Who Are You Listening To? Isaiah 53:1

Buddy listening.

When you’re dealing with the elderly, whether dog or human, it can be frustrating as their hearing is diminished. Often I believe I’m being listened to—but I’m not. When I call Buddy’s name, if he sits up or looks toward me, then I know he’s heard me. I request that my parents acknowledge they heard me, because, too frequently they didn’t hear me speaking or were distracted and, therefore, didn’t listen.

A leader in my church has often complained about the bias in our modern day news media. But when we were growing up, newscasters and journalists, even if they weren’t Christians, were still greatly influenced by Christian culture. Deliberately lying or misleading others was frowned upon. And although it’s impossible to avoid all bias, because even selecting which news is important enough to discuss within a half hour newscast or included within the allotted pages of a newspaper, there generally was a desire to strive for objectivity.

I recall when “The Seattle Weekly” ran a special issue on abortion. Planned Parenthood presented their position and then their views were counterbalanced by an equally lengthy article by Feminists Against Abortion. The reader was trusted to form their own opinion after absorbing the information from both articles. (I recall the issue clearly because of its impact on me.)

Freedom of Speech is one of the foundational principles undergirding the United States. Our forefathers believed that in open debate, when both sides are given an opportunity to present their viewpoint, the truth emerges through the clash of ideas.

But, I’m supposing here, that with the very nature and idea of truth being questioned in Western Post Christian culture, how a person uniquely perceives the world is now “their truth”. And, it’s therefore valid to push an agenda for “the good of others” based upon their definition of truth.

That’s why it’s critically important to distinguish which voices are speaking from a godly point of view—and which are not.

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no god.’”—Psalm 53:1

When you listen to a newscaster, read or listen to an opinion piece, or news or magazine article, please ask yourself: Is this coming from a person who believes in the existence of objective truth? And, of utmost importance, is this information originating from a source that believes in THE TRUTH, Jesus Christ?

“Jesus said to him (Thomas), ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”—John 14:6

Although he knew Jesus was innocent of any crime deserving death, Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus to the horrendous punishment of crucifixion. Jesus claimed to be the voice of truth. But Pilate, apparently steeped in the humanistic teachings of Greek philosophy, asked “What is truth? (John 18:38)” Pilate listened to the voice of the populace and the Roman government, not what he knew was the right thing to do.

Regardless of how highly we regard a person, they’re either living under the influence of the Lord—or the enemy of our soul, the “liar (John 8:44).”

Psalm 53 continues to elaborate on the character of the soul that denies the existence of the Lord:

“They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; there is no one who does good…Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt;”—Psalm 53:2-3

The Book of Proverbs issues multiple warnings against following in the path of, listening to, or associating with, fools:

“There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”—Proverbs 16:25

“With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,”—Proverbs 11:9

“With the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.”—Proverbs 10:14

“The heart of fools proclaims folly.”—Proverbs 12:23

Now I’m not saying that nonbelievers are always maliciously misleading people. They can sincerely strive to try to be good and to do right, but we believers know how God feels about that:

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.”—Isaiah 64:6

As Proverbs 16:25 above states, you can be sincere but sincerely wrong. The information, or path, the nonbeliever advocates may seem right to them, but any actions not based upon God’s wisdom (the Bible) is leading them—and anyone who follows—down the wrong path.

What I’m advocating is:

Be aware the belief system of the person you’re listening to.

Obtain news and opinions from people who love Jesus and believe in the truth. Or Jewish people who honor the Old Testament teachings.

If the information source is from a nonbiblical perspective, be aware of that. Science, itself, is mere data, but humans interpret that data through the prism of their belief system.

I, personally, enjoy reading books about the importance and influence of storytelling from a Liberal nonbeliever. Her work highlights, for me, the reason why Jesus conveyed so much of His moral teachings through parables. And her books discuss the latest brain science on how the brain retains information and is influenced. But I’m also paying attention to when, and how, she’s expressing her personal beliefs and not just blindly accepting every statement as fact.

God promises to instruct us, counsel us, and teach us in the way we should go in Psalm 32:8. And Jesus claimed that His “sheep hear My voice, and they follow Me,” in John 10:27. So we don’t need to ask God to lead us or speak to us, because He’s promised to do so. I acknowledge by faith what He’s already promised to do. But I ask Him to enable me to listen and the grace to obey, at least try to, daily.

So the bottom line is: Do you want to listen to fools?

Or to those, though still imperfect, are influenced by Jesus and believe truth exists?

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

“Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”—Jesus, Matthew 15:14, equating spiritual blindness to walking physically blind in the world

***

Life is difficult to navigate. But even more difficult without God’s guidance. God is often described in the Bible as our refuge, someone we can turn to for comfort and a listening ear in distress.

But if you are separated from a perfectly holy God Who cannot tolerate even the teeniest sin in His presence, you cannot find comfort in His presence. Only conviction of your moral imperfection.

But here’s the real GOOD NEWS: God knows we’re incapable of cleaning up our act. Even our good deeds fail to meet His standards, but He loves us so much that He found a way to reconcile sinful people to Himself. He punished His son Jesus on the Cross for all the sins of humanity, instead of punishing us. Jesus died “once for all (Hebrews 10:1-23).”

Jesus paid the price for your sin. Because there’s no way you can meet the standard of perfection God demands to stand in His presence (Matthew 5:48).

A now deceased pastor described our salvation as a gift that God has placed into everyone’s bank account, but not everyone goes into the bank and asks the desk clerk to give them their deposit: eternal life. Every person has to ask God for that gift.

How do you claim your spiritual deposit? By accepting Jesus as both Lord and God Who has the right to determine what’s right and wrong. You must accept His authority and His path to eternal life: confess your sin and need for Christ. You can never be perfect enough to earn God’s love, but you don’t need to: just ask for his free gift of salvation.

Are you ready to leave the land of spiritual blindness and become truly awake?

If so, please repeat the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and willfully living my life apart from Your guidance. Please forgive my sins. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I believe He died for my sins and was resurrected bodily from the grace on the third day to give me eternal life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me and grant that I grow in my faith. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of the Lord 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, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew and reading forward, as it’s easy to understand.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. 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 get misled by false teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

How To Deal With Evil, Psalm 37

When visiting my parents a year ago, Buddy ran out through the garage and scurried down the street. I was terrified as he is car stupid and won’t hesitate to run in front of an SUV or any other motorized vehicle. For a dog of fifteen years, he is still remarkably quick.

I used to run track and cross country in high school, but congenital birth defects in my hip and feet became too painful to continue after my mid-thirties. In other words, Buddy was outrunning me.

What frightened me was my total lack of control over the situation. I couldn’t convince Buddy to stop running away from me. I felt totally helpless.

Yes, I prayed between my sobs of fear and frantic calls to Buddy to return to me. But I still felt helpless to protect my best furry pal from harm.

I hopped into my dad’s SUV and we were off, trying to locate the rascal. Again, I felt out of control, fearing my father would accidentally run Buddy down in the near darkness. Fortunately, Bud stopped to sniff at a bush near the development’s clubhouse. I hopped out of the car and grabbed him.

Similarly, I think many Christians today are like me. We see the rapid rise of evil in our culture, and rejection of commonsense and adherence to traditional American values and the US Constitution/Bill of Rights, and feel helpless to stand against this tsunami of corruption and folly. It’s easy to feel afraid. Many times I need to recite this verse to calm myself:

“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.”—Psalm 103:19

I have to frequently remind myself that God is sovereign and still in control “OVER ALL.” Nothing escapes His notice.

However, God’s in control—and NOT me.

King David wrote Psalm 37 near the end of his life, (answers.com claims based upon verse 25). He was reviewing how God remained faithful despite the ups and downs of his life.

This Psalm, however, also encourages the Christian to remain faithful despite evil in the world.

David gives four statements on how to deal with evil in the world.

1. “Do not fret…” verses 1, 7 and 8.

Why? Because “it leads only to evildoing”—verse 8. This same verse warns that anger and wrath are linked with fretting.

It’s true, isn’t it? Worrying about evil and focusing on their wicked deeds only fills me, and you, with increasing bitterness, particularly when coupled with feelings of helplessness. I want it to stop, but it doesn’t.

Fretting is like a boiling teakettle: The water keeps heating up internally. Only one small irritant from someone in my life can cause me to blow because I’ve been simmering and just needed one more degree of irritation to go off.

2. David reminds us that evil people eventually “perish…they vanish, like smoke, they vanish away (vs 20), but the godly person is “preserved forever (vs 28).”

It looks like wicked people are prospering, “carrying out wicked schemes”, “spreading himself out like a luxuriant tree in its native soil” (verses 7 and 35), but their glory is temporary. God doesn’t assist them when they’re in trouble, their descendants are cut off, and “will perish” eternally. They seem to prosper, but as Asaph mentioned in Psalm 73, after he “perceived their end,” he realized it’s much better to follow the Lord than to prosper during our short time on earth.

Conversely, the Lord helps, strengthens, blesses, and rescues His children and even “gives (them) the desires of their heart (vs 4).” In fact, there are multiple promises sprinkled throughout the Psalm how the Lord blesses His children. They may suffer for a time, but can count on His deliverance.

3. David encourages us to focus on the Lord and His power to bless us, rather than worry and fret about what evildoers are up to. We’re advised to follow the Lord, “trust in” Him, “delight in” Him, “commit your way to the Lord”, “rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him,” and “to cultivate faithfulness” (verses 3-5, 7).

That’s not to say to never stand up against evil, because our culture and society would collapse if we remained mute and allowed Satan a free reign. But we’re advised to keep God in the center of our thoughts and not worry.

4. David reminds us how powerful God Almighty is. He’s got everything under control, even if it doesn’t look like it.

“The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees his day is coming.”—verse 13

The Lord isn’t worried that these seemingly powerful people will knock Him off His throne. They think they’re in control, but they aren’t. The Lord can bless His children with “abundance” even “in the days of famine” (verse 19). The Lord can deliver His children out of the grasp of evil people (vs 33), strengthen them when under attack (vs 39), and deliver them:

“The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.”—verse 40

The Psalmist is a realist. He asks us to “wait patiently for” the Lord to act (vs 7). God generally works through natural processes; it can take time to get all of His “ducks in a row” to save us from evil. We gotta keep trusting in Him while He works things out for our benefit.

In summary: We shouldn’t worry but remain faithful, trust God will act in His timing, that evil won’t ultimately triumph as there is a coming Day of Accountability, that no wicked plans survive the passage of time, and God is always in control.

Our focus—and believe me, I falter often—needs to be centered on God’s love and faithfulness. He rewards His children who love Him and try to lead a godly lifestyle.

And isn’t that what wicked people hate most? Not getting the upper hand because we refuse to worry and remain cheerful and determined to follow the Lord Jesus?

Hope you’re feeling encouraged.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. I really encourage you to memorize Psalm 37 or meditate upon it. It’s a long one, so be patient with yourself and learn it in chunks. I’m still working on memorizing it myself.

***

God promises “never to desert you, nor will I ever forsake you (Hebrews 13:5-6).” But that promise is only for Christians indwelt by the Holy Spirit—the presence of God. I do believe God is at work in the lives of all people, as Satan would likely destroy every person’s life if allowed free reign. But nonbelievers cannot count on God’s promises, given only to those who love Him.

But God is eager to shower His love upon those willing to accept Him into their lives as their Lord and Savior.

Do you want Jesus in your life? To be assured of eternal life in heaven?

It’s a free gift. You don’t need to try to “be gooder” or clean up your act first. You just need to invite Him to be your God: ask Him to be your Lord, believe that Jesus died for your sins and was resurrected bodily from the dead.

To believe that Jesus, God in the flesh, loves you so much that He took the punishment that your sins deserve, so that you don’t have to pay for your sins.

Jesus paid the price. You just need to humble yourself to receive His gift.

If you’re ready to invite God into your life, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Father, Please forgive all my sin. I’m sorry for my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. I confess that Jesus was punished for my sin and was raised bodily from the dead on the third day. Please teach me how much You love me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

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

And join a Bible believing church and 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 Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by bad teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.

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

Why Following Tradition Isn’t Enough, Isaiah 29:13

Bud after a shower.

I used a bathtub to wash Buddy when I lived in Washington State, but we only have a shower at our current home in Arizona. I haunted the bath shops until I found what I thought was an acceptably sized plastic bin to wash Buddy in. I used it a few times with a jumbo cup to rinse him with.

Then it hit me. The big, forehead slapping moment.

I rushed back to the home and bath shop and purchased a new shower head that included a detachable rinsing hose.*

Made washing Buddy much quicker and easier.

I was so accustomed to washing my dogs in a tub that it didn’t occur to me initially that there were other ways to do it. I was doing it “the same old way” because that’s how I’d always done it.

I’d love to visit the ancient churches in India that were founded by the Apostle Thomas. But have been praying for revival, a return to a reliance on the Biblical Scriptures and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As with many religions, the people can begin to rely upon church membership or traditional forms of worship but miss entering into a relationship with the Living God.

I believe this is why many mainline churches grow cold toward God: They begin focusing upon good works and traditional church service performances and leave “their first love” as the risen Christ warned the Ephesian Church in Revelation 2:4.

The Apostle John composed The Revelation of Jesus Christ about 95AD while exiled on the island of Patmos. Since the Christian church was birthed on Pentecost, as described in Acts 2, the likely date being 30AD, it took the Christian Church only 65 years to begin to drift from sole reliance upon the Bible and Holy Spirit into rote practices.

God expressed His concern through the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah:

“Because these people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,…”—Isaiah 29:13

The tendency of people to drift into mindless worship has been a problem for millennia. I’m sure you can think of church denominations who now denounce the authority of Scripture, yet still go through the routine of their traditional church services.

It’s the same problem with legalism: Trying to please God through behavior. Trying to obey the rules never hits the mark.

Because obeying laws or just following routines doesn’t change the human heart. Only faith in Jesus and His work gives spiritual life.

It is “God, Who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist (Romans 4:17).” Following traditions or rules doesn’t make a person born again. Traditions can be followed, as Isaiah stated, without any heart or mind engagement with Jesus. And the Laws of God only show how wicked we are, incapable of obeying God perfectly.

The Pharisees thought they were godly leaders because they followed all the rules of the Old Testament—plus many they added that God didn’t command. But Jesus pointed out that you can outwardly follow the law, looking good, but fall short in your heart attitudes or spirit:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”—Matthew 5:27-28

I’m not speaking about those times when we’re tired and go through the motions, but we still actually “believe,…sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).”

I’m referring to people who think church attendance or being good or going through certain rituals makes them right with God.

ONLY the blood of Jesus brings a person into fellowship with God through faith (John 3:16).

The Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of Biblical Scripture to lead someone to saving faith in Christ:

“The sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God…”—2 Timothy 3:15-16

In summary, it’s okay to have traditions or to do good deeds, but when rote worship or helping people replaces reverencing God and studying His Word, then the Church will become a zombie haven for the living dead—the pews filled with people who claim to be Christians but are devoid of the Holy Spirit of God.

And sometimes I wonder this is why the younger generations are fascinated by zombies, because, subconsciously, they know there’s a lot of spiritually dead people walking around in Western culture nowadays.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

*I was pretty excited to successfully install my first shower head by myself.

***

If you’ve read the above blog post, you now understand that attending church and going through the motions or doing good deeds won’t bring spiritual life to a person. There’s more to serving God or being a Christian. These aren’t bad things, but only faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross can give you the “abundant life (John 10:10).”

Apostle Paul explained to the Romans (10:8-9):

“(That is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Confessing Jesus as Lord means that He is your moral authority and has the right to define right from wrong. And is the Boss, your Creator.

Believing that Jesus was raised from the dead, means that you accept He paid the price for your sins on the Cross and was raised from the dead, proving that He is God. And has the power to give you eternal life.

Before I became a Christian, no one explained to me what being “born again” meant. When you give your life to God, He sends the Holy Spirit to indwell you, to be your life, guide and helper.

If you’re ready to join God’s eternal family, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I call on Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I believe Jesus died for my sins and was raised from the dead. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me*. In the mighty name of Your Son Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible, asking the Holy Spirit to guide your understanding. The Scriptures are 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. 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) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by legalism or false teaching until you don’t know the Bible fairly well.

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

*I believe a person learns to love others the more they understand how much God loves them.

Behold a pale horse rides

July 8, 2023 Behold A Pale Horse Rides~ Charlie Daniels There was a mighty nationBlessed above all of creationIt was a rare and precious …

Behold a pale horse rides

It’s Human Nature To Reject God, 2 Timothy 2:24-26

Buddy walkies

Recently Buddy has begged to go outside, but doesn’t want me to put on his harness firstly. He wants to run free and not be leashed up.

Many people believe they are free to make their own choices—but they’re not. It’s a lie of the devil that there’s neutral moral ground—there isn’t. Every human being is under the authority and influence of Jesus Christ—or the god of this world*.

Adam and Eve were born triune beings made in God’s image. But they were given a choice whether to obey God or not, and they chose poorly. God warned that:

“The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.’”—Genesis 2:16-17

The ancestors of the human race didn’t die physically, but they died spiritually. The Holy Spirit, His authority in their lives rejected, fled the human race.

What occurred is that Adam and Eve chose Satan to be the spiritual and moral authority of the human race.

It’s important to remember this so that we have mercy on unbelievers. Every person is born in bondage to Satan.

“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”—2 Timothy 2:24-26

Nonbelievers are not only spiritually dead and influenced by Satan, but the Apostle Paul also reminded the Corinthian Church in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4:

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world* has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God.”

I can verify the Apostle Paul’s comments about being spiritually blind. I had read the Bible many times but somehow was not convinced that Jesus was God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23). It was if there was a fuzzy mental block keeping me from understanding who Christ was. But once I became born again, I see Christ’s and His apostles’ claims that He is God all over the New Testament. Yet, somehow, I couldn’t “see” it before.

Jesus declared that He came to “release the captives, (give) recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,”—Luke 4:18

When we become Holy Spirit indwelt Christians, we become bond slaves of God. In other words, we still have the capability of sinning, but it’s no longer fun. It feels like we’re wearing a ragged, itchy and dirty garment that no longer fits us anymore. Sin stinks and we feel badly afterwards. At some point we finally give in to the Holy Spirit’s conviction and repent.

“But thanks be to God that though you WERE slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart…and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness…now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God…”—Romans 6:17-18, 22

To summarize: Before people give their lives to Christ, they are spiritually dead, captives to sin and the devil’s influence. Even as we shake our heads in sadness at their self destructive behavior, we need to remember that we are all born dead till given new life through the mercy of God. It’s a gift no one has earned or deserves.

As I too, sometimes need to remind myself how I was once captive till Christ gave me new life. And to try my best not to react with anger at their foolishness and wickedness and, instead, offer to help lead them into the light of God’s love through Christ Jesus.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Many people think they’ve sinned too much to ever earn God’s mercy. Well, here’s why the Gospel is called good news:

“There is no one righteous, not even one…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 3:10,23

No one is good enough in God’s eyes to earn or deserve His mercy. He doesn’t grade on a sliding scale. In fact, would that be fair? Where would the cut-off point be? Someone who told one more lie than somebody else goes into hellfire but the person who told one less lie goes into eternal bliss?

So God makes the entrance to Heaven a free gift of love, bought with the blood of Christ. Jesus died on the Cross “once for all (Hebrews 10:10)” people for all their sins committed and then rose from the grave on the third day to prove He is God and gives resurrected life.

It’s a gift that cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:5). Every single person needs to accept that gift, however.

When you ask Jesus to be your Lord, you’re doing the opposite of what Adam and Eve did: You’re rejecting the authority of Satan over your life and accepting the moral authority of God in your life. It’s up to you to decide which Spirit you want to follow in your life—and spend eternity with.

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”—Romans 10:9

If you’re ready to enter God’s kingdom of truth and love, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask Your forgiveness. I invite Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I believe He is God Who loves me so much that He died to take the punishment for my sin so that I don’t have to. I believe that He rose bodily from the dead. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. In the name of Your Son 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, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. It’s difficult to stand alone in an ungodly culture. 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 (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by false or legalistic teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.

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

Happy Independence Day from Dawn and Buddy

To our US followers. Thank you!