Month: August 2018

That is a very hard reality to deal with on this earth isn’t it?  Someday, no matter what, you are going to have a day on this earth where you stop breathing and you die.  I know, I am not trying to be depressing.  This is a message of hope!

None of us know how or when we are going to go.  Will we get old, will we die young?  Only God knows.  My Great Grandfather fell down the stairs one night and hit his head.  It is a very sad story for our family.  I emailed my Mom in Illinois about it before I did this post (thanks Mom!), and this is what she wrote:

“Jake was my Mom’s Dad, so your Great Grandad (we used Grandad for him).  He fell down the basement stairs and hit his head.  My Grandma Pearl said he thought he was opening the bathroom door, which was only a few yards apart.  He had bad eyesight due to cataracts.  Grandad read the Bible every day.  I remember him laying on his iron bed, with one leg hanging over the side, his foot touching the floor, and his Bible in his hands. He often would fall asleep with his Bible on his chest.”

My Great Great Grandfather was struck by lighting one night trying to put the horses in the barn during a storm.  This is what my Mom (thanks again Mom!) wrote about him:

“Your Great Grandpa Ward’s Dad, John, was struck by lighting when Ward was 17 or 18.  There was a very bad thunderstorm, so they both went to the barn to tend to the horses.  When John was at the barn door he was hit by lightning.  It struck his head and left a burned hole in his hat. Ward is Grandpa Ed’s Dad, so John would be your Great, Great Grandpa.”

If you read my book, then you know that I stopped breathing on April 28, 2012 due to anaphylactic shock I suffered from eating oats.  I have Celiac Disease, and at that time I did not know I could not have oats yet.  I am only here and alive today because I was with Jesus when I stopped breathing and He brought me back in the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit.  Yeah, you heard me right!  Why do you think I am on here preaching in the fire of the Spirit day and night!  Check out the “My Book” page for details about my published testimony regarding my very strange supernatural life!

Nope, none of us know when we are going to go.  I stopped breathing when I was 33 and that is when I should have died, but I’m 40 now and I’m still here!  Thank You Jesus!  I love You Lord!

We must take heed of the warnings in the Bible regarding our eternal souls.  We are living in a time of God’s grace when mankind still has a chance to repent and receive Jesus.  Do not waste it!

Paul said it this way to the church at Corinth:

“As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.  For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Today, right now, not tomorrow–today is the day of salvation!  Do not mess around with your soul any longer.  It is no joke!  I am not on here playing games folks.  This blog is not just some hobby or something I like to do for fun.  Heaven and hell are real and if you don’t know Jesus, you are not going to Heaven.  That’s a mouthful, I know, but I am commanded by the Lord to warn you.

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

John 14:6

If you have my book, then you know my family lived with a demon in our house for four years when I was in High School (’92 to ’96).  Yes, haunted!  That is why I came to Christ!  That is why I preach with urgency.  I accepted Jesus in college in 1996, encountered two angels in 1998, then 14 years later in 2012 I stopped breathing and the Lord saved me with a miracle!  That is why my book is called “One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life.”  All the supernatural strange stuff started when I was 13 and it just kept happening to me throughout my life.  I never know what to expect from God!  The Lord urged me to write a book about it, so I did.  It is my testimony before man and God and I testified to it all!

Let me tell you something, when you are taking your last breath is not the time to be figuring out your eternal soul!  I cried out to Jesus as my breath was leaving me that night, and I was so very glad I was with Him!  You do not want to be dying without Jesus, please just trust me on this.  He is alive!  He was with me!  He told me “It’s okay,” and He protected and comforted me.  I am still here today and I conquered my heart stopping and my breath stopping because of Jesus!  I don’t care if people think I am crazy or not.  I am going to preach it!  I tell you all these things in love.

Make sure you are right with God before you go.  The way to do that is through Jesus Christ.  There is hope!  There is forgiveness in Jesus and He will forgive all of your sins!  That is why He died on the cross!  You could never earn salvation.  It is a free gift from God!  I urge you, receive it with joy and be saved!

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

Remember, today is the day of salvation because we really never know if we will get a tomorrow.  God bless you all!

 

 

 

 

 

I want this post to serve as a warning for everyone on earth.  Revelation is a very serious Book in the Bible, and I am not going to try and tackle the entire topic of the end times in this post.  There are many disagreements within the church about the Rapture and the Tribulation, and I am not going into that here.  One thing we all agree on is that in the end the anti-Christ will come on the earth and he will force everyone to receive his mark.  This will be a worldwide event in every country, and you DO NOT want to take that mark!

The Apostle John received the amazing revelation of Jesus Christ, which became the Book of Revelation, while he was imprisoned by the Romans on the Island of Patmos.  John was later beheaded by the Romans for preaching about Jesus.

Here is the Prologue of Revelation:

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.  He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw–that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.  Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

Revelation 1:1-3

So, by reading and hearing what is in the Book of Revelation and taking heed of the warnings, we will be blessed!  Okay, let’s look at one of the most serious warnings in it.  This section of Scripture is about the anti-Christ who will be empowered by Satan to rule the earth for seven years during what is called The Tribulation.  We do not know the time or date of this event, but it has not happened yet, and it is coming.  We can all feel it stirring, the world is going mad.  This is how the anti-Christ will obtain power and rule over every human being on earth:

“He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.  This calls for wisdom.  If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number.  His number is 666.”

Revelation 13:16-18

People, the governments of the world already have that kind of technology right now!  People are already getting chipped by having microchips implanted under their skin!  Please listen to me!  Do not ever, ever, ever do that!  You are not some animal to be chipped, tracked, and controlled by your government!  Flee from that!  Flee away from that evil and run to Jesus!

They already have the ability to put all of your information on that chip or on a bar code tattoo!  Your bank accounts, private health information, driver’s license, passport, and whatever else they want to put on it.  It is not so far fetched anymore is it?

Do you see now how an evil world ruler could say you cannot “buy or sell” without his mark?  If you don’t have one, or they turn off your chip, then you cannot be a part of society!  No food, no house, no job, no nothing!  That is what Revelation 13:16-18 is warning us about!

Some companies are already chipping their employees all over Europe and here in America too.  They receive their paycheck and access the office building that way!  Don’t let them chip you!  Do you see how they roll it out slowly over time to trick you, and they talk about it like it is a good thing?  It is not!  It is evil and sick!

Here is why you do not want to take that chip–and I mean ever!

“A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice:

“If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.  He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.  And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever.  There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.”  This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.”

Revelation 14:9-12

Yeah, big time warning!  I am telling you right now, do not ever take that mark.  Whether they do it on the forehead or the right hand, do not ever take it!  Repent and believe in Jesus, and no matter what happens in this world with all the governments, do not take the mark!  Even if they say you cannot buy food or work, okay fine!  God will provide for His people!  I don’t need Satan’s filthy mark to provide for me and my family!

It makes me sick when people get chipped like that!  They are advertising it like it so cool or it can help save lives.  That is nonsense!  None of us need to be chipped like animals ever!

Okay, deep breath Ryan.  I am passionate about this because the technology is here in our time, WW3 is always knocking on the door, and the end could happen at anytime.  No, I am not going to grow a beard and run around New York City half naked yelling about the world ending.  What I am telling you is to be aware of the times around you.  We all like and use technology, but not all of it is good, and I guarantee you that chip is going to be used for evil in the end!

You have been warned!  If it happens in our time, please remember what I told you!  Do not ever let them chip you with that sinful evil mark!  I don’t care if I have to go all “Red Dawn” Patrick Swayze style up in the Rockies–I am never taking the mark of the beast!  My wife and I and our kids can all hunt and fish and I know without a doubt in my mind that God will provide!  Wolverines!!!

Standing strong until He returns!  Grace and peace to you all!

 

 

Yes, that is a long title, but I am trying to make a very crucial point!  Salvation in Jesus Christ is through grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  I can’t stress how important this is to understand.  There is absolutely nothing we could do before or after we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to earn our way into Heaven.  This is fundamental to the Christian faith.  You must understand this!

The Book of Ephesians is the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus.  In the letter he is reminding the believers of their new found life in Jesus, and reminding them that their salvation is a free gift from God that they could never earn.  He teaches them that there is to be no boasting about their salvation because they did not earn it through works.  There are no amount of “good works” that will get you into Heaven.  If that were the case, then Jesus Christ died for nothing!  Please understand that!

Here is how Paul says it:

“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.  Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.  But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved.”

Ephesians 2:3-5

Did the Apostle Paul say “it is by works you have been saved?”  Did he say, “it is by your own effort you have been saved?”  No, he did not.  He said we are saved by grace, and that grace comes from our loving God who is rich in mercy.

Paul continues his explanation regarding grace in the following verses:

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:6-7

There is that word grace again.  I don’t see the word “works” anywhere in there, do you?  That’s because it is not in there and we are not saved by works.  People who preach salvation by works often misunderstand what the Apostle Paul was saying in another set of Scripture found in Philippians 2:12-13.  Unfortunately, they use it to instill fear in people that they have to “work” their way into Heaven or they could lose their salvation.  Let me be clear here, that is a lie straight from Satan!

Once you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are saved and it is finished just as Jesus said on the cross!  Here is the verse people misuse.  I will explain what the verse really means from the Greek context of the words afterwards.

Philippians 2:12-13 (The misused and misunderstood verses)

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

The New Testament was written in Greek.  The Greek root of “work out” means pressing on toward the goal.  It does not mean, nor does it say, you have to “work for” your salvation.  The salvation part is set in stone because Jesus paid the price for us and our salvation cannot be lost once we are His.  The Greek root of the words “fear and trembling” in this context means a great reverence and respect (fear) and awe (trembling).     He is saying to press on and follow Jesus with great reverence and awe.  He is not saying you have to work for your salvation.  Okay?  Please understand that.

Paul uses the same language when speaking about Titus in 2 Corinthians 7:15:

“And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling.”

There are the words “fear and trembling” again.  You see, it is how Paul writes.  It is the Greek language.  He is thanking the church at Corinth for showing Titus such respect.

Okay, now that the language barrier is cleared up, let us move forward.  Paul continues his explanation of salvation by grace to the church at Ephesus by writing one of the most famous verses in the Bible.  Here it is:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

I think Paul wanted to make it very clear that we are saved by grace through faith and it is a gift from God and “not by works.”  There is to be no boasting from anyone about it!  Jesus saved you.  You cannot save yourself through good works.

I want to make something else crystal clear.  Jesus called us to repentance.  Repentance leads you to salvation, which is a free gift from God.  The Greek root word for repentance is “metanoia,” which literally means “a change of mind” or “change in the inner man.”

Strong’s Concordance:

“metanoia: change of mind, repentance

Original Word: μετάνοια, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: metanoia
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an’-oy-ah)
Short Definition: repentance, a change of mind
Definition: repentance, a change of mind, change in the inner man.”

Jesus called us to change our minds about our sins, turn away from them, and turn to God and His Way, which is to believe in Jesus Christ!

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:17

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

2 Corinthians 7:10

You receive salvation through Jesus Christ and are saved the very moment you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior through faith.  It is a free gift from God by His grace.  Repentance simply leads you to salvation in Jesus Christ, which is by grace through faith, and not by works.

Paul explains this clearly as he writes to the church at Rome:

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

Did Paul say, “if you run around and do a bunch of good things, you will be saved?”  Did Paul say, “if you confess Jesus is Lord, believe, and then do a bunch of good works, you will be saved?”  No, he did not.  He said you are saved the very moment you confess Jesus is Lord and believe!  Don’t let anybody ever tell you that you can lose your salvation or you have to work for it!  Those are lies and that nonsense is NOT found in the Bible!

One more very important truth I want to make crystal clear is that once you receive Jesus like the above verses say to do, you will receive the Holy Spirit immediately.  Here is how Paul explains it:

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:13-14

Is it clear now?  You receive the Holy Spirit immediately upon believing in Jesus Christ and that Holy Spirit inside of you guarantees your inheritance in Heaven!!  Your salvation is guaranteed when you trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you don’t ever have to worry about losing it!

If you are a Christian and you go off and start sinning (which happens), it doesn’t mean you lose your salvation, but it does mean God is going to have to discipline you and bring you back.  Sometimes Christians back slide and fall into temptation, but God is gentle with us and restores us through His discipline (see Hebrews 12).  You don’t lose your salvation once you belong to Jesus!

I truly hope that clears the whole salvation by grace versus works issue right up!  Jesus died for you and that gracious gift of salvation is free from God, and there is nothing we could do to work for it!  Praise God for that!  May we all live in the truth and freedom of Jesus Christ every day!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

Grace and peace to you!  My name is Ryan.  I am a Christian (meaning sold out for Jesus) minister and author and I have been preaching, ministering, and baptizing for almost 22 years.  I recently published a book on Amazon about the very strange and supernatural life I have had (One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life).  Recently, my blog was followed by another blog called “Inmate Blogger.”  It is an awesome blog where prisoners get to post their writing pieces!  God bless you!  I am writing this to anyone who is incarcerated right now, and this message of hope is for you!  May your writing on “Inmate Blogger” reach out across time, space, borders, and bars, and impact real change for good!  Bless you all!

I have never been to prison.  I had a probation officer once when I was in High School for about a year from something illegal that I had done, but I never went to jail.  I do know what it’s like to have the heat sweat me though.

I know that some of you are incarcerated, but you are innocent.  I don’t know why this has happened to you and it is a tragedy!  God loves you and He did not do this to you!  It is a product of a broken system, which is a product of the fall of man, which is from satan (yes, he exists).  I pray that the Lord Jesus will bring you justice swiftly and restore your freedom and honor, strengthen you, and confirm you!  Amen!

I also know that many of you actually did commit the crimes you are in prison for (just like when I got probation), and I pray you learn from your time of discipline.  God loves you too, and He will forgive you!  I pray for restoration of your freedom and honor as well.  The Lord will strengthen and lift you up!  This message of hope and forgiveness in Jesus Christ is for all of you!  It’s for the whole world!

In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus was in the synagogue in Nazareth, and He reads from the scroll of Isaiah (because they had scrolls back then) where He quotes a passage of Scripture that is talking about Him.  It had been written by the Prophet Isaiah long before Jesus ever arrived.

“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.  And he stood up to read.  The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.  Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.””

Luke 4:16-21

What Jesus was telling them was that He Himself fulfilled that prophecy!  Jesus came to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and I’m not just talking about prison.  I’m talking about our souls!

Jesus Christ came to die for you, so you could be free from sin and death and go to Heaven!  That is a freedom that you can have even in prison my brother or sister!  Let Jesus release you from the chains around your heart and soul.  Let Him heal you and set you free!  Please read my post titled “The Roman’s Road” if you want to learn about accepting Jesus and the salvation He offers you.  You can pray to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now, and He will fill you with His Holy Spirit right there in that prison!  I kid you not!  The Holy Spirit is real!  Read my post titled “Who is the Holy Spirit?” to learn about Him.  Read my posts titled “Who is God?” and “Who is Jesus” too!

Spend some time on my blog and learn about who God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are.  Read my posts titled “Heart Poured Out” and “Real Talk” to read about my testimony and how I came to Jesus.  I lived in a haunted house in St. Charles, IL in the early 90s, and my family was tormented by a demon the entire 4 years I was in High School!  That’s why I came to Jesus!

After I got saved, the supernatural experiences continued, but this time it was with angels!  Then, 14 years later in 2012, I stopped breathing due to anaphylactic shock and I died for a little while.  Yes, you heard me right.  I stopped breathing, my heart stopped, and I left my body!  My wife was beside me when it happened.  I’m still here because I was with Jesus and He sent me back!  Sound crazy?  Yep, I know, I’ve had one very strange supernatural life!  That is why I’m on here preaching in the power and joy of the Lord!

Yes, I say it all the time, Jesus is alive and He loves you!  Heaven, hell, angels, and demons–it’s all real!  I’m telling you folks, if you haven’t read my book, please check it out!  It’s free on Kindle Unlimited, and only .99 cents for the eBook.  Thanks to everyone who downloaded a free book during the promotion!!!

To the prisoners who are serving their time because of a crime you committed, I want you to know that God is showing you love.  I know many of you did not have good fathers, or your father was not around.  Maybe you did not have the kind of discipline you required as a young boy or girl growing up in this sinful fallen world.  I want you to know that whatever the crime was, the Lord loves you, He will forgive you, and He is actually treating you with love as you sit in that prison. Let me explain.  Check out this section of Scripture:

“In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.  And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Hebrews 12:4-6

That is good news for you today!  Do not lose heart, the Lord is treating you as his sons and daughters!  He will still accept you and forgive you!  He had to discipline and rebuke you for whatever it is you did because He is just, but He will also forgive you and receive you as His own child!  Take heart in that today and be encouraged!

“If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.”

Hebrews 12:8

This is an important verse to understand.  I discipline my kids because they are my kids and I love them.  I don’t discipline other people’s kids because they are not my kids.  The discipline you are going through right now proves that God loves you and that you are one of His children!  He is treating you as a true loving father would.

“Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Hebrews 12:10-11

Did you catch that?  God is disciplining you for your good to lead you to holiness in order to produce in you a harvest of righteousness and peace inside your soul!  Let this time in your life train you to be righteous.  Live a life of peace and share in God’s holiness!

Let these words encourage you today!  There is a God in Heaven and He loves you.  Repent and turn from sin!  Let Jesus set you free!

If you have any questions or need prayer, please contact me.  I am available as an online minister to the whole world!

Grace and peace to you all!

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9