Salvation

Are you weighed down with guilt or regret?
Do you wish you could start over?
Do you want peace in your heart and life? 
Do you want a best friend who will never leave you?

There is Someone who will take away your guilt and regret. He'll be your best friend who's always there for you. He'll give you peace and a new start...His name is Jesus. He died on a cross to save you and give you the gift of God's forgiveness so you could spend eternity with Him in heaven. No matter what you've done or where you've been in life, He'll forgive you. Whether it be something like pornography, drugs, alcohol, cheating, lying, murder, rape, stealing, etc. No matter how big or small it may seem, He is always ready to forgive you and give you a new life. He's just waiting for you to say yes to His call. God is our Savior. The One who saves us from our sin so we can spend eternity with Him. 

You may say you haven't sinned, haven't done bad things, or are a good person, but here's what the Bible says, 

"For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times." ~Romans 3:23-25

It says "ALL have sinned." There's no getting out of it...you've sinned and I've sinned. Yet, there is a solution!
God gave us the choice of salvation, it is a free gift. We do not have to work to obtain it and nothing that we do can make it so we can get to heaven. Unless we choose to accept the gift He's given us. But if you choose not to accept the gift of freedom, you will go to hell. I won't sugarcoat it or put it any other way, it would be wrong to hide or sugarcoat something of this magnitude.

"But no, you won't listen. So you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin. For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, will judge all people according to what they have done." ~Romans 2:5-6

"For God did not spare even the angels when they sinned; he threw them into hell, in gloomy caves and darkness until the judgment day." ~2 Peter 2:4

The angels that sided with Lucifer(Satan) who used to be the highest angel in power under God, they were thrown out of heaven and into caves and darkness, waiting for their judgment. They also are going to be in hell and will be judged on the day that God judges all the people of the earth.

You ask if there's another way to get to heaven? The answer is no. No matter what you do, you cannot do it.

"Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.'" ~John 14:6

Do you know Him? Have you accepted His forgiveness and love? If you haven’t, you can!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” ~John 3:16

Everybody can ask for forgiveness, not matter how big their crime. Nothing is too big for Him to forgive you of. He sent "His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Here’s how you can accept Him…

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we declare with our mouths that we believe, and so we are saved. As the Scriptures say, 'Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disappointed.’” ~Romans 10:9-11

So you do exactly what the verses say, admit that Jesus is Lord, believe God raised Jesus from the dead, and ask God to forgive you of your sins. You accept God's gift of love and forgiveness, and as verse 11 says, “anyone who trusts in Him will never be disappointed.” :)

What's your choice?

If you have questions or want to talk to someone, email me...I'm a good listener and will answer to your questions to the best of my ability. If I don't know the answer, I'll look it up or ask the question to someone wiser than I.  :)

God or Sin?

"Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me--now let me rejoice. Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.  Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you." Psalm 51:7-12

 Most of us know the story behind this psalm. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and not repented for a year, but when Nathan the prophet spoke to him, under the urging of God, David repented. He's crying out to God in this psalm, begging Him to cleanse him of his sin. He is completely broken in his repentance, which is the sacrifice God wants, which is what verse 17 says, "The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise." 

According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, the definition of the word 'repentance' is "a change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised." It means turning your back on sin and living for God.  

How many of us will take this approach? "Why don't people say to God, 'I have sinned, but I will sin no more'? Or 'I don't know what evil I have done; tell me, and I will stop at once'?" ~Job 34:31-32
Ask Him to shine a light into your heart and find all the places where there is sin and darkness hiding. "If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened." ~Psalm 66:18. As we continually seek His face, we'll start to see what we need to change, the areas we are still holding onto, and we'll start to change our lives. Rather, our lives will be changed by the encounters and the time spent with God. There was something I heard from somewhere that goes along with this: "whoever you spend the most time with, that's who you start becoming like." Thus, the more time you spend with God, in prayer, worship, reading your Bible, or just sitting at His feet....you start to become more like Him. And God says we are to be like Him. "But be holy in all you do, just as God, the One who called you, is holy. It is written in the Scriptures: 'You must be holy, because I[God] am holy.'" ~1 Peter 1:15-16


However, if we do not repent and change, "But there is a problem--your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore." ~Isaiah 59:2 

You have a choice to let go of the sin in your life or cling to it.

"Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God's grace. So since God's grace has set us free from the law, does this mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don't you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you have obeyed with all your heart the new teaching God has given you. Now you are free from sin, your old master, and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness. I speak this way, using the illustration of slaves and masters, because it is easy to understand. Before, you let yourselves be slaves of impurity and lawlessness. Now you must choose to be slaves of righteousness so that you will become holy." ~Romans 6:14-19

In that passage, it said that 'whatever you choose to obey becomes your master.' You can choose sin but it becomes your master and you give up God and His gift of love and forgiveness. BUT...you can choose God and spend eternity with Him after this life. During this life, you choose to obey Him and follow His ways and commands. He will take care of you, give you love, peace, and a joy that can only come from Him and His presence in your heart and life.



So what is your choice? Will you choose to walk the talk, live completely sold out to God or choose to live under the bondage of sin?

Put on the Armor!

          "Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light. We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don't participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy. But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires." ~Romans 13:11-14 

It says we are to stop living in and doing the things that belong to the darkness. We need to wake up before it's too late! We need to pick up and put on the armor used for fighting in the light and use the weapons God has given us. This Scripture gives us instructions on how to do it,  

          "Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere." ~Ephesians 6:11-18

Here's a section from the People's New Testament Commentary that explains the importance of the armor and why it is based off of the Roman armor: 

"11-13. Put on the whole armor of God. The ancient soldier was not equipped for war until he had put on his armor. Paul was at that time a prisoner, probably living near the prætorian camp in Rome, as he was by the Roman customs under the charge of the prætorian prefect. It is possible that the figure was suggested by the sights he so often witnessed. Against the wiles of the devil. The great enemy. The armor was designed not only to protect, but there were weapons also with which to assail him.  

12. For we wrestle. Fights then were a hand to hand grapple. Not against flesh and blood. While flesh and blood may seem to assail us, the real enemies are evil spiritual powers. Principalities and powers. These terms designate different rank of evil spirits. These were fallen angels. In 1:21 , The same terms are applied to the different ranks of holy angels. Against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Satan is described as the ruler of this world ( John 12:31 John 14:30 John 16:11 ) and the god of this world ( 2 Cor. 4:4 ). He uses for his dominion not only evil spirits, but wicked men, and his sway is darkness rather than light. Spiritual wickedness. See the Revision. It is likely that the meaning is the same as in 2:2 . The high places, the air, is a dwelling-place and medium of these evil influences. 

13. Wherefore, take unto you. Seeing you have such enemies, arm! Put on the whole armor of God. In the evil day. The day of peril and assault. To stand. To stand the assault, and to stand victorious, when it is beaten back. 14-16. Stand therefore . . . girt. He next gives the armor that must be worn. The Roman soldier wore a girdle, breast-plate, shoes with iron nails, a helmet to protect his head, and carried a great shield on his left arm which was thrown in front of his body. His weapon was the sword. It was with the sword, not the spear as other nations, that the Romans conquered the world. And these represent parts of the Christian's spiritual armor. About with truth. The girdle kept the armor in place and supported the sword. So truth holds the Christian armor and supports the sword of the Spirit. Breast-plate of righteousness. The breast-plate was over the lungs and heart. If Christ's righteousness is over our hearts they can hardly suffer harm.  

15. And your feet shod. Not with shoes, but with the preparation to carry the gospel of peace, to be a messenger of good tidings ( Isaiah 52:7 ). 16. Above all, taking the shield of faith. The Roman oblong shield, four and a half feet long, covered the whole body, and was a protection of itself. So faith, the faith that fully trusts in God and never doubts, is the best of all defenses. It will quench, stop, put out all the doubts, whisperings and evil suggestions of the wicked. Fiery darts. These were missiles hurled by the hand, and very dangerous unless stopped by the shield. 

17. Take the helmet of salvation. The Roman soldier wore on his head a metallic cap to protect it from blows, called a helmet. Isaiah 59:17 says: "He put a helmet of salvation on his head." See also 1 Thess. 5:8 . Salvation, the consciousness that we have a Savior "able to save unto the uttermost," gives the Christian soldier courage for the conflict. And the sword of the Spirit. The armor before described is to protect; the sword to assail. It is the Christian soldier who is to wield the sword of the Spirit. That is, the Spirit conquers through him. The word is the word of God. Thus Peter conquered on Pentecost, and Paul in his labors. Thus always and everywhere. The Christian soldier filled with the Spirit must "preach the word." See Heb. 4:12 . 
 18. Praying always. No one can wield the sword of the Spirit rightly without constant prayer. In the Spirit. As spiritual men. For all saints. Our supplications are not to be for ourselves only, but for all the people of God." 

The armor is very important because without it, we have no defenses against the devil and his evil ones. It's also the armor God provides, we can't get it on our own. We can't just use a few pieces of the armor, we have to use every piece in order to resist the enemy, the devil. That means the belt of truth, body armor of God's righteousness, the shoes of peace, faith as a shield, salvation is your helmet, and the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit...all have to be used. 

The Word of God is your weapon. To use a weapon, you have to practice; it's the same with our spiritual weapon. We have to be in the Word, reading, studying, and memorizing it in order to be able to use it as a weapon.We also need to be in prayer constantly, you can pray while driving, in class, at work, in whatever you do, you can be in prayer, you don't need to close your eyes to pray.

So remember to put on the full armor to stand strong and be in prayer all the time about everything.

Revival!

          "Then if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, if they will pray and seek me and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land." ~2 Chronicles 7:14

Our country needs, desperately needs revival! You ask where is the proof? 

          "They traded the truth of God for a lie. They worshiped and served what had been created instead of the God who created those things, who should be praised forever. Amen. Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do. Women stopped having natural sex and started having sex with other women. In the same way, men stopped having natural sex and began wanting each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and in their bodies they received the punishment for those wrongs. People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking and to do things they should not do. They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst about each other. They gossip and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude and conceited and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They do not obey their parents. They are foolish, they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to others. They know God's law says that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they applaud others who do them" ~Romans 1:25-32

 What was going on in Rome at this time?
     -Homosexuality
     -Rampant rebellion against parents and authorities
     -Selfishness, fighting, lying, etc. Everything was about themselves and just themselves.
    -Murder
     -Evil things

How much is our country like that? Very, very much like that....could be identical! Homosexuality is multiplying and one of the signs that God has removed His Hand, is homosexuality becoming prominent. Murders, rapes, rebellion, lying, selfishness, etc are growing fast.

From the signs we are exhibiting, God has taken His Hand off our country because of the lack of repentance over sin and is letting us continue doing evil without a conscience. Part of it is our fault as Christians. If we live completely and totally for God and tell people what our Father has done for us, people will accept Christ. We have not been doing that, we've been Christian wallflowers! Because we Christians did not stand up for what was right, prayer and the Ten Commandments were taken out of the schools. Abortion was legalized, and people have very little respect for Christianity and God. About 85% of the people in the US say they're Christians...but how many of us are really living like we are Christians? Honestly and truly sold out to Jesus? If we were, our nation would be completely different!

Good news!!!!!

We still have a chance! We have to humble ourselves before God and admit we messed up big time. Repent and start telling others about Him. Pray that His people would wake up, pray for the revival of this nation! He will heal the hearts of His people and our land. 

The Storms of Life

When storms come up, do we hunker down and brace ourselves on the foundation of God or run around doing the chicken routine: running around in circles, flapping our arms, and screaming? I know I have done the latter. The most recent example was a few weeks ago, I found out that because the counselor didn't tell me I needed core classes and I didn't think about it, I have to go another semester past the 2 years. It was barely a storm but I was in full chicken mode, but with anger not fear. An example of the former would be one of my friends who is 17 years old found out she had a brain tumor and was going to have to have surgery right away. She is currently in recovery, but her faith through all of this has been amazing. She has trusted God and clung to Him throughout this whole thing. Such an amazing testimony!  
How we deal with and react to the storms in our lives effects the outcome of the storm and effects our personal witness!

          "You are my defender, my place of safety in times of trouble. God, my strength, I will sing praises to you. God my defender, you are the God who loves me." ~Psalm 59:16-17.

 He is our defender and our strength, yet how often do we turn to other things or people in times of trouble instead of our Father who loves us more than humanly imaginable.

          "I find rest in God; only He gives me hope. He is my rock and my salvation. He is my defender; I will not be defeated. My honor and salvation come from God. He is my mighty rock and my protection. People, trust God all the time. Tell Him your problems, because God is our protection." ~Psalm 62:5-8

When we run to God and cling to Him, we find rest, hope, strength, protection, love, and help. We don't need to worry because God's taking care of us :) "Give all your worries to Him, because He cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7 

Repeatedly throughout the Bible, He tells us that He is our defender, our strength, our help, and our mighty fortress.

          "Depend on the Lord and His strength; always go to Him for help." 1 Chronicles 16:11
When we trust Him and lean on/cling to Him, we know and trust that He has a plan for us and whatever situation you're going through is a part of His plan. We have to wait on Him and not try to fix it on our own. When we try to fix it or make it through on our own, things go awry and it becomes much worse than if we had just waited on God's timing.


Just remember to turn to Him when trouble comes and trust Him to work things out. "We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him. They are the people He called, because that was His plan." ~Romans 8:28. It may not work out how you want it to, but trust God's heart and know He has a better plan and a reason for that situation.

Changes

It amazing the changes in priorities and perspective that come from a close brush with death. As I said on Facebook(Saturday night),

          "It's finally sinking in that my sister and I could have died today and my brain won't leave it alone. it's such a scary feeling to know you came about half a foot away from death. Your perspective on life changes and your priorities change. I am so very very thankful God protected us and I know that mine and my sister's work here isn't finished."

I was about half a foot away from hitting a concrete barrier and wrecking on the interstate. The domino effect of what would have happened to the car, my sister and I would not have survived. Plus many other people would have been hurt. If I had looked to the side of the road to look at the barrier a second later, we would have hit it. All I can think of is that God had His Hand on us and that it wasn't our time to go home. I'm writing this at this hour because I couldn't sleep due to images of what would have happened if we had wrecked. But I'm listening to WIBI radio station and the songs they are playing are the songs I need to hear right now. My heart is more at peace now and God is great! Things are going to change though...

Several things that are going to be changed in priorities:
   -Bible reading and prayer time
   -Time with my family
   -Clothing styles


If I'm completely honest with myself, some of my clothes haven't been as modest as they should be. My quiet time with the Lord has been every once in a while, and my Bible reading hasn't been everyday. Time with the family, I'm going to have to change some things around, but it will be worth it. Missing out on a year of my sibling's lives is one of the things I wish I could redo. There are many other things/bad choices that I wish I could go back and change, but I can't and it won't help things to be looking back and basically living in the past. All I can do is move on and accept the consequences of my actions, with a good attitude and a heart that accepts correction. And look forward to what's ahead, and look up at Jesus.



A couple things I feel God is leading me to do sometime in the future:
   -Start a Bible study on campus
   -Help children and teenagers who are homeless, abandoned, and unloved, forced/tricked into living lives and doing things they should not even know about.
   -Start a home or safe house for those children/teenagers and teach them about Jesus and how much He loves them, no matter their past. Show them that I love them, do my best to help them, and teach them skills that will help them in life.


I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for me, but more than that, I want to learn more about Him, I want to fall so deeply in love with Him that I can't find my way out of Him. I want to be lit on fire for Him and shine so others can see His Light, for His glory alone!

~Abby