A Crucified Life - - Lives To Convince Others

 

2 Corinthians 5:11

Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well. 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3982

Persuade: have confidence, urge

From the Greek word ' peithó' (pronounced pi'-tho): to cause belief in a thing, to convince with words.

THE LORD PERSUADES

    Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.

    1 Corinthians 1:18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

    Romans 10:17

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

    1 Corinthians 13:30

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

    Mere words alone cannot convict an unbeliever into believing. The words spoken must have the power of God in them. And the Spirit of God must be in the words being spoken. 

    Knowing, however, that many preach without power and too many sit in their congregations believing their souls are fine and everything will be hunky-dory when they reach heaven's gate. This is so untrue. 

    Read your Bible. Don't just let it sit there. It wasn't meant to be a dust catcher or a table decoration; Bibles are printed to be read. Like any good book it has adventure, romance, battles and a happy ending. Unlike other good books though, we can ask the Author to reveal the meaning in what we are reading and He will show us.

    God reveals Himself in His Word. His Word is Love. His Word is Jesus Christ. And in Christ is our salvation. 

THE POWER OF GOD CHANGES HEARTS

    The power of God conquered death, hell and the grave forever. The power of God washes sin from our hearts when we believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ for our salvation. John 3:16, a much loved verse and known by even those who have not yet believed: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

    The Word of God has power to save the lost, the lost in the darkness of this world. It has power to save the humiliated, the lonely, the bullied and the bully. The Word of God has power to save the thief, the murderer, the embezzler, the adulterer and the fornicator, the liar. In fact any transgression against God can be forgiven as long as the heart is sincere in turning away from the wickedness that entangles it. 

    How do I know this? In the Old Testament we read about King David. King David lusted after a married woman in his kingdom, had an affair with her and got her pregnant, had her husband killed upon thereafter he married the woman. Then their son got ill and died because of David's sin. But David repented and God forgave him. 

    In the New Testament we read about Saul. After the 120 became filled with the power of God, they immediately set about preaching the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ the power of God. Whereupon Saul began to persecute the new sect, the Way, condemning their belief and having them stoned. But God persuaded Saul to change his heart mind: God changed Saul's heart. God even gave him a new name: Paul. 

    The power of God also changed women in the Bible, too. One was delivered from demonic possession. At least two that we read of (one in the OT and one in the NT) were delivered from prostitution. Hadassah was elevated from her lowly stature in her Uncle's family to a position of influence when God made her Queen in Persia. And God changed her name, too: Esther. 

    The power of God changes a person's heart. The power of God fills a believer's heart that we may live for Him, in Him, with Him. If God has yet to change your heart, come first to the cross and then into the garden. See my Jesus? God has raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand where He intercedes for us. Even now. 

    Can you feel that tug at your heartstrings? That's the Holy Spirit calling you to salvation in Jesus Christ. For the Spirit and the Bride, like a strongly built lighthouse, shine out over the rocky shores of life to the wandering vessels, warning them to avoid danger and come to the harbor where they will be safe. 

    Come to Jesus. We want you to join us. Come as you are to the cross and lay down every thing that weighs you down. Give it all to God and allow Him to change you. Talk to God. He wants to hear from you.  

PERSUADED

    

I Know Where I Stand

~A Soliloquy of Faith~

Even when you don't know where you are in life,

you can know where you stand.

We jump and hop and skip and leap

while holding our Savior's hand

Trusting His Word, walking His path

Laid out for our steps to trod.

Learning to lean is a lesson I have,

I seldom now run ahead;

Waiting to hear my Savior's voice

To tell me where to tread.

I hear when He speaks to me

In His Word,

my Bible open I read:

Paths of righteousness He has laid

for this preacher's feet.

He's molding my feet

To walk my high places

As a hind would leap, would bound;

Prepping my body,

my spirit gains strength,

here where I hold His hand.

Steady as she goes,

oh, maybe not;

more like a wobble,

less likely: a trot.

Stumbling, not blindly,

my faith carries me

to the sound of His voice,

my Savior to see.

I know where I stand

when I stand with Christ,

ever vigilant,

watchful in prayer;

waiting and wondering,

which direction to move,

letting Him take the lead.

Jesus, LORD and Savior,

Friend of mine, indeed,

Guiding gently

through the darkness,

lighting my lamp for me.

{referencing Psalm 18:33; Psalm 32:8; Psalm 16:8;

Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 3:5-6)

Redacted

If you believe only part of The Holy Bible, you believe nothing. If you preach only part of The Holy Bible, you preach emptiness and death. Be warned: God is not mocked. The Whole Word of God must be preached and believed to be effective in one's soul (mind+will+emotions) and life. 

Our God

Our God is greater. Greater than any of our weaknesses. God is greater than any addiction, any hold that the devil has on a person. God is greater than any power you believe you have, or believe someone else has over you. God is all powerful. His strength, His love, His faithfulness, His grace, His mercy, His righteousness is above all. Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.

Our God is stronger. Stronger than any superhero, able to be in more than two places at the same time, and still aid us in our troubles and struggles. God's strength is supreme. His love never fails: that's strong love. His mercy endures forever: that's strong mercy. His lovingkindness is to all generations: that's strong lovingkindness. His grace covers all sins: that's strong grace. His righteousness is upon all believers: that's strong righteousness. He never leaves us, nor forsakes us: that's strong nearness. Time is not a restraint over God; He is every where at the same time, any time. 

Our God is higher. Higher than any other god you acknowledge or worship or bow your head to or put first in your life. God is a jealous God and desires all of your love to be given to Him. The first commandment on the list is just that: “You shall have no other gods before Me”. And the second declares that no graven images, no statues of anything in heaven, in earth or beneath the earth, shall be made and worshiped. There is no god like our God. There is none like Him. God is to be loved with all of our hearts, all of our soul and all of our mind. His thoughts are higher and greater than ours, and He knows what we are thinking; He knows when our minds are not on Him, when our hearts are not right in Him. God is God and there is no other god.

The Word of God was placed in Mary's womb via The Holy Spirit resting upon her. The Word of God became flesh, a small baby boy born in a stable, whose birth was foretold by the prophets hundreds of years before He was born. The Word of God is God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Our God did that.

 His birth was foretold, His death was foretold, His resurrection was foretold. And, also, His journeys to this earth have been foretold. Now, it has been several hundred years since He was here. As the disbelief was then, it is greater now and the world is more evil. The next time He returns to this world will be to remove His Bride and The Holy Spirit, until such time as He returns and destroys the wickedness upon the face of the earth. Our God will do this.

Our God is greater, stronger and higher than any thing you hold onto in your beliefs, your faiths. Our God is The God of The Holy Bible. He is The God of The Old Testament, the old covenant under which men lived and righteousness was difficult to obtain, but still worth reaching. He is The God of The New Testament, the new covenant of grace under which we now live, but must first come to God and acknowledge that God Is and that Jesus Christ is His only Begotten Son, Who died on the cross, rose from the dead and is ascended into heaven, where He is seated at God's right hand, interceding on behalf of His people.

But not every person is God's people. Not every one who says, “I am a Christian” is a Christian. Those who follow other gods are not God's people. Those who participate in other religious ceremonies and rituals, honoring other gods, idols, are not God's people. God's people are those who believe God's Word. And what do we know now about God's Word? God's Word is Jesus Christ. If you do not believe Jesus Christ is God's Son and that He died for you and walked out of the grave for you, then you are not a Christian and you do not belong to God. 

Therefore, if you are not God's children, God's people, then you are not under God's umbrella of grace and mercy and lovingkindness. You are outside of God's realm. You need to be inside with God as your God and your King. All those who do not acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord before they die, will never live with God in His home.

I do not want you to be outside God's realm of glory. I want you to know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. I want you to be with me and my God in heaven after this life is over. But wanting you to be with me is not enough. You have to want Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You have to want to be loved by Him and love Him in return. You have to decide now before it's too late and the decision is moot. Once we die there is no coming back to change your mind.

I share God and Jesus with you because I love you. I love you so much, I don't want you to die without Him. When you choose Jesus Christ as Lord of your life and Savior of your soul, you are choosing an eternal relationship with God's only begotten Son, not a religion. The Bible says that true religion is to take care of the widows and the fatherless. Making sure your heart and your soul are right with God is not religion, it's relationship. 

A strong relationship requires spending time in that person's presence and sharing your thoughts and heart with that person. In this case, the person is Jesus Christ. Real Christians spend so much time with their Lord and Savior, that Jesus can be seen in their faces, their eyes, their actions and heard in their words. Christians are people who are Christ-like in their behavior and lifestyles. Christians love to go to church. Christians study their Bible every day and apply what they read to their lives. Christians joyfully give of their time, themselves and their finances. Christians share. Christians love. Christians get stronger every time they read and apply God's Word to their lives, to our lives. 

God is able to overcome whatever it is that is holding you back from believing in His Word. Nothing is greater or stronger or higher than our God. Great is His Name, and greatly to be praise is He. 

 

Spiritually Deaf-Mute



     This verse is one of God's many warnings to everyone. Whether you believe God or not, you should read the Bible for yourself, that you may know what God has to say to you. Do not take someone else's word for it what the Bible has to say. You and you alone are responsible for your actions and inactions. It will be noone else's fault if you choose to ignore God's message to you. Or if you should choose to disregard His calls on your life.

     You who have chosen to not answer God's calls on your life have set yourself up to receive God's wrath on your life instead of God's delight in you. You may think that what you have chosen to do with your life has gone unnoticed by God. You are wrong. God knows. God sees. The first part of this first says that GOD HAS CHOSEN YOUR DELUSIONS. You may think you are doing The Lord's work, but if you are not listening to God's direction, you are only fooling yourselves.

     Remember, God first calls us to salvation. And there are many verses, including these two, that will tell you this, if you will only listen and obey:

• "There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved." Acts 4:12
• "Believe on the name of Jesus Christ" 1 John 3:23
• "Whoever calls on the name of The Lord shall be saved" Romans 10:12
• "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" John 3:3

     I have heard it said that God only calls some people to salvation and not others. THIS IS NOT TRUE. God calls everybody to salvation. Some refuse to hear the call; some hear and refuse to answer. Romans 12:28 often gets misquoted or misinterpreted: "And we know that all things wotk together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Many people omit the words 'to them that love God' with the intent to misinform you and distract you from hearing God's proper Word. I have heard people quote only the first few words 'all things work together for good' and leave the rest off because they don't want to acknowledge that this is a Bible verse. 

     God is calling you to salvation. The next verse Romans 12:29 uses the word "predestinate", which throws people off and causes them to think or say that God knows who will be saved and who will not, using this as an excuse to not believe God's Word or receive God's salvation. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Everyone is predestined by God. John 3:16 "For God so loved THE WORLD (everyone and this includes you), that He gave His only Begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER (you) believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

      All the Word of God is for everyone to read, to hear, to obey. Your choice. I can't make you do anything you don't want to do. And while God does not force anyone to salvation, it is your disobedience for not believing and not receiving that will bring about your downfall. Disobedience always has consequences in life. For instance:

•  Driving over the speed limit gets you a ticket, which has to be paid or you will suffer even more.   
• Cheating on your spouse (adultery) will ruin your marriage, your family and your reputation.
• Cheating on you income tax returns will get you a penalty of a fine or fine + jail.
• Driving without paying attention will get you a ticket for Inattentive Driving. Sometimes this causes accidents, which may result in injuries to yourself and others. This causes your insurance rates to increase or drop you. Medical bills and household finances could suffer if you are unable to work due to your inability to pay attention while driving.
• Not eating right or eating sufficiently can cause a person to get sick. Not just stomach aches from eating the wrong foods, but diabetes, gout, plaque in your arteries, heart attack, osteoporosis, to name a few.
• Buying without paying cash = debt. And too much debt could cause a person to lose any assets.

     So why assume that disobeying God will not have any unpleasant consequences on you? It is foolishness to believe that your goodness is enough. It is foolishness to believe that God does not exist. It is the pot telling the potter, "I have made myself and I can do what I please." Foolishness. Psalm 14:1 "The fool says in his heart there is no God..." To say it aloud will only make know to those within hearing that you are a fool. It does not declare God's nonexistence, for GOD IS and always will be.

    

    

Let the words of my mouth be Your Word

Caleb's Song

CALEB'S SONG

I AM A WARRIOR

I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU

I AM A FIGHTER

I WILL DIE FOR YOU

I WILL TAKE UP MY SWORD

AGAINST OUR ENEMY

I WILL LIFT UP MY SHIELD

FOR HIS ATTACKS ON ME

FOR I SEE WITH MY HEART

AND I RUN WITH MY SPIRIT

ONTO THE BATTLEFIELD

CARNAGE EVERYWHERE

I WANT THAT MOUNTAIN

GOD GAVE IT TO ME

EVERY STEP I TAKE

FOR ALL ETERNITY

I CAN FIGHT THE GIANTS

I CAN WRESTLE THEM

BUT IF THEIR SEEDS STILL LIVE

I WON'T WIN

I AM A WARRIOR

I GO TO BATTLE FOR YOU

I AM A FIGHTER

I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU

I HAVE MADE MY STAND

AND I WON'T RETREAT

TILL YOU REMOVE YOUR HAND

AWAY FROM ME

FOR I SEE WITH MY HEART

AND I RUN WITH MY SPIRIT

ONTO THE MOUNTAINTOP

GLORY EVERYWHERE

I CAN SEE YOU CLEARLY

I CAN HEAR YOUR VOICE

I CAN KNEEL IN WONDER

THAT YOU'VE MADE ME YOUR CHOICE

I AM SERVANT

TO THE MOST HIGH GOD

I AM HUMBLED

BY THE MOST HIGH GOD

UNDER THE WEIGHT OF YOUR GLORY

I AM PRESSED

AND IN THE SHADOW OF MERCY

I AM BOWED

IN THE TRUTH OF REFLECTION

I SEE MY NEED

FOR YOU

ONLY YOU

YOU ARE THE MOST HIGH GOD

AND YOU SEE ME

YOU LOVE ME

YOU SAVE ME

EVERYDAY

MORE OF YOU

ON MY MOUNTAINTOP

MORE OF YOU

IN MY MOUNTAIN VIEW

MORE OF YOU

WHEN I STAKE MY CLAIM

ON WHAT YOU

HAVE GIVEN ME

I AM YOUR WARRIOR

I HAVE FOUGHT FOR YOU

I AM YOUR SERVANT

AND I HAVE LIVED FOR YOU

I AM YOUR CHILD,

I AM YOUR SEED,

YOU LIVE IN ME.

The Wonderful Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown

O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless
Your name

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all

1a. Everyone has one, but not everyone carries it--Matthew 10:38

1b. Sometimes we need help carrying it--Matthew 27:32

2. Only room for one--Matthew 16:24

3. Worth more than worldly possessions and desires--Mark 10:21

4. It is the power of God--1 Corinthians 1:18

5. It is my glory--Galatians 6:14

Directional Love

Every decision made in our lives is based on motivation. The immediate outcome is usually the only thing we see. We seldom see the 'big picture', the enduring consequences of our actions. And, yes, I myself am included in the 'we' of these statements. So, don't think I point fingers in any direction besides my own.

When I was a teenager, I blamed my parents for my inability to bloom and blossom. When I was in my twenties, it was my boyfriend's inability to commit. In my thirties, I still hadn't learned anything useful. It was my inability to accept change that kept me from growing up. How hard and painful is that to admit? It is change, after all, that allows growth in the first place.

I desired to be loved. Therefore, I went looking for someone to love me. My decision led me to men who wanted casual sex, but not a relationship. My decision to have sex outside of marriage led me to having a baby. My decision saw only the immediate need of self and not the enduring needs of others in my world. Every decision made after that had only a self seeking love as a base. Just sand, not solid foundation; meant to be shaken by the merest breeze of a storm and lost in the tides of life.

My desires were more important to me than God's desires. Had I had the inclination to study God's Word for myself and not just believe what I had been told, not only would the outcome have been vastly different, but the desires also. But I did not.

Many of us think we were raised by strict, hypocritical parents. We did not see from our viewpoint that they were just trying to be good parents. "Can't do this" and "Can't do that" because we are Christians. Unless we are at a wedding, then it's okay. Or a family party, then it's okay. I am referring to drinking and dancing. Now, did that make me want to not do either or just stoke the fire? Well, duh, stoked.

Sex, of course, was not talked about. In any form. Everything I learned, I learned from books and movies. And life. I would have rather been informed by Christian parents who knew the dangers of touching someone you are attracted to. I never saw either read the Bible at home. Or pray, at home. We never prayed together as a family. Or studied our Bibles together as a family. Religion was for church, not for home.

But I was always looking for someone to love me, someone I could love in return. And it was in my first marriage, at a church, that I accepted a relationship with Christ that became the foundation for a consuming, all or nothing, love. This love keeps me sane, keeps me sober, keeps me strong. This love caused me to want, to desire more than just what made me happy; I began to desire what makes God happy.

Just Because It's Legal...............

Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's moral.

Moral standards are found in the Bible.

When a government sanctions immoral acts as rights of the people,

it makes sin legal.

I would rather strive to live by God's standards,

than lower myself to wallow in man's standards.

It is a harder road to traverse,

but worth the journey in the end.