Friend, think about repentance.

God insists that we have it, develop it and repent in full surrender to Him.

Have you done this?  Is it ongoing in your life? ( After all, we sin every day!)

God loves the humbleness that pervades our soul when we have a repentant heart.

After repentance comes renewal in Him. This is the heart He can speak to and hears what He is saying.

Many there are who think they have nothing to repent for, as all sinful actions or thoughts were the result of someone else's behaviour towards them. They had a bad childhood, they were poor and had to steal, they were treated badly by someone and had to become delinquent so others could see their pain, and feel their pain when they themselves became the abuser.

Friend, God knows it all and sees everything and knows your innermost workings.  He's waiting for you to repent and ask for His help.  You could have done it long ago , but you chose another path.

Now is the time to repent.  Those top layers of sinful thinking, and living that you know about are covers for a myriad number of layers that are yet to be uncovered.

The Holy Spirit wants to help you peel off the layers and look inward at the state of your soul.  He has the healing balm to apply when each layer is ripped off and thrown aside. 

Friend, allow the healing to begin.  Reach out to Jesus who died for your sins and ask Him to help you to know what to repent of first.  And then do it.

Be brave and courageous with the Spirit's help.  Stay the course and grow in Godly things. He will get rid of the pain.  You will remember, but no more with pain, just with the knowledge that the old path that was leading to death for your soul has been barbed wire closed to you. Now you are walking in the Garden of God and He is your Saviour.

Repent and be redeemed into the family of God.

Friend, as believers in Jesus, we know that we will walk through storms.

God's Word tells us to expect storms. But He also tells us that He is there in the midst of the storm, and when we focus on Him, and allow Him to be the controller of the outcome, having patience with the process, He will accomplish His Will which is what we should be praying for.

Because He is a Good God, and He loves us, we can be fully committed to the process because He will be working things out for our good, and His Purpose, in both our life and the life of the others in the storm.

Rest in the knowledge that the trial will end when His will is accomplished.  It should not matter how long it takes.  He is working with other parties also and they may not be relinquishing their will to Him - this is what takes time when we know that we are in agreement with Him.

Don't worry or fear as He has it all worked out.  Picture yourself in a beautiful garden surrounded by fragrant flowers and colours with all your favourite animals scampering about in harmony with each other and you in the midst. 

This is your soul's secret garden to run to when the storms are upon you. Worship the Lord there.  He will come and meet you to fill you with spiritual food and water and to talk and advise you, hold your hand, and hug you to Him.

Stay close to Him and He will keep you safe in the storm.

Friend, know that God loves you. Go about each day with the assurance that He cares for you.  Look to Him for direction and guidance for the day.

When fear rears it's ugly head, you must turn to the Rock that is Higher than anything else in life.   The Rock of Ages - God, Jesus, the Word and Lamb of God.

Yes, He has a Name for every thing that will combat evil.  He is Better than, more Perfect than, Whole and Good, Truth, Law, Wisdom, Owner of all things, Lover of our souls, Creator, Judge, Light, Life, Generous, Ancient of Days, the Christ, Redeemer, Saviour, All That Is, The Great I AM, Lord, Merciful, Gracious, Faithful, Commander of the Heavenly Army, Victor and Victorious, Magnificent, Amazing, Peace Maker, King of kings, Lord of Lords, Healer of Bodies and Hurt Emotions, Great High Priest, our Great Hope, the Resurrection and so much more.

Fear is nothing compared to the attributes and character of God.  He is for you and He brings all these wonderful characteristics to bear when you give Him full control of your fearful situation, be it an illness, an abuser, bully, mean spirited person or just plain unbelief from a friend or family member who expresses their anger and hurt towards you. 

So, He asks you to relinquish control of these circumstances to Him. Know you have a clean slate and those issues are being worked out in His Perfect Will, and that fear is dissolving under the Power of God.

He's taking control of the situation, so let the problem play itself out - as God works in the heart and mind of the other party or parties for His Will in your life to accomplish His Purpose in you, the believer's life.

You will look back one day and see the beautiful tapestry He wove and how magnificent and perfect the outcome has been. 

His Handiwork is always Perfection.

Friend, the Lord has given to all of us the Greatest Gift.

Many will not receive the Gift. But for me, I am in awe that He would offer this Gift to me.  I am unworthy to receive this Free Gift, so Beautiful and Perfect, given in Love and All Truth.

You too may have received it and friend, isn't it so amazing what He has given us?!

This Gift inspires me to want to give something to Him in return.  But, nothing I can think of measures up.  I can never outgive God.  This lifetime is too short but even if I had eternity, I could never repay.

His obedience to fulfil the Plan of God for our Soul's Redemption, to die on the Cross like a common criminal when He was innocent and had no sin in Him, but only healed and taught of God is amazing when it is thought out.

At any time He could have said, "Enough already, they are not worth it - too far gone in their sin,"  or " I'm done with their foolishness, they will not listen, they do not understand - thinking I am a leader for their wars and such."

But, He saw a few who believed and He knew they would be teachers; He would leave the Holy Spirit to fill them with the power to preach and expand the Knowledge of God to the few who wanted Goodness; He knew the Father's Plan was Perfect; He knew many would come to know Him and the Father and the Holy Spirit; He was to be the Fulfillment of the Law - if not Him, then who?

None other, friend, could do what He did on that Cross for you.

Our only way to show Him gratitude is to obey His commands, work for His Good, worship and have a relationship with Him as He desires because we would only want His Will to prevail on earth and Heaven.

The Gift is so magnificent and amazing that it cannot be explained in words.  They come far short of how Great the Gift is.

It can be felt by the spirit and soul and our thanks can be expressed back to Him from our soul and spirit.

The most amazing thing of all is that while we are still in sin today, we can reach out to Him and be saved through that work done by Jesus on the Cross at Calvary so long ago.  It is the Gift that reaches out over centuries and still connects withour spirit and is able to save us from damnation, sorrow, and a life of eternal hell.

Don't wait to enjoy as much sinful living as you can and suddenly turn to Him and accept His Sacrifice and slide into Heaven at the last second having been an unbeliever and denying your Gift that thousands of times it was clearly offered to you, because you do not know the exact moment of your death, and you don't know if your heart is in the exact right place for God to allow you to receive the Gift.

Many people falsley receive the Gift and go on living in sin but Jesus may say to them, "I did not know you."

Why?  Because, they are not truly repentant, they are caught up in an emotion and then continue to go on with their lives,  back turned to God, having no outward expression of having been saved, and showing to God a cold and heartless heart and a mind not willing to learn about the Son.

Be genuine and repentant of the sin in your life, and receive the Greatest Gift of all time, show God how much you love Him by the seeking of His Will in your life, the acknowledgement of how He is filled with Truth and Wisdom, and is, All That Is.

Friend, the Bible says that every tongue shall confess and that every knee shall bow but are you aware of the scripture passage where this is found?

Phillipians 2:7-11 paraphased from KJV

Christ Jesus made Himself of no repute, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found fashioned as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient to the Father unto death, even the death of the cross - a convicted criminal's fate. Wherefore God has highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name. That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, all things in Heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. And that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father.

Friend, God has spoken.  He has told us, that all of us will admit that Jesus is Lord, and we all will bow before Him in humbleness and with respect and many with great fear.

There are many who say, they never would do this, and they can't be made to, and this is their truth. But God has said it, and it will happen.

In spite of ourselves and our stubborn wilful thinking, when we see Him in all His Glory and Majesty, we will drop to our knees and we will call out Jesus Is Lord and Holy is the Lord God Almighty.

We just will. It will come out in spite of how we felt on earth. Every soul belongs to Him and it knows it when it sees Him.

At the Great Judgement when He appears before all His subjects, that is what we will do.

As the Judge, He will mete out what each soul has earned, eternal reward or punishment, and we will all know that the Judgement is Perfect, Holy, and Wise, according to all Truth and Law.

Isaiah 46:8-9 

Remember this, and show yourselves to be upright men: bring My Word again to mind , ye transgressors. Remember the former things of old: for I AM God, and there is none other, and I AM God and there is none like Me.

Deuteronomy 32:4 ( bring My Word again to mind)

He is the Rock, His Work is Perfect: for all His ways are Judgment (perfectly balanced): a God of Truth and without iniquity, Just and Right is He.

Friend, give these scripture words great thought. Mull them over and find where you stand with God, the owner of your soul.

Will you be a willing soul who bows and confesses because you have a relationship with Jesus today or will you be one who hates Him and is full of anger towards Him, but bows and confesses in spite of him/herself?

God knows the condition of your soul this very minute. Do you think you can convince God to let you out of this bowing and confessing business because you have been badly done by during your time on earth? Or maybe you just can't believe in God?  No matter what your opinions, God is in control and is always Right and He has left a Guidebook and the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us into a relationship with His Son, Jesus.

Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord God Almighty - Name above all names, and above all made up dieties and entities man has given his soul to.

Satan wears many hats - so beware.

There is One God and He is above all others that satan has created for us to worship.

Meditation Verse                                     

Scripture. 

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God?  Hebrews 9:14 KJV

The author of Hebrews is deemed to be unknown by scholars although most have a preferential choice, naming Paul.  But there is no known proof to date.

The Book of Hebrews is one that we should hold in great reverence as it sets out  proof through using the Old Testament scriptures, to prove the fulfillment of God's Law by the work of Jesus - His Death and Resurrection, thereby acknowledging that He is the Messiah.

God prophesied throughout the Old Testament that this was His Plan but only those people with softened hearts, seeking God were able to understand what He had written.

Nothing compares with what God has done for us in Jesus's birth, death and resurrection. It is the Father's Love, Grace and Mercy at play in His concern for mankind. He does not want to give up on us, but He has set a time and that day will come, He says, "like a thief in the night" - many will be unprepared. They will be making merry and carrying on with their extreme lifestyles governed by evil.

We are sinners.  We lie, cheat, steal, and kill and blaspheme Almighty God.  We have no good in us God says, except we have Christ in us, then it is His Goodness  which we wear, and which God accepts..

God tells us that the Blood of Christ will purge us of our sins.  We are made clean before God by the shedding and accepting of blood by the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, God's Son, Jesus.

Many will not accept this. 

Why? 

Intellectual arrogance - smarter than God, feigned ignorance - the world is not the handiwork of God, rebelliousness - not wanting any authority, cunning - scheming to slide in the door of heaven on a technicality, coveteousness of riches, these are some reasons mentioned in God's Word.

God is aware of it all.  It is written to your account, and you will find at the Judgement that none of those excuses will get you what you want - even though they worked in this world and you got what you wanted by manipulation, overbearing attitudes of bullying and strongman tactics.

No, you the big man or bully woman will be like a baby, with no power and a big poopy diaper that noone wants anything to do with.  All your power will evaporate.

Now is the acceptable time to make it right. You can accept the gift of Salvation and live a life pleasing to God.

It's so simple a Plan, many miss it and think that something so uncomplicated that doesn't require them flailing at themselves in some way could not be the Way to eternal Life with the Son in Heaven.

No, friend, it is that simple. Just acceptance of God's Plan for Salvation, His Son's Sacrifice, with repentace for your sin and rebellion against a Loving God, and boom, you are accepted by the Father and given over to the Son as a Gift.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for the Blood of Christ that covers my sin and makes me clean before You. Fill me with your Love and Peace and Truth and help me to grow into the person You would have me to be.  Amen.

Friend, we believers have a "hope" that defies the understanding of unbelievers.

In our hearts and mind, we know that we will live after death.  Death for us is a release from the flesh and an immediate renewal of life in spirit form where our soul has an abundantly fulfilling life in the Kingdom of God.

We understand that there is a Judgement but for those of us who Jesus knows as brothers and sisters  - those whose hearts fully love Him - we will be judged by God for what we did or did not do as a believer, for His Cause/Will.

Unbelievers will be judged also, and for them there is no hope.  They will receive a just sentence, but it will bring much "gnashing of teeth."  Every unbeliever no matter how proud and ferocious here on the earth, will be full of fear as they stand before Almighty God. 

There is no fooling God.  He has seen all and He knows all. What worked (lies and cunning) on the earth will no longer carry weight in an argument with God Himself.

God is Just and His Law is Perfect. Meditate on what this means for you and; see the holes in your earthly arguments; turn to God; recognize the Way He has made for you to change yourself from an unbeliever to a believer. 

His Son Jesus, paid the price for you to, in an instant, make the  move and become a Kingdom dweller, sitting at the banquet of Joy in Heaven.

Friend, if you have not accepted the Wonderful Gift of Grace and Love, you must do it soon.  God loves you deeply to the core of your being and He wants you to recognize the error of your ways and invite Him into your heart and mind. He will deal with you kindly and lovingly.

Choose now! Don't put it off.