Tag: Jesus

Hello everyone!  Hope you are enjoying a peaceful Sunday.  I talked with my son yesterday about writing a sermon for my blog.  He was very excited to do it and he ran upstairs and wrote a very encouraging word in the power of the Holy Spirit!  I did not give him any direction on what to write.  This is straight from the heart of an 8 year old believer in Jesus!  May it be a blessing to you all!

My Son’s Sermon:

Dear everyone,

When you are a Christian, you never die and you get eternal life forever.  Think of that!  You never die!  That is why I thank the Lord for every second, every minute, and day on this earth and every breath that I breathe.  I thank the Lord for everything that I see and for everything that I have.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26

May the Holy Spirit be with you all!

Have a great rest of your day!

Love,

Ryan’s son

Amen son!  Short, sweet, and packed with powerful truth!  I love you buddy!

Grace and peace to you all!

Our daughter forgot her dance outfit leaving for school today, so I dropped it off to her this morning.  On the drive over, the Lord spoke to me about the little cross I have in my truck.  I was at a red light and I looked over at my little cross and the Lord spoke a word into my heart: “A mustard seed of faith.”  He knows I have a lot on my mind.  I’m not discouraged or down, but my wife and I are believing and praying for big things right now and I appreciate the Lord encouraging my heart!  I know God can do big amazing things whenever He wants to and anything is possible for those who believe!

This little cross is special to me because it’s broken.  I found it on the floor a couple years ago at Costco one day.  There was a bunch of people shuffling in and out of the store and I saw it on the floor by the carts.  The top is broken off, so it is kind of slanted, but I didn’t care.  I was having a very hard time with my suffering back then and when I saw that little cross it was like God had given me a brand new shiny gift!  It wasn’t broken to me.  It was perfect!  God encouraged my heart that day and He lifted me up and showed me He was with me!

It helped me get my focus back on Jesus that day and I have kept it in my truck ever since.  Our kids love it.  They always ask if they can hold it and I always say yes.  They hear me preach all the time, so they are very familiar with the cross.  You should hear our 8 year old son preach!  The Holy Spirit really moves through him!  One of these days I will write a blog featuring one of his sermons.  He loves the Lord and he knows the Word!  Sometimes he just starts preaching from the back seat while I’m driving down the road.  It’s great and the Lord really speaks encouragement through him.  He always has me saying, “Amen son!”

The Lord reminded me this morning that He wants to do great things in my life and He loves giving His children great gifts and our faith doesn’t have to be any bigger than the little polished stone cross I found that day.  If you ever feel like your faith is broken and you feel abandoned, remember that any amount of faith in Jesus is faith enough and He will never abandon you!  He will never leave us nor forsake us!  Thank You Jesus!

“He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

Jesus speaking in Luke 17:6

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus.  “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Mark 9:23

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Jesus speaking in John 14:18

Have a blessed and encouraging weekend!

Grace and peace friends!

 

In John chapter ten, Jesus uses an analogy of a shepherd and his sheep to describe His relationship with those who believe in Him.  When I think of sheep, I think of the mighty bighorn sheep we have here in Colorado.  It is actually our state animal.  They might be sheep, but God has given them everything they need to protect themselves and thrive in the harshness of the wild.  So it is with every believer in Jesus Christ!  We are sheep, but we belong to Jesus and we are His sheep!  We are under His protection and He has given us everything we need to be victorious over the wild harshness of this sinful fallen world.

Check out that huge male ram in the picture above!  Those things get massive!  This excerpt from Rocky Mountain National Park shows just how tough God created bighorn sheep to be.

“Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis Canadensis)

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are the largest wild sheep in North America. Muscular males can weigh over 300 pounds and stand over three feet tall at the shoulder. Females are roughly half this size. Bighorn sheep are gray/brown to dark brown in color with white patches on their rump, muzzle and back of legs. Winter coats are thick, double-layered and may be lighter in color. Bighorn sheep shed these heavy coats in the summer.

They have wide-set eyes that provide a large angle of vision. This along with sharp hearing and a highly-developed sense of smell can detect dangers at great distances. Specialized hooves and rough soles provide a natural grip as bighorn sheep make precarious jumps and breath-taking climbs up and down sharp cliff faces.

As their name suggests, bighorn sheep have true horns that they retain throughout their life. Males, called rams, have large horns that curl around their faces by eight years of age. These horns can weigh up to 30 pounds. Females, called ewes, have smaller horns that curve slightly to a sharp point within the first four years of life.”

During the rut, “rams face each other, rear up on hind legs and pitch forward at speeds up to 40 mph. The loud crash of horns signals contact and can be heard up to one mile away. This ritual is repeated until one animal concedes and walks away. Bighorn sheep skulls are thick and bony to absorb this repeated impact with little physical injury to the ram.”

-National Park Service (https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/bighorn_sheep.htm)

That’s one big tough sheep!  300 pounds ramming a 30 pound set of horns at 40 mph!  Wow!  God definitely gave them power!  Sharp hearing and an intense sense of smell are excellent gifts to detect predators.  How amazing it must be for them to have special feet that can grip the steep cliff faces of the Rockies.  God has given them exactly what they need to be victorious in their lives.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd and those who believe in Him are His flock.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me–just as the Father knows me and I know the Father–and I lay down my life for the sheep.  I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.  I must bring them also.  They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

John 10:14-16

God has given us everything we need by the power of the Holy Spirit to be victorious!  We are His sheep and He gives us protection and power!  We are sheep, but the Lord has given us armor and a mighty shield and Sword to be victorious in the battles we face in this wicked world!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Ephesians 6:10-18

That is some serious spiritual power from the Lord!  What an amazing list of gifts God gives to His sheep!  God knows we are out in the open and exposed.  There are no safe spaces in real life.  The enemy never stops prowling around and God knows we need to have the power of His armor to be victorious!

“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 the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

1 Peter 5:8-9

We need to be in that armor every day and be alert and pray for each other.  We need to be like God’s flock of bighorn sheep as they sit exposed and vulnerable in the wild.  They have their armor on and they look out for each other.  Look at how they sit together, so nobody can be taken by surprise.  They are sheep, but they are soldiers too and they are ready for battle.

“Lord Jesus, I pray that we would be strong in You and in Your mighty power!  I pray that we would be suited up in Your armor every day!  Thank you that we can extinguish all the attacks of the evil one through our faith in You!  When attacks come, help us fight with the armor and weapons you gave us and give us victory by the power of Your Name!  Amen!”

Next time the enemy tries to attack, take that shield of faith and ram him at top speed, then take out the Sword God gave you and cut him down!  Thank you Jesus for giving us power to overcome every attack!  Thank you for being a Good Shepherd and taking care of us!  You have given us everything we need to be victorious!

Grace and peace to you all!

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

John 10:27-28

 

 

The Rocky Mountains here in Colorado are world famous.  They offer amazing outdoor opportunities year round and millions of people visit every year to enjoy places like our ski resorts and Rocky Mountain National Park.  Although our mountains are very beautiful, they can also be deadly.  Many people die every year hiking around in the high country.  Most of the injuries and deaths happen when people try to climb Long’s Peak or they get lost in the woods and something happens to them.  There are quite a few people though that get hurt and killed hiking around high cliff walls just off the trail.  Today as I ate lunch, I started thinking back to a weekend back in college when two of my friends had a harrowing encounter with a 60 foot cliff and a miracle of God.  It is very encouraging and I would like to share it with you all!

These two friends, Jeff and Kelly, were in love and had plans to be married.  I had known them for a few years as this happened sometime during my Junior year at UNC in 1999.  I knew them from Campus Crusade for Christ.  Jeff was my Bible study leader when I was a newly saved Freshman in ’96.  He was also the lead singer of a Christian ska band that included a few of our other friends from Crusade.  They were popular on campus and they even did a bunch of shows in Denver.  We had great fellowship in the Spirit in college and it was a lot of fun!

That weekend Jeff and Kelly decided to go hiking in the mountains.  They were not doing anything technical.  Just a light day hike for fun.  When they got back to the dorms, they were so excited and they started telling us about a miracle they experienced.

Jeff told us that they were hiking around these high cliff walls, at least 60 feet.  They started hiking down the trail to go home and Jeff got down first.  He was below the ledge at the bottom of the cliff when he watched Kelly fall from the top.  He didn’t see where she landed, but he said he was freaking out and thought for sure she was dead.

When he hiked back up to where Kelly had fallen, he was shocked and amazed to see that Kelly was perfectly fine!  She didn’t have a single scratch!  Kelly was lying down and she was quiet and calm looking amazed and at peace.

She told us that as she fell her angel caught her and carried her down gently to the ground.  See, I’m not the only one with angel encounters around here!  Just like during my first angel encounter, she didn’t see it, but she felt it carrying her.  Whether they are carrying us down a cliff wall or carrying us away from a knife wielding attacker on the streets of Denver, angels are there for us and they get the job of protecting us done right!

We were all praising God when they told us that!  Folks, Kelly should have died!  We see it all the time on the news here.  A hiker gets lost, falls off a cliff, and they find the body a few days later.  Nobody survives a fall like that without a miracle of God!  Everyone in Crusade was talking about that for a long time and we praised God for it every time!

Jeff and Kelly were really shaken up by that, but they were also overjoyed at the miracle!  By the way, they ended up getting married and they have a bunch of kids.  Jeff is a Pastor here in Colorado.  Praise God!  When my wife and I got married 17 years ago, Jeff did the ceremony and preaching.  It was his first wedding and he did great!

Don’t ever forget that nothing is impossible for God!  He can send angels to rescue us just like it says in His Word and they can literally physically lift us up!  They are huge and beautiful and I praise God for them (I saw and spoke with the angel during my second encounter in ’98)!  Thank You Lord for protecting us with angels!  Thank You for what You did for Kelly and I!

“For he will command his

angels concerning you

to guard you in all your

ways;

they will lift you up in their

hands,

so that you will not strike

your foot against a

stone.”

Psalm 91:11-12

If you would like to read about my two angel encounters in 1998, please click the link below:

Remember that time when…

I also wrote about it in my book.  If you would like a free eBook copy of “One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life,” please email me through my blog “Contact” page and I will send you a free copy directly from Amazon.   You don’t need a Kindle.  You can just use the free Kindle App.

Be encouraged!  Angels are real because Heaven is real because God is real and He really does love you!  Jesus is Lord!

Grace and peace to you all!

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”

Hebrews 1:14

“For nothing is impossible with God.”

-The angel Gabriel in Luke 1:37

 

The conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus is one of the most famous in the Bible.  It takes place in John 3:1-21 and includes two of the most famous verses in the Bible, John 3:3 and John 3:16.  Nicodemus was a high ranking Pharisee and one night he went to visit Jesus.  What they talked about that night is incredible because the answer Jesus gives Nicodemus leads to eternal life!  I am aware that not everyone who reads my blog has a Bible, so I will be posting all 21 verses of their conversation.  To everyone around the world, God bless you all in the Name of Jesus!  I pray the truth of God’s Word refreshes your souls and those of you who don’t know Jesus yet will receive His amazing offer of grace to be born again!

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.  He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher from God.  For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked.  “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”

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

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?  I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.  I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven–the Son of Man.  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

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.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

John 3:1-21

The Spirit Jesus is talking about is the Holy Spirit.  To be born again means to believe in Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul and receive the Holy Spirit!  We must be born of the Spirit to see God’s Kingdom.  We receive the Holy Spirit the very moment we confess our faith in Jesus and we receive power as we are filled with the Spirit just like Jesus said!

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus speaking in Acts 1:8

“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

“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

Once you believe in Jesus, you are filled with the Holy Spirit who is a deposit from God inside you that guarantees your redeemed position before God to receive the inheritance of Heaven!  It is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus that we are saved, and the Holy Spirit is God’s seal upon every person who believes in Jesus!  Once you belong to Jesus, you will always belong to Jesus and nothing can snatch you out of His hand!

“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 one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

Jesus speaking in John 10:28

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Romans 8:1-2

How does the Holy Spirit empower us and for what purpose?  Before Jesus was crucified, He promised that He would send the Holy Spirit.  He also told us what the Holy Spirit would do on earth and how the Spirit helps believers.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

John 14:15-17

“All this I have spoken while still with you.  But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:25-27

“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’  Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief.  But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.   Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.  When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.  All that belongs to the Father is mine.  That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

John 16:5-16

The Holy Spirit empowers us by guiding us into all truth and giving us conviction of sin in order to live righteously!  The Holy Spirit also reminds us of everything Jesus has said and teaches us all things!  We literally have the peace and power of Jesus inside of us through the Holy Spirit, and it is awesome!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

Those are beautiful holy virtues from God that He gives us by the power of the Holy Spirit!  We cannot live righteously on our own.  We need the power of God’s Spirit!  We cannot save ourselves.  We must be born again!

Jesus also promised the Holy Spirit at the beginning of His ministry.

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”  By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.  Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”

John 7:37-39

The living water flowing within me is beautiful!  Jesus called the Holy Spirit “streams of living water” because of all of those amazing fruits of the Spirit!  Every believer in Jesus Christ is promised this refreshment of the soul and power to live righteously!

After Jesus died and rose again on the third day, he spent forty days hanging out with His followers teaching them about God’s Kingdom.  Moments before He ascended into Heaven, He reminded them one more time to wait for the Holy Spirit He promised.

“After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.  He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.  On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 1:3-5

So, what was it like when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to earth for the first time after He ascended into Heaven?

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

Acts 2:1-4

That is just awesome!  Hallelujah!  Now I am not saying that when you believe in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit will fill you like that.  When I accepted Jesus back in October of 1996 and received the Holy Spirit, I was filled with a great joy and peace that I had never known before.  I rebuked a demon in the Name of Jesus a couple months after that.  I was given the gift of evangelism through the Spirit and the Lord cleaned me up and had me out spreading the Gospel pretty quick.  Yes, we receive spiritual gifts that the Lord gives us through the Holy Spirit too!

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:11-13

The Holy Spirit most definitely could still fill a person up in wind and fire though!  My wife and I heard the blowing wind of the Holy Spirit in our bedroom when I stopped breathing on 4-28-12 (Read “My Lazarus Moment” to learn about that)!  Nothing is impossible for God and the Holy Spirit inside me is the same Holy Spirit that came down on those brothers at Pentecost!  Amen!

Now you know what it means to be born again.  We must be born of the Holy Spirit and for that to happen we must believe in Jesus Christ for the salvation of our souls.  It all starts with the simple and powerful answer Jesus gave to Nicodemus that night:

“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.”

Jesus speaking in John 3:16

If you have never accepted Jesus, I pray you accept that free gift of God’s grace today!  Believe in Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit!  Have eternal life and be at peace!  We must be born again to enter Heaven!

Grace and peace to you all!

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

2 Corinthians 13:14

 

I was reading my Bible this morning and the Lord showed me the above verses in John.  That is a powerful and amazing statement Jesus made!  When we look at Jesus, we are looking at God!  God became flesh and made His dwelling among us as Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the light of the world and all who believe in Him will never live in darkness!  When you believe in Jesus, you believe in God the Father at the same time.  Jesus is God!  God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are One!

“My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.  May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”

Jesus praying for us in John 17:20-24

The Apostle Paul gave us a beautiful explanation of exactly who Jesus is and why God came to save us:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Colossians 1:15-20

Jesus was with God in the very beginning of creation and all things were created by Him and for Him!  All of God’s fullness is in Jesus and He is the image of God because God became a man to die for us!  Thank You Jesus!

John explained it this way:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

John 1:1-5

Jesus Christ is the Word!

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14

Our Creator, God, whose Name is I AM (Exodus 3:14), came down from Heaven to take the punishment for our sins upon Himself, so we could be saved.

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

John 8:58

“Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

John 20:28

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”

Jesus speaking in John 10:27-30

Think about that amazing truth for a moment!  God became a man and experienced humanity, terrible suffering, and ultimately death on a cross because He loves us and He wants us to be with Him forever!  He is our Father in Heaven.  He created us and He does not want any of us to perish.  I pray you receive His great love today!

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Titus 2:11-14

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

Jesus is the One and Only full of grace and truth!  It is only through faith in Jesus we are saved because God never became a man in any other way to save us.  God did that one time and His sacrifice is perfectly sufficient to forgive the sins of all mankind (Romans 3:21-26)!  I pray the Lord spreads revival and the whole world receives His great love and forgiveness!  God loves us so much that He came to rescue us!  Each of us has to personally receive that salvation by faith.  It is your choice and I pray you choose wisely.

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned–for before the law was given, sin was in the world.  But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

But the gift is not like the trespass.  For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!  Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.  For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.  For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

The law was added so that the trespass might increase.  But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:12-21

Christianity is set apart from the world religions because it is the only faith that is all about what God did for us, not what we can do for God.  Every other faith is works based and focuses on what you have to do to “earn” your way into Heaven.  Faith in Jesus is all about what He did for us on the cross.  We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.  There is no amount of good works that could ever get a person into Heaven.  That is why God came to earth to die for us.  He offers us forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus and that is the most precious gift from our gracious God that the world has ever known!

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:21-24

“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 one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

Grace and peace to you all in the Name of Jesus!

“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.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:9-13

 

I love that promise Jesus made to us!  Once we belong to Jesus through our faith in Him, nothing can snatch us out of His hand!  Our salvation is eternally secure by God’s grace alone through our faith in Jesus Christ alone and His blood is perfectly sufficient to forgive any and all sin (Romans 3:21-26)!  Let that be an encouragement to your heart today and every day!

Once you know Jesus, you will always know Jesus!  Sometimes we stumble and go through the Lord’s discipline that He gives us for our good (Hebrews 12:1-13).  That’s okay!  Get back up and keep going!  Learn and grow from the discipline and keep walking with your Lord and Savior who loves you!  Be encouraged that He disciplines us and lifts us up again!  You are still saved!

You are saved through your faith in Jesus, not by works (John 3:16, Romans 8:1-2, Ephesians 2:8-9).  Remember, salvation and sanctification are two different things.  Jesus saves us (salvation by faith in Him) and fills us with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), then He cleans us up and empowers us to live righteously (sanctifies us) by the power of His Word and the Holy Spirit (John 17:17, Acts 1:8, Galatians 5:22-23).  The process of sanctification takes place throughout our entire walk with Jesus (Philippians 3:12-16).  Any good works we do for Jesus after we are saved are done by the power of the Holy Spirit for His glory, not ours (Ephesians 2:10).  We are not earning points to get to Heaven (Galatians 2:15-21, 3:1-14).  Once you belong to Jesus by faith, you are His forever and nothing can snatch you out of His hand!  That is a promise Jesus made to us Himself!

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

Be at peace in Jesus!  He is trustworthy and we can rest in His promises!  His perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18)!  Have a blessed and encouraging Sunday!

Grace and peace to you all!

“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.”

Jesus speaking in John 3:16

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”

Jesus speaking in John 10:28-30

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.  For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.  For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus speaking in John 6:37-40