Time To Reseed

We had a new home built this summer and the contractors seeded our lawn for us. There was straw everywhere! In the window vents, on the porches, everywhere! I thought they were going to spread it by hand, but I think they had a machine. It was a large area so I guess that makes sense. Most of it took hold and the grass has come up. But there are spots where we need to reseed. No grass...just dirt. If we don't bother, probably weeds will grow in those areas, and we don't want that! We have enough weeds already growing!

 

This reminds me of what the Bible tells us about spreading the Word of God. Jesus tells a parable of the sower in the book of Matthew:

 

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell of rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no soil. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a large crop - a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has an ear, let him hear."                                 Matthew 13:3-9

 

He continues on in Luke:

 

This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear; and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they cannot believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. The seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Luke 8:11-15

 

It occurred to me that even as my husband and I get a second chance at reseeding our lawn, so I believe we have second and third and even more chances in sharing the salvation news of Jesus Christ with those we have shared before, but didn't see results. We should never give up on those who we want saved but aren't "getting it"! Continue to pray! Continue to share the Good News! One of these days, the soil in their souls will be ready, and the seed will take hold. God will supply the rest. Just keep sowing! It is time to reseed!!

 





Just A Simple Prayer

Just a Simple Prayer

September 27, 2013 at 9:02am

There is only one way to know for sure where you will spend eternity...you can say that you don't believe in God or that when you die that you just go into the ground and that is the end. You can say that once, when you were a child, you prayed a prayer and so now you will go to heaven one day...but the reality is that one day, every one of us will have to stand before God and either be recognized as receiving Jesus as the Lord of our life and our Savior or be separated from God for all eternity by the choices we made in life. The heart of God does not want you to be separated from Him...and He did do ALL that He could to save you when He sent His one and only precious Son Jesus to die for your sins on the cross. After three days God resurrected Jesus again to life and finished the work that now makes the way for you to have eternal life. My heart is that each and every one of you would not just pray a prayer to ask Jesus to give you the gift of eternal life but that you would each recognize that this prayer, if you really mean it, is only the beginning of a life that follows the path Jesus walked Himself. It is a relationship that is a lifelong commitment that will change you completely from the inside out. You will find more joy, love, peace and pure happiness then you ever would have thought possible. It is something that can be yours...and once you truly receive it then you will never be the same again!!!

A friend suggested that I also post a prayer that you can pray to ask Jesus to be your Savior. The prayer does not have to be these exact words BUT it needs to contain all the elements you see here...#1 you need to acknowledge that you are a sinner [everyone has sinned no matter who they are and that means that every single one of us needs a Savior]. #2 you must believe that Jesus is the one and only Son of God and that he died for your sins and was resurrected by God again to life so that you could have eternal life through Him. He is the one perfect and sinless sacrifice and the only One who could make a way for you to have a new life that each of us does not deserve because of the sins and the life that we have chosen. Even a good person still needs Jesus since every one of us has sinned. #3 You must ask Jesus to come into your heart and into your life and to be your Lord and Savior.

Here is an example of the prayer you should pray: God, I know that I have not always lived for you, and I have sinned in ways I probably don't even know yet are sins. I know that you have plans for me, and I want to live in those plans. I pray to you for forgiveness for the ways in which I have sinned. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and that You raised Him from the dead to give me eternal life. I am choosing now to accept Jesus into my heart and I want to make Him the Lord of my life. I pray that You will fill me with Your Holy Spirit and that You will help me to live as You desire for me to live. I know that with Your help I can strive to overcome sin and no longer let sin control me. I put myself in your hands. I pray that you work in my life and guide my steps so that I continue to live for you. In your name I pray. Amen.

Next...you need to tell someone that you know is a Christian that you prayed this prayer and if you have a Bible then you need to begin to read it so that you can learn more about the life that God has for you. I good place to start is in the book of John. I also sincerely recommend that you begin attending church and spend time with other believers so that they can encourage you in the new life that you have chosen and so that they can help you grow.

Note from Who Needs His Love: the above was written by Melissa Sylvis, and she shared this on Facebook this morning. I truly believe that she was inspired by God to write this and share this so that someone who needs Jesus would read this and make the most important decision there is. All it takes is a willingness to surrender one's own will to the only One who truly loves and cares for him: Jesus Christ! This is my prayer: that today is the day of salvation for a precious, lost soul. The angels rejoice when a person comes to Jesus! Hallelujah!! Praise His Holy Name!!





Church? Are You Looking At Me?

When you hear the word "church", what comes to your mind? A building with a steeple? A man in a robe standing before a group of people, preaching? A row of pews? Stained glass? A basket being passed around for people to put in their money? An organ? A large cross on the front wall? These are a few of the images that come to my mind when I hear the word "church". They come from my past experiences of going to church, and I'm sure most of you have similar thoughts.

 

The definition of "church" basically is a place where people of one faith gather together to worship their god. There are many different denominations, and many different ways of doing "church". People worship differently depending on the culture where they live. In America's South, people worship more flamboyantly, compared to the North where some people are more reserved. Music styles differ dramatically, even in the same church. There are Traditional services where people sing hymns to organ music. And then there are Contemporary services where praise and worship songs are led by guitars and drums. Some services incorporate dancing and sign language. There is no limit to how church is done. As long as it is done in a location where people get together to worship God.
 

But what happens to the church if something should happen to the building? A terrible thought, but is a building really necessary to have a church? Are the things we see in churches necessary to have a church?

 

We are the church. Yes, you and me are the church. Wherever and whenever we gather together to seek God, pray, read the Bible,  share His Word, and even have Communion, then we are having church. We know, as Christians, that where two or three are gathered together, Jesus is in their midst. Jesus is the Cornerstone of the church. Christ lives in us, and our bodies are His temple. We are the body of Christ and have received different giftings, all meant to work together to edify the body and glorify Jesus. We are a mobile church in a way. And the Holy Spirit inspires us to shine Jesus' Light ever more brightly. We are a testimony of what changed lives we are, all because we have let God reign in our hearts and souls.

 

You are fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord, And in Him you too are being buillt together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19-22

In this age today, there are too many people  who never step inside of a church building! They are hurting, and need a Savior, while not even realizing it. As we live our lives, following Christ and sharing His love, we are better able to reach others for Him. We can be the witnesses He has created us to be, just by being the church.
 

So the next time the Sunday morning worship service comes to an end, and you are leaving the church building, remember that though you aren't in that building, you are still at church... you and the Holy Spirit in you. Minister to others and share His love!

 



 



The Most Important Decision

I was away for a few days, and when I got home, I was able to get caught up on the news in my area. To my dismay, there had been a car crash, killing six people. Four were adults in one vehicle, and the other two were children in the other one. In the middle of the afternoon, these individuals were probably out for a joy ride. When they woke up that morning, they never, ever realized that in a few hours, their lives would be ending. Period. Could that ever happen to you or me? Yes! Will it? Only God knows.

 

Which brings me to this question: Did they ever accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior? We may never know, for only God truly knows a person's heart. But for anyone to be ushered into heaven when life ends, it is necessary to believe in the Lord, and receive His gift of salvation.

 

Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life.

He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies;

and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.'

John 11:25-26

 

 

The most important decision a person can ever make is the decision to accept Jesus. To surrender to Him. To trust in Him, accept His death on the cross for his sins, and to obey Him by living according to the Scriptures. Everyone is given a chance. Some say yes. Some say no. And some never decide. They think they have time. They don't believe their life could be taken from them in an instant, when they least expect it. Some people are so caught up in the ways of this world that they keep putting off the decision to submit to the Lord. They want control over their lives. They want to sow their oats. They figure later on when they want to settle down, then they'll "get religion". How unfortunate they are. Not everyone is guaranteed a long life. Only God decides how many days we have here on this earth.

 

How about you? Have you given your heart over to Jesus, to be Lord over your life? Or have you been putting it off? You may not have tomorrow. Or even tonight. Please make your decision now. It will be the most important decision you will ever make.



A Little Flirtation Won't Lead To Anything... Or Will It?

I have noticed that there seems to be a relaxed attitude floating around among people, even among Christians; almost a tolerance of something, that is popping up more and more in our culture. They aren't aware that they are playing in quick sand, but feel that they can still stand on their own. They don't realize that they are being lured, being enticed, very subtly, right beneath their noses.  They see others around them doing the same thing, so it doesn't feel strange or wrong. They ignore the still, small voice that warned them not to get anywhere near this. After all, they want to check this out and see what happens. But once they sink in, they can not free themselves. Only someone who reaches out to them who isn't in the quick sand can rescue them, that is, if they take his hand. What is this quick sand that I am talking about?

The Devil. You've seen images of him carrying around a fork, with little horns on his head and a pointed tail. You've seen witches with pointed hats on brooms, with green faces. You've heard of the saying, "The devil made me do it." You may have even played on the Ougie Board. People go to fortune tellers, who convince them they know the secrets to their future. There is alot of talk of devil worshippers going on too. People take it too lightly and laugh about it, like it's a game. But it isn't! There are countless films, songs and books on violence, murder, bloodshed... you name it, it's there. And it is affecting our culture!  What is going on here?

The Bible clearly describes what is going on here, and Christians need to take it seriously.

Be self-controlled and alert.

Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion,

looking for someone to devour.

- 1 Peter 5:8

He hates us! He hates God even more, and wants to lure people away from God. He knows that his time and influence on this earth is limited, as Jesus Christ is coming soon to take His believers to heaven, and to throw the Devil and his followers into the eternal lake of fire.

And the devil, who deceived them,

was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur.

They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

If anyone's name was not found written

in the book of life,

he was thrown into the lake of fire.

- Revelation 20:10, 15

Our God is a jealous God, and He created us in His image. He is Holy. Awesome in Glory. And He wants us to worship Him, and Him alone. The Bible gives us all that we need to know, in order for us to stay clear of the Devil's antics, and to live victorious lives in Jesus' Name. Our Heavenly Father is grieved when people, especially His children, yield to the Devil, and He waits patiently for us to return. He is ready to reach out His hand to rescue us from the schemes of the enemy. But we need to take His hand! This is a point I'd like to make, though, that some people disagree with.  He will give us his hand for only a while. If we refuse His offer of help, because we have allowed our hearts to harden toward Him, then He will withdraw His hand.

Furthermore, since they did not think

it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God,

He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do

what ought not to be done.

They have become filled

with every kind of wickedness...

Although they know God's righteous decree

that those who do such things deserve death,

they not only continue to do these very things but

also approve of those who practice them.

- Romans 1: 28-32



People! Please take this seriously. We are in the end times, and we need to be fully aware of what we are aligning ourselves to. We can't walk the fence. We are either following Jesus, or we are not. God sees our hearts and He is watching us intently. We can fool others, even our Christian friends, but we can't fool God. He is not to be mocked. The time is coming soon when after the rapture, that is the calling up of true believers in Jesus, it will be extremely difficult for a person to receive Christ, and if he does, he most likely will be martyred for his faith.

How can we be sure we are following Christ? The Bible advises us to put on our spiritual armor.

And do this, understanding the present time.

The hour has come for you to wake up

from your slumber,

because our salvation is nearer now

than when we first believed.

The night is nearly over;

the day is almost here.

So let us put aside the deeds of darkness

and put on the armor of light.

Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,

and do not think about how to gratify

the desires of the sinful nature.

- Romans 13:11-14







 Ephesians 6:11-18 gives an excellent description of the full armor of God that all of us need to put on each morning. Please read this, and make a personal note that you will apply these principles to your life. Your destiny depends on it!

So, can a Christian have a little flirtation with the Devil? The answer is up to you.



Can A Christian Love?

This is the fourth in my series of Can A Christian ...? It's obvious that if we call ourselves Christians, or followers of Jesus Christ, that we think we automatically have these qualities...we know we should forgive others, we know we should trust God with everything, and we know we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us, but sometimes we struggle with those things.

 

This topic here is on love. Can a Christian love? When we think of God, we think of love:

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,

but have eternal life.

 

John 3:16

 

As Christ followers, we know that we are to love God first and foremost, and love others as ourselves. Jesus tells us that. My question to you is: How well are you loving others?

 

Honestly, this is a struggle of mine, and I realize that. I have asked the Lord to help me to love others the way I should. Compassionately. Patiently. Nonjudgementally. I know He loves me that way, and I so appreciate His mercy and grace, for I have fallen more times than I want to admit. No matter what I do, He loves me anyway.

 

How can we love others who are unloveable, at least in our minds? There will always be people who hurt us, offend us, gossip about us, cheat us, let us down. The reasons are endless. (But so is His love!) For me, as I meditate on this, I have come to the realization that I need to look at people differently than I have. I need to try to see them as Jesus does. Sinners in need of grace.

 

Sometimes people have no idea that they have offended others. And sometimes, because they have had terrible pasts of abuse and rejection, they are unable to show love to others. They may be hurting inside, and are just smearing that hurt on anyone who is within their space. Maybe you fall into that category. (I hope not!)

 

Because of that, when I think that others may have unknown reasons why they get on my "unloveable list", I get more tolerant. I am able to give them some slack. Another chance. After all, there have been times when I acted unloveable to another, and later on regretted it, hoping that person would give me some slack...another chance. God looks at the inside of people, where we can only look on the outside. He knows we are works in progress. Becoming a Christian doesn't immediately turn us into a saint, even though we are one. We are a work in progress indeed, and for some of us, it takes longer than for others. Sometimes it isn't easy to love everyone, but with God's help, we can get better at it. It takes deliberation, but I believe it brings alot of peace. Instead of fretting, we are forgiving. Instead of complaining, we are praying. Instead of hating, we are loving.

 

Is this possible for you? As you think about your relationships, are you able to truly love everyone? Yes, you can, with God's help. As He has loved us, so must we love others. Because Jesus is our model, we can love others the way He calls us to do.

 

Dear Lord, as we think about our ability to love others,

we realize that our efforts are limited.

We ask You to help us to love as we should.

To look at others through Your eyes,

and to treat them with compassion.

Thank You for Your love and mercy towards us.

Thank you for giving us another chance.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.



Does A Christian Have Power?

In a recent blog, I talked about Christians trusting God, and shared Ephesians 3:20-21~

 

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably

more than all we ask or imagine,

according to the power that is at work in us,

to Him be the glory in the church

and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations

forever and ever.

Amen.

 

Then I took my long walk, and chewed on that verse. As I thought about it, and talked aloud to God to explain it to me, I realized that there is something profound in the middle of this verse. Did you catch it?

 

'according to the power that is at work in us'

 

What is this power that is at work in us? Acts 1:8 tells us that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us. And Jesus tells us in John 14:12-13 ~

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me
 will do what I have been doing.
He will do even greater things than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And I will do whatever you ask in My Name,
so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
You may ask anything in My Name, and I will do it."

Jesus shed His blood on the cross for the remission of our sins, and when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we receive power through the Holy Spirit. We can plead the Name of Jesus, and all authorities will submit to Him. Philippians 2:10 tells us 'that at the Name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' Since we are inheritors of the Kingdom of God, then we too have authority over the principalities through the power in the Name of Jesus.

It occurred to me that we can limit God's power in our prayers! If there is any ounce of doubt in us, then the power that He gives to us through the Holy Spirit is significantly reduced. If we don't believe He will heal, He won't. If we don't believe He will answer our prayers, He won't. The measure of our faith has a direct relationship to the miracles that God does in our lives. Jesus wasn't able to do any miracles in His hometown due to the lack of faith of the people there. After all, to them, He was Joseph's son, just a carpenter. This was an example of incorrect labeling, which can lead to another blog topic in the future!

 

If we want miracles in our lives, we need to fully believe that God CAN 'do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine'. Without doubting. We need to surrender our wills to Him, fully trusting in His provision. Nothing is impossible with God. God is not limited by our failures. But He looks at our faith and knows whether we truly believe that He can. He has placed supernatural power in us through the Holy Spirit, and we can tap into that, if we believe. All we need is the faith of a mustard seed, which you know, is very, very tiny. In other words, the question may be "Is your faith larger than a mustard seed?" 

 

From time to time, we all need a miracle in our lives. Are you going to tap into that power?