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

The outcome of sin is death and the greatest sin is the denial of Jesus Christ.

Sin is doing wrong and rejecting the truths of God. There is no way you can avoid sin because you were born with sin and it will never leave you here on earth.

Sin separates you from God and causes Him to step away from you. If you are a believer, sin quenches the Spirit of God living within you.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is no one who is righteous. Everyone falls into the same category and God knows you will never be perfect and without sin.

God has solved the problem of sin by releasing the essence of Himself in the form of His Son to deliver you from sin.

The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. When you make a decision for Jesus your sins are forgiven by His blood and He places His Spirit inside you. The Spirit convicts you of sin and works to purify you with the nature of God.

If you choose the cross, you must be submissive to God. There is no turning back. The cross crucifies your old life and makes you a new person. The cross is the action of God to make you presentable to Him.

The cross is about living abundantly today and drawing upon the attributes of God and rejecting self. The cross is new life and hope eternal.

The cross is admitting you are sold under (or a slave to) sin, corrupt in your ways, and unable to please God. The decision for the cross is the only path to please God!

“Destruction and misery are in their ways
And the way of peace they have not known.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:16-18

In the world there is no guarantee of good health, prosperity, or success. You are subject to all kinds of trials and tribulations. The world is not under the authority of God so you are taking a big risk every day you wake up of experiencing all kinds of problems.

There is no peace in the world and Satan is out to undermine all believers. Your chances of survival and living with peace and joy are non existent.

The only guarantee for an abundant life is almighty God. If you don’t fear God, destruction and misery are in your path.

You fear God by seeking Him out through prayer and His Word and listening to His still small voice. You acknowledge that your life and destiny are in His hands and you desire to please Him. You turn away from evil and seek peace.

God protects His people. He places a powerful shelter around you and fills you with supernatural wisdom. He fights your battles for you and deflects the arrows of Satan.

You do not have to be fearful of the world when you walk with God. He will not allow any weapon to prosper against you. He will give you more than you ask or think!

You can live with confidence and hope when you fear the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

The hand of the Lord will never let you down or disappoint you. He will lead you in safe paths and shower you with His goodness!

No one can compare to God!

“You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.” John 8:15

Jesus points out that the Pharisees judge according to the flesh or from a human point of view. They see someone committing adultery and they want to punish that person. They look at the wrongdoing not the person’s heart. They cast judgment on people but overlook their own shortcomings. They are blind to God and their own sins yet want to lead the blind (sinners like you and me) into religion and laws. They want to punish but God wants to set you free.

Jesus judges no one! You have already been judged by God and found guilty. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is no one who has escaped sin so you fall into the same category as the lady who committed adultery.

The laws of God established through Moses on Mount Sinai prove that no one can keep the precepts of God. The laws condemn and convict all of their unworthiness in the eyes of God.

Jesus proclaimed that if you abide in Me, the truth will set you free. You must set aside the mindset of all laws when you come to God. You come guilty and unacceptable to God.

The only way you can be restored to God is to ask Jesus, the Son of God, to live in you and to abide in Him.

You abide in Jesus through His Spirit dwelling within you. The Spirit will convict you and cleanse you of all sin through the blood of Jesus. The Spirit will set you free and allow you to live a life pleasing to God.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life!

“The words of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.”
Psalm 12:6-7

The one thing you can trust above all else is the words of God. The earth will fade away, humanity is like a vapor trail, and you live in a place where evil abounds.

The earth cannot promise you anything except that you will wither and eventually fade away. There is no security in the world. You are vulnerable to personal crises, natural disasters, and the treachery and greed of man.

You live in a world where the prevailing view is to take care of self above all else. It is a “survival of the fittest” mentality.

The world will disappoint you because it is not under the authority of God. You can have no sustaining hope in the world which is temporary and unstable.

God gives you the ability to thrive in the world and to be protected from all the evil. He promises you an abundant life and His purposes for you are eternal.

If you build your life on God, He will fill you with wisdom, joy, and peace and shelter you from evil.

God keeps His promises. You can trust Him implicitly regardless of how bleak things might look to you today.

Let the Word of Christ dwell richly in you! The Word endures forever and is alive and powerful. The Word will never disappoint you.

Jesus died so His Word can live in you!

“For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” Galatians 5:5-6

The teaching and behaviors of Jesus do not conform to the prevailing ideas of religion or the world that you live in. This is what caused the death of Jesus!

You cannot draw near to God by doing things for Him or performing religious activities or rituals. They are a waste of time and a disgrace to what Jesus did on the cross.

If you insist on having a relationship with God by rules and practices, you will have to keep every word of the Ten Commandments. No one has ever done this and attempting this will only bring condemnation and failure upon you. You are denying the grace of God and will become separated from Him.

Religion is comfortable and safe. It is non confrontational. You just show up and follow the routines. Jesus disrupts lives and turns everything upside down. He is unpredictable and controversial.

Jesus is alive and wants to be a part of every detail of your life. He wants you to approach Him by faith for your every need.

Jesus wants you to trust the Holy Spirit to bring His righteousness into your life. The idea of keeping laws or practicing religion is of no value in finding the righteousness of God.

It is faith in Jesus Christ and accepting the free gift of eternal life that will transform you into a new creature in Christ Jesus.

This gift is an expression of the love and compassion of God for His people. You cannot earn this gift or please God by your works.

Jesus wants to have an intimate relationship with you. He wants you to trust Him for your every need. He wants you to live by the Spirit dwelling inside you.

This will cause His favor to fall upon you and you will meet the living God!

 

 

 

“I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.
That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God requires an account of what is past.” Ecclesiastes 3:14-15

This quote from Ecclesiastes is very helpful in understanding God’s ways.

God has a perfect plan for the world we live in and for your journey through life. This plan is eternal and nothing can be added to this plan or taken away from it. You will never completely understand this plan but He has put eternity in your heart.

There is good and bad in this plan. The bad whether a personal tragedy or a disaster like a hurricane or earthquake is under the hand and authority of God.

The purpose of all things is to bring glory to God and cause all people to fear and respect His name.

Today is history in the world of God. It has been archived away.

Tomorrow has also taken place with God. He sees the past and future with an omniscient ability to judge all things.

You are at the mercy of God. Your life and your destiny are in His hands. He knows everything about you and nothing is hidden from God. You are accountable for all your actions and will be judged by God.

The point of this message is to honor and respect God and walk humbly with Him. Do good and pursue peace.

God makes everything beautiful in His time!

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

The transformation from your earthly body to a spiritual being is a miracle from God. You have to be “in Christ” for this to take place. This process begins when you make a decision for Jesus and then your life no longer belongs to you. It belongs to God.

The priority with God is for you to worship Him with all your heart and respect Him for His greatness. You do this through prayer, filling yourself with His Word, and listening for the still, small voice of God. Don’t think works. Think obedience to His voice.

As a new creation, you cannot blossom with new life unless you are anchored to God. The Holy Spirit is your teacher and guide. He wants to speak to you and lead you in the ways of God. This why it is so important to be linked to God through His Spirit. God is a Spirit and you must worship Him in Spirit and Truth.

It is impossible to live your life without change if you are in Christ. The biggest transition is the change from self sufficiency to faith in God for all your needs. You draw upon God for all your needs because He has power and dominion over heaven and earth and all living things.

Faith in God brings new life. You receive the righteous qualities of God by your steadfast faith in His name. You live in the world but it has no hold on you because your life is built on the promises of God.

Seek God first and all your needs will be met! He is a promise keeper!

“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33

Jesus uses many examples in Luke 14 to explain you must be willing to give up all including even your life to be His disciple.

If you are planning to make a big decision, you need to evaluate the cost, the requirements and your inner core values so that your decision will lead to a rewarding end.

This relates to making a decision for Jesus. Are you really willing to let go of everything in your life to follow Him? This includes all those things you hold dearest to your heart.

God does not want a luke warm commitment from you. He wants all of you! You have to be willing to deny yourself and the world you live in and follow Him.

This involves where you live, your possessions, your family, and the direction of your life. This commitment will change your thinking patterns, habits, and your priorities in life. You will become a new person!

So before you decide for Jesus, ask yourself about the cost of this decision and what needs to happen inside you to make this a rewarding end? What do you need to let go of to become a disciple of Jesus?

God has pardoned you from all your sins so you can live for Him and not for self! The cost of accepting the cross is to crucify yourself so you can be His disciple!

The outcome of your decision will not relate to results but to your loyalty and faith in God. You lose your life for the life of God!

 

 

“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:” Romans 4:5-6

Jesus upset the religious world when He died on the cross. He created a new path to receive the righteousness of God. You must believe on Jesus and He will forgive your sins and justify you to God.

Performing work or religious activities is of no value in finding God and is a disgrace to His name. You cannot do anything for God. He has completed the work so you can only accept Him by faith.

There is nothing you can do to please God except place your faith in Him and seek Him out for your every need. Without faith it is impossible to please God!

Abraham was not particularly a great man with strong spiritual values. He was just like you and me. However, Abraham heard the voice of God and was obedient to the calling of God. He believed God without any evidence in his life and this caused God to impute (ascribe) the righteousness of God to him.

Righteousness comes to you as you walk by faith. David believed in the depth of his heart that his help comes from the Lord who created the heavens and earth. David looked only to one source to make him whole. He trusted God and never allowed the circumstances in his life to sidetrack him from the Lord.

If you are looking for God, you will find Him simply by placing your faith in His name. The righteous shall live by faith!

“Keep your conscience clear.” 1 Peter 3:16

Everyone has a conscience which is your inner sense of what is right and wrong in your conduct and motives.

You initially developed your conscience by your parent’s training, schooling, and the influence of friends or mentors. This foundation will lead you astray without the indwelling life of Jesus.

You need the infusion of God to create a new person, take away your old thinking patterns and motives and build a new person with the mind of Christ.

It is impossible to have a clear or godly conscience without the life of the Spirit dwelling inside you. The standards of the world concerning right from wrong are opposed to God so you have to build your conscience on the life of Jesus.

God teaches you what is right and wrong through His Spirit and His Word. You cannot have a clear conscience unless you pray, fill your inner being with the Word, and listen to the voice of God.

You have to be “in Christ” which means you are yoked to His Spirit and living under His authority and guidance.

The problems arrive when you lapse away from Him and live through your natural person who died on the cross with Jesus. This person does not operate with a clear conscience or understand God’s ways.

God has a perfect way of looking at your life and discerning what is good or bad for you. Don’t think about rules with God. Think about your faith in Him to meet your every need!