Can My Faith In the Son Guarantee Me to Make Heaven?

 The conventional wisdom about what happens when you die is that you will stand before God, and if you did enough good works that outweighed your bad works, then you get into heaven, because heaven is for good people. And good people go to heaven.

Then the other belief is that if you have done enough bad things that outweigh your good works, then you will go to hell, because hell is for bad people. Heaven is for good people who get in by good works, while hell is for bad people who do bad things.

But that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that hell is prepared for the devil and his angels (see Matthew 25:41); it isn’t prepared for bad people at all.

Heaven is the dwelling place of God, and the way you get into heaven is on the basis of what you did with Jesus. What God will want to know is did you believe in Jesus Christ?

Even if you have lived a wicked life and sinned throughout all of it, if on your deathbed you were to call out to the Lord Jesus Christ in genuine repentance, you would go to heaven. But if you lived a good life and have been a relatively moral person and have done good deeds, but you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you would not go to heaven. And by the way, your good works never would outweigh your bad works. So be thankful that is not what you will be judged for.

The assurance that we will go to heaven is not as our culture often sees it, but this is as the Bible teaches it. It is the Son question—not the sin question.

Our going into 2016 should be with a heart of Faith in God,in His Son and in the HolySpirit.

God Bless Us all.Happy New Year in advance.


Credit:Jesus.org

CONCENTRATE ON YOUR GOD GIVEN WORK.

"But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body".         

1 Corinthians 12:18-20

Several years ago, I got suckered into buying one of those pocket knives that has everything on it you could imagine. It has a can opener, about five different sized blades, tweezers, a toothpick, a nail file, and screwdriver heads. If there was something you could use a pocket knife for, this one claimed it could do the job.

But here was the problem: none of the tools on the knife worked very well. The blades were dull, the tweezers and toothpick fell out and got lost, and the screwdriver heads were so small that I couldn’t use them to turn a screw.

The tool was so versatile, but didn’t do anything well. And as I look at a lot of Christians today, they’re a lot like that knife. So many are multi-talented and well-rounded, but they rarely commit to doing one thing really well. They’re spread so thin that their impact is minimized.

As you step into 2016 this week, put your focus on one thing you want to do well in the coming year. Resolve to make a deep impact in one place. Do what you do well, and you’ll make a tremendous difference for the Kingdom in the coming year!

CONCENTRATE ON ONE AREA OF KINGDOM IMPACT IN THE COMING YEAR AND WATCH GOD WORK THROUGH YOU IN A POWERFUL WAY.AMEN

God Bless You.

Credit:PowerPoint with Jack Graham

God's Plan For My Life is in His Will.

Success attribution sometimes come from our minds,e.g, "i did it myself","i deserved that crown,yes i did deserve it".Well most of us have forgotten that the best place to know God's mind is in the Bible.His will is in the Bible,His Purpose for you is in the Bible and not all of us really care so much about the Bible like we do to our telephones,mobile phones,smartphones and the likes.We depend mainly on our interest in God - what he has for us .Not what he wants us to do for Him.When you get that revelation of pleasing the Father and not serving the Father ,you get a real turn around.The Scriptures say,"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works(2 Tim 3:16,17,KJV). Now that's talking about me and you.We should be well equipped with the Word of God to get God's Will for our lives.Let us continue to search the Scriptures and it will be well with us.Amen.Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life(Prov 4:23,NLT).

Read below devotional on how you should  plan your life according to God's Will.

“God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine.”

– Francis Chan

Knowing God’s Will

You will never know God’s hidden will until you obey His revealed will. In other words, you cannot know God’s will for your life until you obey God’s will in your life and you can know His will because the Bible tells us plainly what they are. When people ask me “What is God’s will for my life?” I say, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God” (1st Thess 4:3-5), so the will of God for their life (and ours) is to live in holiness, not a life of perfection, but certainly abstaining from any sexual immorality, and that includes of the mind (Matt 5:28).

Finding God’s Will

Paul writes in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” If you have your mind renewed by having the mind of Christ (2nd Cor 2:16), then you’ll be able to “discern what the will of God” is for your life and that will “is good and acceptable and perfect” for you! Don’t you want that!? Another part of God’s will doesn’t even need to be discerned and that’s to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1st Thess 5:18).
 

Obeying God’s Will

Jesus said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15) or show me you love me in the way you live. The Apostle John made it clear that “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1st John 5:1-3a). John is saying that the acid test for profession is obedience.

Follow the Will of God

Following the will of God is following God. That is, just like the disciples “left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11b), we must leave our old lives and everything in it behind us and follow Him. It will be costly. You may lose some of your closest friends, some of your family members, some offended co-workers, and even those of your own household. Peter wanted Jesus to know what it had cost him in following Him by saying, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:28-30). That’s worth following, isn’t it?

Glorifying God is His Will

If we follow all of the principles in the previous paragraphs, then we are fulfilling God’s will for our life and part of our being created was so that God would be most glorified in us. Isaiah wrote long ago that “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:7) meaning that we and even the universe was created for His glory (Psalm 19:1) so we should glorify God in our bodies since we were “bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1st Cor 6:20).

Conclusion

One thing we know for certain is that God will ensure our success in accordance with His plan, not ours and no success may ever come if we’re not obeying the will of God. With obedience come many blessings.

Credit:Christian Quotes

Our Lord Jesus Was Not Born For A Few,But For Everyone.

Hello there,

 Please read this wonderful write up from Sharie King that reminds you that you are not alone.You have a great history and a bright Future(Jeremiah 29:11).

Have you ever longed to be a part of the inner circle? It’s easy to wonder if the people around you know you exist. Possibly they know your name, but do they know the real you? 

Well, I want to share a secret with you. I have NEVER met someone who hasn’t asked these questions! You are not alone!

The shepherds who worshiped Jesus the night he was born were probably some of the most undervalued and overlooked men in their town. Imagine with me what it was like to be one of them:

You’ve been in the sun all day, trying to keep your sheep alive by herding them to your secret food and water sources. Maybe they’ve been cooperative, but probably a few had to be chased down and herded back to the flock. Today is just one more day you’ve spent isolated from society, working a job that prevents you from obeying Jewish laws. You break all the laws of the Sabbath, and you know you will never get to pray or praise God in the temple.

The closest you will come to worship is keeping these sheep in ideal conditions so they can be sacrificed to pay for the sins of your friends and family. You wish your love for the sheep could earn you a bit of righteousness, but the scornful look of the Pharisee tells you otherwise. Maybe you wanted to be a part of God’s Kingdom, but you gave up feeling like you had a place in that world long ago.

Then, one night while resting under the stars, angels from heaven appear to you saying, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” You think, “To me? Why would the Savior be born to me?” But there’s no time to think now because they are speaking. “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12 NIV)

You have so many questions, but they all disappear behind a sky filled with angels singing. Could it be? Has God finally honored your service, the longing in your heart to be a part of His Kingdom?

Your unlikely group races to Bethlehem and finds the baby. You grin when you see him for the first time because you see the clue the angel mentioned, "You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12 NKJV). “Swaddling cloths” may have not meant anything to the everyday person, but since you’re a shepherd, you know that only the spotless lambs used in the temple have the honor of being wrapped in “swaddling cloths” as they come out of the womb. 

You whisper to Mary your secret, “I know he is the Spotless Lamb of God". She grins, comforted by your testimony. You have not only become part of God’s special story, but your presence has given the mother of your Savior courage to live out her calling. 

If you’ve been feeling ostracized or unnoticed, I hope you find comfort in the fact that God went out of his way to include a "few outcasts” in the most significant event in history! I have a feeling He's reaching out to you also, but when we’re hurting it’s hard to see His work in our lives. If this is you, will you let me pray for you?

“Jesus, I pray for my friend who feels like you have abandoned him or her. I pray in your name that they would feel your presence beside them right now, in this moment. And I pray that in the next few days their eyes would be opened in a miraculous way to how much you love them now, in the past and every day they have coming. Let it be!"

Thanks for your time.God Bless Everyone.Compliments of the Season!

Originally Posted By Sharie King

YOU HAVE A DIVINE INHERITANCE WAITING FOR YOU.

You have a written down WILL allotted to you as a heir when you accepted Christ as Your Lord and Personal Saviour.You have been authorized to go into the world to preach the good news throughout so that more can come to the Knowledge of Christ and His Inheritance already willed to them from the beginning of the World. Halleluyah! Claim Your Possession today. Please read this great excerpt from Joseph Prince and get inspired to claim this divine inheritance and to make more friends join in this share.God Bless You. Luke 15:31   ...‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.

After running a few errands for his parents, a little boy went to his father and said, “I know why you and mummy had me.” “Why?” asked his father. “So that you guys would have someone to run errands for you!” exclaimed the boy.

Like the little boy, do you see God as a Father who demands obedience and service from you? Have you ever felt that unless you obey Him and keep all His commandments, you don’t have a right to be blessed by Him?

Jesus shared the story of the prodigal son to show how some of us call God “Father” and yet don’t know His heart. There are two sons in this parable. We know what happened to the prodigal son, but we can also learn something about the older son. This is what he said to his father when he discovered that his father had thrown a party to celebrate the return of his irresponsible, spendthrift brother: “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.” (Luke 15:29)

Now, this son believed that his father had brought him into the world to serve him. He saw his father as someone issuing commandments to him all the time. And he saw himself as someone who had to obey those commandments to enjoy his inheritance. But the truth is that the father had already given him his inheritance. (Luke 15:12) The father even reminded him lovingly: “Son…all that I have is yours.” And I am sure that that inheritance included more than one goat!

Have you, like the older son, failed to understand your Father’s heart? Your heavenly Father already gave you a rich inheritance in Christ when you became His son. He wants you to know that you have received the Spirit of sonship. (Romans 8:15) So call out to Him, “Abba, Father!” and know how much He loves you. Because you are His heir, all that He has is yours to enjoy today!

Thought For The Day

Your heavenly Father has already given you a rich inheritance in Christ when you became His son.

3 Things About Faith!

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

– Hebrews 11:1

There are three things that surrounds having faith.Check out these three things below.

1.There’s Assurance

The biblical definition of hope is found in Hebrews 11:1, where it talks about three things: assurance, hope, and conviction. The first of these is assurance, or some translate it “being sure,” which in the Greek means a “substructure” or “foundation.” If you were building a home, you’d want the assurance of having a substructure and a firm foundation upon which to build it. So the first part of faith is having the assurance that the foundation is there to build upon. The confidence is not in the foundation but the builder of that foundation, and Jesus is the chief cornerstone of it (Eph. 2:20).

2.There’s Hope

Biblical hope is unlike the hope of the world where they hope their team will win the Super Bowl or they hope they’ll get a raise. Hope in God is not a “hope-so” feeling but a “know-so” confidence. Our hope is not in ourselves, of course. Rather, our hope is in Christ (1 Cor. 15:19) since God has “delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again” (2 Cor. 1:10). Paul wrote that it is “in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees” (Rom. 8:24), and “we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Heb. 6:19).

3.There’s Conviction

If you sat through an entire trial where the defendant was guilty, the next to the last thing you’d see is the conviction. The Greek word used for conviction is “elegchos,” which means “a proof” or “that by which a thing is proved or tested.” It was a legal term or word customarily used in trials. This “elegchos” is a real, tested, proven conviction “of things not seen.” Think of it as convicting evidence before a judge or jury. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. You can’t see dreams, thoughts, or feelings, but these most certainly exist.

Conclusion

Faith for the believer is a foundational assurance; a confident know-so and not a hope-so; and a concrete, proven conviction that has been tested and proven true. Faith is all these things, but our faith  is in the God-man, Jesus Christ. In Him we can have assurance, hope, and conviction.Amen.

Credit:Christian Quotes

Don't Wait To Meet Him....He is Available To You.

God tries to connect to us in diverse ways,in our sleep,our thinking,in the Bible and many other ways like circumstances,trials,difficulties and so on.He tries to speak to us(Job 33:15).Do we make ourselves available,even though He is available.

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear" (Luke 2:8-9) 

The shepherds were out in the fields tending to their flocks. These humble, lowly men had jobs that kept them away from their families, and were essentially nomadic as they followed their flocks around day and night. It was a lonely, poor life… a humble audience for the very first Christmas carol ever sung.

But when Jesus was born, the heavens opened wide and the sky was filled with angels singing with voices beyond imagination. This most beautiful of songs heard by the lowliest of men and accompanied by the sight of angels filling the sky had to be indescribable.

As we look in the Bible at places where God touches Earth – where heavenly beings come and make direct contact with people – we find that it very often happens in extremely humble circumstances. 

This becomes even clearer as we look at the story of Christmas.

No matter where you are in life, how you live, or what you have, God can meet you right there. Don’t think you have to clean yourself up first in order to connect with God. He’s available to you right now. Don’t wait to meet Him!

GOD CAN MEET YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE TODAY. BE OPEN TO HIS PRESENCE IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW!

How God Reveals Himself

Wow,this is so amazing.See how God reveals Himself to us in the 66 books of the Bible.Beautiful.

1.Genesis – Creator and the Promised Redeemer

2.Exodus – the Passover Lamb

3.Leviticus – High Priest

4.Numbers – water in the desert

5.Deuteronomy – He becomes the curse for us

6.Joshua – Commander of the army of the Lord

7.Judges – delivers us from injustice

8.Ruth – our Kinsman-Redeemer

9.1 Samuel – all in one, He is the Prophet/Priest/King

10.2 Samuel – King of grace & love

11.1 Kings – a Ruler greater than Solomon

12.2 Kings – the powerful prophet

13.1 Chronicles – Son of David that is coming to rule

14.2 Chronicles – the King who reigns eternally

15.Ezra – Priest proclaiming freedom

16.Nehemiah – the One who restores what is broken down

17.Esther – Protector of his people

18.Job – Mediator between God and man

19.Psalms – our song in the morning and in the night

20.Proverbs – our wisdom

21.Ecclesiastes – our meaning for life

22.Song of Solomon – Author of faithful love

23.Isaiah – Suffering Servant

24.Jeremiah – the weeping Messiah

25.Lamentations – He assumes God’s wrath for us

26.Ezekiel – Son of Man

27.Daniel – the stranger in the fire with us

28.Hosea – faithful husband even when we run away

29.Joel – He is sending His Spirit to His people

30.Amos – delivers justice to the oppressed

31.Obadiah – Judge of those who do evil

32.Jonah – the greatest missionary

33.Micah – He casts our sin into the sea of forgetfulness

34.Nahum – proclaims future world peace we cannot even imagine

35.Habakkuk – crushes injustice

36.Zephaniah – the Warrior who saves

37.Haggai – restores our worship

38.Zechariah – prophesies a Messiah pierced for us

39.Malachi – sun of righteousness who brings healing

40.Matthew – the Messiah who is King

41.Mark – the Messiah who is a Servant

42.Luke – the Messiah who is a Deliverer

43.John – the Messiah who is a God in the flesh

44.Acts – the Spirit who dwells in His people

45.Romans – the righteousness of God

46.1 Corinthians – the power and love of God

47.2 Corinthians – He is the down payment of what’s to come

48.Galatians – He is our very life

49.Ephesians – the unity of our church

50.Philippians – the joy of our life

51.Colossians – holds the supreme position in all things

52.1 Thessalonians – our comfort in the last days

53.2 Thessalonians – our returning King

54.1 Timothy – Savior of the worst sinners

55.2 Timothy – leader of the leaders

56.Titus – foundation of truth

57.Philemon – our Mediator

58.Hebrews – our High Priest

59.James – He matures our faith

60.1 Peter – our hope in times of suffering

61.2 Peter – the One who guards us from false teaching

62.1 John – source of all fellowship

63.2 John – God in the flesh

64.3 John – source of all truth

65.Jude – protects us from stumbling

66.Revelation – King of Kings and Lord of Lords,The Alpha and the Omega,The Beginning and the End, and He is coming again and the One who makes all things new.

Culled:Christian Quotes

A New Way Forward.

So today, I challenge you to this:

Before the New Year...

1.Let Jesus be the centre of your life,Your All.Your Everything.The One you can always run to for safety,of course,He Is GOD.

2. Let go of your temper. – Never do something irrational just because you are temporarily upset,it doesn't always have a good ending.

3. Let go of petty grudges. – Life is far too short to be spent nursing bitterness and registering wrongs. If there’s someone in your life who deserves another chance, give it to them. If you need to apologize, do it. Give your story together a happy, new beginning.

4. Let go of the idea that everyone has it better than you. – If the grass looks greener on the other side… Stop staring. Stop comparing. Stop complaining and START watering the grass you’re standing on.

5. Let go of lingering false beliefs. – Stop from time to time and ask yourself, “Is it true?” It’s funny how we can sometimes wrap our minds around things and fit them into our version of reality. But thinking something does not make it true. Wanting something does not make it real. So watch your thoughts. Be wise. When your identity is not rooted in the truth, it can lead to toxic and lonely places where we seek approval from the wrong things.

6. Let go of expired ideals. – Growth is painful. Change is painful. But in the end, nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you do not belong.

7. Let go of yesterday’s tragedies. – You are not what has happened to you; you are what you choose to become in this moment. Drop the needless burden, take a deep breath and start again. Ultimately, you will know you are on the right track in life when you become disinterested in looking back, and eager to take the next step.

8. Let go of your tendency to avoid problems. – You cannot change what you refuse to confront.

9. Let go of life’s little annoyances. – Don’t let dumb little things break your happiness. Frustration and stress come from the way you react, not the way things are. Adjust your attitude, and the frustration and stress is gone.

10. Let go of assuming other people are more “normal” than you. – The only normal people you know are the ones you don’t know very well. Period.

11. Let go acting standoffish and unapproachable. – We all need to learn to be more human. Don’t avoid eye contact. Don’t hide behind gadgets. Smile often. Ask about people’s stories. Listen.


12.Be informed.Information is power.

Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go, but rather learning to start over in certain areas of your life. This is a challenge all of us face. If you’re struggling with any of the points above, there is a clear path to the new beginning you seek. Your present habits are simply broken and need to be mended. When you trust a broken set of habits every day, it’s only a matter of time before you feel broken too.

It doesn’t have to be this way though. You can make adjustments starting today that will instantly help you feel better, think more clearly, and live more effectively.

God Bless You.

(Originally Posted By MarcAndAngel)