Happy New Year

Happy New Year

"This is a time for reflection as well as celebration.

As you look back on the past year and all that has taken place in your life,

Remember each experience for the good that has come of it and for the knowledge you have gained.

Remember the efforts you have made and the goals you have reached.

Remember the love you have shared and the happiness you have brought.

Remember the laughter, the joy, the hard work, and the tears.

And as you reflect on the past year, also be thinking of the new one to come.

Because most importantly, this is a time of new beginnings and the celebration of life, the new life that God has given."

Spiritual Abuse

Spiritual Abuse

Spiritual Abuse can happen within a church when the following criteria is from the leadership of a church.

When leadership does not understand the purpose of a person then abuse is inevitable. God is the most purposable being in the universe.

Leadership is about falling in love with the people and people falling in love with God as they respond to the love shown them.

Leadership should not be using people as a tool to promote an agenda or program, God is more interested in the  person than what that person can do for Him, or what we become rather than what we've done.

Leadership is about serving the people with selflessness, sacrifice, and putting the people ahead of personal interest.

John 13:1-38; Matthew 20:25-28, Philippians 2:3-4; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 5:1-11

Church and Management

Church and Management

There has been an incorporation of Corporate/Political style management into the Church over the last century that has been to the detriment of the gospel, discipleship, and the Church. My hope is that as you read this that the Lord with the accompaniment of the Holy Spirit may reveal what is being taught here even though this may fly into the face of the majority of Churches and Christians today to teach you how to lead.

What Jesus taught to us and later revealed to us through the Gospels and Epistles is that leadership in the Church should be a servant-leader. Corporate/Political leadership has the top down effect. The leader on top and everyone else below in their subservient roles. The servant-leader is the opposite of this. The servant-leader is the servant to everyone else or has the bottom up approach. Which means that the lives and agendas of others takes precedence over the servant-leader. The servant-leader holds others in higher esteem then oneself (Philippians 2:3-4). In Ephesians 4:11-13 the Churches plan is for leadership to give towards others so that others will do the work of the ministry. The purpose of this is so the body will be built up, reach unity in the faith, knowledge of the Son of God, become mature, and attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

In Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul describes the Church as Jesus Christ being the head over everything for the Church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way. You take one person not being allowed to be taught and matured will not allow the fullness of Christ to be represented. The servant-leader who gets in the way and does not allow to have someone else’s life to take precedence will stop the process of maturity and fullness of Christ from happening.

Matthew 20:25-28 shows Jesus Christ teaching us this very principal of the bottom up approach to leadership. Jesus after learning that the Son’s of Thunder (James and John) wanted to sit at Jesus’ right and left proposed an alternate method of leadership. Present day leadership wants to Lord it over you and exercise authority over you but it should not be with you (talking with Jesus’ disciples). But Jesus continues and says if any of you want to be great in the kingdom than one must be servant and even slave to all. Jesus then tells the disciples that He did not come to be served but to serve. Jesus takes an additional step by saying that His life is to be given as ransom to others.  Price for redeeming or liberating slaves, captives, property, life is to die to oneself.  Jesus described his entire ministry as one of service in giving his Life as a ransom for many (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45).

There is a cost to a servant-leader and that is to promote others above oneself. That oneself is to die to their own life. The rest of the life of a servant-leader is to help others reach the fullness of Christ. When one loves others above oneself is producing the new commandment in John 13:34-35; John 15:12 that tells us we are to love others as Christ has loved us. Christ loves others by ransoming His life so that others will benefit. How much are you or your Church leadership giving or ransoming their lives to benefit others above their own life, positions, and agendas?

It saddens me and am sure that it grieves the Holy Spirit that most Churches, ministries, and para-church ministries want the Holy Spirit to move but He does not. Most of the time it is due to the management style of that ministry. When it is using the worldly way of management and not the Jesus taught way of management the people are being controlled and held back. Thus squashing or grieving the Holy Spirit in that particular person or churches  life. When that happens exponentially across the board then the Holy Spirit is stopped in His tracks. Those ministries need to stop being conformed to this world and let the Jesus management style of His church to run free. Where there is freedom, there is the Holy Spirit being set loose to do the job that God has sent Him to do. We as leaders need to come along side of and help others to grow even at our own cost. True discipleship is in the servant-leadership form. The question to ask is are you or your Church using and demonstrating this type of management style? If not, then what are you going to do about it?

The Prayer and Need for Inclusion for Volunteer's in Church

The Prayer and Need for Inclusion for Volunteer's in Church

What are the volunteers serving in your church thinking? What are their hopes, dreams and needs? During the last 28 years, I have had the privilege of serving on a church staff and two missions as a Pastor and Chaplain, but the vast majority of my time has been as a volunteer.

To assist pastors and church leaders with better connecting with those who have made the strategic choice to leverage their marginal time and talent to serve others, the following are 10 things volunteers wish their pastor knew about them:

1. We desperately want to make a difference with our one and only life. Everyone wants to live a life of significance. Henry David Thoreau — 'Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.' We have decided the best place to make a difference is our local church and we do not want to go to the grave with the song being unsung.

2. Our time is valuable, so be organized and tell us what to do. We live very busy lives. When we show up to serve, please have us something important for us to do, and be well organized.

3. We want to serve in the context of community. People begin serving at a church for two reasons: first, to do something significant; second, to make friends. Pastors and church leaders need to always build a time of community into every volunteer effort.

4. Our opinion matters. We make important organizational decisions in the marketplace every day of our lives. We build teams and leverage resources. We are also at Ground Zero in regard to what is happening at the church. Smart pastors seek out and value our thoughts and insights. Don’t marginalize us.

5. We want influence, not position. It is a common misconception that if you give someone a title, it will please them. Titles are not bad things, but they fail in comparison to influence. Many leaders in church think that volunteers are after a position and that is quite the contrary. So the church leaders bypass the volunteer and cut off the very people that can greatly help and create exclusion rather than inclusion into the mindset of the volunteer.

6. We want our efforts to be an integral part of making the church’s vision a reality. Volunteers want to know what they are doing makes a difference in the overall scheme of things and is not just a busy task. The difference for one who is paid and one who just volunteers is that the only reason the volunteer has is because they love it, keep that in mind.

7. We want to continue to grow spiritually. The core desire of our hearts is to be connected with the heart of God.

8. All we want is for someone to say, “Thank you. You made a difference today.” Everyone wants to be told they are wanted and to be included. A simple expression of genuine thanks deepens the relationship with the church and inspires our continued efforts.

9. We want you to ask us to serve. The number one reason a person joins a cause or team is because someone asks them. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of qualified volunteers at your church who would love to serve if someone would just ask them.

10. We want the freedom to take a break when we need one. This is critical. There are seasons in your life when you are just tired or have little margin. There must be freedom to take a break for a season. If not, when a volunteer leaves a ministry position, they often leave the church as well because they feel they have no other options.

Pastors and church leaders, I know you appreciate and love your volunteers. We all know you could not get by without them. I trust this post will help you better connect with them and serve them in the way that you wish to.

Backdoor Revival

Do you sense a depression in the body of Christ in America, as if something is badly wrong? We’re losing influence within our culture as the anti-Christian sentiment grows, yet you’d never know it in most churches—the media, lights, music and preaching rolls on as if all is well.

The situation is exacerbated by this simple fact: We don’t have our act together in the body of Christ. Too often people come to the church, are deeply disappointed and as a result are turned off from the gospel. The church promises solutions but only offers lip service. We’ve become excellent at giving people a show on Sunday but lousy at showing them how to actually live. In fact, most church members are as bound up as those in the world—they’re in financial bondage, struggling with addictions and their families are in disarray.

This includes leaders in the church. I believe, as John Maxwell says, that everything rises and falls based on leadership. So allow me to address the leadership situation within the church community.

Churches and ministries typically grow when leaders are passionate and have a vision. It doesn’t matter if they have seminary degrees; if they can preach the gospel and if people gravitate to them, they suddenly have a growing church! Anointing is more important than academics. That’s partly why our churches are growing while other areas of the body aren’t.

But there’s a dark underbelly to church leadership too. Often the leaders are theologically untrained and veer from biblical doctrine. What else can explain the numerous—and usually public—theological gaffes such as Benny Hinn preaching that God is nine gods or Eddie Long being paraded around his church as a crowned king (amid a sex scandal)?

As troubling as sloppy theology is, I’m equally disturbed by leaders’ behind-the-scenes attitudes toward their flocks. The church community obviously isn’t the only one with “my way or the highway” leaders. But I’ve heard far too many pastors joke in private about having a “backdoor revival” before their church could move ahead. Translation: They had to make some people leave. They feel that God is telling them they are not their pastor anymore. Then these same leaders question why so many people have come through their doors and no one is staying. The Holy Spirit is hampered and these leaders have a form of godliness but denying its power.

I recently spoke with four friends about why it’s hard to find a good church. They are successful financially and are passionate believers. On the surface, they’re what every pastor needs. Yet after being active in a local church, they both became disillusioned with what they saw and how they were treated. As they recounted stories of how pastors felt threatened by their powerful personalities and positions, I felt sorry for my friends (for never experiencing the community they sought) and for the insecure leaders they served.

Countless other mature Christians have been so wounded by leadership that they stay home on Sunday and “go to church” by watching Charles Stanley or Jack Hayford. They get a good message, some good music and an opportunity to “tithe” to that ministry. Sometimes this is a transitional period. Too often it’s not.

But this isn’t Christian community. Aren’t we supposed to assemble with other believers? Aren’t we supposed to bring a hymn or a Scripture or a prophetic word when we meet? In larger churches this need is met in small groups or in various ministries of the church. There are many examples of healthy churches where this happens. But too often it isn’t.

So what’s the answer? I believe more church leaders need to be pastored, mentored and discipled themselves. Like the rest of us, they need accountability and true relationship, which produces a spirit of humility and servanthood rather than an “I’m the bishop, serve me” mentality or follow the leader and if you don’t then create ways of alienation for them to leave.

Leaders are held to a higher standard. Paul’s letters are full of specific directives for Christian leaders. Jesus said it’s better for someone to be cast into the sea with a millstone around their neck than to cause one person to stumble (Mark 9:42). It’s time for us to wake up and see what’s happening. There is a lost world to be won. There are “sheep” who need to be nurtured, fed and discipled in the things of God. It’s the only way a believer can survive in this increasingly difficult cultural environment!

Until this happens, people—like my friends—will feel as if they’re drifting. They’ll never really find their place in the body of Christ. And sooner or later, they will “vote with their feet” by going somewhere else—or worse still, nowhere.

Indifference

Holocaust survivor Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel once said, “The opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy; it’s indifference. The opposite of life is not death; it’s indifference.”

In Luke 10:25-37 is the wonderful story of the Good Samaritan. It is the story that is being played out time and time again in our society in the last few decades. In this passage Jesus tells a story to a lawyer who was trying to justify his own existence of indifference. This lawyer was trying to look important to those in his sphere of influence by trying to cozy up to the great teacher. He was debating, or better yet discussing his way by showing how good his knowledge of the word of God was. Of course Jesus saw right through it and went right to the heart of the issue of indifference.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?”"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 

Jesus said this man had answered correctly. Indeed, he gave the exact answer that Jesus later gave in response to the same question (Mt 22:36-40). This was very unusual among the Jewish religious leaders and shows that this lawyer had some great truths revealed to him by God. However, Lu 10:29 shows that he did not yield himself to this revelation but sought to justify his own actions before God.

Just as with this lawyer, pride causes many people to resist the truth of justification by faith in the grace of God (Eph 2:8, Lu 10:29). This lawyer loved himself and the public recognition his "holy acts" gave him. He was not willing to love God first and his fellow man ahead of himself. This was not a sincere question on the lawyer's part but rather an evasive question seeking to shun responsibility. This man was seeking to be justified in the sight of God through his actions. 

He knew he had not loved everyone as he loved himself, so he was trying to interpret the scripture (Le 19:18) in a way that would conform to his actions. He wanted to define "neighbor" as just his close friends whom he had treated well. Jesus, through this parable, however, defined a neighbor as any fellow human being that crosses our path and is in need of our assistance. It is always wrong to try to interpret God's Word in a way that will match our experiences. We should instead make our experiences match God's Word.

Jesus taught repentance and faith as the means of justification with God (Mt 4:17 with John 6:28-29, and Luke 18:9-14). This lawyer was seeking to be right with God on the basis of his own actions. Self-justification always produces excuses, while repentance and faith toward God produces obedience.

This question of "Who is my neighbor?" can be used by Satan to deceive us in more than one way. Not only can he deceive us into thinking we have fulfilled the command to "love thy neighbor as thyself" when we haven't, but he will also try to apply this command in a way that condemns those of us who are seeking to fulfill it by making us think we are not doing enough. We cannot meet the needs of every single person in the world. Jesus wasn't teaching that. This wounded man was directly in the path of these three men. The priest and the Levite had to walk around him. The priest and the Levite were indifferent to the needs of someone who they only saw. We see people and their needs all the time, but we see past them and do not really look. We become hard hearted because people don’t fit into the category of how we want to help. So we just pass on by seeing but not really seeing. Our hearts are closed off or just hard. Jesus was simply teaching that we should take advantage of the opportunities we have. The fact that we can't help everyone is no excuse not to help anyone. When we develop the excuse is when we are indifferent.

Indifference is the great sin of our time. In Revelation chapter three John the beloved apostle describes seven churches and the seventh one is the church of Laodicea, neither hot, nor cold, but lukewarm. Lukewarm is indifference. Jesus replies “You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. “

We need to see, indifference has blinded us to the needs of people around us. Indifference is the sign of the Laodicean church, the church of the last days.

Why I'm Ashamed of the American Church

12:00PM EST 1/18/2013 DANITA ESTRELLA

The gospel in my Bible is dramatically different from that preached in many churches.

I spend most of my time on the mission field in Haiti. Yet when I come to the U.S., I am reluctant to go to church. It's embarrassing to admit, but it's true. Often I hesitate to walk through the church doors.

I continually ask myself, Why? I love God with all my heart, I love His people and I love His Word.

So then, what is the problem?

My struggle stems from the fact that the gospel I read in my Bible is dramatically different from the gospel that is preached in many American churches today. Before I explain, let me give you some background.

First, I believe in prosperity. I am a mother to 72 children, and 504 children sit at my lunch table daily.

I moved to Haiti alone in 1999 with a promise from God: "Go, and I will be with you." Though the early years were marked with pain and hardship, in the last eight years, the Lord has blessed me beyond measure.

Second, I believe in healing. I have to! Good medical care is nonexistent where I live in Haiti.

In 2002, my 3-year-old boy, Guy, was dying of AIDS. His face looked skeletal, his eyes had sunken in, and he refused to eat or drink.

It was my faith and prayers of desperation that brought him back to life. Today, he is 8 years old, healthy and beautiful.

Third, I am a woman of faith. In 2001, the property that I had purchased was a cactus field. Today, we have a church, a school and two orphanages.

I do not consider myself to be a "poverty-mentality" missionary. I believe God's people should be blessed.

But when was the last time you heard a teaching on suffering? Why does the church love to teach on Hebrews 11, the chapter of faith, but conveniently stop at verse 34?

Verses 36-39 state of the heroic saints who went before us: "Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them.

"They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised" (NIV).

Why do we not teach new converts Philippians 1:29? "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him."

Not many churches today are raising up a generation of men and women who are prepared to risk it all for the sake of the gospel. Why? Because we have omitted the teaching about suffering saints.

Could this be the reason that the American missionary is becoming a dying breed and most of them who do go, do not return for a second term?

Do I think the church should stop preaching about the blessings of God? No. I believe the church should teach that God is an intimate God. He deals with us as individuals.

He may require something from you that He does not require from others. We are not all chosen to walk the same road.

The apostle Paul was beheaded in prison, but prior to his death he told Timothy to endure hardship as a good soldier (see 2 Tim. 2:3). Peter's final words to the church were "Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps" (1 Pet. 2:21).

You may never have to give your life for the gospel, but would you be willing? When God hears the cries of His people, He looks for a deliverer. And the deliverer He calls may be you.

The message of the cross can be summed up in two words: "Follow Me." Today, the eyes of the Lord are going to and fro throughout the earth and He is asking: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?"

Can you honestly say, "Here I am, Lord, send me"?

Danita Estrella is the founder of Hope for Haiti Children's center, a ministry that provides food, clothing, education, medical care and the teaching of the gospel to impoverished children in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. She has lived in Haiti since 1999. For more information, go to danitaschildren.org.

New, new, new!

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 15:5-6 (NIV)

A new idea, a new project, a new goal, or new adventure seems to come pre-packaged with a dose of adrenaline, anticipation, and excitement.  The residue of simply thinking about the possibilities can power an electric plant!

For some of us, it takes time to warm up to… or buy into taking on something new.  The fear of change, the thought of pouring energy into change, and the resistance that change brings – keeps many on the bench and far from those tingling nerve endings that emerge when embarking on a new path.

We can spend all of our resources inviting people to change.  We get caught up in their emotional highs and soak up the outflow of the energy they produce – and we push forward together.  Getting started… making change… easy.  Staying the course, pressing on, breaking through, and pushing beyond the re-boot… takes fierce persistence.

We consume our fuel and pour it all into new beginnings… hoping someone will refill the tank to help us continue.  In any new plan… we need gas!

As Christians, we can soak up the excitement of new beginnings with our buddies – that’s easy work.  But we should be prepared to encourage one another as our resolutions lose their resolve – and we hit the wall.  Reach out today – find someone who’s sluggish – give them fuel.  They are hungry for the boost.


by Jeremiah
Argument plus depiction still offer a potent combination. Argument without depiction risks being dull to all but highly motivated specialists, while depiction without argument risks confusion and even appropriation by contrary convictions. But argument and depiction that is worked out in life produces the abundant fruit for all to eat.

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf

Proverbs 11:28- "Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf." A truly righteous man not only trusts in the Lord in all situations, but is patient in doing so.
God calms the storm in His time; knowing the exact duration of fire needed to perfect His work, for His glory; which in turn produces fruit in our lives richly. Praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for always being right on time!

The Performance Gospel

Galatians 5:1-4
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

In Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast" is an expression of the Greek word "STEKO." STEKO means "to stand firm...persevere...to hold one's ground" (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon). Just as countries must persevere to maintain freedom and protection of their rights, so also must we stand fast in protecting our spiritual freedom.

Paul's admonition to "stand fast" also reveals that our freedom in Christ doesn't function automatically. We have a part to play. Our adversary, the devil, is always seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8). Legalism is one of his greatest weapons, and we must resist every attempt he makes to draw us back into self-effort (1Pe 5:9).

When you see the word "therefore," you need to stop and think what that word is there for. The word links what Paul was saying here with what he said in the previous verses.

Paul had just compared being under the Law to being a descendant of the slave woman, Hagar, and therefore not an heir of the promises of God ( Ga 4:22). Therefore, since none of us want to be cast out from the inheritance of God, we need to steadfastly defend our liberty that we have received through faith in Christ.

The word "liberty" means "1.a. The condition of being free from restriction or control. b. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one's own choosing. c. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor" (American Heritage Dictionary). The liberty that Paul was speaking of is specifically the freedom from the oppression of the Old Testament Law ( Ro 3:19).

Of course, Paul was not out of control. He was controlled by his love for the Lord instead of his fear of punishment for breaking the O.T. Law. Paul made it clear in Ga 5:13-15 that this liberty is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin. If we use our freedom in Christ to indulge our sinful passions, we will pay a price ( Ga 5:15).

The word "entangled" in Greek carries the idea of being "ensnared or held in a net" (Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament). The bondage that had ensnared the Galatians was the Law's demands in which they were trying to find God's favor or acceptance through performance.

God paid the ultimate price for our liberty. Freedom from self-justification through the Law was purchased by Christ upon the cross. We must never let anything or anyone bring us back into bondage again.

The context makes it very clear that this "yoke of bondage" that Paul was speaking of is the Old Testament Law. This is a strong statement and leaves no doubt that the Law was not for the purpose of liberty but bondage ( Ro 3:19 and Ro 7:11). Contrast the Law's "yoke of bondage" with what Christ said in Mt 11:29-30: "Take my yoke upon you...For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Mt 11:29).

In Galatians 5:2 Paul was circumcised himself (Php 3:5), so what was he saying? Paul was referring to trusting in some external action to produce justification with God instead of just faith in Christ. The false teachers in Galatia had taught that circumcision (Ac 15:1) and the keeping of the Old Testament Law were necessary for salvation.

It doesn't matter if it is circumcision, water baptism, holiness, or any other religious act; trust in anything except Christ voids the saving effects of Christ in our lives (Ga 2:21).

A simple way to detect what our faith is in is to imagine ourselves standing before God, giving a reason that we should be allowed into heaven. If we pointed out our church attendance, giving receipts, acts of holiness, or anything else, then that is what our faith is in. Those of us who would do that are no different than Muslims or Buddhists. We would be trusting in our own efforts to produce salvation.

The proper response would be to say, "The only thing that makes me worthy to enter heaven is what Jesus did for me. My total faith and trust is in Jesus." It's not Jesus plus anything (Ro 11:6). Faith alone saves (Joh 3:3).

The phrase "Christ shall profit you nothing" is another way of saying that if people turn to self-effort for salvation, then they cannot benefit in any way from what Christ has done for them. The only way to appropriate what Jesus did for man is by faith.

It is possible to put total faith in Jesus concerning our eternal salvation and yet turn back to the deception that God will only bless us in this life proportionally to our performance. That is not true and will keep us from experiencing the abundant life Jesus purchased for us (Joh 10:10).

In Galatians 5:3 Paul was circumcised (Php 3:5), so he was not saying that circumcision prevents people from being saved. He was saying that people can't trust in any outward acts of holiness on their part to save them. Their faith has to be in Christ alone.

This passage is saying the same thing as Jas 2:10. Those who commit to obeying any part of the Law for justification obligate themselves to keeping all of the Law (Ga 3:10).

In Galatians 5:4 the phrase "is become of no effect unto you" was rendered from the Greek words "APO" and "KATARGEO." KATARGEO means "to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively" (Strong's Concordance). Regarding the Greek word APO, Strong's Concordance says, "In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc."

What effect is Christ having in your life? If you feel separated from what Christ has done for you, then the cause is probably what Paul was speaking about here. You have turned from grace and are trying to earn God's favor. That stops God's power and makes all that Jesus provided of no effect in your life. The antidote is to get back into the grace of God by putting faith in what Jesus did for you and not in what you are doing for Him (Ro 5:1-2).

Here are some scriptures that speak of voiding what Christ did, and they are all centered around legalism: Mr 7:13; 1Co 15:14-17; Ro 9:31-32; Ga 2:21, 5:2, and 4.

The New American Standard Version states, "You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace". We all know how serious it is to have a body part severed, such as an arm or a foot. How much more dangerous it is to be "severed from Christ." This takes place when anyone turns from grace to the Law for salvation.

The expression "you are fallen from grace" "should be understood not in the sense that grace has been taken away from them, but in the sense that they have turned their backs on it. One may also say 'you have put yourself in a place where God cannot be good to you, or show you His goodness'" (UBS Handbook, p. 122). "Fallen from grace" is not speaking about the Armenian doctrine of losing salvation by one's sins; rather, it is speaking of turning from the method of salvation (grace) to seeking salvation by another way.


A lot of Christians would say you are making light of sin, believe me I am not but what most Christians are doing is making light of what happened at the cross. They are making light of what Jesus has done and are saying that it is not enough? It is like Jesus has put a down payment on their lives but you have to make monthly installments. Jesus has done it all. You know what all means when you look it up in the Greek, it is very profound, it means all. If you add to what Jesus has done, as Paul would say “you have fallen from grace.”

Does that mean that you do not do anything for Christ, no. But it does mean that you do things for Christ out of your love for Him, not out of obligation or earning. As a Christian, you cannot do anything more or anything less to earn God’s love for you. God loves you the way you are, not as you should be, for we are all not as we should be.

“Stand Fast”

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

“Stand fast” is an expression of the Greek word “STEKO.” STEKO means “to stand firm...persevere...to hold one’s ground” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon). Just as countries must persevere to maintain freedom and protection of their rights, so also must we stand fast in protecting our spiritual freedom.

Paul’s admonition to “stand fast” also reveals that our freedom in Christ doesn’t function automatically. We have a part to play. Our adversary, the devil, is always seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8). Legalism is one of his greatest weapons, and we must resist every attempt he makes to draw us back into self-effort (1Pe 5:9).

When you see the word “therefore,” you need to stop and think what that word is there for. The word links what Paul was saying here with what he said in the previous verses.

Paul had just compared being under the Law to being a descendant of the slave woman, Hagar, and therefore not an heir of the promises of God (Ga 4:22). Therefore, since none of us want to be cast out from the inheritance of God, we need to steadfastly defend our liberty that we have received through faith in Christ.

The word “liberty” means “1.a. The condition of being free from restriction or control. b. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one’s own choosing. c. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor” (American Heritage Dictionary). The liberty that Paul was speaking of is specifically the freedom from the oppression of the Old Testament Law (Ro 3:19).

Of course, Paul was not out of control. He was controlled by his love for the Lord instead of his fear of punishment for breaking the O.T. Law. Paul made it clear in Ga 5:13-15 that this liberty is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin. If we use our freedom in Christ to indulge our sinful passions, we will pay a price (Ga 5:15).

The word “entangled” in Greek carries the idea of being “ensnared or held in a net” (Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament). The bondage that had ensnared the Galatians was the Law’s demands in which they were trying to find God’s favor or acceptance through performance.

God paid the ultimate price for our liberty. Freedom from self-justification through the Law was purchased by Christ upon the cross. We must never let anything or anyone bring us back into bondage again.

The context makes it very clear that this “yoke of bondage” that Paul was speaking of is the Old Testament Law. This is a strong statement and leaves no doubt that the Law was not for the purpose of liberty but bondage (Ro 3:19; Ro 7:11).

Contrast the Law’s “yoke of bondage” with what Christ said in Mt 11:29-30: “Take my yoke upon you...For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mt 11:29).

Paul was circumcised himself (Php 3:5), so what was he saying? Paul was referring to trusting in some external action to produce justification with God instead of just faith in Christ. The false teachers in Galatia had taught that circumcision (Ac 15:1) and the keeping of the Old Testament Law were necessary for salvation.

It doesn’t matter if it is circumcision, water baptism, holiness, or any other religious act; trust in anything except Christ voids the saving effects of Christ in our lives (Ga 2:21).

A simple way to detect what our faith is in is to imagine ourselves standing before God, giving a reason that we should be allowed into heaven. If we pointed out our church attendance, giving receipts, acts of holiness, or anything else, then that is what our faith is in. Those of us who would do that are no different than Muslims or Buddhists. We would be trusting in our own efforts to produce salvation.

The proper response would be to say, “The only thing that makes me worthy to enter heaven is what Jesus did for me. My total faith and trust is in Jesus.” It’s not Jesus plus anything (Ro 11:6). Faith alone saves (Joh 3:3).

The phrase “Christ shall profit you nothing” is another way of saying that if people turn to self-effort for salvation, then they cannot benefit in any way from what Christ has done for them. The only way to appropriate what Jesus did for man is by faith.

It is possible to put total faith in Jesus concerning our eternal salvation and yet turn back to the deception that God will only bless us in this life proportionally to our performance. That is not true and will keep us from experiencing the abundant life Jesus purchased for us (Joh 10:10).

Paul was circumcised (Php 3:5), so he was not saying that circumcision prevents people from being saved. He was saying that people can’t trust in any outward acts of holiness on their part to save them. Their faith has to be in Christ alone.

Ga 5:3 is saying the same thing as Jas 2:10. Those who commit to obeying any part of the Law for justification obligate themselves to keeping all of the Law (Ga 3:10).

The phrase in Ga 5:4 says “is become of no effect unto you” was rendered from the Greek words “APO” and “KATARGEO.” KATARGEO means “to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively” (Strong’s Concordance). Regarding the Greek word APO, Strong’s Concordance says, “In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc.”

What effect is Christ having in your life? If you feel separated from what Christ has done for you, then the cause is probably what Paul was speaking about here. You have turned from grace and are trying to earn God’s favor. That stops God’s power and makes all that Jesus provided of no effect in your life. The antidote is to get back into the grace of God by putting faith in what Jesus did for you and not in what you are doing for Him (Ro 5:1-2).

Here are some scriptures that speak of voiding what Christ did, and they are all centered around legalism: Mr 7:13; 1Co 15:14-17; Ro 9:31-32; Ga 2:21, 5:2, and 4.

The New American Standard Version states, “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace”. We all know how serious it is to have a body part severed, such as an arm or a foot. How much more dangerous it is to be “severed from Christ.” This takes place when anyone turns from grace to the Law for salvation.

The expression “you are fallen from grace” “should be understood not in the sense that grace has been taken away from them, but in the sense that they have turned their backs on it. One may also say ‘you have put yourself in a place where God cannot be good to you, or show you His goodness’” (UBS Handbook, p. 122). “Fallen from grace” is not speaking about the Armenian doctrine of losing salvation by one’s sins; rather, it is speaking of turning from the method of salvation (grace) to seeking salvation by another way.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Paul stated the doctrine of justification by grace through faith so clearly in his writings that any person who claims to believe the Bible has to acknowledge this truth. However, one of Satan’s cleverest deceptions is to take a truth and add to it until it is no longer the truth. Lest that happen with this doctrine of grace, Paul stated emphatically that we cannot combine anything with God’s grace as a requirement for salvation.

In the same way that gasoline and water don’t mix, so grace and works will not mix. Justification has to be all works or all grace, but not a combination of the two.

In this epistle, Paul repeatedly made his point of justification by grace through faith. He repeatedly stressed that faith is the only requirement on our part. Here he was repeating that point once again in perhaps his clearest words yet. Still, an abundance of religious people today cannot accept the fact that all we have to do is to believe to receive God’s grace (Ro 5:2). This verse leaves no alternatives.

If you believe that you earn, deserve, receive by works (performance) or sacrifice, or keeping rules, regulations, or laws then you have fallen from grace. Stand fast therefore in the grace that Jesus Christ has provided for you.

Self-denial is an important part of the Christian life

Luke 9:23-24
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Self-denial is an important part of the Christian life. Jesus sacrificed His life for us, and He demands we die to ourselves that we might experience this new life He has provided. We do this first by recognizing that we can't save ourselves by our own effort and second, by trusting God--not self--for salvation. Then we daily need to deny our own wisdom and seek God's wisdom and direction for our lives.

Self-denial is only good when it is denying ourselves for the singular purpose of exalting Jesus and His will for us in some area of our lives. Some have made a religion out of self-denial and take pride in their denial, not in Jesus' Lordship. This leads to legalism and bondage, which Paul condemned as "will worship" (Col 2:23). We are told not only to deny ourselves but to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.

The real benefits of fasting come as a result of denying ourselves (Mt 4:2). However, if we fast to glorify ourselves, as the Pharisees did (Mt 6:16 and 23:5), we have no reward from God. All we will get from such a fast is hungry.

The cross is what Jesus died on. There are circumstances in our lives that, like the cross of Jesus, give us the opportunity to die to ourselves each day. These are not things like sickness, poverty, etc., for which Jesus' atonement provided redemption (Mt 8:17), but rather things like persecution (from which we are not redeemed, 2Ti 3:12) and the constant battle between our flesh and our born-again spirits (Ga 5:17). Our cross that we must bear is to take God's Word (which is His will) and exalt it above our own will in every situation that we face each day.

It is very important that we take up our cross daily. Consistency is one of the most important keys in subduing the flesh. We cannot seek God in "spurts" and expect to reach maturity. The victory goes to those who abide in Him (Ps 91:1; Joh 8:31, and 15:4-7).

These verses are not saying that we have to suffer martyrdom to receive salvation. Rather, it refers back to us denying ourselves and following Jesus. Many people have desired salvation from God but have been unwilling to let go of things that stand between them and God. We are not fools to give up what we cannot keep to gain what we cannot lose.

Resting in What God has Already Provided by Grace

Hebrews 4:10-11
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Rest is what the writer had been speaking of. It is ceasing from our works the way God did from His after Creation.

When the Lord created the heavens and the earth, He did it in a unique way that many people have not understood. He didn't just create trees, plants, and animals. But He created them in a way that they could procreate. That means He doesn't make new trees, plants, and animals today. But His original act of creation was done in a way that He has been resting ever since. He did it perfectly and so completely that He hasn't had to create since.

This is what the Old Testament Sabbath was painting a picture of. It was only a type and shadow of this New Testament rest (Col 2:17). It was not the reality itself. The Jews were commanded to take one day out of seven off and devote it to worshiping the Lord as an act of faith that God was their source. In the natural, this didn't make sense. If they didn't work every day, they wouldn't prosper as much as those who did. But that's not the way it worked. Because of their faith in the Lord, which was expressed through their obedience to take the Sabbath off, they prospered more than those who worked seven days a week. God was teaching them to rest in the Lord as their source and not their own works.

Just in case anybody missed the obvious lesson of the weekly Sabbath, the Lord told the Israelites to take one year out of seven off (Le 25). During the seventh year the Israelites couldn't sow or reap any crops. That which came up naturally they had to leave in the fields for the poor and the wild beasts.

Some would say, "What shall we eat the seventh year?" (Le 25:20) The Lord blessed their crops supernaturally on the sixth year so that their fields brought forth three times a normal harvest. They would eat the harvest of the sixth year during the sixth, seventh, and the eighth year while their crops were growing.
All of this pictured that God is our source. We may work and sow our crops, but it is God that gives the increase. Likewise, in the New Testament, Jesus has done everything for us. He isn't still saving people and healing them. That has already been done. All we are doing is entering into what has already been provided.

Those who think they have to act a certain way to gain God's acceptance and approval are not resting in the finished work of Christ. Sure, we need to live holy, but it should be a fruit and not a root of our relationship with the Lord. This is what the Old Testament Sabbath was a picture of.

Those who legalistically observe the Sabbath today with the belief that the Lord is angry with those who don't, are missing the true meaning of the Sabbath. They are really Sabbath breakers. True Sabbath keepers in the New Testament are those who don't try and relate to the Lord by their holiness but totally rely on what Jesus did for them to make them acceptable to the Lord. That is a relationship to be enjoyed every day of our lives and not a single day per week.

This was understood by the early New Testament church and is one of the specific reasons they chose to meet on the first day of the week (Sunday) instead of the seventh day (Saturday), which was the Jewish Sabbath. They knew they were free from the observance of a day and were now living in the true Sabbath that the seventh-day observance pictured.

Hebrews 4:11 sounds like an oxymoron. Why labor to rest? If you understand clearly what the rest of the Lord is (Heb 4:10), then it takes effort to rest in the finished work of the Lord. Our human natures want to do something to be worthy of the Lord's blessings. But the truth is that we can never deserve the goodness of the Lord. We have to cease from trusting in our own works and rest in what Jesus has freely provided by grace. It will be the hardest thing you will ever do. You need to get where you trust that God has done everything instead of thinking that something still needs to be done. It's challenging to control your tongue, anxieties, and actions. It takes effort, you have to labor to rest.

Amazed at the Judgments and Attacks by Christians

J Lee Grady (Charisma Magazine) wrote in a recent article “The Ominous Handwriting on America’s Wall” and quote: “An earthquake rattles Washington, D.C., and a fierce storm ravages the East Coast. Is God speaking to us? I’m not a doomsday prophet, and I don’t believe every hurricane, earthquake or drought is God’s judgment. But I did pause to ponder the significance of the freakish 5.8-magnitude quake that jolted the East Coast last week. The White House was evacuated, the Washington Monument was closed indefinitely because of cracks, and the National Cathedral’s central tower was seriously damaged. Does anybody else find that slightly spooky?” Also, “Judgment from God? That’s not how I view disasters. But I do think last week’s double whammy was about as obvious a sign from heaven as when God scribbled a warning on the wall while King Belshazzar was partying in his palace. Hello? Is anybody reading the handwriting on America’s wall?”

What was disturbing was not so much what J Lee Grady wrote but what fellow Christians wrote in the afterthoughts following the article. They all seemed to be happy about judgment, and happy that they thought they were better than the ones they thought were being judged. It bewilders me that Christians think that they have deserved a place with God. That they have earned a spot in God’s army as if they have done something so wonderful that God loved what they were doing with their life that God could not help it but to bring them along and sit them along side of His judgment seat. What is more insidious than that is that the cross has been negated. All sin has already been judged at the cross. When you look up all in the Greek it is very profound, it means all. It does not mean some or the one’s you get to pick and chose, it means all.

2 Corinthians 5:19 (KJV)
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

1 John 2:2 (KJV)
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Titus 3:5 (KJV)
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Mercy is not receiving what we justly deserve; grace is receiving what we don’t justly deserve. If this is true how can we stand in judgment of anything? If all judgment for sins came upon Jesus, than what judgment can become on us. We keep on pointing to sins that Jesus has already died for, and that puts us into what Paul says in Galatians:

Galatians 5:4 (KJV)
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

God has designed salvation in such a way as to eliminate any boasting from man. If salvation was by works, either partially or wholly, then man could boast, but grace and faith eliminate man's boasting altogether (Ro 3:27). Salvation by grace brings praise and glory to God. If we could save ourselves, either partially or wholly, we would take the credit for it. That is not the case. All the glory goes to God.

Finally Paul says in Galatians 6:14 (KJV) But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Christians have been so busy pointing out sins and having a sin conscientiousness which means the world has not been crucified and they do not believe in the cross of Jesus Christ and what was accomplished there.

I have been humbled by the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that He loves me and gave Himself for me even though I do not deserve it at all. His love for me is because of His love. "God loves you and me unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be." In the light of that, how can we stand in judgment of anything or point to any sin in anyone else?

The Gospel of Jesus is not enough! Or is It?

There are thousands of people who just won’t let the Bible get in the way of their theology. Religious traditions and widely-accepted teaching have become the basis of their beliefs, rather than the Bible. The results are obvious: Their relationship with Christ is profiting them little or at the very least less than God intended.

Would God send His only Son to bear our sin, becoming sin itself, and then judge Him without mercy for that sin if His sacrifice wasn’t enough? No! Yet, many Christians act as though it wasn’t enough and continue to believe God is withholding His blessing because of their sin. It’s time to learn the truth.

There are people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Yet, they can’t get healed, they’re unhappy, depressed, fearful, and full of unbelief. I encourage you to allow the Bible, God’s Word, to get right in the middle of your theology.

If you’re conscious of sin, then you truly don’t understand the grace of your salvation through Jesus. It sounds radical, but it’s true. That is totally different than the way most people think. It’s different than what most of us have been told. But this is what God’s Word declares. God is not imputing, or laying to our account, our sin.

2 Cor 5:19 "that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

Sin consciousness has been ground into us. Grace is not the way of the world. Your employer doesn’t hire you by grace and promise to pay no matter what you do; they have expectations of performance. In marriage, spouses don’t always love each other unconditionally. Even in most Christian families, children are either rewarded or punished based on their performance.

In this earth almost everything is based on performance, and because it is, it always forces us to focus on our weaknesses. That performance mentality then transfers into religion where we’re taught to focus on our sin. However, where God is concerned, it’s just the opposite. In fact, sin isn’t even an issue with God. Why? Because our sin is not being imputed, or charged, to our account. It’s being charged to Jesus’ account, and He already paid the bill.

Heb. 9:11-12 "When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption."

If words mean anything, think about these words: Jesus entered in once! Do you know what once means in the Greek? It means once. It means He doesn’t do it over and over again. Every time you sin, the Lord doesn’t have to wait until you repent and then get that sin under the blood.

Most Christians believe that when you’re born again, you get your sins forgiven up to that point. Then, every time you sin after becoming a Christian, you’ve got to run to the Lord with that sin and confess and repent, or you could be lost. If not lost and on your way to hell, then at the very least, God would not fellowship with you, and He certainly wouldn’t answer your prayers.

If that were true, then everybody would be on their way to hell. There isn’t a person on this earth who doesn’t have either a known or an unknown unconfessed sin. Or, if sin just means the loss of relationship with God and unanswered prayers, then God wouldn’t have a single person qualified to receive an answer to prayer or fellowship with Him. Was Jesus enough or not?

This is a huge issue. It’s the reason many believe God isn’t healing them or prospering them. They say out of one side of their mouths that He loves them and sacrificed His Son, Jesus, for their salvation, and then out of the other side, they say that He is still judging them for sin. Those are incompatible!

Heb. 9:13-15 "The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

It isn’t God who is condemning us when we sin; it’s our own consciences. We haven’t purged our consciences with the truth of what Jesus has done with sin. Satan knows that and is using it to condemn us and destroy our faith and confidence in God by reminding us we don’t deserve God’s blessing.

Praise God, He isn’t giving you what you deserve; He is giving you what Jesus deserves. Jesus paid for sin one time, past, present, and even the sins you will commit in the future. How can that be, you ask? I don’t know exactly, but let me tell you this, Jesus only died one time for our sins two thousand years ago, so you better hope He can forgive your sins before you commit them.

Heb. 9:25-28 "Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (emphasis mine)

God knows the end from the beginning and He knew all the sins of the whole world. Jesus paid for all those committed before His sacrifice and for all that had not yet been committed. He made the payment once and it will never be made again. The price for sin, all sin, has been paid!

We have received an eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15) that cannot be taken away. Your inheritance is not temporary; it’s eternal. You aren’t disinherited and you don’t lose the benefits of being part of the family because of sin.

To understand this, you have to see yourself as God sees you. In your born-again spirit, you are as clean and holy and pure as Jesus is. Religion has you looking at your flesh. It has you searching the soulish realm of thoughts, attitudes, and feelings. But that is not what God is looking at. He is looking at your spirit, the part of you that’s become a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

John 4:24
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

What part of you is new? It’s not the flesh and it’s not the soul; it’s your born-again spirit. When you go to God in prayer and say “O God, I’m so ungodly and so unworthy, please forgive me, please answer my prayer,” you are not in the spirit; you are in the flesh. Your spirit is righteous, holy, and pure. Sin does not affect your spirit.

Am I saying sin is okay? Absolutely not! When you sin, you give Satan an open door to the soul, your mind and emotions, as well as opportunity to destroy your physical body. It’s just stupid to open yourself up to the devil. Rom 6:15-18

Some of you may still be thinking, Well, I know God died once for all men, but His sacrifice still must be applied whenever we sin. Let’s allow God’s Word to get in the way of this wrong theology again.

Heb 10:10-12
“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified,” (emphasis mine).

This is not talking about your physical body or your soul; it’s talking about your born-again spirit. Your spirit is identical to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is sinless! Your soul and your body can be defiled by sin, but your spirit never can; it’s sealed forever.

Maturity in the Christian life isn’t about trying to grow your spirit up; it’s trying to educate, or renew, your mind to what you already have in your spirit. Your spirit is already perfect! You already have the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Your spirit is always happy, always rejoicing, and always healthy.

God loves you even though you’ve messed up, even though you aren’t perfect. He loves you not because of your performance but because of Jesus’ sacrifice. If you can ever get a revelation of this, it will change the way you see God forever.