This is a very valid question. You will encounter trials in life whether you are a believer or non believer.

Regardless of your beliefs you will die at some time.

Your human attributes have a limit and will diminish over time.

Without God you have no protection over the tragedies of life.

The emotions of a non believer are tied to the conditions in their life. You feel happy when life is good. Also, human emotions are short lived.

Life cannot make any promises.

The non believer has no protection again evil and cannot harness the urges of his flesh.

Hope for the non believer is in what he can see.

The perception of most non believers is God lives in Heaven and cannot help them in their immediate circumstances.

Can the reality of God impact your life?

I found out after about 35 years God is alive and wanted to be a reality and good friend in my life.

The gift of salvation is just the starting point for a believer. You are assured of life after death and inherit all the promises of God.

Salvation is just the beginning of a relationship with God and is not related to time.

God comes down from Heaven and seals His Spirit in a believer. This is the beginning of the reality of God.

So far this sounds like a lot of religion without any proof.

The defining moment happens when you decide to let go and live for Jesus. This is a decision to live by faith believing in the promises of God and to seek the will of God without any exceptions.

This new picture of life is not about keeping laws, doing things to appease God or acting like a puppet of religion.

The Holy Spirit fills you with the heavenly attributes of Jesus. He give you unlimited strength, wisdom, joy and protection.

God promises to protect you and deliver you from troubles.

Your faith in Jesus will give you hope for the future.

God is omniscient and sees every detail of your future. He offers protection you can never find in the world.

God desires to have a personal and embracing relationship with you. He speaks to believers.

God knows you better than you know yourself. He offers an endearing friendship. He wants to be a central part of your life and share His love and comfort with you. He is a true friend with pure motives and can be trusted implicitly.

God wants to refine you into His character and take away your compulsions and desires to satisfy self.

God desires to enhance every detail of your life and do for you what you can never do for yourself.

The question comes down to whether you want the qualities of Jesus or settle for what life brings you?

Forty five years ago Jesus walked into my presence. I was in a room praying. This was the most frightening and terrifying experience in my life. I thought about running out of the room or hiding from Him. I feared Jesus was going to incinerate me.

The power of Jesus was unlike anything in this world. I witnessed that God could destroy an evil nation in a split second. I now knew all the claims of Jesus were true and nothing is impossible for Him.

Jesus showed me He was a God of unconditional love and He has no ego or needs. I could see His sole purpose was to draw people into the gift of salvation.

Jesus then turned to me looking into my inner being and showed me what He saw. The picture was disgusting. I was miles apart from the character of God. I could see that I would never come close to the standards of Jesus. I was a self driven man and Jesus was pure with no ego or self ambitions.

A few years later God gave me a dream about my father who was no longer alive. He was in hell with a mutilated body and was being taken care of by two grotesque looking prostitutes. My father was experiencing endless pain and agony. I woke up with a strong feeling that no one should ever gamble about ending up in hell.

Years later, God gave me another dream. I saw a huge fireball strike the earth. I ran to the front door to get a better look but the earth was shaking with death and destruction everywhere. I slammed the door shut. God told me this dream is a sign of His judgment over our country.

Several months later Pat Robertson, a famous television evangelist, prophesied the same exact dream.

The revelations from Jesus plus many other signs and wonders was all I needed to abandon myself to Jesus without any strings attached.

I also have learned that Jesus hates religion. Jesus simply wants you to walk by faith believing in His promises and seriously seek His will for your life.

Jesus is very approachable. You just have to take the first step!

“His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Jesus has one goal in your life. He wants to separate the good from the bad. He does this by baptizing you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Most of this work is done below your consciousness.

The Holy Spirit identifies your sin and the fires of God burn up the impurities in your life. This earthly process lasts until you go to Heaven.

The winnowing fork is an analogy of how this purification works in a believer. At the time of harvest the winnowing fork was used to lift up the wheat against the wind. The wind would separate the wheat from the chaff. The wheat would be stored in the barn and the chaff would be burned up.

God is holy. He will not allow any particles of sin to be present in Heaven.

There is really very little a believer can do to effect this process. You can ask Jesus to forgive you for all your sins and cover you with His blood. And, you can be open to the conviction and correction of the Holy Spirit. These are just remedial steps and don’t get to the root of the problem.

You can’t see into yourself like God looks at you. The “born again” experience is a lifetime of refining you into the character of God.

If you are serious about God this process is more heart wrenching because God does a deeper work to take away your ego and impure motives.

At times, God has to take drastic measures to mold you into His character. This can be painful and very costly. Remember, you signed up with Jesus to emulate “Not my will but Yours be done”.

We are living in the end times and the judgement of God is over the world. It is very difficult not to get entangled in the darkness and reject all the contemporary values of society.

God wants “Christ like” believers who are enamored with the love of God and filled with the Holy Spirit to do His work.

Don’t try to be like Jesus. You will never come close. Let God work His perfect plan!

“The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.”

This question posed by God speaks to the heart of a believer.

God asked Solomon what he wanted. Solomon responded with praise for his circumstances in life. He also told God that I am a little child and do not know how to go out or come in.

Solomon acknowledged that he was the King over a large number of people and he asked God to give him an understanding heart to judge the people and the wisdom to discern between good and evil.

This speech pleased God who responded to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice.”

God told Solomon “I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.”

God made this promise to Solomon; “And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.”

God concluded with another promise to Solomon which included a stipulation. “So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

How do you and I respond to this question from God? Do we thank God for what He has given to us?

Do we acknowledge that we are like a little boy incapable of making good decisions and walking in the ways of God. David lived by this precept. The Lord is my Keeper and He shall preserve my going out and my coming in.

Do we ask for wisdom and an understanding heart to know the ways of God? Commit your works to the Lord and He will establish His thoughts within you.

Solomon’s priorities were to walk with God, be filled with wisdom, and discern between good and evil. He did not ask for blessings of prosperity or personal acclaim.

God honored the requests of Solomon and also promised him riches and honor.

God also made a provisional promise to Solomon to lengthen his days if he walked in the ways of God.

Jesus looks at your heart. How important is God to you? God wants to bless those that are dedicated to Him above all else.

God examines your motives. He doesn’t want to feel like He is being used to help you achieve your goals. This speaks to the essence of God in your life and how you value Him.

Everything in life begins with God. If you short circuit God in attempting to achieve your desires this will bring the conviction and judgment of God. Jesus has made it very clear; “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you.” This is the order of God and will never change.

Solomon believed in the sovereignty of God. He was guided by a heart dedicated to serving God above all else.

This revelation came from the Holy Spirit today. He wants to provide insight to those believers who are dealing with a crushing burden.

Most of the burdens facing believers come from the work of Satan. He wants to disable and discourage believers. He wants to shut you down and weaken the light of Christ within you.

It is true that Jesus gives Satan the freedom to harass believers and bring destruction into their lives.

In many cases, you may have not contributed to the burdens you are facing. You are just an innocent bystander.

How can you understand this in spiritual terms and what can you do to break this curse over you?

We have to understand our troubles have originated with Jesus and are designed to fulfill His purposes. Jesus wants to sanctity you with His character so you can be useful to Him.

In this context, we are not referring to a stronghold of Satan over an individual like alcohol, drugs, or sexual immorality. This bondage happens because an individual entertains an evil thought which then becomes a desire and is lived out.

We are talking about someone like Job who honored God and suffered the loss of almost everything.

Most believers want to blame God for their trials. Even though God may be the architect behind your troubles it doesn’t do any good to blame God or get in a fight with Him over His lack of action. You can’t win and will just create more distress in your life.

Many leaders in the Body of Christ counsel believers that you are in a spiritual war and must put on the full armor of God and speak against the wiles of Satan. I don’t necessarily disagree with this tactic but if your burdens originated with God then you need to seek out Jesus.

The hybrid approach is to speak against Satan using the weapons provided by Jesus but also seek the compassion, comfort and friendship of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will give you perfect wisdom in dealing with your burdens.

Jesus is the only source who can overcome your burden and deliver you. He also desires to give you His supernatural strength, peace and faith to get through a serious crisis.

When you cast your burden upon God you will immediately feel a lightness and freedom even though you are still in the middle of a whirlwind of trouble.

Keep in mind, Jesus knows exactly what He is doing. He is preparing you for big things in the kingdom of God.

This is about the contrast between a believer and a disciple of Jesus. The difference relates to the seriousness of your commitment to God.

The believer has made a decision to believe in Jesus and is assured of the gift of salvation. The disciple has given up everything to follow Jesus. His only goal is to know Jesus and fulfill His purposes.

The believer is going through the motions while the disciple is a living sacrifice to Jesus.

The disciple has no competition in His life. He lives for Jesus not for human relationships, the luxuries of the world or to satisfy self. He can drop everything in a moment’s notice to obey Jesus.

The disciple belongs to Jesus. He no longer has a life of His own.

The disciple has no intentions except to know Jesus.

The disciple is not concerned with doing things for Jesus. He wants to be a perfect delight in the eyes of the Lord.

The disciple understands he was made by God and created for His purposes.

How can you cross over the line to become a disciple? There has to be an encounter with the Living Christ. You have to accept in the depth of your heart Jesus has power and dominion over the heavens and earth. This has to be experiential and not intellectual.

You have to see the greatness of God and your insignificance in the scheme of life. The reality of the Living Christ will shatter your every belief about religion. Your only desire will be to know Jesus and walk in oneness with Him.

This decision is too costly for many believers. Very few are willing to give up everything in order to gain the fullness of Jesus.

Jesus is bigger than you can ever imagine. You will find the Living Christ when you participate in His death and the power of His resurrection.

This subject deals with the power of God to change lives. As a believer, Jesus wants you to be a strong witness for Him with all those people in your life.

The question is how do you accomplish this goal? First of all, the Christ follower cannot rely on human wisdom or an intellectual understanding of biblical principles.

The Holy Spirit wants to anoint you with the demonstration of the Spirit and power in your ministry. This means you have to get out of the way.

The starting point is you have to be a clean vessel covered with the blood of Jesus. You also have to be living for Jesus with a genuine desire to seek His will.

There cannot be any impediments between you and God. This doesn’t mean you are perfect but your motives are to please God.

You have to be walking in oneness with Jesus and living under the authority of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit knows all about the people in your life. In fact, He knows the people better than they know themselves. The Holy Spirit knows exactly how to reach someone with the truths of Jesus. Remember, most people are turned off by religion but the Holy Spirit can get through with the authenticity of Jesus expressed with unconditional love.

The Holy Spirit wants to work through your demeanor, words and actions to touch those people in your life. You must be yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to work through you. This can be as simple as expressing kindness and concern or becoming a good listener. The Living Water is a powerful witness and influence in the life of a non believer.

There will be instances when God will empower you with wisdom or the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This might be prophesy or words of knowledge like Jesus shared with the woman at the well.

The Holy Spirit can changes lives because He introduces the reality of Jesus. He pierces the heart and soul with the words of Jesus. This is what changes lives. And, the Holy Spirit works in a myriad of ways to save souls.

Redemption is the action of God taking your life out of your natural condition at birth and transforming you into a new person. This is accomplished through the work of Jesus on the Cross.

The reality of redemption happens when you come into personal contact with the Living Christ.

You have to make the first step which is a decision to live for Jesus above all else. You can throw out religion, doing works, and keeping laws. You won’t get there by just going to church, reading the Bible or prayer. You have to make a decision of the heart to seek the will of Jesus above all else. No one can do this for you. It is a voluntary action on your part.

You cannot conjure up what this will look like or the purpose of God in your life. You are giving up your life to Jesus to do with you as He pleases.

You cannot find Christ through an intellectual approach or submitting to religion. Jesus is not a historical figure in the Bible. He is the Living Christ and wants a personal and embracing relationship with you.

The cornerstone to a relationship with Jesus is living by faith and believing in the promises of God and not what you see with your eyes.

Jesus wants to walk with you through every detail of your life. He wants to speak to you and enhance the quality of your life.

Jesus knows you better than you know yourself and He has a plan to transform you into His character.

Jesus will never leave you stranded. God seals you with the Holy Spirit when you commit to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the life of Christ and His mission is to teach you the values of Christ and how to operate as a Christ follower. He will fill you with the attributes of Jesus including His strength, wisdom, protection and joy.

The Holy Spirit will convict you of sin and impure motives. Your role is just to be open to correction and change.

Jesus desires to give you more than you ask or think and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him out. He releases His goodness gradually as you learn His ways. This is for your own protection and to keep evil away from you.

Salvation does not relate to time. It starts with a decision and never ends.

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11

The word from God today is incredulous referring to the lack of belief or misunderstanding regarding the journey with Jesus.

This verse in Philippians is an excellent description of the journey with Jesus. It is unvarnished and speaks to the reality of the Cross in the life of a believer. And, it is not sugar coated to appeal to believers.

Initially it is very easy to get to know Jesus. You make a decision to live for Him and you draw near to Jesus through prayer, reading the Bible, and fellowship with other believers. Religion paints a beautiful picture of Jesus which makes Him even more attractive. Unfortunately, they leave out most of the agony of the Cross.

The difficult part of the journey is participating in the sufferings of Christ. This will happen to all believers who are serious about Jesus. God will engineer trials and circumstances in your life that will cause you to die to self. The gradual death of your natural life will be replaced with the resurrected life of Jesus.

Jesus shares His resurrected life with believers so you can draw upon His strength, wisdom and protection to meet the challenges in life. Who would not want the supernatural attributes of Jesus?

Jesus is at work to replicate His life in a believer. This process called sanctification is taking place every moment of your life.

The purpose is to glorify God in your thoughts, words and actions. The Holy Spirit fills you with Living Water to flow into the lives of those around you.

There is a steep cost to be a disciple of Jesus. You have to give up your life and independence to Jesus. This is an internal death to self and does not relate to religion or works. You are giving Jesus the right to do with you as He pleases.

Jesus wants you to live in oneness with Him without a vision or plan for the future.

This narrative deals with the subject of sanctification which is defined as to be set apart for God’s special use and purpose.

Let’s begin with Jesus who sanctified Himself for the sake of His disciples. Jesus taught the disciples the truths of God which sanctified and prepared them to introduce the Living Christ to the world.

The deep sanctifying work of God cannot take place until you have abandoned yourself to Jesus with a desire to live for Him above all else. This commitment will draw you into the reality of the Living Christ as He transforms you into His character.

Most believers experience a cosmetic or superficial sanctification because they are not sold out for Jesus or serious about the Cross.

The process of sanctification happens by the power of the Word of God.

Sanctification makes you “Christ like” in how you think and act.

We are sanctified for the purposes of Jesus.

This is mostly the unconscious work of the Holy Spirit to mold you into a new creature in Christ Jesus.

Sanctification is not for you. It is to bring glory to God.

Sanctification cannot be accelerated by human effort or doing works for Jesus.

Sanctification teaches you what is unconscionable (not right) and what is pleasing and acceptable to God.

Sanctification is preparing you for the purposes of God.

Sanctification removes your ego or need for personal glory.

Sanctification is the unfolding of God’s plan for your life. This is hidden from most believers until the plan is put into action.

Sanctification is dying to self and learning to live for Jesus.

Sanctification exposes the falsehoods religion and teaches you how to be a Christ follower.

There is no guess work for a Christ follower who is being sanctified by Jesus. He lives and breathes the work of the Cross every day of His life.