really goofy, in fact - they say "Here is a picture of my dog" and you look and nothing is there, or they pull a leash around with a hamster cage attached and pretend it's really their dog. You would still love your dog the same, though. In fact, these crazy people should inspire you, if you hang around them enough, to say, "Hey, don't just talk about dogs, get one, they're so awesome!"

In fact, that's a part of this I hadn't thought about till just now: The presence of hypocrites should make us want to live for God even more so we can show people just how wonderful it is to truly live for God in our walk and not just in our talk.

People will have questions, of course. For instance, Ken Ham has said that he has found lots of people become believers when he answers a specific question with a specific verse. That quesiton is, "Where did Cain get his wife?" The answer is found in Genesis 5:4, Adam and Even had sons and daughters. (According to a historian, Josephus, an old tradition said Adam had 33 sons and 23 daughters, but this shows it could have been a lot more.

Other people might have questions about all the evil in the world. We have some very good radio shows here about that, among other shows, but a good simple answer is that God doesn't want us to be mindless robots. He would, in fact, have to use cartoon physics to stop our free will. he wants us to choose to love Him because we want to, because of His great care for us - for it was while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.(Rom. 5:8) thankfully, he then rose triumphantly fromt he grave, but He had to humble Himself and come down here to do that. He chose to do it willingly, becuase you and I and every single person was on His mind.

He suffered in all ways like us(Heb. 4:15-16) so we can go to Him with anything. In fact, when I first started reading the Bible I would ask questions about lots of things, and He would always assure me in prayer that He cared for the exceptions, for the handicapped like me, for those who were unique. He loves each and every one of us.

Because of this, He doesn't want us to act like rules are the only things that matter. We need to show grace and mercy. Jesus knows each of our hearts, just like that woman caught in adultery whom He set free because He would soon take the punishment for her sin and for everyone's sin. (Including the guy - the Pharisees were so much into show but they didn't want to take responsibility themselves - the guy committing adultery should have been in the temple condemned with her since they were caught in the act, but he was nowhere to be found.)

Jesus hated that attitude of the Pharisees. They would criticize the fact that He healed on the Sabbath, even though they would stop and do things like pull an animal out of a ditch or something; as Jesus asked them, "is it lawful to do good or evil on the Sabbath?" God was making a point that He didn't want people to be overly burdened, and the Pharisees were taking what God meant for rest and recuperation (the Sabbath) and making it all about themselves and their rules.

Yes, rules are vital to make things run smoothly, like traffic rules or rules in the home. However, we must be careful that rules do not become our gods. God Almighty loves and cherishes everyone, even those who don't follow the normal pattern for things like a two-parent family with the dad being a Godly leader. God accepts and cherishes exceptions - a Godly parent isn't going to mind if you're 5 minutes late because you stopped to rescue a baby from a burning building, after all; they'll be proud of you because you sacrificed yourself for the Lord; nyou've honored your parents by following what God called you to do. I once heard of a 3YO who - during a fight between his parents - was able to recitehome rules like "be nice," "say you're sorry," etc. to help them to settle down and possibly prevent what could have spiraled down to divorce. (Probably not, but the point is that God used that child for His purposes.)

While the Bible's examples aren't quite as drastic, the Bible does show people like David, to continue something like the curfew analogy, who was almost surely expected back right away from taking food to his brothers in the field, and instead he stay around and killed Goliath.(1 Sam.) Gideon tore down the idols his father had put up because they dishonored God and his father was worshiping them instead.(Judges 6) And, we see people such as the Shunemmite woman, who He calls great for leading her household when her husband was unwilling.(2 Kings 4:8 and onward) That's because God loves each of us, and wants to help us grow into people who will be like Him regardless of our circumstances and who will seek to dow aht is right in His sight, not their own.

Be the kind of person who will draw people to the Lord

I wrote an entire blogged book about that Shunemmite woman and how women or even children/teens/youth can be used by God to lead. It can be found here and should be printed out and shared via print or online with everyone.

The key, then, is to be kind, friendly, the kind of person who people will see that love and faith resonating in. That doesn't mean that you have to be perfect. People  should be able to see that you accept you're not perfect but that you know the one who is and that He is guiding and directing your path to help you to become better.

When you show that love, you accept people. It's like a guy in a t-shirt and jeans bringing his family to church - nobody should care what he wears, it's the person on the inside that counts. Now, if his t-shirt is filled with cursing you can politely suggest that he's sending the wrong message, but you don't have to have your "Sunday best" - especially if you don't have such clothes. The idea of wearing a suit and tie is a cultural thing, and another problem that can arise which is like the Pharisees is that people mistake cultural norms for Biblical ones.

When we accept each other as beggars telling other  beggars where to find bread, we will be able to be humble and loving and to the thigns the Bible commands - e4dify (build up and not tear down) one another, exhort (strongly encourage/urge to do good things) one another, love one antoher, pray for one another, consider one another better than ourselves, etc..

Each of us is better than somebody else at something and worse at something. Maybe you're not as outgoing but you can share the gospel in other ways, simply by being therefore someone and maybe not talking as much as just listening. Others, like me, overcome handicaps and other adversities without complaints, sowing a confidence that can only come from God.

The important thing is, remember that others might not be able to verbalize their questions. We do need to use words to share the Gospel, and in fact ask people if they know for sure they're going to Heaven. A really good way to put it is, "If you were to stand before God and He were to say "why should I let you into my perfect Heaven, what would you say?"

Be wise as serpents, so you can keep your main focus, your beliefs, your attitude, your life, centered on the Lord. And, be harmless as doves, so people will want to be in God's perfect Heaven, where there can be no sin, selfishness, etc.,. God will make each of us new on the inside continually as He works in us, and will perfect us when we get to Heaven. But, it makes sense that we follow His perfect plan for our lives so we can have those blessings and rewards for doing so.

If we let Him, God will be our victory

How would you like to know the key to overcoming anything? This post will show how victory over sin is needed first. Then, however, it'll discuss how we must seek repentance and God's favor over worldly things, but that He can still provide revival. Even with our current political situation.

They say love conquers all. Can it? The question is, which love? There are four kinds in Greek. The right kind of love - agape, God's love - can, because only God loved us unconditionally while we were against Him, before we knew Him. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.(Rom.5:8)

God values us in a special way, each of us special to someone, especially God - as Psalm 139:14 says, we are each "fearfully and wonderfully made." God is a much better way than even the most individualistic of the world's systems does.(After all, giving someone the freedom to do anything also means that anyone is free to do anything to you.) So, part of this involves God's system versus the world's system(peoples'), a battle discussed more in a post from this ministry blog I've mentioned that has some similar content at times.

Here, though, there is plenty new. For instance, we'll tackle a few things - violence, bullying, etc. - and then political points and how God is the best solution over anyone, along with how to choose and even how to pray for God to change hearts of leaders, too. We can trust Him to - and know He must solve them - because the world's system comes from sin and a desire to defeat God and His perfect system. Because involves His caring for each of us personally, because He is a personal God, as I discuss elsewhere in this blog.

1. Victory Over Sin Needed First

The system people create will never be perfect because of our sin nature. "By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, so that death passed unto all men, for that all have sinned.(Romans 5:12) So, it doesn't matter if you like Trump, Hillary, Bernie, or Cruz, or any other candidate, they can't measure up to God, who works in peoples' hearts.

Sure, you could argue that people know this and voters don't expect perfection, but that doesn't matter - God does, and He has a way to change hearts. That change in hearts is needed for us to have true national healing, which is what will give us victory over the worst problems. We can't legislate it out - there will always be people doing evil no matter how much we try to stop them or no matter how much we reason with them

God's love is perfect. it is unconditional. He loves each of us even those who do that evil, but He hates sin, and must justly condemn sin. However, He also must lovingly save us when we call on Him for salvation.

So, what did He do? He came to this world as a man, Jesus Christ - He was fully God and fully man. He then lived a perfect, sinless life. Then, perfect justice was meted out in that all of the world's sin was placed on Jesus Christ - He was made sin for each of us, even though He Himself knew no sin.(2 Cor.5:21) He bore our sins in His own body.(1 Pet.2:24) So, when he died, he took the punishment for your sins, my sins, everyone's sins. Then, He rose triumphantly from the dead!

 Many other verses can be used to show this, but the important thing is, along with that perfect justice - every single sin every committed being punished - we see perfect forgiveness, because every one of our sins is forgiven if we simply trust Jesus Christ to save us.

Here is God's simple plan of salvation - you can also see it on the ministry I mention's website, where even the front page has a simple ABC's of salvation - Admit you're a sinner, Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead, and Choose to Call on Jesus by faith to forgive you. You can talk to God right now and receive His forgiveness for your sins and invite Him to save you and live in you through the Holy Spirit. You are only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life - life that begins the moment you trust in Jesus to save you.

This radio show page features many good shows on the simple fact that we must trust Jesus Christ by faith to forgive us, and everything else is world, God made it so that it is "by grace are ye saved

 through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast."(Eph.2:8-9) it is only after we are saved we can truly do works for the Lord, when we are in Christ Jesus.(Eph.2:10)

Once this happens, however, it's just the beginning - we don't have to serve Him, but we get to - it is our reasonable service(Rom.12:1) given all He did for us.

So, God considers each of us as individuals. he knows we each miss the mark of perfection. However, he provided a way for each of us to get to His perfect Heaven - where nobody has seen, heard, or even imagined the wonders He had prepared for us.(1 Cor. 2:9) He has a mansion for each of us(John 14:1), he has a perfect Heaven where there will be no suffering or pain or any bad stuff(Rev.21:3-4), and so on. We know all these things and yet it will be even more wonderful than anything we can imagine. Just the snippets are wonderful.

And, His system also provides for each of us a wonderful life here on Earth - He came that we might have life and life more abundantly.(John 10:10) He wants to heal each of us from the pain we've felt, the heartache we've been through, and use us on His team to help others sense His love and receive His forgiveness and salvation.

What follows shows how to have victory once that victory over sin has occurred

2.. Victory over bullying, violence, oppression comes through God

We've done a great job of talking about problems, and sometimes have come up with good laws. At other times, we have been too much like Pharisees. Let's look at the good things God provides to deal with these problems to see how we can have victory.

God's word gives us many great things such as the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5 22-23 and some great things to focus on in Philippians 4:8. The Bible also tells us to look on the heart of a person, not the outward appearance, as 1 Samuel16:7 and Psalm 139 show; we are each fearfully and wonderfully made.

Those things - fruits like meekness(power under control), longsuffering(patience), temprance(self control), and so on aren't in abundance int he world's system, because people try to make all those things fit only their own desires instead of realizing that others matter. Those things of Philippians 4:8 - truth, loveliness, etc. - aren't even accepted at times, as some people scorn truth, virtue, purity, etc. - often so they can have their own selfish way. Yes, there are people that are like Pharisees and try too hard - but when you think of it, legalism is just another of the ways people try to control things with their own system instead of relying on God. After all, Jesus saved His toughest criticism for the Pharisees.

Why? because they didn't consider the individual the way God does. He understands what each person has gone through and wants to lovingly help them out of that pain, to heal them like the woman at the well in John 4 who tried to hide in physical relationships(she'd had 5 husbands and was with yet another man) till she found the unconditional love of Jesus that could heal whatever problem she'd had.

That concern that God has for each individual shows He can provide the victory for us, knowing each of our needs. He knows us better than we do ourselves.

So, He provides us with vast amounts when it comes to gifts, fruit, and so on. I have said often before that repentance revival must begin with us. However, it is easy to see how that can spread if we trust God to send His Holy Spirit to really take hold in this country. That is something He can do if we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways.

As one example, if people simply had a Godly attitude of love, compassion, understanding, etc. regarding others, there would not be bullying. However, it would also be harder for someone to be intimidated, which is a very good thing. After all, that person would realize that they are special in God's eyes just as we all are.

This does bring up an important side point. I touched on it in the post about the need for context, and that is that we should be less defensive about everything in general. But, even that is just as much about realizing that others matter and therefore having a civil discourse and not just putting others down - we are called to build others up and encourage them. Kindness, compassion, etc. are Godly virtues which we need to return to, turning away from our present sinful ways. There is a spirit of anger, frustration, etc. that is part of our human nature but which we must trust the Lord to replace with the common sense we used to have, including ability to understand context. This is what lets us try to grasp others' views in a constructive way..

  Of course, some ways of doing things are mean, abusive, etc. on their face, and shouldn't be done, such as bullying. As a example, a man and woman in a relationship must be partners, and one should not try to control the other, and certainly should never use physical force to make the other do something. Such things are clearly spelled out in the Bible as being ungodly - men are to love women as they love their own bodies and to treat them with respect, love, and so on. In fact, "there is neitehr...male nor female, but all are one in Jesus Christ."(Galatians 3:28) It is explicitly stated that a pastor or other leader must be "no striker" - meaning not one to lash out violently.(1 Tim.3:3, titus 1:7) And, of course, the fruits of the Spirit include self-control(temprace), gentleness, etc..

God's way is the only way to Salvation because it is by Grace we are saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast.(Esp.2:8-9) All other ways are of works. This is something that is clear from the Bible. It is a fact like that of 2+2=4. One is free to say 2+2=5, but one must deal with the consequences - if one does that on their taxes they are likely to get in serious trouble. As John Adams said, facts are stubborn things.

So, we must trust God to give us victory through us changing our own hearts and turning back toward the common sense compassion, forgiveness, self-control, etc. we used to have, and treat all people with these virtuous things. Our nation as a whole has had 400 years of evil, not just 50, starting with our focus so much on greed that we didn't care one bit about other races. However, there is forgiveness at the cross.

Not only that, but through this civil discourse, when we seek forgiveness, others can grant it and we could have national reconciliation. Which leads to the final point.

3. Victory in Election Comes Through God

All the leading contenders have serious flaws. They are all looking at things from man's perspective. So, when I mentioned certain ones, remember that this is true of all of them, it is just they do it in different ways.

Remember, God cares about us. He doesn't require a Godly leader to heal a nation. He merely requirees His people, called by His name, to be humble and pray,seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways.

Briefly, as discussed in numerous places here, that means to realize we're not perfect and need God's help and honestly seek HIm, turning away from sinful ways and to Godly ones. We can't do this ourselves becasue of our sin nature, even once we trust Jesus Christ as Saviour we must constantly rely on Him for help in avoiding sin.

So, you may ask, why do we need a good leader?

It's not to "make America great again," at least not in the way people mean it. Remember, people are focused on worldly things. They seek worldly office. Are there followers of Christ in office? Yes. However, they aren't necessarily going to call America to prayer and repentance like King Hezekiah and King Josiah did in the Old Testament when the land was filled with evil and violence. In fact, some are part of a group that preaches a dangerous doctrine which says we can produce the Millennial Kingdom ourselfs. That is wrong. Only Jesus can usher int he Millennium. Shows 59-63 here explain very clear that the Jews are still God's chosen people and He and he alone will usher in the Millennium.

So, how do we vote? Let the Holy Spirit guide, not our wallets, not our anxiety. Focusing on the thigns of this world is one thing which can cause God to not hear our prayers, as are others Some candidates try to play on peoples' fears, but if they don't follow a Godly path, it will be much harder for God to bless us because He will be fighting against the ruler himself. He still could, but why make it harder? The Holy Spirit lives in each believer.

Instead, we need to pray certain people repent. I have tried to begin a hashtag "PrayTrumpRepents," and perhaps it will become popular enough to trend - social media is great for getting the word out about needs. However, we can't just be hearers (or readers) of the Word, we have to be doers.

In other words, pray that he turns his heart toward God and receives His forgiveness, which he admits he's never done. While he later backtracked on this, the fact he uttered it at first shows he is - as one mministry friend put it - a Nebuchadnezzar at best.

However, notice that the Babylonian emperor did eventually accept God was sovereign over him, and it's important for evangelicals to realize he still appears to support more Godly positions than his opopnents and vote for him. Each of the other candidates has issues, and did during the primaries, too. Ted Cruz is influenced by worldly thigns and that "Kingdom now" movement I warned against," John Kasich has Common Core, the Democratic contenders want government control of a different sort while totally ignoring God - they almost didn't mention Him in their 2012 platform, and if they do this time it will be mere lip service. They want man's system to prevail, not God's perfect plan for each of us.

That plan, as noted above, involves a major heart change. We can pray for America to have a Godly leader, but if we're not willing to take the lead ourselves in turning from our wicked ways, the Godliest leader in the world won't help one bit.

So, to have victory, we must focus on God's perspective. Pray that leaders and candidates repent, and retweet hashtags like that PrayTrumpRepents - you can do it with any candidate's name. however, most importantly, take the lead in praying for revival.

Remember, the world's system does not give people freedom. As we get closer and closer to the End Times - and as these prophecy updates, among others, show we are very close - we will see more and more movement toward the world's system trying to take over completely. However, God will one day descend and place His feet upon the Mount of Olives and usher in the Millennium. In order to make it there, though, you have to be ready by knowing Him as your Saviour now. Global media Outreach's sites like this are one tool to find out how and talk to Christians who will help you grow in your faith.

A personal God who loves you, will guide you; the key to change for the better

What does it mean that God is personal and not transcendent? For one thing, it means He wants us to share personally what is on our hearts and talk with Him, never just repetitions. How does it tie in with how to change our country?

It just takes a single sincere prayer of repentance to Him to have that relationship. You just need to put your faith in what He did for you on the cross as having taken the punishment for your sins, and call on Him to save you. Creation questions such as about dinosaurs can be answered - many helps are here. However they are not the focus of this, though it helps to recognize God made this world perfect with no pain, no suffering, etc., but He gave people free choice so we wouldn't be mindless robots, so people chose to sin and turn from Him. You don't have to believe that to trust Jesus Christ to save you from your sins and get to Heaven.

Salvation is the key; the links are merely to help you if others ask. However, it is important to believe God is personal so you can talk with Him and let Him be your guide, helper, comforter, etc.. It's that personal relationship which will let God change things and use us to help through our prayers and our actions and attitude. (Prayer is vital before telling others about Him, too; as for other helps, they're in the last section.)

This post sharing a push for revival in Los Angeles will be featured through part of April 92016) for two good reasons. It encourages prayer for a known goal to glorify God. And, it shows how the devil can counterfeit things if we're not careful, thus sharing a great prayer need, that the devil not be able to counterfeit this revival, that only God be at work.

God Is Personal and Loves You - Why Some Reject Him and How To Help

One trick the devil uses is to make us think God is only transcendent. That means the devil makes people think God is too far above people to care. However, that is a lie. God cares deeply about us even though we go astray so much. God wants us to invite Him into our lives as a guide, comforter, helper, friend, and so much more. He gave each of us gifts, talents, etc. and wants to help us each use those to benefit us and others and glorify His love as much as possible. We don't have to do any work to earn His love - we just have to receive it by faith, just like a little child trusts a loving parent.

Many don't realize how much God cares. Some were taught false doctrine like transcendence growing up, so they believed the wrong thing. Shows 72-75 here give a good description of the errors of the Catholic Church, for instance. And, that doesn't mention some things, such as their teaching that the Church has replaced israel. On the contrary, God still loves the Jewish people and will soon deal with them as His chosen people again; it's like they're "grounded" right now, with individuals still trusting Christ and getting saved but in the Age of Grace Gentiles are being grafted in.  So, if people claim to not trust Christians, make sure they understand that true Christians love everyone and understand that the Jews are still God's chosen people and love and respect them for that.

Some reject God because something specific bad happened in their lives or someone else's. They need to learn God can make good come out of it, like my grandpa and World War Two. He trained for over a year and was all ready to make his first training flight with his crew in World War Two. He got deathly sick with pleurisy. While he was in the hospital,t he flight took off and crashed in New Mexico, with all on board dying. Being very sick let him live another 54 years.  His sister-in-law couldn't have children but becasue of that they adopted two wonderful kids who might not have had such good homes otherwise.

Others chose to reject God's perfect, unconditional love,  though that can be because they never understood how God was protecting and guiding them away from things that could harm them.

Sometimes awful things are done to people. Such victims need told first they did nothing wrong in the situation, nothing to deserve such trauma. Then, they need to see how God can heal them of the pain. He wants to, because He is personal. They might need to keep giving stuff to Him because it is so hard, but he will help them.  Sometimes they wind up medicating themselves with things that won't last, just like the woman at the well (John 4) who kept looking for love in guys rather than trusting God to save her. When Jesus came and showed who Him was, then she trusted Him to save her from her sin.

All need God to heal them, forgiving them from their own sin and making them new on the inside.

Who Is God? Trust the Creator, not the Creature

Okay, so back to personal vs. transcendent, true repentance means that a person is a new creature in Christ(2 Cor.5:17) and that God will keep making them new as more parts of their life are turned over to Him. this is the importance of that personal relationship, a Friend who guides, heals, etc. to be more like the loving, compassionate Christ we see in the Bible who loves all and yet who also takes stands for moral standards. (This post shared what we believe; it's important to stay positive when we can and not just say what we're against.)

 Romans 1:25 is part of a sad, downward spiral that talks about how people worshiped the creature more than the Creator. This is what happens when "professing themselves wise, people become fools." This causes people to mix Eastern thought in with the Word of God - although as this show shows, it's really just another way for people to try to work their way up to God when we can't because our sin nature causes us to always fall short of His perfect love, forgiveness, truth, etc.. Sins aren't just big ones, they are ones like lying, being mean, etc.. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.(Rom.3:23) The wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God), but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.(Rom.6:23) So, God (the Creator) reached down to us (the creature) in His love to save us so we could have that personal relationship with Him.

Why is it important to keep them straight? If a person was a baseball pitcher, and everyone started worshiping the ball they threw, reporters started to interview it - or even the guy's arm - and so on, you'd think they were crazy. But, that's what happens when people worship the creature - the ball, in this case, that gets thrown - more than the creator - the one throwing it.

When people worship the creature - including self - more than the Creator, often they are falling for a doctrinal error called New Age; an error quite a few in Hollywood and elsewhere follow. It's a problem because it makes people think they can make themselves perfect when they can't. And, bits can creep into good churches, too. In short, it is imagining a world where there are no consequences for actions and people just naturally get along; New Age often denies that there is a sin nature.

What it boils down to is that people in New Age worship demonic spirits. This is why yoga should never be done in the way that most people do it, where they allow their minds to be empty and the evil spirits can get into it. Stretching and other exercises are fine if done with God in mind and to glorify Him, but with so many choices like zumba one can easily ignore things like yoga. If one is to focus on something, focus on Jesus.

(The Bible tells us to meditate on God, His Word, His law, and so on; so, it's okay to meditate, just never totally clear your mind and invite bad spirits in.)

While there are evil forces in the world, people don't need to fear them; God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.(2 Timothy 1:7) Yes, god has given us a spirit of power, the power that lets people say, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."(Phil4:13) However, it is not of our own strength, it is only through God working through us we can have that power.

This is why it's so important to have that personal relationship with God and to stay away from crystal balls, ouija boards, and many other things which the devil uses to control us. The devil was a created being with untested creature holiness, but he chose to rebel against God(Isa.14:12-15,Eze.28:11-19,Luke 10:18,Rev. 12) and led 1/3 of the angels with him. That's where demons come from.

Thankfully, we have a personal God who manifests Himself in three ways - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and 2/3 of the angels on our side. And, God is all-powerful and will one day destroy all the evil in this world anyway. It is that relationship with God that is vital. that and our sin nature that explains why New Age ideas don't stand up to the great power of God.

Let's look at how a personal walk with God improves things in ways New Age - and any works-based religion - can't.

Only Personal Walk With God Makes Revival Possible

If you need a ride somewhere because your car broke down, you call a person who can help. You don't rely on a car appearing out of the blue somehow, right? (And hopefully you're on speaking terms with them - it wouldn't help if you just called a friend you fought with and didn't speak to for 5 years.)

In the same way, we need a personal relationship with God to get the things we need. And unlike that friend, God wouldn't hang up - once you have that personal relationship with Him, you just need to confess and forsakw sin to restore that relationship to its full potential - nothing can separate us from His love.(John 10:28-30,Rom.8:36-39,Jude 24, Eph.1:13-14,etc..) Here is a great link explaining about why and how God answers prayer, though a few posts in this blog also tell it effectively, too.) Some might say those things are inside us, but that is putting the creation ahead of the creator.

Look at the courage some people have  - far above others. They can run through a burning home to save someone. Such a person may think they did it themselves, but they actually used something they were born with that was given by God for that purpose. Perhaps they trained hard as a fireman, but that was just building their talents the way an athlete will works their muscles till they are as good as they can be, or an entertainer learns to improve their skills.

That same God who gives great things like perfect wisdom(James 1:5) gives physical and mental talents, too. We rely on Him just like that person who needs a ride. He doesn't give that's some gifts to everyone for the same reason He doesn't make everyone a superstar baseball player or fireman with tremendous courage. We all fit together as a team. This is why Paul, inspired by God, compared people to parts of the body. The eye, ear, foot, lungs, and so on all perform wonderful purposes that they are best suited for. When verses like 2nd Timothy 2:1 speak of being strong, they mean a continual strengthening from the outside, by God.

Also, consider what would happen if it was only forces of nature. People would be able to think they could do anything and get away with it, because they would all be doing what was right in their sight. That would mean they could do mean things to each other and others could do mean things to them. Our personal, loving God wouldn't want that, so he established moral laws so you can be protected. People just choose to disobey them because of that sin nature, but God will judge them someday if they don't repent. And, even if they do, they must live with the consequences of their sin.

God wants us to stand for Godly, moral behavior. We don't act good so we can get to Heaven, of course. We get to Heaven only through the finished work of Jesus Christ and calling on Him, trusting Him to save us. It is done so we can make the world a better place, glorifying God in the process. (The fac it is only through the finished work of Christ is why children who die below the age of accountability always go to Heaven)

This brings us back to the New Age error. I won't judge whether a particular person is following it because they don't want to think about the consequences for sin, or because they don't understand. I will simply explain one other main problem.

Movements like this are often based on feelings, not fact. If A and B are friends, and A wants to do something really dangerous, then B - as a friend - should try to convince them not to. A might be a real risk taker and not listen to B. However, the fact is that person A is likely to end up in he hospital or worse. Of course, a good friend like B, while they won't do something bad with A, will comfort you when you suffer the consequences of the action.

God is the same way. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned each one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)  God has a series of rules that govern the world, such as honesty, faithfulness and commitment to one spouse, kindness, and many other things. These are the moral laws, they are different from the other ones in Leviticus which were merely to set the Jewish people apart from those around them. We turn away from those moral lawsbecause of our sin nature. That separates us from God. However, God loves us more than we can imagine. Therefore, all we have to do is trust Him to save us from our sins. Call on Him by faith to forgive and save you.

 When you do, He seals you with the Holy Spirit of promise.(Eph.1:13-14,John 14-16 with numerous verses, etc.) That is His promise that you have a permanent relationship with Him, one which we don't have till we trust Him to save us from our sin. Sometimes we might feel far away from God after that, just like if there is something between you and a BFF but you still love each other. However, that is another reason why feelings aren't a good measure. Even John the Baptist felt this. In John 1:29 we see the great prophet proclaim Jesus as "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." Yet in Matthew 11 h's in prison and sends people to make sure Jesus is the promised Messiah. Jesus tells them to go back and show John the Baptist all the miracles Jesus had done - in other words, facts.

Importance (and Ways) of Sharing God With Others

Since this is already somewhat long, I won't take too much time here, but I want to exhort you to share God's love. I'm sure many readers do, but there will likely be young and old reading who don't know how or who need encouragement.

Starting a conversation can be tricky, but you can always share a website if nothing else. The ABCs of the Gospel I mentioned earlier can be found on the front of this youth ministry site, which has another page with God's Simple Plan of Salvation and a tract link.

Speaking of tracts, the American Tract Society and Child Evangelism Fellowship have very good ones for low cost, and Fellowship Tract League lets you order free ones. These are little pieces of paper telling about God's love and salvation with different themes. CEF also has different clubs a faithful Christian adult can lead; see the CEF site for details.AWANA also has great clubs at churches, Google search for an AWANA club and you can find one.(Because - partly due to my nearsightedness - I couldn't find the club locator right on the site, though it is there.) Evangelism Explosion is also very good. GMO has sites with basics of living as a Christian that you will enjoy if you just click to indicate a decision.

To share the Gospel yourself, in addition to the ABCs I mentioned, here are a few quick keys.

1. Be humble. Don't be someone you aren't. People want to see you're genuine. Admit you're a sinner in need of a Saviour, too, just as I am - we're all just sinners saved by grace and relying on that grace and relationship with God to help us grow more like Jesus.

Remember something like the Romans Road or even just John 3:16 can be used - it's God the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin. Our job is to be his mouthpiece - and, of course, we can't be if we aren't believeable ourselves. And, He speaks best through his Word, which is swift and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.

You can refer tough questions to ministries from the largest like Global Media Outreach to the smaller oens like the Youthquake one above with the ABCs of salvation. But, you do have ones like this to show the Bible is real and reliable. Youthquake's radio show has a number of topics dealing with different religions, etc..Along with GMO, this can be a good starting point for discussing with Muslims. Here are some great resources on that in this blog.

Be forgiving. People need unconditional love, especially if they are struggling with something. It's our job to point them to Jesus to heal them from their pain. That kind of love is what lasts; others are either just physical or temporary(eros) or not quite as deep, though they can come close.(Phileo,storge) God's love, agape, means he loves us even though we can't possibly repay Him for all He's done for us. The four types of love are discussed here.

Offer to pray with the person if they want to trust Christ, but they let them pray in their own words if they can. Make sure they understand the specific words aren't what's important. Them trusting Jesus Christ to save them from their sins, believing He died on the cross to take their punishment and rose from the dead for them, are what's important.

You can probably come up with a shorter one. the point is, the Holy Spirit will work in lives if we let Him. This post shares what such a revival would look like with the Spirit leading people.

Most importantly, though, remember that just like any relationship, communication is key. Keep up your relationship with God through prayer, reading the Bible (check the shows for why the King James is the right one), and growing closer to Him each day.Because God still wants to save people and help this nation. He never takes any pleasure in the punishment of sinners(Eze.33:11); He would that all would come to repentance so he can make them new inside. Those people are just waiting for us to share His love.

The "good thoughts" to focus on for a better world (Phil.4:8)

God gives us lots of great things to think about and look forward to when we know Him. We should be the most joyous people of all. This is why I've said we must focus on the positive and share what we are for,  not just what we oppose. The world loves to be negative, but we have a message of unconditional love to give people.

As stated before, God doesn't want to ruin our fun. God wants to enhance it. Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundantly.(John 10:10) So, when God's Word gives a list of things to think about, he is showing he wants us to have the maximum possible true enjoyment, not the false joy of the devils things.

This is why at the end he lets it all out in Philippians 4:8. If there is any virtue at all, if there is any praise at all, go ahead and think about these things. There are so many things that are wholesome, good-natured, and so on, which we can focus on.

Of course, we did not always do this effectively. However, society was much more wholesome way back when, and when we are committed to calling on the Lord to heal our broken country in repentance revival, He will help us and save us. But we should do our part in working to focus on the things mentioned and trust Him to help us to continue to do so, to be our strength when we struggle..

This is only one reason why Philippians 4:8 is so helpful. The importance of the thinds mentioned for a repentance revival will be apparent. These are things it can be hard, with our fleshly nature, to focus on ourselves, especially with the world so filled with the opposites. Yet, with God's help we can, and as we fill our hearts with them more it will be easier.

The verse starts with "finally." What came before is important but this starts a new thought. God the Holy Spirit inspired this to be written so we could see that by focusing on the items we would really benefit. These things help create the peace that passes understanding of the previous verse, the confidence that "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me," and so on because we focus on them. (As I've mentioned, using the terms in the KJV)

The first listed to think on is whatsoever things are true. It is wonderful to know that in all the problems of this world, there is absolute truth you can rely on. There is absolute love, for instance, unconditional love that we know God has for us. Then, there are facts such as this: You are fearfully and wonderfully made. What a great truth to think about when tempted to compare yourself to someone else. Our looks are fleeting, but God looks at the heart and He can help you to have a heart that is more loving, kind, gentle, and many other wonderful things.

Indeed, to have that peace that passes understanding, we can focus on that promise and many other promises that God has for us when we trust in Him. The world tries to tell us to conform to it and its standards with all the vulgarity and meanness and cruelty. however, we know we can focus on God and His Word and be sure of His truth. Being honest, not cheating, putting others first, and so on will pay off even if such things don't right away.

Things which are honest are listed next as things to think about. What is the difference between that and things that are true? The "true" part focused more on absolutes like I discussed above and on God's promises. "Honest" refers to personal honesty, not deceiving people but always being a person of your word. Lying and cheating have become far too common in society, and we should be different. As we pray for God to heal this nation - and this is one big area where it must begin with us - the Holy Spirit will convict more and more people in their consciences, even the unsaved, and society will be more honest, forthright, etc..

The next part, whatsoever things are just, reminds me of a few other posts on how we have neglected to do justice so much in our country. We are supposed to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God(Micah 6:8), but, but we struggle because of our sin nature causing us to focus on ourselves. Thankfully, we must simply commit ourselves to doing it and then letting God change our hearts so that we can. The four C's of making Godly choices which have been spoken to youth are just as important to adults. 1. Consider the choice. 2. Compare it to God's Word. 3. Commit to Godly principles. 4. Count on God's protection and provision.

Ravi Zacharias notes that perfect justice is one of those absolutes that everyone has in mind. This is where Romans 2 talks about how everyone has some idea of justice in their minds, and one thing that condemns us is that we do not adhere to our own ideals of justice in every case. The fact that there are so many different ones shows why that perfect justice must come from God, because otherwise two people can have very opposing views of what is just.

Perfect justice requires that there be a penalty for sim.

Thankfully, God's perfect love was also present at the cross,  so as Mr. Zacharias says, perfect laws, perfect goodness, perfect evil, and perfect justice came together there, when thankfully Jesus Christ took our punishment, dying on the cross for our sin and rising from the dead, so we could call on him for salvation and have that wonderful relationship with God He wants us to have. What an awesome Savior! Anyone can call on Him right now to be saved from sin if they haven't.
 

Of course, it is not just that we should think about, but as noted first, the justice that should be done to everyone. Because, God truly sees everyone as equal before the cross,but we should do what's right and just for others, too.

The next one is something that our society struggles with perhaps more than any of the others.

We should focus on whatsoever things are pure.

The word actually means without stains, without interference from sin. We all sin and come short of the glory of God, of course, but there was a wholesomeness to life in the past, not just to entertainment. We need the Lord to return to us the joys of it by trusting Him to make that change in our hearts.

This is where the way our culture uses it is creates a huge importance for us to think on things that are pure to have repentance revival. 

Our culture makes too much of the sensual. There are many reasons for this, and to keep this family friendly, I'll just discuss things in general and how they show thinking about pure things is better. After all, there is a wonderful, wholesome place for one aspect of it, and that is between a married couple, just as a lawnmower is a wonderful tool to cut the grass but is not meant for trimming hedges or deadheading geraniums.

First, the Greeks have four words for love - I go into detail about them in this blog on another blog on this site. If we focus only on the external we miss out on the deeper, more lasting,  forever love that is unconditional.

That often can be traced to a lack of such unconditional love early. It doesn't have to come from those connected biologically, though it should. When some people feel they've missed that they turn to the superficial rather than to God's unconditional love, just like the woman at the well(John 4) kept turing to men till she met the Saviour, Jesus.

Jesus will fill all those holes in their hearts if they just turn to Him, however. And, when people respond to His Spirit's wooing, He can work in those people to be the family they never had to one who craves such love. Or, just friends who fill little needs, those best friends forever who a person can turn to if they don't feel like going to family and who can be like family.

Some, of course, simply fall for youthful lusts the way David did. King David doesn't seem to have had family problems except for brothers who taunted him, but even that wasn't as bad as some people have. Also, some brothers do that because they want their youngest brother to succeed through very hard work. It is even possible that his brothers tried to warn him away from the battle with Goliath to protect him. So, his home life was probably pretty good. Suffice it to say that there is a reason the Bible warns so heavily to flee youthful lusts. They can become very addictive and even rewire the brain if one is not careful, just like any addiction, even for someone from a very healthy background. This includes not looking at certain things, and also being modest in appearance.

This is because there is an element of selfishness in those "lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life" that 1 John 2:16 warns about. They cause people to only want what they can use for themselves and not how they can help and give to others; true love is ultimately all about giving, not getting. I've mentioned in several posts that is one of the big problems in our society, one that God must heal for us to have repentance revival, which means confessing and forsaking any and ourselves and then in our nation as a whole.

Instead, think on things that are pure. This lets you to focus on that unconditional love and to keep your mind on things of God. It allows you to focus on giving, which is more blessed than getting anyway. It also causes you to stop worrying about yourself and put your mind on following the Lord and His perfect wisdom and plan for your life. God will provide someone special in His time for those without someone. But, the Bible says being single is a gift also, because one can focus totally on Him.

There are many other things that can be included in things that are pure, however. Pristine, beautiful nature, for instance is so wonderful to observe. It is exquisite. It is lovely.

We should think on whatsoever things are lovely. The above is not the only thing that is lovely. It is just something that more people might think about nowadays.

When we think about things that are lovely, we think about anything that produces the right kind of pleasure. the kind that brings great joy internally that lasts, instead of the very temporary things involved in what came in the examples before.

The best things in life are free, such as that unconditional love. Every good and perfect gift cometh from above, from the Father of lights.(James 1:17) Also among those lovely, precious things are the Fruit of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23) such as love, joy, peace, longsuffering(patience), temprance(self-control),etc.. Those are thigns that last. Money, fame, etc. are fleeting. It is those warm, family memories, those joyous occasions, that are lovely and should be focused on. This, in turn, helps us to avoid focusing on the bad - the fights, the battles, and so on.

Whatsoever things are of good report is sort of a general, catch-all phrase that captures whatever wasn't mentioned before. I suppose a wonderful, home-cooked meal or your favorite food at your favorite restaurant could be called lovely, but I tend to think of it as more of what fits here. "good report" just means that it is something that causes one to grow in favor with Godly people, to increase in reputation as a person who is reliable, dependable, hard working, and so on - all things that allow God to use them more and more for greater and greater things.

King David, for instance, had a couple things that prepared him for killing the giant, Goliath. One was that he obeyed in taking meals to his brothers in the field. That showed a caring servant's heart. He had also killed a lion and a bear that were trying to get at their father Jesse's sheep.

When it comes to entertainment, getting back to a previous subject, a "good report" can still be comical or involve a mistake, but it will be one with humility. My great grandmother lived to be 95, and she always said the secret to long life was "at least one good belly laugh a day." but, that involved good, clean humor, not crass, vulgar stuff that belittles people. I love laughing at my own mistakes nd making fun of when iImisunderstand things, because I have lots of self-confidence, I know that when i mess up it doesn't mean I'm some awful person.

So, it's really just humility. having fun with life instead of being so critical about everything. A teenager who called my office had that. He was trying to call a consulate in a foreign country, but did a country code wrong and so when he asked for that consulate, having had this happen to me once before, I started laughing and told him what he'd done. Now, had he been sad I would not have gone further but reassured him, but because he started laughing, too, I went on and said, "Your friends are going to tease you so much."(He was there with some sort of school group.) We both had a very good, lighthearted laugh over his "7,000 mile wrong number" as we spoke for a moment before he hung up. To this day, several years later, I'm sure that he looks back on it with his friends and laughs, and it has become part of their shared experience. It is something of good report, an honest mistake that was a real whopper, which ultimately showed that we are only human. We need to know when to be serious but also to look at the bright side of life and accept when thigns come our way that are not what we expect.

So, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Like the above, this is a catch-all term that means to focus on that positive. Accepting our failings with humility

There are plenty of things that have praise from the world's viewpoint, but of course this is praise from God's perspective. Still, as noted, that covers a wide range of things. There is a wonderful list of things we can focus on while staying sober, laughing, having fun, and so on.

So, instead of covering the world with meanness, vulgarity, anger, sensual stuff, and so on, focus on the things which build others up, which last forever. Focus on the positive. And, focus on the things of God - the promises of comfort, peace that passes understanding, etc..

Because, God wants you to be more confident and positive. He says so in His Word - a merry heart workth good like a medicine.(Prov.17:22)