Tag: Holy Spirit

Rise Up after the Fall Down

Some will understand this, some won’t. Some will believe this, some won’t. Reading this is absolutely worth your time and understanding, because it is true, beneficial and doesn’t cost any money.

SOLUTIONS

We put so much effort in misguided ways, numbing the pain, bad advice, wasting time and money and often finding disappointment when a lasting solution isn’t achieved. But the lasting solution is here to be found 24/7 (right now). “seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9, Jeremiah 29:13, Deuteronomy 4:29) I won’t make you wait until the end to hear the solution: “surrender your life to Jesus- once you seek and find him.” Before you dismiss this, give it a chance, this is not just “Christian talk”- it is the truth, based on my personal experience and many others. You don’t have anything to lose, but everything to gain.

HUMILITY

If you talk to people who have surrendered to Jesus, some of the strongest believers I’ve met overcame the worst imaginable circumstances. Unfortunately it seems that it often takes “hitting bottom” or some extreme tragedy before we truly seek Jesus. It also takes being in a humble mindset; the proud don’t need anyone. The proud can do it on their own- or so they think. However, pride comes before the fall. (Proverbs 16:5, Proverbs 16:18, Proverbs 11:2, Proverbs 18:12) God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. (James 4:6)

SURRENDER

I didn’t know what “Surrender your life to Jesus” meant when I first heard it, but it’s pretty simple: basically stop trying to handle it solo, seek God, ask for help from God, pray to the One who truly can make change happen in our lives. Ask God to guide your life, pray for guidance on every decision. With God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

ASK FOR HELP

But there is something more to know, God is not like a “genie” or a “vending machine” where we just “ask and receive”- it takes a desire within us to want to change ourselves for the better, to want to be more godly in our actions, more Christlike – more like Jesus. It takes a willing attitude of “not my way, but Your’s” (God’s will). (To know about Jesus, we can study the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and/or John. There is similar content in each, but also different insights since they were written by different people. Matthew and John were each one of Jesus’ original 12 followers, Luke was a medical doctor and interviewed people who experienced Jesus in person and Mark was a friend of Peter who was one of the original 12 followers of Jesus also.)

SIN – REPENTANCE- HOLY SPIRIT

We can’t ignore the topic of “sin” though if we want to rise up (metaphorically and physically). Sin separates us from God. Sin hinders our prayer requests. (John 9:31). I think most of us know what sin is: going against the commands of God (Exodus 20– 10 Commandments), but Jesus tells people that the commands of God are even more extensive (Matthew 5) than what we see at “face value” in the 10 Commandments. But don’t be discouraged by that, God created us, He knows we are weak and stumble from sin, so He gives us a way out when we experience a temptation and He also is merciful and forgiving- if we truly are sorry and ask for forgiveness. He is quick to reconcile with us. And not only that but after we “repent” of our sin (which is ask for forgiveness and intend to change our ways), when we are honest and intend to change for the better, He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us change- this is how the impossible is possible- with God (the Holy Spirit). When we receive the Holy Spirit, we are “born again”– born of the Spirit, a new creation. We can let our past go because that no longer defines us, we have a new life, we become part of Jesus’ family, we become the son or daughter of God, we become a new creation!

BORN AGAIN- FREEDOM

When we are truly “born again,” we have God’s spirit residing within in us. We and others will know we have God’s Spirit because the evidence will show in our character. People will see the “fruit of the spirit” which is: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. No one who is born of God continues sinning. (1 John 3:9)

MADE POSSIBLE BY JESUS

When we have God’s spirit within us, we know we will be in God’s kingdom in the future. This takes away so much uncertainty about our future, knowing this. The only way this became possible, for us to have the opportunity to be in God’s kingdom, is because Jesus broke the curse of death that comes upon us when we sin, he did this when he died on the cross and raised from the dead. All our gratitude and thankfulness is to Jesus, without his resistance to sin, his obedience to the Father, this would not have been possible. Jesus is the way (to God’s kingdom), the truth (belief/faith) and the life (eternal life). No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. Jesus asks the Father for the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) and gives it to those who are sincere in their desires to be close in relationship with God. This is our adoption into God’s family, into His kingdom that will come.

It’s good to realize the freedom found being in Christ – having the Holy Spirit – brings us.

FREEDOM FROM:

  • a Broken Heart : there will be no more tears (Revelation 21:4) God is close to the broken hearted (Psalms 34:18)
  • Loss: those who put their faith in Jesus, who had the Holy Spirit indwelling when they passed away will come to life (Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 15:52)
  • Anxiety- Do not worry, God knows what we need and provides it (Matthew 6:25-34), Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7) (John 14:27) When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy (Psalms 94:19)
  • Anger – anger is the foothold of the devil, when we have the protection of God, the Spirit of God residing we have strength and self-control (Ephesians 4:27) (Galatians 5:22-23)
  • Worthlessness– we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), for a specific kingdom purpose (Phillippians 2:13) (Ephesians 2:10), we are valuable or Jesus wouldn’t have suffered what he did so that we may be saved and live in eternity with God. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb (Psalms 139:13)
  • Temptation -God provides a “way out” for us, a way to avoid the temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
  • Depression – God refreshes us (Matthew 11:28), gives us peace and guards our minds (Phillipians 4:7)- Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. (Psalms 55:22)
  • Lust- So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)
  • Addiction – I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philipeans 4:13), Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7)
  • Guilt – if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God (1 John 3:21) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness
  • Shame- those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (Psalms 34:5)
  • Condemnation -Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)

FREEDOM BY:

  • Acceptance – though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me (Psalms 27:10)
  • Adoption – we become God’s son or daughter (Romans 8:16)
  • Mercy – he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our sins (Psalms 103:10), the Lord accepts our prayers (Psalms 6:9)
  • Forgiveness – For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 6:14)
  • Love – 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) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38) God is defined as love. “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8) and Jesus also said the greatest commandment in the law to LOVE, love God and love others. (Matthew 22: 34-40). Love is everything.
  • Hope/The Promise of Eternity – “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) while this message was specific to Jeremiah, after reading the bible, we see this message is consistent throughout and specific for all those whom God loves.
  • Truth – Jesus said: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”(John 8:32), Jesus also said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). From these statements, it is through Jesus that we are freed! All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)
  • Value – So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
  • Peace – And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)- people who have the spirit indwelling feel peace in circumstances those without would not have peace.
  • New Creation – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17) All things will be made new (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21, Revelation 22)
  • a Defined Purpose – For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

FILLED WITH JOY! God works all things for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28, Romans 15:13) But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2.10) That good news is Jesus, his mission and purpose on earth was to save mankind from the law of sin and death and give life to us so we can live in eternity with God as brothers and sisters. This is truth – Flourish with it!

by Categories: bible study, FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, God, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, Marriage, Parents, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, suicide, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Spiritual Warfare – Is it affecting You?

I clearly see this happening to us, although it was present well before I was born; I was blind to it. I didn’t know it truly existed until a few years ago: the unseen forces we often battle! And so many of us react: “I just don’t know why that happened?!” After reading this, you might understand:

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1Peter 5:8

7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

Job 1:7

Throughout the bible, there are references to being “sober” or avoiding being drunk. Have you ever heard someone make an excuse for something bad that happened and say: “Well that’s because I was drunk,” or “I wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t been drinking,” or simply: “I was drunk.” Could it be possible that being under the influence of anything that puts our mind in an uncontrolled state literally allows or gives spiritual access and influence over our mind and body? Isn’t it interesting that alcohol is also called “spirits”? These are questions to think about, I don’t have the answers, but these questions have crossed my mind recently. I think about this next statement Jesus made to the Pharisee named Nicodemus:

12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

John 3:12

There are heavenly things and spiritual forces we do not see nor comprehend. It seems to me there are some spiritual laws that we do not fully comprehend either, but we are affected by them. Jesus also said this about Satan:

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:10

and Jesus said this to the unbelieving Jews:

44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44

We also know from the Bible that right after Jesus was baptized by John (the Baptist) in the Jordan River, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days, and he was tempted by Satan. It’s interesting that this “tempting” occurred immediately after people visibly saw the spirit descend on Jesus and audible heard God speak. I believe this happens in our lives too, when we get closer to God, we can be sure that we will experience this spiritual warfare to try to interfere with our connection/relationship with God. It’s much easier to deal with an enemy, when we know who it is that is attacking.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:16

Jesus knew scripture and quoted it in response to Satan’s temptations. This is a good reason why WE should know scripture too, so that when we are tempted, we can recall what scripture states and avoid the lies, deception or the temptation.

  1. In the first temptation, about turning stones to bread, it seems to me that Jesus is emphasizing this point; we live by every word (scripture) that comes from God’s mouth, not just by the bread that provides physical nourishment. In another part of scripture, Jesus refers to himself as “the bread of life” and in the gospel of John, Jesus is described as “the Word.”
  2. In the second temptation, it seems Satan wants Jesus to commit suicide, but Jesus responds that we are not to test God!
  3. In the third temptation, Satan wants to be worshipped, but Jesus responds: only God is to be worshipped.

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Matthew 4:1-11

Here is another example of the spiritual warfare affecting mankind. Saul chose to do things his way and not obey God. Saul wasn’t repentant for doing it Saul’s way, he justified it. Therefore, God rejected Saul as King. From this we see that when God’s spirit is with someone they are blessed and protected, but after a period of time when a person remains disobedient, God removes His Spirit and an evil spirit is then allowed access. Here is what happened to Saul, found in scripture:

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil[a] spirit from the Lord tormented him.

1 Samuel 16:14

The entire book of Job is about a spiritual attack from Satan. Everything was taken from Job to turn Job against God, but fortunately Job did not turn away from God and God rewarded Job. We also see from this that everything is under God’s ultimate control, even Satan. God transferred the power over Job to Satan. This is concerning because Job was righteous and God allowed some horrible events to occur. But we have to remember that our time on earth is temporary, our focus should not be on this world, but on the next. Those with God’s spirit will live in eternity with God in the future when Jesus returns. So ultimately whatever hardships we experience as testing of our faith when we continue to trust in God, if we endure and prevail, we will be rewarded in eternity, if not before then. God is faithful and keeps promises. We may not always like the way events work out, but we must trust that God will work out everything for the best of those who love Him.

9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job 1:9-12

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.

Job 42:10

Another thing to know about the spiritual attacks is that we can’t let our guard down. When God removes an evil spirit, if we don’t remain connected to God, even more evil will come to attack us. Here is the example of this from scripture of what Jesus said to the Pharisees (the righteous law keepers):

43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Matthew 12:43-45

To summarize, we are likely experiencing spiritual warfare (if it is not a direct consequence for our “sinful” action) when the following happens:

  • Sadness
  • Believing negative lies
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Loneliness
  • Physical Illness
  • Physical Destruction or Brokenness
  • Feeling Unworthy
  • Feeling Emptiness
  • Feeling Lacking in some aspect
  • Feeling Insecure
  • Experiencing Temptation
  • War/Fighting/Anger

From scripture, we learn if we are not living obedient to God, we can experience these things as a consequence of our behavior. The consequences are allowed by God with the hope that we “wake up” and turn back towards Him. While this may be upsetting to hear, if we turn back towards God with all our heart, He is merciful, forgiving, loving and wants all of His children (us) living in Eternity with Him on a new earth and heaven that will come after Jesus returns. God has incredible future plans for us in Eternity; his plans are so much greater than ours.

because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
    as a father the son he delights in.[a]

Proverbs 3:12

HOW TO STOP SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Knowing about spiritual warfare gives us the ability to fight it off. First take an honest look at the life we are living, do we need to change anything according to what God wants for us? Secondly, pray. Turn to God for help. Jesus often withdrew from the crowds to pray and Paul said this in scripture:

17 pray continually,

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Sometimes this spiritual warfare can feel like it’s on a “repeat cycle” and never ends, just keeps coming. There could be a reason for this too because Jesus told us:

34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 

John 8:34

Continual disobedience (aka sin) or towards God keeps us IN SLAVERY of sin. Doing something we know we shouldn’t but can’t seem to stop, that’s what continual disobedience is, and we wonder “why?” Why is because we are SLAVES to it, we have allowed it, by our choice, now it takes over and CONTROLS us. If we believe we are not enslaved, well that’s another LIE and spiritual attack to keep us in the continual disobedience. Do you see how this works? We allow ourselves to be MANIPULATED by Satan when we don’t fight it off and do something different. Remember: insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We need to make a change to end that cycle! It will continue until we do something about it, until we get tired of being a pawn in slavery to the enemy of God. This fact comes from the mouth of Jesus himself: if we are in sin, we are a slave to it. What does Satan come to do? steal, kill and destroy. So how long will we let this cycle continue before we truly take action and defeat it? Maybe we’ve unsuccessfully tried to stop this on our own in the past? Why not try this time: WITH GOD!? Remember what Jesus told his disciples:

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26

When we surrender our life to God, when we choose God instead of remaining in disobedience, God HIMSELF will make it possible. By FAITH in God. Faith can do unimaginable things, Jesus said this too:

20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20

Remember what happened to Peter when he had partial faith, or fleeing faith:

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Matthew 14: 27-32

So how do we obtain FAITH? Paul tells us how (read scripture!):

17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Romans 10:17

ETERNAL SECURITY

It’s simple to know if we will be in eternity because Jesus said to enter God’s kingdom, we need to be born again, born of the water and of the spirit. The water is a baptism indicating “repentance,” born of the spirit is receiving the Holy Spirit from Jesus when we ask him for the Spirit and he knows that our intentions are towards being obedient to God. The Spirit helps us overcome the natural rebellion we have and gradually changes us.

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d]

John 3:5-8

This is interesting as documented in the gospel of Matthew, John (the Baptist) also said water for repentance and that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. It makes sense because we receive the Holy Spirit through Jesus, from God, but John also mentions “fire” – to me this sounds like the testing, often throughout scripture it mentions refining metal through fire symbolic for refining of people through testing.

11 “I baptize you with[b] water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew 3:11-12

When we know Spiritual Warfare exists and how we can fight it and we know how we have Eternal Security- we then have nothing to be concerned about and can experience peace in all circumstances, knowing the promise of God. This peace can remain in our lives when we talk to God daily (through prayer) and our faith increases as we learn more from scripture about Jesus, daily reading of scripture is recommended too. We need daily reminders of the love of God. Jesus made it possible for us to share in God’s kingdom, when Jesus returns, we just need to make the choice.

I pray for wisdom, guidance and protection from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to come to you and remain with you until we have that eternal security when Jesus returns and then will be together as brothers and sisters in God’s kingdom, eternal peace, joy, happiness, and celebration. It will be amazing! It is from God! Get ready for it!

by Categories: bible study, FAITH, God, Improvement, RELATIONSHIPS, suicide, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Suicide – the Biblical Response

Today I listened to a popular Christian author’s video on whether or not a person “will go to heaven if they commit suicide” and I was highly disappointed and disturbed by the supposedly “Christian” response, so much that it inspired me to write this.

We are valuable to God. Truly understand that we were created by a loving God who “delights” in us, designed us and has a special purpose in mind for each of us, in this life, and no one else can fulfill it, because each of us is unique, unlike any other. God loves us and wants to experience life with us.

Trouble is real, but we are never alone. God is present 24/7 and available. Jesus tells us in scripture that in this world we will experience trouble, but Jesus has overcome the world. We are not alone when we experience terrible things, even Jesus did when he was here on earth, he experienced betrayal, beatings, abandonment, ridicule, mockery, and more. Many of Jesus’ disciples experienced imprisonment, beatings, etc. But all of this trouble is TEMPORARY. Keep the temporary part in mind; it is truth. And know that God is available to call upon and help us through it.

Negative thoughts are spiritual warfare. Know what is behind these lies: evil spiritual forces wanting to separate us from God. If we know who the enemy is, we can fight the battle when Jesus is with us, on our side. There is nothing impossible. The enemy’s plan is to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus gives life.

God is forgiving. There is no need to hang on to shame or guilt (we all mess up; God is aware), but God is merciful and forgiving; He simply wants us to ask for forgiveness (with the intention of changing) and we will be reconciled with Him.

Loss. God promises to restore our broken world in the future. A loss today does not mean forever. He designed us to be immortal beings, but we have to wait for Jesus to return before we receive these supernatural bodies. God will restore everything; trust Him. He is the only one who is good and can be trusted.

God’s laws. God gave us commands to live by and Jesus said if we love Him, obey his commands. This is how we show God love. God told us we shall not kill. When Jesus gave his talk about “murder” he told the people that having a dispute with a brother was the same in God’s eyes as murder. If an argument is equated to murder in God’s eyes; then wouldn’t ending a life (any life) also be murder? If we did that it certainly wouldn’t show God, our Creator, that we love Him by destroying something He cared to create. Remember He loved us first, that is why He made us: out of Love!

Depression. God can turn bad to good, turn it over to Him, ask for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, courage, self-control, guidance, strength, endurance and patience. This request is for supernatural things; don’t doubt the power of the Holy Spirit, it is real. Have faith. Ask for this.

If or when thoughts of suicide come to mind, know that this is NOT God’s will for us. God chooses life always. God is light. God is love. Jesus came to save the sinners (all of us). People from the Old Testament were saved by faith. Faith is shown by our actions. If we have faith, if we believe in Jesus, we will TRUST Jesus and put everything in his hands. Suicide is irreversible, there is no changing our mind after it’s done, there is no opportunity to ask for forgiveness once it’s done. Jesus once said what good is it to have everything in the world but then lose our soul? Our soul is the most valuable thing we have. No one can take it from us. We choose who we give it to: God or Satan. God has an indescribable incredible reward waiting for those who choose Him, life.

As a Christian we look to Jesus as the example. Jesus himself was tempted by Satan:

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”

When the question “Will a person go to heaven if they commit suicide?” is asked, remember this: Don’t test God!

Matthew 4:5-7

This is the verse that Jesus was quoting from the Old Testament:

16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the Lord said.

Deuteronomy 6:16-19

If you want confidence about “going to Heaven,” choose life- always! God has better plans, Trust Him.

Do not worry. We can’t change the past, but we can affect the present in a positive way with God’s love and guidance.

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Letting God Guide

I wasn’t satisfied with my life. I continually made goals, found something to look forward to, something to create and work on, but once it was accomplished, it seemed to lead to a “dead end, an unfulfilled feeling” – I didn’t find the happiness, joy, peace and comfort, or sense of accomplishment I hoped for throughout the life I lived. I was disappointed and I wondered if this is all there is to life?

A tragedy lead me to a new quest, a quest for “answers” about life. A well liked, respected, happy teenager died in a car crash on the way to work. This gave me even more questions about life, purpose, why did this happen but it led me back to church in 2015. It also led me to realizing how short life can be and I had a feeling of wanting to make the most of it; to “make it count” as this teenager said it. Only I did it the wrong way “make it count” doesn’t mean “live it up,” doesn’t mean “escape.” (I see in hindsight this is where the “tug of war” started, I was being pulled in opposite directions: towards God and away from God at the same time.) Two years later, I still didn’t have the answers, feel complete or fulfilled but I knew one thing: I wasn’t seeing anything positive coming from my life. Inside I still had hopefulness, but disappointments continued.

One evening at church, I decided to turn it over to Jesus, to surrender my life to Jesus- that was 2017. I didn’t know what that truly meant but what it meant to me was to pray every day in the morning when I woke up and at night before I went to bed: for guidance. And this is what happened, almost immediately bad things started happening to me, but I stuck with it and kept praying. Then I went into a period that felt like a roller coaster ride: big swings of good things happening followed by disappointments over and over again, but I didn’t loose my prayers, I kept praying.

After two years of this, at my lowest point, in 2019, I called out to God in prayer: “What is going on!? I’m trying to do the right things so why is all this happening to me?” Then I opened the bible on my nightstand, the bible I bought but never opened hoping for “something”, and I got more than something! I received insight! “Spiritual warfare” became clear to me; it was the Book of Job that I had opened to, and the first book I read. It then made sense to me what I was going through: I was trying to get closer to God so I was being met with spiritual resistance; God allowed me to be tested. I stuck with my prayer plan but things didn’t get much better and seemed to be getting worse. I had specific questions about how I was living my life, so I decided to try to find the answers in the bible, I started seeking those answers in the fall of 2019, I made the decision and made a goal of reading the entire bible to find out what’s in there: front to back. I did this during every free moment I had and was able to accomplish it in 3 months (August – October).

It opened my eyes to so much. It “convicted” me and made me cry. I knew I had to change things about the way I was living because “sin” separates us from God. I didn’t want to be separated from God. I found out things I didn’t even think were “sin” that I had done in ignorance were sin and did some that I knew were wrong, but made excuses. I decided I wanted and needed to change. This wasn’t a very “uplifting” time of my life, I was confronted with everything “wrong” that I did. It was depressing but it was the truth and I didn’t want it in my life any longer, it had to go. I started making changes and lost people that were in my life as a result, not by my choice, by their choice; they rejected me. Then the 2020 pandemic hit and it affected the world. It made me wonder if this was more significant than the event itself, did it have biblical significance?

I started seeking answers again and arrived at the conclusion that this must be a “wake up” call from God to all of us. I continued studying the bible during the “shut down” of the world and learned a lot about bible prophecy- events that haven’t happened yet. At the same time it became apparent that corruption within the world was being exposed and was greater than I ever could have imagined. Beliefs and trust I had were blown apart during this time. I then realized I couldn’t trust anyone (other than God). People were proving to be more “evil” than I ever anticipated. I was shocked, so I “detached” from most people and spent more time studying scripture and in prayer.

My prayer life then changed. I started asking God direct questions in prayer, starting with a closed bible, asking Him to respond to my question through scripture. It started happening (I was getting answers), but I wasn’t completely convinced, I thought it could be a coincidence. That was until April of 2020, I asked a question and opened the bible but I didn’t like the response, so I shut the bible and tried again, but I opened to the same page. I closed it, prayed again and opened to the book of Job (which is about being tested). I was still not convinced, so I closed the book again, prayed and opened it up to the same exact page I had opened twice before, but didn’t like the response! This was too much of a “coincidence” to be ignored for me: 3 times opening to the exact same page; a page that wasn’t creased, saved or visited probably not more than once before (ie. the first time I read the bible). I called my mom about it and shared it with her; it was not something positive that I read, so I was not going to share it with anyone else. Then a month later, it happened! The response found in the bible happened. It wasn’t what I wanted, but in prayer that day I opened the bible, I had asked God for clarity about what was happening- what the outcome of current prayers would be because this was something that was being prayed about for a long time by multiple people and we were seeing encouragement, then discouragement in response to the prayers, so just like before when I didn’t understand what was happening in my life, I wanted to know about this, so I asked God.

After this, whenever I had questions, I would pray to God, ask Him to direct me to something in the bible that would answer my question and it worked. I say “it worked” because I would get an answer then oddly various God focused people would mention the same subject that very day or within 24 hours, I usually heard the message repeated about 3 times from different sources. This seemed to be confirmation to me. This continues currently.

At this point, in May 2020, I decided I was ready to get baptized. I delayed this decision because I knew I wasn’t living my life in obedience to God and I didn’t want to get baptized and be a “fake” Christian, but I was finally ready, I signed up BUT the annual baptism event that occurred in June at the church I was attending was canceled due to the pandemic restrictions, so I didn’t get baptized in 2020.

In August 2021, I happened to see an email from the church, somewhat of a “last call” for anyone who wanted to participate in the September 2021 baptism. This was odd to me! For years the baptism was offered in June, but now I see one for September? I signed up, but almost missed it! Thankfully I got in and I did it.

September 12, 2021 I was baptized! But this is when more unusual things started happening. The night I was baptized, I had a spiritual dream. It wasn’t a positive one, it was somewhat threatening so I shared it with someone I know who is a true Christian, I prayed about it, prayed for forgiveness of my past, prayed for protection and affirmed my decision to follow Jesus and reject everything contrary. Some time later (weeks or months later), I was alone, it was nighttime and I literally saw the exact imagery I had dreamed about in the sky that evening. I took a video of the sky because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing: EXACTLY what I dreamt about. Then after this, more started happening. I started having spiritual dreams which I NEVER had in my life before. They were very detailed and the strangest part about this is that parts of my dreams started happening in my real life, not just once, but numerous times. I wrote down my dreams and recently recorded them on my podcast (Faith podcast link). I decided to record them after things that I dreamt about happened over and over again. It was another point where I thought: I don’t think this is coincidental, something is happening. I had 9 dreams so far, since my baptism, the last one was Mother’s Day 2022. The dreams encouraged me in faith and belief that God is real and the bible is true!

Through these past three years of seeking God, seeking answers and studying the bible, I finally know the God who was once distant from me, who I “knew of,” but didn’t know personally. During this time and through my trying times, God provided exactly what I needed: not more, not less, but just exactly enough. I finally know God better but also believe there is probably still so much more to know. The distant God I learned about in religion, showed up in my life when I started seeking Him. In hindsight I see that He was always there, patiently waiting for me to “wake up” I am forever grateful that I “woke up” in time. God is there for all of us, patiently waiting, loving us and hoping that we seek Him and love Him back. He loved us first, He loves us despite our bad choices in life and longingly, patiently is waiting for all who have not turned to Him. This is my experience, and now my prayer for you: that you may “wake up” and get to know the real, living, communicative God who loves you and wants you in eternity with Him when this all transitions from a broken world to the perfect world God has prepared, waiting for His Children.

The bible reveals God’s nature, His love for us. He created each of us out of love, He delights in us (those He created). He is saddened by our blindness to Him and the sin we choose that separates us from Him. He wants us back, but leaves the choice to us: do we love Him back? Will we seek Him? He made it easy for us to be with Him in eternity: it is a simple choice: do we choose Him in return? He took care of the “law” and judgement of us through Jesus. Jesus specifically came for sinners (all of us) to enlighten us about God, the future kingdom, during his years of teaching and then he provided the way for us to be in eternity with God. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life- the only way to the Father (God). The “law” (the 10 Commandments) teach us what is right and wrong. The payment for breaking the commandments is death. Without Jesus, that will be our future: death/eternal separation from God because God is Holy and sin can’t be in the presence of holiness, whatever contains sin dies in the presence of holiness (we find this information in the bible). But Jesus provides protection from judgement through his death on the cross. Protection for those who accept, have faith, believe and trust in Jesus. That’s what it means that “Jesus paid the price” for us. He gave his life in exchange for our death. Jesus, the Son of God, was sinless and obedient to God the Father. He was the only “acceptable” being that could pay for the enormity of sin of all mankind, because he was and is perfect/without sin. He willingly suffered and died specifically to save our lives through satisfying the law of justice. This is a spiritual law that we may not fully understand, but God is just, the law is just and God took action to save us from the law of death because He loves us and want us with Him. This is something many of us can’t truly comprehend completely: the extent of His love and willingness to do whatever it takes. God is love.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.


8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-13

If you haven’t already done this, please seek God, get to know Him, it is worth it and will change your life, make your life complete. I am praying for all who read or hear this. God is compassionate and forgiving. Life is complete when we are connected to Jesus. Jesus is our protection and our way to an immortal life once God gives us His Spirit which happens when we ask Jesus for this and He sees our good intention by our response to His love. Jesus told us the way we show God our love back to Him is through obeying His commands. He is so encouraging to us, He even gives us His spirit to help us where and when we are weak but seeking Him. The flesh is weak but God’s spirit is strong. God’s spirit fills the gap of our weakness and give us love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Completeness) When we choose to surrender to God, we become a brother or sister to Jesus and a spiritual child of God. We become “born again.” Jesus told us that we will not be in God’s kingdom unless we are “born again”- born of the Spirit. Have God’s spirit residing in us. We are promised an inheritance with an eternal immortal life with God, so incredibly beautiful and fulfilling that it can’t be adequately described by any of us, but there is this revelation of the presence of God that happened to me in my dreams that I can’t describe well enough either, but I will assure you: you want this in your life, you will be grateful in the future that you made this choice to love God back- to be “born again”!

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How to Prepare for the “Great Tribulation”

Preparation is what enables us to proceed with confidence into “Great Tribulation”. We probably agree that not being prepared is one of life’s greatest regrets, isn’t it? Have you ever thought: “If I only knew _________ before this happened!” What if we are heading into one of the toughest times of our lives in this world, as time moves forward? Do you believe you are prepared today? Don’t make that mistake of being unprepared again, heading into the toughest times ever experienced in the world, get prepared now.

7 Steps to Prepare:

  1. Seek God for Wisdom (Non-Believer): If you don’t know what to say or how to pray, and you’re not sure what you believe, or if you believe, here is an example of what to say: “Dear God, I do not know You. I’m not even sure You exist at this point in my life, but I want to know the truth. If You exist, please allow me to get to know You, please reveal Yourself to me. Please give me wisdom to know the truth. If You reveal Yourself to me, I will in return take action to get to know You better through reading and studying the Bible and will continue to communicate with You through prayer. Please clarify and help me know the truth about Jesus and the Holy Spirit”
  2. Believe. (Keep studying the Bible and praying and the following will become clear to you.) There is one God (who interacts with people in 3 forms: God as the Father, the Son (Jesus, the Messiah) and the Holy Spirit. This one God in all three forms was present before, and during the creation of the earth (and everything on it) and is eternal. You may ask: Why would God be in three forms if there is one God? (There are specific purposes for each form, as humans, I don’t know that any of us have a complete understanding because as Jesus asked, how can I tell you of the spiritual things when we have so much difficulty understanding things of this world). God was physically present with humans in the beginning of the earth and will be physically present with humans in eternity on a new earth, but sin entered the earth through evil spiritual beings (Satan: the Devil and Fallen Angels: Demons-Evil Spirits) and has been destroying all the good that God created. The evil spiritual beings who separated themselves from God are at war with God and are actively influencing us on earth (even today) in an attempt to separate us from God just like they will be separated from God in eternity. Jesus came to earth (Mary gave birth to him, but he was conceived by God’s Spirit- Jesus was more than a man, or Prophet as some may think). Jesus came to fulfill prophecies, let people know about God’s future kingdom and to save all people who believe. Jesus was killed (by crucifixion) by people because of his teachings, but he rose from the dead after being placed in a tomb, he appeared to thousands of people, even ate with some of them so that people would know there is eternity and believers will understand there will be a new bodily, immortal form after death. He did this to reassure people of his teachings and to reveal God, and most importantly to serve as the required sacrifice (making atonement, purifying believers) so that Believers are able to have eternal life with God. He ascended into the clouds after spending time with people and reassured that he would return in the future. When Jesus left, the Holy Spirit was sent to his followers and continues to be sent to current Believers today. Believers who commit to living in accordance with God’s commands and then ask God for the Holy Spirit are given the Holy Spirit. God’s spirit residing in us is what we need to be raised from the dead like Jesus did. If we don’t have God’s spirit residing in us, we will not be raised to be present with God in eternity. The Holy Spirit works in us to prepare us for God’s future Kingdom. This is what we all need right now: the Holy Spirit residing within us. So how do we get it?
  3. Acknowledge our Sin. Everyone sins. The Bible tells us what sin is, it is not rules we, or anyone else, make up. God gave them to us, don’t let anyone twist the truth of the Bible or tell you it is “old fashioned”, “out of date”, etc. God is NOT old fashioned, out of date, He is current, He is living and aware of what each of us say, do and even think. NOTHING is hidden from God. Read the Bible to find out what sin is. Here are a few places in the Bible to know what separates us from God, defined as “sin”: breaking The 10 Commandments (Exodus 20), The Sermon on the Mount (Jesus’ clarification of the Commandments) Matthew 5, and a list of behaviors that will exclude us from eternity with God. (1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians– both are very short books of the Bible with 3-5 brief chapters, it’s worth reading all of it), (1 Corinthians 6), (Revelation 22 – verses 14 and 15)
  4. Repent. After acknowledging our sin and being sorry for it, we need to continually eliminate sin as it enters our life. It’s important to know that we can ask God for His Holy Spirit to help us with this. “What is impossible for us is possible with God.” (Matthew, Mark and Luke documented Jesus saying this)
  5. Get Baptized. This is a public commitment that we believe, we acknowledge our sin, we want to be forgiven and choose to live a new life. This is the affirmation that we are making the transition from an Unbeliever to a Believer. Jesus directed people to be baptized. Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus also mentioned this spiritual rebirth (being born again, meaning a new life with God’s spirit inside us) when he spoke with Nicodemus John 3:1-3
  6. Live according to God’s commands. Abiding in Jesus (through prayer and reading/studying the Bible) and our actions will keep the Holy Spirit with us and be evident to others by our character and way of living. People will be able to recognize those who have the Holy Spirit residing in them and those who do not. Those who have the Holy Spirit residing in them will have eternal life with God. This is how you can tell if the Holy Spirit is residing within someone, they will exhibit these characteristics:
    • love (love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails.)
    • joy (displaying delight, happiness due to knowing God)
    • peace (tranquility, calmness, restfulness)
    • forbearance (patient and restrained, easygoing, forgiving, understanding)
    • kindness (the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate)
    • goodness (the quality of being morally good or virtuous)
    • faithfulness (the quality of being loyal, dependable, trustworthy; fidelity)
    • gentleness (the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered)
    • self-control (the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions and desires or the expression of them in one’s behavior, especially in difficult situations)

7. Help Others. This is how we LOVE others: by sharing how to prepare for eternal life! Please share this with all the people you love. Don’t leave anyone behind. Jesus said the Greatest Command is to love God with all our hearts, souls and mind and second to that is to love others.

John 14:21

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Jesus

This is how we will be prepared to endure through the trials, troubles and tribulation we have throughout our life on earth. Something valuable is worth the preparation. Eternity/immortal life with God is valuable and worth the preparation. Jesus gave us the map, the directions, the guidance, the warnings, and the help through the Holy Spirit- we have all we need to be prepared. Those who prepare will not be caught by surprise “like a thief in the night” when Jesus returns. We need God’s spirit residing in us. We can receive God’s Spirit when we prepare and we will know we have God’s spirit when our lives begin reflecting the behaviors and characteristics listed in #6 above. Jesus did the hardest, truthfully the impossible for us: he made it possible for us to be in eternity. In fact, if we are living righteously (prepared) when Jesus returns, we may not even experience a physical death! All Believers who are living at that time will rise to meet Jesus! (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

God is so good to us: He gives us life, He provides everything we need, He gives us an escape from eternal death (made possible through Jesus), He gives us His Spirit to help us prepare, and He has an amazing future prepared for those who believe. EVERYTHING good is from God! When we comprehend this, there is so much to be joyful about! Be confident always! Choose to be a Winner in the most important Event (Eternity) of your life! 1 Corinthians 9:23-25 Be strong and courageous because God is with Believers and there is nothing more powerful than God! Ephesians 6:10-18, Romans 8:38-39

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12 Questions to answer and find out if you will have eternal life.

Let’s just get to the point. Russia is currently setting up outside Ukraine. China has been threatening Taiwan. Iran is enhancing its nuclear capacity and openly expresses its unacceptance (to put it mildly) of Israel and the United States. The Middle East in general is continuously in some level of conflict.

If you haven’t done this yet, it’s time to make sure your ETERNAL future is in the place of your choosing, because you may not end up where you expect. You need to make a decision and take action now. So here are 12 questions to know where you may end up and find out what you need to do if you don’t get the answer you want:

  1. Do you believe that JESUS is the ONLY way that you can be in eternity with God? (You can’t be “good enough” based on your own actions.) Yes or No?
  2. Are you familiar with the 10 Commandments? Yes or No?
  3. Do you admit that you break God’s commands? Yes or No?
  4. Do you know the following is prohibited by God and those who continually do this (and don’t change these ways) will not enter God’s eternal kingdom? (sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, theft, lying, slander, “magic” such as seances, astrology, mediums, practice of witchcraft, spiritist, interpreting omens, casting spells, anger, getting drunk, sexual perversion, false teachers of religion, false prophets of religion, pride, a person who stirs up conflict in the community, a person who loves and practices any false teaching, hypocrites, taking advantage of other people, practicing homosexuality, slave traders, anyone who speaks against God’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit), being conceited, prioritizing money or wealth) Yes or No?
  5. Have you rebelled against/sinned against God by doing anything in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
  6. Have you asked God for forgiveness and subsequently made an effort to avoid all things listed in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
  7. Have you told God that you want and intend to be obedient to Him by not breaking anything in #3 and #4, even though it is hard to do and you will mess up occasionally, but not regularly? Yes or No?
  8. Do you ask God for forgiveness then change the behavior if, or when, you do anything listed in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
  9. Have you publicly shown your commitment and surrendered to God and without hesitation state your belief in Jesus being the Son of God, the Messiah, who made it possible for you to be in eternity with God by being Baptized? Yes or No?
  10. Have you asked Jesus for God’s spirit (the Holy Spirit) to help you live according to God’s will? Yes or No?
  11. Do you know God personally? Do you have a personal relationship (ie. pray, read the bible, study the bible) with God? Yes or No?
  12. Is the Spirit of God residing in you? Yes or No?

If you honestly answered “Yes” to ALL the questions above, you can know that you will have eternal life with God. If you answered “No” to any of the questions above, then you have work to do if you want eternal life with God.

Here are some (but not all) links to scripture validating the questions above:

  1. John 14:6
  2. 10 Commandments: Exodus 20
  3. We all sin: 1 John 5:17, Romans 3:23, 1John 3:4, John 8:34
  4. Many Verses, Drinking
  5. Mark 21:7, Romans 3:12
  6. Acts 3:19
  7. Matthew 7:21
  8. 1 John 1:9
  9. Get Baptized, Matthew 10:32, Romans 8:2
  10. John 15: 26
  11. Matthew 7:14, Hebrews 8:12
  12. Romans 8:11, 1 John 5:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:8
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