Hated For The LIGHT

I felt I needed to break my long silence. I've dropped off of the blogosphere for a while now and haven't really gotten the chance to write down the lessons that the good Lord is allowing me to see.

Tonight is going to be different because I strongly believe it is time for me to get back to writing. I've been hiding in the dark for a long time now and I don't like it. It made me feel sick that I've only placed the Light of Christ in the cupboard of my life this past year.

I haven't finished my series on Mary as the mother of God, but I will have to do that some other day. Tonight, I am compelled to write about the way the world deals with the Light of Christ that is in every redeemed believer.

The Bible tells us in John chapter 3 verses 19-21 the following:

"19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." 

When God sent His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, He brought LIGHT into this dark and fallen world. That light paves the way to the narrow path that leads to life everlasting. However, we know clearly that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 8:28) and this is why the world LOVED DARKNESS rather than light. The world's deeds are evil and the Light of Christ exposes just that.

One of the lingering questions I have from some of my Christian sisters is the question why a certain person in their life continues to hate them no matter what they do. It doesn't really matter if they show grace for every moment, or try to live peaceful lives, there are certain people in their lives that writhe at the idea of having them around! It's quite disturbing even in some of their marriages where the husband is a professing christian and remains just that--"professing."

It's never easy for a bible-believing, God-fearing woman to live with a man who isn't really saved, and continually finds fault in her. I've seen my female Christian friends brokenhearted for YEARS because of the fact that their husbands act more like an enemy than a spouse.

It's the way the world acts around believers. Just as Jesus Christ explained that the world WILL hate His followers, you see those who are of the world feel all the anger and turbulent emotions inside that are simply bitterness and hatred toward Christians. Why such hostility? Because, the Light of Christ could actually HURT them. 


Have you ever noticed that when you stay inside a very dark room and your eyes have accommodated to the darkness long enough that when someone flicks a bright light ON it will make you quickly squint? It's because the brightness will hurt our eyes once we are too accustomed to the dark.

When direct or reflected light, like sunlight reflecting off of snow, gets to a certain intensity (4,000lumens or so), our eyes cannot absorb all of the light. We squint because the glare causes actual discomfort!

That's basically what happens in the spiritual realm when the Light of Christ shines brightly from the life of a believer. Those who belong to the darkness of this world, who are very accustomed to the ways of darkness and sin, will find the brightness of Christ offensive. They simply love darkness and will hate you for bringing the light of Christ with you!

Every sin is usually done in darkness... done in hiding, and the world loves it that way. John chapter 3 tells us that those who love sin REFUSE to come to the Light! They simply refuse to get themselves accustomed to brightness and they refuse to learn to LOVE the Light. 

That, dear friends, simply amazes me, because by nature we are all sinners and love every dark nook and cranny of this world. We love sin and we hate the light and could NEVER naturally come to that Light by our own will. It is but the GRACE of God that one gets drawn to that Light of Christ.

I love how verse 21 of John chapter 3 said that those that "doeth truth cometh to the light." "DOETH" in this particular verse is ποιέω (poieō) which means to perform, to do, to act. And "TRUTH" is ἀλήθεια (alētheia) which means what is true in any matter of consideration. This same word matches that of the Truth spoken of by Jesus in John 17:17 when He prayed to the Father...

"Santify them through thy TRUTH: THY WORD IS TRUTH."

 When Jesus prayed this prayer for His disciples and the rest of the people who will come to Trust His Name for salvation, He was asking the Father to set apart a people using God's Word which He himself established as (the) Truth. It is that which is TRUE in ANY MATTER OF CONSIDERATION!

Those in darkness who will receive the Grace of God will eventually be set apart from the rest of the world of darkness. Only then can one person learn to love the Light of Christ Jesus. Only then will His light become MAGNIFICENT instead of appalling. 

One thing that is clear to me, though, is the fact that God has made available the TOOL for anyone to find that Grace. That tool is God's WORD which is the ultimate source of Truth in this life. 

Anyone in the dark who will open up God's Word and soak upon it WILL FIND THAT GRACE THAT WILL LEAD THEM FROM DARKNESS TO CHRIST'S LIGHT!

Anyone who does not love God's Word will find Christ's light in every believer disturbing. They will squint, they will squirm, they will complain because they do to want to be subjected to that brightness. 

Got someone you know who loves the darkness and finds Christ's light in you offensive? Pray for them and share God's Word. It is only through that tool that a mind that loves darkness be cleansed and renewed to move toward the Light the shines on the narrow path that leads to eternal life.

Be encouraged, beloved! God bless your journey with strength and perseverance for His glory!

Who Is Your Teacher?

I have recently come to a point in life where the Word of God is again magnified much more than I had allowed it to be in my personal Christian walk. So much of my Christianity and the doctrines of faith that I have come to uphold were taught of me by preachers and bible teachers who I was given the privilege to sit under their teachings.

I always thank the Lord for the bulk of godly men who are preaching from the Word and are preaching the true biblical gospel message of Christ. They all were used by God greatly to help me mature in my walk. 

However, there was one truth that I had overlooked all these years that I've been professing to be a follower of Christ. I have not taken heed of the admonition of the apostles Paul and John to test everything against Scripture and to search Scripture to see if these things taught to me were really so.

All the years that I lived my Christian life, I've never come to a daily practice of TESTING everything against the Word of God. I've been accustomed to sit under a preaching and take things hook, line and sinker! I was always confidently convinced that unless it was really an obviously false gospel (like the one coming from a Word of Faith teacher or a Prosperity Gospel preacher), the teachings of most pastors will always bring an uncorrupted message. 

The gospel message is the most critical message a person should get unadulterated! I strongly believe now that it is for one's GENUINE salvation that one should HEAR from the Truth in God's Word in order to have faith on the Grace that is freely given to us through Christ Jesus. The journey with the Lord begins with this crucial message of Hope. But not all of Christianity today preach about the TRUE message of the gospel. 

Having been exposed to Christianity through an evangelical community in the past, my mind has always been made up that those who pray the sinner's prayer attained the Grace and salvation that is in Christ. It wasn't until God was maturing me in my walk with Him that He showed me the errors of that practice, and I came to realize that it was opposed to what the Word of God calls sinners to do--to repentance. I had a false profession in the past but God led me from that erroneous path into the path of Truth in Repentance.

Majority of western Christianity today has accepted this easy belief system where a person can say a sinner's prayer during a pastor's altar call and will then be welcomed into the "family of God." There was no call to repentance, to turning away from sin, to counting the cost of following Christ! Everything was fire insurance... trying to make you believe that one is going to heaven because one has uttered the prayer and that nothing can ever separate the person from God's love now that he/she is "saved"... not considering the fact that so many professing Christians today show NO SIGN of regeneration at all!!! So many STILL love this world that God has supposedly taken them out of!

Yet, it wasn't just the easy altar call... it wasn't just the Sinner's prayer that God brought me to see the error. Time after time God brings me to a point in my life when He magnifies His Word so much that I can't help but see the error in whatever counterfeit or erroneous "christian" belief I've held on to. 

Lately, He's done it again. God has challenged the view of end-time events that I've always been taught and I've always accepted to be true. It is a pivotal moment because the change of view that He's allowed me to have led me to truly COUNT THE COST of following the Lord Jesus! It has allowed me to have my profession of faith in check, as well as keep me standing strong in the Faith with which I have.

Let me share this passage in Scripture...

26These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:26-27, KJB)

God has clearly said in His Word that we have this anointing in us that teaches us ALL things and IS TRUTH, and is no lie. Every true believer and follower of Christ receives the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon his/her salvation which leads one into all truths. We are sealed by His Spirit and this anointing is what will TEACH US of all things. God said that in the new covenant HE will teach us His precepts... and that we will no longer have the need for another man to teach us because GOD will be our teacher!

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)

Oh, how we've neglected this Word from the Lord today! So many out there... and God's Word calls them "seducers"... are out to convince you that you STILL need someone to teach you about things and that you STILL need to have someone help you to understand the bigger picture! Many in Christianity today are TOTALLY DEPENDENT on the teachings of another mortal being! 

We have become a people that so easily and eagerly follow whatever teacher that would present themselves to be WISE and REALLY KNOWLEDGEABLE of the things written down in God's Word. Many today simply open their Bibles on Sundays during the reading of God's Word for that day and for the rest of the week leave the Holy Writ to gather dust at one corner in the house!

HOW can GOD teach us if we never even bother to SIT DOWN BEFORE HIM AND LEARN FROM HIS TRUTH IN HIS WORD? We have been listening to SEDUCERS all this time and have taken all of their teachings hook, line and sinker!!!

I would encourage everyone to sit down and spend time studying Scripture. I would encourage us to RETURN TO THE TRUTH IN GOD'S WORD AND LEARN FROM HIM and not from somebody else. These are critical times we are living in and Jesus warns of a great "falling away" of many. He spoke of the love of many growing cold and brethren betraying one another because of becoming OFFENDED.

I will soon post about my change of view on End-time events and I pray that you will sit with the King himself and allow the anointing in you to teach you of all things. HE WILL TEACH YOU IF YOU LET HIM. HE WILL SHOW YOU IF YOU WILL NOT COME FILLED BY THE TEACHINGS OF SEDUCING SPIRITS. He will teach you into ALL TRUTH!

Heart Talk: A Seeking Heart

Seeker-friendly

We're all too familiar with that passage in Matthew 7:7 where Jesus encourages us to ask and we shall receive, knock and it shall be opened and SEEK and we shall find.

Many people today are believed to be "seekers" of the things of God. But in reality, not many "seeking" people are really after the genuine TRUTH of God. In fact, big (yet superficial) churches today are labeled to be "seeker-friendly" or "seeker-sensitive" just because they try to cater to whatever worldly and carnal pleasures many people want to have in a church. These churches make sure that their image is "cool" for the current trend of the time. Disco lights, coffee shops, shorter sermons, a more casual atmosphere and things as such are just some of the many requirements that a "seeker" of today might want to have met in a church setting.

But what is it really that God wants a "SEEKER" to do? Is it enough for one to want to be in a so-called church community that isn't too intimidating, that allows one to still enjoy the simple pleasures of this world and to go along with the flow? What was the kind of seeking that God really meant when HE talked about seeking in the Bible? Surely, it is not about those who seek the comforts and pleasures of this world in the pot of so-called modern Christianity. 

God is looking for a different kind of seeking heart...

Seek and you shall find...

The word "seek" is considered a transitive verb. Transitive verbs are action words that REQUIRE AN OBJECT. If used alone, one can be left wondering what comes next for the action word. For example, "give". You must have an object to come after the action word "give" in order to have a sentence that makes sense... in order for that action verb to make sense! Give what? Give __(you fill in the blank)___.

SEEKING is the same. As a transitive verb, it needs an object to make full sense of this action verb. SEEK WHAT? 

You might find it interesting that when you study on the word "seek" using a Bible concordance, you'll find that it comes up with a whole LOT of verses that admonish you to SEEK THE LORD.

God's Word is rich in scriptural encouragement, admonition and challenge for all of us to SEEK THE LORD and all His Glory! It is the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY that we should seek. The object of our seeking has to be THE LORD GOD ON HIGH! 

It is interesting to know that both in the Hebrew root word and the English (Merriam-Webster) present day definition, to "seek" literally means to resort to! 

Do you know that when we "resort to" someone or something, we are actually frequenting, going to, habitually visiting one that affords aid or refuge?!

No wonder the Word of God tells us to SEEK THE LORD! If we truly OBEY that passage in Scripture, we are actually going to frequently, habitually GO TO THE LORD for refuge because HE IS ABLE TO AFFORD AID & REFUGE!

Those who are true "seekers" are looking for refuge and aid. But come to think of it, we ALL NEED refuge and aid because we ALL have sinned (Romans 3:23) and we all are destined for eternal damnation (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:27). We ALL are BROKEN & UNDONE because of mankind's fall in the garden of Eden. We ALL NEED something that could help our brokenness and aid us into complete healing and deliverance of whatever bondage we are in!

However, people who come to a church community looking for things like the kind of lights and music they should have during worship, or the length (or the lack thereof) of their sermon time, or a coffee shop and an internet cafe and many other "services" and "ministries" a church can possibly offer to people, have got it ALL WRONG just because the object of their seeking isn't really GOD--the One who affords aid or refuge. 

They come to church NOT because they're seeking after God, His Truth and the things of God, but because they're seeking to meet the needs of their flesh and carnal minds for superficial comfort and relaxation on a Sunday morning. Or, they are running after the comfort and sufficiency of one's own religious efforts, which they then consider a "spiritual" experience and some "spiritual" points for heaven because they've gone to so-called "Church" for that day and have done their duty.

Listen, beloved... ARE WE REALLY SEEKING AFTER GOD & HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS?

"Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; 

seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger." (Zephaniah 2:3, KJB)

TRUTH for a seeking heart

God speaks to us through His Word. Hebrews 1:1-2 clearly states that:

1"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;"

Remember, that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word WAS GOD (John 1:1). And this Word BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US (John 1:14). And all Scripture testifies about HIM and all of Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for everything we need to grow spiritually and everything we need to KNOW & FIND GOD (2 Timothy 3:16)!

If God's Word is the available source of His Truth for us today (John 17:17 says so) THEN IT IS A MUST FOR US TO STUDY AND READ FROM THE BIBLE FREQUENTLY, and HABITUALLY in order for us to FIND GOD and be afforded HIS aid and refuge!

If we are TRULY SEEKING AFTER GOD, we will be DRAWN TO HIS WORD and will be DRAWN TO OBEY HIS WORD! 

You see, many of us THINK we are seeking after God but we're really just going around looking for others to agree with our preconceived ideas. We aren't really completely willing to LISTEN TO GOD'S TRUTH and OBEY & ABIDE BY GOD's WORD! 

We may THINK we are seeking God, but it is NOT UNTIL WE TRULY SEEK HIM WITH ALL OUR HEARTS that we will be WILLING ENOUGH TO HABITUALLY READ HIS WORD, SUBMIT TO HIS WORD & YIELD TO HIS WAYS.

Listen, beloved. God said...

"11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

12Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, 

and I will hearken unto you. 

13And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. " 

(Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Are YOU READY to truly SEEK THE LORD, beloved? Are YOU really ready to LISTEN TO HIS WORD? Are YOU completely WILLING to abide by HIS WORD? 

The Proud and the Humble at Heart

Pride of Self

Pride is perhaps the most important issue that all of us should overcome in this life. The Bible tells us that God opposes the proud (James 4:6)! So, we must understand that there is something we need to do with the pride in our hearts in order to be right with God.

Pride is defined by Bing.com as the feeling of superiority and the satisfaction with self. We have to understand that this definition is TRUE for what every person has in his and her heart. No matter how much we try to deny it or sugar coat it, Pride is something that is a part of the human nature.

Most people would probably deny that they have any pride in their hearts because most of us view being PROUD as an act of "boasting." However, if we look at the above definition of the word "Pride," we ought to realize that it doesn't necessarily mean the act of "boasting" as boasting is to speak with excessive pride.

The mere act of being satisfied with ourselves is Pride itself! The idea that we are satisfied with where we are in life right now and what we have done so far is quite a dangerous thing to have. Being satisfied with the life we have here and now, without thinking of eternal consequences is a dangerous thing. Being satisfied with our efforts at religiosity and piety is a very dangerous thing to have in this life as this satisfaction leads us away from realizing our great NEED for Christ. And the very fact that we are satisfied with our SELF and NOT with CHRIST, is a grave danger for our soul.

Pride before the fall

The Bible talks a LOT about the proud. There isn't anything good that comes with it. Every verse in Scripture that points out Pride is pretty much telling us that it leads to destruction in the end.

"A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit." (Proverbs 29:23, KJV)

"The pride of your heart has deceived you..." (Obadiah 1:3)

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." 

(Proverbs 16:18)

Pride leads to nothing but destruction. How so? Because pride deceives us into believing the lie of SELF-SUFFICIENCY. 

Pride allows us to believe in OUR abilities, in OUR good works, in OUR religiosity, in OUR achievements and in the power of SELF. Pride blinds us from the truth of our depravity and the truth of our great need for a Savior. Pride also hinders us from actively seeking Christ because anything we do that shows our acknowledging Christ's superiority will be a sign of inferiority--the exact opposite of the mind setting of the Proud.

God is opposed to the proud because it denies the Grace that He so freely gave through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. God is opposed to the proud because it denies the TRUTH found in His Word that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He is opposed to the proud because it denies that JESUS CHRIST is the ONLY Way, Truth and Life any person can have in this life. 

Destruction awaits the proud of heart because the Bible tells us that the wages of our sin is DEATH. This death is not just the physical death we all are destined to face, but also the spiritual death that sends a soul into eternal torment in the lake of fire, separated from the Grace and Holiness of God.

Many today would rather cling to the pride of life rather than humble themselves before the throne of Grace. Why? Because the proud harbors the fear of man in their hearts. 

Contrary to the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, the fear of Man brings a snare to one's life (Prov. 29:25). It allows one to cling tightly to the idea of superiority and self-satisfaction which gives one the fear of rejection by other people. It breeds the fear of ridicule from others who are also self-sufficiently proud. 

The mind-set of the proud makes him or her think about other people's opinions more than what the Truth in the Word of God says. 

"What will others say about me?" 

"What will they think of me if I follow Christ?" 

These are the constant thoughts of those chained down by Pride.

The proud has the world revolving around THEM. They would always have the world for their audience and refuse to SUBMIT to the most important audience of ONE who is before the throne. Many would rather cling to what family, friends and society would dictate today, rather than HEED what the Word of God says.

Humility & Healing

The human nature is broken. It is in our carnality that sin abounds and death reigns. But there is healing available for those who are WILLING to accept the cure in CHRIST JESUS. He himself said, "Ye MUST be born again."

Humility takes A LOT of courage. It takes a LOT of courage to be humble enough to accept the fact that we are LOST and UTTERLY DEPRAVED apart from the Grace of God in Christ Jesus. Humility calls for courage to run AGAINST the flow. Humility calls for the courage to stand up when everyone else remains seated. Humility calls for the courage to come forward FOR CHRIST, when the rest of the world mock and scoff at the sideline. 

The woman in Mark chapter 5 who suffered from a bleeding disorder for years laid down her defenses and touched the hem of Jesus' clothes just so she can be healed. When Jesus asked who touched Him, she mustered all the courage to come forward from amidst the crowd and fell down before Him. She became the center of attention, but it didn't matter to her. She could become the subject of mockery and scoffing for as a woman she was NOT supposed to touch Jesus in the first place, but she risked all that knowing that HEALING can only come from CHRIST.

HUMILITY brings us to the throne of Grace... to that point in time when we accept our depravity apart from Christ. Humility brings us to that place of obedience where we submit ourselves to the FULL Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Is Pride keeping you from running to the throne of Christ's Grace today? Is Pride deceiving you greatly into thinking you can work your own salvation? Is Pride deceiving you into believing the lies that God's Word cannot be the absolute Truth?

Humble yourselves before the LORD JESUS, beloved... this is the way that God accepts...

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 51:17, KJV)

He does not oppose the humble at heart, but rather gives them the Grace they need for the moment. Are you afraid to come to Christ because of what others might say? Are you afraid to come forward during a church fellowship to acknowledge your need for Christ because of what you think others may think? Destroy that Pride in your heart, dear one... before it destroys you in the end.

:) Here's a bumper sticker to remind us all that...

Joy to the World: A Savior was Given

An evil, lost and dying world

It doesn't take a scientist to see what kind of world we all live in. There's too much evil around us that it can't be denied there is something wrong with all of us. We always get in each other's way and there seems to always be evil thoughts in a man's heart.

Tragedy strikes humanity every so often and today was not an exemption. The massacre of 27 people, 18 of which are small children in Sandy Hook Elementary School of Newtown, Connecticut, leaves us bewildered of the evil that is among us. How can a person be so heartless? How can a person be so cruel? So depraved? 

Oftentimes, we look at tragic situations like this and condemn the acts of violence that lead to the loss of precious lives. Yet, we fail greatly to acknowledge that every single day, humanity showcases this heartlessness and cruelty and depravity in many other tragic areas. 

This same depravity rules in the lives of those who perform abortions; those who wreck havoc in families through divorce; those who disrespect another's heart by lusting and fornicating with them; those who abuse themselves with substances; those who gossip and destroy others by words; those who abuse others physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually; those who lie and cheat their way to the top; those who selfishly indulge their greed with unnecessary shopping sprees while others in the world starve to death; and the list can go on and on. 

These are realities that we deliberately ignore, as if they are not a problem to our society. This is our DEPRAVITY. We have all been living in this delusion of grandeur where we think of ourselves highly as we look down on those labeled as "criminals." We have this distorted reality of sin which makes us think there are lesser and/or greater degrees of sin in this life.

Our problem lies in the grass-root level of it all... and that is our sinful, carnal way of life. The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV) that:

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Our hearts are DESPERATELY WICKED! 

The word desperate is defined as extreme, awful, and beyond hope! That defines our REALITY. God's Word speaks a great amount of Truth in Romans 3:10 when it tells us that, "THERE IS NONE righteous. No, NOT ONE!" God could not find a single heart, a single individual, a single human being who isn't depraved! 

ALL OF US, in the eyes of the Holy God, are sinners and as we live with hearts that are desperately wicked, there isn't really anything in us that seeks after God. How amazingly accurate God's Word describe humanity to be. His word saith in Romans chapter 3:

10As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; 

there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

13Their throat is an open sepulchre; 

with their tongues they have used deceit; 

the poison of asps is under their lips:

14Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17And the way of peace have they not known:

18There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Isn't this the reality of humanity? There is NO FEAR OF GOD before our eyes. We all have the audacity to live our lives in our own way, thinking that our way is right! We come up with depraved thoughts to try to convince ourselves that our choices lead to life. Oh, but God's Word just couldn't stop EXPOSING THE REAL DEAL with us!

"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, 

but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 16:25)

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)

"All we like sheep have gone astray; 

we have turned every one to his own way..." (Isaiah 53:6)

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; 

and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)

Still think you are a "good" person? We won't even come close to PASSING the test if God's Law (the 10 commandments) are used to test us. Have we lied? Have we stolen anything (no matter how small it was)? Have we looked at another with lust? (That's the same as adultery in God's standard!) Have we dishonored our parents by disobeying them? Where do we stand when God uses HIS laws to see if we really can be considered "GOOD" in His eyes?

Reality is, WE DON'T STAND A CHANCE! God is a Holy God and He doesn't fool around like we do. When He demands holiness and righteousness, it is the perfect holiness and righteousness that is of Him! Unfortunately for us, there isn't anything we could ever do to attain THAT! No amount of religious practices, or practical prayers, or mystical experiences could wash us clean from the filth of our sins! No degree of piety nor amount of penance could clear our record before God. Remember Isaiah 64:6? Our righteousness are as FILTHY RAGS!!! We are enslaved to our sins and chained to death! What else can we do? Where do we go?

We need something else other than ourselves! 

We need... a Savior...

Joy to the World: A Savior was given

It is critical for each one of us to understand AND accept our depravity. This depravity places us in a tight situation with God because our depravity calls for His righteous judgment to fall upon us. 

The Bible is clear that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). We deserve an end to this depraved, sinful life and that is death. We all became destined for an eternal separation with God in hell (the second death, Revelation 20:14), because none of our filth, unrighteousness and depravity can come near the holy throne of God in heaven!

Our verdict? GUILTY. Our case? HOPELESS... 

But not UNTIL...

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son..." (John 3:16)

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)

"And this is the witness, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5:11)

God's Word tells us that because He does not want any to perish but for all of us to come to repentace, He sent His only begotten Son to save us from our sins! His precious Son because the sin-offering that we drastically needed in order to be saved. His precious Son, Jesus Christ, died a sinner's death (though He did not sin) in order to rise from the dead and bring us into new life for eternity!

What MUST WE DO TO BE SAVED? Well, it should begin by acknowledging our NEED for a Savior. We cannot fully embrace the work of Jesus and the gift of salvation which He offers us UNTIL WE COME FACE TO FACE WITH OUR DEPRAVITY! 

JESUS finished the work of salvation! He completed what God had demanded as payment for our sins! 

"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4I have glorified thee on the earth:

I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." (John 17:1-4)

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: 

and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." (John 19:30)

When something is FINISHED, it means it is DONE and whatever work that is that needed to be finished, it is finally OVER. Jesus paid the FULL price for sin when He died on that cross. He took the punishment for sin, or the wage of sin which is death! BUT, because He is the only begotten Son of God, WHO IS GOD Himself, He was buried for 3 days and on the third day ROSE FROM THE DEAD because death could not hold Him!!! Hallelujah!!!

THAT is His promise of eternal life. All that we have to do is to TRUST HIM and TAKE HIS WORD FOR IT that He has paid the price in FULL! What does God's Word say?

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9)

Seems to be too simple, right? Unfortunately, though, that is the stumbling block of many people. So many want to give themselves that feeling of accomplishment and doing something for the sake of their own salvation so they get the "reward". 

The guilt of SIN in our lives is so heavy that many deceived hearts tend to want to do things ON THEIR OWN to really feel that they became good enough to appease God's righteous judgment. UNFORTUNATELY, though, GOD ONLY ACCEPTS THE ONE and ONLY WAY HE HIMSELF HAS GIVEN TO US! His only begotten Son died an undeserved death on the cross to save us from our sins and to save us from death... it's THE ONLY WAY. Jesus proclaimed that clearly! HE IS THE WAY...

This is why we need a good does of REALITY and a face to face session with our depravity and sin in order for us to realize WE NEED JESUS and WE CRITICALLY NEED WHAT HE ALONE HAD and CAN OFFER! Our sinfulness, filth and most of all our SELF-RELIANCE ought to bring us to our knees in Repentance to God as we grow that Godly sorrow that will plant the FEAR OF GOD in our lives!

Let's break it down to get to the bottom...

• CONFESS--meaning, "acknowledge something to be TRUE"...
• THE LORD--meaning, "one with considerable power and authority"...
• JESUS--meaning, "who saves us from our sins"...

We must BELIEVE and FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE that GOD'S ONLY BEGOTTEN SON indeed SAVES US FROM OUR SINS by His CONSIDERABLE POWER and AUTHORITY!

• BELIEVE--meaning, "to accept something as TRUE"
• THAT GOD--meaning, "the supreme, ultimate reality Being who is perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe."
• RAISED --meaning, "moved above"
• HIM --pertaining to JESUS CHRIST
• FROM THE DEAD --meaning, "from having lost life; Not having the capacity to live."

We MUST accept the FACT that God supplied His only begotten Son to powerfully save us from sin and death by MOVING FROM THE STATE OF HAVING LOST ETERNAL LIFE, to MOVING ABOVE THAT BY LIVING FOREVER!

My question is simple... Since JESUS FINISHED THE WORK OF SALVATION for mankind, 

do YOU really believe in HIM as the One who SAVES YOU from sin and death? Do you COMPLETELY ACCEPT THAT WHAT HE'S DONE BRINGS YOU ETERNAL LIFE? Do YOU really BELIEVE all THAT HE IS BEING THE ONLY WAY TO RECONCILE WITH GOD?

You must, beloved... for that is the ONLY TIME when you will achieve and understand the JOY that came when the Savior was given...