I believe that God is all powerful and He is the epitome of love.  He wants us to get to know Him because He alone can turn our lives around and secure us a place in Heaven, if we realize that we desperately need to be forgiven for our innate selfishness.

If we don’t even believe that God exists why would we ask Him to help us. If we think that life is easy and fun why would we bother to find out who Jesus is? Certainly in Southern California where the sun shines constantly and the beach and the mountains provide beautiful places to escape to, many people may think that they are already in  Heaven..

Today’s San Diego Tribune online described how many people had drifted away from faith:

Loss of faith attributed to spiritual drift

Study explores reasons people change religion
By Jacqueline L. Salmon
“More Americans have given up their faith or changed religions because of a gradual spiritual drift than switched because of a disillusionment over their churches’ policies, according to a study released yesterday.”

My hope is that the swine flu may halt that spiritual drift.  Drifting into a lifestyle where Jesus does not feature may seem a good idea when life is easy. It may be fun to spend the day at the beach or watching sport, but neither will really help us if our loved ones become fatally ill. If this threat of swine flu wakes us up spiritually and encourages us to trust Jesus, that would not only help us cope with the possibility of swine flu,  it would give us a reason to feel confident about future crises and the ultimate challenge: death.

Please do not panic about the threat of swine flu. Instead, I would like to encourage you to put your life and the lives of your loved ones in Jesus’  hands. A verse in the Bible tells us who He is: “He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; He alone is God.” (1 Timothy: 1:17) Life has many challenges. Jesus is bigger than your problems. He rose from the dead and He is alive although we cannot see Him. I do hope that you will find out about Him in the Bible, find a good church or email me. Jesus is much bigger than swine flu.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

Swine Flu: Should we Panic or Trust God?

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Were we Born Good? Are Children Good Enough to Enter Heaven?

At school,  children may be told that they are good or great, and self esteem, at least in The States, is considered more important than actual achievement. Kids are given trophies for participating in a sport, and sports and after school activities so often dominate life that it is hard to find time to actually teach our children that according to Jesus, they are not good enough. If we are parents, surely we are aware that our children were not born perfect and unless we give in to them at every turn they will remind us of their self centered rights.

Are Adults Good enough to Enter Heaven?

Adults may be better at disguising their imperfections, calling materialism “caring for the family” and manipulative office politics as “healthy ambition”, but we, like our children, fall far short of being good enough to enter Heaven. All of us desperately need a Savior, and His name is Jesus.

We all need Salvation from Eternal Death

Jesus means “the Lord is salvation”. That is what Jesus achieved on the first Good Friday: our salvation from eternal death.  He is the Lord God and He came to the earth as a human to grow up to be punished, receiving the punishment that we all deserve. In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote: …”the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Jesus offers us the Gift of Eternal Life

Only God can give us the gift of eternal life that He invites us to receive. Jesus willingly died on the cross in our place. He understood that our sin (being self centered rather than being focused on pleasing God and living for Him) would lead to fatal consequences. Paul explains Jesus’ s amazing sacrifice in Romans 5: 6 : “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.”

We will never deserve God’s love. Even if we are not materialistic and even though we may help old ladies cross the road etc, etc…we can never be good enough to go to Heaven and to live with Jesus forever. Compared to God we are bad and we all desperately need Him. Unless Jesus deals with our bad attitudes and behavior we cannot expect to go to Heaven. If some how we arrived in Heaven with our selfish motives intact, our sin would pollute Heaven. No, we can’t arrive in that perfect place unless God intervenes and dramatically changes us. We need a heart transplant.

How should we respond to Jesus?

If you are a Christian I would like to encourage you to thank Jesus for what He suffered on Good Friday to rescue you from Hell.

If you are not yet a follower of Jesus, I would like to encourage you to consider how much Jesus loves you. Look beyond the cultural lie that persuades us that every type of life style is good, even if it totally contradicts the teaching of Jesus. Take a reality check and realize that even though you try to be good you can never earn your way into Heaven and neither can I.

If you have given up trying: good. Admit that you need Jesus’s help. Tell Him that you are sorry that you have ignored Him for so long and ask Him to forgive you, wash you clean and fill you with His love and power: the Holy Spirit (Himself). Jesus can turn your life around right now, filling you with His love that will enable you to love God and others: giving you a new heart. Don’t miss the opportunity to receive the most important gift.

What will you do with the Gift that Jesus Offers?

Let’s not rely on our goodness to enter Heaven one day. Instead let’s admit that we are by nature bad and we desperately need to depend on the wonderful gift that Jesus secured for us when He demonstrated His goodness,  dying for us on the cross. We need to humbly receive that gift and not assume that we already have it, or to dismiss it as unnecessary. Without the intervention of Jesus, none of us will ever be good enough to go to Heaven. Only He is good enough. Aren’t we privileged to have Jesus as our Savior?

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

Are we Good Enough to Enter Heaven?

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I have just been reading about Oswald. J Smith who became a Christian just over a hundred years ago in Canada. He was a sixteen year old who went on the train with his younger brother to hear a well known preacher. Times have changed. Today it would be likely that the local journalists might sneer at what was preached in the churches. In 1906, Dr Torrey’s (the preacher) words were published word for word every day in the newspaper. Oswald’s mother was very pleased that her son wanted to go to the evangelistic crusade. She did not tell her boys until later that she wrote to Torrey asking that he would pray that her sons might be converted. Today many people, especially the young, turn up at a Christian meeting without the encouragement or prayers of their parents.

The two boys, staying with their aunt, attended the final eight meetings of the crusade. The preacher taught about  Jesus dying on the cross for our sins.  Oswald remembered hearing Isaiah 53 emphasized: “But He was wounded for MY transgressions; He was bruised for MY iniquities(Sins), the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5-) This was an Old Testament prophecy about Jesus dying for us- wretched sinners. We are all separated from God through our sin that deserves to be punished. Jesus took our punishment on Himself as He died a painful death on the cross.

Oswald J. Smith was raised my a mother who so wanted her kids to become strong believers that she wrote a letter to the preacher to pray for them. No doubt they attended church regularly with their family, but the mother knew that church attendance was not enough. It was essential that they should have a conversion experience: recognizing their need for forgiveness, faithfully submitting to Jesus as Lord:  beginning a brand new life in Christ.

At the end of one of Torrey’s sermons, the brothers went up to express their desire to receive Christ, to become children of God. To start with Oswald felt like a “chunk of lead”. Later he recognized that this was the power of Satan pulling him back. Do we realize that we are in a spiritual battle and that the devil is happy for us to believe in Jesus but not for us to receive forgiveness and to be filled with the Holy Spirit? If you are in the habit of attending church, but you have not received forgiveness and the infilling of the Holy Spirit, do not continue to be satisfied with your condition. If you were needing help in the sea you would not merely look at the life boat, you would get in, if you had any sense. We need to understand our need for a savior and let Him save us as we step forward in repentance and faith, with a thankful heart, for we  can never be good enough for Him: we can never earn our salvation.

Oswald J.Smith describes His conversion: “Then suddenly, it happened. I cannot explain it even today. I just bowed my head, put my face between my hands and in a moment tears gushed through my fingers, and fell upon the chair, and there stole into my boyish heart a realization of the fact that the great change had taken place. Christ had entered and I was a new creature. I had been born again. There was no excitement, no unusual feeling, but I knew that something had happened, and that ever after all life would be different. That was January 28th, 1906, when I was 16 years of age, and it has lasted to this day. Yes, and it is going to last, praise God, throughout the countless ages of eternity.”

Your conversion may not look exactly like Oswald’s, but there must be a change of direction: from sin and death to holiness and life, through the power and mercy of Jesus. Oswald was no longer under the control of our enemy the devil, but instead he was under the loving and powerful control of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. Who owns you? Who leads you and where is he taking you? Please don’t assume that Jesus is your Lord if you have not asked Him to forgive you, change you and deliver from the power of darkness.

Oswald J. Smith went on to live for a further 80 years. He became a brilliant pastor, hymn writer and author and he sent out hundreds of missionaries. His wonderful, Christian life, which is continuing into eternity, began with one faithful step of faith, as he responded to Christ’s call. Have you taken that step and if you have, are you praying for those who have not. Is your church teaching that we need more than a good attitude, we need to recognize that we need our Savior to set us free from the power of sin. As new people in Christ, we should expect to make a radical difference, being the “body” of Christ reaching out to bring hope, truth and healing to a generation who are not reading the latest sermon in their local newspaper. We must heed the message and share the truth that “..unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:3)

+ I have quoted from “The One Year Christian History-A daily glimpse into God’s powerful work”. This is written by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten and it is published by Tyndale. It is excellent. Do not read it instead of daily Bible reading, but if you have time add this to your daily prayer and Bible reading . It will  encourage you as you see how others  have put Jesus first.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

Conversion: a Brand New Life in Jesus

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My response to this question will be incomplete: too little time and too little knowledge! I will simply present a few Biblical truths for consideration. I would appreciate others’ contributions to this post to add to what I write.

John F. MacArthur Explains that Preaching is not about Pleasing Men

John F. MacArthur’s book “Our Sufficiency in Christ” brings up many important points. He reminds the reader that preaching in the New Testament  is not about pleasing men and winning them over. MacArthur writes: “When Peter preached at Pentecost, people were cut to the heart (Acts 2:37-41). He didn’t undertake to win them over. He didn’t try to charm them, entertain them, or make them feel good. He made no effort to engineer a positive response; he just proclaimed the truth. That’s the only methodology that the Holy Spirit uses. Those who employ any other technique are operating on their own.”

The Preacher should Explain the Terrible Nature of our Sin

In Romans 1:16 Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel”. If preachers avoid teaching much of the Word of God it may be because they believe that it might be offputing or offensive. However if we soften the Word of God to please our culture we are unlikely to clearly proclaim why we need salvation. God’s gift of grace is a wonderful message and easy to receive, but it is incomplete and makes no sense if  the preacher does not also explain the terrible nature of our sin which needs to be repented, and our dark, miserable status if we have no relationship with Christ.

God gives to us and we give back to Him

The Bible is full of covenants. We can’t earn the right to be forgiven but we do have a role to play beyond merrily opening our mouths like baby birds to receive the delicious spiritual food that God gives us. Surely good preaching must teach God’s grace but it should also clarify that there are two sides to a covenant: God gives us His Spirit, an eternity in Heaven, forgiveness…., and we give Him our lives and we surrender our wills, as an act of worship and sacrifice. We can no longer be the same when we become children of the living God. At the beginning of the twelfth chapter of Romans, Paul preaches: “And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

We are God’s Holy Ambassadors on a Mission

God does not want us to be fat, immobile baby birds that sit waiting for the next word of encouragement. We have not been set free from the kingdom of darkness to look from a distance into the kingdom of light. God calls us to be his holy ambassadors to be filled with His love and His light to penetrate into the kingdom of darkness, to help rescue others and to radiantly declare Christ’s presence.

Preaching must wholeheartedly teach the whole Word of  God to prepare men and women to leave behind all remnants of the darkness and sinful living and to live  Holy, Christ like lives.

A Definition of the Word of God

The Word is to encourage us and to uplift God’s people but it is not just a tonic to keep us pepped up as we either shudder in a dark world or feel naively separated from it, clutching our tickets to Heaven. 2 Timothy 3:16 explains that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is profitable for “instruction, for reproof  and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, (and) for training in righteousness (in Holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose and action.) Verse 17 adds that the purpose of the Word of God is that “the man of God may be complete and proficient and thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Preachers must administer the Word of God powerfully to Change Lives

I believe that the role of the preacher is to apply God’s Word to our lives to result in dramatic spiritual change as we become more like Jesus. As we are naturally sinful and foolish and stubborn, we need more than a word of encouragement, or the sharing of some benign truths. The Word of God is described as a sword(Hebrews 4:12) for good reason. It needs to penetrate deep within us to prompt significant change. If preachers teach God’s Word faithfully they will be like expert doctors diagnosing and removing life threatening disease. I would not want my doctor to humor me rather than to honestly deal with my medical condition. Similarly, preachers, please do not avoid the Gospel truth and deprive people of the opportunity to meet with the risen Christ.  Poorly diagnosed patients often die prematurely. People who sit in churches where the truth is withheld, may die in their sin and never receive the healing and refreshing forgiveness that they so desperately need.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

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If you have not seen the movie please go, if it is still showing at a movie theater where you live. Bring friends and family. It is ideal for anyone who is 13 and above, although some younger girls might also appreciate it.

The message reminds us that Jesus wants us to offer love rather than passive indifference or resentment. Love is an action and we can’t wait for our husband, child or friend to be pleasant before behaving in a godly manner. If Jesus is our Lord we have His power and His help to love unconditionally. “Fireproof” shows that with Jesus, true love is possible.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are times when the quality of our relationships are tested, especially when we are worried about finances or job security. Rather than focusing on others’ attitudes to us, let’s offer Jesus’ love without expecting anything back. In Ephesians 4:17-the end of the chapter and Ephesians 5 there are many examples of putting off the old sinful nature and putting on Christ. My challenge to you is to read these verses and apply them. If we are Christians, we are not living as we ought if we hang on to sin. We need to repent of any behavior that is ungodly but typical of our lives. Don’t simply remove it, but replace it with the godly alternative.

Ephesians 4: 21 exhorts: “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life , which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature created to be like God- truly righteous and holy.”

We could develop a forty day challenge for ourselves, covering the period from Thanksgiving until the new year. Each day, I suggest we focus on a behavior that we must stop doing, repent of it and replace it with its godly replacement. The process should be cumulative. We should not forget about Biblical lessons that we have already learned, as we learn new ones. The challenge is to keep all aspects of godly behavior going …………! We can’t do this in our own strength. We must abide in Jesus, receiving the love and the stamina to persevere from the Holy Spirit.

The first challenge is in Ephesians 4:25 is “stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth…” I need to pray about this. When am I withholding truth? When am I agreeing with lies to keep people happy? How can I tell truth in a gentle, loving way? The second challenge is about anger in verses 26-27. I will let you work out what you need to “put off”regarding this and what godly behavior to replace it with.

I believe that as we apply the Bible to our lives, we will be changed. How else can we love our husbands, relatives or friends? We need God’s help but we also need to persevere. The movie “Fireproof” demonstrated changed lives. God encourages us to improve our relationships too. He wants to transform our lives and as we become more like Him, we will be much easier for others to love! We may even find that they change too, especially if they seek Jesus’ help.

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Yesterday I taught the Bible to teenagers at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ club at my daughter, Alice’s, middle school. I wanted them to understand the differences between a child of God and a child of the devil. I drew two columns on the white board, one for each type of child. There is a tendency in this culture to either over or under emphasize the devil. The children are usually shocked when I mention him and they are also offended by “hell” considering it to be a bad swear word rather than a real place where many are heading.

The kids wanted me to create a third column for those people who were not Christians but did not intentionally get involved with devil worship or witchcraft. I explained that I could not as the Bible clearly teaches that unless we are rescued out of the kingdom of darkness by Jesus ( Colossians 1:13 ) we are under the power of the evil one and are children of the devil.

I taught from 1 John 3:7-10: “Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love his brother does not belong to God.”

This passage does not say that by behaving well we can earn our way into the family of God. Instead it explains that when we become part of God’s family, Jesus enters us and because we are now led by the Holy Spirit, we are changed and we cannot keep sinning routinely (although we will still make mistakes).

How do we become part of God’s family? The teenagers who prepared their testimonies believed that baptism was the clear proof that someone had become a child of God. The Bible explains that baptism is symbolic of a believer passing from death to new life and this is a powerful image. The reality is that some people get baptized and then settle down to a life of sin with the smug assumption that they have done what it takes to go to heaven one day. A baptism must be accompanied by a dramatic spiritual new birth, if it is to be more than a historic ritual. John 1 explains that ..”to all who believed Him and accepted Him, he gave the right to become children of God.” They are reborn-not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan but a birth that comes from God.” God re- creates us when we respond to Him, believing and receiving Him, accepting Him as Lord of our new life and repenting of the messy lives we used to live.

Once we are under the leadership of Christ, rather than (wittingly or unwittingly) under the devil’s authority, we will change, so long as we really are living under the authority of Christ with His Spirit.1 John 2:3 says that ..”we can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments.” If we refuse to obey Jesus we are not His children. Jesus commands us to love one another in a Christ like way. 1 John 4:17 challenges us to copy Jesus. He showed us real love by giving up His life for us. Similarly, “..we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” This is made even more challenging by the following verse: “Dear children let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

We are taught to be like Jesus: “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” If we are Christians we will obey Him and resemble Him, otherwise we are not His children. I John makes this very clear. A very important part of being a Christian is loving God and loving other Christians. Elsewhere we are also told to love our enemies: we are commanded to love everyone, but if Christians fail to love those who are members of the body of Christ, how can we effectively help people who are not part of the Christian family? We know that walking as Jesus did involved meeting all sorts of people, to heal them, to cast out demons, to teach them the truth and to invite them into a relationship with Him. Without Christ’s love we will fail to reach out to those who so desperately need His love.

If we are God’s children are we letting Him lead us, are we obedient, do we give up our lives to help others, are we asking Jesus to fill us with His Holy Spirit? Thankfully Jesus will forgive us and re-instate us as he did with Peter. We are told in 1 John that we will not continue to live a life of sin once we have been dramatically re-created as Christians, as Jesus is in charge of us. I John 1:8-10 encourages us that when we confess our sins Jesus will forgive us and purify us. Sin should be the exception rather than the routine. Let’s make sure that we are truly living as children of God: forgiven, transformed and radiating the love of Jesus in action. We can be full of good intentions but thankfully Jesus did not just profess His love for us but He demonstrated it on the cross. Let’s follow his lead and show others that we are truly God’s children expressing His love, extending His hand of mercy. If you are not yet a child of God, ask Him to rescue you from the kingdom of darkness and receive Him so that He will live in you, dramatically changing your life.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

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My son James, who is a junior at high school, was writing an essay about the American Dream and how this ideal has changed for Americans through the centuries. Last night he asked me to edit his writing and it was this that prompted me to think about this further. James compared the colonists’ focus as pleasing God rather than themselves. Their ultimate hope was heaven and this was their “dream”. At the time of the revolutionary war the dream was now related to freedom. Unless they were free and independent they could not be fulfilled. The Romantics were intrigued with nature which was reflected in their art and literature. The American dream for them was to focus on the natural world, to escape from the urban, to see this as their ultimate goal.

I am sure that many other influences have affected the “dream” through the years but I thought that the analysis of the colonists, the patriots and the romantics was fascinating. I was particularly intrigued by the reference to Jonathan Edwards, one of the “colonists” who influenced the “Great Awakening” revival and encouraged many to focus on Heaven rather than on worldly pursuits.

Jonathan Edwards wrote “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” My son, James , said that many of his class mates were put off by the strong references to God’s anger and man’s pitiful nature in Edwards famous sermon preached in 1741. However, I see it as a necessary warning to those who have not recognized that without God’s mercy they are on the way to hell. Edwards says “There is nothing that keeps wicked men, at any moment, out of Hell, but the mere pleasure of God.”

Unless we respond to Jesus we are incapable of correcting our own sinful nature, to make ourselves good enough for Heaven. In today’s Christian market place we are accustomed to hearing the “prosperity Gospel” and Christian book stores are full of self help advice on how to be a better Christian mother, lover, sister etc…. If we are not careful we will miss the point. Unless we repent and believe in Christ and obediently follow His Word, we are on a dangerous, wrong path. There is a real danger that we will try and improve ourselves without falling at Christ’s feet, seeking mercy from His righteous anger. Let’s make sure that our friends understand why we need to submit to Christ. Avoiding mentioning hell might be politically sensitive but we all need to know that hell is a place where we deserve to go and we can only avoid it if we seek Christ’s mercy and forgiveness.

In Edwards’ sermon: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” he refers to the likely response of someone who finds himself in hell. This individual had planned to avoid this awful destination but had failed to follow Christ’s path, following his own dream instead:

“No, I never intended to come here: I had laid out matters otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself — I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpected; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief — Death outwitted me: God’s wrath was too quick for me. Oh, my cursed foolishness! I was flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction came upon me.”

We should be loving, welcoming, sensitive and kind yet not to the extent of avoiding telling the truth to those who without Christ will perish. Edwards was preaching a sermon in church. It seems totally appropriate to challenge people directly in church: to wake people up to the necessity of pleading for Christ’s forgiveness rather than assuming that Jesus will pamper them.

Many people do not attend church. They may be pursuing the American Dream or a version of this: prosperity or freedom or New Age ideology. Little seems to have changed. People continue to dream but Christians are Jesus’ representatives on earth and like Edwards, we can help them understand our fate. We need to show, through our behavior, that we are God’s children, changed by Him to reach out in kindness and self sacrifice. Our generous and loving response to those who are not Christians will make it more likely that they will want to listen to God’s message of hope and warning. If we genuinely care about their eternal future we will explain about heaven and hell. We might find Jonathan Edwards’ fire and brimstone preaching offensive, but avoiding spelling out the truth to both Christians and non Christians is ultimately much more offensive.

The parable in the Bible about Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16: 19-31) reminds us of the reality of hell. The rich man goes to hell and the beggar, Lazarus, goes to heaven. The rich man wants his brothers to be warned about the horrible reality of hell. His life of luxury could not help the rich man in his eternal plight and his desire for his relatives is not a life of ease or of political correctness, but that they should be told the truth. I want to emphasize that we should avoid any type of American dream that fixes our attention on present riches, or on created things rather than on the Creator. The message of the Bible will be offensive to some but it will persuade others to seek God’s mercy. Jesus received God’s righteous anger when He died on the cross, receiving the punishment that we deserve. We can only expect God to avert His anger if we follow Him on His terms and seek His forgiveness. In contrast, worldly dreams may be inspiring but if they are not true, we will be bitterly disappointed one day.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

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Lou Engel conceived the idea of having a focus on corporate prayer and fasting in key cities, a number of years ago. Many Christians were present and they came and went through the day as it lasted for 12 hours. The atmosphere was one of wholehearted focus on God. Martyn commented afterwards that a half hearted response to Jesus was not acceptable. Being part of such a gathering provoked us to want lives that are more fully given over to Jesus. A nineteen year old girl who spoke had consecrated her life to Jesus at a similar prayer gathering 7 years ago. She gave her teenage years to Christ and her words radiated passion for Jesus. I am considered passionate but this girl shook and quivered with the pulse of Jesus. This reminded me that we will reap what we sow. She had given up the “rights” that teenagers expect but God had blessed her mightily. Let’s remember that Jesus gives us so much more than we can ever give. We will not miss out if we focus our lives on pleasing Him.

Prayer focused on Prop 8 and marriage, and also on abortion. James Dobson was one of the speakers and he reminded us how important marriage of one man to one woman is for the health of this nation. He canceled all his previous commitments to be there with his wife Shirley. His commitment to the prayer meeting was of great encouragement to us. My only concern was that more local Christians were not there. Understandably we all have busy lives but it would have been great to have seen the stadium as full as it is when the San Diego Chargers play football games there.

Repentance and prayer might not sound exciting, but they are way more significant than supporting a team or staying home to clean the house …… Football fans support their teams with a mighty clamor. The noise generated by a half empty stadium of Christians generated even more enthusiasm, cheering and worshiping than the football fans. As God is so much more significant than the defeat or victory of our local team, I was satisfied.

The most challenging aspect of our time at The Call was crying out to God regarding the death of fifty million unborn babies. We shouted “help, help” to Jesus. We definitely need His help to end an era of child sacrifice when it has become acceptable to sacrifice our babies for their mothers to maintain a certain lifestyle or reputation. It is not just the mothers who are at fault. If we know the truth about abortion and do nothing to warn girls in our churches, and do not offer financial help to those who cannot afford to provide for a baby, we are guilty too. If our silence and inaction lead to a death, how can we respond, except to cry out in pain and sorrow, seeking His forgiveness and mercy.

A Focus on the Family book: Answering The Call, Saving Innocent Lives, One Woman At A Time, by John Ensor (2003) is informative and Biblical. Ensor estimates that 250,000 evangelically oriented Christians are having abortions annually. Our churches must not be silent. The author explains that he was shocked in 1989 that fully 30% of the women in his own congregation had had abortions. He describes the day that they looked at abortion for the first time, “as the day God lanced a boil”. Ensor compares the responsibility of a Christian leader with that of a doctor: “A good doctor does not withhold the lance to spare the patient pain. Nor can good physicians of the human soul beg off examining the disease and discord now festering in 40 percent of the people in their own church. It is spiritual malpractice.”

John Ensor adds: “We must lance the boil of this guilt if we are going to produce true life and health. This is painful and difficult, but it is also purifying. And it is our duty. The biggest mistake we are making in our local churches today regarding abortion is rightly sensing its destructive power but then remaining silent to spare people hurt. Some tears are medicinal. This is a case, I assure you, where godly sorrow is cleansing.”

Paul explains that godly sorrow leads to repentance and ultimately to concern and to readiness to see justice done. Please read 2 Corinthians 7: 7-9 which describes how Paul wrote a challenging letter to the people in Corinth which caused hurt for a little while but led to repentance and to godly lives- well worth the temporary pain. Paul continues: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.” (2 Corinthians 7: 10-12)

At The Call we were reminded that America is guilty of the blood of 50 million babies. (Other countries are equally guilty.) Are we ready to bring truth into our churches which will lead to healing? Are we ready to repent? Are we prepared to stand up to protect marriage between one man and one woman, whatever present or future laws dictate? We are God’s people and we are called to consecrate ourselves to Him. Are we ready to move beyond a faith that tends to be half hearted, to embrace and declare the real Jesus on His terms? When we humbly repent and pray, God will respond by forgiving our sin and healing our land. Let’s live life His way.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

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The arrival into the land that God had promised them (constituting modern day Israel and beyond) could not be a haphazard, disorganized event. They had to cross the River Jordan that was in flood stage and then the goal was to defeat the people living in the cities so that it could truly become their nation. This was not to be any nation. It was God’s people, in God’s place, to live for God’s purposes.

The River Jordan was parted by God

It was appropriate that God’s people should be led by God and this is why the priests, carrying the ark of the covenant, where God was present, (see my blog about the Ark of the Covenant) went ahead of the Israelites. The people were told to keep a distance of about a thousand yards from the ark and were warned not to go near it. The power of God is tremendous. Trifling with Him was and is dangerous. Joshua encouraged the people that the parting of the river would show “that the living God is among you” (Joshua 3:10) and that He would drive out all the people groups currently living in the land that God had promised to them.

What does consecrate mean?

It was essential that the Israelites should be led by God but it was also essential that His people should be clean and pure. Joshua told them before their departure,”Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” This involved a purification ceremony, which in essence showed them the importance of approaching God with a pure heart.

A covenant is a two way agreement or promise. God always keeps His promises but we need to be constantly reminded of the response He requires of us. To consecrate themselves to God, His people, the Israelites had to be cleansed, through an outward display of ritual washing. Also offering sacrifices was usually part of this cleansing process. The most significant sacrifice involved the shedding of the blood of an animal, reminding them that without the shedding of blood there could be no forgiveness of sins.

God’s people had to be holy, to be set apart, forgiven and pure. The Israelites, who after years of wandering in the desert, learning to obey God, were finally ready to enter God’s land. They had consecrated themselves to God and they were to follow the ark which was filled with God’s presence, and He led them. There was no question of them running ahead of God. They had to follow His instructions relayed by Joshua, and contained in the ark of the covenant. When they were unclean or messed up they had to consecrate themselves.

It was God who parted the river and led his people

Joshua and his followers were living before Jesus arrived on the scene and much of our religious practices as Christians have changed as a result of Christ’s ultimate and final sacrifice. He has liberated the believer from the power of sin once and for all. However, the important principles have not changed: God is in charge and we must follow Him obediently. The ark (with God present) led the people, showing them the way to go. At the river, the priests carrying the ark on poles had to touch the water’s edge with their feet, before God performed a miracle, then, “the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away….while the water flowing down to the Sea of Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.” (Joshua 3:16) The priests stood on dry land in the center of the river, holding the ark of the covenant until everyone had crossed.

Christians are Highly Regarded by Jesus: We are a “holy nation” and “a royal priesthood”

The priests had to move forward in faith, trusting in God for His words to be fulfilled. Similarly we are expected to have faith, despite what things look liked. The swirling, deep water was threatening, like so much that we face today, but we must trust that God is in control, keeping His promises. Since Christ came, the opportunities He offers to His followers are tremendous: We are compared to priests and we are called to be holy : we must also be consecrated and cleaned up through forgiveness. 1 Peter chapter 2 tells us that if we are God’s children, chosen by Him, we “like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”(verse 5) Like the priests at the time of Joshua, we must demonstrate faith and we can draw close to Jesus offering our lives to Him as a sacrifice. Peter continues a few verses later reminding us of the incredible status of being a Christian, given to us by Jesus, not through our own merit: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”(verse 9) If you are a Christian do you realize how highly Jesus regards you?

Like the Israelites we must consecrate ourselves to God. We too are his people

God led the Israelites through the river. He dramatically parted the water, ensuring that they could walk through on dry land. God is the one who calls us. He is king, Lord, boss….We are to give Him praise, declaring all that He has done, sharing the good news. We don’t know who will respond to Him but He does. We are expected to be consecrated: cleansed through repentance, forgiveness, living a Holy life, changed by Jesus. At the time of Joshua only the tribe of Levi could be priests: the Levites. We, in contrast, do not have to be from a special family or tribe. We simply have to follow Jesus, who is God: following Him, in faith and obedience, like the Israelites following the ark.

Are we inclined to think that we are not good enough for Jesus? Of course we are not good enough, but He will forgive us and change us. Do we assume that God will only choose those with clean and respectable clothes and white teeth and a good job. My blog post about Rahab the prostitute shows that this is not true. 1 Peter 2:9 reminds us that we were called by God out of darkness into His wonderful light. I might have had clean clothes in my dark life before I became a child of God but I was selfish and proud. Rahab the prostitute probably dressed as a harlot but she recognized the mighty acts of God and she faithfully followed Him and God changed her. Might there be beautiful, clean, charming people who visit churches, but who have not yet trusted God and are still in darkness? I think so.

Please be encouraged that God is God and He does the leading and the calling. We are relatively small and weak, whatever our income or appearance, and we are called to believe, to follow and to obey. We are invited to leave behind a life of sin and darkness to live as children of God leading good, unselfish lives, dedicated to pleasing our Lord: Jesus.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

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Abortion, in my opinion, is also a terrible tragedy that is ongoing. Sadly it is not a past atrocity like the concentration camps designed by the Nazis to destroy those they considered sub-human, notably the Jews. They killed about 4 million within a few years. There are approximately 4 million births in the US and at least 1.3 million abortions annually. 1.3 million is a huge number and should get our attention now.

When I was 16 and studying French at school, the French assistant was selling badges with the words, “A woman’s right to choose.” Of course as a young woman this seemed very reasonable and, typically, as a British teenager I had not heard much about abortion. I pinned the badge on my sweater and within minutes a Catholic friend asked me what on earth I was doing. He explained that abortion was not the removal of a small piece of tissue from a woman’s body but rather the killing of a baby created by God.

I am aware that there are many women who have had abortions in their past who are still suffering the pain of a decision that dramatically affected the fate of their child. Jesus offers forgiveness and in every church women should be available to offer the support and compassion to those suffering from post abortion trauma . The Christian counsel must also make it clear that abortion is a sin and repentance is necessary.

Failing to address abortion is not helpful. Parents and kids need to be aware of the pain suffered during an abortion for both the mother and baby. Teenage pregnancy is not fixed quickly and easily by an abortion. “…and still they weep” is a book written by Melanie Symonds, illustrating personal stories of women who have experienced abortion. Their grief affected their lives dramatically and in many cases the women who tell their stories wish that they had been aware of facts before making the fateful decision. Grace was confused when she had a miscarriage years after the abortion. The doctor told her that the baby had stopped growing at 12 weeks. She wondered how he could tell the age of the baby when her mom had told her that a baby was not alive until the quickening at about 20 weeks.

Better health education today hopefully informs teenagers that babies in the womb are not just pieces of flesh but they are alive from the beginning. By twelve weeks the child is perfectly formed and looks exactly like a tiny baby because that is exactly what he is. A film “The Silent Scream” shows what happens during the abortion of a ten week old infant. As he is torn apart by suction, a scream is clearly visible as the baby reacts. The assumption that such a young baby cannot feel pain is incorrect.

The Bible makes it clear that it is God who is responsible for the creative process of making a child. When I was pregnant I did not even know the sex of my babies. It should not be a surprise that God is responsible for the process: Psalm 139:13-16 declares that “you (God) created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”

I can understand how teenagers and mothers can be overwhelmed when they discover that they are pregnant at a difficult or embarrassing time in their lives. I believe that churches should teach clearly the value of human life from a Biblical perspective and the dangers of responding sexually outside marriage. Abstinence should be taught. We must also demonstrate Christ’s forgiveness and reassure women that if one of them becomes pregnant within or outside of marriage, the church members will offer practical support and love to help care for the baby.

There are all sorts of women who have had abortions for many reasons. They may not realize why they have experienced so much depression and a feeling of guilt. We need to help these women experience the love of Jesus and His forgiveness. I believe that we need to respond with love and concern to this societal tragedy. Remaining silent will help nobody.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

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