Sunday, December 13, 2015

But....Then....

Our God is a beautiful, gracious and good Father - ALWAYS desiring for us to receive his bountiful mercy, grace, and forgiveness! He loves us so much that He has given us guidelines to live by that are for our best interest. Unfortunately, some of us don't understand and fully believe the goodness of God, so we choose to ignore those guidelines. When we turn to our own ways, there are some serious consequences that affect our well being, our cities well being, our states well being and our nations well being. 

BUT because of His character that is perfect in love, He provides a way that we can return to Him. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Our Part

1)Humble ourselves by admitting our sins
2) Pray to God asking for forgiveness
3)Seek God continually
4)Turn from sinful behavior 

God's Part

1) Hear our prayers
2) Forgive our sins
3) Heal our land

Whether we sin individually, as a group, or a nation, by turning to God with true repentance, God will answer our earnest prayers. 

One of the many ways that we can clearly see the goodness and love of God for us is in Galatians 1:4, "BUT when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son! 

When we are in Christ, we can come boldly to the throne of grace, to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15)

Because of Jesus Christ, we are without excuse for He has given us every heavenly blessing to live a godly and holy life! (Ephesians 1:3-5)

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness! 2 Peter 1:3

If you have not received Christ as your Savior and Lord, you can receive Christ right now by faith though prayer. God knows your heart, and He is not as concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here is a suggested prayer that you can pray:

     Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank you of dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to You and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the person You want me to be! 

On the basis of His promise to us in His word, you can be confident that Christ lives in you and that you have eternal life from the very moment you invite Him in!

One of my greatest blessings in life, is having a personal relationship with the best Father anyone could ever dream of having!