Temptation 2

1 Corinthians 10:13
“There hath no temptation taken you
but such as is common to man:
but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation also make a way to escape,
that ye may be able to bear it.”

Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:
the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

– James 1:12-16
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

James 4:7
“Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Hebrews 2:18
“For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,
he is able to succour them that are tempted.”

– Ephesians 6:10-12
10″Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord,
and in the power of his might. 
11″Put on the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12″For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Matthew 4:1-11
“Then was Jesus led up of the
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
of the devil.” 

Ephesians 4:27
“Neither give place to the devil.”

– Mark 14:38
“Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”

James 1:2-4 
2″My brethren, count it all joy
when ye fall into divers temptations; 

3″Knowing this, that the trying
of your faith worketh patience.

4″But let patience have her perfect work,
that ye may be perfect and entire,
wanting nothing.”

Luke 4:8
And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Get thee behind me, Satan:
for it is written,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve.

– 2 Peter 2:9
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly
out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust
unto the day of judgment to be punished”

Proverbs 1:10 –
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”

– Luke 22:40
“And when he was at the place,
he said unto them,
Pray that ye enter not into temptation.”

Revelation 3:10
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience,
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

Hebrews 2:17-18
17″Wherefore in all things it behoved him
to be made like unto his brethren,
that he might be a merciful and faithful
high priest in things pertaining to God,
to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18″For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,
he is able to succour them that are tempted.”

– Hebrews 4:15-16
15″For we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin.

16″Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.”

John 16:33
“These things I have spoken unto you,
that in me ye might have peace.
In the world ye shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world.”

©2016 Mark Davis

<< Back to Armed to be Dangerous main page

Continued Reading:

 

Here’s The Problem With Our Churches Today

I’m reading a lot in different places about how everybody (that is talking) is a “Christian” and how there should not be division among the “Christians” and, in general, churches/ religions/ denominations.

They think that all they have to do is call themselves a “Christian”, when in actuality, there’s a lot more to being a “Christian” than just saying you’re a “Christian” and then doing a bunch of good things.

First, let us look at what it means to be a “Christian”.

The definition of “Christian”: Christ – like or Christ – follower

How do you become a Christian?

If you look at Romans 10:9-10, it says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”.

And then Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”

First, to be a Christian, we have to confess with our mouths that we are going to follow Jesus AND we have to believe in our hearts that God actually did raise Jesus from the dead on the third day, and that’s all it says we have to do. Then it says that with the heart man believes unto righteousness (or salvation or becoming a “Christian” by more than just name). Not only do we have to say that we are going to follow Jesus, we have to believe it.

It’s not enough to just believe that we are going to follow Jesus, but we also have to confess that we have, and to open our mouths and tell people and then, and only then will we be saved. (Step by step guide through salvation)

You see, there’s nothing there that says that we have to do anything special other than this, there’s no good works, there is no baptism, there’s no “Hail Mary”s. That’s IT!

Ephesians 2:8-9 backs up that statement by saying that it’s only by God’s grace that we are saved and the reason for that is: it can’t be because of anything WE DO, “and that not of yourselves,” means that there’s nothing we can do that will get us into heaven. Salvation is a gift of God, requiring no works because God doesn’t want any man to be able to brag about what they did to get to heaven.

Joining a church, giving money to a church or any other charity, working in a soup kitchen to help the poor, just generally being a good person, WILL NOT GET YOU TO HEAVEN! Really good people such as: Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Pope John Paul, Buddha, or your next door neighbor can NOT get to heaven by their works!

At that point, and only after all of this is completed, can we call ourselves, “Christian”!

If you have not done that, then you cannot call yourself a “Christian”! If you are relying on other things besides confessing sin and claiming Jesus as your Savior for your salvation, then you MAY NOT BE a Christian.

This is not being judgmental! This is only repeating what God’s Word says. It is stated again many other times through Scripture. What more do we need?

Once this is completed, the hard part begins. Now we have to BE LIKE Jesus!

Matthew 16:24
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Many people figure being like Jesus is just loving people. When in actuality, Jesus tells us to keep His commandments. How many commandments are we supposed to keep? Is it only “love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor”? No, it’s not!

We have to remember that Jesus is God, no question about it. We also have to remember that God gave the 10 Commandments along with many other commandments after that in the Old Testament.

Then we have the much-debated-upon “doctrines”. These doctrines come out of the same Book that tells us about Jesus and explains to us what Jesus wants us to do. The whole Bible is filled with His commandments. If we are not doing EVERYTHING that is written within the pages of the Bible, then we are not doing what God wants us to do.

Now, you want to know why people argue? It’s because of the doctrines! Are these important? ABSOLUTELY!

Some of these doctrines are cut and dried; you don’t have to wonder what they’re telling us to do. Some of them are not so cut and dried. That is where religions and denominations come in. That is why people have to argue. That is why there is dissension in our churches. That is why we have church splits as well.

With all of the “education” that we have out there today, each individual teacher (or pastor/priest) is going to teach their own point of view. In other words, too many of them, what the Bible says at that time means absolutely nothing. The unfortunate thing is that we, as the little people, end up being taught the wrong things… And we believe them.

We are told Acts 17:13, that we are to be like those in Berea, and search the Scriptures daily to see if any of these things are true.

You don’t have to believe me about any of this. You can go on living the way you want to. You can call me all sorts of names. You can do anything, but if you don’t believe the Bible, you’re wrong. I challenge you to prove me wrong. The Bible does not contradict itself.

I may consider myself to be a particular denomination; that denomination does not make me a Christian, nor does it even make me better than anyone else. I’ve chosen the denomination that I belong to, because of what they believe, instead of a non-denominational church because they don’t want to tell you what they believe or they only tell you part of the story.

It’s up to you to figure it out by studying the Bible and to find out if they are right or wrong. If they are wrong and you stay there, you are wrong. In James 4:7, it says, “for to him that knows to do good and doeth it not, to him it is SIN”! [emphasis mine]

I’ll tell you what, the journey really begins after a person becomes a Christian. As a Christian, we are to be discerning of what is right and wrong, and then call it what it is – and then do something about it!

You never saw Jesus, when confronted with something that was wrong, just walk around it. He always confronted it head-on. Think about the temple and the money changers and how He overthrew their tables, and He cast them out of the temple. He actually got mad. And this was Jesus – He got mad! Sometimes we have to, too!

When somebody says something that goes against what you THINK you believe, instead of trying to fight with them, try trying to figure out if what that person said is actually true or not. How do we find out? By going to God’s Word. Because, you see, if it doesn’t go along with what the Bible says, it’s most likely WRONG!

In a perfect world there would not be any argument between different religions or denominations. In fact, there would be no religions or denominations, we would all believe the same things. That IS coming in the near future. It will either be after Jesus comes to take us to be with Him, or it will be when this world sets up a (false) one-world-religion and demands tolerance among all religions.

There is only one way to heaven. If your church does not teach that, it is wrong! And, if you stay there, knowing what I have just said, you will be wrong too and God will hold you accountable for it at the Judgment!

IT’S YOUR CHOICE…

©2013 Mark Davis

Continued Reading:

Have You Ever Considered?

Is there really a heaven or hell?  

If you died today and went into eternity, where would you go? Heaven, or Hell?  There is NO in between and if you cannot answer definitively that you would be going to heaven with conviction, you are going to hell!

When asking this question to random people on the street, most people would not be able to tell you one way or the other.  Some would say that they HOPE or THINK that they would go to heaven, but have no reason why or have no basis as to their thought process.

If you stood before the All Powerful, All Knowing, God and He asked you, “Why should I let you into MY heaven?”, what would you tell Him?  If you don’t have any definite reason WHY, you don’t get to go in!

Why would that matter?  Because if you don’t get to go into Heaven, you WILL go to HELL!

Yes. Hell is a very real place.  It is NOT a place where a person will get to party for the rest of eternity. Think about this…

Who is the one that presides over all of today’s parties that are filled with debauchery and drunkenness and sex and filth and drugs and … the list goes on…?  Who is the Father of all of that sinful behavior?  Why, it is none other than the “Father of Lies” himself, Satan – or as he is otherwise known, the Devil.

Why is that important at all?  Because, if Satan is going to be punished for the rest of eternity for revolting against God (along with a third of the angels) by being thrown into the “Lake of Fire” full of pain and sorrow and weeping and gnashing of teeth where a person will want to die but it will never happen, where there will be torment and torture for the rest of eternity (a very long time – NEVER ENDING!)  That is what is in store for Satan and his angels according to Revelations 21.

But, what does that have to do with you?  Well, as it says that Satan et al will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, it also says that death and the grave will be thrown into the Lake of Fire with him (them).

If you were not able to give God the right answer to the question above, then you will be included in the “death and the grave” part of that statement.

There is no purgatory, unlike some might think.  It is never mentioned in the Bible, but rather, it was made up by a pope many years ago as a ploy to get the catholic people to feel sorry for their dead loved ones and the pope allowed the living relatives to give gifts to the church in order to shorten the time that they will have to spend there before they are finally prayed/payed into their heavenly place.  Sorry, it isn’t going to happen that way.  I challenge you to find me one place in the Bible where it says that any of this purgatory stuff will actually happen – you can’t do it because it isn’t there.

Back to the important topic at hand… Where are you going to spend eternity?

Friend, if this were not important, do you really think that I would be wasting my valuable time talking to you about this?  In fact, in God’s eyes, this is the most important topic in the world!

You see, God desires more than anything in this world to have you spending eternity with Him in His heaven.  In fact, since heaven is a sinless place and we humans are very sinful beings, we are not going to be allowed in to God’s heaven the way we are.  In fact, you could be the absolute best role model on the face of the earth but you would still be far from the perfect being that would be required to enter God’s heaven.

See, God knew this ahead of time (He knows everything from eternity past to eternity future – even the stuff that hasn’t happened yet), that is why He devised a plan to provide a substitute sacrifice for your atonement of your sins.  What does that mean?  As we have determined in the last paragraph, we are not good enough to get into God’s heaven, so the alternative is only to go to Hellllllllll!

God’s substitute sacrifice happened to be God the Son – the Second Person of the Godhead out of the “Trinity” (that is discussed in another post),  You see, God the Father was going to send His Son down to live with man for an honest-to-goodness sinless lifetime.

He started with the immaculate conception when the Holy Spirit implanted the seed that was to be Jesus within Mary’s womb.  No, it’s not what you think – contrary to what some religions believe, there was no sexual intercourse that occurred between God and Mary or an angel and Mary.  Mary was a virgin before conception and continued to be a virgin until Jesus the Christ was finally born. After that Mary and Joseph produced a very healthy family in the conventional manner known to man and woman.

Jesus’ mission on earth was to be born as a man-child, to be raised in the normal Hebrew manner, being taught the scriptures that they had up to that time (Moses’ writings and the prophets).  He frequented the temples where he would debate the scriptures with the priests and pharisees, usually ending up with Him teaching them rather than them teaching Him.  He would literally sit with them for days (and we get upset when the pastor of our churches takes more than an hour for a sermon).

He would live out a normal life as a child developing into a man – the only difference is that He was tempted in every sense of the word, just as we are now, but rather than succumbing to the temptations in front of Him, He remained clean and perfect and without sin.  You see, only a sinless, perfect sacrifice could take our place in death.  The death that was the penalty for the one sin that we have committed – yeah, right; I know that you’ve sinned many more times than once.

As a slight side note:

I’m sure you are familiar with the 10 commandments that are referenced in Exodus 20.  Among those are: killing, adultery, idolatry, lust, envy, putting any god in front of the only One and True God, disobeying your parents. Did you also realize that the Bible also tells us that if you were to even think in your heart about any of these commandments to break them, you are guilty of breaking that commandment.  In fact, it goes further and says that if you are guilty of one, you are guilty of all of them.

According to that statement, where does that put you?  Did you know that you are surrounded by a group of mass murderers?  That might sound a bit comical, but in God’s eyes it is totally true!  And, as we established earlier, the penalty of any sin – regardless what sin it might be – is DEATH!  This doesn’t mean that you die and then that is it.  NO! That could not be further from the truth.  Rather, when we die physically, our bodies might be buried or cremated or whatever your preference might be, but someday there is going to be a resurrection.  In fact there is going to be two resurrections. One for the ones that are truly on their way to Heaven and the other will be for those who will be thrown into the Lake of Fire with Satan.

As I said, Satan is not the ultimate party DJ, although he might be the loudest of the screams of pain that will be emanating from the pit of hell.  This trip to hell is not going to be a vacation.  It will not be a party with 72 virgins (or however many they think they will get).  In fact, even though, as the name depicts, “Lake of Fire”, it isn’t going to be like it is here on earth where when something encounters fire of differing temperatures, it will be consumed and that is that – no more existence! In fact, the Bible says that it is a place of eternal torment, where the thirst is not quenched and the “worm dieth not” – you’ve just become a worm….

What is my point in telling you all of this morbid stuff?  You see, we only seem to think that it is morbid because it is depressing since all we want to do while we are on this earth is to make lots of money, have lots of fun, travel, even have as much sex as possible (I only say that because it is true).

The thought of interrupting our plans of doing all of this to just stop and turn around and start making dramatic changes in our lives and start actually following Jesus and doing the things that are commanded us to do in the Bible – I can’t list them all here.

The main thing is that we were not put on this earth, much less to become a Christian, but to serve ourselves and make our existence on this ball of dirt to please our own desires and pass into eternity to be punished in hell for not serving God.

Why do we need to serve God so badly?  Many years ago in the Garden of Eden, God created two beautiful humans that were sinless and faultless and naked without shame.  Why did He create them?  He wanted to have some intelligent companionship that WANTED to be with Him.  And He even gave them a choice of being with Him or death if they ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Satan tempted them, they gave in to his temptation and they eventually died.  The worst part of it all was that they didn’t only die physically but they also died spiritually – and that is why we are put on this earth.

I know that this world has a way of sugar-coating evil to make it look like it is fun – and it may be, but that fun wears off after a while and then there are penalties and consequences that must be paid. These payments may be in the form of a traffic ticket fine or you may do something that requires you to have a physical impairment for the rest of your life, or even worse yet, someone else might have that impairment or even lose their life.  Or, your penalty may only be the eternal penalty of death in hell.

Friend, if you couldn’t tell God why He should let you into His heaven, you need to get this taken care of between you and God.  Please, get on your knees before Him and beg for Him to forgive you and that you want to receive the gift that Jesus is willing to give you of eternal life in heaven with God and then give your life over to God to let Him use you to help show others about how God wants them to go to heaven too.

You know, you could walk away from reading this and go back to doing the same old sinful things, but God has a much bigger plan for you. And, trust me when I say to you, that being in God’s service and doing the things that God wants you to do, you could never get more joy and happiness from anything else that this world has to offer you.

In John 14, Jesus tells us:

John 14:1-3

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

What many people don’t quite grasp about being a Christian is that even though Jesus is not walking this earth right now, He will be coming to get us soon so that we can spend eternity with Him.  He said that this is a word of encouragement that in His Father’s house (Heaven) are many mansions – these mansion (of whatever sort they might be) are made for us!  I don’t see these being apartment buildings or condos, but mansions!  He is going, at that time until He comes back, to be preparing these places for us.  We get our very own mansions.  These aren’t time shares either – we aren’t just buying a week or a year out of eternity to be there.  He continues and says that He is going to come back again and get us and take us to where He lives (Heaven) so that we can be with Him as He intended for mankind in the first place.

In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul is talking to the Thessalonian church.  They were concerned that they would never get to see their loved ones again that had passed into eternity before them.  He tells them this:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Brothers, I don’t want you to be ignorant (or unknowing) about those who have died already, that you don’t weep and feel like you will never see them again like those who are unsaved do (they have no hope of eternal life).  If you truly believe that Jesus died and rose again, then you will see them again if they were saved when God brings them with Him.  Paul speaks this by the authority of the Lord, that those of us who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord will not keep this from happening to those who have already died.  Verse 16; For the Lord Himself (not angels or Michael the archangel) will come down from the heavens with a SHOUT, with the calling of the archangel and with the trumpet sound of God, Himself: and at that point, faster than we can even imagine, the dead that had been saved before they died, will rise to meet Him in the clouds: then the rest of us (who have been saved up to this point) will be caught up (modern term is “raptured”) into the clouds to meet them all even including the Lord – or Christ – and from that point on, we will always be with the Lord!  Because of this, brethren, comfort each other with these words.

How much more beautiful could you imagine it?  If you want a wonderful description of the “New Jerusalem”, you should check out Revelation Chapter 22. … No more sorrow, no more pain … I can’t wait!

My friends, the point in this article is not to, necessarily, get you saved, but to try to light a fire under you to sense the urgency of making sure that anyone and everyone that you come in contact with in the future, that you spend a few minutes and ask them what lies in store for them in eternity and give them the Gospel news that they could spend eternity in heaven with Jesus – and you and me.

Consider this …

… the cashier at the local grocery store is checking your groceries out and all you have to do is ask them that if they died today, would they go to heaven?

… the waitress at your favorite restaurant may have a car accident on the way home from work and end up in hell because you didn’t share Jesus with her.

… the friend you have had since childhood that has never accepted Christ as their personal Savior and you may be the last person that they get a chance to hear it from.

… maybe your parent(s) have never heard God’s plan of salvation and you are just the person that they need to hear it from so that they can make that final decision for Christ.

Remember that we, as Christians, are not out there to twist arms of everyone that we know and force them into a decision.  All we are required to do is tell them what God’s Word has to say about their eternal future.

Some sow the seeds; some water the seeds; but God makes them grow. Occasionally, we have the distinct pleasure of actually leading someone to Christ and verifying with them that they are on their way to heaven with you.  Even if you don’t get to do that, you – if you have done your duty – have done your duty.  Just present God’s Word to them.  If you need help knowing what to share with them or how to do it, there are quite a few different approaches listed in the “Salvation” section of my blog site here – or you can follow the links that I supply to you below.

Christian, I really hope that this has made you think about how you can spread the Gospel.  The time is getting near when the Lord is going to come back for us and we don’t want to have to stand before Him and try to give Him excuses about why we didn’t do our job and why, now, that person is in hell.

God bless you and your soul-winning efforts.  If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or you can go to my Contact page to contact me privately.

©2013 Mark Davis

Leave Your Comment Here

Suggested Reading:

Is Your Bible Version The Only One That Has God’s Word In It?

DOES YOUR BIBLE ONLY,

CONTAIN GOD’S WORD?

King James Version of the Bible

Words by Jim Finn from the blog: “Thoughts of an Old Man”
July 2, 2013    by Jim Finn
“The words of the LORD are pure words:
as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 
Thou shalt keep them, O LORD,
thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” 

Psalm 12:6-7
The above says His WORDS, not His thoughts. It says we have God’s pure Word today. For every generation. Even for English-speaking people. His Word is not only here, His Word is not hidden. It is for every generation. It is in the open so ALL can read.
”Heaven and earth shall pass away:
but my words shall not pass away.”
Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33

Not just His thoughts but His Words. What is the Bible? It is not the words of men but the Word of the Almighty God, who is the Creator of the world. The human penmen were employed of God to write His very words.

When we say it was given by inspira­tion of God, we mean that God Himself gave us His own words. That is why we use the terms verbal and plenary to describe what it is. Verbal has to do with His actual words. It is not just His ideas or concepts, but His words. When we say plenary, we mean inspired fully. It is not somewhat of God with the rest of it being man-made. It is in every sense a God-made Book.

So let us sit up and take notice. This Book I hold in my hands is God’s Book. It is the word-for-word, precisely expressed rev­elation of God.

Is the King James Bible the Word of God?
Absolutely! Let us stop the quibbling. Either you have the Word of God or you do not. If your Bible is the Word of God, then you have something totally unique and very, very special.

What is your problem? Why do you feel the necessity to dismember, dissect and dilute the text? Why can you not just say, “My Bible is the Word of God; I believe it, I trust it and I honor it to the fullest?” Shelton Smith

A KJB critic told me just yesterday that God’s Word is locked up in New York City and Israel. Really? God preserved His Word but sees fit to lock it up?

What about versions of Gods Word?

Each version, and in the English-speaking world there are over 400 versions, the Words are different. God told us in Deuteronomy and Revelation not to add to or take away from His WORD. Yet in most of the versions there are over 60,000 Words removed. [NASB, NIV, NAS etc.]

Has God Preserved His Word in the English Language?

The short answer is YES! Not only has He done so in the English language but the original manuscripts were written in 3 completely different languages. [Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek] We no longer have any of the original manuscripts, yet God said He would Preserve His Word. Did He ever one time say that His Word would only be preserved in the original languages? NO HE DID NOT! WE HAVE HIS WORD TODAY!

Why Do We Not Use Other English Bibles?

  1. “Since God has preserved His Word for us, when two different Bibles say two different things, it poses a major prob­lem. If they are different, at least one of them is incorrect. I simply do not want my Bible to be a source of confusion.

  2. “In the second place, there is a logistics problem. Almost all English Bibles which have come into being in the past 125 years are based on the Westcott-Hort texts. The Westcott-Hort texts are frankly spurious texts in that they have been tampered with. Scrivener, a contemporary of Westcott and Hort, produced a Textus-Receptus New Testament Greek text in which he documents that Westcott and Hort changed the New Testament text 9,970 times. They amended! They emended! They deleted! They added things! They literally pilfered the Greek text. It is therefore my conclusion that no matter how sincere or how skilled the translators, if you have them work­ing with a bad text, you will come out with a bad English version.

  3. “In almost all cases when someone pro­duces a new English text, his motivation for doing so is either bias or bucks! That is, he either has a doctrinal agenda he is trying to accommodate or he is trying to make a dollar. In some instances, it has been bias and bucks!

  4. “If you do not have a Bible that is your standard text, the consequences are going to be costly. Where there is not a standard text, the preacher and the people are never quite sure of anything. If they are sure, they do not know why they are. The problem is, they do not have a Bible to which they can turn with confidence and certainty. In the absence of an authoritative Bible, the people will not become strong Christians. They will drift and shift because necessity for an authoritative text that is, in fact, the Bible!”      Shelton Smith

Some say other versions are easier to understand; What does God say about understanding the Bible? Does it point to languages as a barrier?

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:”
2 Corinthians 4:3

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned.”
1 Corinthians 2:14

“There are those that desire God’s Word to be put into street language. It is not street language, it is God’s Holy WORD.  What About “Correcting the Text?” None of us who love the Bible and believe that God has preserved His Word for us are in the business of “correcting the text.” We believe the text! We honor it! We hold it to be trustworthy in detail, so “cor­recting” it is not what we are about.

“However, let me quickly say that there is nothing “corrective” about defining words, explaining the text, and in general, getting at the intended sense of what it says. “Correct” the text we do not do, because we believe it is already correct. God in His omniscience and by His omnipotence has first provided His Word and has now preserved it for each generation.” Shelton Smith

If you say that the KJB is not 100% accurate, you then have the duty to state and explain which version is 100% accurate. To say otherwise is the same thing as saying, “you do not have a perfect Bible”. If you say the KJB is not perfect or that there is no perfect Bible, you then must admit that we do not have God’s perfect Word and that it has passed away. Are you then willing to stand up and say the Bible is not God’s Word but only perhaps contains Gods Word?

I am proud to say that the Bible I hold in my hand is the very Word of God. Gods pure and perfect WORD! DON’T MESS WITH GODS PURE WORD! YOU DO NOT HAVE GODS PERMISSION TO CORRECT OR CHANGE GODS WORD.  More later as I recall………………..

Revelation 22:18-19
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
“And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.”

Related Links:

Continued Reading:

Temptation 1

Proverbs 1: 10
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”

Luke 4: 8 —
“And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve.

1 Corinthians 10: 13
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

— Matthew 26: 41
Watch and pray,
that ye enter not into temptation:
the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

James 4: 7
“Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

James 1: 12 – 16
12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 “Do not err, my beloved brethren.”

Hebrews 2: 18 —
“For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,
he is able to succour them that are tempted.”

Ephesians 4: 27
“Neither give place to the devil.”

— Mark 14: 38
Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

Hebrews 4: 15
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

Luke 22: 40 —
“And when he was at the place, he said unto them,
Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

James 1: 2 – 4
2 “My brethren,
count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 “Knowing this,
that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 “But let patience have her perfect work,
that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

— Hebrews 12: 4
“Ye have not yet resisted unto blood,
striving against sin.”

2 Corinthians 2: 11 —
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us:
for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

1 Peter 4: 12
“Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you,
as though some strange thing happened unto you:”

Mark 9: 42 – 47
42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

— 1 John 4: 4
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them:
because greater is he that is in you,
than he that is in the world.”

1 Peter 4: 1 – 2
1 “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh,
arm yourselves likewise with the same mind:
for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
2 “That he no longer should live the rest of his time
in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.”

1 Peter 1: 7 —
“That the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire,
might be found unto praise and honour and glory
at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

Ephesians 6: 10 – 17
10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

— Romans 6: 12 – 14
12 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,
that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 “Neither yield ye your members
as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:
but yield yourselves unto God,
as those that are alive from the dead,
and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you:
for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

Luke 4: 1 – 13
1 “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 “Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3 “And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
4 “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
5 “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 “And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 “If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8 “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
9 “And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
10 “For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11 “And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12 “And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13 “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.”

— 2 Chronicles 32: 31
“Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon,
who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land,
God left him, to try him,
that he might know all that was in his heart.”

Revelation 3: 10 —
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience,
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth.

2 Peter 3: 17
“Ye therefore, beloved,
seeing ye know these things before,
beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked,
fall from your own steadfastness.”

2 Timothy 4: 18
“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Galatians 5: 17 —
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh:
and these are contrary the one to the other:
so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

Luke 22: 46
“And said unto them, Why sleep ye?
rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

— Proverbs 3: 5 – 6
5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 “In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths.”

1 John 2: 15 – 17
15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

1 Peter 4: 7 —
“But the end of all things is at hand:
be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”

— 1 Peter 1: 6
“Wherein ye greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be,
ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:”

1 Corinthians 6: 18 – 20
18 “Flee fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body;
but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 “What? know ye not that your body
is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 “For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit,
which are God’s.”

Romans 7: 5 —
“For when we were in the flesh,
the motions of sins, which were by the law,
did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.”

— Luke 11: 4
And forgive us our sins;
for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.

Luke 8: 13 – 14
13 They on the rock are they,
which, when they hear, receive the word with joy;
and these have no root, which for a while believe,
and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns are they,
which, when they have heard, go forth,
and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life,
and bring no fruit to perfection.

Mark 10: 21 – 25
21 “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
22 “And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23 “And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
24 “And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Matthew 12: 41 —
The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment
with this generation, and shall condemn it:
because they repented at the preaching of Jonas;
and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

— Proverbs 13: 14
“The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
to depart from the snares of death.”

Psalms 94: 18
“When I said, My foot slippeth;
thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.”

— Psalms 66: 8 – 12
8 “O bless our God, ye people,
and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
9 “Which holdeth our soul in life,
and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
10 “For thou, O God, hast proved us:
thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
11 “Thou broughtest us into the net;
thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12 “Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water:
but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.”

Genesis 39: 7 – 14
7 “And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
8 “But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
9 “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
10 “And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
11 “And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
12 “And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
13 “And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,
14 “That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:”

Revelation 12: 11
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

Hebrews 12: 3 —
“For consider him that endured such contradiction
of sinners against himself,
lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

1 Timothy 5: 15
“For some are already turned aside after Satan.”

— 1 Corinthians 7: 5
“Defraud ye not one the other,
except it be with consent for a time,
that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer;
and come together again,
that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.”

Romans 14: 13 —
“Let us not therefore judge one another any more:
but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block
or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.”

Zechariah 13: 9
“And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”

— Ecclesiastes 1: 9
“The thing that hath been,
it is that which shall be;
and that which is done is that which shall be done:
and there is no new thing under the sun.”

Proverbs 14: 27 —
“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
to depart from the snares of death.”

Psalms 66: 10 – 13
10 “For thou, O God, hast proved us:
thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
11 “Thou broughtest us into the net;
thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12 “Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water:
but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
13 “I will go into thy house with burnt offerings:
I will pay thee my vows,”

— Psalms 17: 4
“Concerning the works of men,
by the word of thy lips I have kept me
from the paths of the destroyer.”

Job 7: 18
“And that thou shouldest visit him every morning,
and try him every moment?”

Joshua 7: 21 —
“When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment,
and two hundred shekels of silver,
and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight,
then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold,
they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent,
and the silver under it.”

— Genesis 27: 6 – 13
6 “And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying,
Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
7 “Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat,
that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.
8 “Now therefore, my son,
obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
9 “Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats;
and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
10 “And thou shalt bring it to thy father,
that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
11 “And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother,
Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
12 “My father peradventure will feel me,
and I shall seem to him as a deceiver;
and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
13 “And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son:
only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.”

Genesis 22: 1 – 14
1 “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 “Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 “And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6 “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 “And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 “And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 “And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 “And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”

Genesis 3: 1 – 19 —
1 “Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field
which the LORD God had made.
And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said,
Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 “And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden,
God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil.
6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
and that it was pleasant to the eyes,
and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,
and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 “And the eyes of them both were opened,
and they knew that they were naked;
and they sewed fig leaves together,
and made themselves aprons.
8 “And they heard the voice of the LORD God
walking in the garden in the cool of the day:
and Adam and his wife hid themselves
from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 “And the LORD God called unto Adam,
and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden,
and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 “And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked?
Hast thou eaten of the tree,
whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 “And the LORD God said unto the woman,
What is this that thou hast done?
And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
14 “And the LORD God said unto the serpent,
Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle,
and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go,
and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed;
it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
16 “Unto the woman he said,
I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception;
in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children;
and thy desire shall be to thy husband,
and he shall rule over thee.
17 “And unto Adam he said,
Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife,
and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying,
Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake;
in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee;
and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,
till thou return unto the ground;
for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art,
and unto dust shalt thou return.”

— Revelation 12: 10
“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,
Now is come salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ:
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night.”

2 Peter 2: 18 —
“For when they speak great swelling words of vanity,
they allure through the lusts of the flesh,
through much wantonness,
those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.”

2 Peter 2: 15
“Which have forsaken the right way,
and are gone astray,
following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor,
who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”

— 2 Peter 2: 9
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations,
and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”

1 Peter 4: 5 —
“Who shall give account to him that is ready
to judge the quick and the dead.”

Hebrews 11: 17
“By faith Abraham,
when he was tried, offered up Isaac:
and he that had received the promises
offered up his only begotten son,”

— 2 Timothy 3: 13
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived.”

1 Timothy 6: 9 – 10
9 “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

1 Timothy 5: 8 —
“But if any provide not for his own,
and specially for those of his own house,
he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

— 1 Thessalonians 3: 5
“For this cause, when I could no longer forbear,
I sent to know your faith,
lest by some means the tempter have tempted you,
and our labour be in vain.”

Galatians 4: 14 —
“And my temptation which was in my flesh
ye despised not, nor rejected;
but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 12: 7
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.”

2 Corinthians 11: 14 – 15
14 
“Therefore it is no great thing
if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be according to their works.”
15 “And no marvel;
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

— 2 Corinthians 11: 3
“But I fear, lest by any means,
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty,
so your minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

1 Corinthians 10: 28 – 32
28 “But if any man say unto you,
This is offered in sacrifice unto idols,
eat not for his sake that shewed it,
and for conscience sake:
for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof:
29 “Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other:
for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?
30 “For if I by grace be a partaker,
why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do,
do all to the glory of God.
32 “Give none offence, neither to the Jews,
nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:”

1 Corinthians 8: 9 – 13
9 “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak.
10 “For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
11 “And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
12 “But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
13 “Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.”

Romans 14: 15 —
“But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat,
now walkest thou not charitably.
Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.”

Romans 12: 21
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

—  Romans 8: 35 – 39
35 
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 “As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long;
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us.
38 “For I am persuaded,
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 “Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 10: 10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Luke 22: 55 – 60 —
55 “And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall,
and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.
56 “But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire,
and earnestly looked upon him, and said,
This man was also with him.
57 “And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.
58 “And after a little while another saw him, and said,
Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.
59 “And about the space of one hour after another
confidently affirmed, saying,
Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.
60 “And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest.
And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.”

Luke 22: 31 – 32
31 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:
and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
32 
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold,
Satan hath desired to have you,
that he may sift you as wheat:

Luke 21: 33 – 36 —
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away:
but my words shall not pass away.
34 And take heed to yourselves,
lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting,
and drunkenness, and cares of this life,
and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them
that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always,
that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of man.”

— Luke 12: 35 – 38
35 Let your loins be girded about,
and your lights burning;
36 “And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord,
when he will return from the wedding;
that when he cometh and knocketh,
they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants,
whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching:
verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself,
and make them to sit down to meat,
and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch,
or come in the third watch, and find them so,
blessed are those servants.

Mark 14: 67 – 71
67 “And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
68 “But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
69 “And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
70 “And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.”

Mark 14: 37
And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping,
and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou?
couldest not thou watch one hour?

Mark 13: 33 – 37 —
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray:
for ye know not when the time is.
34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey,
who left his house, and gave authority to his servants,
and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore:
for ye know not when the master of the house cometh,
at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch!

Mark 13: 21 – 22
21 And then if any man shall say to you,
Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise,
and shall shew signs and wonders,
to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

©2013 Mark Davis

Continued Reading:

True Independence

americaneagleflag

Independence is celebrated on July 4th each year in the United States of America.  Of course this independence was won 200+ years ago, giving us freedom from the oppression of England in that day.

What is Independence?

  • Freedom?
  • Self-determination?
  • Potency?
  • Resilience?
  • Self-reliance?
  • Liberty?
  • Self-governing?
  • Sovereignty?

The United States of America formally declared their independence from England on July 4th, 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

What most people don’t understand is that they are also under the tyrannical reign of none other than Satan himself.  Just because they don’t see him in front of their noses doesn’t mean that he doesn’t exist and doesn’t reign.  The people of the American colonies did not see the king of England.  In fact many of the colonists had never even stepped foot in England, but yet they were under his rule and oppression.  In fact they might, on occasion, even see a British soldier and at times even squads and whole armies of them.

We, no matter where you might live (this applies to you too), don’t see Satan himself or even his soldiers that we would normally call his demons, which are usually in spirit form.  Frequently, most people are influenced by one or more of his demons and some people have even made their bodies the homes of some (one or more) of these demons – we would normally say that these people are possessed by the demons. And, yes, it is very real.  It is not something that was made up in a story book or movie or t.v. show.

Why is this so important?  Because if we follow, or even allow ourselves to be controlled by Satan and his minions, we will follow him to eternal death. Some will call this HELL!

Why is Satan so bad?  Think about what Satan is related to in our own terms today.  What is he known for? He is the “Father of Lies”;  he is behind everything evil and bad.  How far down on the “ruler of bad” does his influence go?  All the way down! Even to the smallest white lie or even a bad thought.

Why should it be so important to us?

You see, Satan is so crafty that he makes bad (henceforth referred to as SIN) look so enjoyable and fun – not to say that all things enjoyable and fun are sins – that most people that do it don’t even think twice about it because it doesn’t seem wrong.

But when you look at the outcome of sin, it always comes out bad, sometimes even to the point of the death of themselves or even someone else.  Immediately, it might seem or even be harmless, but, you see, the evil has already been done.

When a person starts smoking a cigarette it doesn’t kill them.  But maybe, many years later, after that person has smoked all of their life since, one day a doctor tells them that they have lung cancer.  But at the beginning it didn’t seem so bad.  It didn’t seem to hurt anyone.  It did smell up the house quite a bit, so maybe it would be a better idea to smoke outside. Hmm.

He didn’t realize that while smoking obviously causes damage to the lungs, the “bad” that the cigarettes do in the lungs doesn’t stop there. It gets into the bloodstream and it gets into other organs and tissues and starts killing them too.

He didn’t realize that because he smoked, it makes his likelihood to contract any other type of cancer 50% more. In any organ or tissue in his whole body.

He didn’t realize that just the exposure of the smoke to others who might not smoke, increases the other person’s chances of contracting cancer as well as many other diseases (and deformities).  He didn’t even think that he might be hurting someone else at the same time.

I write this passionately because some of this has happened to me, you can read about some of it here.

You see, I may not have total liberty and freedom from the effects of the sins that I have committed in my mortal body, but I have the awesome promise that when I no longer have this human body and my soul lives on in eternity, I will have a beautiful and perfect body (Phil. 3: 21; 1 Cor. 15: 42-44; 1 John 3: 2);  I will experience no pain – at all! (Rev. 21: 4)

I suffer on a regular and constant basis as a result of my sin but it serves as a reminder of the grace of God.

You see, just as sin will eventually lead to death (physical and eternal), eternal life requires a penalty as well.  Because God cannot live in a place where there is sin, and because of the fact that everyone has sinned (Rom. 3: 23; Rom. 3: 10), there is no way that any person on earth – past or present – has lived a perfect and sinless life so that we could warrant entry into God’s presence.

Time for celebration now – God figured out a way that we can get into heaven (His home).  He figured out a way that someone else could take the penalty of sin – death – for us!  What joy!  But who would be able to do that?  It would have to be none other than God Himself.

How could that be?  How would He do it?  It just so happens that God has 3 parts to Him (just like we have 3 parts – body, soul and spirit): God the Father (Who lives in Heaven), God the Son, Jesus (the One that has the physical body); and God the Spirit (the spirit that is in all places at all times).  God determined that He would send His Son to die for us – to take our place in death, so that we could have eternal life.

Jesus, in human form (actually we are in His form, but that is another story), was sent to earth as a baby, to be born of a virgin – Mary.  He was raised by Mary and her husband Joseph until He was around 30 years old all the while Jesus didn’t sin one time – He lived the perfect life that we couldn’t live.  Then Jesus started His ministry years – about 3 years. During which time, He did many miracles such as: Turning water into wine; Healing the sick and disabled people; He raised dead people.  He proved that while He was still man and sinless, He was still God and All Powerful!

But then came the penalty.  Remember that Jesus was sent to earth by The Father to take the penalty for our sins which would be death!

He would have to die for us.

You know, Jesus, being God still, had the ability to call it quits at any time He wanted to while He was still on earth – and with everything that He went through, I would have called it quits early in His life, I think. But He didn’t!  He stuck it out here on earth and dealt with all of the cuts and bruises and all the temptations that we would go through.  But He was still sinless, perfect and still a man!

God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us – so that we don’t have to. (John 3: 15 – 16; Rom. 5: 8)  Could you imagine, willingly handing your only son over to have him blatantly murdered?  There would be no one left to pass on your family name.  All of the love that you have given and received from/to your son… gone – as a human, never to return – forever!

Jesus knew why He was there.  He knew what He had to do.  DIE!

He died in the most horrific, barbaric and painful way that they had at that time – the cross.  Two pieces of good sized trees, cut to go one across the other.

One of the tree poles was longer so that it would stick up in the air and so that they could put it in a pretty deep hole to prop it up. Furthermore, they publicly humiliated Him by forcing Him to lift up His own cross and drag it along the path, up the hill to Mt. Golgotha (meaning: the place of the skull).

Once they got to the top of the mount, they then took His hand and held it to the other piece towards the end and used a spike that was about 9 inches long to drive through his hand and then into the wood so that it wouldn’t pull off.  Then they did the same to the other side, stretching His arms as far apart as they would go.

They took his feet and, using the same kind of nail, drove the spike through both of His feet together and then into the wood.

Since the Jews hated Him, thinking Him to be a heretic and full of blasphemy because He called Himself the Son of God and God Himself, they mocked Him calling Him, “The King of the Jews”.  Because of this, they fashioned a crown out of thorn branches.  The thorns were said to be nearly 2 inches long.  They then put the crown on His head and then shoved it into His scalp as far as it would go.  They then put a sign at the top of the cross above His head that said “King of the Jews”.  They mocked Him and tore His beard out of His face by the clumps.  They gave Him vinegar on a sponge to drink, which, of course, He couldn’t drink or even swallow.  In fact it stung His face in the wounds that had been given Him through His beatings.

After all that, a group of soldiers lifted Jesus, being attached to the cross, up, putting the bottom of the pole into the hole and let it drop – probably a couple of feet – and it fell down.  Then it stopped, ripping and tearing at His flesh on His hands.  In fact, when He hung on that cross, His rib cage was lifted up into a position to where He couldn’t get a breath of air.  He had to push Himself up with His nail-torn feet.  Oh, what excruciating pain that must have been.  And it was for you and for me.

While on this cross, Jesus took upon Himself the weight of ALL of the sins of the world – past, present and future (Is. 53:4, 5; 1 Peter 2: 24). In fact, for a period of three hours, the skies turned dark, like an eclipse except it lasted for three hours (Mark 15: 33). During those three hours, God the Father turned His back from Jesus, likely, because He couldn’t look upon all of that sin.

Mark 15:34 says, “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” 

After that He said, “It is finished.” Then He bowed His head and died. Soon after He died, the soldiers came to Him to make sure He was dead. Instead of breaking His leg like the other two that He was crucified with, and seeing that He was obviously dead already, they just took a spear and jabbed it into His side and blood and water gushed out.

He was buried in a borrowed tomb with a huge round stone rolled in front of the doorway so that it couldn’t be rolled away without much effort.  In fact, it took two to three men to move it in or out of place.  Once it was in place, the Romans placed 2 soldiers at the tomb to guard it because they had heard that Jesus said that He would rise again after He was crucified, so they figured that if they placed guards there for a few days (He said that it would happen on the third day) to make sure that the disciples didn’t come to rob the grave and make it look like He had risen.

God is so much more powerful than that.  He caused the guards to fall asleep and then God’s angel rolled the stone away from the tomb and Jesus was risen from the dead.  Not because of the angels but because He is God and He caused Himself to be risen from that grave.

Mary Magdalene was the first to come to the tomb to pay her respects to “the dead”, Jesus, and when she got there, she saw that the stone was moved and she looked inside and saw two “men” – actually angels – sitting in the place where the Lord was laid.  They asked her why she was crying and she told them because they had taken her Lord and she didn’t know where they had taken Him.

After that she turned around and there was a man (Jesus) standing at the tomb opening and, Mary supposed that He was the gardener.  He then asked her why she was crying and whom she was looking for.  She asked Him if they had taken Him somewhere and that she would like to know where.

Jesus said to her, “Mary”.  She recognised His voice and said, “Master”! He told her not to touch Him yet because He had not yet ascended unto the Father.

Mary ran and told everyone else – the disciples.  The same evening, all of the disciples were sitting in a room together and the door was closed then Jesus just appeared in front of them and He told them to be calm and not worry.  They recognised Him and He showed them His scars in His hands and feet and his side and they knew that they had seen the Lord. (John 20: 11 – 20).

You see, Jesus was truly God!  If He wasn’t, He couldn’t have raised Himself from the dead just like He told everyone before He died.

The fact of the matter is here, that Jesus did all of this for you and for me. To take our sins away from us so that we are no longer looked at by God as sinners, but as redeemed or bought back by the blood of Jesus.  Jesus’ blood was shed to cover all of the sins of the world, so that God no longer sees them as sin that we are accountable for.  We can now go to Heaven to be with Him when we die.

We are now set free from the sin and the eternal death that goes along with it (Romans 6: 23).  We are now able to be called “Christians”.

But wait!  It doesn’t stop there!

God wants to give us this independence from sin, but He doesn’t just give it to everyone and they don’t know it.  He wants us to come to Him and ask Him for it (Romans 10: 9 – 10; Romans 10: 13).  That is why “everybody” isn’t saved from the eternal death in Hell.  That is why it is so important that I tell you this story.  That is why we, as Christians, have an obligation to spread the Word about Jesus Christ and what He did for us.

You see, that is True Independence!

Just like our soldiers went to war and fought and died (some of them) so that we can have the liberties that we have and the independence from the oppression of an evil dictator, Jesus went to war against sin and the Devil and died – but as He died (and rose again), He won the war against the Devil and paid the price so that we can have independence from the penalty of sin.

Friend, if you have not yet asked Jesus for His salvation, His independence, I urge you to do it right now.  Please, with all sincerity, repeat this little prayer (talking to Jesus) after me:

Dear Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner . . . and I deserve the penalty of death and hell. . . . Jesus, I’m sorry for my sins, . . . and I want you to take away my sins . . . so that I can go to Heaven to be with you when I die. . . . I want you to be the Lord of my life . . . and make me a new and better person . . . so that I can reflect the changes . . . that you have made in my life. . . . and so that I can share the great news . . . to my friends and family and everyone I know . . . so that they can see You in me. . . . Thank you, Jesus . . . for removing my sins from me  . . . so that I can have eternal life. . . . In Your name, Jesus, . . . Amen.

Christian, if you just prayed that prayer with me, I’d like you to just make a comment at the bottom of this page or go to my Decision Made page and just let me know what you have done.  It is something that all of us can rejoice about and we want to rejoice with you about it.  It shouldn’t be anything embarrassing to you to let me/us know about this life changing decision that you have just made that is going to change your life and who you are, for the rest of your life.

The wonderful thing about being a Christian is that when we ask Jesus to take away our sins and to forgive us, He comes in to live in our life (some people even say that He comes in to your heart – same thing) and He will NEVER leave you, no matter what you might do that might displease Him. If you do something again that is a sin, just ask God to take that sin away and forgive you of it, and He will.

Let’s all live a life of True Independence!

In Christ’s Name and in His love,

–Mark

©2013 Mark Davis

Continued Reading – These articles are strongly recommended:

What Can I Expect Now That I Am A Christian?

I see many people that finally make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as their savior and they seem to think that since they are saved, now, everything is going to change in their life. All of their problems are gone. They are now going to become debt free. Their job is going to be better and they can finally get along with their bosses. All of their family squabbles will go away and now their family is going to love them for who they are.

Well, I’m sorry to tell you that there is nothing further from the truth than that.  I am proof.

Since I have been saved I’ve had really good things happen to me and I have had some really bad things happen to me. I have been addicted to drugs, smoking and alcohol. Yes, I lived a party life. There were times during that time when I thought things were going really great (at least for me) and then the fun was gone. The problem with that kind of lifestyle is that every thing that you do ends up having a negative effect on you – both mentally and physically. Some of my indiscretions, I feel, I still pay for today both mentally and physically.

The wild times seemed really great at the time (in the back of my mind, I knew that what I was doing was wrong and God was not happy with me and sometimes I even dared Him to strike me dead if I was such a bad person and He didn’t like me anymore – notice He never did) but the fun was only for a while – it could have been a few hours or even a few years, and anything in between.

Some might think that it might be fun for me to go into detail about all of the things I’ve done that was bad, but the only thing that that would do is possibly titillate your senses and bring things back up in my memories that I would rather not think about because those things are “under the blood” of Jesus Christ – He has forgiven me of those things and I am done with them now. I’m sorry to tell you that I am not going into detail regarding my sins. I will suffice it to say that I kind of feel like the Apostle Paul when he said that he was the “Chief of sinners”. If there was anyone that really didn’t deserve to go to Heaven, it would be me!

When we get saved, we are supposed to be changed into a new creation, old things are supposed to be passed away and the best thing is that He replaces those old dead things with new interests (2 Corinthians 5:17). I may be making this sound like it is a walk in the park right here – but it isn’t. Some of those old dead things like to hang on for a while and make our lives miserable for a while longer.

The great thing about it all is that Jesus is right there with us to hold our hands to make the transition easier and so that you can experience the true love of God (1 Corinthians 10:13), from Him and also from others that share your new-found faith that may have gone through something similar. It pays to check with your local church to see if there might be someone in particular that you could get together with that might be able to give you some help. “The help” may be someone, doing anything from just hanging out and having a strong shoulder for you to cry on or it could be someone that feels that the best comfort would be in the pages of God’s Word – in His promises and the things that Jesus did while He was walking on the earth.

The bottom line is that once you become a Christian, life is not going to be a walk in the park – if it is, you are doing something wrong. The thing is that if things are just “peaches and cream”, then you probably aren’t working for God! You see, when we are doing the right thing, the devil is going to do anything and everything to try to keep you from getting your job done for God. If you are NOT working for Christ, the devil is cheering you along on the sidelines because you are doing NOTHING for Christ and therefore you aren’t any threat to him.

Christians, I’m trying to tell you, without pulling punches, that the best thing that you could be doing right now is serving God in everything that you do. How do you do that? Well, you have to examine your life and get rid of those things in your life that don’t have any value in serving the Lord and get them out of your life. In place of those things you MUST replace them with good things that God would approve of in your life, that would make you a better Christian. It will seem at times that the whole situation isn’t worth it for you to do these things.

I’ll tell you this right now, we are made for God’s use not for our own pleasure. If what you are doing is for yourself, you need to rethink it and probably change it. If it serves the flesh, and especially in a sexual manner, that would be unpleasing to the Lord, you need to get rid of it. Break off that relationship that you shouldn’t be in. Yes, it will be hard at first. Anything worth having is worth working for and worth sacrificing for. Sacrifice means that you have to give something up or change something.

Listen to what the Bible says about it all:

Jesus said this:
Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Matthew 5:12 “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Your reward is going to be in heaven. I know it is hard to equate what you are doing when you don’t see immediate reward for it, but please do it anyway.

Paul said this, starting out talking about some of the Jews that were out in the wilderness after leaving Egypt:
1 Corinthians 10:5 “But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
1 Corinthians 10:6 “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
1 Corinthians 10:7 “Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. [Exodus 32:6]
1 Corinthians 10:8 “Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
1 Corinthians 10:9 “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
1 Corinthians 10:10 “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
1 Corinthians 10:11 “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1 Corinthians 10:12 “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:14 “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
1 Corinthians 10:15 “I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.”
Paul is assuming that he is talking to wise people. To people that are intelligent and will take what he is talking about and apply it to their lives to make themselves better in the sight of God.

Remember that, in verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 10, Paul tells us that when we are tempted of the devil (and all temptation is of the devil) that God is faithful and will provide, at the same time of temptation, a way to escape the temptation. As Jesus said above, in Matthew 5:12, our reward may not be evident and obvious here on earth but we will definitely be rewarded in heaven.

You are not the only one that goes through these situations and feelings. You aren’t the first to go through any situation. You CAN get through it! You NEED the help of Jesus to get you through. Just call on Him to help you. He wants you to ask Him for help. Don’t take this lightly. This is a very serious matter. This is a matter that will affect your eternal future and, as a result, it is not something that you should be messing around with. Face this head on with Jesus and kick this temptation to the curb and let the devil know that, with God’s help, you are nothing for him to mess with. He will fail every time if you truly trust in God to help you get through the situation.

As I said before, you are not alone, not only do you have God’s help, but you can contact a pastor at your local church and he will be more than willing to help you get through it as well. We all need to have mentor friends around us to keep us accountable as a support net.

Brother or Sister, I pray with you right now that you will look to Jesus for His help. Call your church or your mentor friend for support. Do NOT let this slip away without facing and defeating your problem.

©2013 Mark Davis

Continued Reading:

Related Links:

6 Reasons Why Practicing Homosexuals Can’t Be Christians

This is an article that I found that goes along very well with another article that I posted.  I find it interesting how any controversial issue that I post upon draws all the attention from the readers.  This post that I wrote on Homosexuality received the most hits out of any other article that I have posted.  I just hope that people are able to use the information that is written in my article and this article to be able to get a good biblical perspective on homosexuality.  Check out my article after you have read this one.  The link is at the bottom of the page.

DAYS OF LOT: 6 Reasons Why Practicing Homosexuals Can’t Be Christians.

©2013 Mark Davis

Leave Your Comment Here

 

Continued Reading:

How To Be Saved – Step by Step Instructions

Roman’s Road to Salvation:

1. Establish the need of salvation. Determine that all have sinned and are in need of redemption.

Romans 3:10 “As it is written, there are none righteous, no not one.”
Romans 3:23“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God:”

2. Establish the penalty for their sin.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“

3. God provided a way out

John 3:16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8“But God commended his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”

4. How can we take advantage of this FREE gift from God?

Romans 10:9-10“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:13“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

“I’ve been a really good person. I think I can get to heaven that way.”
Ephesians 2:8-9“For by Grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God lest any man should boast.”
Matthew 19:24-26And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved ? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Acts 4:12“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”
Titus 3:5 “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; “

“I want to become a Christian now, what do I do?”  Pray a very simple sinner’s prayer*.  “You can repeat after me if you would like to. I’ll start out:”

“Dear Lord Jesus –repeat– I know that I’m a sinner and that I don’t deserve your salvation – repeat – but Your Word says that if I ask, You will forgive me of my sins –repeat– Lord, I’m asking you now if you will forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness –repeat– Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul from eternal damnation in hell – repeat – and for providing me a place in Heaven with you when I die or when You come back for us, whichever comes first. –repeat– Lord, please go with me as I begin my Christian journey –repeat– , watch over me and guide my every move- repeat– In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

Your prospect is now a new convert and a baby Christian. You should help guide him/her along to the next step of their journey: Getting them into a good Bible preaching church where they can get baptized and start their walk with God. I’ll also give you a few other Bible verses that you might be able to comfort your convert with.  Some verses have already been listed and are still great ones to know and to keep at hand.

Supporting Article – Top 10 Bible Truths

*Please know that there is nothing in the Bible that says that your “prospect” has to say a prayer. Many people will argue that they don’t have to. It is only listed here because it insures that the command/qualification for salvation that we see in Romans 10:9-10 where it says that “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. Without saying it somehow out loud, it is hard to verify if that command has been followed through with. It is still very possible for a “prospect” to become saved without opening their mouth. It happens like that every day.

©2013 Mark Davis

Continued Reading:

Top 10 Bible Truths

1. All men are sinners:

Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”

Ecclesiastes 7:20
“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”

Isaiah 64:6
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Romans 3:10
“There is none righteous, no not one”

James 2:10
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

1 John 1:8
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

2. Salvation by grace (undeserved mercy), not works:

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

Mark 10:25-27
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

Romans 3:20
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

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 is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

Galatians 2:16
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Titus 3:5
“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;”

 

3. Salvation only through Jesus:

Acts 4:12
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5
“For there is one God, one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, “

John 3:36
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

John 8:24
I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

John 10:1
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

John 10:9
I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

John 14:6
I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.

1 Corinthians 3:11
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

1 John 5:12
“He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

 

4. Believe on Jesus:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 11:25,26
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believe you this?

Acts 16:31
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Romans 10:9, 10
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:  for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”

5. Receive Jesus:

Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will eat with him, and he with me.

John 1:12
“But as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

Galatians 4:6
“And because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”

Ephesians 3:17-19
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”

 

6. Eternal salvation:

A. You can never lose it, even if you make mistakes and fall:

Psalm 37:24
“Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand”

John 3:36
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

John 6:37
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

John 10:28
I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand

Romans 8:38,39
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 Corinthians 3:11-15
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man build upon the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

1 Corinthians 5:5
“To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus”

Hebrews 13:5
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

2 Timothy 2:12
“If we endure, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: “

1 John 5:13
“These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God”

B. But the Lord will chasten you for wrongdoing:

Psalm 89:30-34
“If his children forsake my law, And walk not in my judgments;  If they break my statutes, And keep not my commandments;  Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes.  Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.  My covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”

 Hebrews 12:5-8
“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children:  My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  If ye endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then ye are bastards and not sons.”

Revelation 3:19
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

 

7. Receiving Jesus guarantees eternal life in Heaven:

Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. “

John 11:26
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

John 14:2-3
In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

1 Peter 1:3, 4
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,”

1 John 5:11, 12
 “And this is the record, that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

(See Revelation 21:1-27 and 22:1-5 for a description of Heaven)

 

8. The results of being born again:

A. Spiritual rebirth makes you a new creature:

John 3:3
“Jesus answered and said unto him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.””

Matthew 18:3
Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

John 1:12, 13
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.  Which were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Romans 12:2
“Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

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.”

1 Peter 1:23
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”

B. You will desire to work for Jesus:

Ephesians 2:10
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Titus 2:12-14
“Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous for good works.”

(See also Ephesians 4:21-24; Colossians 3:8-10; Titus 3:8; James 2:18.)

 

9. Sin brings about spiritual death; but Jesus died in our place, taking our punishment:

Isaiah 59:2
“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:8
“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

2 Corinthians 5:21
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John  2:1, 2
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:  And he is the propitiation (replacement sacrifice) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

10. In the Mosaic law, blood is payment for sin; Jesus’ death paid that price in full:

Leviticus 17:11
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

Hebrews 9:22
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”

Matthew 26:28
“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

1 John 1:7
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

John 1:29
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and sayeth, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.””

Ephesians 1:7
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace,”
(See also 1 John 2:12)

1 Peter 1:18, 19
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver or gold, from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.“

©2013 Mark Davis

Continued Reading:

Related Articles:

  • Translate This Site Into Your Language

  • Follow Christians Are Us on WordPress.com
  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 604 other subscribers
  • Like us on FaceBook

    To get all of the behind the scenes happenings with the Christians Are Us Group. It’s the more “personal” side of Christians Are Us. Press the “Like” button below.

  • Christians Are Us’ Social Sites

  • Blog Stats

    • 258,937 Page Views
  • Our Friends

  • GREAT COMMISSION FUND

    Now you can help support ChristiansAreUs.com and all it represents and helping us to move forward and expand our ability to get the Gospel out into the world by donating through PayPal. Unfortunately, these things aren't free or cheap. All you have to do is just CLICK the button below. Thank you for your donation to support the ministry of ChristiansAreUs.com.
%d bloggers like this: