Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Come and See!

Come and See

In today’s world we have problems. Big, unsurmountable mountains that can’t be moved.

Or can they? 


You've read of miracles performed in the Bible. You've heard of miracles happening today.

Can they happen to you? For you?

Jesus said in the first chapter of John, “Come and see.”
And, I invite you to come and see, Jesus.

Why?


An addict can’t deliver themselves from addiction. A cancer patient can’t wish their cancer gone. Depression isn’t cured by forcing yourself to smile. An abused wife has no place to turn.

Is there help for the helpless?


Again, Jesus said in the first chapter of John, “Come and see.”
You may have tried many things. And those things have failed you. Counseling? Meditation? New Age doctrines? Drugs? Alcohol? Promiscuous relationships?

Isn’t it about time, you turned to the one man who can help you?


Go see Jesus. See if He will help you?


If you’ve been following Him from afar wanting only to see His home, He’s calling you forward. (Just as He did to Andrew and John.)
If you are reading this and need to change your identity in Christ, He will change your name. (Just as He did for Peter.)
If you are lost, He will find you. (As He found Phillip.)
And if you are like Nathaniel and doubt the words you are reading, it's okay. Come and see.

Come and see if Jesus loves you.
Come and see if Jesus has the power to set you free from your sins.
Come and see that you can live in peace, joy, and faith.
Come and see Jesus.
He can be found in prayer.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Man's Word or God's Truth?

There are godly men and women in this world. Unfortunately, there are some evil men and women as well. Many souls have been scarred by evil actions. As with most cases, God gets the blame.
God’s word and man’s word are different. God isn’t a human. He isn’t accountable for mankind’s actions or neglect.

However, God is aware of our hurts, and He has made provision to heal us completely.
The book of Genesis tells us of creation. It also tells that after God created man, He gave man a commandment.

God told Adam that if he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil then Adam would die. (Genesis 2:17) But Eve thought that God said you can’t eat of it, nor touch it or she would die. (Genesis 3:2-3) At this time, Adam stood with her, and didn’t bother to correct her thinking. Perhaps, he was the one who added to God’s word and told Eve that they couldn’t touch the fruit.

Because of this, a lot of people (and I was once one of them) blame Adam for Eve’s sin. However, upon closer look we see that after the deed was done, God spoke directly to Eve in verse 13 and 16. This tells me that the communication line between God and Eve was already open.
Eve didn’t have to go through Adam to have access to God. She could have clarified the commandment with one question. But instead of depended on God and God’s word. She depended on man and man’s word.

Man’s word fails. God’s word never fails.


Today, people are wrongly judging God’s faithfulness by a man’s or another woman’s word. We are deceived into thinking that God is a liar, God is abusive, God is unfaithful, and God doesn’t care because of human action or inaction. But thankfully, God is not a man that He should lie.

Another fact to consider is that prior to their sin, God told both Adam and Eve that they may eat of every fruit tree that had seeds. (Genesis 1:28-29) Since God doesn’t lie, and His word never changes, we can conclude that the fruit from The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was seedless. (The first seedless fruit was created not by man’s ingenuity but by God in the Garden of Eden.)

Think of a wild plum tree. Think of all the little sprouts around it. That’s probably why God created the tree seedless. He wanted only one of this type of tree. This also distinguished the tree from the other edible fruits. 

Adam and Eve knew which fruit was forbidden.

Men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers have a distinctive purpose and a specific role to play in our life, but none of these are gods. None of these are Saviors. All of these are human. And all of these make mistakes. Every life has been touched by evil in some way. Yes, it hurts, and yes it affects us. But we can’t judge God’s love and compassion by human failure. And, it’s time to stop blaming our own failures on the inadequacies of others.

Instead, let’s use the communication lines that were opened on Calvary. Talk to God. Tell Him your hurts. Let Him heal you.

Remember that your heavenly Father loves you unconditionally. He sent Jesus to save you from the evils of sin. The Holy Ghost was sent with comfort and strength to help us not only survive this world, but to live victoriously.

Have you talked to your Savior today?

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The Answer?

The answer to the world’s problems is...
 
 

Addictions?                            Jesus delivers.

Alcohol bound?                      Jesus frees.

Unloved?                                Jesus loves.

Unwanted?                             Jesus cares.

Orphaned?                              Jesus adopts.

Abandoned?                           Jesus rescues.

Lonely?                                   Jesus indwells.

Confused?                               Jesus enlightens.

Hungry?                                  Jesus feeds.

Lost?                                       Jesus saves.

Monday, August 12, 2013

JESUS IS MORE THAN A BANDAID!

A few months ago, a well known Christian lady purchased my novel, Whatever He Wants. Shortly thereafter, I received a phone call. She said, “I cannot believe you wrote a book full of sex, drugs, and alcohol. Why?”
 
My response was weak. Since the release of the book, I had heard many great testimonies from readers about how the story had helped them by giving them hope or giving them a hunger for God's presence. I wasn’t expecting an attack from fellow Christians. I know with absolute certainty this was a Jesus story. A story God gave me to write. A story that I prayed and fasted for.  Since then, others have questioned my work. "Why did you depict sin so that the reader is almost tempted?"
 
This blog post is an answer to that question.
 
 
 



The book, Whatever He Wants, opens at a party scene.
Drugs, alcohol, and hook-ups are center stage.
This is reality.

Like many of us, James Preston struggles with consequences of past sins.
He searches for his young son and his son's drug addicted mother,
a woman James has no intention of marrying.
Many pew dwellers write James off.
They say he got what he deserved when he rebelled against his Christian heritage and sinned.
But, thank God, Jesus doesn’t give up that quickly.
He rescues us from our mistakes and calls us to repentance.
 
Jesus also protects us from our own good intentions.

Joni Maher attends the party with one goal, to destroy the curse of her virginity.
Today’s society portrays innocence as a weakness, but God says it is a treasure.
How can we fault young girls for giving themselves away,
when we haven’t taught them the value of their bodies?
While we give them a list of dos and don’ts,
 the world whispers lies in their ears.
 Satan seduces them with promises of beauty and temporary love.
 
Yes, the novels I write are full of sin.
 
“…But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” Romans 5:20

They are also full of the convicting presence of God, His mercy, His grace,
and the awesome power of the Holy Ghost.

Why?
 
Jesus is more than a band aid. He can handle the tough issues.
The ones we encounter in real life., not the façade we wear to church.
Real people are tempted. And real people need the blood of Jesus,
magnified by the Holy Ghost to overcome those temptations.
 

Thursday, June 13, 2013

A Reader's Hope?


 

 Recently, I

read a young  adult book by a

secular author. I was awed by the poetic phrases.

Amid the beauty of words so simply written, the author painted

a picture of an innocent girl abused by her alcoholic father. A girl looking

for the love that was sadly lacking in Sunday morning meetings. As a reader

I emphasized with the protagonist as she tried to fill the emptiness inside. With.

Beer. Parties. Boys. A life which resulted  in banishment for the summer months to a

remote relative’s home.    A home that claim God could be found in carnal  pleasure.

A life where giving your  virginity to a  college  boy was  acceptable,   understood,

and even praised. A first love, though sweet and true, had no power to fight the

authority of consequence. A parallel to reality, happily-ever-after was stolen

by sin and death. In her grief, she contemplates revenge. A desire for

vengeance is justified. Hatred lingers in the foggy end.

The reader dangles on a precipice,

  hopeless.

 

 

 

The author portrayed a realistic sin-cursed world. Yet she is ignorant of one thing...

 

 

 

This world is full

 of people claiming

to be something

they  are  not;

 hypocrites.

Yet,  everyone  wants  to  be  loved  and  accepted.  Bad

things happen to good people. Sin introduces death. Death

steals joy. But that isn’t the end of the story.There is a God

in heaven who

 can’t be found

in carnal love.

He conquered

 sin and death

 that we might

 have life and

life       more

abundantly.

 If  we  choose

 to live in Him,

 covered by His

precious blood.

 

 
 
On August 1, 2013, the first book of The Whatever Series will be relaunched. The second and third books will be released during the months of October and December. My desire is to show the reader that if we forsake carnal pleasures and do Whatever He Wants, hold on to His promises, Whatever It Takes, then He'll forgive Whatever Is Done and we'll obtain an eternal happily-ever-after.