Who Are You Following?

    To follow Christ is to refrain from going after sin and it's rebellions. It is to choose the Savior and reject the destructor. For Satan, Beelzebub, the devil, the antichrist wants to destroy a person's soul that the one who fails to follow Christ will die in their sins and be forever lost. 

    Christ Jesus, however, made a way to overcome sin: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall call upon The Name of The LORD will be saved." Whosoever means anyone anywhere at any time can come to Jesus, come to the cross, where we, like the thief next to Him, can call on Him Name and say, "LORD (acknowledging that Jesus Christ is indeed LORD OF ALL), remember me." And Jesus will know our names, just as He responded to that thief, "This day you will be with me in paradise."

What are we saved from? Eternal death and damnation, the destruction of our souls, forever separated from God with no hope of reconciliation. John 3:17, 18 "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes is not condemned: but that believes not is condemned already, because He has not believed in The Name of the only begotten Son of God." 

2 Timothy 2:19

Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on The Name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.” 

     Now that we are following Christ, we simply cannot, nor must we turn back to sin/iniquity/transgressions. No, we are not perfect yet, for we still must live our lives until God calls our names to come home. But sin must no longer control our thoughts and our lives, for we are Christ's now, having surrendered not only our hearts to Him, but our minds and our bodies to His service. We are called to separate ourselves from a worldly lifestyle and be set apart for God. 

    Those who say they believe in Christ, yet still live a life opposed to God and His Word, are liars: having been lied to, deceived by the devil, they lie to themselves and are deluded into thinking they are just fine, when the opposite is true. For The Word of God tells us that they will not be able to enter heaven. 

Revelation 21:8 

"But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 21:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Matthew 13:41-43

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. / And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. / Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. 

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters (idol worship), nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 

Galatians 5:19-21

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

    We are called to live our faith publicly that those who see us and know us know that we are different, that they would want what we have: Joy in our salvation; Peace of mind and heart; Love for everyone; Patience to endure; Compassion for all; Goodness; Unshakeable Faith; Meekness (Strength to Withstand Silently); Temperance (Self-Discipline). Galatians 5:22-23. 

Choosing to live a life that honors God is not going to be easy, nor should it be. For Christ has said that the people who choose to follow Him will also suffer for Him:

Matthew 5:10-12

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. / Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. / Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

2 Timothy 3:12

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 

1 Peter 3:14

But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. "And you should not be afraid of their threats, neither should you be troubled."

James 1:2

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

I AM REDEEMED - Big Daddy Weave

LIVE OUT LOUD - Steven Curtis Chapman

JESUS FREAK - DC Talk

Why Believers Are Not Afraid of Unbelievers

 

HEBREWS 12:2 

Looking unto JESUS, The Author and Finisher of our Faith,

Who for the Joy set before Him endured the cross,

despising the shame,

And is set down at the right hand of the throne of GOD.

    When our focus is on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, spending time alone with Him in prayer and meditation of The Word of God, we will be able to endure the mocking cries of those who do not believe that Jesus Christ is Lord of All. 

    Our goal from the day we become born again believers through faith in The Name Above All Names -- JESUS CHRIST -- is to persuade others to believe in Him also. We call this soul-winning. Proverbs 11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise." 

    But our job doesn't stop with just telling someone about JESUS and what He's done for us, we must also encourage them to live a holy and righteous life in Christ through the power of God's Holy Spirit. It is The Spirit of God that is breathed into us which gives us the power and strength to preach and teach and disciple and evangelize wherever we are. Without the power of God's Holy Spirit anyone who declares themself to be God's anointed leader is a liar, for The Spirit of God is not in him or her. 

    When Paul preached the gospel of salvation through JESUS CHRIST in Caesarea to King Agrippa, the king stated that 'he was almost persuaded'. Paul made a very compelling defense, yet the king, at that time, was not quite convinced that this gospel was true. 

    Many believe the Holy Bible to be outdated. And that it is no longer applicable to today's generation of self-centered fulfillment. An unwillingness to change and an inability to see the need for change will continue to bring about the downfall of any nation who chooses to attack Christians who refuse to disobey God. Though the enemies of the cross may appear to be winning, that appearance is an illusion, for God is still on the throne and He is still in control. 

    As believers, we, too, must endure our crosses; for each of us who believe must put aside that which is in this world and take up our crosses, too. Luke 9:23 "Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to follow Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." 

    And each of us who make up the body of Christ must be prepared to suffer for the sake of the gospel of salvation through JESUS CHRIST. We must be found worthy to suffer. To get there we need to spend much time with our Lord and Savior. I used to regard my gardens as my sanctuary. There I would pray and write and sing and listen to God speak to my heart. I am older now and cannot play in the garden like I used to. But I can sit there and listen to Him even now. 

    The sufferings we go through are not as important as how we go through them: with HOPE, with GReAT exPEctAtions, with JOY, with a strong desire to see our Lord and Savior at the end of our sufferings. 

    We have a Peace That Passes Understanding when we have JESUS in our hearts and The Holy Spirit in our lives. A Peace that only comes from knowing that JESUS CHRIST is our LORD (ruler of our lives, for we have surrendered ourselves to His Authority) and SAVIOR (saving our souls from eternal damnation and punishment in hell). 

    Expect to be jailed for being a Christ-follower. Expect to be tortured for being a Christ-follower. Expect to be killed for being a Christ-follower. Expect to be taken into glory for being a Christ-follower. 

    We are not volatile, nor are we violent. As Christ stood silent before His accusers, so should we who follow Him. We do not debate with fools. The Word of God is their Judge, not us. I am a Christian, a faithful follower of my Lord and Savior, JESUS CHRIST. 

    Are you? Are you focusing on what God wants you to do or are you focusing on what you want to do in this life He has given you? The choices we make now will impact our destination after we die. And then it will be too late. Do you want to know real Peace? Then you need Jesus. Do you want to know Unspeakable Joy. Then you need Jesus. For whatever it is you are looking for to make you happy, you won't find it without knowing JESUS CHRIST as your personal Savior. It is a commitment each of us has to make on our own. Each one of us is responsible for the soul-saving decision of whether or not we believe in The Name Above All Names. And that includes you who are reading this. 

    I am not afraid. I have all of my armor on (Ephesians 6:10-20) and I am ready to be of service to my King. I am not ashamed of my Jesus. I am loved by Him and I love Him in return.

WE ARE NOT ASHAMED -music video-Carman