It’s A Matter Of Perspective, John 4:35

You left me!

If you’ve read last week’s blog, you know that I spent a week in New Orleans, Louisiana, visiting my brother. My parents took care of Buddy while I was away. They love my furry pal and took good care of him, but, unhappily, Buddy spent quite a lot of time staring at the front door, anxiously awaiting my return, instead of enjoying frolicking around a one-level home.

One one hand, I’m glad that Buddy is attached to me and wasn’t happy about my leaving him. But on the other hand, I love my pal and wished he’d enjoyed himself more.

I recently listened to a podcast by the fiction writer and book coach, Sophie Hannah, who has found fame by writing a new series of books featuring Agatha Christie’s iconic detective, Hercule Poirot. Fortunately, I stumbled upon her website, when searching for something else. (https://dreamauthorcoaching.com/)

She discussed the concept of cognitive bias, as to how we search for information that already confirms what we believe, whether our current beliefs are true or not. As a book coach who enjoys encouraging writers to be persistent in pursuing their publishing dreams, she mentions that if someone believes their goals are too difficult to achieve, then they focus on facts and thoughts that confirm that belief. But if a person believes their goals are worthy and achievable, they’ll interpret events and setbacks more positively and continue pursuing their publishing dreams.

There’s more to her particular application of the concept, as the discussion lasts a little more than an hour, but it got me thinking about whether the modern Christian Church also has a cognitive bias that is preventing us from winning the culture war and advancing Christ’s kingdom on earth.

We must admit that something seems seriously wrong in today’s Western culture: corruption appears to suffuse all aspects of government, corporations and media, and there no longer seems to be a cultural consensus where the line is drawn between being strange or being downright perverted, to defining what moral degradation is nowadays.

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”—Psalm 11:3

But does the Christian Church have a negative cognitive bias?

I know many Christians who are wringing their hands in despair, that is, when they aren’t clutching the handles of their suitcases, waiting for Jesus “to be me up.”

“And He (Jesus) did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief.”—Matthew 13:58

Was it because Jesus lacked power?

Certainly not. God is the source of all life and energy in the universe. And Christ was “God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23).”

But one insidious aspect of cognitive bias is that you act on your beliefs. If you believe Jesus can work miracles, then you’ll take the time to ask for miracles, to pray that the Holy Spirit would work in might and power to claim souls. If you don’t, then you’ll be busy with some other activity than prayer, or wringing your hands with anxiety and earning a massive stomach ache.

I do believe we’re in the Last Days before Christ’s Return. But does that mean we should just consider advancing Christian faith in the world a waste of time? That Satan holds all the cards and we should just accept that Armageddon and God’s Judgment is just around the corner?

Or can we decide to look at our current spiritual malaise and cultural rot as a great opportunity to hope for, and earnestly pray for, a spiritual revival?

Is today’s world morally more depraved than Ancient Rome? Babies were exposed* to the elements if they weren’t perfect or wanted, false gods were worshipped everywhere, gladiators provided murderous entertainment, and perversion abounded.

But what did Jesus see?

A great opportunity to save the lost!!!

“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest?’ I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest.”—John 4:35

Where the apostles could only see the visible world, Jesus saw the invisible reality that souls were ready for harvesting. Where some may despair, seeing degradation and chaos, Jesus saw opportunity.

So, what is your spiritual cognitive bias?

Because what you believe, will determine your feelings, which then leads to action— or inaction.

To earnest prayers for salvation and wielding the mighty sword in spiritual warfare.

Or to binge watching television and hoping you’ll survive till the rapture.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

*https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-roman-studies/article/abs/childexposure-in-the-roman-empire/3410A0618E4B37F1CF1EE52B11DC89F4#

***

This wicked world cannot truly offer you hope. Life is unpredictable. But there is an immovable Rock, a North Star that you can guide the ship of your life by that is true and honorable. His name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth and He died to take the punishment our sins deserve to reconcile us to God (Roman’s 5:10).

Adam and Eve rejected God’s moral authority in their lives and died spiritually, as the Holy Spirit left the human race. When you confess you’re a sinner who needs God’s moral guidance in your life, you’re doing the reverse of rebelling against God like our first ancestors. And you become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) by the power of the Holy Spirit, indwelling and giving supernatural life to your formerly sin dead spirit.

God hates sin and must punish it. But Jesus His Son took that punishment instead, so that whoever invites Him to be their Lord and Savior can have eternal fellowship with Him.

Are you ready to repent of your sin and ask God into your life? I’ve never regretted making that decision. I only wish I’d invited Christ into my life 15 years sooner; I’d have avoided a lot of unnecessary heartache.

Nobody can earn God’s love—it’s freely given. Don’t believe the lie that you’ve sinned too much and cannot be saved. Apostle Paul helped round up Christians to be jailed and executed, before Jesus confronted him and changed the direction of his life.

If you’re ready, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. And help me to know You. I ask in the mighty name of Your Son Jesus, amen.

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

And join a Bible believing church or Bible Study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or 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.

Appendix VI: Joseph & Imhotep – One man, different name?

The biggest stumbling block to reconciling the clear identity of the biblical patriarch Joseph with his obvious historical counterpart Imhotep, has …

Appendix VI: Joseph & Imhotep – One man, different name?

Distressing Situation In New Orleans, 1 Peter 3:15

Statue in the French Market

I recently spent a week in New Orleans, Louisiana, visiting my brother. I was sad to leave him, but was happy to return to my parents and Buddy. My furry pal has not allowed me to leave his sight since my return.

There is a marketplace of independent artists, food stalls and other small businesses along Decatur Street in the French Quarter near the Mississippi waterfront. I love supporting artists who make their own products, so I purchased an inexpensive pair of handmade earrings. The older gentleman was busy making new earrings and pins to sell at his booth.

The photo is a statue commemorating the slaves who had to travel to the marketplace to buy food for the cook to prepare that day. Since the streets at that time were full of muck and other nasty things, the kitchen assistant would have to sit on a bench and wait to be picked up by a carriage, rather than attempt to walk the detritus of the muddy streets.

Fortunately, that’s no longer a problem; the area is paved and is a pleasant walk through quite an extensive marketplace. I was blessed to visit the city during low humidity and a perfect temperature in the 70s.

So what caused me to feel distressed on such a lovely day? (Besides missing my furry pal?)

As you approach the market, anchored at both ends, were kiosks set up, promoting a false religion. Two women stood at each kiosk, ready to engage unwary visitors in a discussion to persuade them to consider joining their belief system which denies Jesus is God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23).

“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;”—Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 3:15

The Apostle John called those who deny the deity of Jesus an antichrist: “every spirit which doesn’t confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already (1 John 4:3).”

There were no born again Christians witnessing in the area to counteract the ungodly claims of those denying the Trinity. These women were wearing lovely floral dresses and standing in the marketplace on a beautiful day to ensnare the ignorant, yet there was not one person who loves Jesus willing to do the same.

I hope, if I lived in New Orleans, I would be one of those Christians willing to do so.

Maybe?

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Unfortunately, I had a tour starting in a few minutes so didn’t engage them wisely. I made a short statement and moved on.

***

I was raised in a false religion. When I rejected it, finally escaping their entrapment of fear, I tried to become an atheist, but couldn’t. Anyone who thinks through the logic of evolution step-by-step, cannot accept that this tremendously complex world was a series of fortuitous accidents.

When Darwin and Huxley promoted evolutionary theory, they were clueless about how complex the human body is. Darwin knew nothing about genetics, for instance, as Gregor Mendel presented his findings in 1865 to the Natural Science Society. This Augustinian friar and Abbott of St Thomas’ Abbey in Moravia is considered the founder of the modern science of genetics (Wikipedia). Darwin published his work, “The Origin Of The Species,” in 1859.

I beg you, if you haven’t already, to leave any false belief system that denies God as Creator. Jesus is Lord and loves you. But, being pure and holy, God hates sin and cannot bear its presence.

But Jesus died to take the punishment our sins deserved and was resurrected to give us eternal life (1 Peter 1:3). When you accept Jesus as Lord, your moral authority and creator, and ask Him to forgive your sins, you are washed whiter than snow (Isaiah 1:18) and no longer come under condemnation (Romans 8:1). You become acceptable to God, declared righteous through faith (2 Corinthians 5:21).

If you’re ready to receive the life of Christ, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior, my righteousness. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. I don’t understand much right now, but I trust You to teach me more about You. In the holy name of Jesus, Your Son, amen.

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

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you as you begin your journey with the Lord of the Universe as a child of the living God. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Forehead Thumping Moment, Mathew 28:2-4

That’s my hand in the lower left corner, just as I pulled it back to take Buddy’s photo. My furry pal got his summer trim and looked so adorable, yet he was refusing to look at the camera. I held his face toward me then unsuccessfully removed my hand before taking the photo.

My forehead thumping moment occurred when I recently watched Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion Of The Christ.” I like to remind myself during Easter season of the suffering Jesus willingly endured to pay the price for my sin, so that I don’t take His sacrifice for granted, or too lightly.

It suddenly occurred to me that the first persons who witnessed our Lord’s resurrection were the two unbelievers who were guarding His tomb. The Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate, commanded the soldiers to prevent Jesus’ body from being stolen so that His disciples couldn’t claim He rose from the dead.

Of course, the Romans didn’t expect Jesus to walk out, after being tortured to death.

“Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone and sat upon it. His appearance was as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men.”—Matthew 28:2-4

I suppose it never occurred to me before, as the other gospels focus on the women going to the tomb or the two disciples, Peter and John; only Matthew talks about the soldiers.

Which got me thinking about how the obvious people who should believe in Jesus, are often the ones who don’t. Biologists, physicists and astronomers, who know how intricately detailed and amazing our bodies, nature, and the universe are, usually are the atheists who vociferously try to destroy belief in Christianity.

Yet, scientists continually discover that atomic structures are even more complex and minute than previously believed. And now a new major field of genetics, called epigenetics, is exciting biologists (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigenetics).

Just reading about the many complex and important functions of the internal organ, the liver, boggles the mind. Yet, we’re supposed to believe that this intricate organ, that affects nearly every body organ system, evolved through a series of chance accidents? Or if directed, how? Or by whom?

It seems to me, that one prominent biologist rejects God because he doesn’t want his sexual activity restricted. But how stupid! To trade eternity for several decades of physical passion, like trading an ocean for one drop of water.

(The purpose of my blog is not to impart scientific information, but to prompt thinking.)

Yet, consider how the Apostle Paul describe those whom the Lord calls to faith in 1 Corinthians 1:26-27:

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”

The Scriptures don’t tell us, but I’m hoping that those two soldiers who saw the resurrected Jesus walk out of the tomb eventually came to faith.

I’ve heard of scientists who’ve come to Christ when they honestly began to consider the facts and escape their training in a worldly mindset.

Just as I unsuccessfully tried to remove my hand from the photo, God’s hand is there in creation for all to see (Romans 1:18-19).

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Did you wonder how I’d manage to tie the Buddy photo back into the blog topic? Because I did!

***

If you’ve slapped yourself in your own forehead, finally realizing that there must be a Designer of our intricately balanced and complex world, please know this Designer created you to be in a relationship with Him. He desires to have you enjoy His love for eternity. But you need to invite Him into your life. He won’t force Himself on you.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”—Jesus, Revelation 3:20

That door is your heart. The Spirit of the Living God will enter into your life and change your heart and give life to your spirit—if you invite Him in.

Will you do so now?

Please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I realize there has to be a great architect who designed this fantastic world and universe. It’s amazing and I’m also “fearfully and wonderfully made.”* I invite Jesus into my life and heart. Please forgive my sins. I want to live for You. Please teach me how to love You and others, and how much You love me. Change my life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Be my Lord and Savior, the ruler and guide of my life. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food; just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

Also, join a Bible believing church or Bible study, and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled till you know the Bible fairly well. Please ask Jesus to help you recognize good teaching, as He’s your Good Shepherd Who leads you into all truth (Psalm 23).

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

*Psalm 139:14

HAPPY EASTER 2023., Mathew 28:6

May God bless you as you celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, from the dead, promising new life to those who follow Him.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”—Jesus, John 10:10

“HE is RISEN!”—Mathew 28:6

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Jesus promises us a new resurrected spirit through His life. But the Holy Spirit can only indwell you if you repent of your sin and invite God into your life.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.”—Jesus, Revelation 3:20

“Your Heavenly Father (will) give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”—Jesus, Luke 11:13

Jesus knocks at the door of your heart, but won’t break it down. You must voluntarily ask Him to be your Lord, the moral authority in your life.

If you’re ready for a spiritual resurrection, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please give me Your Holy Spirit and resurrect my human spirit from the dead. I give my life to you. Please teach me how much You love me. I don’t understand much right now, but thank you for answering my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus Your Son, amen.

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

And, also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by wrong teaching or legalism until you know what the Bible teaches fairly well, particularly the New Testament.

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

What’s Your Legacy? Pontius Pilate, Luke 23:13-25

Buddy contented

As you know by now, Buddy was abused for three years until I adopted him from the foster mom who rescued him. Buddy was afraid of me and tried his best to get away from me till he discovered that I love him and wanted to care for him. I’m thankful God is granting him a long life. He’s 15.5 years old and still going strong. And always thankful to Jesus and his foster mom for placing this little fellow into my life. Every August 21st, I celebrate Buddy’s adoption day as his “unofficial” birthday, not knowing the exact date.

Today Christians celebrate Good Friday worldwide, commemorating the day Jesus was crucified, taking the punishment for humanity’s sins, thereby “taking away the sin of the world (John 1:29).”

That was nearly two thousand years ago, yet Pontius Pilate, the Roman Prefect representing the emperor Tiberius, is still recalled as the man who sentenced Jesus to death.

All four gospels relate the story of the condemnation of Jesus, but Luke illustrates my following point succinctly.

As detailed in Luke 23:22, Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, asking the crowd, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”

Pilate “knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy (Mark 15:10),” not because Jesus deserved to die.

Pilate was responsible for keeping peace in the realm under his authority. He feared the crowd who demanded “Crucify Him! (Mark 15:14),” rather than doing what was right and just. He didn’t want a riot to start or have Caesar accuse him of allowing the Jewish people to follow another king (John 19:12). He knew crucifying Jesus was unjust, but did so anyway out of fear.

At that time, Pontius Pilate surely had no clue that sentencing Jesus to death would be recalled by hundreds of millions, perhaps billions, of people over two millennia. He sentenced an innocent man to death, satisfying the crowd and the government, over justice.

What about you and me? What legacy are we leaving? What are we doing that might leave a lasting impact, but we’re clueless about it at the time?

Right—and wrong actions—that we’re committing today might have a far-reaching impact in the future that we’re unaware of in the moment.

I think that it’s worth considering as we commemorate the death of Jesus this Good Friday:

What’s your legacy?

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

The biggest impact that every person has on their own future is whether they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, or not. It affects not only the quality of their life on earth, but also, their eternal life. Despite what modern culture and atheists declare, we live on after our bodies return to the dust.

I’ve never regretted becoming born again. It was the best decision I’ve ever made; I only regret not doing so over a decade sooner.

Please, for your own welfare, I beg you to give your life to Jesus. He came to “destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)” and to give you “abundant life (John 10:10).”

Now, the abundant life is not health and wealth, but helping you to stop self destructive behavior, over time, called sanctification. Health and wealth may improve, as you begin changing your behavior and beliefs, but it might not. I don’t want to give you false hopes that misguided TV preachers are promising.

But if you’re ready for a life change, please pray the following, out loud, if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins and ask You to forgive me. I invite Jesus to be my Lord and Savior, the moral authority in my life. I ask You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit, to give me a new heart and life. I give my life to You. Please show me how much You love me and lead my life as my Good Shepherd. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, amen.

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

And join a Bible believing church or Bible study to grow in your faith and knowledge. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled or fall into the bondage of legalism until you are familiar with what the Bible teaches.

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

Whose Fault Is It? Luke 13:1-5

Buddy reluctantly walked into our shower stall to take his weekly “bath”. He thought it’s punishment, but it isn’t. It’s for his benefit to be clean.

This topic tonight wasn’t my original intention, but some recent nasty social media posts prompted me to respond.

Luke 13:1-5 tells of a conversation Jesus had:

“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

“And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?

‘I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

‘Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?

‘I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.’”

Lately, people have been declaring that the Christians murdered at the church in Nashville probably weren’t praying enough (said sarcastically by nonbelievers), or that people killed by the recent tornadoes in Alabama and Arkansas were being punished for their political beliefs. These comments are not only abhorrent and cold-hearted, but also dead wrong.

What does the passage in Luke instruct us?

1. Bad things happen to people, whether they are good or bad.

Since the Fall, when Adam and Eve rejected God as their Lord and authority, all of creation has been in a corrupted condition. Bad things happen because the world is imperfect: earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricane, tsunamis, building collapses, airplane crashes, etc are the result of living in a world of sin. Sin causes deterioration, and every living thing is a victim of this sinful world. No one is exempt.

2. People do evil things to both good and evil people.

Pilate was a prefect of Rome who acted under the dictator Tiberius’ authority. The people he murdered weren’t necessarily good or bad, deserving punishment. Pilate was a wicked man (hopefully repented), who actually became friends with King Herod after sending Jesus to Herod for judgment. (For a long time Herod had wanted to meet Jesus.) Herod was notoriously evil, not someone a good guy would want to fellowship with.

3. Because we live in a deteriorating world filled with wicked people, every day is full of potential danger. Every day could be our last. So repent and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior to inherit eternal life after death.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.”—John 6:47

But, lastly, in the first chapter of the book of Job, (which many consider the oldest book of the Bible), God describes Job as “there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil” in verse 8.

Yet, although Job is an exceptionally godly man, God permits Satan to destroy his livelihood, kill his children and servants, and strike him with such painful boils that Job wishes he’d never been born.

So how does Satan torment Job?

Sends fire from heaven and a hurricane, and attacks Job’s herds and servants by stirring up wicked men to steal and kill.

The first chapter of Job demonstrates that Satan has the power over earthly forces, over wicked people and over disease. And the people of earth live in the devil’s realm.

But, lastly, Jesus warned that disease, famine, earthquakes, wars, wicked behavior, lawlessness and hatred against godly people will increase dramatically before His return (Mathew 24:4-12) We should expect, but don’t have to like, such events to occur.

Jesus took the punishment for our sins that we deserve. He isn’t trying to punish us, but to draw people into His Kingdom. It’s Satan who wants to “steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10)”.

So, in summary, don’t say God is punishing people when bad things happen. You have zero proof that’s correct. And please admonish others who make that claim.

And repent, if you aren’t a believer in Christ, because you don’t know how much time you have left on this earth—or when Jesus will return.

Once either event occurs, it’s too late to change your mind.

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Jesus came that “He might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)”. When someone gives their life to Christ Jesus, he delivers a person from the powers of darkness and transfers them into God’s kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13, 15) through the forgiveness of their sins.

God wants every person to escape the bondage of sin and enslavement to the devil and give them eternal life with Him through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. That doesn’t mean a person immediately becomes perfect in their behavior, but that the process of becoming a better person starts as the Holy Spirit works in their life. When a person gives their life to God, accepting Him as their Lord and moral authority, they receive a new spiritual heart, becoming born again (John 3:1-8, John 17).

Please don’t be one of those people who wants to wait, sow more wild oats, before coming to the Lord. First, the consequences of bad behavior are usually more severe than you think they’ll be; secondly, Jesus warns that life and death are unpredictable.

Eternal life is a gift from God. You can never be perfect enough to earn entrance into heaven, so Jesus, living a perfect life, paid the price for you. You just need to humble yourself, acknowledge you need His help to live your life properly and ask for forgiveness.

If you’re ready, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Holy Father, please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and teach me how much You love me. I believe Jesus died on the Cross for my sins and was raised from the dead on the third day to give me eternal life. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your spiritual food; just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest 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, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled or trapped into legalism until you know the Bible fairly well.

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