Keith's journal: Good Decisions Always Agree with God's Word

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Good Decisions Always Agree with God's Word

Keith

October 20, 2017 by Keith Comments (6)

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105 NIV)

When you need to make a decision, the first and ideal test is this: "Is my decision in harmony with God's Word?".

You have to decide what's going to be your ultimate authority in life. It really boils down to two choices: God's Word or the world. Are you going to base your decisions on what God says or what other people say?

If you base your life on popular opinion, you're always going to be out of date, because it changes every day. What was "in" yesterday will not be "in" today and what's "in" today will not be "in" tomorrow. If you base your life on popular culture, political correctness, or opinion polls, you do not have principles to live by. That's called a shifting foundation!

On the other hand, if you base your life on God's Word, the truth never changes. Truth is always true. So if God says something was wrong 10,000 years ago, it was also wrong 500 years ago, it's wrong today, and it will be wrong 1,000 years from today. I don't care what opinion polls or political correctness or the media says. If God says it's wrong, it's wrong. It always has been, and it always will be. If God says it's right, it will always be right. That is a solid foundation!

God has set up the universe with certain laws-physical, moral, and spiritual. God built the universe around these laws not because he's capricious but because they're all for your benefit. When you cooperate with the principles in this universe, you succeed. If you reject, rebel, disobey, and ignore God's principles, you're the one who gets hurt. You don't ever break God's laws. They break you! If I go up on top of a building and jump off, I don't break the law of gravity. It breaks me. The same is true with moral laws and spiritual laws. You cannot just thumb your nose at God and get away with it. There's inevitably a reckoning. Any time you violate God's principles, you're asking for trouble. ...

With all this in mind, you can be confident in your decision. If God says it's OK, then you do it. If God says "no",then you don't do it.

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path". (Psalm 119:105 NIV).

APRYL

How to save?

APRYL Oct 20, 2017 at 11:25 pm Flag as inappropriate

Hopeful

amen - I have just finished this as a psalm colouring page and was looking at it the other day

Apryl - are you asking how you can be saved or something else?

Hopeful Oct 21, 2017 at 11:20 am Flag as inappropriate

Keith

Hi APRYL, I'm not sure what You mean... if it's "how to be saved?" please read the following... God Bless You.

'Our Source of Hope'

Bible book and chapter:Titus 2:11-14

People have different opinions about who goes to heaven. Some believe ethical behavior and moral character bring automatic acceptance from God. Others, while acknowledging they have bad habits and behaviors, claim a self-improvement plan gains them admission. Still others assume they’ll be disqualified from heaven because of deep hurts they caused.

None of this lines up with the truth of the Bible. Scripture tells us that character and deeds do not determine our eternal state (Eph. 2:8-9). Rather, the barrier between us and a holy God is our sinful nature. Romans 5:12 teaches that Adam and Eve’s sin caused all mankind to begin physical life dead to spiritual things and under a sentence of judgment. No amount of good works or moral behavior can change our unholy nature. Nor do bad choices make our nature worse.

Without direct help from the heavenly Father, we’d be a people without hope—we would find the entrance to heaven closed and face everlasting separation from God. But our loving Father had a plan to deal with our corrupt nature so we could live with Him for eternity. He sent His Son Jesus Christ as our willing substitute: Jesus took our sins on Himself and received the punishment we deserved. What we were helpless to do, He accomplished for us. Through faith in Him, we have assurance that we will live in the presence of God forever.

Knowing we’re heaven bound gives hope and meaning to our lives. Let’s tell others about Jesus, the source of our hope.

Dr Charles Stanley

'The Need for Salvation'

Bible book and chapter: Ephesians 2:1-3

Followers of Christ know the importance of being saved, but the world sees no need for rescue. Let’s think about some key truths regarding man’s need for salvation.

Those who don’t have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus are:
Spiritually dead.Many people don’t realize that there are three kinds of death—physical, eternal, and spiritual. Eternal death comes at the end of the age, when all those who have refused Jesus as Savior are cast away from God permanently (Matt. 25:41). Spiritual death occurred in the Garden of Eden. Disobedience severed Adam and Eve’s intimate connection to God and caused all of their descendants to be spiritually detached from Him (Rom. 5:12). We’re born as “dead” people in need of new life.

Living a life of sin. Our nature is to rebel against God, and that’s called sin. Over and over, we choose what pleases us, not Him. We’re enslaved to sin (John 8:34), and any effort to free ourselves from its power is in vain. We need someone to rescue us.

Under divine wrath. Because of our disobedience, we are under God’s judgment, awaiting punishment. All efforts to earn His approval and escape our sentence are insufficient. Sinful man has nothing acceptable to offer holy God. Our only hope of escape is for someone else to take our penalty.

The good news is that the Lord has provided a way for all to pass from spiritual death to life, from the bondage of sin into freedom, and from condemnation to intimacy with Him. Jesus Christ alone is the way (14:6), and He meets our every need.

Dr Charles Stanley

Read Romans 3:10. Bible book and chapter.

Now turn there with me and write:

# 1 “WE all have SINNED” (note the emphasis in v.11 “none”, v. 12 “all”. note sins of word v. 13, deed in v. 15, habits v. 16, neglect v. 17, irreverence v. 18) then write by the conclusion v. 23 “WE ARE ALL SINNERS”. Then put (5:8).

By Romans 5:8 write:

# 2 “Christ DIED FOR SINNERS” and put (6:23) then note v. 10 “through the death” (substitution) and v. 11 “received the reconciliation” (imputation).

Now go to Romans 6:23 and write:

# 3 “SALVATION IS A GIFT” and put (10:9) by that line. Emphasize Jesus wants to never let you face God’s Wrath against sin, He offers a free gift that He purchased at great cost.

Then turn to Romans 10:10 and write:

#4 “ASK THE LORD JESUS TO SAVE YOU”. Read v. 9-10 and 13.

Then ask them if they realize they have sinned, that only Jesus the Son of God can save them (because He became the One God punished for their sin and He lived the perfect life they never could).

If they say yes then lead them in a prayer crying out to the Lord for their salvation!
Here is a prayer you can pray, a prayer that declares your desire to transfer your trust to Jesus Christ alone for your eternal salvation. This prayer can be the link that will connect you to God. And if you pray it in faith, God will receive you.

Have you come to Christ for salvation?

If you are empty, call out to Christ. Do not let yourself go through another day without coming to him. Be born again, receive life, be filled, be delivered, and join the victory parade!

If you are spiritually dead—without resurrection life—under sin—under guilt—empty, Christ invites you to come to him:

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters. and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. (Isaiah 55:1, 2)

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come. and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17)

Dear God,

I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself.

I confess my complete helplessness to forgive my own sin or to work my way to heaven.

At this moment I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when He died on the cross. I believe that He did all that ever will be necessary for me to stand in your holy presence.

I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of my own resurrection. As best as I can, I now transfer: my trust to Him.

I am grateful that He has promised to receive me despite my many sins and failures.

Father, I take you at your word.

I thank you that I can face death now that you are my Savior.

Thank you for the assurance that you will walk with me though all of life and finally through the deep dark valley.

Thank You for hearing this prayer.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Keith Oct 21, 2017 at 11:30 am Flag as inappropriate