Explosion Ahead! Perfection vs. Obedience

When was the last time you felt ‘perfect’? Was it today, yesterday or sometime in your past?

My guess is that none of us have ever felt ‘perfect’ and yet that is one of the things that causes problems in our Believer’s walk in this life! Being ‘perfect’ or thought to be ‘perfect’ by others can cause explosions in our lives that shipwreck our faith!

It is Satan’s biggest hope – that we let someone shipwreck our faith and cause us to stumble in our walk with Jesus.

Our example of perfection in the Bible is Jesus. We are to follow His example while here on earth and while it does not make us perfect – it does teach us the concept and causes us to desire completeness with God. God wants our perfect love!

The believer DESIRES to walk with God and follow the example of Jesus. If we have Salvation; our soul now communes with God through the Holy Spirit and we have a desire to walk like Jesus walked. With each little victory we get a little closer to Jesus and pretty soon we have no desire to be somewhere else!

This does not make us perfect though - we fail, we sin and our flesh makes war with our soul on a daily basis.

The Believer says in his heart – “I will continue to serve God even though I fail, sin and my flesh doesn’t agree. I choose God!”…when this occurs in our heart we are beginning to see the light of OBEDIENCE!

Obedience is the Believer’s avenue to a relationship with Jesus. Each of us should desire to be obedient to God and choose Him over the sin of this life.

The closest we will ever come to perfection is obedience to Jesus. We must have a desire to be more like Him and less like our flesh. It is a solo walk. No one can do it for us. That is what makes it so REWARDING!

The Bible says in Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Jesus is referring to our lives being lived out in a complete, pure and holy way! The word ‘perfect’ in the Bible means ‘blameless’.

The beautiful story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is one that shows this kind of perfection! (Daniel 3:17-18) Oh my goodness that we would have this kind of DESIRE for the Lord! Imagine what He could do with us!

God WANTS to ‘complete’ us while we are here on earth. (Philippians 1:6) It is that completion that brings about a beautiful masterpiece that gives God glory. It all happens one little step at a time in our walk with Him!

This is where the OBEDIENCE comes in! God desires that we receive perfection through obedience to Him. A genuine ‘caring’ about walking pure and holy in this life is developed through our desire.

Obedience is what develops the relationship between us and Jesus. Obedience is hard work and when we fall or need more strength; we look to the Lord and ASK Him for these things. Our obedience is built through our FAITH in God. It is a chain reaction to the goodness of God!

We are a ‘work in progress’ and perfected in the end - at the coming of the Lord or our going home to Him; whichever comes first! He is NOT giving up on us and desires to see us building a relationship with Him that will last.

The ‘explosion ahead’ is that there are people who are mistaken and believe that all Christians should be perfect and everyone knows that is impossible. However, we do sometimes get derailed by this thought that is planted in our minds.

God calls us to obedience! Obedience builds Faith in Christ and each day is a new beginning to draw closer to God through relationship.

Let God continue to work on you and grow you right where you are in life! Be motivated and breathe deeply of God’s love from His Word!

Colossians 1:10-12 says “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

Paul in these verses is so EXCITED that his brothers and sisters in Christ are TRYING their best to change their ways and grow in the knowledge of the Lord – he sends this wonderful letter of encouragement to them and continues to try to motivate and lift them up! Here are some things he mentions to the believers so that they can learn more about obedience to Jesus:

ª  Live a LIFE worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way ~ When we are truly living out the Lord in our lives it is evident to all and God is PLEASED! We should let that wash over us and desire God even more. When we are ‘living a life worthy of the Lord’ OTHERS are affected that need to be affected and we may not even know it! PRAISE God for the life you are living in Him!

ª  Bearing fruit in every good work ~ When we are ‘bearing fruit’ the work of God is evident in our lives. Bearing fruit means that we are ACTIVELY involved in the Lord and others are being affected by that love! Bearing fruit is in the ‘present tense’ and it means that we are not only hearing the Word of God; but that we are DOING the Word of God in our lives. Even if no man ever understands what we do…Please believe and KNOW that God does. He is watching and He knows our hearts!

ª  Growing in the knowledge of God ~ The ONLY way to grow in the knowledge of God is to get in the Word! If you don’t know how; start small. Reading portions daily and asking God for wisdom to understand and grow. He WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYER! He WANTS us to grow in knowledge. That ‘knowledge’ is what keeps us separate from the world and what keeps us close to God. His Word is His very personal love letter to you. Each of us are attracted to the Word of God in a different way and at different levels. That is on purpose! The Holy Spirit feeds you what you need to know in the Lord…we just have to be open to it with the right attitude!

ª  Being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might ~ Being strengthened in the Lord is a beautiful thing! The strength and Power of the Lord are what help us every day! It is so important to the believer to ask God for Strength and Power for each day. That is how we can defeat the evil one! Satan cannot stand up to God’s Strength and Power! End this day asking God for His Strength and Power to make it tomorrow! The Bible says that by doing this we will get endurance and patience to live this life. Don’t we NEED these things to make it? Ask Him to invade your life and soul! HE WILL!

ª  Giving joyful thanks to the Father ~ God did EVERYTHING for us! It is our job to recognize that! Are we thanking God today that He gave us today no matter what it has brought? Not only has He given us today he has given us JESUS! He made the plan; He gave us His Son; He will call us to Heaven at the appointed time! He rescued us from darkness!

Paul writes so beautifully here of how God loves us. Verse 13 is so descriptive of the reason to be obedient rather than striving to be perfect in this life: “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Through our ‘obedience’ is the ONLY way we can really see what God has done – it doesn’t make sense otherwise!

It is my prayer today that you do not WANT to be tripped up by other folks telling you that you are not good enough for God and that you have failed to be perfect! God wants us to be obedient to Him. He WANTS us to grow in His love. Don’t let people destroy the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to you! Your gift of Salvation and living relationship with JESUS is a beautiful thing! Start today to become obedient to God and love Him – He will change you forever and this ‘explosion’ will NOT overtake you in this life!

Explosion Ahead! Dangerous Words

Have you ever said something and about a nanosecond later; wish you had not said it because it was hurtful and you knew it?

Often in the Believer’s walk things happen like this and we are left to deal with the fallout from those words. It seems like hurtful words from another believer are worse somehow.

The Bible teaches us to be encouragers and a people who can take the heat without having to respond with hurtful comments when people lash out. Is this easy to do?

Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

It seems to me that this is one of the hardest parts of the believer’s walk! Being able to ‘NOT SAY’ what comes into our mind in different situations!

Unfortunately, our words can cause huge EXPLOSIONS in our lives as well as other’s lives! Often we do not ‘think’ before we are compelled to say what we think! Often we do not put into practice what Ephesians 4:29 says! Remember; the Scripture says to not only read but also to DO what the Word says!

Not too many years ago; an 18 year old girl was sentenced to life in prison for manslaughter because of the words that she said! Her words directly caused the death of another. I imagine that there have been many times since that she has thought about those things she said that put her in the position she is in.

It is sad that we ALWAYS see after the fact the hurt and problems that come along with ‘speaking our mind’! Wouldn’t it be so much better if we live out our lives in DOING what God tells us to do and only SAY what can be helpful and build others up?

Do we think about the things that we say that are hurtful? Perhaps we should ‘think’ BEFORE we have to ‘say’!

If we are constantly TELLING others how they should live and not committing our own selves to a life of learning how to live for the Lord – we may never find the way for ourselves!

God intends that we straighten up our own lives and tongues…not someone else’s! God desires and teaches us that we must live out what the Bible says to do in Ephesians 4:29! We should take it personally and change the way we speak and use our speaking to be encouragement to others.

 Take a look at 2 Corinthians 12:20 “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.

What do you notice about this verse? Do you notice that ‘dangerous words’ have to be associated with each of these acts? None of them can take place unless we are using our tongues to speak it!

Out of our mouths comes quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. Paul is saying here that when he gets there they may find that he is too harsh and they ‘talked’ about him instead of ‘doing’ what he said and then he may get there and find that they are not obeying the Lord! Paul knew people! He was willing to stand up though and speak to the Corinthians honestly and explain to them the Truth!

Are we looking for the Truth today? Are we willing to stand up for the Lord on the matter of ‘dangerous words’? Someone’s soul may depend on it!

Let’s look now at some ways that we can begin or continue to ‘TAME THE TONGUE’!

·        Using ‘Self Control’ ~ I have discovered in my life that this is a ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ and if I am not walking in step with the Spirit then it is hard for me to have self control. Self Control is a mature step in the building blocks of living out the Christian life! Galatians 5:22-25 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Notice here also that the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ is something that must be spoken out in your life. It is the outward motion of the Holy Spirit in us; moving us to be in accord with all people!

·        By ‘Purifying the Heart’ ~ If our heart is not on board with all the other functions of our body; then there is no way for the heart to be purified. Only the Lord can purify the heart. Matthew 12:34 “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”  Jesus is saying this! He alone knows our hearts! Jeremiah 17:9-10 Until we turn toward the Lord and ASK Him to forgive us for our sin and ask Him to teach us the way to live through a purified heart; to ask Him for self control – we can’t change. We can change the outward appearance; but God alone knows the heart and that is what we will be judged on! It is so important that we understand this concept! If we want to change the way we speak words; we have to change the way our heart functions!

·        Taking inventory of our ‘Character In Christ’ ~ Again, this is something that only you and God can do together. Matthew 15:18 “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.” Our character in Christ is built on the principles we begin to put in place after we become a believer! Have we been putting the principles in place? Are we molding our character after Christ? That is the desire of God – that we would attempt to live out a life lived for Jesus. The only way to do that is to surrender to the Lord on a daily basis…sometimes it has to happen more often than daily. This does NOT make us weak! It makes us build character in the One and ONLY! It keeps our hearts soft and our spirit in step with the Holy Spirit!

The idea is that in this life we would want to follow after Christ in such a way that His self control, purity of heart and character would show through us to lead others and to shine His light! When we are willing to do these things; God has a wonderful way of teaching us to stay away from ‘dangerous words’ that damage others, relationships and even drags us down by using them!

We start today taking ‘dangerous words’ out of our vocabulary by following these guidelines to an even closer walk with Christ! We will NEVER want to be the same again!

Explosion Ahead! LIFE Interrupted

“Victorious living is not an instant arrival – It is the pursuit of one victorious day at a time until we begin forming victorious habits in the Lord!” – Beth Moore ‘Praying God’s Word’

Interruptions in life are things that happen to cause us to question where we are in life. If our lives were 100% balanced there would be no need for a Savior! God NEVER intended our lives to be ‘flatlined’ to a point that we can’t feel our heart beat! The ‘interruption’ of the heartbeat in our body is how we KNOW we are alive.

The same is true in the Believer’s walk! The interruptions of life are an assurance that we are ALIVE and in desperate need of a Savior to help us every day!

Anything that occurs in our lives that upsets the balanced calm of life is indeed an interruption. Some examples of interruptions are:

Children                                                        Money Issues                      Illness

Fast Paced Life                    Distractions                                      Marriage

Work Issues                                                             Doubt that God is at work

God has a way of teaching us through the INTERRUPTIONS OF LIFE – lessons that we need to become the ‘Victorious Living Christian’ that He intends us to be. The truth is that we MUST choose Him over the interruptions!

So many Christians believe that God causes the problems of life and they turn away from Him. The opposite is what God’s Word teaches! God teaches that when we come up against the things that we don’t understand; the things that cause our calm life to be interrupted; that we will look past them to see Him and seek His help and guidance in this life! God gets the glory for that!

Some interruptions are large and others are small; but through them all our goal should be to stay focused on God and His ultimate plan for us! In Romans 8:28 the Bible says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This Bible truth is true in whatever ‘interruption’ you may be having right now! Our job is to believe the truth and see past it!

How do we overcome the interruptions of life? One victorious step at a time until we are living the ‘Victorious Life’ that we are intended to live! It does not happen overnight! It takes time and many interruptions for the believer to be able to have enough wisdom to see God on the other side of each interruption.

So many people let the interruptions of life take them down into defeat. The believer’s life should never end in defeat! God gives us EVERY opportunity to turn the interruption into a moment where we KNOW that God is working even though everything in the world says the opposite! This really is the key to living victoriously - Living the life that God intends!

We look at the interruption and find God in it. We don’t ‘try’ to find God; we don’t ‘figure out the circumstance’ and ‘think’ God is in it; We accept what has happened and FIND OUT THAT GOD is with us and let the interruption mold us for the Kingdom! God will ALWAYS use these interruptions to help others find Him!

Here are four ways to understand that God IS with us in the interruptions of life:

©     Discipline in obedience ~ God desires that we learn from the interruptions of life! James 1:2-6

©     Direction in victorious living ~ God WANTS us to understand that interruptions are vital in order to grow our perseverance in this world – to see the direction God is taking us! James 1:12

©     Deciding to follow Jesus ~ We have to clean up our act and DECIDE to follow Jesus! God wants us to be obedient to Him and use our interruptions for more than just listening purposes. James 1:19-22

©     Devotion leads to VICTORY! ~ Really living in victory in this life is a win-win situation for the believer! Not only do we get a crown of life in Heaven; but we will lead others to live in victory also! James 1:25

God’s intent for the believer’s life is that we will see EVERYTHING that happens to us or is in our lives as something that can mold us and make us into an active, motivated, VICTORIOUS believer in Christ!

There is nothing that can happen to us in this life that should keep us from believing in the ONE who gave His life for us. All these things that happen to us in life called ‘INTERRUPTIONS’ are only moments in time that we can use to capture the very essence of the Lord! We have to be able to look past the pain, past the inconvenience, past the problems of the moment and see the bigger picture.

We are so focused sometimes that we forget what the bigger picture really is! Spend some time this week looking at what is going on in your own life that God could be using as an ‘interruption’ so that you can see Him at work in you!

Explosion Ahead! When There Is Nothing Left But Love

I Peter 4:8 – “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Sometimes when explosions happen in our lives we are left with the unexplainable and nowhere to turn – except to God!

Not everything in life that happens has a reason we understand, an answer or an explanation. God intends it that way. To believers who have lived through the storms of life and come out on the other side, this is true! (Deuteronomy 29:29)

The Bible is so clear on this point. However, sometimes we are so lost in the pain of the situation that we cannot see beyond the moment to the Hand of God at work in our lives and sometimes we don’t get to see it this side of eternity.

Faith or belief is the only WAY to make sense of a situation that does not make sense! When was the last time you encountered this in your life? Did you find yourself depending and holding on to God BECAUSE you did not understand and could not explain or did you find yourself being swept away – barely able to keep your head above water – not knowing which way to turn? Did confusion set in and you developed a sense of being overwhelmed -  not being able to breathe?

The Bible says to ‘fix it in your mind’ (Deuteronomy 11: 18-21) that you will obey and love the Lord – or in other words to settle it ahead of time; so that when the storms come you are prepared and CAN handle the situation with God’s help!

The ‘Explosion’ happens when we haven’t already made up our minds to look past the storm to the Lord and something blows up in our lives. In that moment our breath is taken away and we don’t know what to do!

God leaves the ‘choice’ of how we handle a situation up to us. He waits for us, never leaving us – so that we are seeking Him AND that is where the victory is! This is where the LIFE is!

Jesus came that we might have life. John 10:9-10  “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

The contrast in this verse is that if we have not chosen Jesus and are actively obeying Him; that leaves room for Satan to come in and ‘steal, kill and destroy’ US. That is the objective of Satan. He wants to destroy us and if we are not prepared ahead of time – he can and DOES knock the breath out of us at every turn!

Every one of us has had a moment in time when the unthinkable has happened to us! We think no one else has ever had it this bad or gone through this thing like we have gone through it and yet the Bible is filled with stories of those who have had the unthinkable happen to them!

Paul says that we should read the Old Testament and see that people went through terrible things and they are written for our example!  Often we forget about the great stories in the Bible where things happened to ordinary people and God turned them around and used them for extraordinary reasons!

He is STILL DOING THAT TODAY! He has not changed! God can and will use your life and my life in one way or another to bring someone else to Him!

Here are some stories about Bible figures:

Moses and Personal Defeat

Consider Moses. He failed, yet recovered and went on to magnificent ministry. He murdered the Egyptian, covered up the crime, was discovered, and fled for his life. Moses was rejected, dejected, and resigned to 40 years in the desert herding sheep (Exodus 2:11-22). And yet God used him in a mighty way! Why? Because Moses chose to believe God and even though Moses had the unthinkable happen in his life – he chose to love God! It was when there was nothing left in him that he saw the love of God!

Abraham and Personal Defeat

Abraham, to save his neck, lied and passed off his wife, Sarah, as his sister to Abimelech, the king of Gerar (Genesis 20:1-18). His deceit was discovered. He was humiliated in front of the world. Even though the unthinkable had happened to Abraham – he was completely humiliated by what he had done – he saw the love of God!

David and Personal Defeat

David’s story gives hope to all in Christians who sin. He was guilty of adultery, cover up, and murder. He seduced Uriah’s wife, got Bathsheba pregnant, tried to cover the affair, couldn’t, then conspired to have Uriah murdered (2 Samuel 11:1-27). Although David did the unthinkable, he repented, his heart went back to God, and he maintained his position. Because of his experience, David was able to write the Psalms which have brought comfort to billions over the centuries. When everything in David’s life failed; He loved God!

You and Personal Defeat

What has happened to you in your life that has caused you to fall and think that God could not possibly hear, love or care what has happened to you? Are you seeing the love of God or are you looking at your situation as unthinkable, impossible, or unexplainable? Just like these Bible examples; God is not leaving you or changing or moving! When everything falls apart; there is the LOVE OF GOD! In fact; sometimes there is ‘nothing left but the love’. It is what we do with that information that is life changing.

The common thread of God is the Love! John 3:16 says it so beautifully! “For God so loved the world, that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The things that do not defeat us make us stronger! Life is not supposed to defeat us. God gives us life so that we can become stronger in Him. THAT is the plan. There is no evil plot against us in life.

When the unthinkable, unexplainable, undesirable thing happens in our life; God desires that we see it through eyes of love. That our relationship with Him is so strong that we believe Him even though everything in the situation says the opposite. (Psalm 47:1-2) “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. For the LORD Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.”

Perhaps the person standing in the middle of the thing needs to see your love! God will use that very light of love to bring the other person to Him! Are we a witness for the LORD when there is nothing left but love?

People feed off of reaction. What if our REACTION was one of love? It won’t make the situation any easier but it does solve the ‘why’ and you are able to move past it!

Sometimes life is uncomfortable and unexplainable! It is okay. God is in control and the LOVE will be the thing that brings the victory to us – ONLY the LOVE of God can do that!

The Bible uses the word ‘believe’ 289 times and the word ‘love’ 686 times. ALL of them refer to the believer who is seeking God!

Psalm 31:7 “I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.”

Romans 8:28-39 shows such a picture of love for those who believe God!

Be encouraged today in the love of God! Even when we can’t understand – continue to believe and be strengthened by the love that God extends to us!

When the explosion happens in your life – BELIEVE God and the LOVE that He pours out! Look past the explosion to see it! When there is ‘Nothing Left But Love’ you KNOW that God has given you the victory in the unthinkable, impossible, unexplainable situation!

Explosion Ahead! What If I Fail Even Though I Am A Christian?

All of us have moments when we make the wrong decisions; do the wrong thing; follow a choice that leads to sin.

It is what we do when we discover that we have done wrong that counts with the Lord. He already KNOWS we are not perfect! It is no surprise to God. That is why He had His Son, Jesus Christ, come and live a perfect life, die and rise again. God had that happen so that we could understand that we can ALWAYS be restored to what has been lost because of the obedience of Jesus Christ. (Romans 4:7-8)

“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

Our depth of belief is vital when we get in a predicament that can and often does cause us to fall into sin. NO ONE IS EXEMPT FROM FALLING INTO SIN!

A Relationship with the Lord is key in our lives because that FAITH in Jesus that He WILL help us and free us from these situations, is what keeps us on track!

The Bible says that ‘Abraham BELIEVED God and it was credited to him as righteousness’. What this means is that when Abraham was against the wall he chose God and his faith carried him through in the tough times.

When we are against the wall in a situation are we believing God or are we willing to go through the situation without God?

The blessing comes through believing that God will make a way through the tough situation and our FAITH will be increased by believing He will! Once our faith is increased it makes it easier the next time we are in a situation to say, ‘I am BELIEVING GOD’.

What happens when we fall is that we don’t believe God and we do not choose Him. This usually brings on a whole set of circumstances that could have been avoided.

Many, many people get here in their lives and once they have fallen; think that God isn’t with them anymore and their path doesn’t include God any more. The shame of the situation keeps them from seeking God and they just continue to spiral downward.

The truth is that God has never moved! Once we become a believer God says that He will never leave us or forsake us. He stays right by us waiting for us to choose Him and return to Him and believe Him again. All we have to do is ask forgiveness for sin and turn our life back toward Him. He then begins to teach us all over again how to love Him.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

To the one who makes the wrong choice and falls into sin; this is what God says in Deuteronomy 32:10-12 “In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with Him.”

Our wounded souls that are tired and weary from sin are only a heartbeat away from God. All we have to do is realize it and turn to Him. He is NOT LEAVING US! In the passage above it says that we are the ‘apple of God’s eye’! God has a never ending love for His own.

God DOES CARE and is waiting for us to return to Him when we fall. There is freedom there and when our faith is built on turning toward the Lord it should be strengthened! Is your faith being strengthened today?

Galatians 5:1 says “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

When we finally taste the freedom of Christ; we should develop a hunger for Him that keeps on the right path and these moments when we fall become fewer and fewer. This all hangs on an alive relationship with Jesus that develops every single day!

Just like with lifting weights or running we become stronger and stronger the more we do it! A relationship with the Lord only works if we are practicing it every single day; sometimes day by day; and sometimes it has to be moment by moment!

Explosions happen when we refuse to turn to the Lord. Satan begins to tell us that we don’t matter to God. He uses our minds to help defeat our heart.

Some of the ways Satan tries to keep us from God and what God says:

©       Does God care? How many times have we asked ourselves this question? God does care for us. In fact He cared enough to send His Son, Jesus Christ to die for us and make a way for us to be with Him forever! God does care for us! We are the ‘apple of His eye’.

©       Is God listening to me? Does He hear me? YES! In 2 Samuel 22:7 “In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came to His ears.”

©       I am worthless and fail continually! No man has the ability to tell us we are worthless! Only God knows our hearts! Jeremiah 17:9-10 says “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind to reward a man according to his conduct.” Satan plants the thought we are worthless in our minds to defeat us. God knows our heart and wants to lead us to Him!

©       It is too late for me to love God. It is NEVER too late to love God and turn toward Him! He is always waiting and loving us. His GRACE is poured out to all mankind. We have to choose Him! Isaiah 40:28-31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” It is never too late to turn to God!

©       I have done terrible things! God can’t pick me up when I fall. God died for us because He loved us so much! NOTHING we could ever do will change that. The sad part will be those who heard but could not believe. We have EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE! Start today believing that God loves you and will ALWAYS be there for you.

There is no situation that we could ever fall into that will keep us from Jesus. All it takes is the power in us to acknowledge our sin and turn toward the Lord and ask forgiveness! God wants us to come home to Him today. Don’t wait to enrich your relationship with the Lord!

Falling doesn’t keep God from us; not believing Him and choosing Him is what keeps us from Him. The Bible says that if we humble ourselves and seek Him and turn from our wicked ways He will hear us.