ALWAYS BE ON YOUR GUARD!

Recently, from my front screen door, I saw a bunny rabbit in my walkway. I decided to take a picture of it to send to my grandchildren. I took the picture while standing behind the screen door. I then decided to take another close-up, which meant I had to open the door. At the sound of the door opening, that thing hopped away so fast and it did not look back.  

I thought to myself, “That is how ready and sensitive Christians need to be.”  The Bible tells us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil works 24/7; he does not take breaks or vacations, and we shouldn’t either. Unlike God, he is not omnipresent, but he has demons working for him. For that reason, we need to be alert and watchful, so we do not fall prey to any of his schemes. The safest way to do that is to always be ready for fight or flight, just like that bunny. 

Knowing the devil could be coming after us any time is good, but we also need to arm ourselves with a plan of escape. How do we arm ourselves? By putting on the whole armor of God: salvation, faith, truth, the Word of God, prayer, and peace (see Ephesians 6:11-18). We should also keep the right company. Sometimes, we have to physically remove ourselves from places or situations to avoid different kinds of trouble waiting to happen. 

Jesus stressed the importance of readiness when He said to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation” (Luke 22:40). We need to be constantly praying for strength, wisdom, and courage so that we will be victorious when we face temptation and sin. Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). Taking this seriously, praying to be equipped, and being watchful will defeat Satan in his attempt to sift us. 

Keeping the word of God in our hearts keeps us ready to fight back as Jesus did when He was tempted; He quoted Scripture! Each time, His response included: “The Scriptures say” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). Finally, realizing he was defeated, the devil left Jesus, and angels came and attended Him (Matthew 4:11). Like Jesus, we can make the devil go away, even if it’s only for a brief period. Of course, we have to remain vigilant; we shouldn’t let our guard down, because he will look for other opportunities to return. 

Being with the right crowd is a safety measure because if nobody is doing anything wrong around us, it is unlikely that we will be tempted to do wrong. Let’s surround ourselves, as much as is possible, with believers. Of course, we have to be around unbelievers long enough to share the gospel with them and encourage them. This safety measure is not suggesting in any way that we ignore the Great Commission! We just need to be wise and careful. 

Finally, in addition to staying vigilant, let’s continually claim Jesus’ prayer of protection for His followers, including us: “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one” (John 17:15).

 

All quotes are from the New Living Translation (NLT).

STATUS CHANGE IS ESSENTIAL

 

There are numerous times in our lives when we need to change our existing status for another one. There are new responsibilities that accompany status change, and additionally, the change could bring better opportunities, gratification, or displeasure. For instance, we can change jobs, residence, marital status, and the like. By the same token, our relationship with God can and should change for the better.

Ordinarily, we humans are God’s enemies; although He has His commands written on our hearts, we live in sin, with no thought of Him at all. We obey our master, the devil, who instigates our disobedience to God. The devil, from the time of Adam and Eve, has been a liar; he deceived them to think disobeying God was to their advantage: that doing so would make them like God. What a lie! That changed their status from God’s friends to sinners, which then led to their descendants being born with a sinful nature. Their status changed drastically; they lost their good standing with God. They were kicked out of the beautiful garden to go and fend for themselves. The good news for us is this: we can change our current status back to what it was before the fall of Adam and Eve.

Everything I’ve shared so far shows that means you are a sinner at enmity with God, and that you can change your status from enemy to child and friend of God. You have to want to do this; God does not bully anybody into changing their status. However, He tells us what our current status means, and what the change will mean to us now and in the future. Your current status as God’s enemy means you are living the way you please, paying no attention to God’s commands. But in the end, He is going to judge and condemn you to hell, which is the place prepared for Satan and his demons, and for anyone who chooses to remain the enemy of God.

Yet, you don’t have to go to hell if you’d rather not. It’s your choice. In order to change your status to a child of God, you have to admit to Him (in prayer) that you are a sinner, repent of (feel sorry for) your sins, and ask Him to forgive you based on Jesus’ death in your place. He will forgive you, sending the Holy Spirit to live in your heart as confirmation that your status has changed from His enemy to His child; you are now an heir of heaven-a joint heir with Jesus and the other members of God’s family. “You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, Abba, Father. For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory” (Romans 8:15-17).

Doesn’t this sound amazing? Would you take this step today to change your status? You will be glad you did! You will no longer have any fear of the future. Instead, you can eagerly look forward to spending eternity with God and your Savior, Jesus Christ. The Word of God (the Bible) will come alive as you read and study it, teaching you how to live for God until He calls you home. In addition, you can communicate with Him through prayer often, and seek out other members of God’s family to fellowship with and to grow in your knowledge of God.

It is also important to know how God sees us, His children, after our status change: “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10). In other words, God has made us new people by imparting His righteousness to us, to show others who God really is. We can do this by accomplishing the good things our faith prompts us to do (see 2 Thessalonians 1:11). We are saved to do good works in His strength, and for His glory.

Are you ready for a status change? I hope so! I’ve shown you what you need to do; please do it now, and don’t put it off. Tomorrow might not come, and it will be too late for you!  

YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN

       

If you’ve ever had a discussion with a Christian about faith, you most likely have heard the expression “born again.” Did you understand it? Being born again is a very important expression of how one becomes a Christian. Jesus was the first person to use and explain it (see John 3:3).

You might be wondering how a man can be born again. You are not alone in that quandary; Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, had the same question for Jesus. These were Nicodemus’ exact words, “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” (John 3:4). Jesus responded and explained that being born again is a spiritual experience that results in spiritual life, and not in physical life (see John 3:5). It is an experience that makes one a child of God, being removed from the devil’s kingdom of darkness and placed in God’s kingdom of light. The process cannot be explained, but once it is experienced, the accompanying evidence is obvious, both to the individual and to on-lookers.

Jesus continued His explanation by saying, “Everyone who believes in him {Jesus} will have eternal life” (John 3:15 NLT). So, you see, believing in Jesus, the Son of God, who died in your place, is how to be born again, and that starts you on the path to eternal life. As Jesus stated, “This is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The resulting change is from the inside out; the individual experiences peace and joy like never before. The assurance of sins forgiven and the hope of eternal life in heaven with God are liberating.

Being born again is the start of a new way of living, as prescribed by God, and found in His Word, the Bible. How do we know the Bible is the Word of God? First, we need to know how it came to be. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Second, we get to put the Word to the test ourselves, and I can assure you, it has never failed, and never will! When the Jews had trouble believing in Jesus, He said to them, “Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own” (John 7:17).

Communication is the key to thriving relationships. In your new-found relationship with the Father, you’ll need to communicate often, and it has to flow both ways. Talk to God through prayers and allow God to speak to you through the Bible. Obeying what you read brings about the renewal of your mind; that leads to your gradual transformation into the image of God, which is holiness. God says, “You must be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). The only way to holiness is to allow the Word of God to change you.

In addition, look for a church where the gospel is preached in truth, and fellowship with other Christians to help you grow in your faith. The Scripture instructs us to do just that. “Let us not neglect our assembling together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25).

Dear reader, please take this issue seriously-you must be born again if you care what happens to you after you die!  

 

 

All quotes are from the New Living Translation (NLT).

YOU CAN WALK AWAY FREE TODAY

 

YOU CAN WALK AWAY FREE TODAY

Most responsible people who incur debts have the intention of paying them off, to the last penny, which is the responsible thing to do. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out the way they planned or intended.

Have you or someone, you know ever become unemployed for an extended period of time because of a layoff or prolonged ill-health? The answer I’m sure is “yes.” This means, sometimes, through no fault of an individual, their ability to earn a living in the face of debt and other responsibilities can be curtailed. This happens more often than society would like to admit. As a result, all good intentions regarding debts fall by the wayside, leaving the debtor open to harassment from creditors and debt collectors.

If you were ever in a similar situation, how would you like for someone to pay off your debt, and never hold it against you? If someone did that for you, how would you respond? You could respond in one of the following ways: No, thank you, I don’t take handouts; this is my debt and I intend to pay it myself; wow, I can’t believe it; or simply, THANK YOU!

All mankind is in debt to God for our sins. We sin because of the sin-nature passed on to us by our original parents, Adam and Eve, which makes each person a sinner: “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). The result of sin, according to the Word of God, is death, “All people will die for their own sins” (Jeremiah 31:30), meaning eternal separation from God after physical death, also known as hell. God sent His Son Jesus to die in our place, so we don’t have to pay the debt we owe Him. Again, the Bible addresses that this way, “This is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Also, “He was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to life to make us right with God” (Romans 4:25).

How would you respond to God’s offer? Jesus has paid the penalty already; you don’t have to ever be responsible for it. Will you say that you intend to pay your own debt, which will mean you’d rather perish? Or would you say with gratitude, “Thank you; I believe in your Son, Jesus; please forgive me?” You’re in debt to God, but Jesus paid it all already; there’s no reason for you to perish. Think about it; you can walk away free today!

There’s always the temptation to postpone making decisions, but time does not belong to you. If you understand this message, please don’t postpone your day of salvation, because although you routinely make decisions and think you have control over your life, the truth is you don’t. Your circumstances could change at any time, and you could miss the opportunity to be saved. Please decide today, and walk away free, leaving your sins -no matter what they are-on Jesus. Tomorrow could be too late!   

 

All references are from the New Living Translation (NLT).