The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (Psalms 34:18 NLT)

There are things in this world that happen, that I’ll never understand. I won’t claim to understand.

This I know, My Savior.. My Redeemer, is GOOD.

The truth is that this world that we live in is broken and sinful. So much so, that God sent His one and Only Son, Jesus… Immanuel.. To save us.

John 3:16,17 ~ “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.”

Jesus means, The Lord Saves.

Immanuel means, God With Us.

When trials come.. And they will…

When circumstances are sometimes awful.. And that’s a guarantee…

When bad things happen to good and innocent people and children, we can rest in the fact that this is NOT our home. If you know Jesus, and most importantly, if HE knows you… This broken and sin-filled world is only temporary. Our real home is HEAVEN.

John 16:33 ~ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

While we are here though… Let’s live right. As my father in law shared at Granny Shiver’s funeral; When asked if she had any advice for us on living our lives.. She said : “Just Do Right..Do right.”

That’s pretty good advice if you ask me.

Just do right. Just forgive. Just live. Just let bygones be bygones. Hold the ones you love close. Tell them you love them.. Show them that you love them with actions. And.. JUST DO RIGHT.

Even when you don’t understand the why’s… Just Do Right.

And remember… We are just passing through. There’s two final destinations.. Heaven or Hell. Although those are great words of advice.. “Just Do Right” won’t get you to Heaven. Truly knowing and following HIM will. So, do you know HIM and as Granny witnessed.. Does HE know you?

See, when asked if she knew for sure about her place in eternity, she said “oh yeah, I know Jesus and HE knows me.“

Trust HIS promises that are found in The Word. Rest in HIM. “The Lord Saves” AND “God With Us”

Hebrews 13:6 ~ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

We don’t have to understand.. We just have to trust God.

Until Next Time,

Heather

These are all pictures that I have taken of crosses.

I am studying Genesis – Deuteronomy right now with a group of ladies. We just finished Exodus and are now moving on to Leviticus. As we were watching the video that goes with the study, I was struck with a frightening thought. One of those thoughts that really puts things into perspective.

If I was living in Old Testament times, I would have had to bring at least one innocent animal to slaughter as a sacrifice today. Why? Because as my day just began, I had already had a slip up….or two. (Praise JESUS for conviction that only comes from a real relationship with HIM .)

(For more information on Old Testament sacrifices, please look in Leviticus in your Bible. There is SO much to share on this topic and it will make you think..)

The teacher on the video explained animal sacrifice in OT times so well. She said that a perfect unblemished animal would have to be brought and that you would lay your hands on its head…a symbol of your sin being moved to the animal…and then you would have to slit it’s throat and you would get blood on your hands. What a visual reminder of sin and the sacrifice that HAS to be made because of it. (There were lots more details..so, read Leviticus.)

Remind you of anything?

Jesus and the cross at Calvary?

Jesus, the PERFECT and SPOTLESS sacrifice for your sins and mine. Jesus…the sacrificial lamb. God’s view on sin never changes. There always has to be a sacrifice because of sin. Sin is UGLY in God’s sight. In the OT times, the unblemished animal was the sacrifice and today, Jesus is the unblemished sacrifice.

1 Corinthians 5:7 ~ Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast- as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Law turned into Sacrificial Love that day on Calvary. Jesus paid the ultimate price for us to be able to receive the gift of eternal life. Don’t get me wrong, GOD has always loved us. HE just loves us so much… realizing how much we needed a Savior…that HE provided the Ultimate sacrifice in the form of HIS Son, Jesus Christ!!

Aren’t you thankful that you don’t have to perform the rituals of OT times?!

I wonder, Do you know my Jesus? It is about relationship…Not religion, not following laws because you think you are supposed to…but following GOD because you have the desire to!  Do you know HIM?

If you DO, do you realize what a GIFT HE gave for you and for me? You have two choices and you are free to choose between two masters..but the consequences remain the same. Eternal life or eternity in hell. Choose Jesus!!!! Please…choose Jesus…

Luke 24: 46,47 ~ He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Romans 6:23 ~ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 6:24a ~ No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.

Until Next Time,

P.S. ~ If you’d like to receive these posts by email, Just sign up on the top right hand corner of my blog page. You can also “like” my Simple Truths Blog FB page or follow me on Twitter @hgdSimpleTruths !

You probably are wondering why in the world I chose the title above. Truth is, I didn’t. In fact, I woke up around 3 A.M. and God gave me this title. So, here we go.

Never say never. The “objects” that you are seeing occur in other people’s lives can very easily occur in yours as well. I had a vision of a mirror with many different words written on it. Picture it with me:

SIN. LOSS. BETRAYAL. HURT. FEAR.

SIN…ADDICTION…IDOLATRY…GREED..GOSSIP…HATRED…SLANDER

ADDICTION…LUST, EXCESSIVE SPENDING, OVEREATING, ALCOHOL ADDICTION, DRUG ADDICTION, PORNOGRAPHY, ADULTERY and the list goes on and on.

The objects in the mirror can be closer than they appear.

Closer than they appear to you. Closer than they appear to others.

They all are a part of the battle we are in..against Flesh. SPIRITUAL WARFARE. Satan wants us to fail. He wants us to be separated from God.

Ephesians 6:11 ~ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Never say never my friends. Always be on guard against the Devil and his schemes. Your mirror may appear to be clean..but is it really?

If there is SIN in your life that you think is “HIDDEN”, you are mistaken. Forgive me for speaking so boldly. It isn’t meant to sound judgemental in any way, shape, or form. I say these things because I truly care. I know what it is to be truly surrendered to God. AND… I know what it is to not be surrendered.

You can say, “Oh, I HAVE surrendered to GOD.” Your actions will prove it though. You know. God knows.

James 2:17 (NIV) ~ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

When you face a trial, do you have true and complete peace in knowing that God really is enough? Do you truly feel that you are filled with Joy that can’t be explained any other way? Are you able to smile when the “world” would tell you to hide and fall apart?

There is a difference. In the way you handle life’s awful storms. When you finally…truly…SURRENDER ALL.

There’s a peace…an Anchor, if you will. To be able to smile and have hope…when before you might have done the opposite. It’s the result of full Surrender.

“  Oh, nobody knows about my “little” sin. ” “It doesn’t hurt anybody but me.” “ I still love God.” “ I am saved, so I can do it and just ask Him to forgive me..I mean..it says He forgives when I ask.”  AND here’s a huge one.. ” I am just too weak.”

Those are all lies. Satan wants you and me to believe those things. The fact is, SIN is anything that separates us from God. Separated.

Separated…think about it. To be apart from…cut off…

I don’t ever want that. I need my Father God. Every minute of every single day.

It is a conscious CHOICE. There is that word again that I seem to use a lot in my posts.

The moment you decide to follow God, the Holy Spirit comes to guide you. Sin that you don’t get rid of is like a wall of heavy stones. The stones are stacked one on top of the other. With each stone the wall gets higher and higher. Each time you CHOOSE sin over righteousness, picture that wall being built that separates you from God. Leaving you miserable and ineffective for His calling on your life. Ineffective only until you SURRENDER to God fully. When you do, you’ll be able to resist the temptations and even laugh at them.. Not because YOU are resisting, but because YOU are allowing God to finally fight your battles!

Ephesians 5:11 (NIV) ~ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of the darkness, but rather expose them.

Honestly, I would like to write out the entire portion of Ephesians 5…but, instead…just read it if you will..

If you want to truly follow God, you have to make a choice to pick Him over that temptation. God knows we aren’t perfect…and He knows we can’t do life alone. We need HIM. He doesn’t NEED us.

It’s a DAILY CHOICE…minute by minute…second by second… A Daily Walk.

Galatians 5:16 ~ So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

   I leave you with this last passage of Scripture. Read it …soak on it..and believe it. His Word is Truth..His Word is Alive.

1 Peter 5:7-11 ~ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered for a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

   Standing Firm!

   Until Next Time,

    I have not published a post in a week, not because I had nothing to share, but because there is so much I want to share. Sometimes it is like an information overload and I have to slow down and process it.

   What I feel the need to share with you today, is something about a little three-letter word. That little word is something big though…the word is SIN. Do you know what sin is? I don’t mean specific acts..but what sin really is. SIN is anything that separates us from God. Sin breaks the fellowship we have with Him. Just the word…SIN…can make us feel uncomfortable.

   Now the fact is, we all have sinned…and we all fall short. What about those of us who have acknowledged that we are sinners and have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives? Yes, we still  struggle with sin…we are still in need of Him every single minute of every day. 

    Romans 3:23 ~ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

    It is a fact that when we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit is given to us..to guide and direct our ways. The Holy Spirit is Jesus in us..the conviction we feel when we do something wrong. However, God has promised us a way out of temptation when we are His children. It is our choice. Fleshly desires or Following after God. If  Jesus is truly the Lord of your life, sin won’t have the same appeal to you as it did before.

     1 Corinthians 10:13 ~ No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

    Romans 6:18 ~ You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

   Once you are God’s child (authentic believer), yes…you will sometimes still struggle with temptations to sin. As long as we live on this earth where Satan is free to roam..you better believe that he will try to entice you and trip you up. I am not saying that when and if you do wrong, that it means you aren’t saved. (If we were perfect then we would be like God..and we wouldn’t need a Savior. We are all sinners and we all need Him everyday.) The difference now is that sin should convict you and repulse you.  The desire to sin should be replaced with the desire to please God.

     Galatians 5:16 ~ So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

     The tug in our soul when we feel we should say or do something to help another. The strength we feel when we have no strength. The comfort and peace that overcomes us in the midst of turmoil. Those are all things that the Holy Spirit ( Jesus in us), gives believers.

   I want to , I desire to please my Jesus. I desire to be in fellowship with Jesus..walking with Him..feeling His presence. God cannot be in the presence of sin..Satan can though. When I made the choice to follow Him, I chose LIGHT..not darkness.

    1 John 1:7 ~ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

   I chose eternal life in Heaven. Did it cost me? Of course it did..it costs daily..a daily dying to self..and sometimes even more. Anything worth having costs something.

    Proverbs 4:7 ~ Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

    It cost God His only Son…It cost Jesus persecution, pain and death on the cross. We are worth something to our Savior. Is He worth everything to us?  Do we realize that even though it is a free gift, that it did cost? Do we realize that Jesus is so worth the cost of dying to self on a daily and even minute by minute basis?

   Blessings to you all. May you all know my Jesus personally. There is nothing better.

   UNTIL NEXT TIME !

The picture above is of part of my flowerbed…and as you can see, the weeds are taking over. I was going to pull the weeds. Why pull them when I can spray some weed-killer on them and be done with it??

Then, it hit me… So many times we try to do everything ourselves (at least, I do) and God is right there waiting to be my “weed-killer”. He says that we have not because we ask not. We go through our day, struggling with different issues…ignoring the fact that He is capable to do the impossible if it is His will. So, why don’t we give our problems to Him.. ?

James 4:2,3 (NIV) ~ You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

I will be the first to admit that I am terrible about asking others for help…and even worse about letting others help me. I am trying to do better though. I used to be really independent. So much so..that when I was sick and needed help …I would apologize for being sick. Seriously. It is different with God.

God is The Ultimate Weed-Killer. We have to surrender to Him first though. Surrender our will. Surrender our independence. Surrender our problems. Surrender our weaknesses. Surrender = Complete Trust. Surrender also = Complete Peace and Freedom.

Everybody has had weeds of some sort in their life. Weeds choke the life out of you. Weeds cover up the beauty. Weeds get out of control really fast.

What weeds do you need to pull or better yet, let the weed-killer handle for you?

The first step is trusting and believing in Jesus. Next, you have to admit your “weeds” and start getting rid of them. Finally, you have to surrender to Jesus. Trust Him. Let Him.

1 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV) ~ Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch – as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

The enemy (satan) wants you to keep the weeds in our life. As long as we keep sin (especially hidden sin) in our life, the devil has got us right where he wants us..in bondage. Miserable. Unable to be free to do God’s work.

What weeds might you be holding on to?

I am not asking out of judgement. All have sinned and fall short.. (Romans 3:23). It is an everyday decision to choose to let God lead the way.

1 Timothy 5:24,25 (NIV)~ The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgement ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.

Jesus loves you. He loves you and He is patient and forgiving. There is nothing too bad or too ugly for Him to forgive.

Here’s the kicker…want to know how He is the ultimate weed-killer?? Well, it’s simple. When He forgives us of our sins He forgets them too. They are gone for good..unlike the weeds in my flowerbeds that keep coming back. You know though, if our weeds (sins) keep coming back, it is our fault. Yet, He is still faithful to forgive us our sins. What an awesome and loving God!!!!!

1 John 1:9 (NIV) ~ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Psalm 103:12 ~ as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Until Next Time,

  I was just going about my day. The first part of it had some bumps..(nothing major…just life) and I thought of how thankful I am that my God really is enough. I couldn’t imagine going through life without my Jesus. While I have let Him down at times, He has never let me down..and never will.

   When my time on this earth is done, I promise you that I will be rejoicing in Heaven…worshipping my Savior! I get excited just thinking about it!!! No more sorrow. No more pain. No more sickness. No more problems of any kind!

   I just think about the times when I am in full worship mode. Singing and praising my Savior..everything else blocked out..just focused on God. Like on Sunday mornings at my church when the Praise and Worship team are bringing it! When my Pastor is bringing God’s Word to us. The times at Bible study when we are sharing and learning and focused on Him. That is a small taste of what Heaven is going to be like. We were created to worship Him and to bring Him glory.

   Can you think of the times when you feel so close to God? When His presence is just completely enveloping you? Think about those times. You feel close and in love with Him when you are giving your all to Him, in complete surrender and with no hesitation. That is true worship. Loving Him with your everything!!!!!

   Think about the times in your life when you have been in a complete state of peace. Heaven will be better than that!

   Revelation 21:4 ~ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

   Think about your favorite place on earth. Heaven will definitely be more awesome than that!

   What about the most beautiful sky that you have ever seen? Don’t you think it will be a million times prettier in Heaven?

   Think about the times when you have laughed until you cried. Felt great didn’t it?!

   Psalm 84:10  ~ Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

   Heaven will provide more joy than we can imagine. We will be in the presence of Almighty God! How awesome is that?!?! See, it isn’t the beauty that is going to be so awesome, it isn’t the fact that we will suffer no more. It is the fact that we will be with our Lord and Savior..Creator…Almighty God. He is what Heaven is about.

    Just be sure that you’ll get to be rejoicing in Heaven when your time on this earth is done. If you have the assurance of salvation, my hope is that you are sharing with those that don’t have what you do. The gift of salvation is never “out of stock” or “sold out.”  

   John 14:6 ~ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

   Jesus said that He is THE WAY to Heaven. He also promises us that there is a Heaven and that it is amazing! He promises anyone who believes in Him the gift of living eternally. The alternative is…Living your life on this earth, refusing to trust and have faith in Him, and then when your time is up..dying and going to hell. The end.

   Don’t waste another minute if you are living your life uncertain of your fate. Everyone is going to die. The question is..where are you going when you die? Want to live in pure bliss in Heaven forever??? (or there’s the alternative)

      Nobody deserves the love He gives us…that is why it’s called grace. Saving grace. Amazing grace. So, don’t even use the excuse of : “I have done too many bad things.”  A sin is a sin is a sin. His Word says that we have all sinned and that we all fall short. That’s why we all need Jesus.

   Luke 15:10 ~ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

   Romans 3:23,24 (NIV) ~ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

    Look for another post coming soon, about how we are to live for Jesus while on this earth. Living an intentional, radical, and life of purpose in order to bring God glory and further His Kingdom. Looking forward to sharing more with you all soon!

   Until Next Time,

Today I am going to share something with you. It may sound silly, but oh boy is it true. Here it goes : Cake is NOT my friend. Sorry if you were expecting something more..but keep reading because you may find where this relates to you as well.

I love bread and cake…and cupcakes and muffins, BUT they don’t love me.

I can’t always control myself when a yummy cake (with chocolate icing especially) is in my presence. I try. I really do. But..one piece turns into two and then I may even just eat another piece in place of my supper. Get the picture? Is anybody with me here???

So, I tell my kids and husband, and myself that I am NOT eating anymore breads or sweets or cake, etc… Then, cake is placed in front of me..just whispering, “Heather, come on , just one piece won’t hurt.” What do I do? Yep, I give in and boy does it taste good for those few seconds of indulgence. Then, the guilt sets in. Then I go put on a pair of jeans that were loose last week and can barely zip them up. And….the cycle repeats itself..”I am NOT eating anymore cake, sweets or breads!!” Pshhhh. Yeah. Until next time.

What other areas might this relate to in our lives? Areas where self-control and moderation need to be practiced?

Here’s the thing : If I could be more disciplined and eat one piece..ONLY ONE PIECE, it would be okay. Moderation. That is the key with my relationship with cake and bread. Self-control is the other key.

I must remember that my body is God’s temple and I have to treat it as such. What I put in it…be it food or media or whatever…has got to be pleasing to God. If I eat too much cake, then I feel bad about myself. If I eat too much cake then it can’t be good for God’s temple. Same thing goes for anything in our lives that is out of control. Eating, spending, internet (social networks..web-surfing…etc..), time management ..anything that we do that takes our focus off of God and family can really cause problems for us.

1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV) ~ Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in your midst?

We can even be caught up in doing good things for the church or other people..and pat ourselves on the back..trying to justify that those things are for GOD. We have to be very careful, because it becomes dangerous when we are doing good things for the praise that comes from men..instead of to bring God glory.

Eating cake isn’t bad. Social networks aren’t bad. Doing good things for others is not bad. We just have to be careful about the amounts and the reasons. We have to be sure that whatever we are doing is bringing God glory. If it isn’t bringing Him glory, we can be sure that it isn’t good for us.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) ~ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Here’s to trying harder! To seeking God in everything…every single thing. To moderation and to bringing God glory in everything! And to NO MORE CAKE for me …if that is what it takes! I am so thankful that my Savior is a loving, merciful, patient and forgiving God!

Hope you enjoyed my post today… If you haven’t signed up to get an email when I post something new, please do! Just click on the SUBSCRIBE button on the top right corner of my blog. You can LIKE my Simple Truths Blog Facebook page and follow me on Twitter as well ( @hgd1973 ). Would love to have you join me!

Until Next Time,

I just finished reading the book of Exodus..now on to Leviticus. I am loving all of this knowledge that I am soaking up from God’s word! It is good stuff!

After completing Genesis and Exodus, I am struck with this question. What kind of home am I providing my Savior God to live in?

What sin is corrupting my body..His temple? See, back in the Old Testament times, before Jesus Christ came to this earth, Moses was given detailed instructions..and I mean nitty-gritty details on how to do everything. Specific details were given on how to build God’s tabernacle in the book of Exodus.

Exodus 25:8,9 ~ (The Lord speaking to Moses) Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

All of the laws and details given related to being clean, pure and righteous before God. The tabernacle that Moses was instructed to have the Israelites build was God’s home here on earth. It had to be holy, pure, and clean.

Then Jesus came to this earth years later, as an atoning sacrifice for your sins and mine. So that we could have an actual relationship with God. He was crucified..died and buried..and rose from the grave. He left the Holy Spirit to live inside of us (authentic believers).

1 Corinthians 3:16,17 (NIV) ~ Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

What kind of temple are we providing God with? Is it first class like He deserves? Better yet, do we behave as though we truly believe God’s word?

Is God having to live among weeds and debris and clutter?

An authentic relationship with Christ means that He comes to live inside of us. We become God’s home.

Is there some cleaning up that needs to be done? I know I have some cleaning up to do..because I want to provide my Heavenly Father with a temple that He deserves.

Our bodies are His temple. Garbage in..garbage out as the saying goes. What we fill our bodies with( healthy or unhealthy food or drink choices) and what we feed our minds with (T.V. shows, books, music, etc..) really does matter.

I want to treat God to a first class, best of the best home. He deserves nothing less. He gave his one and only Son Jesus to us.

John 3:16 ,17 ~ 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.

   Blessings!

   UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Proverbs 28:13 (NIV) ~ Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

James 5:16 ~ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

In a recent post about alarms I shared with you how my smoke detector goes off quite regularly. I discovered one of the reasons why!!! Well, actually, my husband told me one of the reasons why.

See, there is some junk on the bottom of my oven..you know..the stuff that spills over when you are cooking and then it burns. When I open my oven to check apparently my detector can sense something not right.

I told him that the other day when I stuck a pot on my stove, there must have been some oil on the bottom, and a huge flame came up,but there wasn’t any steam or smoke…(I blew it out.. ) Guess what though? My smoke detector didn’t go off?? I found it interesting that it goes off when there isn’t a fire..but didn’t when there was an actual flame.

That stuff at the bottom of our ovens is like the crud or junk in our lives. The things that stay there and fester and get worse if we don’t clean it out.

Sin in our lives is that crud or junk. Until we confess and commit to change, it will just rear its ugly head again and again.

Just like my oven, cleaning out the sin is something we have to do more than one time.

The Holy Spirit helps us to do that..just like the smoke detector (alarm) does. We have to rid ourselves of the sin and stay clean in order to bring glory to God.

Got any ovens or (crud..sin) to clean up? DO it before there is a flame to fan out. Heed the warnings of the Holy Spirit.

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

If our minds and hearts are not filled with God’s truth, something else will take His place: cynicism, occultism, false religion and philosophies, drugs – the list is endless. ~ Billy Graham

TRUTH

John 8 :31,32 (NIV) ~ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus Christ is the Truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth and He sets the perfect standard. By trusting in Jesus and surrendering to Him, we are free from the bondage of sin (slavery to sin).

John 8:34 (NIV) ~ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life, we have freedom from sin. We have a choice to make daily and even minute by minute..to be slaves to sin or a slave to Christ. The correct answer is “slaves to Christ.” Is it always easy and fun by “world standards” to give up worldly views and pleasures? No, it isn’t. The world’s idea of fun and good is only temporary. We are ALL sinners..but we don’t have to be a slave to those things that separate us from God.

TRUTH + LOVE

Love is a choice and an action. Contrary to popular belief, love is NOT a feeling. Truth and Love go hand in hand. To know the TRUTH (JESUS) and to love like Jesus loves is an action. It is not always easy to do that…but it is always best.

When you truly love someone, you want to please and honor them by the way you act. How you treat someone shows whether or not you really care about them. ~Billy Graham

This is tough sometimes. Love like Jesus loves. Have I always done this? How many times have I grieved the Holy Spirit (who lives inside of me) because I have not loved others the way Jesus loves them? Even though I have been saved since around age 9 or 10, I haven’t always loved like Jesus loves me.

Love is the basis for all of the commandments from God. God wants us to love Him and He wants us to love others. If Jesus is inside of me..I should be loving EVERYONE just like Jesus loves me. I know I have failed God on this one…I know that I never ever want to grieve God again. I love Him..I don’t just know about God, I KNOW GOD.

I have made mistakes..but God loves me and is so merciful that He loves me anyways. Do I deserve this love? No…I surely don’t.

During a bible study that I went to one time, I was convicted. My heart was changed..it hit me that I was not loving a certain person the way God intended me to. It was revealed to me that God loves everyone just the same way He loves me. Flaws and all..he loves me..and He loves everyone else..flaws and all. I don’t have the “right” to not love someone. Jesus lives in me..so I don’t have the choice to “not love”…. I have known God for a long time, but that doesn’t make me perfect by any means. I desire to love like Jesus now though.

1 John 4:7,8 (NIV) ~ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Romans 12:9,10 (NIV) ~ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

1 John 4:12 (NIV) ~ No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

God is love..His word is TRUTH. Jesus is the source of TRUTH. When you truly know Jesus and abide in Him, you can’t hold back love for others. You have to love like Jesus if you profess to possess Him. Real love is NOT selfish because God is NOT selfish.

Rev. Billy Graham said, “Many Christians who profess Christ do not live as though they possess Him.” I believe he is right. I know I haven’t always… We have the choice to change the way we live right now. Slaves to sin…or slaves to Christ.

The more you dig into God’s word (The Bible), the more you will learn. He says that when we draw near to Him that He draws near to us. Makes sense don’t you think? When you have or have had a big test to take, you had to study the material to know it right?? Same goes for the TRUTHS that are found in the Bible. The only way to love like Jesus is to follow Jesus..and study His word.

UNTIL NEXT TIME!