Are Some Christians Going To Hell? Romans 10:9-10

Tonight Buddy believed I was holding out on him. He thought I made myself a better dinner than I’d given him. I let him sniff my bowl of black and green beans, onions and pumpkin seeds. He agreed that I wasn’t holding out on him.

I wasn’t deceiving my furry pal when I told him he wouldn’t want my dinner. But many decent people deceive themselves. How?

Apostle Paul gave a simple summary in Romans 10:9-10 how to be saved (be born again):

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

So the Apostle Paul is saying that a person needs to believe that Jesus is God (Matthew 1:23) and that He was raised from the dead after being crucified, right?

Wrong.

And a lot of people who profess to be Christians believe this.

And are not saved (born again).

You see, Satan and the demons (fallen angels) know that Jesus is God and saw Him crucified and rise from the dead.

“Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, ‘You are the Son of God!’”—Mark 3:11

“The demons also believe, and shudder.”—James 2:19

The devil and evil spirits believe in God but do not make Him their Lord. This is the same sin that some so-called Christians share with Adam and Eve: They believe God exists do not submit to His authority as Lord.

Repeating myself from other blogs here, but Satan tempted Adam and Eve to be their own god and lord, to decide right and wrong for themselves.

And many people proclaim to be Christians but refuse to submit themselves to God’s authority to define what is right and wrong.

Now, I’m not talking about perfect obedience to God’s rules (Law) as that’s impossible. Jesus was incarnated as a human to live the perfect life we cannot live so that He could pay for our sins. If He had sinned, He couldn’t do that; He’d have to die to pay for His own sins.

But His resurrection from the grave proved that He did live a perfect life, so death could not hold Him in the grave. His death sacrifice was declared acceptable payment for our sins.

What I’m talking about are Christians who decide what is morally right apart from how God defines it in the Bible. They cherry pick what they like or don’t like to obey in the Bible, or decide the rules were just for ancient cultures and don’t apply in today’s modern society. Or they just don’t want to obey because sin feels fun for the time being, forgetting that some consequences take time.

Many so-called Christians want to be their own god and lord.

If you think you can go to Heaven and live in the Father’s house, but don’t need to obey His rules of behavior, you’re fooling yourself. Who wants to invite someone to live with them long term who doesn’t want to obey the house rules?

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven will enter.”—Jesus, Matthew 7:21

I’m not writing this to be mean, but to warn you. Christians sin in word, thought and deed—and what’s been undone but should have been said or done—every day. But a born again Christian has the Holy Spirit within them to convict them of sin; true believers are submitted to God’s authority as the “King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15)”. Spirit-filled believers feel remorse when they do what is wrong or someone points it out to them that it’s wrong. Or they are disciplined by God as their loving holy Father if they refuse to repent (Hebrews 12:5-8, Psalm 23:3).

If, like Adam and Eve, you don’t want to obey or consult the Bible on what sin is or not—what behavior the Lord defines is acceptable or not; if you want to follow what your culture or Professor says is right and wrong—and not God, then it’s highly likely you’re not saved.

You’re deceiving yourself.

Please repent. Because I don’t want to hear the Lord Jesus tell you on Judgment Day:

“‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”—Jesus, Matthew 7:23

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Nobody can perfectly obey God. He’s so holy that only He is good (Mark 10:18). But once we give our lives to God and ask Him to be our Lord, the Holy Spirit enters our inner being to make us a “new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17)” who wants to listen and obey Him. God is our Creator and we’re made in His image (Genesis 1:27). He has an instruction manual to guide our lives called The Bible.

If you’re ready to submit to God’s authority, admit that you’re a sinner that needs His guidance to help you understand right from wrong, please pray the below prayer:

Dear God, I want you to be my Heavenly Father. I want to live with You in Your house forever. I’m tired of living life my way and not Your way. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. In the mighty name of the resurrected Jesus Christ, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations; you’re born again. God promises to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13).

Please start reading the Bible. I suggest starting with Matthew as it’s easy to understand. Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study to grow spiritually strong in your faith and knowledge of God. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these three ministries, which also have apps if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries, but until you get to know what Bible teaches, it’s easy to be misled.

God bless you.

May Buddy and I greet you in heaven one day.

The Consequence of Being Offensive, Proverbs 17:27-28

Buddy wanted my attention so he strolled over to my HVAC and knocked over the bucket collecting water from the wounded unit. I marveled as his intelligence to figure out what would most get my attention while also realizing he was acting like a little monster. But because I love him so much, I didn’t get angry but, instead, tried to figure out what he wanted.

(He ran away from the harness so, apparently, he didn’t have to go outside. He seemed content with the dog biscuit I gave him; at least, he stopped whining at me.)

Of course, I didn’t permit Buddy to knock it over again.

The Biblical book of Proverbs is packed with good advice, which I wish I could live up to 100%. If I could, I’d avoid more unnecessary problems.

“He who restrains his words has knowledge…even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.”—Proverbs 17:27-28

The first king of ancient Israel was a man named Saul of the tribe of Benjamin. Although the prophet Samuel had anointed David, the son of Jesse of the tribe of Judah, to be Saul’s successor, David did not immediately rule over all of Israel after Saul’s death.

At the city of Hebron, the tribe of Judah anointed David as their king. But Abner, the commander of King Saul’s army, named Saul’s son Ish-bosheth over all the other tribes of Israel (2 Samuel 2:8-20), against the will of God.

David ruled 7.5 years exclusively over the tribe of Judah as king from Hebron (vs 5:5). However, an insulting exchange changed David’s status and the nation of Israel’s history.

Now Ish-bosheth owed his position as king due to the good will of one powerful man, and not God’s will. It never ends well when you don’t submit to the Lord’s plans and, instead, follow the desire of people who are fickle and can change their minds on a whim.

2 Samuel 3:6-12 relates how the King of Israel foolishly insulted his greatest supporter and eventually lost his kingship:

“It came about that while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David that Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.

“Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and Ish-bosheth said to Abner, ‘Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?’

“Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, ‘Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show kindness to the house of Saul and your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hands of David; and yet today you charge me with guilt concerning the woman. May God do so to Abner, and more also, if as the Lord has sworn to David, I do not accomplish this for him, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba.’

“And he could no longer answer Abner a word, because he was afraid of him.”

I’m betting that the king of Israel had wished he’d kept his mouth shut!

Subsequently, Abner went to David and made a covenant pact with him to help Israel declare David as their king over all the tribes. However, Abner was killed on his return to his home by a man avenging his brother Abner had killed. (Abner didn’t want to kill Asahel but the man wouldn’t stop pursuing him, despite his warnings.)

With his most powerful supporter, Abner, dead, Ish-bosheth was assassinated by two of his commanders. Then the elders of Israel came to Hebron and swore allegiance to David, making him king over all of the tribes of Israel, the descendants of Abraham through Isaac.

Now, when I get agitated or stupid and say things I later regret, I am not in danger of losing a kingdom. But I can lose a person’s good opinion, a friendship, an opportunity or a useful connection, or even put myself into physical danger.

God also sees and hears every thoughtless comment I make:

“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.”—Jesus, Matthew 12:36

But, also, “there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 8:1

God disciplines His children in this life to keep us on “the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3) and for our benefit (Hebrews 12:5-11). But unbelievers suffer discipline after this life before the Father and Son on Judgment Day.

Although born again believers won’t be judged for out thoughtless words in the afterlife, we still reap what we sow, unless God graciously decides to intervene:

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”—Apostle Paul, Galatians 6:7

So, keeping in mind the sorry lesson Ish-bosheth learned, I’m going to try harder—with the help of the Holy Spirit—to be more careful what I say, or write!

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. All Bible quotes are from the NASB, unless otherwise noted. To help with memorization, I work with one translation.

***

I don’t think there’s a person alive who doesn’t wish they could take back something they’ve said. While most of what we say is forgotten by people, unless they’re particularly vengeful, God never forgets and hears it all. Jesus said, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart (Matthew 12:34).”

We say foolish things because we think foolish things. We are all born sinful, devoid of God’s Holy Spirit to lead us, so we say and think sinful things.

But those who give their lives to Jesus and submit to His authority as Lord, become “a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17)”. The Holy Spirit circumcises the heart and begins the process of renewing the mind through the Word of God, the Bible, and His guidance in our daily affairs.

If you’d like to have your sins forgiven so that you escape judgment for all of your foolish words and actions—and reroute the course of your life—please pray the below:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’ve sinned against You in word and deed my entire life. But I’m ready to submit to Your rule and authority as my Creator and God. Through Jesus Christ all things were created as He is God Your Son Who died for my sins, taking the punishment on the Cross that I deserve. So I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sin. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to live for you. Make me a new creation. Thank you for answering my prayer. In the name of Jesus my Lord, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your soul food. And join a Bible-based church or Bible study and be baptized. You need to fellowship with other believers to grow stronger in your faith.

If that’s not possible right now, these are my three favorite ministries, which also have apps: http://www.LTW.org, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled till you know the Bible fairly well.

May Buddy and I see you in heaven.

God bless.

Created To Be Loved, Hebrews 11:6

Buddy didn’t want to go home with me. I was horrified when, after taking his leash out of his foster mom’s hand and heading toward my car, he bucked around like a wild horse, making his best effort to get away from me. Then he kept escaping from my yard, putting himself in danger. Fortunately, I had placed a cat collar around his neck which had a bell, so I heard him running around a neighbor’s backyard across the street during one great escape.

Every time Buddy escaped from the yard, he was in danger of getting hit by a car. Finally, he realized that I wanted to love and take care of him and decided to stay and stop running off.

God created humans to fellowship with and love. He walked in the Garden of Eden, coming down from heaven, to enjoy Adam’s and Eve’s company. The story in Genesis doesn’t tell us how many days or years that God visited with them before they rejected His authority and listened to Satan, speaking through a serpent. But at some point they did, breaking off the human race’s relationship with the Creator.

But note that God placed his people in a beautiful garden where they didn’t have to toil hard to maintain their paradise. And created an amazing array of animals for the first humans to enjoy their unique companionship. It wasn’t His original plan to have sin and corruption messing up our lives and emotions.

The author of the Bible’s book of Hebrews, verse 11:6, states:

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

I was raised in a legalistic, nonChristian religion that printed illustrations of God hurling giant, fiery stones at people who refused to obey Him. Even though I received Jesus through faith after calling and speaking to a counselor associated with a Billy Graham Crusade, televised on a local station, I still lived with an unhealthy fear of God, that He was out to punish me the moment I got out of line.

Over time, I discovered that God is NOT eager to punish me. He always gives me time to repent before He is forced to discipline me. And He does this for two reasons: to keep us from self destructive behaviors and to keep us “on the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3)”. No born again Christian at heart wants to destroy their testimony with unbelievers by engaging in unrepentant sin.

In Hebrews 11:6, God makes it clear that He wants us to believe He exists and that He wants to bless us. He desires us to have a healthy fear of Him, like a child who loves their father. He doesn’t want us so scared to death that we don’t want to talk to Him or avoid Him. He wants an open and honest relationship with His kids. God doesn’t want us running away, which only puts us in danger, like Buddy did, till my pal realized that I loved him.

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13).”

Since God is omnipresent and omniscient, it doesn’t make sense to try to hide anything from Him, anyway.

Right now I am experiencing an HVAC crisis. But reminded myself that God promised “I will never leave you, nor will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)”. To forsake means to abandon in a time of trouble. I know God is going to help me. In fact, it was fortunate that I happened to be sitting where I could see water spurting out of my unit.

If you are experiencing an unhealthy fear of God, these two ministries are very helpful. Dr Charles Stanley, with In Touch Ministries, has some wonderful sermons this past week on God’s grace, so I highly recommend downloading the app and listening: http://www.InTouch.org. Dr Andrew Farley also has a helpful grace-based ministry (with an app) at: http://www.AndrewFarley.org.

I also highly recommend this book, which I am currently reading by M. Blaine Smith (a pastor focused on counseling creatives): “Faith and Optimism, Positive Expectation In The Christian Life”. You can find it in both e-book or print form.

God bless you.

“Don’t worry, be happy.” Trust in God’s love.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

God loves everyone because He made every person in His image and sustains every breath and heartbeat (Psalm 71:6, Colossians 1:16-17). But not every person is in fellowship with Him and is in communication with Him.

When Adam and Eve rejected God’s authority by disobeying and eating the apple (They had only one rule and blew it!), His Spirit left the human heart. So every person is born dead in their sins without the life of God. It’s only through Jesus that we regain spiritual Life.

“‘Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless your believe that I am He (I AM), you will die in your sins (Jesus, John 8;24).”

“To die in your sins” means that you die separated from God, because He is holy and cannot tolerate sin—not even one. If you can read this, you’re intelligent enough to know that you’ve sinned at least once in your life.

We sin because we’re sinners—spiritually dead. And only Jesus gives spiritual life through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:11). That’s why you cannot connect to God through any other being. Only Jesus died to pay for your sins and can give you spiritual life. You may feel spiritual, but you must be born again to go to heaven and dwell with God for eternity. To be born again means that the Holy Spirit lives in your spirit and has transformed your heart. (No one explained this to me as an unbeliever, so it was a big shock when the Holy Spirit swooped into my body after giving my life to Jesus.)

God loves us and blesses all of us with life. But if you want to confidently claim God’s promises in the Bible, you must become a forgiven child of God, admitting that He alone is Lord and has the right to determine right from wrong, not you.

If you want to become born again, please pray for following:

Dear Heavenly Father, I need You to give me spiritual life. This is a gift that I can never be good enough to earn. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. And fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be born again and become a “new creature (2 Corinthians 5:27)” in Christ Jesus. I want to live for you. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s food for your soul. I recommend starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand. Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, these are my three favorite ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Where Are The Bloggers?

A lot of bloggers that I’ve followed for a long time don’t seem to be blogging much anymore? Has anyone else noticed this? I miss them. Thanks!

Hi. June 24th: I’ve discovered that WP is no longer bringing up every blog that I follow. I had to go “find” some blogs that I normally read. Which makes me wonder if that’s why some of my traffic has decreased.

Where Do You Find Peace? John 14:27

Somehow Buddy senses whether I’m leaving for a long or a short time. If it’s a short trip, he thinks I’m obligated to take him along. He gets angry when I don’t.

He starts barking as soon as he spots me returning across the courtyard. Then he gives me a good chewing out once I enter our home. Oddly, he doesn’t bark otherwise.

When I’m with him, Buddy feels safe and at peace. He’s distressed when I’m not around.

When you become born again, the Holy Spirit comes and takes residence within your spirit. You are made alive, because your heart is circumcised and made new by the indwelling power of God’s presence (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 2:29, Ezekiel 36:26-27).

As a result, the Lord promises “‘I will never desert you, nor will I forsake you’, so that “we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid, what will man do to me?’Hebrews 13:5-6)”

God also promises that anyplace we go, He has us in His grasp: “You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me (Psalm 139:5).”

The dictionary defines “forsake” as “to abandon in time of need.”

I cannot promise never to leave nor forsake Buddy. I’m human, so it’s not always possible to be with him nor foresee all potential dangers. And there’s also the possibility that I could die suddenly and he’d come into my family’s care.

People who do not know Jesus don’t have the guarantee of His help or presence in time of need. Therefore, it’s not possible for their hearts and minds to remain at peace. Jesus says that peace s a GIFT that He gives to His followers:

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27).”

People of the world find all sorts of ways to seek peace and freedom from anxiety: pharmaceuticals, drugs, alcohol, parties and sex, camping, vacations, reading, political activism, binging TV programs—and many other ways to forget their anxiety. The world is unsteady. Evil never rests so needless wars, corruption and economies erupt, with unanticipated gusts of rest. But all attempts to escape the anxiety of an uncertain world and future are only temporary fixes.

As Jesus said, His peace is not like the world’s. Because He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, He is always involved in our lives and aware of our circumstances. He loves each child of His and has each one in His embrace.

God promises a peace that is not based on circumstances:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and the mountains slip into the heart of the sea (Psalm 46:1-2).”

A Christian’s peace comes from keeping our focus on the Lord. Anytime I or you turn our attention to what’s going on in the world, we become anxious because it’s really out of our control. We can do the best with what’s in our control—eat healthy, work hard, be kind—but even then, eating healthy becomes meaningless when a car accident takes our life, or a layoff in an economic downturn renders our efforts moot, and being kind can be misinterpreted or not appreciated by the recipient.

We know that this world and its evil and problems are temporary, a mere vapor of time (James 4:14). Each Christian is destined for heaven, an eternity of joy. Even Jesus kept His focus on the future, on the innumerable people who would benefit from His sacrificial death for our sins:

“Who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).”

So, my dear friends, when you feel anxious, remember:

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).”

Because only God does not change, for He alone is a firm foundation, a solid rock to stand upon (Psalm 62:5). Our future is secure only in His hands. Cry out to Jesus when you’re anxious and worry, and find your rest in Him.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28)” is an invitation that Jesus offers to everyone who is willing to accept Him as their Lord and God.

Jesus gives His rest from trying to prove you’re good enough to earn His love and freely GIVES His love to those willing to admit they can never be good enough to earn His love. Salvation is a gift earned for us by Jesus: He lived a perfect life so that He could suffer the punishment our sins deserved. If He had sinned, He could never have died for our sins, having to die for His own.

Thank goodness Jesus was the perfect God-Man (Matthew 1:23), so He met the standard FOR US to enter Heaven.

But God wants us to love Him freely, without force.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20).”

Are you willing to open that door and permit Jesus to be your God, to advise what’s right and wrong, how your life should be lived?

His ways are the best ways!

If you’re willing, please pray:

Heavenly Father, I want the rest from worry and anxiety that You give, the peace Jesus gives that’s not dependent upon the circumstances of life. Please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. And fill me with the Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please help me enter your rest. In the name of Your holy son, Jesus, amen.

If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your body needs daily food to be healthy, your soul needs the daily nourishment of soul food—the Bible. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

Also, please find a Bible-based church and get baptized. Ask the Lord to guide you to the right church for you. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these three ministries, which are my favorites: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org and http://www.AndrewFarley.org. All three also have apps, if that’s your preference. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled when you’re a new believer till you know the Bible well enough to know if someone is teaching you correctly.

Good bless you. May Buddy and I see you in heaven.