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.

Keep the Spirit - from the best gift ever- going to prosper

It has become almost a cliche to say that we must remember the reason for the season. As this world focuses so much on getting, it makes sense that we would say giving is more important, to the point where we ignore calls to remember what God gave to us. They are drowned out.

So, instead I want to encourage people to pray - which makes sense because that is the title of this blog - for true change in our hearts.

After all, simply remembering the reason for the season during the season doesn't help us after the season. Nor does it help us do anything about it. Sure, I can ask people what they're most anxious to give or what they enjoyed giving the most. That helps a little. But, truly acting on the reason for the season means being  Christ-like long after the season.

Treating others with compassion

One big thing Christmas shows us is how to care about others. Whether it is volunteering to help the poor or just putting something in a Salvation Army kettle, if it is visiting an elderly neighbor or just sharing gifts with your family, there are many things we do at Christmas because there is a spirit of giving. However, these are things we should be doing all year round  if there is truly a spirit of giving in us.

As one example, standing against bullying is a sign of Christmas cheer. Putting an end to taunting and calling others names is something we can do to help. It also goes along with New Year's resolutions if one does these things. However, we can resolve to do better at any time. Christmas and New Year's just happen around the first of the year so it is a logical transition in people's minds.

This is what repentance is - turning from our own fleshly ways and turning our hearts to God's way. We as human beings often struggle with our fleshly nature.

Oh, some people are naturally more compassionate. Some people are naturally sweet and considerate and caring toward others, though even that has to be taught to some extent. They find it easy to follow those models of empathy and kindness, though.

Our culture likes to talk about a general spirit of Christmas causing this. However, we don't truly have the spirit of Christmas unless we have the Spirit living in us that we can because of Christmas.

That is because if we try on our own we might succeed sometimes but we will be doing it for ourselves or for others, rather than to honor the God who gave us that gift.

Think about it. It makes sense. Even if you think Christmas should be more about getting those presents, you need to be thankful for the present. Because, a person chose to give it to you out of kindness.

We don't earn presents; they wouldn't be presents if we did. They would be wages. A gift is something you don't learn - it is given out of the kindness of one's heart.

Just like the kindness of God's heart that gave us Christmas.

Receive the Best Gift Ever

The gift that keeps on giving. It can be used over and over. It changes your life for the better.

These and more describe what would be the perfect Christmas gift as a worldly thing, it would be something different for each person.

God provided us with one gift, however, which is even better. It is so special we need to not only receive it but tell everyone about it. Because it can be received any time, not just at Christmas. It matches all of those above sayings and then some, as it is the best gift ever.

We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. But, it was while we were still sinners at odds with God that H e chose to come to this world as a baby. Not as a rich King somewhere, not even as a prince in a palace, but as a humble baby in a lowly stable.

We all hear the stories, we love that part of it. But, do you have head knowledge or heart knowledge of Jesus?

A good question to ask others - and yourself - is this. If you were to stand before God and He were to ask "why should I let you into My perfect Heaven," what would you say?

We can only rely on what Jesus did to get us there. You need to have heart knowledge because head knowledge doesn't help. It is like knowing a chair will hold you and standing next to it, claiming all the time that you can sit in it and it will hold you up but never sitting in it.

That faith is as easy as ABC. Admit you are a sinner, that you aren't perfect so don't deserve to be in God's perfect Heaven. Believe that Jesus died on the cross to take the penalty for your sins and rose from the dead. And, Call on him to save you from your sins.

You can pray a simple prayer like this, or lead someone in it. The words are not what saves, what's saves is when you put your whole faith in Jesus to save you. Talk to God and tell Him something like this.

"Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I can't reach your perfect heaven on my own. But I know you died to take the punishment for my sins. And, you rose from the dead. Lord Jesus, I pray trusting you to forgive me and make me new inside and save me from my sins. Lord Jesus, I trust you with all my heart and call on you to come live in me. In Jesus name, amen."

Once you have made that decision, of course, it is a matter of trusting the Lord to help you daily. He will be a constant guide, comforter, helper, friend, and so much more.

That's because it is a relationship with God that is the real gift of Christmas. He wants to guide and direct you through life.

Overcoming obstacles because Jesus knows all about them

We all face so much stress in our lives. We need God's love to get us through. Thankfully, that special gift of God coming to Earth is the key to that.

Remember, this means that Jesus knew what it was like to have homework, to go through the struggles of growing up, to have all sorts of different situations in His life. No, He didn't have video games or other modern things, but Jesus did have different things that could have distracted Him.

That is the key. He had those things in His life. And yet He never sinned. Jesus never had a sinful action, word, or thought. That is how He could be the substitution for our sin.

That also means that He can be our guide when it comes to life's problems. He is the wisdom that we need and with Him living in us through the Holy Spirit, we have access to that. And, if we do sin because of our fleshly nature, He is always there to forgive us.

I work with some inner-city youth. It is very hard for some of them to understand how He can help. One girl in particular has been bullied and realizes it is a spiritual battle to keep from retaliating, but it is hard for her to recognize God's power in her to rejoice and to let God be the strength she needs to get through things. Please pray for her, that she will learn to pray consistently and that she will start to grow in the Lord. She struggles also with pouting when she doesn't get her way, she is working on that but doesn't realize yet just how much power God can give her to overcome that.

There are also a couple boys who struggle with name calling because they don't realize it hurts her even so they talked about how it hurts. Please pray for them to stop bullying also and to behave better in general because they have many problems that have erupted over the last half year or so for some reason. It may be as simple as a spiritual battle but I don't know. Pray for that whole family, please.

 The whole ministry needs prayer in fact, so please pray as the Lord leads you about whatever situations may erupt.

These are the kind of things we need to talk to God about. When we don't, God knows the needs but we act as if we can handle them ourselves.

"Sure, Jesus could handle them when He was a kid," you might say. "But He is God." And, that's true. But when you know Him, He lives in you and you can turn to him for anything. From the biggest to the smallest.

That is what our country needs. For everyone to turn to God for help, because He is an ever-present help in time of need. That's why it's so important to know Him here, not just to be saved from sin but to be guided through this life filled with people who do not know Him.

Sharing his love so others can know

We share Christ's love so others can know Him and have Him living in them. We do it through our words but also our actions, by helping others and being Godly examples. Then, when people see how different we are they will realize there is something to what we say.

In other words, we aren't just saying it, we believe it and show it by living it.

That is showing the spirit of Christmas all year long. That is what this country needs. It is a relationship. It is not religion because religion is all about me and trying to reach up to God. However, none of those work. God had to reach down to our level and we just have to trust and call on Him.

Be part of the solution by dedicating yourself to the Lord. You can share something like this which can be freely printed out and used to lead others, or this where you can talk to volunteers about growing in your faith. you can get little pieces of paper known as tracks from Child evangelism Fellowship or the American tract Society or like the four spiritual laws to give people and use yourself. Posts in this blog cover numerous subjects such as the end of times and avoiding deception, God's justice being better than man's, overcoming obstacles, ending oppression, having victory over things, and much more.

 So, as one of them says, be the role model that many people need. So many need someone to look up to, and while Jesus is the one they should be, they need someone here on Earth to be that example so they can see how it is time.  you may be the only example of Jesus Christ they have ever seen. Don't shirk that responsibility. Many people need someone just like you. People need you to be christ-like and share the gospel.

Get freedom by turning to God for salvation, strength

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drawn to God's love to gain freedom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life More Abundantly Here, Too

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other joys God gives when we receive His freedom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The reconciliation to God needed for repentance revival

I used to link an incident or two at the start of a post, but so much happened in the last few days that would be very hard. It's better to just start with what is needed to solve it. After all, everyone can tell we have a big mess on our hands.

The Bible speaks of a type of reconciliation that doesn't just involve person-to-person, though. We must be reconciled to God so we can have that proper relationship needed to be the loving, caring people He made us to be.

Yes, we can care about others without Him. However, that is a selfish kind of caring, puffing ourselves up, not God, who is personal and loving and desires a relationship with us. We fall short of His perfect glory, and have a sin nature, but he wants to correct that problem through what he did for us, and then work in us to show His love and improve the world.

We can't  rely on ourselves to fix it because there is such a sin problem, a problem that grows when we fail to focus on God and His perfect ways. We instead try to do thing on our own strength and isntead mess up. The Dallas police protecting a Black Lives matter protest and getting shot provide a perfect example - here were people trying to unite for peace, the police were protecting peaceful protesters, and yet the devil still broke in riling people up outside of it to do mean stuff. (Okay, I linked to one - these police and protesters were working together in what seems to be a Godly fashion. It just shows that we can't rely on people to do this themselves - we need God to be our victory.)

As people, we struggle with things like evil. Not everyone will be tempted to be as violent as some of the people in the news lately. However, we all fall short of the mark of perfection. And, we can't make ourselves perfect. The world's system tries, but that system is much better, as this shows from my ministry blog.

God's justice is better, his forgiveness is better, his mercies last forever. So, how do we receive that if we can't do it ourselves? How do we become reconciled to God? Because, that is what needs to be done for there to be a repentance Revival.

New on the inside

First, one must become a new creature in Christ. As I have mentioned often in this blog, each of us sins - even if we don't commit every type of sin, we still are not perfect. So, we must be made new on the inside. It is being a new creature that allows us to be reconciled to God. It's as easy as ABC - Admit you're a sinner, Believe Jesus died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead, and Call on Him to forgive you and save you from your sin, Choosing to trust in Him completely as having done all that was needed to make you new inside.

That reconciliation allows God to have a personal relationship with us. God reconciled us to Himself by taking the punishment for our sins when he came to this Earth as a man, fully God and fully man, died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead. It Is by trusting Him, calling on Him by faith to forgive and save you, that you become reconciled to Him.

When you do this, Jesus comes to live in you through the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit is how he works in you to help you grow more Christ-like in things like the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. He will help you be kind and tender-hearted, like in Ephesians 4:32. You can learn to focus on the many positive thigns of Philippians 4:8. Many other verses which show God's perfect love.

Once a person is reconciled to God, so they know they can go to heaven, they will have life more abundantly here on Earth too, as I speak of here.

More importantly, they will have gain the ministry of reconciliation so that they can be ambassadors for Jesus Christ and share his love with others.

Represent God With Love

An ambassador's job is 2 represent his or her country in another country. An ambassador will work too ensure that businesses have the help they need and working with that country. And, more importantly, the Ambassador will work to ensure his or her nation's citizens are not mistreated and provide help where they can. They speak to the government for the citizens.

As Christians, our role as ambassadors fits perfectly into the admonition to be in the world but not of the world. An ambassador cannot represent his or her country without going to that country. And yet, they also would not be doing their jobs if they broke off contact with their home country and decided they were going to become a citizen the country they were in. That would be laughable if they did that.

Romans 12:1-2 says, among other things, that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That means continuing to allow our minds to be made more in the image of Jesus Christ in our love, compassion, and so on.

We need to care for non-Christians as well as Christians. Ultimately, God wants everyone to come to know him as Saviour. It's just that we fail sometimes because that old fleshly nature wants to do other things. It wants to seek revenge or spout off angrily or do other things that will hurt people.

Thankfully, of course, we are fully reconciled to God and will not lose our Salvation. However we will lose blessings and rewards if we don't take advantage of that relationship and let God work in us to help us to grow spiritually and glorify Him.

So, the key is to reconcile others to God, leading to the Gospel. Gospel is a word that means good news. We have good news to tell people, that the God of love has reconciled us to Himself despite our sin. In His perfect Heaven, we will all gather around the throne and celebrate forever no matter what we do. That is, members of every tribe and kindred and tongue and nation.

In other words, we will all be equal in heaven and that equality should start here on Earth. God is personal and only looks at the heart, not the outward appearance.(1 Sam.16:7) We must put aside differences - while standing firm on sound doctrinal facts that are from the Bible, sharing with others that Jesus save, not man's works - and come together in the spirit of unity.

The answer must involve remembering God's love

It is in the spirit of unity we need to realize that all lives matter - black, blue, green with red polka dots and orange swirly thingies, whoever you are, you are special to God. You matter to Him, and you are special to people here on Earth too. We should see each other as special.

The problem, of course, is that some people, on both sides, don't seem to recognize that. There are too many people acting in anger and frustration. That is a spirit of the devil witch comes only to destroy, rather than to build up. That verse where Jesus promises to give us life more abundantly is in the same place as Jesus warning that the thief does come only to tear down and destroy. That life more abundantly comes as we encourage others and let God encourage us in our walk with him to be more Christ-like in our love for everyone. After all, we are all created in God's image.

In order to do this, we must remember that God is still in the picture. In many ways, we have sadly chosen to ignore God. There are many times when people will only do that which is right in their ownsight(Jud.21:25) , instead of the common sense God gave which allows us to realize other people matter and that we can't simply do whatever we want. True freedom can only come in Christ and what He did for us.

It can sound like a broken record, of course, to say that we need to share with others how they are creations of God and should not be tempted to do violence - and how we need to realize that ourselves so we do not feel tempted to do it to others but instead recognize that God loves them and does not want people to be acting rashly against them.

There are, of course,  bad things in this world. However, that should not cause us to act in a rash manner. As the Bible says in ephesians 4, be ye angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. In other words, don't let anger fester and turn into sin. Instead, make things right by working together in love with those who hurt you. Do good to those who persecute you, and you will heap burning fire upon their heads. This means that if they do not get saved it will torment them that they did not show that kindness and repent. And, if they do, Jesus Christ will have taken the punishment for their sins, just as He did for yours.

We need His help, however. Just as being strong in the Lord means strengthening from the outside, this work of coming together must come from the Holy Spirit working in us and in the country. And, He can. Jesus says the Holy Spirit isn't come into the world only to dwell in saved people. He came to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.(John 16:7-12)

So, be reconciled to God, and as discussed elsewhere in this blog, pray without ceasing and encourage others to be, also, so that God the Holy Spirit can work int his nation and bring repentance revival. And, if the devil attack like he did in Dallas, just remember, God has already won the final battle. We just need to help people see His love and feel His perfect peace and comfort here on Earth.

Trust the Lord to raise up Godly people, be willing to let Him use you

A good beginning for this post - given its timing - would be what was stated in the post on being a role model. Or, perhaps on teaching others to overcome difficulties or forgiveness - after all, all these things, firmly standing for the right things, and numerous other posts in this blog all relate to Father's Day.

Instead - yes, I know this sounds silly - but, here's a question about dictionaries. If you had a choice between a perfect definition and something people made up, which would you choose?

Hopefully, the perfect one, otherwise you could pick up a pile of mud and leaves and define it as whatever your favorite meal is. Or, you could define a random squirrel as a nation's capital. The first one would taste bad, and the second could lead to jokes concerning nuts that are in bad taste - and are likely pretty old, anyway. The point is that neither definition makes any sense.

We do the same with the word "father" for various reasons when we use only human definitions - false pride, selfishness, and so on. This is why God's definition of a loving, personal man who always gives of himself is vital - after all, God is personal and desires a relationship with us. It is also why the focus here will be how anyone can fill that role, just like Mordecai raising Esther. This doesn't mean the way the world says it - because the world only focuses on the physical - but the tenderhearted, unconditional love God has for us, whereby we call Him "Abba" - that word really means "Daddy," not just "Father." This is a term of great tenderness and trust, the way a small child should see a father.

Of course, as noted before, the devil counterfeits everything God makes. We need to help others overcome and become more resilient, be role models, etc., as the above links said. This post links several former posts ideas together with some other things to help show how we can pray for - and sow seeds of - repentance revival.

Humbling Oneself to Take the Spiritual Lead

God's Word recognizes that. Take 2 Timothy 2:1 or any other verse which speaks of being strong in the Lord, or the call to stand in Ephesians 6:11-13 before the full armor of God is discussed showing us how to fight the battle. The verbs for being strong, standings, etc. imply a continual action from outside. It's a continual action of letting the Lord strengthen us, or help us to stand (through the full armor of God) so we can stand in that evil day and, having done all, to stand.

 As I note in my free blogbook for all, the story of the Shunemmite woman lays the groundwork for how anyone, even a child, can be a spiritual leader when nobody else is willing. It requires that the person be a Godly example as she was and not follow the ways of the world. It's very easy for a person to be drawn away when their minds and hearts are not focused on Jesus.

That's why it's vital that any leader be humble and let God be the one to guide through His Holy Spirit. I'm not going as far as I've heard some preachers go - they say that people were never meant to marry (and thus conceive) apart from being born again believers in Jesus Christ who are led by Him to be Christlike individuals. Books could be filled on debate about what the alternatives would be and how God might or might not use such institutions for His purposes. Not only that, but we are all sinners in need of a Saviouir.  We must rely on Him to have the strength to overcome our weaknesses, and on others to help us to do so, because He uses otehrs to help us.

That is how the devil has counterfeited fatherhood and families in general over the years. There have been ideas such as a refusal to admit one's wrongs and apologize to an insistence on phsyical toughness to many other things that have nothing to do with Godlness as it shows in the Bible.

Indeed, Biblical manhood has nothing to do with toughness - men are called to be tender, affectionate with their words and actions, and so on. Look at how Paul spoke of the way he nursed the Thessalonian church.(1 Thess.2:7-12)

For there to be a Revival in America or anywhere, we need leaders. God's Word clearly says that His people can pray, call on him, turn from their wicked ways, etc.. So, it doesn't take a ruler to do so. A couple of businessmen in 1857 devoted to prayer begin a Revival in New York City. They simply met and prayed at lunch each day, and brought more and more in to join them. These prayer meetings and the subsequent turning away from sin and adopting honest, fair, etc. business practices and honoring God in all they did spread from New York to Chicago and elsewhere.

However, we do need people to step up and lead like these men did. They don't lead because they are rulers, they lead because they are following Godly principles and encourage the people to follow Christ like they do.

This, then, is what we must Honor on Father's Day, not the fact that a person has a title, but the fact that a person leads with Godly character and the unconditional love, compassion, and so on that Christ exemplifies. 

Remember that Jesus Christ is God in flesh.(That is what Sonshi means, not physical relations.) In the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.(John 1:1,14) Jesus Christ is God in flesh, so we must use His example as to how to live our lives. Yes, He took bold stands against sin, but He also loved the sinner.

This is why it is possible to say that anyone can provide that kind of Godly leadership, the kind a father should. Some people will struggle because they lack certain things. Some might not have learned how to provide for others or remain committed to something or show that love, but that is why God provided the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to every believer, so He can teach them. That just means relying on Him to do so.

An example to us

 

A perfect example is my great-grandfather. He spoke in glowing terms about his mother all the time, but never mentioned his father once. My great uncle says that even if you got him to where he would spout off about everything he wouldn't mention anything about his dad. His dad died in an accident, and it was sad for him in his late teens, but his mother died in a much worse accident, a house two years earlier, yet while he never shared about that accident he would about what she was like before then.

The family figures that my great-grandfather's dad was either never there or not very nice. My great-grandpa never learned how to be a loving, caring father who children always talked about how wonderful he was and looked up to him so consistently. And yet, he was that way as a father himself, a wonderful, gentle, loving man who his children, my grandma and her siblings, would often talk about so lovingly.

There are a few other things that point to his having trusted Christ as his Savior during a Billy Sunday Revival in 1912. I won't get into those, but suffice it to say that the man was changed on the inside at some point in his late teens, he learned to do things as he had not learned how to do otherwise because he did not have the example to show him.

Letting God show us how

This example is one of many which could be used to demonstrate the fact that God can and will teach us how to be the loving, caring people we should once we trust Him. The Holy Spirit works in people to change their hearts and help them to be more like Jesus.

This, therefore, means that we must trust him too guide us in the things that we have lacked for so long. Not only for the last 40 years, but the last 400, as I have often said in this blog.

 We must trust the Lord to heal this land by raising up leaders, but they must be the right kind; those who will be kind, loving, caring, etc., but will not wilt in the face of pressure.  person can certainly be emotional (like John Knox, founder of the Presbyterian church, when he punished his children), the key to strength Biblically is going through with it even when it is emotional. Some thigns can be difficult, but that goes back to the fact being strong in the Lord means a continual strengthening from outside.

leaders must be committed to what they do - that's why it's vital that a leader be able to show he or she cares in everything they say and do. It's why leadership is about showing that other people matter, as has been noted numerous times here, such as in this post. It's a joy, not a a burden, to be able to make a difference in the world.

Much of the problem we have in this lack of leadership is that we look at things the wrong way. We always have - we're imperfect people, and as sinners, we all need God's help to guide us in the right direction. Some, like I was, always try to behave well and the main problem is not realizing the problems that thought life can cause; that's what got me saved was realizing that even my thought life caused me to fall short of the glory of God, and I also didn't always do or say what was right. For others, it's a rebellious nature that they must trust the Lord to bring under control.

Whatever the problem is, we know this. We know God is a loving, personal God who gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was God in flesh. He just chose to manifest Himself this way because it was easiest for us to understand, God gave that gave for a reason, Jesus came for a purpose. That purpose was to willingly suffer and die for each of us, taking on the sins of the whole world. Then, He rose from the dead, having triumphed over sin and death. Talk about a great task and greater victory! All one must do to have a personal relationship with Him is call on Him to save them from the punishment for their sins and forgive them and make them new inside. Because, He took the punishment we all deserve for our sins. You can see more abut this, and talk to someone to grow spiritually, here.

I noted before in this post that many people - through the Internet - have a desire to be connected, yet also seems to hide behind computer screens, perhaps because tehre is so much pressure in today's world. A relationship with God can give us the peace we need to make it in this world, so we don't just play video games or get online all the time. Each of us can step out and lead, sharing our faith in Christ and being able to withstand all that comes our way.

We need to be able to admit we make mistakes, but strive not to make them. Be blameless, as one of those verses in 1 Thessalonians says which I mentioned. That doesn't mean sinless, it means not being involved in eveil so if someone accuses you, people will know it's false because you wouldn't do whatever it is. Of course, that also means getting rid of sin in your life, such as addictions. Reformers Unanimous is a great group which offers help in a Christlike way for those; there are chapters in many churches.

It also means taking the lead in prayer, spending time with others, and so on even if you don't feel like it; I loved what one youth group girl said about how she felt really sick just before her group was to lead worship this Sunday. "I feel sick. Let's do this." She was determined not to let something little get in the way of serving the Lord - and, of course, serving others, too, but with the ultimate goal being to glorify God.

That should be our attitude, too;not only for our families, but for anyone who needs that role model, that encoruagement, whatever they need. This world provides lots of discouragement, we need to go out and build others up, not tear them down.

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.

Why God's justice & God's love, not man's, in seeking justice or else

I'll be honest, I don't watch TV news anymore; too much violence, too many mean people, etc.. Radio & Internet are enough.

So, I wanted to comment on a recent Million Man March I missed till the day of it, but one of the slogans on Twitter and probably elsewhere, "Justice or Else," caught my eye and it inspired this blog post, which will - as I disclosed with another - in the event someone should read both - likely go on our inner city ministry's blog with very similar wording.

We must seek to make sure the justice system runs fairly, but there are reasons why we must pray and let God deal with the details instead of we ourselves.

The phrase "Justice or Else" reminds me of numerous Psalms, one I've quoted here - "Why dot he heathen rage" from Psalm 2 - and a number of others. There is so much evil in the world, and racism is one of the biggest human rights issues. It's so sad, because we're all one race - the human race. Racism is just an excuse invited by people to selfishly try to get their way, ignoring the fact we are all equal in the eyes of God - man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart.(1 Sam. 16:7)

This problem, however, shows why justice from man, woman, or any person, is not as good as God's justice. We all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.(rRom .3:23)

I have one example I use in a context showing why we must repent ourselves - perhaps to regular readers I use it too often, but here it will at least seem a little different. It is that of being cut off in traffic. We often criticize the person who did so without bothering to think that they may have a loved one in the hospital who has just been hurt seriously and who they are worried may be dying. Of course, it would be wrong to try to seek justice or revenge on a person who is rushing frantically to see a possibly dying loved one. Yet, in our selfishness as people, we end up doing so if only our justice is used. I read, for example, of a horrible case of a woman chastising a man who had just come out of the hospital after his little boy had just passed away. All she could think about in her selfishness was the fact he tripped over a purse and kicked it. Here for more worries on his mind and her job was to simply forgive and not pay attention. At the most, she could have said in a kind way,"Uh, you just tripped over my purse." Then if she did, she would have had the moral duty to listen politely while he lamented on his terrible loss.

We are all guilty, myself included, of jumping to conclusions and being too upset at someone, not knowing the pain they were feeling. (It's harder for me because with my handicaps I can't see there gestures as well to know if something might be a problem, so I try a lot harder to be nice, but I'm still human.) This is why we should not be thinking we must have justice on others in a rash manner, but must look at our own selves first and, then, seek the Lord. He states several times that vengeance is His, and that He will repay. He'll do a much better job than we ever could.

Why? God knows our hearts. He knows what each of us is thinking at any time. "You know my thoughts afar off," as part of Psalm 139 says. He knows exactly when we should have compassion on someone and when we should seek justice. He knows who is hurting terribly and who may realize they have done something wrong but just needs us to kindly speak to them and show forgiveness. And, he knows what needs a tough response.

America has had a lot of horrible things go on in its history. I've always said, we need to repent not just for the last 40 years, but the last four hundred years of our history. It could be argued that God's justice is deserved, but we also need to remember God's mercy.

The Bible shows God is love many times. Even when his people turned from Him so much, even as they crucified Him, He cried out, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."(Luke 23:34) I don't have time to get into great detail, but the Godhead(explained a bit more here) is how God manifests Himself in three ways, just as I might say, "I am a legally blind male, I am a baseball fan, I am such and such height." One person, three attributes.(Here is another good site to explain some questions Muslims have about the Bible, etc. Or, you can visit here and click that you make a decision or not and get connected to talk to someone personally.)

So, one of the big names of God is love. He is a very personal God who desires a personal relationship with each of us. He wants to give us justice. However, it's delayed sometimes because, first, sometimes His divine justice contains so much wrath against sin many innocents would die unless He waited and gave people time to repent; and, second, we ourselves need to get right with God and He is waiting on us.

Jesus made full atonement for us on the cross when He died, then rose from the dead. This way, punishment was handed out for our sins, and yet He also showed His mercy. Since Jesus was God in flesh, He went to the cross willingly for each of us. It is our job to share that mercy and grace and love with others.

When we don't Romans 12:20-21 says it's as if we heap burning coals on their forehead when we have been forgiving and they have continued to be defiant instead of ending the terrible oppression of this world.

You can see, then, how that divine mercy plays out. This doesn't mean America is off the hook, of course. But, that is because one must trust Jesus Christ to forgive them and save them first. And, in the same way, this country must repent. That means each of us.

What is Repentance and How do I do it?

When we repent, we are simply agreeing with God that our sins dispease Him and then turning away from those sins by accepting that He took the punishment for those sins. Nobody else could do so becasue all of us are iperfect. Only Jesus couldbe the perfect sacrifice because only He is perfect.

So, repenting of our sins and trusting Jesus Christ to forgive us is vital for a personal relationship with God. Then, we can pray anytime, anywhere, about anythign, we aren't limited by any strict rules. God comes to live in each beleiver through the Holy Spirit in this age of Grace.

It's as easy as ABC, one might say - Admit you're a sinner and don't deserve His perfect heaven, where there's no pain, no suffering, no tears, none can imagine the wonders; Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose fromt he dead; and, call on His to save you and turn from your sins, trusting Him to make you new inside. You're only a single,s incere prayer of repentance away from eternal life - and that life starts the moment you believe. You can pray something like this, knowing the words don't save you, it has to be your own words from your heart asking Him to save you. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, I know you died to take the punishment for my sins so I could go to Heaven, because I can't make it myself. Lord Jesus, come into my heart and save me, I turn from my sins and trust you to make me new, to give me the "want to" to follow and serve you and to not sin. Thank you for hearing my prayer, for saving my woulk, and coming into my heart. In Jesus' name, Amen."

And, what of America's fate?

Trust the Lord to save you, and when you pray, you will be a mighty voice crying out for God to heal this land. This land really does need healed, but it is not we ourselves who can heal us. There is a spirit of decay that set in centuries ago and which only got partly fixed several tiems.

Now, America is at a crossroads. Justice is a very real need - and God is waiting. But, in the meantime, we all need His mercy becuase of our sins.Not only that, but when we do repent and trust Him by faith, he will reward us and hear those prayers. I don't know what exactly God's plan is, but He wants you as a great prayer warrior.

So, when it comes to justice, just remember, God will prevail. He has already promised it, showing how much damage will come partly becasue of man's own evil ways. Revelation bears it out - the devil's time is short and he wants to cause as much destruction as possible.  So, justice will be done.

It's important to remember God's divine mercy, too, so we ourselves can be saved and we can share that mercy with others. Becasue, in times past many people pretended to know God but didn't. But, He still exists and He wants to be part of you, guiding, helping, comforting, and so much more as He has me for 25 years and counting, and for as long as the Lord tarries His return.

Will America be judged soon? Focus on sharing Gospel, having faith & trusting God to get you through turmoil

Some people believe America is due for judgment quickly. Is it? I can't say for certain, but this much Ican say.

The Dow Jones had been going down substantially before a rally, as have other markets, and this could continue. America has so much debt even 3 years ago the very respected Forbes Magazine ran an article asking if America was bankrupt.. More importantly, America is morally bankrupt on a number of fronts. I won't get into what, because the key is to occupy till Jesus comes.

How do we do that? The key is not to focus on the future by worrying about it, but to focus on the present and let the Holy Spirit guide you.

Remember, the Spirit lives in each believer. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and He lives in you, the moment you trust Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins, calling on him by faith and asking him to do so.

The next key is to share Christ salvation with everyone. It is vital to have a good testimony. If you are harboring sin, pain, or whatever in your heart, give it to the Lord and let Him take care of it. He wants to help you like this, because he loves you. He loves all of us. It's just that that personal relationship with Him can only exist if we have Him living inside us.

When you share Jesus Christ with others, it is important to have the words to share what God has done in your life. It doesn't have to be some amazing thing. Just that you feel more peace since you've known him, or that He helped you in a certain situation, or something like that. Here is a great little video on how to do this.

Remember the Bible reveals God is the God of all comfort(2 Cor. 1:3-5), he will provide a peace that passes understanding(Phil. 4:6-7), He will supply wisdom whenever you need it(James 1:5), and many other things. He lets you build treasure in Heaven where moth and rust cannot corrupt and thieves cannot break forth in steel. In other words, treasure that will never grow old, wear out, or become useless.

God is a personal God, He desires a personal relationship with each of us.

There are many other things you can share with people which will allow them to see they can follow Jesus Christ and know that He will never leave them or forsake them.

But, what about this debt, or this Shemittah some talk about?  Or the blood red moons?

First, we are to rightly divide the Word of Truth.(2 Tim.2:15) We must never expect that God will use the same thing to signal Israel than He will to signal a Gentile nation like ours, because He works specifically with His people  in ways He doesn't with others. Even regarding Israel, there is no guarantee that something will happen. It could, as some scholars believe, but it's just as possible these only fulfill Luke 21:25-26 as far as peoples' hearts failing them for fear. It doesn't have to be something as dramatic as the rapture, even - the Iran nuclear deal could be what we look back on and know was the big thing.(Also, that doesn't mean war is imminent there. Look at 1492 as an example - Jews were expelled from Spain, but communication and travel logistics means they were not likely all out for several years afterward. So, war between Iran and its allies against Israel as prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39 could still be years away.)

No, we must focus on other thigns in the United States. And, there are many signs of decay. However, the best advice it not to panic or hoard everything. It is to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all they ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.(Prov. 3:5-6) He knows what will happen and when or whether a large earthquake, volcano, etc.. His Holy Spirit will guide you. It's just important to remember not to act based on fear, but on faith. He has give us a spirit of lvoe, peace, faith, etc..

So, if after much prayer you feel led to do something like sell your stocks, too it - but don't bury it in yoru backyard and yell "the sky is falling" like Chicken Littel. Instead, recognize God's will and that His ultimate will is seeing souls saved, and go out and share Him with others.

Because, in sharing Him while having confidence that God will get you through, those who are afraid will wonder what's different about you and you can then share how that relationship with Jesus gets you through everything, just as He gets me through everything with the handicaps I have. Because our goal should be to make Him know and to love one another, for they shall know we are Christians by our love. And, if you have concerns, give them to Jesus. And, you can always go to Jesus2020.com with questions. And, you can learn how to be a spiritual leader here, too.