The Holy Spirit Living Inside Me

 Inspired verse:Acts 2:38

Today's blog is short,hopefully sweet and straight to the point.

       How does one have the Holy Spirit living inside him or her?
       For starters, he has to be invited. Peter says in Acts 2;38 to "repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
  All one has to do is call on Jesus. He hears the words of repentance. Then one can experience the glory of his goodness. When this happens, he changes ones despair to hope. That hope then becomes praise for him and his glorious presence.
   i urge all who are reading this to call on the name of Jesus. Repent of your sins and ask him into your heart. It's that simple.

Jesus>than worldly things

Verse of inspiration: Philippians 4:8


   In today's entry, I am going to continue to write about keeping Jesus as the focal point of my life.
   There is a constant bombardment via the media for my attention on a daily, even hourly basis.
    What am I spending my time doing when I'm not working? I believe fun and games are fine, but when it blocks me from thinking about Jesus, spending time praying and reading my Bible, it can be a potentially dangerous problem for me somewhere down the road.
   I believe these following statements> If I am watching a TV program or movie, reading a book, listening to music or surfing a social media site that is not rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then I am willingly setting myself up for trouble or attacks from Satan. I have to learn to focus on Godly things as much as possible. This can be easier said than done if Christ Jesus is not guiding my every step.
   My prayer is that I will keep my attention on Jesus and not on the things of this world.

Eyes on Jesus

Passage or verses of Inspiration: Galatians 1 and Revelations 5


  It's all about Jesus. Everything good. Everything praise worthy. Everything God has made radiates his goodness. That is what God made man  to do. Radiate his goodness. Instead, we believed the lies of Satan and went and did things man's way. That's when it all went to hell. However, God sent his son, Jesus, to redeem mankind of his sinful nature.
   We are to radiate the goodness and love of Jesus Christ and bring glory and honor to him. That is man's purpose. That is my purpose. Yet, I get sidetracked by the things of this world. I take my eyes off Jesus and find myself immersed in the cesspool that is this fallen world. I fall for Satan's schemes every time.
  What do I have to do to avoid the sins of this world? Keep my eyes on Jesus. Pray to God the Father and stay rooted in his Holy Word-The Bible. That's a step in the right direction.

A Reminder of God's redemptive love.

Inspired passage: Acts 9:1-31


    The conversion of Saul to Paul is one my very favorite stories in all the Bible.
     It tells the story of how Saul, the persecutor of Christians, met Jesus on the road to Damascus. After his miraculous encounter with Jesus, he was left blind for three days. This entire story is told in Acts 9. I highly recommend that you read if you have never read it before or if it's been a while since you've read it. It's a wonderful reminder of the gift of redemption given freely by Jesus.
    Why do I bring this up? Because it is one of the most powerful stories of redemption ever told. If Saul can be redeemed by Jesus, then we all can. All we have to do is turn from our sinful ways, confess our sins to God and turn to his son Jesus for our ultimate redemption-the forgiveness of our sins. This story gives me hope and inspires me daily to pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
   I hope and pray that it will be a reminder of Christ's redemptive love for all who read this.

Focusing on the lies of Satan or Promises of God?

 Deut. 31:6


   Jesus is with me where ever I go. Sometimes I find myself walking in fear instead of walking in the confidence and loving assurance of Jesus.
   Why do I do this? Because I fall into the devil's trap of focusing on his lies. Fears placed in my mind from the devil are completely different than having the fear of God in you. Fears placed  in the mind by Satan are false images that have no truth. Yet I find myself focusing on those lies instead of focusing on the promises of God and focusing on the love of Jesus Christ. One such promise that we can all cling to is from Deuteronomy 31:6-"be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you." That is a solid promise from God himself. I must focus on Jesus every second of every day and not on the lies of Satan.
  Thank You, Father God, for your unforsaken love and promises that I can cling to throughout my day. 

How to love those you hate or Loving like Jesus.

Verses that inspired today's entry: Matthew 5:43-45,19:19


   I'm called to love everyone, just as Jesus loves everyone. What about the people who I don't love like my brothers and sisters in Christ? Am I to love them as well? Yes. Jesus has a ton to say about  loving others, especially one's that I find hard or impossible to love.

 In Matthew 5:43-45, Jesus says "You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven."

  According to Jesus, I have to "love" my co-worker who talks about me behind my back or another who plots against me. Not only am I to love them, I'm to also pray for them.

  I try to look at it like this-Jesus loved me so much despite all of my flaws and all the sins I have committed against him(and my future sins) that he died a horrible death on the cross for me and for you.

  In conclusion, I must love those whom I find impossible to love. How do I do this? Love them like Jesus loves me. Unconditionally and without limits.

Friends with Unbelievers

Verses that inspired this entry :Acts 26:17-18


   Yesterday I wrote about my brothers in Christ Jesus.
    Today I am writing about being friends with Unbelievers. I know the Bible has much to say about being friends with unbelievers, but I have to start somewhere. So allow me to being on a personal level.
  First, let me pose a question. Do I turn my back on those who don't believe in God? I say no. Jesus never turned his back on me, so why should I? I have two good friends who are atheists. Some would say to run far away from them and that you can't be friends with such people. Once again, I point to Jesus who was and is friends of sinners. We are all sinners. All of us. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and have ask for forgiveness for their sins are referred to as born again.
I am called to be a light to a world in darkness. I am not perfect, but I do my best to be an example of Christ to my two unbelieving friends. I am called to pray for them daily and love them unconditionally just as Jesus loves me.
  What about the people I don't love? Or those that I have a difficult time of showing the love of Jesus to?
                                                             To Be Continued....