Jesus – Page 23 – Praying Pint

Clean hands and pure heart

“For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalms 85:9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Psalms 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Psalms 50:23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

Psalms 119:155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.

Mark 12:32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Acts 11:13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’

Zechariah 2:5 And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Exodus 34:6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ

Romans 3:25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Guilty, iniquity, wicked, transgression, sin, do not seek, false, deceit, and unclean heart are all words used to describe the heart and condition of man without Christ. Now look at what scripture says of God and what is found through Christ to those who believe; good, steadfast love, salvation, faithfulness, righteousness, peace, clean hands, pure heart, thanksgiving, understanding, strength, saved, grace, truth, forgiven, and justified. Open your heart and mind to His word and seek Him in times of peace and trials. There is no other place to find truth, happiness, and hope for eternity.

Peace I give to you

“May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!”

“ And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.”

Psalms 85:8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

Hebrews 12:25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Acts 10:36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)

2 Corinthians 5:18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Acts 3:26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

Galatians 4:9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

2 Peter 2:20-22 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.

God gives us a peace that is foreign to the world. This peace is present in both times of blessings and troubles. Having knowledge of this peace and living in it have two different outcomes. A choice is made with the knowledge to either believe and claim it or reject it and it’s power in our life. Many times we seek this peace when we face trials and troubles. We run to God and seek His intervention. Yet in times of blessing it seems as though it is a foreign thing to think of God, His sovereignty, His steadfast love, and His mercy and grace. It is in His hands we find and live in this peace of mind. The world will throw many a sense of false peace. In the end these are nothing more than distractions that lead down paths of false hope and satisfaction. The peace that God gives and is found in Him leads us through times of trials with hope, peace, refuge, courage, strength and power. Through times of blessings it leads us to praise, thankful hearts, contentment, rejoicing, and kindness. Read His word and search it for knowledge of God’s sovereignty, power, promises, peace, hope, joy, kindness, and steadfast love.

The internal fight

“This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.”

John 13:21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

Joh 13:27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

John 13:2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,

John 13:18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me

Luke 22:21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”

Acts 1:16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”

1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Note “the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live” and “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” and “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” and “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” and “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” There is a common thread to this and it is our sinful nature. It lurks deep within and wanting to manifest itself above God and His plan and purpose for our life. We need to be mindful of this and the battle that exists between our sinful nature and the leading of the Holy Spirit in our life. Knowing this ought to make us run to God and seek His word with all of our heart mind and soul. I think we become confused and falsely cling to the idea that once we have been born again all is good and our sinful nature is gone. It is not. Lust, hate, pride, coveting, rumoring, hoarding, keeping, divisiveness, self-seeking…….. all reside within and are threats to our walk with God. Putting on the full armor of God requires us to stay in His word, pray, and seek to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey. Only then will we be prepared for this internal fight for our soul.

Gentle and lowly of heart

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

John 13:13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Romans 15:5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

1 Peter 2:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

1 Peter 3:17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

1 John 2:6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Psalms 119:1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

What does it take to live in harmony? We are encouraged and given endurance from God to imitate the example of Jesus Christ, being lowly of heart and gentle in spirit. We ought to walk in His ways being diligent to know, understand, follow and obey His precepts. Because of our sinful nature, this is a battle everyday and culture tries to convince us that being good is good enough, being better than most is good enough, that we are not doing what is legally wrong so we are good enough…… It is not about being good enough but rather being in Christ. Needless to say our battle is not on the outside but on the inside within our souls. Feeding our souls with His word and having a heart deep desire to humbly serve honor, follow and obey Him will have a positive affect against our sinful nature and influence of our culture. Be an example of Christ and a reflective light of His grace, mercy, and love.

Walk Properly

”And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

John 12:35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

Psalms 22:16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Romans 5:17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,

Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Isaiah 42:6 “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

Romans 13:12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Psalms 69:22 Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded. Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

Jesus Christ went to the cross to redeem all who would believe – to draw them unto Himself- to take us by the hand – to heal us – to make us righteous – to give us light – to give us armor to fight against darkness – to keep us – ransom us from separation from God due to our sin – to make us alive in the spirit – to make us a new creation for humbly serving, following, honoring, obeying God. Think on this today and what kind of life you are living in light of this glorious gift. Read His word and pray asking Him to fill you with knowledge and understanding beyond human wisdom. Praise His name for He is worthy.

We are witnesses

“ how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,”

John 12:12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Psalms 145:6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

Acts 5:32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

John 7:39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Proverbs 1:23 If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

Isaiah 12:3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

When Jesus came riding into Jerusalem and people were lining the road and waving palm branches saying Hosanna King of Israel the disciples were with Him. It says they did not understand until after He was glorified (raised from the dead), then they remembered that these things were written of Him. It is like this in our lives when the Holy Spirit calls to mind scripture and reveals something new to us. We do well to keep habit of reading scripture and studying it to continue to grow and understand. We hear these whispers of God when our eyes, ears, heart and mind are open with desire to hear and know. The Holy Spirit is a promise to all who believe and trust in Jesus Christ. Yet complacency and neglect are always standing at our door. To busy, to tire, to much other stuff to do clouds our purpose this side of eternity. Keep focus on humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him. Be a witness to His saving grace, mercy, and power.

You must rule over it

Joh 12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.

Joh 12:9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Luke 16:31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Genesis 4:6 So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

Exodus 10:3 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?

Ecclesiastes 9:3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

Daniel 5:21-23 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.

Psalms 73:9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.

Job 9:4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength —who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?

Psalms 73:11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

Those who believe, those who inquire, and those who criticize, mock, and harden their heart are all around us all of the time. We have opportunity every day to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ. We never know when God has softened a heart to the point of hearing this Good News and it is not up to us to determine who is and who is not worthy of it. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Keep this close to your heart and mind and ever present in your conversations. Be a light unto a dark world. On another point on the scripture today is from Genesis 4:6 – “Sin is crouching at your door but you must rule over it.” Paul said – Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then. Stay in His word and be right minded toward keeping it close to your heart, mind and soul.

How long will you Limp

“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.”

“how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,”

John 10:24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—

2 Corinthians 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

John 12:37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”

In the scriptures today we see those who have set their heart and mind not to believe no matter what, those who go between whatever is popular at the time, and those who believe and are fully committed. Do you wonder what keeps people grouped like this? What is it that blinds the non-believers to Christ? What is it that keeps the wafflers from committing to fully? What is it that keeps the believers committed? Are the non-believers that way because of pride and condition of a hardened heart/closed mind? Are the wafflers that way because they want to have what seems like the best of both worlds or are they afraid of what others might think? Are the believers that way because God opened their heart and mind and drew them to Himself? Hardened hearts and minds, waffling are always possible even to those who believe. If we are complacent and neglect His word and lose desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey we can harden and we can waffle. Paul said we should guard ourselves. We need to take every thought captive. We cannot prevent the first thought that comes to mind but we can certainly get a proper thought put into place. Paul said to put on the full amour of God. There is so much more to being a follower than salvation. It would seem like this – we want a warm bed to sleep in but want nothing to do with the household or maintaining the house. Our walk to to be so much more than believing and salvation. We are to reflect the light of Christ, proclaim the good news, be able to give reason for why we believe, able to encourage, able to disciple, able to correct, and have a daily walk that is filled with joy, peace, hope, kindness, gentleness, and love. Spend time in His word and grow in knowledge and understanding of Him. Hear His whispers of guidance and humbly obey Him.

The sheep hear His voice

“They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”

“They say, ‘Declares the LORD,’ when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word.”

“hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

“having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people”, “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.”

John 10:1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Proverbs 19:27 Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies

1John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Colossians 2:6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

1 John 4:5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Living for the single purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow, and obey Jesus Christ is driven by a deep heart desire, want and commitment. Knowledge, understanding, and ability to hear His whispers of guidance into our life has firm root in and through His word and is a reflection of this desire our time spent in it. How many days are spent complacently neglecting our purpose this side of eternity. These scriptures are directed toward those who have an appearance of walking with the direction, power, and light of Jesus Christ. Yet, in reality, they have none. Our purpose is to be more than an appearance. in Malachi it says :“They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. Walking with and serving God is not to be a self directed life but rather one that seeks to know, wants to know, and is ever listening for God’s direction. Do you want to find a place of comfort, refuge, hope, joy, love, courage, peace, and purpose? Set your heart, mind and soul on Him. Spend time in His word. This side of eternity is filled with cultural lies, false hope, and non-God seeking purpose. Each day we must fight off these lies with truth which is found in and through Jesus Christ. Think about the commitment David had in his heart, mind and soul – “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Belief is just the beginning

“And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.”

John 7:31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

John 4:39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.”

John 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.

John 8:30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 12:42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;

John 3:2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

John 9:16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

John 10:41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.

Matthew 11:3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

It is one thing to believe but there is so much more than belief. Believing that Jesus was the Anointed One from God is the beginning. Trusting in, relying on, and clinging to His redemptive work on the cross for the forgiveness of your sin is when belief turns into faith and a live changing path that has eternal rewards. At the point and time He sends the Holy Spirit to indwell and lead you on this walk to eternity. This heart, mind, and soul deep conversion takes place creating a new person with a single purpose – to honor and glorify our heavenly Father. Let the roots of this conversion continue to grow deep into your life. Choose and commit to humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him. Start each day with this commitment. For those that do, He will be their rock, fortress, help in time of trouble, power, strength, hope, and ever present in their lives to lead them into eternity. For those who do not believe, trust in, rely on, and cling to Him there is a promise of eternity in hell where there is no future hope, only total separation, destruction, pain, and suffering forever.