Substituting their righteousness for His, Romans 10:3

Buddy was unhappy about being confined to the loft, so he pouted by staring into the mirror. He is losing his depth perception and must wait for me to pick him up and carry him down the staircase to the main living area. He would rather roam freely in our condo, doing what he wants when he wants.

The ancient Jewish religious leaders–the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes–rejected Jesus because they believed that their own works made them righteous in God’s sight. Although they diligently searched the scriptures about the coming Messiah, they missed recognizing Him when He stood in front of them, although He’d performed many miracles and fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies. They were awaiting a Messiah Who would rescue them from oppression by the Roman Empire; they weren’t looking for a Savior Who would rescue them from their sins.

Their pride prevented from realizing they weren’t righteous enough to earn their way to heaven. God’s standard for holiness is perfection (Matthew 5:48). They believed that because they kept the Laws of Moses, they had God’s favor.

But they didn’t.

Their self-righteousness caused them to reject the very Messiah they eagerly awaited.

“For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”–Apostle Paul, Romans 10:3

Today it’s still pride that keeps people from recognizing their own need for a Savior. They think they can earn their way into heaven by being good enough, whatever “good enough” is. They create their own moral code, neglecting to realize that they aren’t little gods who get to write the laws of the universe.

Satan also believed that he could replace god and write his own rules of behavior. Because he wanted to be worshipped and make the rules, he rebelled against God, falsely believing that He could knock the Almighty off of His throne (Isaiah 14:12-17).

It surprises me that people believe they can reject God’s rules, create their own moral code, and live however they want, then believe God must accept them into heaven to live with Him for eternity when they’ve rebelled against Him their entire lives. They don’t realize that the rules they hate still apply in Heaven, and the people they despise who follow the Lord and attempt to obey His rules will be in Heaven.

In other words, Heaven would be Hell for people who think they’re good and can create their own moral code. And don’t need to listen to some Almighty God telling them what to do.

Satan must’ve been a great speaker as he persuaded a third of the angels to rebel against their Maker.

Similarly, our postmodern Western culture has persuaded many to believe that there is no Almighty Creator and that they can make up their own rules of what good behavior is, what’s right and wrong.

We’re seeing right now how poorly that’s working out as our culture continues to disintegrate and technology increasingly threatens our liberty and freedom to move freely, to think and speak freely, and to protest against corruption and tyranny.

Or as Pastor Brandon Holthaus describes it: “Our Western culture is circling the drain.” (https://youtu.be/Hu-sL5iwKxo?si=5nmPDPFoZwwo1HQy)

Just as the ancient religious leaders rejected Jesus as a Savior from their sins, sadly, many also do the same today.

But this lesson also applies to Christians in this way:

You can never be good enough through your own works righteousness. You need to remind yourself frequently that Jesus has clothed you with His robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). It’s never about how good you are, but how good He is. Jesus loved us so much that He died for our sins–all of them–because we can never be good enough to please Him. We want to please Him because our spirit is united with Christ through the Holy Spirit, and we now have an undying love for Him (Ephesians 6:24). But thinking we have to be perfect keeps us running on the hamster wheel of works righteousness till we exhaust ourselves emotionally; therefore, physical and spiritual exhaustion follows. He wants us to rejoice in how sweet, kind, and gentle He is.

“For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”–Jesus, Matthew 11:30

Rejoice today in how much Jesus loves you.

It’s not about being perfect, but how much He loves you by wanting to live with you forever. And to hear your prayers. He’s the only friend Who always has time to listen.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Maybe you’re unhappy because you’re trying to be your own god instead of submitting your life to the Lord and trusting in His guidance.

Jesus is omniscient and omnipresent. He sees the future. What seems the right course of action to a person may actually be leading toward disaster. Only God knows where a chosen path will lead.

Jesus died to pay for your sins. He lived a perfect life as a human being so that He could pay for the sins of others, having no sin of His own to be punished for. After His crucifixion, He rose from the dead to prove that He is also God, that He has the power over death.

You don’t have to continue living a life of regret and defeat. But becoming a Christian doesn’t guarantee health and wealth, as false preachers claim, but does set you onto a new path leading away from self-destructive behavior.

A new Christian is like a baby: You’ll crawl, then totter on wobbly legs till you learn to walk steady. I’m encouraging you to give your life to Jesus, because it’s wonderful to be in relationship with God. But I also want you not to get discouraged after doing so. It takes time to learn about God’s love for you and how He works.

Are you ready to make Jesus your Savior from sin and your Lord, the God Who rules your life? If so, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I call on Jesus to be both my Savior and Lord, my moral authority. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. And teach me how much You love me. I want to learn to trust You. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, the Lord, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. You should begin to experience new attitudes and a desire to obey Jesus as you’ve been given a new heart by the power of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. You’re starting to walk a new path in life, so please be patient with yourself as you learn and grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

Please start reading the Bible daily. 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) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching until you know what the Bible teaches fairly well.

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

Acceptable In The Beloved, Ephesians 1:6

Buddy

As you all know by now, Buddy is a bit of a spoiled brat because I was reluctant to discipline him after his adoption as he had spent three years in an abusive situation. But no matter how big of a stinker he is at times, I still adore my furpal and would never give him up.

Pastor Andrew Farley has been speaking quite a bit this year about how the modern church is treating the gospel as a “self-improvement program,” focusing Christians’ attention on themselves, rather than on their Savior.

So that got me thinking.

Concurrently, I started reading a book from the library on the perfectionism epidemic in modern Western culture called, The Perfection Trap, by Thomas Curran.

Mr Curran discusses the research of the past few decades into the exploding, and rapidly rising, trend in perfectionism. It’s particularly difficult for the generations growing up under the influence of social media.

Culture, and families, are pushing unrealistic expectations onto people to be more, do more, accomplish more, excel more. It’s creating depression, stress, and anxiety.

There’s pressure to look better, be more fit, be more healthy, be more relaxed, be more confident, be more educated, be more organized, be more cosmopolitan—just always striving to be more!

You cannot just relax and be yourself.

Enough is never good enough!

You must always be improving!

People are manifesting this pressure in several different ways: overwork, or trying to be like someone else, or not trying, or procrastinating out of fear of failure.

Parents want their kids to be all stars and get into the best colleges, even if it means bribing people. Kids want to be influencers and make lots of money on social media.

And, it seems to me that the modern Church is mirroring our culture by putting the same expectations on people, turning the Good News into Bad News.

Many new Christians hear the message: The Law of Moses showed you that you were incapable of meeting God’s righteous standards, so, congratulations, you’ve realized your need for Christ. Now that you’re born again, the Holy Spirit will help you keep the Moral Law.

Now you can, dear Christian: be more, do more, excel more.

But what did the Apostle Paul write to the Church in Ephesus:

“…He chose us in Him (Jesus) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His Grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”—Ephesians 1:4-6

The Apostle Paul was highly educated and can sometimes create massive sentences, but did you catch his conclusion?

That Christians are “accepted in the Beloved.”

After I prayed to give my life to Christ, the Holy Spirit told me three things, and I surely wish I’d meditated these past 33 on the third much more: “Although I know every sin you’ve ever committed, I still love you very much.”

I was so thrilled that God was real and loved me that I was smiling with excitement nearly 24/7. At that time I worked with the public, and nonbelievers would ask me, “Why are you so happy?” And I’d respond, “Because Jesus loves me!”

Knowing me for some time, they wouldn’t criticize, but mumble, “OK,” and walk away.

Then I heard two legalistic sermons the same day that stole my joy. Since Jesus declared that “the truth sets you free (John 8:32),” I should’ve figured something was wrong with the teaching. But I was a new Christian, so who was I to question these two preachers with massive audiences and worldwide influence?

What was that false teaching that stole my joy and placed the chains of legalism around my heart for decades?

That some Christians were more acceptable to God than others. Christians who worked hard enough and met a certain standard (whatever that is) got to sit at the banquet table with Christ.

And those who didn’t meet that standard—lesser Christians—got to heaven but weren’t seated at the table with those superior Christians.

So I fell out of the joy of knowing Jesus loved me…

…and hopped onto the hamster wheel of trying to be acceptable to God through works.

In other words, the gospel of: do more, be more, achieve more.

And then, we’re saturated with examples of the super Christian, the one who makes us feel we’re failing because we aren’t as good, or kind, or humble, or doing enough amazing works like this phantom superstar.

So, some give up, walking away from Christ and the Church because they can’t meet THE STANDARD.

When they were already humble enough to admit they couldn’t meet God’s STANDARD of righteousness and gave their lives to Him.

You see, Pastor Farley is correct: the Church has Christians focused on themselves and their performance,…

…instead of…

…on Jesus and His performance,…

…His finished work on the Cross.

Dear Readers, Jesus said, “It is finished (John 19:30).”

King David, of the ancient kingdom of Israel and Judah, understood this truth. He was forgiven the sins of murder and adultery because he understood the grace of God.

“Oh my soul, you have said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.’”—NKJV Psalm 16:2)

Relax. Focus on Jesus and His righteousness…

…on God and His unbelievable love and kindness.

He loves you so much that “even the very hairs of your head are all numbered (Jesus, Luke 12:7).”

And, please, pray for the grace to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

And don’t stress about your focus!

You are totally “accepted in the Beloved.”

And the joy of the Lord will begin to bubble out of your soul.

“Praise the Lord!”—Psalm 147:1 (and others!)

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”—Psalm 136:1

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

The gospel about Jesus really is Good News.

God loves you and sent His Son to die for your sins, so that you don’t have to meet His standard of perfection to enter heaven (Matthew 5:48).

No one can meet God’s standards, not even the kindest and most sacrificial of Christian teachers.

What God wants is for you to humble yourself enough to admit that you’re a sinner and need a heart change, to submit to His moral authority.

If you realize you want to experience God’s marvelous love and acceptance by becoming one of His children, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I believe He died for my sins and was resurrected bodily to give me new life. Please give me Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please reveal to me how much You love me. In the wonderful 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 food to be nourished, so does your soul.

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) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you learn how much He loves you.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Christian Spoilsports, Luke 2:8-14

Ah, Christmastime. The time, once again, to torment our furpals with costumes as part of the holiday season traditions.

Just as Buddy isn’t too keen to put on his Christmas outfit, there is a group of Christians who seemingly refuse to enter into the joy of the season and put on their happy faces.

They self-righteously proclaim several reasons for not participating in the Christmas spirit:

Jesus wasn’t born on Christmas Day. He was likely born in Springtime as the shepherds were sleeping outside in the field.

Christmas is a pagan holiday, since it takes place on, and replaces, the pagan holiday of Saturnalia, traditionally celebrated around December 25th.

They claim that the Christmas tree is a pagan symbol, so we shouldn’t put up a tree in our homes.

And a couple other highlights worthy of Dickens’ Scrooge:

You shouldn’t be celebrating with your family on Christmas Day. You should be out serving and helping the poor.

You shouldn’t waste your money buying gifts for family and friends who already have too much. Give your money to charity, instead.

I remember something a Counseling Pastor’s wife once said: “Christians need to stop shoulding on other people.”

About a week ago I attended a Christmas Party with fellow authors. One dour-faced woman announced that she’d just received her license as a pastor (the denomination surprised me).

She scowled through the entire party, her small, bear-like eyes never sparkling with joy or gratitude. Not even a forklift could lift up the corners of her mouth to resemble anything like a smile.

I would never want to be her friend, let alone listen to her preach. As an unbeliever, I’d probably run the other direction if I saw her heading my way.

I remember walking to a church service one night with a group of students from the dormitory when attending college. I wasn’t a Christian then and appreciated that they wanted me to accompany them.

But, the pastor preached that you should never joke or be jovial, but always “sober-minded (1Peter 4:7, 5:8).” As an aspiring comic strip cartoonist, this lecture was a big turnoff to ever joining that denomination. After all, isn’t it the Scriptures that advise: “A joyful heart is good medicine. But a broken spirit dries up the bones (Proverbs 17:22).”

The Christian spoilsports always seem to rear up their legalistic heads during any holiday.

The Christmas tree actually has its origins during the Protestant Reformation. Supposedly Martin Luther began the tradition in Wittenberg, Germany, while walking beneath an awe inspiring, starry sky: “This wondrous sight inspired him to set up a candle-lit fir tree in his house that Christmas to remind his children of the starry heavens from whence their Saviour came.” The tradition supposedly was imported into Great Britain by Queen Charlotte, December 1800. (See article by Alison Barnes, 2006: https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/first-christmas-tree). Some scholars say that the traditional star atop the Christmas tree represents the Star of Bethlehem.

OK. Jesus likely wasn’t born on December 25th. But the early church planted the holiday tradition on this date to turn people’s attention away from worshipping a false god to worshipping the true God, Jesus Christ. Just as they built many churches upon the ruins of pagan temples.

Isn’t it wonderful to have festive Christmas lights and beautiful carols and family celebrations during the darkest time of the year?

Instead of being focused on the Winter Solstice, a traditional tine for pagan celebrations during the shortest day of the year, people are instead preoccupied with parties, gift giving, remembering the poor, baking delicious goodies, decorating their homes, and celebrating loving relationships.

If someone wants to be a Christmas Scrooge and scowl their way through the “happiest time of the year (see below video)” that’s OK. God’s unconditional love shines also upon his cranky children; they’re recipients of God’s grace too and deserve our love and compassion.

But don’t feel obligated, please, to heed their joy-killing admonitions.

Even the angels took a break to joyfully announce the birth of the Savior to lowly shepherds one dark night:

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

“‘For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord.

“‘And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’”—Luke 2

Enjoy the holiday season.

Merry Christmas from Dawn and Buddy

Don’t worry; be happy!

***

Knowing Jesus Christ is good news. It’s wonderful to discover that God is real and loves you immensely.

But too many Christians only preach half the gospel, so it sounds like bad news, instead of the Great Good News that it really is.

Through Moses, God brought the Law, His rules of right and wrong, to show us how sinful we are and in need of abandoning our right to rule our lives and submit to His rule and authority.

But too many legalists stop there.

God makes you feel bad to announce the way to eternal happiness.

Jesus died for our sins on the Cross so that we don’t have to suffer the punishment for rebelling against a holy God (Colossians 2:13-14).

But followers of Jesus are saved, given eternal life, through His resurrection (1 Peter 1:3).

Too many focus on the Cross and forget why He was resurrected. He rose bodily, not spiritually, and walked amongst His followers for 40 days till he rose heavenward with his apostles looking on.

We are all born spiritually dead. No one is holy enough to deserve to be saved, to become born again. Everyone must repent.

But we must repent so that we can be given spiritual life by the Holy Spirit.

Other religions or leaders can tell you how to be good. But only Jesus can give you spiritual life. That’s why He claimed to be:

“The way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”—John 14:6

EVERYONE needs to repent to receive eternal life with God in Heaven. There’s no sliding scale where someone does enough good deeds to get in.

Jesus said that the standard to enter heaven through good works is “perfection (Matthew 5:8).”

No one is perfect, even if they think they are.

EVERYONE is on the same level, and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). It’s the most fair religion there is.

NO ONE can earn their way into bliss. EVERYONE must humble themselves before the Almighty Lord.

Are you ready to become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) in Christ Jesus? If so, please repeat the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I realize that I can never be good enough or do enough good deeds to earn your love and forgiveness. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And teach me how much You love me. Thank You for hearing my prayers. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke this Christmas Season as it tells the most complete story of the first Christmas. The Bible is your soul food. Just as you need to eat daily for your body to be properly nourished, so does your soul.

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.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message) and http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by false teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you as you celebrate your first Christmas, united with God through Christ Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Changing Your Focus, Psalm 107

As many of you now know, Buddy is a rescue who was abused for three years before I adopted him—furever! At first he was terrified of me, but gradually his focus moved from his awful past to his present life full of love with his new family.

I bought a pocket-sized NASB version of only the Book of Psalms, so that I could focus reading a few chapters every morning without pulling out a heavy book.

Most people focus on Psalm 23. It’s a wonderful Psalm by the ancient king of Israel, David. But there are many other marvelous Psalms that are also worthy of our meditation and focus.

Please join me in culling some of the wonderful gems in the 43 verses of chapter 107 in the Book of Psalms.

Primarily, the Psalm describes the various ways that people get themselves into trouble by acting without God in their lives. But when they acknowledge their need for the Lord’s help, He responds to their cries.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is forever.”—Verse one

It’s basically a Psalm about how kind God is, rescuing us from our own self-imposed troubles. Unlike Satan, He doesn’t kick us when we’re down, but responds to sincere cries for help.

1. Verse two discusses how God redeems us “from the hand of the adversary.” The Lord Jesus came in the flesh, which is celebrated on Christmas Day, to live a perfect life and redeem us—buy us back—out of Satan’s realm of darkness and transfer us into the kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13) by dying for our sins.

We cannot earn this salvation; it is freely given to us when we call upon the name of the Lord to save us (Romans 10:13).

And throughout the Psalm, people call on God for help, which He freely gives to them.

2. Verses 4-9 describes people who are wandering “in a desert region” and in great physical distress. They were lost, unable to find an inhabited city to get help. Unable to get human aid, they turned to God, acknowledging they needed God’s rescue—and “He led them also by a straight way, to go to an inhabited city”.

Which reminds me of everyone’s favorite Psalm:

“He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His namesake.”—Psalm 23:3

When we follow God’s path, we discover that the Good Shepherd’s ways lead out of the confusion in the desert of sin and into green pastures of peace and safety.

3. Verses 11-16 describe people who are enslaved by sin and unable to free themselves. They’re miserable because “they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High. Therefore, He humbled their heart with labor…”

Consequences for sinful behavior are an act of love from God. It causes us to realize our need for Him, to change our destructive behavior, so He allows us to suffer the result of our sin, so that we’ll come to our senses and acknowledge our need to follow Him and not our own desires. When the people in Psalm 107 finally realized, once again, that human effort couldn’t rescue them, they called out to God, who shattered their chains of sin.

4. Verses 17-22 describe people who became seriously ill: “Fools, because of their rebellious way, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted.” But when they acknowledged their sin and repented, how did God help?

“He sent His word and healed them.”—verse 20

Deceased Pastor Norman Peale had many different persons approach him, as detailed in his various books, with serious ailments of various sorts that caused them great suffering and interfered with their careers. What the Pastor often discovered is that these men engaged in serious sin, such as adultery. Their guilt and wickedness was the root cause of their illness and setbacks. Once they confessed their sin, acknowledging their need to follow God’s moral rules and stop rebelling, they became healthy—mentally, physically, and spiritually.

God’s word, the Bible, sometimes is the cure for what afflicts us. He gives us instruction, insight, and hope through the promises in the Scriptures.

5. Verses 23-32 describe men engaged in commerce, who “do business on great waters.” But they encountered a great storm which caused them great fear and distress. But when they called on the Lord to save them, “He caused the storm to be still.”

Sometimes we get busy conducting business, searching for wealth or fame, and forget to include God in our lives. Then we encounter obstacles which are totally beyond our control, which reminds us to seek God.

And, God graciously rescues us.

6. Verses 33-38 describes how God can curse the efforts of wicked people, but bless the labor of good people. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the way is death (Proverbs 14:12).” Sometimes our efforts are not succeeding because we’re compromising our moral integrity. If you’re a child of God, He may delay blessing you till you repent and commit to acting with moral integrity.

7. Lastly, verses 39-42 describe how sometimes we suffer because of the wickedness of other people who oppress us in some way, particularly those in high positions of power. But God graciously delivers us.

Why?

“Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, and consider the lovingkindness of the Lord.”—verse 43

May we always seek God in time of need, Who has the power to deliver us from circumstances and people too mighty for us to combat alone.

And from our own sin.

Please consider pointing unbelievers to this wonderful Psalm, which describes the many ways God will deliver people from the consequences of sin, if they’re willing to acknowledge their need for a Savior.

And recognize that He’s good.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

“Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 10:13

It doesn’t matter what kind of trouble you’re in, God is good and loves you. He’s willing to forgive your sin and rescue you from bondage to the Kingdom of Darkness.

He doesn’t discriminate. No matter how far you’ve wandered in the desert, He’s willing to respond to your cries for rescue if you’re willing to repent and call on Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.

Lord: your moral authority and King of your life and

Savior: The one Who died for your sins, taking the punishment you deserve.

No need to get your act together first. Just humble acknowledgment of your need for Him. He knows about it all anyway, so why not confess your need to be delivered from self-destructive behavior?

He loves you and is eager to hear you call out to Him.

After I gave my life to the Lord, the Holy Spirit told me that, “He knew every sin I’ve ever committed, but still loves me very much.”

God already knows you cannot be good. Your sin doesn’t shock Him, regardless of how bad you think it is. He wants to rescue you—if you’ll only call out to Him.

Why not invite Him into your life right now? Don’t delay. Tomorrow is never promised to us.

Please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior, and confess that He died for my sins so that I don’t have to be punished for them. I call on 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 need Your help in my life. 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 daily as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs food daily to be nourished, so does your soul.

And start attending a Bible-based 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 (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled or follow bad teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.

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

What’s Life All About—Really? Acts 26:18

After our first Silky terrier, Buster, died, my life was devoid of a pet dog for 1.5 years. He passed away while lying next to me on my bed. I wept till I could cry no more, although his incipient death from kidney failure was not unexpected.

But my life felt empty without a furry welcome of rejoicing when I entered my house. As many say, “A house without a dog is not a home.”

Buddy isn’t my whole life—Jesus is.

But Buddy makes my life whole.

Just as the Holy Spirit of God awakens my dead spirit and fills that emptiness in my soul, Buddy fills an empty place in my life.

When I didn’t believe that Jesus is God Who was manifested in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), Christians tried to explain the gospel to me, but they made it too complex. As a result, after being saved, I’ve often considered how to make the truth easier for nonbelievers to grasp.

Here is one summary of “What Life Is All About”:

Choosing the god you will spend eternity with after you take your last breath.

There is enough heaven on earth to reveal that a powerful and creative God exists Who loves beauty and variety.

And enough hell to reveal that there is an evil force in the universe who delights in death, destruction, horror and trouble.

The Apostle Paul explained his mission given to him by the resurrected Jesus when he stood before King Agrippa as a prisoner making a defense for his freedom:

To open the blind eyes of nonbelievers by declaring the truth about who Jesus is, “so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.”—Acts 26:18

Every day every single person makes a choice: Choose Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and spend eternity with Him.

Or choose to reject Jesus as your God and remain spiritually dead, in bondage to Satan’s will—and spend eternity in Hell with the enemy of your soul.

Psalm 139:16 declares that we have an appointed day to die when God creates us. Of course, we don’t know the exact timing, even when seriously ill. Only God knows.

I’m hoping, dear reader, you’ve made the right choice and will go to Heaven, spending eternity with the Lord Who loves you and loved ones who are awaiting your arrival…

Including your fur pals.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

I’m hoping that my blog posts are helpful, either helping Christians clarify the gospel in their own minds, or will help someone give their life to the Lord. If just one person comes to the Lord because a reader has been able to lead someone to Christ because of my blog, or a reader gives their life to Jesus, then these years of posting have not been fruitless.

Or if it’s encouraged my fellow saints to hang in there.

Love you all.

Dawn

***

So, dear reader, have you chosen Heaven as your eternal destination? If you haven’t given your life to Christ yet, don’t believe Satan’s lies that you’ll lose your freedom if you do. The devil wants you to remain enslaved to his will and purposes for this world.

But with Jesus:

“If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”—John 8:36

You may not feel like you’re in bondage, but when you are alone and quiet, you likely sense an emptiness in your soul. It’s because you’re incomplete until the Spirit of Christ resurrects your spirit and frees you from slavery to the world, the flesh, and the devil (James 3:15).

Are you willing to choose to spend eternity with Jesus as your Lord and God? You don’t need to clean up your act first, as it’s impossible to meet His standard of perfect behavior. You need to humble yourself by admitting your need for His life and guidance, a willingness to admit that you’re a sinner. If you’re willing, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to go to heaven. Please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and grant me resurrection life. I want to live for You. Please teach me how much You love me. And please replace the lies I’m believing with the truth. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The biblical scriptures are soul food.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. Please ask Jesus to lead you to the right place.

If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two Christian 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 or fall into legalism if you don’t know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Running Away From Love, 1 John 4:18, Part One

Buddy truly is the strangest fur pal I’ve ever lived with. He comes up to me to say hello, then runs away when I bend over to hug or pet him. His predecessor, Buster, loved being held or carried. When I had abdominal surgery, he crawled up onto the couch without any encouragement to lie next to me until I recovered. I still treasure the photo of us lying together on the couch.

What likely caused the difference in their reactions to my attempts at expressing my love to them?

Their puppy years.

Buster was adopted at eight weeks old. He was a bit of an instigator, leading the other puppies into trouble, so his owner released him two weeks early to my family. Buster knew only hugs, cuddles, kisses and affection as he grew into adulthood.

However, Buddy was mistreated for three years till I adopted him from his foster mom who had rescued him from an abusive situation. Based upon Buddy’s behavior, he must’ve been kicked whenever he stood still or his food was snatched away before he could eat it. He still won’t eat his food if anyone is looking at him, as if fearful it’ll be taken away.

Which is weird as I’m the one buying his expensive, healthy food, snacks and other supplements to ensure his health is as good as possible.

Similarly, the majority of people run away from God, even though He’s the Creator of everything, and every sentient being, that exists. Every breath is a gift of life from Him.

The Apostle John put his finger on one of the major issues with accepting His love:

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.“—1 John 4:18

Two dogs with the same loving owner, yet with two very different reactions when that love is expressed.

Unfortunately, God is often misrepresented by the church. People are told, “You cannot measure up to God’s perfect standard, so Jesus died to pay for your sins to meet that standard for you…”

Then, after they’ve asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, they’re told: “Now that you’re saved, you better behave at all times AND your motives better be right too, or God will punish you. He’s standing there with a big stick, waiting to smack you one if you get out of line.“

Christians are taught to be afraid of God, because they’re still fearing punishment. And maybe they’ll even lose their salvation if they cross that line, angering God one too many times.

In other words: You cannot keep the Law before you were saved, but you can keep it now with the Holy Spirit’s help.

So, Christians try really hard to behave and when they eventually fall short, they get discouraged and give up “trying to be good,” or fall prey to Satan’s condemnation, because our enemy always loves to kick us when we’re down. Or, they put on the self-righteous smiley face, hoping they are fooling everybody with how good they are at obeying God, while knowing deep down they’re really hypocrites who cannot measure up, while others think they’re hypocrites because nobody’s perfect.

But what is the cure for being afraid of God?

“We love Him because He first loved us.”—1 John 4:19

God sent His Son Jesus to live amongst sinful, imperfect people for over 33 years. He came, not only to pay for our sins, voluntarily suffering a humiliating and excruciatingly painful death on the cross, but also, I believe, because we just couldn’t “get Him.”

The ancient Israelites could never truly trust that God loved and wanted to bless them. One example is that He delivered them from Egyptian bondage then took them on a roundabout route to the Promised Land so that they wouldn’t encounter warfare too soon. He even sent them out, loaded with gifts from the Egyptians, but they still grumbled and refused to enter the Promised Land when He asked them to. Eventually, they entered and were given an abundantly blessed land, with vineyards, fields, and homes already built by those God helped them displace, yet they continually rebelled against His rule and followed other false gods, even sacrificing their children to Molech.

Jesus became God incarnate (Matthew 1:23) to demonstrate His love for us. He healed the sick, fed thousands, comforted sinners, cast demons out of people, and suffered for our sins. He showed how much He loves us imperfect people.

God isn’t eager to punish us when we get out of line. Jesus already took our punishment. It’s been my experience that the Holy Spirit convicts me and warns me to change a certain behavior. He only allows consequences reluctantly if I don’t change course. He’s not eager to “bring down the hammer” on me. He gives me time to repent. It’s my own stubbornness and rebellion that brings me trouble.

Now, I’m not advocating that personal experience replace Biblical teaching, but I believe my experiences confirm what the Bible teaches, not that I get my theology from experience. (Which is likely pastors often warn not to get your theology from the Book of Acts as it’s a history.)

“But God, Who comforts the depressed…”—Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 7:6

It’s also my experience that God is mindful of our emotions. He doesn’t crush my spirit by slamming me with a list of my sins and expect me “to clean up my act all at once”. He reveals them one by one, peeling away my sins like peeling away the layers of an onion. I deal with one, then He reveals something else to work on. In fact, if I ever succumb to proud thoughts, such as, “I’m doing pretty good this week,” the Holy Spirit will point something out and then I’m horrified. I’m never “good” compared to a Holy, perfect God.

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”—Apostle Paul, Ephesians 4:30

I loved Buster dearly and I love Buddy, despite their faults. I would never reject either of them. I look forward to seeing Buster and all my fur pals in heaven one day—and maybe even being raptured with Buddy, if the Lord returns soon.

The Lord doesn’t want us to grieve Him by acting sinfully, as it brings harm to us and others.

But we are “sealed for the day of redemption”. God will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He’s not going to reject His imperfect children.

We don’t need to be afraid of God. Or run away from Jesus, fearing He’s out to get us.

We can find forgiveness, help, comfort, encouragement and loving correction from a Father Who loves us.

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Once again, I intended to be brief. But I guess it’s difficult for me to do so!

***

We’re living in an age of grace. God’s love is freely available to everyone who accepts it. But He won’t force a relationship with you. He wants you to voluntarily ask Him to be your God and Savior. He desires you to accept His authority in your life, because then you’ll leave the kingdom of darkness for His kingdom of Light (Colossians 1:13-14). Which is greatly to your benefit.

There’s so much more that could be said, but are you willing to accept God as your Father, Who guides, comforts, corrects and loves you?

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

Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I want to live in the light of Your love and leave the kingdom of darkness. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please grant me Your Holy Spirit. I want to live for You. And show me how much You love me. Teach me not to be afraid of You, even when you’re forced to correct my behavior. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the name of Jesus, Who took the punishment my sins deserved, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s good for your soul. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul.

Also, 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 (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled or bound by legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.

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

(A bit of a delay in posting as Buddy is demanding butt scritches, which is very unusual.)

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.

Can You Sell Your Soul To The Devil? 2 Timothy 2:24-26

Buddy is normally a good boy—till the passion for chickie overcomes him. Then he becomes demanding, disrupting my meal till I give him some chickie from my plate.

But a little chickie is not enough to satisfy Buddy’s desires. He’ll keep barking at me till he’s convinced that I’m not hiding any chickie from him on MY plate.

This wasn’t my planned topic today, but last night I watched a YouTube video about musicians who are openly glorifying Satan. Several top, well-known performers acknowledged openly during interviews that they had “sold their soul” to the devil for fame and money.

But can a person sell their soul to the devil?

Some may disagree, but I emphatically state, “No!”

Why is that?

If someone asked me how much I would pay for Buddy, I’d asked, “Are you nuts? I’ve already been my dog’s owner for nearly 13 years now. Why would I pay you for a longtime pet who already belongs to me?”

A person cannot sell to Satan something he already owns, lays claim to.

Here’s how the Apostle Paul explained the lost person’s condition to young pastor, Timothy, in 2 Timothy 2:24-26:

“The Lord’s bond servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to all…with gentleness correcting those 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 from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

People who aren’t born again Christians are already in bondage and slavery to Satan; they already are captives to his unholy will. Satan already owns their soul.

The good news for people who think they’re hopeless and can never go to heaven is this: It’s a lie that your soul is forever lost because you “made a contract with the devil.”

What also did the Apostle Paul claim?

“And it shall be that EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord WILL be saved.”—Acts 2:21, Apostle Peter, his first sermon

And who is that name we should call on?

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

If you think you can never escape the snare of Satan, that’s a lie from the enemy of your soul. Call upon the name of Jesus, tell Him you’re sorry for your sins, and ask Him to be your Lord. Renounce the devil and his works.

Or, if you know someone who believes they’re without hope, tell them the Good News: Everyone who calls on the name of Jesus as Lord will be saved.

Hope this helps somebody out there who believes they’re without hope.

“The one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out.”—Jesus, John 6:37

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

If you’re convinced that you CAN escape the devil’s grip on your life, please repeat the prayer below, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m truly sorry for my sins and want to change, and only You can change my life forever. Please forgive my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to live my life for You. Change my heart and life. Show me how much You love me. In the holy name of your Son Jesus, God in the flesh Who died for my sins*, amen.

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

Also, 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 (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you as you begin a new path in life. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

*Matthew 1:23, John 3:16

Dirty Butterflies, Salvation Part 3, John 10:10

Buddy about to get bathed.

I bathe Buddy every week, unless he gets groomed, in which case his groomer will bathe him for me. I like a clean, and sweet smelling, pup sharing my home.

It seems to me that too many Christians believe that we get cleansed at baptism or when we come to faith in Christ, but then we have to keep ourselves clean. Jesus grants us faith and then it’s up to the Christian to keep themself in the faith.

But what did the Book of Hebrews say on this topic?

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”—Hebrews 12:2

“For by one offering He has perfected for ALL TIME those who are sanctified.”—Hebrews 10:14 (emphasis mine)

And: “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them.”—Hebrews 10:16

It’s very sad that the Christian Church largely ignores most of the Book of Hebrews, usually focusing on the first and eleven chapters only. This critical book explains to the Jewish people why the New Covenant initiated with the blood sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is far superior to the Old Covenant under the Mosaic Law. Christians were being persecuted, so the writer was trying to convince them to leave the safety of their slavery to the Law and works righteousness and become slaves of righteousness by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

When you become a Christian, you become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) with a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27) that is enslaved to righteousness (Romans 6:18). And you are sealed by “the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14),” ie. we’re stamped with God’s seal on our spiritual heart as His promise that we have eternal life with Him.

We’re promised eternal life, not temporary life till we die and prove we are still in the faith when we suck in our last earthly breath.

Christians believe that they can lose their salvation because they don’t understand what salvation is. It isn’t JUST getting your sins forgiven, which is part of the gospel for sure. But, also, being given new life through Christ’s life transforming our own spirit.

“The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”—John 10:10

The abundant life Jesus promised is not the “name it, claim it” prosperity gospel. Jesus asked the rich young ruler to sell his possessions and follow Him (Matthew 19:21) and for his listeners to “sell their possessions and give to charity (Luke 12:33),” because He would take care of their needs. So, obviously, earthly wealth and abundant life are not synonymous in God’s kingdom.

As God promised Ezekiel: “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life (Ezekiel 37:14).”

Now what’s this got to do with dirty butterflies?

Before Christ you were that “dirty worm,” groveling around in the mud and garbage of sin. You couldn’t stop sinning because you were a worm stuck living in mud. But after coming to faith in Christ, you are “born again not of seed that is perishable, but is imperishable (1 Peter 1:23).” You became a new creation; no longer a worm but a butterfly. If you are born again (John 3:3, 3:7), you have a new Spirit within you, Who promises never to leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

When we become slaves of righteousness, we want to please God. But, as a result of our zeal to be obedient, we take our eyes off of Jesus and focus on ourselves and our obedience. Like the disciples in the boat with Jesus during the horrendous storm, they thought they would perish as they looked at their own efforts to save their sinking ship, and not at the Lord’s ability to keep them safe (Luke 8:22-25). They looked at their ability to save themselves.

If a butterfly falls from the sky and starts playing around in the muck and mud of sin, it’s still a butterfly. But with dirt caked on its wings, it can no longer soar and fly freely. It stays stuck earthbound or flitters erratically in the air, till it can get that mud cleaned off its wings. When we confess our sin and repent (change course), it’s like getting our wings cleaned off. We’re no longer coated with guilt and shame and sin. We can begin to fly again like the butterfly we truly are.

Yes, you can roll around in the mud with the worms, but you’re still a butterfly. You don’t belong sinning with the worms anymore. It doesn’t feel good like it used to; the Holy Spirit will keep convicting you of your bad behavior till you repent.

And not only will you eventually pay the consequences of your bad behavior if you refuse to repent (Galatians 6:7), but you also invite God’s correction (Revelation 3:19). He promises to keep His sheep “in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).”

If you refuse to repent and don’t feel convicted, then you’re not saved (Hebrews 12:7-11). You’re deceiving yourself.

But if you’re a butterfly, a Saint transformed by the love of Jesus Christ, God will be sure to clean off your wings so that you can fly free again in your new abundant spiritual life.

Flying free feels much better than wallowing around in the mud!

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and follow me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will NEVER PERISH; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”—Jesus, John 10:27-30

I’m not being self righteous here. When I was a fairly new Christian, I didn’t heed God’s warnings to repent and was disciplined. I’m speaking from foolish experience that it’s better to fly.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. I plan a Part Four about Galatians 3:3, one of my all time favorite verses and books of the Bible.

***

You might realize that you’re tired of rolling around in the muck of this worldly life and would like to be reborn, start a new life by following our Great Shepherd. He loves everyone and wants to invite you to join Him at His banquet table (Luke 13:29). He’s not promising you worldly riches or material goods or no suffering, but the true abundant life: joy, peace, and eternal life in His kingdom.

Do you want to be reborn as a butterfly, flying freely in God’s love and grace? If so, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. I acknowledge that Jesus died on the Cross to pay the penalty for my sins and was raised from the dead to prove that He was “God in the flesh*” to give me His resurrection life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please transform my heart by Your power. Reveal Your love to me. In the name of Jesus, amen. (*Matthew 1:23)

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. As your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul, and the Bible is your 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 (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled or bound by legalism until you know the Bible’s teachings fairly well.

God bless you. I’m excited that you’re beginning your new life in Christ. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Surviving A Spiritual Attack, Psalm 115:11

Buddy injured by attack.

Once again, life has proven that a person cannot predict what a day will bring. I was walking Buddy Thanksgiving morning in the nearby green belt as we’ve done many times. But, apparently, two visiting dogs escaped from one of the townhomes. The chow was not aggressive, but for some reason the standard poodle was determined to harm Buddy.

The poodle ran half a block and snapped at Buddy, injuring his back right side as I lifted him up into the air. Buddy struggled and I feared he’d hurt his long back. The poodle ignored me but kept jumping upward to attack my pal. I love dogs and didn’t want to hurt it, so I kept kicking it flat footed against its chest. But it would not back off.

The poodle was tall. Neighbors heard my screaming and invited me into their home to wait till the aggressive dog left the green belt. It was quite a challenge to keep Buddy out of reach as I ran into the home. A few minutes later, it appeared that it was safe to leave. I thanked Maria and her mother.

It wasn’t safe.

The poodle saw us leave and scampered back to attack. I ran between two homes and placed Buddy onto a fairly tall HVAC condenser, while yelling and kicking the aggressive dog away. A resident of one of the homes came outside, saw what was happening, and began picking up rocks and throwing them at the dog. The poodle finally ran off. Fortunately, I was only about a hundred yards from my parent’s home and was able to get us both to safety.

With my heart pounding loudly in my chest.

The attack was unprovoked. Yet that poodle was determined to harm Buddy.

The next day I was able to get Buddy to his vet who cleaned the wound, shaved the fur away and prescribed antibiotics. Although my mother used hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound and neosporin to prevent infection, I was concerned that his fur would cause an infection. I didn’t sleep well that night!

After calming down a few hours later, I realized that I’d been singing and praising Jesus out loud and giving thanks just before the attack. The dog’s persistent aggression certainly ended my praise.

Was it a coincidence or an attempt by Satan to silence my praise? I cannot say definitively as the spiritual world is invisible.

Many born again Christians I know has at some point told me a story about a demonic attack against them. Mostly the encounters are unseen, but, occasionally the victim has seen an entity.

Now, my desire is not to frighten anyone. I just want to arm you with a few strategies in case you have an encounter.

My number one warning is: NEVER think you’re an expert in spiritual warfare. And be suspicious of anyone who claims to be an expert. The demonic has been around for thousands of years and has far more intelligence and experience than you’ll ever have. They are deceitful spirits (1 Timothy 4:1) and have had plenty of practice at it.

My number two warning—and this is very important—is never stray from God’s word in spiritual warfare. Do not go by someone’s experience but by what God’s word says. Any deviation can get you into trouble.

And, thirdly, you must be a true Christian, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The seven sons of the Jewish chief priest Sceva were severely attacked by one man possessed by one evil spirit (Acts 19:11-17) because they tried exercising spiritual authority which they did not rightfully have.

Now, between screams I prayed for God to help and protect Buddy. He normally uses people (as does the devil) to accomplish His will. I truly believe that those two neighbors were God’s way of helping us.

But the type of attack I’d like to address in this blog is that spirit of oppression, which often feels like you’ve suddenly been draped with, or encapsulated by, a suffocating presence. You have trouble thinking, or speaking or moving. Often this may occur after you turn out the lights and attempt to sleep. Why darkness matters, I don’t know.

I don’t claim to be an expert!

If you cannot speak, you must at least pray to Jesus in your mind and ask for help and His deliverance. Once you can speak any words at all, cry out to Jesus, even if just to say His name. For it’s only in the name of Jesus that “every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).” Only the name of Jesus is given “the name which is above every other name (Philippians 2:9).”

Once you’ve cried out in the name of Jesus, keep crying out till the oppression eases. Then take authority by saying, humbly, “In the name of Jesus, and covered by His blood, I command you to leave.”

ALWAYS do so in the name of Jesus and under His blood covering. Not to do so is to be presumptuous, that you have the power over evil. You don’t; it’s given to you by God alone. Only in the name of Jesus must every power bow down.

Jesus wants you to know: “the exceeding greatness of His power toward those who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,”—Apostle Paul, Ephesians 1:19-22

Then begin singing praises to God. Evil hates hearing Jesus, our Lord, thanked and praised. He wants us to blaspheme and curse God (Psalm 139:20).

I also suggest turning on the light and keep praying and praising God till you’re certain you’re delivered.

Those are your weapons of warfare: prayer and praise and the blood of Jesus (Revelation 12:11).

As Jesus said in Luke 10:19-20: “I have given you authority…over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Two further caveats: “Trouble will come to him who seeks evil (Proverbs 11:27).” I highly advise not seeking out spiritual warfare opportunities and don’t watch ghost hunting shows. And stay away from witchcraft and fortune telling and all forms of the occult (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). Stay out of the devil’s domain. If you’ve been involved in these activities, ask God to forgive you and turn away from them. As my Pastor, Jon Bjorgaard, says, “God has Satan on a leash; so stay out of the devil’s reach.”

Secondly, repent from known sin. But, please, don’t be paranoid about it. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” Nobody is perfect. We all have sin to confess and faults we struggle with to overcome. But if you’re engaging in sexually immoral behavior, for instance, don’t count on Jesus to protect you. He may, because He’s kind and loves all of His children, but don’t presume upon His assistance. He may choose to withhold help till you repent of something you know He’s been telling you to repent from but are refusing to do so.

This is definitely not the topic I was planning to blog about tonight, but the unprovoked aggression against Buddy got me thinking about how evil can suddenly attack without warning.

So be ready. Use God’s weapons.

“You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.”—Psalm 115:11

Hope this is helpful.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

If you are not born again, which means you’re indwelt by God’s Spirit, you don’t have authority over evil spirits. They may trick you into thinking you do—through casting spells or giving peace offerings—but you don’t. They will cooperate in any way to keep you from seeking Jesus and His protection.

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

You see, everyone is born spiritually dead, devoid of the Holy Spirit of God, because our first ancestors rejected God as their moral authority. When you confess Jesus as Lord, you’re reversing that first rebellion against God, by asking Him to be your moral authority and your Lord. You’re asking Him to deliver you “from the kingdom of darkness and translate you into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13).” In other words, you’re confessing that God is the boss, not you.

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

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sin. I invite the Holy Spirit into my life and give my life to You. Help me to repent and free me of those sins I struggle with. Thank you for my new heart. In the powerful name of Jesus, 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, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke as it begins with the Christmas story.

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 get misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible well enough.

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