index

Articles published in "AMAZING GRACE" booklet

Click on any underlined title below to view text online:

1. Joy? Contentment? Purpose?

2. Jesus is the Only Way

3. God Loves You This Much

4. Born from Above, The Way to Heaven

5. Path to Salvation

6. The Ten Commandments

7. Receiving God’s Word

8. New Creations

9. Be Determined to Grow Spiritually

10. Prayer

11. What Is The Purpose of Life?

12. If Only

1. Life is a struggle. Demands come from work, home and our society.

- Some find themselves struggling just to get by each day.

- Others find themselves looking for peace, joy, and contentment through a possession, career, or sometimes drugs and alcohol.

- God did not intend for it to be that way. God loves us all! He created an emptiness inside us that could only be filled by a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

- Only then can we be fulfilled and have purpose in our life. Then we can stop struggling in our own strength and stop looking for something that will never satisfy us.

2. TO BEGIN a relationship with Jesus we must understand we are separated from God by our sin. Our sin keeps us from God as if we were on one side of a canyon and He was on the other with no way to get across.

- We are ALL sinners because of the sin nature Adam gave to us through birth. It’s like a disease we can’t get rid of and is a part of who we are.

- All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).

3. THE PENALTY we pay for being sinners is death.

- The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 6:23).

- Death without accepting Jesus is like stepping off the edge of the canyon trying to get to God, but falling into the depths of the canyon instead. We could end up being eternally separated from God.

- Because God is Holy and we are sinful, we can’t be in His presence until we are forgiven of our sins and our penalty is paid.

4. THE PAYMENT for our sins was made by Jesus Christ.

- God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8).

- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

- We must realize that until we are spiritually “born again” we will not see the kingdom of God (John 3:3)

- We must accept that Jesus is the only way back into fellowship with God (John 14:6).

- Jesus bridges the gap to God!

5. OUR ROLE is to believe Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead.

- The word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (Rom 10:8-10).

- Ask God to forgive your sins, to come live in your heart, to change the way you’ve been living, and to be in control of your life.

6. OUR DECISION leads to acceptance of Christ and fellowship with God for eternity, or rejection of Christ and eternal separation from God in the lake of fire (Rev 20:15).

- God offers His grace, mercy, hope, forgiveness, and eternity with Him as a free gift. We can’t earn it. He gives it to us because He loves us.

- Will you accept it?

- We pray you will choose life with God and begin a relationship with Him that will cause a change in your heart, actions, and purpose that will last throughout eternity

7. OUR FUTURE is eternal life with God.

- Read God’s Word and pray daily.

- Join a Bible believing and Bible teaching church.

- Follow and serve God.

- Live each day filled with new hope as a child of God.

In the following passages, Jesus is referred to as the Gate, the Shepherd, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He tells us that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Jesus bridges the gap between our sinfulness and God. There is no other way to approach God except through Jesus and what He did on the Cross for us sinners. When we come to Him, He protects us, guides us, leads us, and loves us the same as a Shepherd taking care of His flock of sheep. He even cared for us enough to lay down His life for us. We are also told salvation is found in no one else, and anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

John 10:7-15 (NIV)

The Shepherd and His Flock: Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John 14:6 (NIV)

Jesus the Way to the Father: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Acts 4:8-12 (NIV)

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin: Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Acts 2:21 (NIV)

Peter Addresses the Crowd: And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)

Peace and Joy: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

God loves us so much, He sent His only Son to die for us. Have you ever thought if you could sacrifice your own child for someone you loved, much less for a group of people who didn’t like you and rejected you? God did just that for us. Before we were even born, God knew we would all sin and need forgiveness, so He paid our sin debt for us. All we have to do is to accept this free gift.

John 3:16-21, 27, 36 (NIV)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So what comes to mind when someone you know tells you they’re a born again Christian? Perhaps you think of a religious fanatic, or maybe to you its confusing or something mysterious? The person you once knew that behaved, acted, or talked in a certain way has now dramatically changed. What caused this change? Should I get a repellant to make sure it doesn’t rub off on me too? Or you might say “that’s nice, good for you,” but have no idea what it means other than it’s a “religious thing.” Here’s a good one; you might not believe its something you need. After all, you go to church on Sunday, consider yourself basically a good person, try to help other people, and figure if things get really bad, you can just take God off the shelf and put him into action.

I think for most people it depends a lot on their background. How we were raised, what church or religion we participated in, what part of the country we grew up in, our social status and what type of contact we had with Christians all impact our thoughts and beliefs. Unfortunately, most people unknowingly allow Satan to influence their ideas and concepts and even fuel these misconceptions so he can keep them far from God and His truth. Satan wants you to believe you can be the god of your own life. Let’s see what God has to say.

In John 3:3, Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” At the time, He was talking with a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. Nicodemus was knowledgeable of the Old Testament and Jewish law, but he too did not understand how a person can be born again. Jesus wasn’t talking about physical birth, but rather a spiritual birth.

In Mark 10-15, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." This time, He was talking with His disciples. To feel secure, all children need is a loving look and gentle touch from someone who cares. Complete understanding is not a requirement. They believe us if they trust us. For adults, it should be the same. We don’t need complete understanding to know that God loves us and provides forgiveness of our sins. We should trust God with a child’s simplicity and openness (NIV footnotes).

In Acts 4:10-12, Peter said: “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." There is only one God and one way to Heaven, through Jesus.

In Romans 8:9, Paul said: “you, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Dr Charles Stanley, Intouch Ministries, further clarified that “you can’t get to heaven without the Spirit of God in you. You can’t get the Spirit in you unless you’ve been reborn. And unless you’ve been reborn you can’t be a Christian.”

Here is where our basic beliefs might get challenged. First we have to accept that we can’t earn our way to heaven. James 2:18 says “show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” Deeds aren’t a substitute for, but rather a verification of our faith. And true faith always results in a changed life and good deeds. If you could earn your way to heaven, how would you ever know if you did enough? When people set up additional requirements for salvation, they deny the power of Christ’s death on the cross, as if to say sorry God, I don’t believe Jesus’ death was enough.

Second, we have to accept that we will never be able to stop sinning and therefore be good enough to get into heaven. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, a sin nature became part of who we are. It’s like a disease we all have. You might control or reduce some of the sin that comes out of you, but you can’t stop it all because you are permanently infected. Dr Stanley said “our sinful nature can only be dealt with through rebirth, because the outside stuff we do can’t fix the inside of who we are.” After your reborn, your nature changes. In 2 Corinth 5:17, Paul said “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” You are no longer a sinner by nature. You will still sin, but its no longer who you are. You are now a child of God, saved by His grace. And when He saves us, He gives us faith and the Holy Spirit to live inside us.

Finally, we have to believe and accept by faith, like a small child, that our salvation and eternal life are free gifts given to us through the death of Jesus Christ. The Bible defines salvation as the deliverance from the power and penalty of sin. Jesus’ death broke the power of sin’s control over us and His death paid OUR penalty for our sins. And what does He want from us for this incredible sacrifice? Simply to believe in what He did for us, to follow Him, and to develop a personal relationship with Him. And this truly is possible, because the death of Jesus broke all barriers to God. Jesus is our bridge. We no longer need an intermediary. We can approach God any time or any place and talk with Him, pray to Him, listen to Him, and ask Him to forgive us of our sins. We need to insure we don’t let our religion get in the way of our relationship with Jesus. Jesus made it simple, so why add rules and complicate the instructions Jesus said were enough?

So now that we’ve walked our way through the original question, what’s next? First you need to ask yourself if you want to go to heaven. If you don’t believe what’s written or think you need more information, you should read God’s Word. If you would like to believe but aren’t sure, I would suggest you give Jesus a try. You won’t be disappointed. And if for some reason you were not completely satisfied with the new and improved you, Satan will always take you back. Assuming you want to go to heaven, and the only way to heaven is to be reborn, then how do you do that? The simplicity will amaze you and the result will change you forever, or dare I say eternally! All you need to do is pray a simple truthful prayer to God from your heart.

Before we pray, you need to believe the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross. In John 14:6, Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” You also need to believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again. In Matthew 28:5-7, at the tomb of Jesus, an angel appeared to the women and said “do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen from the dead.” Finally, you need to choose daily to follow Jesus and make Him the Lord of your life.

Pray: Lord Jesus, please forgive me of my sins, please come to live inside me so that I can start a new life with You in control. I thank You for paying my sin penalty and ask You to be the Lord of my life. In Jesus name I pray, Amen! Congratulations, if you sincerely prayed that prayer, you’ve been born again!

If you did not accept this invitation because you still need answers, then please search for them. If you think you can make this decision anytime, realize that you may not get another chance to respond to God because only He knows how long we will walk the earth. Psalm 139:16 states “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. ”Please consider also that you did not get this information by accident.

Beyond our witness, many new believers and those who have been Christians for a long time have difficulty leading others through the Scriptures to an understanding of Jesus’ purpose on earth. Often, we may be asked about our faith during brief windows of opportunity, but it may be difficult to recall specific Scriptures to explain our relationship with Jesus. Other times, we would like to have specific references available to lead others toward Christ when we are able to develop long term relationships. Even though John 3:16 sums it all up, those struggling to understand or accept Christ, will benefit from additional explanation. The Scriptures I have included are just some of the many passages which could be helpful, as a tool, to share the reason for our faith and to provide hope to others.

- A common path is described in a Bible (NIV) chart, in the book of Romans, as Salvation’s Freeway:

- Everyone has sinned: Rom 3:23: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

- The penalty for sin is death: Rom 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

- Jesus Christ died for sin: Rom 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

- To be forgiven, believe, confess: Rom 10:8-10: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

- The following Scriptures provide additional background on the “why” Jesus came, why He chose to do this, what He gave us, and what we must do. A final area on “our role” can be helpful to briefly and directly point others towards Christ when time or receptiveness may prevent a more lengthy explanation.

- The beginning: an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:20-21).

- During Jesus public ministry: Jesus said, “For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it” (John 12-47). Jesus said: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

- After Jesus’ death and resurrection: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I (Paul) am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life” (1 Tim 1:15-16). Paul shares why Jesus came to earth and if we believe in Him we can have eternal life.

- Paul tells Timothy: “by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace” (2 Tim 1:8, 9). “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5). “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast (Eph 2:8-9).

- Paul tells Timothy: “you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:15).

- Peter addressed the crowd: “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21). Peter also tells them: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

- Peter said: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (Acts 3:19). “…. know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:10, 12).

- “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you” (Romans 8:9). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17). Once we accept Christ, our nature changes. We are no longer a sinner by nature. God gives us a new heart and new desires.

- Our role: The above passages outline why Jesus came: to save us from the penalty of our sin. Why He chose to do this: because He loves us. What He gave us: free gift of salvation. What we must do to receive His gift: ask Him to forgive us of our sins, ask Him to be Lord of our life, and believe in our heart He was raised from the dead. Additionally, John 14:6 further supports that Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven.

- Thank you Lord for the gift of salvation through Your Son. Help us to never forget the significance of Your loving act as we walk with You and share Your incredible sacrifice with those in the world around us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

1 And God spoke all these words:

2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 "You shall have no other gods before me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

13 "You shall not murder.

14 "You shall not commit adultery.

15 "You shall not steal.

16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Quick Reference:

1. You shall have no other gods before me

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol

3. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God

4. Remember the Sabbath

5. Honor your father and mother

6. You shall not murder

7. You shall not commit adultery

8. You shall not steal

9. You shall not give false testimony

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

- The Parable of the Sower: While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown (Luke 8:4-8).

- "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” (Luke 8:11-15).

Excerpt from “Where Did YOUR Seed Fall?”, Jim Moehsmer

- I once thought this parable only applied to non-believers and their decision to receive Christ or not. Pastor Mark Furlong explained in a sermon that it also applies ANYTIME God reveals a fresh truth to us from His Word. Satan wants to quickly move in and take it from us before it can sink into our hearts and produce life change within us.

- When we receive God’s Word, we must apply it to our lives. We can’t just store it up like a farmer who puts his grain in a huge silo. It does not do him or anyone else any good until he releases it from the silo. The same is true with receiving God’s Word. When we release His Word to work in us, we are changed to become more like Christ. When we then allow His Word to flow out of us, it will touch others lives through our actions.

- A part of this process involves helping the seed we release to grow. When we take a portion of God’s Word, meditate on what it means and how to apply it in specific areas of our lives, we are watering it to take root. The Holy Spirit assists us with this to understand what God wants us to understand. As the knowledge and wisdom from His Word begins to take the place of other characteristics and habits in our life, the growth process has begun. When we discuss those truths with a mentor or others in a small group, we are fertilizing them to produce a maximum yield in our lives. When we fully understand them, have applied them to our lives, and are ready to share them with others, the harvest begins.

Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” We must believe in our heart and confess with our mouths. If we don’t believe in our heart, we are just saying words. Confessing reflects what is in our heart. When we believe Jesus died for our sins, ask Him to forgive us of our sins, and accept Him as Lord of our lives, then we receive the Holy Spirit as a helper (John 14:16) to live the Christian life. With His presence inside us, the changes can begin.

- Once we accept Christ into our lives, we’re told in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, all things have become new!”

-We have to believe the promises of God and accept that the old things have gone. In addition, by being baptized, we symbolically bury the old self and rise out of the water to our new life in Christ. The old “us” is dead. Jesus now provides the direction in our lives, becomes our life Source, and sits on the throne of our lives.

Excerpt from “Which Way Are You Looking?”, Jim Moehsmer

- In Genesis 19:17, the angels of the Lord told Lot and his family "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" Vs. 26 “But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” As they were leaving Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s wife could not resist looking back. Even though she was told not to, she may have just wanted to see the destruction, but perhaps she was still focused on what she was leaving behind and not trusting what God had for her up ahead. In Vs. 18-20, even Lot did not want to go too far and chose to settle near a town close by. Both seemed to be still attracted to their sinful fleshly desires.

- Romans 13:14 reminds us “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” We can’t be two people. We can’t hang on to the old lifestyle and grow in our relationship with Jesus. If we try to stand on that fence, we will be right where Satan wants us, doing nothing. In addition to being baptized, we have to mentally accept that the old us is dead. We are no longer that person.

- Here’s one solution: every time a thought enters your mind from the past, picture yourself standing in the graveyard staring at a grave. The grave represents the old you. Then thank God for His grace and His mercy! Thank Him for the new you and for keeping the old you in the grave! Amen! P. S. Why would you ever want to grab a shovel and try to dig your way DOWN to the old you when you can now look UP to the NEW you in Christ? Amen again!

- Getting caught in Satan’s trap of looking to the past keeps us from God’s best and prevents us from doing what God has planned for us. Ephesians 2:8-10 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” If Satan can keep us going in circles either thinking about or dwelling on the past problems, failures, or challenges, he keeps us ineffective to be used by God.

Why don’t we always live as New Creations?

- Our spirit is reborn, but the soul and body must be retrained. It’s a process, like Paul said in Php 3:12-13, forgetting the past and straining forward. If we dwell on the past, we won’t be focused on growing into our new Christlike character. Because we are going against the current of society, we must keep going, or we will drift back toward the old life. If we’re not moving closer to God, we’re moving closer to Satan.

- In Gal 2:20, Paul said “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” It’s not about ME anymore. Depending on what stage of our life we accept Christ, we have spent a lot of time in “ME” mode, always thinking about self and what WE want. Becoming focused on God instead of ourselves will take time.

- Rom 12:1-2 tells us to present our bodies as living sacrifices and to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. The mind is where the battle begins. Dr Charles Stanley said “our thoughts and emotions impact our actions, and our actions become habits. Over time, our habits reflect our character and determine our destiny.”

- In the Experiencing God Devotional, 11/10, Henry & Richard Blackaby, it says “People of this world focus on what they’re OVERcoming, while Christians focus on what they’re BEcoming.” The mental process we adopt toward our future with Jesus is critical in both overcoming our past and growing spiritually. We can start to become what Jesus wants us to be. He knows our past and He knows our future. All we have to do is acknowledge Satan’s desire to keep us dwelling on the past. When we accept that, we can let it go and look completely and confidently toward Jesus

Excerpt from “For What Do You Thirst ”, Jim Moehsmer

- Try this visual picture: You’re a paint can. If you open the can (your life) to God and start to fill the can with water (Holy Spirit saturating us with God’s Word), the contents of the can will begin to change (from whatever our past regrets, failures, or struggles might be) to a cleaner, purer you more closely walking with God. The longer we allow the water to saturate the contents of the can, the purer the water will be, until eventually the paint (old you) is replaced by clear water (new Christlike you). While a remnant of paint may remain on the inner walls of the can (just like a remnant of the old you may remain), what flows forth from the can is a river of life in you being worked out by the Holy Spirit to bless others. Not only is the inner you changed, but with so much water flowing over the edge of the can, the can label (who you were) is washed away to reveal a shiny new can (you) underneath. All you have to do is keep the water flowing in!

Success as a New Creation

- Be persistent and choose to walk with God each day.

- Press on like Paul, and don’t let our emotions dominate us.

- Be thirsty for God and “flood the eyes of our heart with light” (Eph 1:18).

- Be aware that Satan’s number one goal is to steal God’s Word from our heart.

- To the degree we surrender ourselves to let the Holy Spirit work in our lives, will we become what God wants us to be.

- We must choose to die daily to our selfish desires (see 1 Cor 15:31).

- As we continue to fill up on God, we develop new habits and patterns of living. Eventually, our body adjusts to the new creation – much like adjusting to daylight savings time.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the new life You have given us. We pray You will help us to always keep looking forward to what we are becoming and not to the past of who we were. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

- Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation (1 Pe 2:2). To grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ, we must be determined to swim against the current of society and TOWARD God. We can begin to do this by focusing on Godly and heavenly things. The Apostle Paul said: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:1-3).

- I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Php 3:8). Paul was determined to set aside earthly things in exchange for a better life with Christ. He knew it was a lifelong process when he said: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Php 3:12-14).

Excerpt from “So Where’s the Meat?”, Jim Moehsmer

- “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). We are called to grow in our knowledge of the very word which brought us our new life in Christ. If we were determined enough and believing enough to accept God’s Word for our eternal salvation, we must also be determined enough to move beyond that basic knowledge to a fuller, richer, deeper, complete meat diet of God’s Word into maturity. Only then will we come to fully realize the purpose for which God placed us here in the first place.

- In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness (Heb 5:12-13). The danger of never progressing beyond the elementary truths is that we can starve ourselves spiritually. We may go to the same church each week for 20 years and think we are being fed and growing, when in reality we have not progressed beyond the elementary truths. We can’t rely on our total growth to come from a once a week sermon in church. The other danger described in these passages, aside from not growing, is in falling away from what knowledge we do have. Satan is quick to steal God’s Word from us, but he is also content for us to hear very few life changing words over a 20 year span because he knows we will remain babies forever.

Excerpt from Committed,” Jim Moehsmer

- Pastor Mark Furlong said “our salvation is free, but growth as a Christian takes a commitment on our part.” If we are to make a permanent, lasting commitment, we need a God empowered determination through prayer and a complete surrender to His will for our lives. I doubt anyone ever became successful or developed an outstanding relationship by haphazard, irregular, occasional focus and commitment. The same is true in our relationship with Christ and our spiritual growth. Our method to grow and stay committed may vary, but we must have one.

- WARNING: our human nature (and Satan) will fight any attempt to be committed to God. Gal 5:16-17 reminds us to “live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other.” This is similar in principle to what Paul also said in Rom 7:15: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do.”

- Our sinful human nature is always in conflict with the things of God until we purposely, and every day, choose God over our own selfish desires. Being committed to God isn’t a one time decision, but a daily choice to fight our sinful nature and follow the Spirit’s lead. Bottom line: We can’t just want to be committed to God, we have to take steps to make it happen and continue taking them until the steps turn into walking (with no intent to stop).

Prayer is an important part of our walk with God. Prayer brings us into contact with our Heavenly Father and gives us the opportunity to grow closer to Him. Prayer allows us to give Him thanks, to pray for those in need, and to ask God for help and direction in our personal circumstances. Jesus provided us with a prayer model in Matthew.

- "This, then, is how you should pray:" 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt 6:9-15).

- Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess 5:16-18). Being able to pray continuously is simply a matter of being aware of God and His presence throughout each day; talking to Him, thanking Him, listening for His instruction.

- “For the word of God is living and active” (Heb 5:12). “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Eph 6:17-18). When we combine the power in God’s Word with the power of our communion with Him in prayer, we have a very explosive combination. In the book, Praying God’s Word, Author Beth Moore says this is like strapping two sticks of dynamite together. Through this powerful combination, can we overcome difficulties in our lives and repeated attacks by Satan.

- We must pray for all things and in spite of our circumstances. A mind focused on God in prayer becomes confident in God. A mind focused on our circumstances becomes worried, fearful, doubtful and controlled by Satan.

- Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matt 6:25-27). But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (Matt 6:33-34).

- Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Php 4:4-8).

- Scripture is full of examples showing how God worked in people’s lives because they prayed.

- Make an appointment with God each day and stick to it. Spend time with Him in an environment that isn’t rushed. Start a list of people, things, or circumstances you are praying for. Put a date next to it when you started praying. When God gives an answer, put a line through the item and a date of the answer. As you look back on these, you will see how God has worked and will be encouraged to see more of His activity.

In an interview conducted by Paul Bradshaw with Pastor Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, “What is the purpose of life?” And I respond: “In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness," which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.

That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

________________________________________________________

Editor’s Note: The original source for this article is unknown. However, the message is relevant and timeless. September 2006.

How many times in our life have we said “if only?” The Bible is full of “if only-s.” Most of them seem to deal with the benefit, guidance, and promises we receive “if only” we follow God’s commands, wisdom, and instruction to us and be obedient to follow and serve Him. Life follows the same path with conditions that must be met before something happens, or consequences that result from certain actions. While God’s intent, I believe, was to keep it simple and protect us from harm or poor decisions, we seem to want to step out and test those conditions or “if only-s.” Being the think ahead God He is, and knowing we are a rebellious lot, He gave us the formula to find our way back. Thank You God!

After Solomon completed building God’s temple, he offered a prayer of dedication to God (2Ch 6:14 ). When he finished praying, fire came down from Heaven, consumed the offering, and God’s glory filled the temple (2 Ch 7:1). Some time later, the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and told Solomon He had heard his prayer (2 Ch 7:12 ). God’s response and the basis of this article:

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place” (2 Ch 7:13 -15). Even though the Lord was responding to some specifics that Solomon prayed, there is a wider application we should look at.

- When I shut up the heavens, send locusts, or command a plague: these can be examples of anything in our lives that God uses to point out our sinfulness or discipline us, and get our attention to return to Him. Sometimes we may have left the path of following Him, made wrong choices or decisions, or may have not followed Him at all. He may just be trying to get our attention to begin following Him. Whatever the reason or whatever the method, He wants us to look to Him.

- if my people, who are called by my name: Israel means “struggles with God” and was the name given to Jacob after he wrestled with God all night (Gen 32:22). According to the Zondervan NIV Bible Dictionary, the name “children of Israel” became known to represent God’s whole body of chosen and saved people. We too are included in those “called by His name” as Christ followers and His saved people.

Now it begins to get personal. God want us to humble ourselves in a way that will take the focus off us and place it on Him -- Creator. This can be hard to do if our world revolves around us and our needs or desires. But until we can let go of any pride or self focus, we can never get to the next place God wants us to be – in prayer.

Prayer has a way of placing us in a position of submission to something greater than ourselves – God, praise for who He is, thanksgiving for all He does, and an understanding of the control He has in our lives. It also helps us recognize our need for His help and realize we don’t have all the answers or solutions to life. Prayer brings us into a place of communion with our Creator that brings us to a level and a world beyond anything we can find by looking inward. Which is exactly the point: He wants our fellowship and our life to be based on that relationship. God wants to be in the center. Everything we do to remove God from the center of our lives usually takes us to a place of sinfulness or pride. The result is God doing or allowing something in our lives that will prompt us to give Him back control.

When we pray, we are seeking God’s face. As we turn to look TOWARD God, we are turning AWAY from our wicked ways. As we get our eyes refocused and adjusted to see the pure, holy, perfect God, our sinfulness and wicked ways become amazingly clear. Humbleness and forgiveness are all we can seek. When we do? God promises to hear from Heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land. And what about our land?

During our recent election, this verse from the Bible received some extra attention as many Christians prayed to God for our country and leaders. We know that our land can be our country as it was in the days of Solomon. But what about the land of our individual lives? We’re not talking houses and property here either. Think about our land as all the stuff of our lives; whether job, relationships, children, decisions, ministries, and/or our spiritual lives.

Following God is like showing up on the football field in a football uniform. Not following God is like showing up on the football field in a baseball uniform. We’re dressed, but for a different game. Something just isn’t right. It might not make sense to us, but everyone else sees it. Doesn’t it also make sense that if we are going down the broad path of sinfulness, wrong focus and poor decisions, chasing everything the world says we need, that the things in our lives (our land) will become messed up. Our land, the land of our lives, will become like a toxic waste dump that needs serious cleaning up or healing. And who offers that clean up/healing service; none other than God, waiting where He has always been.

Amazingly, after all we have done, or what path we took, God reminds us in the last verse that He waits with open eyes and attentive ears to the prayers offered up. The place doesn’t really matter. God always hears our prayers and is always ready to listen. Are we as ready to listen and offer prayers to God as He is willing to receive them? If only – if only we would seek our God!

Heavenly Father, we thank You for not leaving us to our own wisdom or lack thereof. We thank You that You have provided us with a way back to You from wherever we end up. We pray for Your continued grace and mercy to forgive our sins and heal our land as we come humbly before You in prayer. Thank You for all You are and all You do. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

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