Witness

I woke up this morning with such a renewed sense of gratitude for my salvation through Jesus Christ. Sadly, as Christians we to often take salvation for granted. I know I do and after reading 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese, I got a much needed wake-up call.

I accepted Jesus Christ when I was 9 years old. It was one of many Sunday night services that I attended with my family. My parents brought us up in church and taught us about the love of Jesus Christ at an early age. After being in the church for so long, it is easy to become complacent and forget the reason we all gather together in the first place. Following God can quickly become about us and our needs but God sent His son Jesus Christ for the whole world, not just to meet our individual need. For some of us, the break through that we have been waiting for is hidden behind our egos. If we can find time to think about the plight of others then perhaps we will realize all that God has in store for us. In Mark 2:17, the bible reads, On hearing this Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who needs a doctor, but the sick, I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

There are so many doubts and fears that can stop us from growing in God and sharing the truth about his love and presence. One my biggest hurdles was fear of rejection. I was afraid that if I shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with non believers, they would write me off as a Jesus freak and not want to be my friend or associate with me . It was easy for me the share my faith with like-minded people but what about the atheist, or the person who is on the fence about accepting Jesus? I did not have the confidence to usher them to the alter. What if I failed? What if I can't convince them? What if they reject me? Thankfully, there are several problems with these questions. One being, it is not you or I that people will reject, they will reject God. Secondly, it is not you or I that brings people to Christ, it is the Holy Spirit in us that leads people to Christ. So when we take ourselves out of the equation and give more weight to obedience to God than to what people think, we in turn give God room to work. In Colossians 1:27, the Bible reads, "27 To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory."

When you have a heart for God and when you can see the urgency of saving souls then you know that what people say about you does not matter. You can find confidence in Christ that he will take care of you and not let you be put to shame. There is power and authority when being a witness for Christ Jesus. In Isaiah 41:10, the Bible reads, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"

When we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, His spirit of hope dwells in us. We no longer live life for ourselves but for those who do not know Him. After we accept God into our hearts, we have access to the Holy Spirit who is there to comfort and guide us to follow God's will.

At this moment, we become witnesses for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can go out into all the world and preach the good news about Jesus Christ. As much as we do not to think about it, we are in a race against time. There is such a places and heaven and hell. In Mark 16: 14-16, the Bible reads, "14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

As we know, being a servant of Christ Jesus is not popular in our culture. Gratefully, Americans are not subject to the persecution faced by many believers around the world who willfully trade in their lives to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here, we are free to speak to people about God's love and His grace in their lives without the legal threat of physical torture or death. It is deception from the enemy (Satan) to think that we can no longer share God's goodness or that we have to water it down to blend in with the "Good Life" messages given by countless talk show hosts and therapist around the globe. Truthfully, living your best life does not begin until you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Being a good person does not qualify. There is one way to get to God and it is through his son Jesus Christ. In John 14:6 the Bible reads, "6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

I want to encourage you to share the love of God with people. As a Christian you have first hand knowledge of God's goodness and the power of his Holy Spirit. Shame on us if we keep it to ourselves.

If you don't know God, I welcome you to gain a relationship with Him. God wants to get to know you so deeply and intimately. He knows everything about you and can answer any questions or needs you have. There is nothing you can ever do that can separate you from His love. Don't miss out on His goodness.

Copyright (c) 2012. All Rights Reserved

Trust in the Lord....

Our lives are not made up of what we see. When you serve and understand who you are in Christ, then you can see that walking by faith and not by sight must be a way of life (II Corinthians 5:7). Situations and circumstances that face us can seem so overwhelming. By the looks of things it seems easier to give up or give in. The quest to persevere is often hampered by our inability to look beyond the surface. We must focus to find the bigger picture of our circumstance and see how God can use, sometimes the worst, situations for His glory. Every great leader in the bible (i.e. Moses, Joshua, John the Baptist, Paul, Jesus, etc.) had to see beyond themselves. Jesus came to die for the sins of the world. He had to look past his own desire, his own pain because the bigger picture in mind was freedom for all that believed in Him. He was not thinking about himself, he was thinking about God's plan. Before He died, he prayed, "Not my will but Yours be done (Luke 22:42)."

In Proverbs 3:5 it states, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your heart and do not lean to your own understanding." What we know and what we understand does not stack up to God. We can think we have a plan and think that all that we desire is what we need, but God is the only source that knows these things. If you are discouraged by what you are seeing in your life, take heart. Understand and ask God to help you the change what is in your power to change and to give to God what is in His power to handle. In I Corinthians 13:9, Paul says, "We only know in part..." It is not up to us to know everything. Sometimes it is not about knowing how, we just have to know that God is able and that the prayers of the righteous are valued to God (James 5:16). In Him you can do all things. There is nothing that is impossible without God (Ephesians 3:20). Trust in His plan for your life and not your own. I don't know how many times, I made plans and God stopped me dead in my tracks. In retrospect, my plans could never compared to what God fulfilled in my life once I let go and let him. We must be still and know that He is God in our lives (Psalms 46:10). God wants to be all things to you. We all must open our hearts to receive His grace (Ephesians 2).

God does not want to leave you suffering or in a bad situation. You are not stuck. Every answer to every problem that you have or will have is in Him. We must seek God first and trust His response (Matthew 6:33). Be blessed and unwavering in who He is in your life. If you do not know God, it would be your best interest to find out who He is. Your life and your family will never be the same.

Copyright (c) 2012. All Rights Reserved