Ready For A Spiritual Battle?

April 5, 2017 Gracie

Getting Ready

I was a Girl Scout a long, long time ago.

Let’s not talk about how long. 😉

Our motto was to: “Be Prepared.”

Does that phrase sound familiar?

The direction to “be prepared” is also in the Bible – God’s Word.

Are You Ready For A Spiritual Battle?

It’s certainly easier to respond, “no thanks,” and just live your life without a care.

Easier maybe, but that’s not the right answer.

The Bible tells us, and as Peter reveals in 1 Peter 3:15-17:

¹⁵but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. – 1 Peter 3:15-17, ESV.

Contending For Your Faith

Always be prepared with confidence and complete reverence for God.

No one said it would be easy, especially when an unbeliever or false teacher is coming at you with all sorts of accusations. It can hurt, especially when the accuser is someone you know.

Have you ever heard anyone verbally attack the Bible and the Sovereignty of God?

I sure have.

It seems like the confrontations are happening everywhere – on college campuses, in the workplace, and elsewhere.

The most disturbing examples I’ve seen are on the internet and in social media comments.

attacking comment threads

It’s so bad that I only scan the headlines now, and skip over the comment threads where people are so awful to each other. There’s name-calling, threats, and twisting words of Scripture.

Do these folks realize what they’re saying, in a public forum, no less?

I once had a job where a coworker told me that a client we both knew was a “nice” person and would go to Heaven simply for that reason alone.

Our fallen human nature wants to believe that lie, but as Christians, we know that “Congeniality” is not a free ticket to Heaven.

That may sound harsh, but it’s reality. We must turn to the Bible for the answer, not Hollywood movies, or false teachers who add to or delete words of Scripture.

By our faith, we know better.

We are in great need of a Savior and a repentant heart. If being nice was all that was required to get to Heaven, Jesus would not have had to die.

The Gate Is Narrow

A very convicting Bible verse and a key reason why we, as Christians, should share our faith, comes from Matthew.

¹³“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. – Matthew 7:13-14, ESV.

The way to eternal life is narrow. (Chilling, right?)

A very loving thing we can do for a lost person is telling them about salvation through Jesus Christ. We can also pray for them and, for the Holy Spirit to give us the right words when an opportunity comes up. I pray for this all the time.

We can’t let an intimidating person get us to back down about our personal faith in Jesus Christ and salvation through Him.

Are you ready for a spiritual battle

Are You Prepared?

You have to know why you believe.

What do athletes do before the big game?

They practice.

Practice talking about your faith, not because your beliefs are weak, but because it helps. This process isn’t the same as writing a rehearsed script and sounding like a robot. We need to examine our lives, our secular motives before we came to Christ, and the eternal perspective we gained after.

We’re not beating anyone over the head with it or trying to start fights. I take to heart what Paul said in Philippians.

²⁷Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. ²⁹For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, ³⁰engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. – Philippians 1:27-30, ESV.

Expecting Opposition

Not everyone will appreciate your testimony. If someone gets overly ugly with you, you can opt to say you’ll pray for this person and leave. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.

Not a Bible expert? It’s okay. You’re sharing your faith because you love others and don’t want them to go to hell.

Here’s a useful resource, Got Questions.

In this two-minute video, John MacArthur explains why readiness is so important. Feel free to share this with others who need encouragement. God bless.

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*Begg, Alistair. “Declare Great Things.” Crosswalk.Com. 25 May 2016. Web Access 03 April 2017. Used with permission. http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/truth-for-life/truth-for-life-may-25-2016.html

Our Exceptional God

Trust In The Lord Even When You Hurt

July 21, 2015 Gracie

Trust in the Lord Even When You Hurt

It can be hard to trust in the Lord when you feel like your life is falling apart.

trust in the Lord even when it hurts Bad things happen.

A car plows into your vehicle and sends you to the hospital.
Your spouse says he or she has had an affair.
A friend is given a cancer diagnosis.
Your teenager is addicted to drugs.

These are huge wake-up calls and this small list doesn’t even cover what some of your friends and family may be going through.

It hurts a lot sometimes.

In my own family, there’s divorce, the loss of a child, the loss of a job, health concerns, and atheism.

Difficult questions come to mind when you wake up and get some bad news.

Where are you, God?

Don’t You care about me?

What did I do to deserve this?

When Did Life Get So Out of Control?

The hard fact is, no one ever promised us an easy life without cares and concerns. In the book of James 1:2-4, Scripture tells us that we’ll experience various trials.

Notice that the word “trials” is in its plural form.

And yet, we are still told to trust Him.

There was no exception to that command.

The Bible doesn’t say, “Trust in the Lord, except when __________(fill in the blanks with your particular circumstance.)

Is unshakeable trust in God an easy thing to have?

We’d like to think so, but not always. We’re not perfect. We have the very human, knee jerk, “fix it now” mentality and can rush headlong into finding a quick solution, all the while forgetting to pray and ask God for His strength and guidance to see us through.

God Loves us Always Remember, He Loves Us

The wonderful truth is that God loves you. Nothing or no one can take that away from you. You are His child.

He knows your past, present, and future. For His reasons alone, He allows certain things to take place in our lives.

God may appear to be silent at times, but you and me have to trust Him and that means in good times and in bad. If we pray or even talk to Him quietly in our thoughts, He will listen.

A Christian Perspective From Georgia

I asked a good friend of mine about her favorite Bible verse. Kim M. from Georgia chose Proverbs 3:5-6.

*Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make straight your paths.

missing puzzle pieces Here’s what Kim had to say about why this verse means so much to her:

“Our understanding and logic is not the same as God’s. We work hard to put things in a way that seems logical to us, only to find that there is always that piece or something that is missing. With God, He can see the whole picture so there are no missing pieces. If we place God in charge instead of us trying to be in charge, all of the pieces will fall into place, in accordance to His will and His timing. Trust God completely.”

That is so true.

Learning to Cope

How can you learn endurance to get through the hard times? There are a lot of options.

Pray. God is listening.
You can read and memorize Scripture, especially the verses that encourage you the most.
You can listen to some great Christian music. I have links to some great contemporary artists on this website.
You can attend a Men or Women’s Bible study. Once there, you can meet some of the most amazing people who have struggles of their own. The friendships often become lifelong.
You can help someone less fortunate than yourself. As sad as you may feel about some of your own trials, there’s always someone who is worse off than you. That will help with your perspective.
Lastly, you can get together with some of your Christian friends. You can lift each other up with support and love. Some day, all Christians will be in Heaven together where there is no more suffering and sadness.

That will be a very happy day.

Do you feel this article may be helpful to someone?

Please feel free to share it with them.

Real Life Stories of Faith

You’ve Said the Sinner’s Prayer. Are You Saved?

February 11, 2015 Gracie

Did the Sinner’s Prayer save me?

Have you said the Sinner’s Prayer and you’re wondering if you’re saved? Please allow me to give you some steps in the right direction.

First of all, know that while the intention to say a sinner’s prayer is good, the prayer itself is not what saves you. It’s an oft-repeated prayer, but unfortunately in some circles, it’s held up as a sort of badge of honor, a guarantee of eternal life. It’s not a guarantee.

You can’t have salvation without repentance. One without the other does not add up. God knows the heart and He knows who authentically believes and who is giving lip service.

So, please be careful with this and don’t be fooled into thinking that saying a prescribed set of words is all that’s necessary. That can lead to a false sense of security without the substance to back it up. Too many people have experienced a false conversion.

Anyone can simply repeat the words to ask “Jesus into their hearts” and not actually believe in what the Bible says. It’s the same as certain celebrities wearing crosses around their necks for example and yet, their very public actions do not reflect transformed lives.

That may sound harsh, but it’s true. It is God who saves, not simply a recommended prayer. A transformed life reflects a person’s life-changing faith, commitment, obedience (bearing fruit), and godly character.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. – Galatians 5:22-24.

Child of God God will bless you if you sincerely guard your heart (with the help of the Holy Spirit) towards Him. Praise God if it was a certain friend or family member who planted the seed and led you to the authentic saving grace that comes only through Christ Jesus.

Expect some resistance though if you have friends or family who aren’t believers.

Remember, dear friend, that the Bible says in Matthew 5 –

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

– Matthew 5:11-12, ESV

There’s No Free Ride

Christianity is not a free ride. Your life won’t suddenly get better and all of your problems won’t go away. In addition, a newfound faith doesn’t lead to a bigger bank account (despite the false teachings of prosperity preachers).

Life will continue to be hard, but you will be rich in so many other ways. You’ll have the knowledge that our perfect God has chosen you to be a part of His holy family.

Salvation is attainable through Jesus Christ alone.

Your commitment serves as your conscious affirmation that you believe in the saving grace of Jesus Christ and recognize His atonement for your sins.

The Sinner's Prayer Here are some commitments to take to heart:

– Find a Bible-believing and teaching church. It can be non-denominational, but they must preach the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ. Not a watered-down version of it that some false teachers think is the only way to help a church grow. Start your search for a bible-believing church by talking with other believers. You can also check each potential church’s website for their mission statement. Unfortunately, the teaching may not line up with the mission statement, so a visit is necessary. If a church is teaching that every religion is basically the same and every cult leads to God, stay clear.

– Buy your own personal copy of the Bible. Until you do, churches have them in the pews so you can follow along with the Biblical preaching. Recommended versions are the English Standard Version Bible, the King James, and the New American Standard Bible.

– Read your Bible. You’ll find that, once you become a Christian, your thirst for Biblical knowledge will increase ten-fold. Have a good commentary to go along with your reading. As a new Christian, you’ll need one and, if you’re a long-time Christian, you’ll still need one. Some are free and online, while some are found for a price, i.e. the John MacArthur Bible Commentary.

– Pray for God’s continued guidance, strength and comfort in your life. He hears every prayer you pray. Speak to God from your heart, not prescribed prayers.

– Learn to memorize Scripture. The verses are the actual inspired words from God the Father. If you can have some of these treasures tucked away in your heart, they’ll come to mind more easily when you’re stressed or going through a difficult trial.

– Read Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven. It will give you a wonderful perspective, based on an interpretation of Scripture, of what Heaven could be like. It’s a hopeful and thought-provoking work for those who mistakenly believe Heaven is boring. Quite the contrary, Heaven is full of unspeakable joy.

– You may want to consider listening daily to a sermon from OnePlace Ministries on your cell phone or iPad. This website has links to great teaching from wonderful pastors such as Alistair Begg, John MacArthur, and others. It will enrich your life, I promise.

– Check out the website gotquestions.org. You’ll find many answers there to your questions about God and the Christian faith.

– Start listening to Christian music. It will soothe your soul. If you enjoy hymns, there are so many choices. If you like more contemporary, you can find the music of Beckah Shae, High Road III, TobyMac, and others to your liking. Scan through some Christian songs on youtube. You’ll see what I mean.

Through Him, You Become A New Creation

You are God's new creation

God bless you!

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Our Exceptional God

Serenity Now!

October 23, 2014 Gracie

Serenity Now

Ever have one of those days? When it seems like nothing is going right?

Stop it!

You know you have 🙂

There are a few ways I can get back into focus when that happens to me.

Here’s what I do: I say a prayer and then look at something beautiful that God created. I know it sounds simple, but it works.

Here’s one of my favorite photos for you.

serenity now

How I Get Serenity Now

I put Philippians 4 into action and get my mind focused back on God, whether it’s through music or something visual.

⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

– Philippians 4:8-9 ESV, Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Here’s what happened on that day I’d rather forget:

I got on my computer to go into the writing directory I’ve been a member of since 2010.

Lo and behold I was met with an official message saying that the directory had been sold. I needed to make a decision quickly as to whether I would allow my articles to be republished on a new site (a site that I didn’t like) or all of my work would be deleted.

Wait – What????

It wasn’t just me that was affected by this behind the scenes sale. There were a million other writers who got the discouraging news.

All of my work was about to go “Poof!”

Never Giving Up

Out of all of my articles, the ones I really cared about were the ones about my faith in God. I was devastated.

As the deadline to either “move or terminate” my member account approached, I slowly started deleting my articles on the site and then re-saving them onto my hard drive. Each article removal hurt. Those articles represented a lot of work, but it wasn’t just the hours spent writing all of them.

I had put my heart into those articles.

It felt like I was being kicked in the stomach.

Why God?

After some initial tears and a pep talk from my husband and some encouraging friends, I picked myself up and started my own website.

Peace Through Jesus Christ

It’s nice not to be tied to a writing directory now, always subject to their conditions and potential to “sell out.”

So here it is, my new website.

I hope you are enjoying Delight in God.

Bad days will come and go, but the sun always rises and sets and reminds us that God’s love is as constant as the blessing of each new day.

Serenity is found through Him.

Be blessed!

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Our Exceptional God