Editors Note: The devotional has a background song by called which can be heard if you use Internet
Explorer. As I thought about Memorial Day it reminded me of Philippians
4:9.
SCRIPTURE:
“Whatever you have learned or received or
heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace
be with you all.” (Philippians 4:9)
OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself, what stuck out to me in
verse 4:9?
What stuck out to me is the word ‘or’. It is used 4 times with
‘whatever’!
1. Whatever you have learned from me
2. Whatever you have received from me
3. Whatever you have heard from me
4. Whatever you have seen in me
put it into practice!!!
OBSERVATION/INTERPRETATIONS:
I asked myself what does it mean to 'put it into
practice'?
I am reminded that Paul is talking about everything the Philippians have
seen or heard while he was with them & learned or received while he sent
them the Book of Philippians from Philippians 1:1 - Philippians 4:9.
Also,
it reminds me of a soldier who LEARNS, RECEIVES, HEARS, and SEES what
his/her commander says and puts it into practice on the battlefield.
Paul suffered for his faith even being locked in chains but was full of
joy. Soldiers will suffer for their country but the joy they can get is
to know how many lives are saved because of their sacrificed. Just as
the Apostle Paul is remembered, our soldiers who fought for our freedom
will never be forgotten and there will be a Memorial Day specifically
designated to remember the fallen who gave up their lives that we can be
free.
IMPLICATIONS:
I need to remember that it will not be easy being a soldier but
as Paul was a soldier in the Lord's Army so must I. But beyond that, I
need to remember all those who sacrificed their lives that I may have
freedom including religious freedom. There is no better day to remember
that than Memorial Day but it cannot be limited to Memorial Day. I
learned practice is not a one time thing but continuous. There is a
saying that ‘practice makes perfect’. Being a soldier in the Lord's Army
will not bring fruit if I do not LEARN, RECEIVE, HEAR, AND SEE what my
Commander-in-Chief of the Army says and put it into practice. It is not enough for me to
just learn, receive, or hear the Word of God. It is also not enough for
me to see the Word of God being followed in someone else’s life. Rather,
I need to put the Word of God into practice daily.
HOW
GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING S.O.L.D.I.E.R:
There
have been times I wanted to be my OWN SOLDIER doing things my way but it
only brought misery and I was in danger of desertion. I was in danger of
desertion because following Jesus has not always been easy for me but
doing things my way is so easy so I would not ALWAYS FOLLOW MY GENERAL.
I would not always LEARN, RECEIVE, HEAR, and SEE what Jesus gives me
from His Army's Manual which is the WORD OF GOD and PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
even though I had enlisted in the Lord's Army.
I had
to realize what I will be remembered for is determined by the kind of
fruit I bear. This does not mean I need to be always win in
everything I do but I do need to have a F.A.C.T check as Pastor Hugo
likes to say it: FAITHFUL, AVAILABLE, COMPATIBLE, AND TEACHABLE by the
Lord.
"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do
people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise
every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good
tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. "Not everyone who says to
me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does
the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive
out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I
never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:17-23, NIV)
As
Keng mentioned yesterday at church that no one thinks to themselves,
"When I die I want people to remember how SELFISH I HAVE BEEN, etc" Many
times people want to be remembered for the fruit they bore in other
people's lives just as I remember my beloved daddy who went to be with
the Lord and soldiers who fought for our freedom and still do. My
dad's memorial can be found to the right side bar and the memorial of
our soldiers can be seen in so many places including Arlington National
Cemetery.
For
me to BEAR FRUIT, I need to stay in the Lord's Army realizing that on my
own, it will not suffice because the self still has so much control as I
shared with you from yesterday's devotional. But, when I SURRENDER my
life over to my General, then He will be in control guiding me and
leading me. Apart from the Lord Jesus we cannot do anything that is
productive according to God's standards.
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No
branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can
you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the
branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is
like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked
up, thrown into the fire and burned." (John 15:4-6, NIV)
God
has set high standards and it is not easy being a SOLDIER in the Lord's
Army but He will be with us always when we surrender our lives over to
Him and ask Him to lead. The thing about the LORD'S ARMY is even when I
DESERTED the Lord to do my own things, yet, the Lord Jesus never
abandoned me and He has been the best General, I have come to serve. He
has used others under His command such as my mommy, Pastor Hugo, Edwin,
etc to reach me.
"If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He
cannot deny Himself." (2 Timothy 2:13, NIV)
Even
when I went AWOL by deserting my GENERAL by doing things my own way,
Jesus still reached out to me. Jesus reminds me of what He did for me on
the cross. Now, because of the cross, how could I not come and
follow the One who gave His life for me so I can continue being a
soldier and live an abundant victorious life for eternity. But it starts
with JESUS and not with me. I cannot be an effective soldier unless He
works in me and through me. When I surrender my life over to Christ, He
will make that happen.
So, I
pray, "Lord help me focus on you Lord seeking Your Kingdom first! Help
me to do everything for Your glory and honor Lord. Help me to work hard
and cheerfully for you Lord taking Your help, depending on you Lord and
leaving the results in Your precious hands. Thanks I can receive Your
help through YOUR WORD, YOUR SPIRIT, AND YOUR COMMUNITY TESTED IN YOUR
WORD. IN YOUR NAME I PRAY JESUS! AMEN!"
I
need Jesus and He alone can set me on the right path. As I focus on the
Lord, I can put into practice what I LEARN, RECEIVE, HEAR, and SEE.
It
has not been easy though because this General demands our allegiance
24-7 if I am to follow Him faithfully and want to be remembered for
BEARING GOOD FRUIT.
I cannot let my guard down but need to utilize the Word of God He
provides for me to sustain me as I go through my daily drills. So when
war time comes and I mean spiritual warfare, I will be able to withstand
the devil’s arsenal because I have put into practice the Word of God in
my life.
"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. Pray also for me,
that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will
fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an
ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I
should." (Ephesians 6:10-20, NIV)
I can
be a faithful soldier for the Lord Jesus Christ even if it takes effort
and sacrifice on my part because the effort is not SELF-EFFORT. Like I
shared yesterday, it is an EFFORT BASED ON FOCUSING ON CHRIST. It is my
General who will CA.R.E for me, M.O.L.D me, T.E.S.T.ED me, and will
S.I.G.N me when I F.O.C.U.S on Him and Him alone. It is based all ON HIS
TRANSFORMING GRACE in my life. He will SANCTIFY ME DAILY WHEN I YIELD TO
HIM. I cannot be good on my own but I can have my confidence in my Jesus
Christ, my General who will finish it to completion so I will be a
soldier that bears good fruit.
"Being confident that He who began a good work in
you will finish it to completion!" (Philippians 1:6, NIV)
Rarely have I found anyone wanting to become soldiers that like getting
up early in the morning to go through drills and continue with it
through the day yet they do it. Putting God’s Word into practice is not
going to be easy for me always. There could be times I just wish I did
not have to do it that day and if I do not then I lose practice that day
but thanks for GOD'S SANCTIFYING GRACE that pushes me to move forward
with the practice.
In other areas of life we can afford to take a day off or so but not
when it comes to God’s Word. I need to continue to put into practice the
Word of God as part of my drill to remain a faithful soldier in the
Lord’s army. The more we do that, we become veterans for the Lord as we
would have fought Satan, using the Word of God, multiple times.
When others see me I want them to see me as a veteran for the Lord being
a faithful soldier handling war of the spiritual warfare kind as my
Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ gives me the orders.
It does not help to be AWOL when it comes to practice. As I miss more
practice times of the Word of God, I am making myself vulnerable to the
enemy and then I hurt not only my witness but hurt those around me
because by my actions, I am telling the Commander in Chief that I do
not believe what He stands for and I want to do things my own way. I
don’t want that for me and neither do I want it for you. I want to be in
HIS WORD so I can follow and please. It is a desire that will be put in
us when the SPIRIT OF THE LORD LEADS.
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces
all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness
with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, NIV)
When
we join the Lord's army, we have in essence given up our own rights so
we can serve our Heavenly Commander in Chief and do what He tells us to
do to please Him.
"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of
Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian
affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer." (2 Timothy 2:3-4,
NIV)
The
difference between our Heavenly Commander in Chief is that He is never
wrong in the decisions He tells us to do. One of those decisions He
wants us to obey as His SOLDIERS is to meditate on the Word of God day
and night and let it lead us and guide us which will LEAD US TO BELIEVE
IN CHRIST FOR IN CHRIST ONLY CAN WE FIND FREEDOM FROM THE OPPRESSION OF
SIN.
He
will not force us to be soldiers in His army but once we join, we cannot
expect to continuously do things our own way and expect no consequences.
He has given us His MANUAL, the Word of God called the BIBLE to follow!
I like to think of it as 'Breathe In Bible, Live Eternally' manual for
daily living as we are in a warfare against Satan and his evil schemes.
The best way to fight the enemy is to wear the Armor of God mentioned in
Ephesians 6. It is the Armor of God we need as soldiers of the Lord.
One of the things the Armor of God mentions is the Word of God being our
Sword of the Spirit.
"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your
mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do
everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
(Joshua 1:8, NIV)
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and
on his law he meditates day and night."
(Psalm 1:2, NIV)
"I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great
riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight
in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." (Psalm 119:14-16, NIV)
"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my
mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every
wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
(Psalm 119:103-105, NIV)
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV)
"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of
Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian
affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer." (2 Timothy 2:3-4,
NIV)
I ASK YOU NOW:
I ask you now dear friend what kind of
soldier will you be remembered for this Memorial Day?
Dear friend, on this Memorial Day as we remember all the soldiers
that sacrificed their lives so others can gain freedom whether it is
political, civilian, or religious freedom, you have the opportunity to
be an awesome soldier for the Lord. Of course that is not on your own
strength but from the strength your Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ
wants to give you. When you have to go through the practice drills of
applying God’s Word, you won’t be alone for He will be with you. As a
faithful soldier, you can practice daily the Word of God. In that way,
you will be building yourself up with the most powerful ammunition you
can carry with you.
As
the enemy approaches during war, you can fight that war with the Word of
God. For the Word of God is our best ammunition against Spiritual
Warfare. The Word of God gives us the full armor we should wear. It
starts with practice my friend.
Have we become soldiers for the Lord that He can
be proud of?
Friend, it starts with putting into practice what we have
learned, received, heard, and seen others who follow the Word of God do.
We have that opportunity friend as we fight the Spiritual Warfare that
comes our way. It is not easy being a faithful follower of Christ and
taking His orders but that is the right thing to do and He will help us.
"But the Lord is faithful, and he will
strengthen and protect you from the evil one." (2 Thess 3:3, NIV)
When
we are faithful, He will appoint us to His service but it won't be easy.
As Pastor Rock Dillaman of Allegheny Center Alliance shared yesterday
that WHEN WE SERVE, WE CAN BE SURE THAT WE WILL BE WOUNDED just as
CHRIST WAS WOUNDED BUT IT WILL BE WORTH IT. We can be thankful that
Jesus wants us as SOLDIERS IN HIS ARMY.
"I thank Christ
Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me
faithful, appointing me to his service." (1 Timothy 1:12, NIV)
When
we die, our memorial in Heaven will be with our Commander in Chief Jesus
Christ who will give us all the medals that we have attained while we
fought here on earth for the sake of the Kingdom of God!
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and
faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put
you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
(Matthew 25:21, NIV)
Not
only that but our Names would be engraved in the Book of Life for having
fought the enemy of this world, Satan and being faithful to our country,
Heaven.
"Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help
these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel,
along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in
the book of life." (Philippians 4:3, NIV)
For
remember, we are citizens of Heaven and our allegiance is to Jesus
Christ first! We have been placed on earth as pilgrims and soldiers for
such a time as this.
"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we
eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the
power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will
transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
(Philippians 3:20, NIV)
"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and
PILGRIMS, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having
your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against
you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they
observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." (1 Peter 2:11-12, NIV)
We do
not want to betray our Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ and go our own
way. This especially happens in the last days when people decide to
align with the enemy Satan and take the Mark of the beast.
My
prayer is that we would be faithful as soldiers in the Lord’s Army and
all believers can remember this Memorial Day about all the soldiers who
fought for our country and those in the Lord's Army who gave up their
lives so others could receive the Word of God from our
Commander-in-Chief Jesus Christ! They died so that you and I can come to
know Jesus Christ and attain freedom from the enemy. It is because of
many of them that we now have the Word of God in print.
What about you friend, whose army are you in?
Friend, on this Memorial Day you have a choice whose army you are in.
You can either be in the Lord's Army with Jesus Christ as your
Commander-in-Chief and General or you align yourself with being in the
Army of Darkness. There is no middle ground friend. You are either with
Jesus or with Satan.
"Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father,
you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come
on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because
you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil,
and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from
the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the
father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can
any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't
you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason
you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."(John 8:42-27, NIV)
Satan
has not done anything for you except bring destruction into this world
and confusion. He is the father of lies and deception. Satan likes to
take evil and make it look shiny enticing people to follow him to their
destruction. You do not have to be a soldier in Satan's Army.
Friend, darkness is there but there is Good News too! The Light of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ shines so you can come into the Light. No matter
where you have been or what you have done, Jesus wants to receive you as
you mortify the things of the flesh and surrender your life to Jesus so
He can work in your life. This only can happen if you first come to the
Lord as you are and let Him work in your life for you nor I can do
nothing on our own but Christ intervened.
"Therefore, since we have been justified
through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in
which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we
know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and
character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured
out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless,
Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous
man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how
much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when
we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of
his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved
through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received
reconciliation." (Romans 5:1-11, NIV)
To
deliver you from Satan, what Jesus had to do was excruciatingly painful.
When you and I belonged to Satan because of our sin, Jesus wanted to set
you and me free so Jesus went to the cross and shed His precious blood
taking upon Himself all your sin so Satan cannot have anything else to
accuse you and keep you in bondage. That is exciting to know! Then,
Jesus came back to life on the third day to save all those who would
receive Him.
Won't you do that now friend, so you can live an
abundant victorious life spiritually with your new General?
I am excited and I hope you are too!
Dear
friend, it is not easy being a soldier for the Lord but I have found it
to be worth it. When it is not easy, I need to still stand up for what God
stands up for rather than what my friends or family members stand up
for if it goes against God's Word and convictions that come from God's
Word. This can cause tension but we need to have our allegiance to the
Lord.
May
we not forget the soldiers of this country who fought and fight for our
freedom from the tyranny of the enemies so that we can have life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Their sacrifice is what brings us
freedom just as Christ's sacrifice on the cross paved for the freedom of
humanity to be available from the bondage of sin.
May
you know that you can be a soldier of the Lord as you put the Word of
God into practice everyday!
I
agree with this poem on most statements but not anything that
contradicts God's Word! We as soldiers in the Lord's army should not be
ashamed of getting handouts, etc.
I am a Soldier
Author Unknown
I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, of the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, Prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience,
tried by adversity, and tested by fire.
I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for
eternity.
I will either retire in this army at the Rapture or die in this
Army;
but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out.
I am faithful, capable, and dependable.
If my God needs me, I am there.
I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked
up, or pepped up.
I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.
No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or
lure me.
I am a solider, a prayer warrior. I am not a wimp.
I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His
name and building His Kingdom!
I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.
No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me
handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.
I am committed.
I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.
Source:
http://www.dare2share.org/devotions/are-you-in-the-lords-army
"Soldier Of Lord Doing Important Exercises
Rigorously! (S.O.L.D.I.E.R)/”What kind of S.O.L.D.I.E.R will you be
remembered for this
Memorial Day?”
PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus, I love you so much. Thank
you Jesus for dying for our sins so that we can have Eternal Life when
we turn to you. Your blood was shed for us for our freedom. Thank you
for coming back to life to save us. We come to you right now and pray
for the families who lost their loved ones fighting for this country's
freedom and to keep away terrorism from our soil. Please Lord strengthen
them on this Memorial Day as they remember what their loved ones gave
up. Help us never to forget what the soldiers who serve have done for
our sake so we can continue to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. I also pray for those that put the troops down that you will
convict them to support them and not use this Memorial Day as an
opportunity to speak out against war when the war is fought to preserve
freedom now and in the future. Thank you Jesus for being our Commander
in Chief and for the orders you have given for our own good. Help us
please Jesus to put into practice your Word Oh God so that we can be
faithful in all our drill training. This way Lord when the real war
comes from the enemy, we can stand up to the Spiritual Warfare for we
have your training to back us up and win the battle. Oh Lord, it is not
easy going against the enemy and many times we have taken casualties
because we have not been focused on you. We are sorry Lord. We want to
be a faithful soldier in your Army and need your help. Thank you for
helping us as we depend on you. And Lord, we thank you as we become a
spiritual veteran through the years and die later, you will have a
special memorial for us with your medals ready. Thank you for having our
names engraved in your Book of Life for our service here on earth. We
know Heaven is our home and our citizenship but sometimes that’s easy to
forget on this battlefield called Earth. We need your help always. Thank
you for your help and your Word. We thank you for all those that have
served you through the years. Thank you for being an awesome Commander
in Chief that people have loved to serve you Jesus! We want to serve you
too! We thank you that your peace can be with us no matter what we
face. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name We Pray
Jesus! Amen!
May
you experience the POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him
the LOCKED areas of your life too so you can experience His PEACE as you
become an ACTOR in the film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR,
JESUS CHRIST who comes to give JOY and PEACE.
You
don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and
give you peace to live out your actions.
How
do you look at GODISNOWHERE?
One
of my pastors, Pastor Hugo shared this example this past Sunday at the
RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh
Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:
If
you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin
and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no
peace.
But
as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to
tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.
Yes,
friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life
through the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on
the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and live
with us.
Yes,
friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE
& LIVING GRACE.
When
we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive
us and restore us to Him and we will find peace in Him.
"Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the
world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he
has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore
Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God." (Colossians 5:17-21, NIV)
"For the wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his
Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)
Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our
sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge
so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the
finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.
"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, NIV)
May
you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior becoming
His offspring so you can spend Eternity with Him. He is waiting for you.
Come as you are. Please do not reject the gift of God.
If
you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a
daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be
alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them
come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to
wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as
you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart and finding your new
identity in Christ Jesus.
Make this your prayer. Don’t let
the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before
coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the
answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly.
Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!
Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking
you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you
though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to
Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer
will! Amen!
Prayer:
Jesus, I thank you for being the Bread of Life. You are the Living Bread
of my life. Thank you for coming from Heaven and giving your life for
the life of the world. You sacrificed yourself for humanity. Thank you
Lord when we eat of you symbolically making you part of our life,
digesting what you teach us by following you, we can be living
Eternally, and the fruit that comes will reflect and resemble your life.
I want that Father God. I want that Lord Jesus! I want that Holy Spirit!
I know of a lot of people who partake of Holy Communion where the bread
represents your body broken for their sin and the juice represents your
blood shed for their sin. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are
reminded that we are remembering you. I want to remember you always Lord
Jesus. But for me to remember you always, I need to know you and
acknowledge everything you said you are. So right now I acknowledge that
you are my Lord and Personal Savior who died and rose again to give me
life from sin. So right now, I come to you and say how sorry I am for my
sin and living a life on my own. I repent of my sin and ask you to
forgive me of my sin with your cleansing blood which I accept. Wash me
and I will be clean from this infection of sin. Come Lord Jesus and
please become part of my life as you live in me and I will live for you.
I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your
home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve
you the rest of the days of my life. I do need your Spirit to reside in
me and work in me and through me so I surrender all that I am and will
be to you. Whatever your will is for me, please give me the strength and
willingness to bear it and rejoice in you. Thank you so much Jesus. I
thank you Jesus for becoming my Lord and Personal Savior. I thank you
Jesus you have heard my prayer and have answered me. I thank you that I
am your child Oh God. I thank you for becoming my only Way to Eternal
Life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
