After God's Own Heart Ministries

After God's Own Heart Ministries

Our Mission: To reach the world for Christ through the medium of the internet and other social media.

These Are The Results

I had a vision. I was driving down the street and saw a woman walking around in her home with a broken spirit. She is smart, has all types of degrees, is a peak performer at her job and holds a top position. But, in her home when no one was around, she was torn and depressed. As she walked slowly throughout her home, head hung down, she looked back over her life.

Her history was traumatic. She had been sexually abused, exposed to a lot of trauma and severely mistreated at the hands of those she trusted. Being raised in the church, she had begun to trust the Lord but soon lost her connection with Him. She turned to alternative religions and paths that opposed the Christian faith in which she was raised. Desperate to escape her pain, she created a false image of herself. At work, she was skilled, confident, and personable, but when alone at home, she was defeated, depressed with thoughts of suicide. She was confronted with the reality of her tormented past, without any viable repost. The identity she was able to portray at work, was not sufficient to sustain her destroyed self-esteem at home.

These are the results of abuse, neglect, and fear.

You see, if the devil fears anything, it is the future you and what God has planned to do through you. The enemy wants to discourage and disrupt your progress towards being who God created you to be. So Satan sows seeds of self-doubt. Seeds that can be carried throughout and impact virtually every area of your life.

Without God’s help, many will surrender their true identity in order to cope with deep-seated pain. We will put on a mask to conceal old but still-painful wounds so that people may see a more beautiful, successful and powerful person —a person that we are unable to see for ourselves, but one that we desperately create in an attempt to fit in with society. We will turn away from what God says about us and become what the world says is more acceptable.

deception-john-rizzuto

But know this beloved: God is calling us out of all the self-made tombs that we have accepted for our lives. He’s calling us out of the darkness and the very painful chains that bind and distract us. He will show us what it means to live free in Him. He will give us a new identity and the confidence to live in it as He mends our broken hearts.

Psalm 34:18 NIV The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

We can stand against pleasing our flesh, the devil and this world’s agenda, by simply trusting in who God says we are.

James 4:17 NIV Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

To the Church: “These Are the Results”

In my frustration about what is happening in some churches and with its leaders, the Lord allowed me to see and understand that if we don’t recognize the results, then we won’t understand how to fight to be free of them. The results that I’m speaking of is when leadership lacks truth, love, and order, we create church members who are simply religious, without a true relationship with Christ. This often turns nonbelievers away who don’t care to participate in what they see as hypocrisy.

We have many great leaders among us, however, too many are more concerned about their image, church rosters and/or financial success. This leads to ineffective and powerless sermons and teachings that compromises the very power, strength and saving Grace of God’s Word.

All too often the body of Christ has come under attack because of those who use the house of God as just another social club to alleviate their loneliness and boredom. But the Word of God makes it clear the role of the Church Leaders.

Proverbs 27:23 NLT Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;

Jesus is calling for Christian leaders to follow Him and to speak the truth in love, without compromising it in order to avoid offending anyone. We are to put our trust in Him— not in numbers — and believe that He will provide everything that is needed. Leadership is responsible for teaching the truth as well as living it. As leaders, we have to be serious about God’s Kingdom business and not religious busy-ness.

1 Timothy 3:2 NIV 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.

Many church members have relinquished the responsibility of their relationship with the Lord and knowing His word, giving this work totally over to the church. This has resulted in fickleness, inadequate power, ineffectual prayer, and instability. Hebrews 10:25 encourages the gathering together of saints but that is not where it stops. Christians, we are to study daily as well as teach those in our care the word of God. No one can eat once a week and be sustained. As with Christians, we must continue to feast on the word of God every day. When we neglect to read and meditate on the word of God, this weakens our spirits and allows the flesh to take control.

Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV 16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.

We must be willing to look in the mirror and get real with ourselves. We have to allow God to penetrate those painful areas that we’ve attempted to hide and hold back. We need to understand that anything that we hold on to, is the very thing that the enemy will use to target and distract us. Obedience must become non-negotiable to us. Children of God, I encourage you to get to know God for yourselves. Pray for those in authority. Lift each other and live God’s truth before everyone.

Jesus is calling for nonbelievers to put their trust in Him alone and to yield their lives to Him based on His love and truth. He loves you so much that He died for you. I can agree that there are those in the church who seem to be living different lives from what they profess. There will be many who profess to know Him. This can be disappointing and discouraging but nevertheless, God’s word is still true.

Titus 1: 16 NIV 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

Also, please understand that there are many who aren’t playing with God but are simply struggling in different areas and could be in the process of change. Don’t run from God because of them. Run to Him because of Jesus. We are all in need of God’s strength to stand. I’m praying that you will come to know Him for yourselves.

Altar Call to Alter Your Path

These are the results, but it’s not the end. There is hope.

Do you desire the real thing? To no longer live a façade? Will you volunteer to shed your robe of comfort in exchange for pain — on purpose? Are you ready to be someone who no longer wants just a surface relationship, who runs to the throne of grace to surrender all to God?

My prayers are with you.

Your sister in Christ,

Bambi

dracy April 11, 2019 Leave A Comment Permalink

Get In The Bush

Genesis 22:13 (NIV) Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

How many of you know that Jesus didn’t save us just for ourselves? In other words, He wants to use you.

If we don’t get in the bush, we will stand by and WATCH Isaac die.

There was a story that God had given me to explain this to one of my children. It was about a new warden of a prison. He was strange to most because of how he operated. This warden wasn’t so concerned about the prisoners being locked up. His concern was more about how he could get them to be free.

The new warden made an announcement, that for one day between the hours of 12 noon and 4 p.m., he would open every cell door as he walked through the entire prison. He told them, that any prisoner who comes and gets behind him and follows him out of the prison will be set free and their records expunged. Many speculated if this could actually be real or just a test.

The day had arrived for this to happen and at noon all the doors opened and the warden began his walk. Many of the prisoners ran out and started fighting each other. Some started grabbing as much stuff as they could steal and ran back to their cell to hide it. A lot of the gangs took this opportunity to try to kill rival gangs. Out of 500 prisoners only 13 walked behind the warden.

Most of the prisoners never even left their cells. They were making fun of the ones walking with the warden telling them that this is just a set up, a joke, and that they were being tricked. One of the guys following the warden begged his friend to come out of his cell and come with them, but he shook his head and told him “he was a fool to believe this stuff.” Others spit at and threw things at the warden and the prisoners following him, calling them “sell outs.”

…3:58 p.m. had come and before you knew it, the warden and the followers neared the exit. At 3:59 p.m., all the guards were ordered to put any prisoners who hadn’t followed the warden back into their cells. When 4:00 p.m. came, as the followers began to exit the prison, a few prisoners yelled from their cells, “Wait! I didn’t think this was real. Please let me go too.” They desperately screamed, “Just walk through again and this time I promise I’ll follow you out.”

But the doors slammed shut.

The warden then looked at the prisoners who followed him out and told them, “Just as promised, you are all free and your records have been expunged. I just have one request from you.”

They all replied, “Anything man you name it. You just got us out of there, you just set us free.”

He said, “I know this is going to sound crazy…”

“Excuse me,” one of the freed prisoners interrupted the warden, so happy that he was free, and eagerly said, “Crazy, no sir. Ask anything, I’ll do it.” The warden continued: “I want you to go back in there and tell them the same thing I told you. That by my authority, the gates will be open for two hours this time and if they follow you to the exit door where I’ll be waiting, that they will also be free.”

Gratitude suddenly changed to fear. The gentleman who was previously so eager asked the warden was he crazy. They all started to gripe and complain. One said,  “I’m free now. I don’t want to go back in there.” Another said, “They had their chance, but they didn’t care so why should I.”  A few asked the warden, “Didn’t you see them killing each other in there? Don’t you care about what happens to us? Didn’t you hear them making fun of you? What makes you think that they will listen to us if they didn’t even believe you? They are going to reject us!”

The warden answered, “We have cameras and security. I will watching you the entire time. I know that they ignored and made fun of me but I still want them to be free. Yes, you will all be taking a huge risk by putting your life on the line. But think about it–it was the same thing I just did for you.”

Out of the 13 men only two stepped forward. One of the two men said, “How can I not go back? How can I not show others the way out? How can I not risk it all for those still imprisoned and for a warden who risked it all for me. How can I not!!”

Ezekiel 3:18  (NIV)  When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.

So many of us have been saved and set free, but we sit on the sidelines of fear, hide behind fear of rejection, fill our lives with programs, all in hopes that we look holy enough to cover up our disobedience.

Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh. He had his reasons and concerns.

Matthew 4:19 tells us: “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

WE are the sacrifice. WE are the ram in the bush, but most bushes are empty. The harvest is ripe but the labors are few. We don’t like the idea of being uncomfortable. The idea of being rejected has made us chameleons. Blending in with the crowd, changing with every conversation as the need to fit in grows far faster than the desire to stand out for God’s glory.

Some have even taken what God has said out of context.

Hebrews 10:25 tells us to come together to encourage each other while we continue to fish. But we get comfortable right there. We would rather fish each other because there is no risk in dealing with people who already agree with you.

Also, Jesus responded to those who questioned why he was spending time with those who were considered outsiders.

Mark 2:16-17 (NASB)  When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”  And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

You who are already “well,” stop fishing each other and get in the bush. I know it hurts, you keep getting pricked, and it’s so painfully uncomfortable at times. But ask yourself: Why are you living and for whom do you live?

We are quick to say, “Send me Lord I’ll go.” But when the assignment arrives we hesitate. We choose ourselves over God in our denial to be obedient to Him. We rationalize this decision to disobey by displaying our overflowing works (that we hand-picked, by the way), by believing that the assignment is just too difficult. We don’t want to fan the flames of disappointment in relationships. In other words, we don’t want to be disliked by anyone, even at the very price of their soul.

So we sit and watch numerous “Isaacs” die as we maintain our great image in the eyes of man. We watch our friends, loved ones, coworkers, and others that God brings across our path, perish and drift away into a darkness from which there is no return, because we refuse to get in the bush.

God has called you to a place of discomfort that will cause many to be saved and set free, but you must be willing to choose God over yourself. You must volunteer to serve God in the presence of pain and disappointment, while trusting that He will work everything together for your good and His glory.

Take your position child of God. Your assignment awaits you.

Isaac lived, because there was A RAM IN THE BUSH!

In Christ,

Bambi

dracy April 11, 2019 Leave A Comment Permalink

The Battle to be Free From FEAR

Fear. We all face it at some time or another in our lives. Somehow, somewhere, somewhen, we learn to be afraid. I don’t know exactly when this occurs, but I believe our first encounter with it is in our early childhood. As I think about my own life, I can remember being afraid of many things. Whether it was the dog down the street, the spider on my bedroom ceiling, or the late night “creature feature” shows on tv, I came face to face with fear in my life.

But before I get too far with this, let me share the definition of fear from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

Fear: noun
1a: an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger
2: anxious concern

Fear: verb (feared; fearing; fears)
1: to be afraid of: expect with alarm

Fear has many different names and as I mentioned earlier, comes in various forms. Fear also affects each of us in different ways. For example, fear causes some to become paralyze to a point they can’t do or say anything. For some, fear causes them to react violently to either protect themselves or others or vanquish whatever it is that has frightened them. For many, removing themselves from the object or environment or situation that causes them fear is of paramount importance or simply, the first priority. And still, there are others who receive a sense of exhilaration and stimulation when facing something they are afraid of.

The emotions and actions or reactions that fear often produces has been studied by many. One thing that I have experience in my battles with fear is that once it takes hold of your thoughts and emotions, it inevitably produces anxiety which produces stress which produces frustration, anger and/or apathy and depression. Which also leads to hopelessness and possibly, suicidal thoughts.

Unfortunately, when we allow fear to take us on this dark journey, we resort to various ineffective means to eradicate it from our lives. Some find false courage in illicit, ineffective substances, illegitimate relationships in others that we believe will make us safe and false doctrines/philosophies.

One of my favorite quotes regarding fear, comes from a movie in 2013 titled, After Earth. Where the actor Will Smith, playing a character named Cypher Raige, was telling his real-life son, Jaden Smith, who was playing his fictional son, Kitai, during one of many intense scenes, the following:

“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me danger is very real, but fear is a choice.”-Cypher Raige

Fear is a Choice

When we stop and really think about it, is there some validity behind this statement? Do we actually choose to be afraid? Is it in our power not to be afraid?

This line of questioning takes me to my foundation of truth, which is the Word of God. Here I find the very first introduction of fear into the life of mankind.

In Genesis 3:4-10 NLT 4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” 6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful, and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So, she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So, they hid from the LORD God among the trees. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

Here we find that due to the choice of Adam and Eve, not only did sin enter the lives of man, but fear came along with it.

The Spirit of Fear

I know, I know. We don’t like to talk about spirits. Even us Christians feel uncomfortable when this subject comes up. Whether its discussions about the Holy Spirit and His power and purpose in our lives. Or the Fruits of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). Or especially the “evil spirits”, for example: Matthew 8: 16 That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.

The Spirit Realm is simply something we tend to ignore or rationalize away because it’s hard to grasp those things that we cannot see or outwardly control.

However, the Bible clearly points out that there is an “unseen” world that we are participants in, whether we believe it or not.

Ephesians 6: 10-12 NLT 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

And in another situation, the Bible states that God, Himself can remove His Spirit from an individual that is disobedient and refuses to no longer follow Him and replace it with a tormenting spirit, that will fill that person with depression and fear. (1 Samuel 16:14-15 NLT)

And yet to those who remain with God, we are reassured that God gives us His Spirit that doesn’t cause us to fear, but provides power, love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)

False Evidence Appearing Real – Zig Ziglar

If we don’t realize that this life carries with it opposition, then we have ignored reality or simply in denial. The Bible also states in John 8:44 NLT when Jesus was speaking to the descendants of Abraham, He told them: 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Fear takes things we hear, see, feel and maybe experienced in the past, and presents it as real right now or in the near future. We are convinced that whatever it is will hurt us or at the very least, make us too uncomfortable to function.

Bottom line, we mostly surrender to fear due to our selfish desires and behaviors. What I mean by this is that if we weren’t so concerned with our well-being (safety, protection, comfort, happiness), or with our desires (lusts, pride, power, control), what would we be afraid of?

Overcoming Fear

“Christians ought not to be smothered in fear. There is a spiritual readiness, where we return to having the peace of God…” —Henry Blackaby

The simple solution to overcoming fear is to cease relying on one’s self and to begin trusting in and upon, God. This can only be done, in my opinion and supported by the Word of God, through a relationship with Jesus Christ. For you can’t know God without knowing His Son, Jesus.

Matthew 11: 27 NASB 27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

And it is in this knowing Jesus, that we are able to receive His Word in which we learn to surrender our ways to His. Therefore, coming under God’s peace, protection, security and love. Receiving victory over sin, which as I mentioned earlier, carries with it…fear.

His Word speaks of this victory

2 Timothy 1:7 NLT “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

And,

1 John 4:18 NLT “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

And,

John 14:27 NLT Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

And,

Joshua 1:9 NLT “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

And,

Psalm 23:4 NLT “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

And,

Philippians 4:6 NLT “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

And lastly,

Isaiah 41:10 NLT “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

We can continue to choose to be afraid about the things that life brings. Or we can choose to trust God. We can’t trust God if we don’t take the time nor make the effort to know Him. And we can’t know Him without recognizing His Son, Jesus.

Let me just say the most obvious thing: This is not simple. This will take commitment. This will take believing in something more than ourselves and our selfish needs. This will be a day after day, situation after situation, trial after trial, continuous decision.

My question I ask myself each day is, “am I tired of being afraid”? The specific thing doesn’t matter. That’s not the point. The issue is being controlled by fear. The answer is, I don’t have to be. And neither do you. God doesn’t want us to and has provided a way to overcome fear.

We can be victorious in this area. We can be free of fear. It’s simply how bad do we want to be.

God bless.

dracy April 11, 2019 Leave A Comment Permalink

What Do You Really Want?

Like most Christians, I want to go to Heaven when I die.  I know, I know…that’s really one of those “Captain Obvious” statements. However, have you ever asked yourself, why do you want to spend eternity in Heaven?  Is it just a better alternative than Hell?

I write about this today because you see, I once thought for sure, that becoming a Christian, was all about getting that, “get out of hell free card”.

Many, many years ago, I was “witnessed to”.  I was asked that profound question, “If you were to die right now, do you know if you would go to Heaven or Hell”?  Of course, I didn’t have a clue and answered, “no”.  So, as you can guess, the very next question was…say it with me…” Do you want to know how to be sure you can go to Heaven”?  That’s right and yes, I took the bait and said, “sure”.  I was then shared how sinful I was, and that sin separated me from God.  And if I did not repent of my sins and died, I would go to hell.  But God sent Jesus to die for me and cleanse me of my sins, if I believed He was the Son of God and asked Him to be my Lord and Savior. Then if I was to die, I would have a secure place in Heaven.

This sounded simple to me. So, I said yes again, and prayed the prayer to receive Jesus into my life.  I was then instructed to get into a bible study and attend a good, bible believing church, in which I did.

Now this method of “witnessing” has been successfully taught all over the world and for a long time.  Converting many “sinners” to Christianity.  It gets folks in the Christian door you might say. I don’t see anything wrong with that. It worked on me and it has worked for many of hundreds of thousands. The thought of not going to Hell and spending eternity in Heaven was absolutely wonderful!!

In fact, the very first scripture I memorized was John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

To me, this was a no brainer.  It solidified in me that to believe in Jesus was to win eternal life.  This was a prize that no one else or nothing else had ever presented to me. So, my Christian journey began.

But little did I realize or understand, that it was based on a hidden premise. One that I would struggle with for a good part of this journey and from time to time, even today.  That premise was, “Believe in God, do what He says and get stuff from Him.” 

Anyone else thought or think this way? No, probably just me then.

WORSHIPPING THE GIFT MORE THAN THE GIVER

Based on this premise, it was easy to begin believing that life would be so much easier, now that I was a Christian.  All my desires/dreams would come true and my problems would go away.  All I had to do was make sure I made it to church occasionally, especially on Easter, stop doing a whole list of “bad things” and try to do more “good things”.  Oh, and don’t let me forget the importance to memorize a few scriptures, the books of the bible – in order, and a few phrases of “Christian-speak” to show that I was truly…religious.  You know those phrases like: “God is good all the time and all the time, God is good” or my personal favorite: “I’m blessed and highly favored.”

I did this for a long time.  All the while thinking and believing that this is what being a Christian looked like, sounded like and acted like. After all, sad to say, that is what I was taught, this is what I witnessed.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3, 6 ESV  1 But I, brothers could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh.

Now, I get it.  I was simply an immature Christian.  Just like an infant, toddler, or even a teenager, who must be taught and experience life for themselves. In order to grow into adulthood, I had a lot of spiritual growing up to do, to understand what it truly meant to follow Christ.

So, when I continued to experience life’s challenges, such as failed relationships, financial struggles, unsuccessful plans, physical and emotional pains, I concluded that this “Christian-thang” wasn’t working out the way that I thought it should. I had to decide, should I give up on all this church-going and watching what I say and being nice to people and trying to be good. Or, stay the course in hopes that if I try harder to be a Christian, by praying more, giving more, reading the bible more, doing more Christian things, God would finally see and hear me and give me the things that I require for my life to fall into place as I desired.

Jeremiah 51:17-18 NLT 17 The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. 18 Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!

My version of Christianity in those early years and I must admit, I struggle with at times today, is an idol of sorts of my own making.  You see, when I settled on receiving from God versus surrendering my life to Him, I’d created a version of God that was based on my wants, my needs and my comfort and not on the truth of God, that is evident, throughout His Word.

This version of God and my identity as a Christian was a powerless image that I worshipped. I would bow down to this image daily, sacrifice to it with religious do’s and don’ts, all the while waiting for “good” things to happen for and to me.

Many Christians do not see it this way, but nevertheless, the results are the same. A “rollercoaster” life filled with temporary victories one moment only to be followed by depressing defeats and feelings of hopelessness the next.

But the Word of God is clear when it states in 1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV …but thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

What I am trying to point out is that being a Christian isn’t a thing you become. Is not joining a religious group or church or ministry. It’s not about doing a whole bunch of “do’s and don’ts”.  It’s not even about getting to Heaven or avoiding Hell.

It is coming to the realization that God wants you, me, us, to be in relationship with Him, as when He created us in the beginning. But because of our choice to disobey Him, sin entered our lives and separated us from Him.

Initially, God gave us His Commandments and Laws to show us just what it would take, to be in His presence again.  However, this only pointed out our sinful nature, but did not redeem us nor restore us into a right relationship with God.

Hebrews 7: 19 NLT …for the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

And,

1 Peter 2 NLT 3 And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles this world. 4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

To my Christian brothers and sisters, I leave this with you:  I would highly recommend taking the time to ask yourself, what is it that you are really wanting from God?  Is it His promises or is it Him?  There is a difference believe it or not. One ensures freedom and eternal victory.  The other keeps you on that “spiritual rollercoaster” that breeds doubt, lack of faith, worry and anxiety.  It can even lead to fear and unbelief, which hurts your true “witness” for Christ.

And to my non-Christian brothers, sisters, family, friends, etc., etc.,

Heaven is a byproduct of a right relationship with God through surrendering your life and agenda to Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the goal, not eternity in Heaven nor the fear of Hell.

May God bless you and keep you until the day of Christ’s return.

dracy December 21, 2018 Leave A Comment Permalink

Kurt’s Testimony

If you would have asked me about five years ago how long I’d been a Christian, I would had said my whole life. You see I grew up going to church. I always had at least a surface belief that Jesus is God, and I used to think that as long as I try to be a good person, I’ll make it to heaven because I believe in Jesus. A lot of people fall into that trap, but Jesus said himself that,

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

Looking back, I had no desire to keep God’s commandments.

I remember reading Matthew 7:21 and it really hit me like a freight train. Jesus said,

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

And this,

The demons also believe, and shudder (James 2:19)

Even demons have an intellectual knowledge of God. In some ways they probably know more about God than us since they were once in his heavenly kingdom. But they do not have the type of belief that saves; saving faith that produces repentance and a longing to live Godly.

I did not have saving faith growing up. To show you that, I will tell you a bit about my old self. I quit going to church in high school. To give you an idea of what kind of kid I was, at the age of 17, I started drinking every weekend. Nobody around me found that wrong – not my friends, family, or family’s friends. Everybody lived like that and once you were around that age, you start partying. People thought that was just a part of growing up.  The false notion is that you’ve got to have rebellious times when you’re young, so you have something to laugh about when you’re old. By worldly standards, I was a fine kid. I got good grades, was pretty involved in extracurricular activities, and played sports. I even did some good things while I was an unbeliever. I remember specifically standing up for an outcast several times when he got made fun of. You see I thought of myself as a pretty good person.

In college, I joined a fraternity. It was the type of stereotypical fraternity you hear about – lots of drinking and sexual immorality. Although, I was not the most immoral person in the fraternity, I was no doubt a part of that lifestyle. There were always people around me that seemed worse than me, and they made me think, “I’m a good person”. I had a friend from high school who went to college with me and did not join a fraternity. Instead, he lived in the dorms his whole time at college and tried to win people to Christ. At the time, I thought that was a nice thing he was doing, but it wasn’t for me. We had coffee a few times. I remember he would always bring the conversation to Jesus. My thought while talking to him was always, “Why is he telling me this stuff? I believe in Jesus. I believe everything in the bible.” I don’t remember exactly what he said but looking back he knew I was lost. I made clear to him that I believed in Jesus and always had. I promised him one day I would read the bible. Just not now. I was too focused on college then. Procrastination is what holds a lot of people in unbelief. They put off reading the bible, joining a bible study, going to church, and doing so they never come to face with the truth that they’re a sinner and need reconciliation. They fall more and more into sin and then lose the desire to know God. The governor Felix procrastinated. Paul presented him with the gospel, and Felix began to understand that God is a holy God and we are sinful people. Felix said, “I will hear you again on this matter”. He put off getting right with God. As far as we know, Felix never repented and came to faith. Procrastination damned him.

I procrastinated for a while, but God kept working on me. Shortly after college, I did start reading the bible. At the time, I thought of it as a checklist item. I have to do this once in my life. I thought of it as merely a pursuit of knowledge. I wanted to add bible knowledge to my belt. I did not know that through reading God’s word, God would reveal to me how sinful I was and would give me a new heart. Shortly after I started reading, I was seeking through the radio stations one night, and was compelled to leave the station on a station of a man giving a sermon. I never listened to talk radio at the time. If I was seeking through stations, I would listen for music. If I didn’t hear music, I would instantly keep seeking before I even heard what was being talked about. For some reason, this night I left the station where it landed and heard the man preach and continued to listen to him. I didn’t even know there were Christian radio stations. The next morning when I got in my truck, a new man was preaching. I kept listening and I’ve been listening to sermons on the radio ever since. It was through that radio preaching and my own reading that I was eventually converted to Christ.

You see since I thought I was a Christian all along, I can’t exactly tell you the moment I was converted. I can look back on a few moments and say it wasn’t then.

I remember the first time I read the book of Romans, it was like it went through one ear and out the other. I had no idea what I just read. Then, I read Romans about a year later and was in awe. I thought, holy smokes! That was incredible! So much doctrine in that one book. I remember looking back and thinking, I don’t think I had true faith the first time I read the book of Romans. You see you can only understand this book if you have a new heart. Unbelievers can understand things like historical and geographical things in the bible, but they can’t understand doctrine. The book of Romans is rich on doctrine. The only reason we can understand God’s word is because we have the Holy Spirit.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God… But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them. (1 Corinthians 2:12,14)

You see unbelievers cannot understand the word of God. I see that proven all the time and it breaks my heart. There are several people close to me that started reading the bible once and they said they had to quit because they just had no idea what it was saying. I couldn’t understand when I first started reading, but God convicted me of my whole sinful life and I came crawling to God to give me salvation and with that salvation he gave me understanding of his word.

Another moment that I can look back and confidently say that I wasn’t a Christian – the time I heard on a Christian radio program a man telling a woman that she can be forgiven for her sin of abortion. My thought was, “What? Abortion is murder. Murderers don’t make it to heaven.” I was confused what this man was talking about. Now I know that anybody can be forgiven. We are all sinful.

There is none righteous, not even one;

There is none who understands,

There is none who seeks for God;

All have turned aside, together they have become useless;

There is none who does good, there is not even one. (Romans 3:10-12)

 You see I may be slightly better than a murderer, or an adulterer, or a drug addict. They’re here and I’m here. But the reality is that God is way up there at the sky. He is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY! He demands perfection in his holy kingdom.

We are not saved by our works. We are only saved by Christ’s works! He lived the perfect life, then died on the cross and bore our sins. He paid for an eternity’s worth of wrath for each one of us in those hours on the cross. It pains me to think how much pain Christ bore for me on that cross, not even including any others wrath that he paid for, but I’m sure glad he did.

No, we’re not saved by our works. Because once you put your works into the equation, you have to also put all your bad works into the equation, too. One sin cancels all your good works and is enough to condemn you forever. I now know that salvation not by being a basically good person. Salvation is by faith!

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

The righteous man shall live by faith. (Habakkuk 2:4)

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:30-31)

My old self thought I had been a Christian my whole life, but there is no such thing. We all are born into sin and live a life rebellious to God. The only way we can live a life of glorifying God is if we have been born again. I thought the born again was only for really bad people – prostitutes, drug addicts. The truth is that I am just as guilty as they are.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

Jesus told that to a leading pharisee, Nicodemus. Even Nicodemus, who was surely much better than me, probably didn’t fall into that partying lifestyle, and probably went to synagogue several days a week, and prayed several hours a day, needed to be born again.

To reiterate the point,

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I have learned that the Christian life is much more difficult than an unbelieving life. It’s much easier to go with the ways of the world and be a man-pleaser. Jesus said,

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18)

Jesus received undeserved hate. He proclaimed the truth and way of salvation, and the world hated him for telling them they were deceived and living a life against God. The whole world is hostile toward the true Christian viewpoint. They’re not hostile to false Christian viewpoints, such as cheap grace – just believe in Jesus and go on living like a heathen; or the prosperity gospel – that God wants to make you healthy and wealthy and he’s going to really take care of you if you just have faith; or universalism – that God is a loving God and everybody’s going to heaven and there is no judgement for sin. God is a loving God, but he is also a just God. The world loves those false forms of Christianity, but they hate true Christianity. The Christianity that says, “All men have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”, and all men need to repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ, for “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” I know this Christian life is tough.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

I would like to close by saying that although I know this Christian life has been and will be tough, I have great joy and peace. I do because I know the price has been paid for me by Jesus on the cross and whenever I die or Jesus comes to take me home, I will have eternal life in a kingdom where there is no sin and I have no sin and I can worship my savior face to face! I can’t wait for that day! I also have great joy and peace because of Christ’s last words on the cross, “It is finished.” My salvation has been worked out! Victory has won over death! And I know that because I didn’t earn this salvation, I cannot lose this salvation. God freely gave me salvation, and my salvation is in his hands. No one can take this salvation away from me. For Jesus said,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)

 

Kurt is 27 years old and has been a Christian for around three years. He lives in rural western Missouri and is a member of a Southern Baptist Church. He and his wife have been married for two years, and they have been blessed with a six-month old daughter.

dracy August 25, 2018 Leave A Comment Permalink

What Are You Worth?

One of the most devastating and powerful lies the enemy uses against men and women of God is in the area of knowing and understanding our TRUE WORTH.  Not only when it comes to our place in this world, but especially in the eyes of our Creator, God.

Whether we admit it or not, how we are viewed and how we are seen by others, is extremely important to us.  Our self-image drives just about everything we do. It determines what relationships we enter in and out of, what friends we have and even what careers we choose.

A wrong or damaged self-image can and often does, cause significant negative consequences to those around us. It affects our families, loved ones, community and most importantly, OURSELVES.

When our image of ourselves is low, we lack the ability to live out our God-given abilities, gifts and talents.  When our self-image is too high, we fall into the trap of being someone or something that we were not created to be. Believe it or not, with a high self-image or self-importance, it is easier to believe that we don’t need any one, and that unfortunately includes God.

THE PROBLEM – Non-Biblical

In my opinion, our self-value is formed at a very early age. I’m not going to go into the details of this, but I just ask you for the moment, to imagine some of the things that you may remember as a kid.

Personally, I remember watching TV Westerns with my grandfather. Shows like the Lone Ranger, Cisco Kid and Rifleman.  They were my first male heroes that always came to the help of others, beat the bad guys and save the day.  Then came the War movies where strong courageous men had to overcome extreme odds to win the battles and the war.  I then found my way to the wonderful world of comic books.  Superman, Batman, Spiderman and Captain America.  I remember taking one of our metal trash can lids, and painting it red, white and blue. Then making a mask out of one of my t-shirts and subsequently getting a butt whooping by my mom, for cutting up one of my shirts.

My point is that at an early age, how we thought about who we wanted to be or how we viewed ourselves, came from unrealistic models.  They were all external images. Whether we pictured our future selves like we pictured our parents, a fireman, a policeman, an astronaut, entertainers or something else, we never were told how to be ourselves.

As little boys, we are told not to cry.  To be strong, run fast, jump high, make the team, hit the winning shot. We always had to be better than the next kid, to be the best, to win the trophy.   All so we could just feel good about ourselves.

And I truly believe that this idea, this mind-set, continues today.

Job titles, corner offices, large portfolios, expensive cars, large houses, tailored clothes, six-pack abs, super-model wife or girl-friend or both, are all used to describe the successful man today.  A man of worth. A man of value.

And unfortunately, we find ourselves expending a lifetime of resources, energy and time, trying to obtain these things so that we can be somebody in the eyes of others, ourselves, and the world.  Often at the expense of those around us.

“Men get their self-worth from what they do, not who they love. “– T.D. Jakes

THE PROBLEM – Biblical

The Bible tells us in John 10:10, that “the thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy… “

That thief is of course Satan.  And in my opinion, he has developed a strategy to steal our identity, kill our spirit and destroy the relationship that God wants to have with us.

Satan is a liar.  He has been very effective at convincing us to chase after these worldly things to define ourselves…our manhood…our identity and our place in this world.

He does this by keeping our focus on the external and not on the eternal.  

When we look outwardly to be what the world says we should be instead of finding out what God says who we really are, then our identity is stolen.

And if we don’t know who we are or who’s we are, then we have no real chance of being what God created us to be.

THE ANSWER

The answer lies in hearing the truth about who JESUS says you are.  Because, let’s face it, the world doesn’t love you, never has and never really will.

Oh, you may have your name up in lights for a time. Or one day, you may accomplish some great, wonderful thing for you, your family and maybe even society as a whole.

But no matter what you do, what you accomplish or achieve, there will always be someone who has something negative to say.  There will always be someone to find fault in you or your achievements.  Not everyone is going to love you. And because of this, you will never find your true worth from the world.

But God’s Word says, in Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”

This is a basic, clearly identified and substantiated fact that God truly loves us.  We must get past all the brain-washing and lies of the enemy, the world and even ourselves, to accept this fact.  God loves us unconditionally.  God loves YOU unconditionally!

Yes, we may have made mistakes. Yes, we may still make mistakes.  But this will never change God’s love for us.

LIFE BECOMES REALLY REAL

How do I know this to be true?

Well, let me share with you some of my story.

You see, like many, I got my identity from the world.  As I mentioned earlier, whether it was from heroes in the movies and TV or from characters in books. To those boys and men, I interacted with in real life.

I came to believe, that a man wasn’t supposed to be sensitive. He was to never back down from a fight, never cry, had to show toughness, never any weakness.

A man was one that only saw girls or women as something to acquire.  In fact, the way I found my way into a church was because my buddy at the time said that there were a lot of pretty girls there.  I couldn’t wait for Sunday to come.

I sought promotion after promotion on my job. I worked and sacrificed my health, my time and resources to meet the standards of the world to be somebody that others would look up too and that I could be proud of.

What was sad about this was that this all occurred after I became a Christian.

I never fully understood what God wanted from me other than to believe that Jesus was His son and that He died as a sacrifice for my sins.

I call this Head Knowledge.

It wasn’t until after I had an encounter with Jesus Christ that I finally understood, how much I meant to God.  That my worth or value wasn’t in what the world said but in how God saw me.

Because of my warped view of what a man was to be, I struggled through many relationships with women. I got married right after college because a man was supposed to go to college, get a good job and then get married and raise a family.

I had no real clue of what a husband was supposed to be other than pay the bills, provide for my home and take care of my physical needs through my wife.  And if that did not fulfill me, then there were many other options available because that’s what I saw from the images of the world.

So, to satisfy my needs and of course, it was only my needs that mattered, I had the trophy wife, the cars, the house and the career that the world said I should have.

But there was something missing on the inside.

I tried to fill that emptiness with all manner of material things.  New cars, stereo equipment, clothes. I tried to fill it with illicit relationships with women outside my marriage.  I tried to fill it with work and my career.

But nothing, absolutely nothing, could fill the emptiness that I felt inside.

The sense of failure and dissatisfaction with my life and the way I had been living caused me to literally contemplate suicide.

The enemy had caused me to get so far from God, with feelings of failure and unworthiness that I came to believe that the only solution to this pain and misery was to take my own life.

I went to my kitchen with a bottle of pain killers, poured myself a big glass of Kool-aide and poured out the bottle of pills in my hand, and in that moment…Jesus entered the picture.

As I was crying and about to take the pills, I heard my name being called.  There was no mistake to me in who was speaking.

I heard, “Dracy”.

I said, “yes Lord”.

Jesus said, “When was the last time you were happy?”

I said, “when I was with you Lord”.

Then on my left, I saw this split form in the kitchen.  It was the brightest white light that I have ever seen in my life.  Two hands reached out from the white light towards me. And I heard Jesus say, “then come”.

Still crying, as I was looking at these pair of hands reaching out for me, another split formed on my right. This split opened to a scene that looked like the Vegas Strip at night.  It was dark with the sounds of cars honking, laughter and the bright neon lights of the hotels and shops and restaurants.

As I turned to look at this new scene, I heard Jesus say, “this is your last chance, son, to come to me.”

I took one last look at the vision on my right, then back to the hands that were still reaching for me and I said, “yes Lord, I want you”.

At this point, both visions vanished.  I put the pills back in the bottle and poured out the Kool-aide.  I then began thanking God for his goodness and mercy upon me.

My heart became filled with the assurance that I truly belonged to God and that I had been made whole.

What I had been looking for to complete me could never have been found externally.  It could only be found spiritually.  It can only be found in surrender to Christ.

God became real to me that evening.  He was more than stories in 2000yr old book.  He was more than just knowledge in my head, but a love within my heart.

I call that, Heart Knowledge

From that incident to this day, my life has never been the same.

No, it hasn’t been perfect.  I lost a lot of things both materially and relationally, but I have gained more and more of a relationship with Father God in knowing Him, His Son and His Spirit.

He gave me new eyes to see His Word with and there is where I found my purpose and learned what being a man of God really is.

I found out my true worth in Christ.

He showed me that I’m worth dying for.  I realized that I have been reconciled back unto my Heavenly Father.  That I was created not to be a partaker of this world, but to be a light and salt to this world. To be a servant, a vessel, an ambassador, a disciple, a messenger…a son of God.

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). 

No more guilt of the past. Because of the blood of Christ, my sins were/are forgiven.  I have a new life.  I am no longer the same.  I am new.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

FINAL THOUGHTS

No greater love will you find, than the love of God.  Nothing will ever satisfy the emptiness that you are feeling inside. No matter how much you achieve in this world, it will never be enough, nor will it ever bring you the eternal happiness and satisfaction you seek.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ … that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4–7). 

God is giving us an opportunity each day, to let go of the lies this world has filled our hearts with. For it will never value us as much as God values us.

So, what is your True Worth?

To answer that question, one only must look to the cross.

God bless.

dracy August 25, 2018 Leave A Comment Permalink

What Makes You a Christian?

What ultimately defines whether you are a Christian or not, is not what Denomination you belong to, but whether you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in your heart. – Ravi Zacharias

Romans 10: 9-10 NLT If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

What God is requiring from us is very simple in my opinion:  Confession and Believing

Everything else is us, going through the motions of trying to live a life pleasing to God, without doing what He has asked us to do.

1 Samuel 15: 22 NLT “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

When I read this scripture, it was like a glass of ice-cold water had been thrown on me. For so long, it was my understanding from past teachings, sermons, personal observations of others, or, my ignorance, that to be a Christian, one must do all the right things. And what were those right things?

All the “Don’ts”.

You know: The “don’t” do this and the “don’t” do that. “Don’t’ be bad, cuss, steal, gossip, lust, sin, etc., etc., etc. Now before you get the wrong idea, and think that doing these things are okay, I’m simply saying that NOT doing them, does not make one a Christian.

So, what makes one a Christian? As mentioned in the scripture above, it is “confession” and “believing”.

Confession: acknowledgment; admission. (from Dictionary.com) But acknowledgment or admission of what exactly? Two things come to mind. First, admission that we are sinful. This to me is the biggest struggle that most people have. Oh, we easily state that we are not “perfect”, but we all believe that we aren’t as bad as the next person or that we inherently have some good things about us, that doesn’t quite add up to being “sinful”.

Yet, God’s Word is clear on this. For in Romans 3:23 …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… (NIV).

Second, is admission that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That He is Lord. And that only through Him, are our sins forgiven. This one also is troubling for most people, because this takes control over our lives and destiny, out of our hands…so to speak. What I mean is, if we all are honest, we struggle with someone else, determining the course and direction of our lives…even God. So even if we admit that we are sinful, admitting that removal of those sins can only come through one means, is problematic for most.
We can’t help but to think that we have the ability, the strength, the knowledge, the means, the experience, to live a good, prosperous life, without the help of anyone. And this my friends becomes a huge obstacle to living the abundant life promised by God. Which is a topic for a future discussion.

Then we come to the issue of “believing”.

Believing: to have confidence or faith in the truth; to have confidence in the assertions of (a person). (from Dictionary.com). So here again, confidence or faith in what? What truth? Confidence in who?

Well the simple answer, especially if one is wanting to be a Christian or calling themselves one, is having confidence or faith the “TRUTH”, which is the Word of God (the Bible). And the “person” the “truth” speaks of, is Jesus. Without believing that the Word of God is true and that what it speaks of about Jesus is true, then it is impossible to be a Christian. At least not the Christian that Paul speaks of that will be saved.

In closing:

It really doesn’t matter what we tend to label ourselves. Mankind has been doing that in some form or another for centuries. It’s like we must call ourselves something so that we can belong to something bigger than ourselves. Even those who pride themselves on being loners. When you press them enough, they will associate themselves with some type of label…even “Loaner”.

But the bottom line comes down to what you confess you are and what you believe which will dictate truly how you live your life.

So many so-called, “Christians”, look, sound, and act like everything but what Jesus Christ’s life, teachings and actions, demonstrated while on this earth. Nor do their lives resemble what the Bible describes a follower of Christ (Christian) life should be.

But if we honestly examined our lives, we would clearly see the things we believe in, because our lives and actions show it. Not just when we are around a certain group of people, say on Sunday mornings, but each and every day.

Jesus said in John 14:12 NLT, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

Ha, there it is again…’truth’ and ‘believes’.

I’m a Christian, not because of what I do or don’t do. But because I know/confess that I am a sinner that has been saved by grace through the sacrificial life of Jesus. I believe that the Word of God is true and that it states that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe this and live my life according to this truth. Yes, I sin. I don’t desire to, but I am under constant attack by the enemy, even my own fleshly desires and wants. This too is for a discussion for another time. But I believe the Word of God that states in 1 John 2:12 NIV, I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

Whose name? Yes, Jesus’ name.

Being a Christian is more than going to church. It more than doing “good” things or not doing “bad” things. It’s more than repeating a few words at the end of a prayer. It’s more than reading the Bible. It’s more than talking to others about the Bible.

It’s about acknowledging that our sin has separated us from the presence of God. It’s about confessing those sins to the only One, Jesus, who can forgive us of our sins. It’s believing that Jesus is exactly who He says He is and who the Bible tells us He is. It’s believing that to be restored into a right relationship with God, can only be done through knowing Christ and being known by Him.

I pray that we realize what it truly means to be called Christian and the heavenly and eternal responsibility that name carries with it.

God bless.

dracy August 25, 2018 Leave A Comment Permalink

A Life Given in Obedience to God is a Life Worth Living

“There is only one relationship that matters, and that is your personal relationship to a personal Redeemer and Lord. Let everything else go, but maintain that at all cost, and God will fulfill His purpose through your life. (This includes meeting the needs of your heart.) One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.” — Oswald Chambers

 

Romans 5:18-19 NIV 18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

 

Just like the life of Christ, given to God in absolute obedience saved the world. So can our lives, given to God with that same obedience, be used to save others or to serve others.

 

The spirit of selfishness is running rampant throughout our society. Its seems that everyone is focused on themselves and what they can get out of life, no matter the cost.  Its a “if it feels good, do it” mentality.  “I see it, therefore I want it and must have it” appears to be a common theme.  It doesn’t matter if it belongs to another or causes one to sacrifice their morals or integrity.

 

But that is not what God wants us to focus on.  Because He said He will provide all that we need, His desire is for us to let go of our wants and be ready to be used to provide for others.  This may mean providing our time, sharing our provisions or simply telling someone the truth about His gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.

 

Our lives have the most meaning when given, obediently to God for His purposes. If we are not living for God, then we are not living at all.

 

Be thankful. Be grateful.

dracy November 11, 2016 Leave A Comment Permalink

Use Me Lord

DO YOU REALLY MEAN IT WHEN YOU SAY….USE ME LORD?…Because it’s not going to be your made up version of USE ME LORD.

BEING USED means praying for and loving your enemies, loving them, not what they have done…it means being humble and quiet, when you just want to burst…it means taking a strong stand , even though your too afraid to take a step..it means trusting God to handle things that you feel like your ready to jump all over by yourself, right now!!!..it means giving to those in need, not just money, but your time…of yourself…it means forgiving over and over again…it means GO WHERE GOD TELLS YOU TO GO… without question…DO WHAT GOD TELLS YOU TO DO…immediately…it means to SERVE…

Sometimes I even have to remind myself…

God Bless You

 

dracy November 11, 2016 Leave A Comment Permalink

Speaking The Truth In Love

What ultimately defines whether you are a Christian or not, is not what Denomination you belong to, but whether you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in your heart. – Ravi Zacharias

Romans 10: 9-10 NLT If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

What God is requiring from us is very simple in my personal opinion.

Confession and Believing

Everything else is us, going through the motions of trying to live a life pleasing to God, without doing what He has asked us to do.

1 Samuel 15: 22 NLT “What is more pleasing to the LORD:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

You can continue to do things your way or trust that God knows what He requires from us, then do that.

He’s not trying to make this hard. Satan is. Our flesh is. The world and our Society are.

In our desires to be free and have it our own way, all we accomplish is a life, drifting further and further away from He who created us and has created all things. The only One who truly loves us for ourselves. The One who knows what sin has really done to us and the fate it has sealed for is, if we continue down this path of trying to live our own life.

No matter what you tell yourself, or what your friends say, or what society claims…(I’ll say this as lovingly as I can), Hell awaits those who chooses not to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and believes that He was resurrected as the Savior of those who choose to believe in Him.

Look around you and ask yourself, who or what do you really want to trust your life with: God or this world?

May the Holy Spirit speak to the core of your heart and give you clarity to the answer to this question.

dracy August 23, 2016 Leave A Comment Permalink

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