Jesus takes away the sin of the whole World!

Did you know that Jesus Christ has taken away the sins of the whole world by His death on the cross? This means that when we receive Jesus by faith every sin we have ever committed has been forgiven and removed by God. He will not hold us accountable for any of our sins! This is the Good News. Therefore, if we sin we should thank Him for already forgiving our sin. We don't need to keep asking for forgiveness because we already have it. See 1 John 2:2 and John 1:29, also Col. 2:13 and Heb. 10:14-17. In Him we have forgiveness of sins Eph. 1:7.

Every believer in Christ in the world is already totally forgiven for every sin that they have ever committed. However, not all people are saved. We are forgiven by Jesus' death on the cross but we are saved by His resurrection. God is not counting men's sins against them (2 Cor. 5:19).  To be saved we need to receive the life of Christ. Rom. 6:23 says that "The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." We must receive this eternal life because we are dead to God (see Eph. 2:1 and Col. 2:13-14).

To receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life we must receive Jesus.  Forgiveness and Eternal Life are contained only in Jesus. We receive them when we believe in Jesus and we receive Jesus Himself when we believe that He died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead.

Colossions 2:13 is amazing because it reiterates the fact that we are totally forgiven of all our sins when we believe in Christ. Eph 2:1 and Col 2:13 tell us we were dead to God. Death means total separation. We are born separated from God.

If we are dead spiritually what do we still lack? Life! Dead people only need life. Therefore, when we believe in Jesus we are made alive to God forevermore Col. 2:13.  If you have never believed in the real Jesus of the Bible, the one who died on the cross, was buried and rose from the dead then you can right now.

Call on the name of Jesus and ask Him to give you eternal life and thank Him for taking away all your sins on the cross. He bore your sins on the cross. Acknowledge what He has done for you and he will come and live inside of you forever.

The Gift of Godly Sorrow for Sin.

Why are we sad when sin? Why are some people not sad at all when they sin and do not seem to be bothered by their own sin? It is because being sorrowful for sin is a gift of God. Only God can give us the gift of repentance from sin. When we truly see our sin and God takes away the veil so we see sin as it really is, we want to be forgiven. God's only provision to forgive us our sins is the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Therefore, God's gift of sorrow for sin and repentance leads us to the cross of Christ.

Other people never realize they are sinners. Therefore, they never come to the cross to acknowledge what Jesus has done. We are forgiven of sins by His death but we are saved to eternal life by believing in Him!

This is all from God and not of ourselves. I f we have any insight into God it comes from Him alone. Therefore, we have no room to boast.

The Word of God!

The Bible is the only Word of God that has been written down and preserved for all the world to read and study! The Word of God is living and active and can bring eternal life to those who believe what it says. Heb. 4:12-16. Jesus is the Word. Jn. 1:1. Both the Bible and Jesus came from God. Both are sent out to bear fruit. Both reveal who God is and what He requires from people. Both are eternal and perfect. Both cleanse believers from sin. Both instruct and teach and give doctrine. 2Tim 3:16.

Through believing in Jesus we receive eternal life and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us understanding of God's word. The Holy Spirit uses the word to cleanse us, teach us , feed us and grow us up to be like Christ.

I want to spend the rest of my days getting the Word out to the whole world.

Self Pity - The Silent Killer

I get so much wisdom from reading daily Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost For His Highest". One day was about self pity and how it stops us from being useful to the Lord. I realized I was full of self pity about all the mistakes I had made and things that had gone wrong in my life. Believe me there is a lot.

Then sweet deliverance came and God showed me through His Spirit that the antidote to Self Pity is to say and believe "Thy will be done". In everything let God's will be done. If we arm ourselves with this attitude we are never disappointed. Let His will be done in this and that and everything.

If He wants to kill me - fine. If He wants to prosper me - fine. As long as it is His will. He can give me a better job or a worse one or keep me where I am at. It's all up to Him.

In everything pray that His will be done. Be vigilant and diligent to want this even in small matters. Give up completely what you want. 100% want only that which is His will, don't let any personal desire go outside of that. Even when we don't know His will, pray that His will be done and He will guide us.

Fighting with your spouse? Inside say "your will be done." Life fallling apart? Inside pray His will be done and you will have His peace and comfort and sometimes even His joy.

"His will be done" will save us from self pity and put us on the road to fruitfulness.

Jesus Sets Us Free Indeed!

Jesus wants us to be free. He wants us to be completely free. Think about how much he loves us to want that. John 8:34-36. Read this amazing passage. Jesus sets us free from slavery. Before we are saved we are slaves of sin and slaves of the devil. Jesus rescues us from sin. How? Once in Jesus we do not have to sin anymore. We are free not to sin. Sure we will sin sometimes but by Jesus' power we do not have to habitually sin anymore. He can free us from lust, pornography, drinking, hate, lying etc.

He also sets us free from legalism. What is legalism? Trying to please God by keeping rules, traditions and commandments. The only thing that pleases God is living by faith in Jesus. Keeping rules and traditions becomes slavery that kills our joy and stops us from living by the Spirit. Anything we do as a ritual in order to please God becomes a snare but the just shall live by faith. He nailed the Old Covenant (the law, the 10 commandments) to the cross when he died on the cross, Col. 2:13-14. We are free from the law forever. We do not need to keep the law to please God, the law is done for believers.  We live by the Spirit not the law.  The law never saved anyone it only condemned men to death.

In Christ we are free from allthe things that ensare us and that the law could not free us from, Acts 13:38-39.  

We are free from fear and death through Jesus. He overcame death and the devil. Thanks be to Christ Jesus who saves us from death. Once saved by believing in Jesus we are alive forever even though our sinful body will die someday.

A big one that applies to me is freedom from the love of money. he showed me I was a slaeve to money and that I needed money to be happy. Spiritually, by His power He delivered me from this. It doesn't matter if I have money now or don't have money. I am completely free from that. Let His will be done. If I am broke I don't care. If I have money I don't care. Before if I was broke I had to get money anyway I could. I would beg, borrow and sometimes even steal. yes steal! Now the love of money has no power over me. I was snared even though I was a Christian and I knew better. Only He can deliver us from our sins.

Sweet Eternal Security!

What must we do to be saved? Simply trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and in His resurrection on the third day. Since we can't do anything to be saved because Jesus did it all, we cannot lose our salvation ever. In John 10 Jesus said no one can snatch His people out of His hand. We cannot be taken out of His hand. He keeps us saved. We do not keep ourselves in Him. He keeps us in Him. The just shall live by faith. We live by the same faith that saves us. Do we get off track for periods of our life? Of course but he disciplines us as a loving Father. He doesn't leave us but purifies us through hardship.

Someone will say but what about our sin. Doesn't our sin cause Him to cast us out. No! He said He will never leave us nor forsake us. Our sin has already been taken away by His death on the cross. There is no more penalty for sin once we are in Jesus. Our sin has been removed from God's eyes forever. This means even sins we haven't committed yet are forgiven already. Our sins cannot remove from Christ and His love and salvation because our sins have been not only forgiven but also taken away forever. God said he will remember them no more.

Do not make God a liar. Believe what He says. If He says your sins are taken in Jesus then they are are, Col. 2:13 and heb. 10:14-17. If He says he will remember them no more then He will do just that, Heb. 10:17. Stop trying to stay forgiven. You already are forgiven. Rest in Jesus and His secure love.



Praise and thank him for His unending love and mercy.

How does God justify sinners?

How does God make sinful human beings right with Him? What is God's method for saving people? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Acts 16:31

The Bible says that all people are dead in trespasses and sins. We are dead to God right from the start of our life. We are born separated from God. He is not our father or our friend when we are born. Not only are we sinners (for all have sinned Rom. 3:23) incapable of pleasing God but we are actually spiritually dead. We are not physically dead until we die but we are born spiritually dead.

What does a dead person need? They need life. When you are born again you receive this spiritual life. Now you are alive to God and not separate from Him. How do we get this life? "The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 6:23. Jesus is the only who has this life. He has resurrection life. He died for the sins of the world, was buried and rose from the dead on the third day. Now everyone who trusts Him with their whole heart he saves and makes spiritually alive. Alive to God. Call on Jesus.

Place your faith in Jesus. Show your faith by calling on His name. His name saves you. We are all already forgiven because of His death on the cross. What we need is His life. God wants to adopt you into His family. When you believe in Jesus with your whole heart God becomes your Father because you honored His Son.

Jesus on the Mountain Down in the Valley!

Jesus took his disciples John, James and Peter up on the mountain. He was transfigured and showed them his glory. After that they went back down into the valley. Soon they encountered demon possessed people and all the rest of unbelieving humanity.

But listen Jesus had all the power when they saw him in His glory and He still had all authority and power when they went back down. Remember He is in control during great spiritual times and times of lowliness. Thanks to Oswald Chambers for this insight. Everyone should read his daily devotional.

Elijah on the Move

Quick lessons from Elijah in 1 Kings 19:

Elijah had just been the architect of massive showdown verse the prophets of Baal. God showed the people who was God by bringing fire down at ELijah's word and then Elijah had the people kill all 450 prophets of Baal. This incurred the wrath of the Queen Jezebel. She wanted Elijah dead.

Elijah gets scared and runs to the wilderness. God send His angel to tenderly feed him and take care of him. Elijah is strengthened by the food and goes 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb. There he finds a cave and God asks: What are you doing here?" Then God passes by and He is not in the Wind, the earthquake or the fire but in the small voice that Elijah hears.

Then God tells him what to do: Go and annoint two Kings and the prophet Elisha. Which Elijah does.

1. Sometimes God leads us on and makes us obey and then reveals His will for us. Elijah had to follow God and seek Him and travel where God wanted and then hear God's plan.

2. God is separate from the miracles he causes to occur. He is the still small voice not the blazing fire, earthquake or wind. We need to ask God to be able to hear His voice. Let us seek Him and not just the big spectacular occurences God can bring about.

3. We are not alone even if we think we are alone. God is with His people and always has other believers. Let us pray for our fellow believers.

4. Sometimes God gives us only enough for our need now and for the immediate future. Elijah was fed twice for the 40 day journey.

5. The best news: God wants to use us in exciting ways. We must be pure and not regard sin in our life, even a small amount. God will use us for His purposes and this is the best blessing of all.

Go! Mt.16:13-20

Jesus asked his disciples who men said that he was. Some people at that time believed Jesus to be John the Baptist or Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Then Jesus asked the disciples who they thought he was. Peter replied "You are the Christ! The son of living God!" Mt. 16:13-20.

I was thinking this could be used on non-Christians as a way to tell them the good news of how to be saved. Ask them for their understanding of who the world thinks Jesus is and then gently ask them who they think Jesus is. Then hopefully a way would be open to share the gospel. This would take some boldness. I pray I could have that boldness and bear fruit for God.

Another interesting thing about that passage is that it is God who reveals who Jesus is. We cannot understand Jesus or who he is without God revealing it to us. Their is no room for boasting in our knowledge of God. It all comes from Him.

James says....James 4:1-2

James says our lust creates fights, wars and quarrels within ourselves and with other people. We lust and then we fight. We lust after things and we don't get them and we get mad and angry and irritable and selfish. Ja. 4;1-2 This has been happening to me for years. All of sudden I am fighting with my wife or my kids or I am mad and i don't even know why.

By forsaking all lust, God has showed me that it was my lust that was ruining my life and my relationships. Oswald Chambers says when we obey God's commands, God gives us clarity and understanding. Our obedience gets rid of confusion. I can attest this is so true. Wholeheartedly obey Jesus. With all your heart get rid of the little sins that are hidden inside of you. Then you will see clearly. As Jesus said, take the plank out of your own eye then you will see clearly to cast the speck out of your brother. Mt. 7: 3-5

Lust is selfish and selfishness leads to quarrels and greed and idolatry. Get rid of all lust. Not a little bit but all of it. Purpose in your heart to not go back to lust, not even in a small way.
Let Jesus be glorified.

Little Foxes have ruined my vineyard!

September 14, 2009

God is Holy! Holy, Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty!
There is no sin in Him! None at all. He has no evil.
Jesus is Lord! He is the sinless Son of God who reigns forever!
He is the Savior of all who believe in Him!

God's holiness has been a hard lesson for me to learn. I've been saved for 25 years.
I believed in Jesus back in November 1983. He showed me my sin and I believed in Him and called on the name of Jesus for salvation. He cleansed and forgave all my sin. I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I started to grow in Jesus and forsake all my sin. I learned to walk with Him.

However, somehow I never really committed with all my heart. I 've kept the sin of lust around for these past 25 years and I know God has struck the work of my hands for it. He has caused me to never be that successful but always stuck because I kept lust in my heart. But now I repent of even the littlest amount of lust. I forsake all lust. I want to be pure as He is pure. I want to be Holy as He is Holy. I want to be perfect as He is perfect. No more looking at women for even a second or gazing at a suggestive image or movie or TV show.

God help me and all who read this to be Holy and blameless. Flee even thoughts of sexual immorality. Remember a few dead flies ruin the perfume and its the little foxes that ruin the vineyard (Song of Solomon).

I am shocked and saddened that is has taken me this long to really commit to not lusting. How blinded I have been. Gad have mercy on me and all who are enslaved by lust and sin.