RESOLUTIONS! A New Take On Making Them

Resolutions! Most make them on New Years Eve. Some deep thinkers write them down as they discover the need for resolutions in the year while the old year is still in play. Others decide why make resolutions...I'm just gonna break them. Then the worst of the resolution makers actually enjoy breaking them. I remember an old friend who used smoke like a factory chimney. He wreaked of smoke, his breath, his body odor, his clothing...and to be honest, it was over-powering. I was his roomie for a while after a rough divorce. I tried to get him to quit, and he would resolve each year at Christmas that change was going to occur. Nope, didn't happen. The first time he smelled someone smoking he always had a reserve pack under his car seat in case he just couldn't take any more. I used to tell him how self-defeating it was to have a reserve pack. He would smile.

Alcoholics, gamblers, sex addicts, etc., etc., do the same thing. They swear to themselves and everybody still left to listen they will change in the New Year, but so many have a reserve "something" stashed somewhere to bail out their cravings! You see the real need for resolutions isn't about quitting it's about living! It's about being the best person we can possibly be so that others we care about will think about doing the same thing. How will they hear you if they can't see changes you have been successful at? At 62 years of age, my friend died of lung cancer, but he would've died from heart failure according to his doctor or some other complication from his terrible lifestyle. Don't get me wrong. He was good and generous man. I thought the world of Spanky. I admired many of his traits and he had some very hard things to overcome but he never stopped thinking of others. I miss him. So in honor of my buddy I am asking you to consider a new way of looking at resolutions and make them from a scriptural standpoint. Why? Because if we do it in cooperation with the Holy Spirit that resides within us, we stand a greater gain by doing it God's way and with His help.

These are taken from the Common English Bible. No, I am not changing Bibles, I still love the New King James and the New American Standard, but these are very understandable.

Forgive others and past failures and look to a better future(forgiveness does not mean you have trust or reconcile but it leaves the door open if real repentance should occur):
1. Don't remember the prior things; don't ponder ancient history. Look! I'm doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don't you recognize it? I'm making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness.
– Isaiah 43:18-19 CEB

Trust God when you don't feel like trusting:
2. Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn't ended; certainly God's compassion isn't through! They are renewed every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
– Lamentations 3:22-23 CEB

Renew your way of thinking:
3. Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God's image in justice and true holiness.
– Ephesians 4:23-24 CEB

Everything in due season:
4. God has made everything fitting in its time, but has also placed eternity in their hearts, without enabling them to discover what God has done from beginning to end.
– Ecclesiastes 3:11 CEB

Gain a world view of life in Christ:
5. Look among the nations and watch! Be astonished and stare because something is happening in your days that you wouldn't believe even if told.
–Habakkuk 1:5 CEB

Praise Him every morning before you start your day:
6. Sing to the Lord a new song because he has done wonderful things! His own strong hand and his own holy arm have won the victory!
–Psalm 98:1 CEB

Don't be double-minded. Say what you mean in love and mean what you say:
7. I will give them a single heart, and I will put a new spirit in them. I will remove the stony hearts from their bodies and give them hearts of flesh.
–Ezekiel 11:19 CEB

God has everything under control and and is always making things better. Write down what He tells you in prayer. Learn to listen carefully:
8. Then the one seated on the throne said, "Look! I'm making all things new." He also said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
–Revelation 21:5 CEB

Suffer the setbacks to His glory. Everything passes through His Hands for our benefit, even the hard to take:
9. I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us.
–Romans 8:38 CEB

We are new creations in Christ our Lord, show others the hope of glory that is in you by living an exemplary life. It is never to late to start:
10. May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! On account of his vast mercy, he has given us new birth. You have been born anew into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
–1 Peter 1:3 CEB

May the God of Creation, Christ our Lord, bless you abundantly in the New Year! 
Ted

It's Christmas...And The World Is Not At Peace

I remember some saying that "if Obama were to be elected President of the United States the world could be at peace. Men of all races and color would join hand in hand toward a more noble future." Just to prove the point that this man of letters could bring peace, he was given the Nobel Peace Prize based not on what he actually accomplished but what the world expected him to accomplish-HE DIDN'T! But this is not a blog to slam the many failures of our current President. He has done so many things wrong that even the so-called LEFT can scarcely defend him. Remember though, that he is a man, only a man with limited ability to change the world around us. Men with a skewed vision can shape some of the nation's circumstances but everything is really in flux anyway. According to the List Of Ongoing Conflicts, 66 countries are presently at war and a 669 factions are warring with each other ( http://www.warsintheworld.com/?page=static1258254223 )!!! The world scans the political horizon looking for some kind of non-religious or religious Messiah to bind us together in harmony and bring peace to a terribly fractured world. 

So for now, this minute, what do we need to focus on? What will bring change to potential catastrophes, hopelessness, loneliness, hate, division, anger, and apathy. So many today are feeling these emotions and yes especially apathy because they have lost hope.

Question: Why should we even consider the celebration of the Christians idea of Christmas? 

Over 2000 years ago a baby came into the world that Christian Bible calls Emmanuel (God with us) and still all those terrible things mentioned above are still plaguing mankind. Time has changed only the players not the events nor the activities. There are so many world religions who claim to have the truth that hate for all things religious has become in vogue. However, even secularism has no real answers...never has and never will. The world-at-large seems about to combust into a possible world war again-maybe even a nuclear war! This world and its people hang upon a slippery precipice that looks down into a fiery, cauldron of possible utter destruction. If that isn't enough, so-called global warming will bring desolation and famine. If that doesn't do it then the Caldera in Yellowstone National Park that measures 34 by 45 miles contains a super volcano whose fury could decimate and change the world's economy and the ability to even grow food to sustain us. According to scientists millions world-wide will die in the first year. So, what changed when a baby called Jesus came into the world? The question remains, in light of all this terrible danger, why should we even consider celebrating the birth of the so called God/Man, Jesus, the Christ? What does this Emmanuel do that is so radically different from what other religions claim?

Dr. R.C. Sproul says, "What we celebrate at Christmas is not so much the birth of a baby, as important as that is, but what’s so significant about the birth of that particular baby is that in this birth we have the incarnation of God Himself. An incarnation means a coming in the flesh. We know how John begins His gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” So in that very complicated introductory statement, he distinguishes between the Word and God, and then in the next breath identifies the two, “The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And then at the end of the prologue, he says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Now in this “infleshment,” if you will, of Christ appearing on this planet, it’s not that God suddenly changes through a metamorphosis into a man, so that the divine nature sort of passes out of existence or comes into a new form of fleshiness. No, the incarnation is not so much a subtraction as it is an addition, where the eternal second person of the Trinity takes upon Himself a human nature and joins His divine nature to that human nature for the purpose of redemption."

Without putting down other religions, I will simply state a word of great importance: HOPE! You see, unlike other religions where man strives to obtain godliness, God, the Father, reached down and gave a child of His own making. Born to die for all mankind to ultimately redeem us from a world gone mad. You see, this child had to be fully God and fully man or his death would be meaningless. Any man can die for another but it takes a God who understands our nature, who is tempted as we, and yet lives a sinless life to save a whole world from the sins we suffer from. It takes a God who takes the sting out of death to deliver us to Himself whole and righteous in His eyes because He paid the price. A blood-bought sacrifice one time for all man-kind if we would choose to believe. Jesus left no option as to how we were to be saved from a sinful world-through the Son alone. No other faith will save you, but He made it so simple to begin that process of change in our lives. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved-not to live as you please! Let God's word transform your thinking into His way of thinking. We will never attain perfection as humans in this world, try as might wish to think so. But in God's eyes we are perfect in Him because of Him and what He did for us. God reached down to men and healed our condition if we would simply believe on Jesus the Christ. Now that is quite a gift and worthy of celebration!

So if I do this will all my troubles be over? Will I no longer mess up my life or others? Will the world suddenly heal its brokenness and division? Will death no longer be something I have suffer? In a word, NO! You see, like it or not sin is real. It came into the world which is why we see mankind hate other mankind for various reasons. There will still be killing, stupidity, hate, anger, mistakes (honest and deliberate), all these things, but the difference will be in you. You will change and you will desire a better world, a better way of thinking and living, a better way of seeing things from God's perspective. Most importantly you will learn to love! Really love, even those who hate you because God's love will reside within. Will you be perfect...NOPE! Only in God's eyes because you are a work of The Potter's Hand under construction every day. His shaping and molding is sometimes painful, but the pain brings reward...eternal life with a God who gave a great gift to mankind to draw us to Him. 

Yes, It's almost Christmas Day and the world is not at peace, but my friend, you can be if you will only trust in the Name above all names, Jesus the Christ.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the peace of God within,
Ted

A Cry for Justice: How the Evil of Domestic Abuse Hides in your Church:

I make no apologies for addressing this blog mainly to Christians but there are many truths in here that apply to persons of other faiths or no particular faith. Domestic Abuse is more prevalent now than at any other time. Even though there is education for abused women, many refuse to believe they are in abusive relationships or if they do believe it their fear of dealing with it is greater than their understanding of the seriousness of it. There are many forms of abuse and they are listed here: Rachel Miller is not just someone who writes about it but has experienced domestic abuse. There are MONSTERS in your congregations who prey on their wives and children. They are not always the gruff and obvious. Many are professionals. They hide their true personalities until they get within the confines of their domain. How does one recognize them? How do they perform their abuse? How do you define abuse and abusers?

Abuse then, is a mentality of entitlement and superiority in which an abuser uses various tactics to obtain and enforce unjustified power and control over another person. The abuser thinks that he is absolutely justified in using these tactics to maintain this power and control over his victim. Abuse is effected in many ways: both physical (including sexual) and non-physical (verbal). It can be active (physically or verbally) or passive (not speaking, not acting). Abuse, therefore, is not limited to physical assault. Indeed, the non-physical forms of abuse often are far more damaging, deceptive, and cruel (18). While many days with your abuser may seem good they cannot outweigh even a day of evil perpetrated on you or your children. They are truly monsters and need to be dealt with.



http://theaquilareport.com/a-cry-for-justice-how-the-evil-of-domestic-abuse-hides-in-your-church-a-review/

A Cry for Justice: How the Evil of Domestic Abuse Hides in your Church: A Review

Victims of abuse are often discounted by their churches

Written by Rachel Miller | Monday, May 13, 2013

The local church is one of the favorite hiding places of the abusive person. Conservative, Bible-believing religion is his frequent choice of facade. Within the evangelical church, women (and sometimes men) are being terribly abused in their homes and marriages. The children of such abusers are suffering as well. And when those victims come to their churches, to their pastors, and to their fellow Christians, pleading for help, well … Victims of abuse are often discounted by their churches (12).

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by a reader of this blog and asked if I would be willing to read and review his book on abuse and the church. The author, Jeff Crippen, is a pastor and former police officer. His book, A Cry for Justice: How the Evil of Domestic Abuse Hides in your Church, was written after his church went through a terrible and eye-opening experience. Pastor Crippen’s desire is to equip pastors, elders, church leaders, and even church members to recognize the signs of abuse and to be prepared to help the victims.

I agreed to read Pastor Crippen’s book, and he was kind enough to send me a copy. After reading it, I decided to write a series of articles addressing the main themes of the book. The first article, this one, will be on the basic premise of the book: what is an abuser, what typically happens in a church when a victim seeks help, and how to help a vicitim. The second will be on recognizing and dealing with abusers in other relationships. The third will be on the very sensitive topic of divorce, remarriage, and abuse.

First off let me say that I highly recommend Pastor Crippen’s book. It is an extremely important topic, and I believe all pastors and anyone else in leadership would benefit from reading this book. Pastor Crippen’s website, A Cry for Justice, is also a great resource for those who would like additional information.

Now, to get down to the purpose of this article, Pastor Crippen begins his book by explaining that there is a growing problem within the evangelical church:

The local church is one of the favorite hiding places of the abusive person. Conservative, Bible-believing religion is his frequent choice of facade. Within the evangelical church, women (and sometimes men) are being terribly abused in their homes and marriages. The children of such abusers are suffering as well. And when those victims come to their churches, to their pastors, and to their fellow Christians, pleading for help, well … Victims of abuse are often discounted by their churches (12).

According to Pastor Crippen, the church doesn’t understand the true nature of abuse and the effects abuse has on its victims. (128) His goal in writing, then, is “to educate the reader in the nature and tactics and mentality of abuse and, in doing so, to help us all to come to understand the pathology of this unique sin (15).”

So what, then, is an abuser? How does one recognize him? [As Pastor Crippen points out, the vast majority of abusers are men. Because of this and for the sake of brevity, he (and I) will use the masculine pronouns, although we are not suggesting that men are the only ones who are abusers.] Pastor Crippen spends a good majority of the book explaining the “tactics and mentality” of abusers. Here is a brief definition of “abuse” and “abuser”:

Abuse then, is a mentality of entitlement and superiority in which an abuser uses various tactics to obtain and enforce unjustified power and control over another person. The abuser thinks that he is absolutely justified in using these tactics to maintain this power and control over his victim. Abuse is effected in many ways: both physical (including sexual) and non-physical (verbal). It can be active (physically or verbally) or passive (not speaking, not acting). Abuse, therefore, is not limited to physical assault. Indeed, the non-physical forms of abuse often are far more damaging, deceptive, and cruel (18).

And,

An abuser is a person whose mentality, mindset, and even worldview is dominated by:

• Power
• Control
• Entitlement (to that power and control)
• Justification (in enforcing that power and control) (19)

Pastor Crippen points out that “it is a serious mistake to assume an abuser thinks like everyone else does.” (19) An abuser has no problems doing horrible things to others and then sleep like a baby at night, without any remorse or attacks of conscience. (42) This is because very often abusers “operate in a world largely or entirely devoid of a functional conscience.” (48) Because of this abusers do not act like everyone else, instead they:

• Lack shame.
• Have no empathy.
• Experience little or not real anxiety.
• Display false repentance very convincingly.
• Lie, even in the face of plain facts that controvert their lie.
• Use what appears to be real emotion or feeling, but in fact is just an act designed to manipulate. (49)

Pastor Crippen believes, despite the fact that many of these abusers are members of churches, that abusers are very likely unregenerate as they do not show evidence of saving grace or true repentance. (43)

While I’m sure that certain abusive tactics are familiar to most people, Pastor Crippen give a list of common tactics used by abusers. Some of these are: controlling the activities of others, abusing things that belong to the victim, harsh criticism (usually with very vulgar language) of victims physical appearance, isolating his victim, sleep deprivation, keeping his victim in poverty, preventing adequate medical care, cruelty to pets, and alienating the children from the victim. (33-34)

There is a great deal more information in A Cry for Justice on the tactics and mentality of abusers. It’s important to remember that not all abusers will use exactly the same tactics. However, after familiarizing yourself with the typical behaviors described in the book, you will be much more aware of the warning signs.

One of the main reasons that Pastor Crippen wrote A Cry for Justiceis that all too often churches, pastors, and well-meaning Christians end up hurting victims and protecting abusers. Here is an example from the book that outlines what happens when a victim comes to her church for help:

1. Victim reports abuse to her pastor.

2. Pastor does not believe her claims, or at least believes they are greatly exaggerated. After all, he “knows” her husband to be one of the finest Christian men he knows, a pillar of the church.

3. Pastor minimizes the severity of the abuse. His goal is often, frankly, damage control (to himself and to his church).

4. Pastor indirectly (or not so indirectly!) implies that the victim needs to do better in her role as wife and mother and as a Christian. He concludes that all such scenarios are a “50/50” blame sharing.

5. Pastor sends the victim home, back to the abuser, after praying with her and entrusting the problem to the Lord.

6. Pastor believes he has done his job.

7. Victim returns, reporting that nothing has changed. She has tried harder and prayed, but the abuse has continued.

8. Pastor decides to do some counseling. …

9. As time passes, the victim becomes the guilty party in the eyes of the pastor and others. She is the one causing the commotion. She is pressured by the pastor and others int he church to stop rebelling, to submit to her husband, and stop causing division in the church.

10. After more time passes, the victim separates from or divorces the abuser. The church has refused to believe her, has persistently covered up the abuse, has failed to obey the law and report the abuse to the police, and has refused to exercise church discipline against the abuser. Ironically, warnings of impending church discipline are often directed against the victim!

11. The final terrible injustice is that the victim is the one who must leave the church, while the abuser remains a member in good standing, having successfully duped the pastor and church into believing that his victim was the real problem (21-22).

It may sound far-fetched, but I know of a woman whose experience fits this to a “T.” This is the all too common experience for many, many women (and some men) in our churches. This should not be so.

So, how then can churches, pastors, and concerned Christians help the victims of abuse? The first step is to become very familiar with the tactics and mentality of abusers. Books such as A Cry for Justiceor Barbara Roberts’ book, Not Under Bondage, can help a educate leaders and others on what abuse looks like and how abusers and their victims often behave.

When a victim comes to you for help, you will need to be ready. Pastor Crippen lays out some guidelines to help leaders do the right thing. The first is to believe the victim. Pastor Crippen points out that this is not blind acceptance but that “in most cases those who report abuse are speaking with honesty.” (186) Other guidelines include not being swayed based on who the abuser is, understanding that all forms of abuse (not just physical or sexual) are serious, reporting abuse to police and allowing the justice system to act, protecting the victim from accusations, a warning not to attempt to cover up the abuse, and preaching on the topic of abuse to prepare and protect your congregation. (186-188)

In addition to giving guidelines on how to help victims, Pastor Crippen also gives a list of rules for how to deal with abusers:

1. Question everything. Even “facts” he states with absolute confidence.
2. Believe nothing without corroboration.
3. Assume he is attempting to deceive you.
4. Accept nothing less than full, unqualified repentance.
5. Do not pity him, no matter how emotional he might be.
6. Accept no excuses.
7. Do not let him blame others. (237-238)

If this seems harsh to you, remember the definition of abuse and the abuser:

Abuse then, is a mentality of entitlement and superiority in which an abuser uses various tactics to obtain and enforce unjustified power and control over another person. The abuser thinks that he is absolutely justified in using these tactics to maintain this power and control over his victim. Abuse is effected in many ways: both physical (including sexual) and non-physical (verbal). It can be active (physically or verbally) or passive (not speaking, not acting). Abuse, therefore, is not limited to physical assault. Indeed, the non-physical forms of abuse often are far more damaging, deceptive, and cruel (18).

Abusers are not acting and thinking like everyone else.

In closing, I’d like to say to anyone who recognizes her (or his) situation in reading this article, to please seek help. There are good resources available to you. If your church will not help, please find one that will. Pastor Crippen’s website may help you as well. My prayers are with you.

Lord willing, parts two and three of this review will be finished soon.

Rachel Miller is News Editor for the Aquila Report. She is also a homeschooling mother of 3 boys and member of a PCA church in Spring, Texas. This article first appeared at her blog, A Daughter of the Reformation, and is used with permission.

Related Posts:

• Proverbs 18:17 — A Verse often Misused to Hurt Abuse…
• Abusers in the Church
• How Church Bullies and Abusers Deceive Us
• Divorce, Remarriage, and Abuse
• Beware Of Those Who Never Admit Fault

It is almost Christmas time. I am asking those in abusive situations to give themselves and those they care for the gift of freedom from abuse. Begin the New Year with hope for a better future. Trust that God knows your situation and will be a present help. Be strong! Like Rachel, my prayers are with you all. If your church will not help you by dealing harshly with your abuser LEAVE! Tell your family and friends about the abuse. Don't let your abuser hide in obscurity. Expose them for what they are!

See you next blog,

Ted

The Christmas Nightmare For Some

It's almost Christmas! Good cheer and love for mankind is at hand...but not in every home! According to one agency, Domestic Abuse Program there were 17,667 calls of domestic abuse. That is only one fifth of the abuses that occur. In fact, 4000 women in the U.S. die each year from domestic abuse. Here is a reminder of what domestic abuse is and the stats:

Domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors, including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion, that adults or adolescents use against their intimate partner. 

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS: 

•  A pattern of behaviors including a variety of tactics - some physically injurious and some not, some criminal and some not - carried out in multiple, sometimes daily episodes. 
•  A pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors, including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion. (NOTE) Yes, there is such a thing as marital rape. It is forced or demand sex when there is no consent and the police should become involved.
• A combination of physical force and terror used by the perpetrator that causes physical and psychological harm to the victim and children. 
• A pattern of purposeful behavior, directed at achieving compliance from or control over the victim. 
• Behaviors perpetrated by adults or adolescents against their intimate partner in current or former dating, married or cohabiting relationships of heterosexuals, gays and lesbians. 

Prepared by Anne L. Ganley, Ph.D. for the Family Violence Prevention Fund

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS

• One out of every three women will be abused at some point in her life.
• Battering is the single major cause of injury to women, exceeding rapes, muggings and auto accidents combined.
• A woman is more likely to be killed by a male partner (or former partner) than any other person.
• About 4,000 women die each year due to domestic violence.
• Of the total domestic violence homicides, about 75% of the victims were killed as they attempted to leave the relationship or after the relationship had ended.
• Seventy-three percent of male abusers were abused as children.
• Thirty percent of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband in the past year.
• Women of all races are equally vulnerable to violence by an intimate partner.
• On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or partners in this country every day.
• Intimate partner violence a crime that largely affects women. In 1999, women accounted for 85% of the victims of intimate partner violence.
• On average, a woman will leave an abusive relationship seven times before she leaves for good.
• Approximately 75% of women who are killed by their batterers are murdered when they attempt to leave or after they have left an abusive relationship.

Here is the sad news...most abused partners prefer to stay in the relationship. An article by Time Magazine on September 9, 2014 points out the problems that are still prevalent today:

After a video was released showing Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his then-fiancée, now-wife Janay Palmer so hard that he knocked her unconscious, victims of domestic abuse took to Twitter to explain why Palmer still decided to become Mrs. Rice after the incident. Some on Twitter shared their own experiences with the hashtag #WhyIStayed. There have been over 92,000 tweets on the subject since 1 a.m. Monday when the video was posted (follow the Twitter conversation in the graphic above).

The tweets give a chilling insight into why many women (and some men) feel trapped in relationships of domestic abuse. Beverly Gooden, a writer who started #WhyIStayed on Twitter, writes on her site that for her, leaving an abusive situation was “a process, not an event.” She explained in a series of tweets the many reasons it took her so long to get out: she once tried to leave the house, but her abuser slept in front of the door to block her; a pastor told her that God hates divorce; her husband said he would change; she needed time to find a place to go and money to survive once she left; she thought love conquered all; she was isolated from friends and family who lived halfway across the country.

Gooden’s story is a common one. One in three women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, and it is one of the most chronically under reported crimes: only about one quarter of all physical assaults, one fifth of all rapes and one half of all stalkings are reported to the police.

Experts say that the limitations of leaving can be both psychological and physical. Many rationalize their situation. “People wind up blaming themselves for the abusive behavior of their partners,” says Craig Malkin, a clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School. “They convince themselves if they approach the person differently, maybe they won’t be abused.”

Malkin likened a relationship with an abusive partner to gambling addiction: “The person being abused is focused on the positive and waiting for the next positive. There’s a psychological effect like gambling: the moments of tenderness and intimacy are unpredictable, but they are so intense and fulfilling that the victim winds up staying in the hopes that a moment like that will happen again.”

“People come to accept subtler forms of physical abuse at first, and very often it’s both people in the relationship who are doing that sort of thing,” he says. “So they tell themselves, ‘Okay I did sort of push him or her, so it’s kind of my fault that they knocked me out.’ It’s of course both partner’s responsibility to establish a sense of emotional and physical safety in the relationship. But the responsibility of a person who lashes out in such a violent manner as Ray Rice did in the video, that falls entirely to that person.”

Sometimes abusers will use the victims’ rationalizations to their advantage. Studies have also shown that domestic abuse and emotional abuse go hand-in-hand. According to the NCADV, psychological terrorism  can keep victims from leaving unsafe marriages: tactics include limiting food purchases, constant tirades, demeaning comments, economic abuse by enforcing unreasonable budgets, restricting or criticizing trips to the doctor or getting medicine; sleep deprivation; total or partial isolation by criticizing their spouses family; unbiblical or unreasonable religious accusations, self pity and reverse victimization as a form of control, extortion or blackmail; taking the children, murder of pets; physical violence; and rape. Studies show that abused women often experience a kind of Stockholm Syndrome in which a victim comes to identify with and become attached to a captor. 

Even abused partners who manage to leave their abusers stay on the fringes of the relationship because of self-doubt. They have been conditioned not to trust their own reasoning. Many simply give up and go back and live a miserable existence. They no longer report their abuses and many end up physically injured or dead.

Many of these male abusers consider themselves benevolent because they don't see what they do as abuse. Many don't hit, at least not yet. In fact, many are shocked to be considered abusers. Some are blatant abusers, but many are controlling, manipulative monsters who hide behind faces of success. Some even go church and hold offices within the church. When caught and called down for it, they maintain they do what they have to do to keep things running smoothly-their definition of smoothly. 

This Christmas, if you are in an abusive relationship or still on the "fringes" of an abusive marriage. Seek good, solid counsel for yourself. Many of the abuse hotlines have counselor phone numbers. Talk to your family and friends and let them know what is going on-refuse to hide abuse. If you're a Christian I would tell you to go to your pastor as well, however many churches are not set up to deal with domestic abuse. There are some very good independent Christian counselors in your phone book. While marriage is sacred to God it is not eternal when dealing with a "manipulative, controlling and dangerous monster" who mouthed the words of love but only put you in the cycle of abuse. Physical abuse is only one of the abuses you might see as dangerous, in fact, emotional, sexual, and economic abuse cause terrible harm as you have seen in the above article. Get help and get free!

See you next blog,

Ted

Thanksgiving By Lessons In The Furnace Of Life

I Googled this question this morning and thought about it as I drove around today:
How many times is the word “thanksgiving” mentioned in the Bible?

That all depends on the Bible translation being used. Here are some answers
Version                                 Number of times
King James Version               30
New International Version   32
New English Translation       29
English Standard Version     38
New Living Translation        31

Yes, I took the lazy man's way of getting to the answer. Thank you Rob J Hyndman for your answer. Why did I ask this question? This will be my third Thanksgiving alone. Through my own fault in many ways but still you ask yourself. "what do I do with me during this time? Why does it hurt so much? The answer to the pain of lonesomeness is simple, but not simple to arrive at. Give thanks to God for all things and in all things!

As I drove(I put on 160 miles total just driving today) I thought of all the events of my life that I could give thanks for. I thought of all the events I didn't give God thanks for...at least at first! I also thought of all the times I was alone at Thanksgiving and Christmas and the reasons why. Many times after a hard time or a trial I think of that POGO cartoon saying, we have found the enemy and he is US!

It is easy to be thankful for the good in life. Food, plentiful water, family, shelter, a roof over our head, in other words all the traditional answers to the “What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?” question people ask at the dinner table. Being thankful for happy things, is normal. It is a start when beginning a journey to be thankful in all things.

However, the Bible tells us not to stop there:


“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” ~ 1 Thess. 5:16-18
Giving thanks isn’t a suggestion; it isn’t a nice thought, neither is it something we can do when we feel like it. It’s a command. If we’re really going to follow the command to “be thankful in all circumstances.” We have to learn how to be thankful for the bad, the terrible,  and the sad things in life, even if we caused them or were just slammed against the wall of life unsuspecting bad things were coming our way! Jesus when he was about to face one of the cruelest deaths, the long, slow, agonizing death on the cross broke bread with the disciples the night before his death:

“And he took the bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me’.” ~ Luke 22:19

 
Think about it, Jesus is fully God he wasn't just a man.  He knew what was about to happen to him. After he ate this last meal with his disciples, Jesus was betrayed by one he called a disciple-a friend. His betrayer gave him over to the Jewish leaders, who manipulated the crowds and convinced Pilate to permit Jesus to be crucified.

Jesus knew all of that was going to happen, yet he still gave thanks over the breaking of bread, knowing that in a few hours he himself would be broken.Unlike Jesus, we don’t know what our future will hold on this earth, but we know what the future holds after this life! However, are we living a life full of thanks right now? Are we thankful during the happy times and the painful times?
Psalm 56:8 declares that “You [God] have kept count of my tossings and turnings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?”

God holds all of our tears in a bottle. Isn’t that beautiful imagery? For some of us that bottle has got to be gigantic!

As woman cries over the fact that she discovers she married a cruel partner who causes her emotional pain and even physical pain in order to dominant the woman he was supposed to cherish. The Lord collects her tears in a bottle and remembers why...

As the young girl cries over the loss of her mother in gang shootout, God extends his hand and catches her streaming tears in a glass bottle.

As the girl cries when she loses a boy she falls in love with, God places her tears in a bottle.

As the father and mother mourn the loss of son in battle, God captures his hidden tears in a bottle.

As the woman cries when she finds out she has cancer, God collects her tears of pain in a bottle. She laments that possibly she will miss out on all that is motherly, womanly, and loving to friends and family.

As the tiny boy cries when his dog is hit and killed or has run away, God holds his tears in a bottle.


I am not trying to start a theological discussion on whether or not God uses a real bottle to collect our tears. The point is HE KNOWS EVERY TEAR WE SHED. WHAT IS YOUR LOSS TODAY, I WONDER? GOD IS THERE IF YOU WILL TURN TO HIM!

Yes, God is with us through our pain, especially in feeling alone in our pain. He’s there each step of the way, catching our trickling tears in bottles and keeping track of them in a book. Because we live in a fallen world, pain is going to happen. However, it’s reassuring to know that we’re not experiencing this pain alone. GOD KNOWS!

Pain’s still hard, though; which brings back to that very crucial question:
How do we give thanks, even in the hard times?

I struggle with this too! In Bible college I read a book by Colonel Merlin Carothers, called Prison to Praise. Now Merlin really ticked me off because he had the audacity to tell me I need to praise God for all things including pain and anguish! I quickly reversed this and told others that we need to praise God not FOR all things but IN all things. Well, the Lord doesn't discriminate. He wants us to praise him for every circumstance no matter how terrible it might seem. Why? How can you praise God for the death of a loved one? The blessing comes in the praise for His ultimate will to be done. You may read his story here:
https://merlincarothers.remembered.com/
 
I know pain. Yet, I have hope. Yet still I have doubts when trouble comes but Jesus gives me and you reassurance...
John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

How can get to this place in my heart, you ask? 

My hope is found in the saving grace of Jesus Christ and my trust that he has a plan for everything. Therefore, I do not despair when things go dreadfully wrong. (Well, truthfully, sometimes I despair, but that’s when my eyes are fixed on the situation and not on the Savior.)  There is a song that says "my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' Name."

If we look at the long version of this question we see that God promised the following to the nation of Israel before the Babylonians cast them into captivity. Did you just read this right? ...just before casting them into CAPTIVITY!

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you, and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. I will be found by you…'” ~Jeremiah 29:11-14aJeremiah also wrote, “Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down with in me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” ~Lamentations 3:20-23 God's people have suffered many hardships and even captivity, the Lord has delievered them out of the hand of the enemy.

In John 16:33 (one of my favorite verses), Jesus reassures his disciples by saying, “I have told you these things so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble; but take heart! I have overcome the world.” Did you read that? "IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE!!! BUT TAKE HEART I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD!"

The apostle Paul wrote the following in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

    “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given to me in the flesh…Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.

    “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’

    “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

But even though I have hope, it’s still a struggle to give thanks for the hard circumstances.
I could go on and on about hope, but for the sake of time, I’ll just link more verses so you can look them up if you’d like.

So Ted are you really saying give thanks to God for all the PAIN I'm enduring?

Basically, in this story Jesus was invited to a pharisee’s house. A sinful woman came and worshiped him by breaking an expensive flask of ointment and washing his feet with  her tears and wiping them with her hair.The pharisee was disgusted. Jesus addressed him by telling a story. A moneylender had two people who were in his debt. One owed five hundred dollars, and the other only owed fifty dollars. Neither of them could pay the debt, so the moneylender canceled both of their debts. Here comes the big question: which of the two debtors will love the moneylender more? The pharisee answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.”

Jesus told him that he had answered correctly. He then tied his story to the sinful woman, who had displayed grand affection toward Jesus. He declared, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven-for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
Those who most know forgiveness most know gratitude. Gratitude springs from a forgiven heart. 

Everything that befalls a Christian or non-Christian has a purpose, usually get us to recognize that bad things happen to good people but more importantly to realize that like Matthew 5:45 says the rain falls on the just and the unjust! Many times hardship causes us to consider looking to God for an answer.

There is a promise hidden for those who love God and trust Him even in the darkest circumstances. Jesus promises not leave us as orphans:


^{John 14:15} “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[c] in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Here are some quotes by Charles Spurgeon one of the great 19th century theologians:

The Lord gets his best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction.

As sure as God puts His children in the furnace of affliction, He will be with them in it.

It seems to me that doubt is worse than trial. I had sooner suffer any affliction than be left to question the gospel or my own interest in it.     Source: Sermons, 29.79.

Most of the grand truths of God have to be learned by trouble; they must be burned into us with the hot iron of affliction, otherwise we shall not truly receive them.

Providence is wonderfully intricate. Ah! You want always to see through Providence, do you not? You never will, I assure you. You have not eyes good enough. You want to see what good that affliction was to you; you must believe it. You want to see how it can bring good to the soul; you may be enabled in a little time; but you cannot see it now; you must believe it. Honor God by trusting Him.     Source: God's Providence, p. 19.

The furnace of affliction is a good place for you, Christian; it benefits you; it helps you to become more like Christ, and it is fitting you for heaven.

Christian are you going through the furnace of life..give thanks! For out of that furnace will come purity and faith! For those of you who don't know Jesus Christ as a Savior, turn to Him and confess that you are in need of a Savior. Confess openly that you have failed those trials, He will wipe away each tear and replace it with peace at knowing your eternal destiny. There no sin too great that God will not forgive except the sin of unbelief. Ask and receive.

The Orthodoxy of Hell James 2:19

This isn't laziness, but instead a pastor/friend of mine posted an article that I think is relevant. I have met many "Christians" who think they can live like the world and still call themselves Christians...maybe some are and in the end the Holy Spirit will convict them to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. One thing I think that is really worth talking about is this: there will be many armchair and seminary theologians in hell! You see you can have all the scripture knowledge in the world, but without a real personal relationship with the Author of that theology...it is in vain! If you are the genuine article and think you can take a vacation from the agenda the Lord has for you I've got news for you...I've been there and God will not let you rest until you confess and repent of your idiocy and come back on the path He has laid out for you. "Hey Ted, what happened to eternally secure in Jesus...you are!" This doesn't change that! All I am saying is examine yourself to see if Jesus has a real place in your heart. Do you exhibit fruit that says you are the real thing. Do you long for a walk that keeps you close to God? Yes, we sin, we blow it, and His GRACE is sufficient. What he did on that cross on a lonely hill called Golgotha wiped your slate clean, past, present and future. You are not saved by works. You are justified, sanctified holy, but the test is fruit worthy of repentance. Thank you Jesus for your faithfulness.

The Orthodoxy of Hell by Pastor Ray Pritchard  

http://keepbelievingministries.com/

“You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder” (James 2:19).

Some verses ought to scare us.
How can the demons “believe” and still be demons?
If they could “believe” and end up in hell, what about us?

We can say right up front this verse means exactly what it says. The demons believe in God and even believe in the oneness of God, yet that belief will not save them. Strange as it may sound, this is a verse about the orthodoxy of hell. There is a kind of belief that does not lead to heaven. There is such a thing as “demonic faith,” which is not believing in the demons but believing like the demons.

Demons are spirit beings created by God to serve him. They were originally good angels who followed Lucifer in his rebellion against God. They are powerful spirit beings who now serve Satan and his evil purposes on the earth. Their purpose is entirely negative.

According to James, we can learn something important from their bad example. In this message, we’re going to answer three questions to help us learn from the strange case of the demons who believe and yet are still in hell.

# 1: What Do Demons believe?

James answers by saying the demons believe God is one. That’s a good thing to believe. That was the starting point of Old Testament religion. The first readers would instinctively recall the famous “Shema” of Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” To the Jews, this was the most important verse in the Torah. It was the foundation of their religion. Parents taught this verse to their children, they would write it down, recite it, memorize it, and build their lives around it. This verse meant there is only one God and the people were to love him supremely.

But consider this. What the demons believe about God is true. It’s 100% biblical. The demons know the truth about God. They know there is a God, and there is only one God. But we can go further than that.

The demons are not atheists.
They are not skeptics.
There are no agnostics among their ranks.
There are no “liberal” demons who doubt the truth.

When James says, “You do well” to believe that God is one, he is not being sarcastic or ironic. He was being entirely truthful, and his readers would have taken him that way. Biblical faith begins with acknowledging the one true God: “In the beginning God” (Genesis 1:1).

True faith begins there.
But it doesn’t end there.

What else do the demons believe?  If we study the various encounters with demons in the New Testament, we learn additional things they believe:

They believe in the deity of Christ. When they saw Jesus, they bowed down to him and cried out, “You are the Son of God” (Mark 3:11-12).

They know his human name. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?” (Luke 4:34).

They know his divine origin. “I know who you are—the Holy One of God” (Luke 4:34).

They recognize true preaching of the gospel. “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17).

They recognize false preaching of the gospel. “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” (Acts 19:15)

They believe in hell. The demons infesting the man from the tombs begged Jesus not to send them to the abyss, the place of final punishment (Luke 8:31).

They acknowledge Jesus as their ultimate judge. Those same demons begged Jesus not to torment them (Mark 5:7).

They believe in a set time for their punishment. They ask Jesus, “Have you come to punish us before our time?” (Matthew 8:29).

They know Jesus is sovereign over them. They must ask Jesus for permission to enter the pigs (Mark 5:11-13).

They know they must bow before Jesus. When the demon-infested man saw Jesus, he voluntarily bows down before him (Mark 5:6).

They submit to the power of Jesus’ word. When he casts them out of a person, they must come out (Matthew 17:18).

Taken together, that’s an impressive array of theological insight. No wonder R. C. Sproul said this:
 

Satan could make an "A" in my systematic theology course. He knows the information and knows that the information is true.

Don’t play Bible Trivia with a demon. He’ll win every time.

# 2: Why Do They Shudder?

The word “shudder” translates an unusual Greek word, used only here in the New Testament. It means to have your hair stand on end. The English word “frizzy” comes from this Greek word. I call it a Halloween word because it describes how you would react in a haunted house at midnight when you hear a creak and then the sound of a door slowly opening. Someone or something is coming, but in the darkness you can’t see a thing. You hear the sound of steps moving slowly in your direction, but who is it? What do they want? What will happen when they reach you? You hold your breath, hoping whoever it is will pass you by. Your muscles tense, your breathing slows. You strain to hear a sound. But the steps come closer and closer. They stop just behind you. You try to run, but your feet won’t move. Suddenly an ice-cold hand grips your shoulder. That terror you feel is what James means when he says the demons shudder.

Stephen Davey points out that if you take the Greek word translated “shudder” and turn it into a noun, it gives us the English word “freaky.” The thought of God freaks the demons out. Now take that and apply it to the demons. Remember, they are not heretics. They know who Jesus is, and they know he will sentence them to eternal doom someday. Everything about him terrifies them.

They hate Jesus.
They fear him.
They cannot deny his true identity.
They cannot escape the coming judgment.

Think about this. The demons know the truth about Jesus. They shudder continually. They live in constant fear of their impending eternal doom. They know the ugly future that awaits them. But knowing all that and living in fear of it cannot deliver them.

When Dr. Criswell preached on this text, he imagined a scene where the devil himself walked the aisle and asked to join the church. The pastor was shocked by this turn of events, but began to ask a series of questions:

“Do you believe the Bible?” “Yes, I do. It’s all true.”
“Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God?” “Without a doubt.”
“Do you believe the Virgin Birth?” “Yes, I was there watching it all in Bethlehem.”
“Do you believe Jesus died on the cross?” “Yes, I saw it happen.”
“Do you believe Jesus rose from the dead?” “Absolutely. No question about it.”
“Do you believe Jesus is coming again?” “Of course. He said he would.”
“Will you be faithful in attending church?” “I’ll be here every time the doors are open.”

Finally the pastor says, “You have been going to and fro throughout the world, wreaking havoc, causing pain, sowing discord, breaking up marriages, stirring up death and destruction, and dragging people down with you into hell. Do you here and now repent of your sin? Will you turn from your sin, bow your knee, and trust Christ as Savior?” To which the devil replies, “Oh, Oh, I don’t know about that. That is something else!” (From “The Orthodoxy of the Devil.”)

Knowledge of the truth, even believing the truth, even living in fear of what the truth must mean, that alone is never enough. Consider the demons who believe and shudder and are doomed forever. This is what James wants us to ponder.

# 3: What Should We Learn From This?

This solemn verse stands as a warning to every religious person. The more religious you are, the more you stand in danger of having demonic faith. To make it more personal, the thought occurs to me that I stand in grave danger myself. I have been a Jesus-follower for 46 years. But before that I was a church member. I’ve been “in church” all my life. I feel comfortable there. I know the routine, understand the language, know the songs, know how to pray the prayers. I know what’s going to happen on Sunday morning. I know how to take the little cup and then take the little wafer when we observe the Lord’s Supper. I have memorized Scripture. I started out in the Cradle Roll, graduated to the Beginners, then on to the Juniors, then to the Intermediates, then to the Junior High, and finally to the High School department. I knew all the verses to “Just As I Am” by the time I was 12 years old. I went on youth retreats and knew all about “rededication” services. I walked the aisle, joined the church, and was baptized by Brother Colley, my childhood pastor. Later I attended a Christian college, then went to seminary, then pastored three churches, wrote a few books, started a ministry, preached around the world, and now here I am. That’s my life (part of it, at least) in one paragraph. It’s very easy when you know all of that to subtly begin to rely on your religious pedigree in place of having a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let me say it this way. I subscribe to the great creeds of the church, I believe wholeheartedly in what evangelical Christians believe, I can sign the statement of faith of every church I ever pastored, and I can happily sign my seminary’s statement of faith. I read the Puritans I quote Spurgeon, I am a happy member of a Baptist church, and I love watching videos of Billy Graham preaching. I learned the gospel when Ed McCollum explained it to me, when Angel Martinez preached it to me, and when I read it on the pages of the Sword of the Lord 48 years ago. I call myself an evangelical Christian. That’s my ecclesiastical home.

So what’s the point? Well, we all have a story, don’t we? Some were raised Catholic or Lutheran or Methodist or Church of Christ or Presbyterian or Charismatic or Brethren or Anglican, or maybe you were raised without any religion. But you’ve got your own religious history. We all do. It’s fine to have a history, good to know theology, great to read esteemed Bible commentators, wonderful to be part of a good church, and it’s very good if you can pass those theology quizzes that pop up on Facebook.

But it’s a huge mistake to think you are going to heaven because of your knowledge or your religious background or even because you went to such-and-such seminary and made straight A's under Dr. Wrote-Many-Books.

The demons made straight A's too. They know theology better than you do. They know the Bible backward and forward. And they even “believe” in the sense that they acknowledge the truth about who Jesus is. They know good gospel preaching when they hear it. And they know the fake stuff because they are the ones inspiring those Candyland TV preachers.

In one sense, the demons are wiser than some of us. Because of what they know about their future, they shudder in fear of their coming judgment. Gordon Keddie poses this question:

“Why is it that demons tremble, while sinners can sail on in blissful unconcern? The answer is that the demons are not so blind as people. They know their latter end … They really fear the wrath to come. But careless sinners say they believe in God positively, go on in daily life to live as if he did not exist and yet can dream that they are safe in the everlasting arms!”

There is another way of looking at this. Many of us take ourselves and our religion too seriously. We look at our own record, we judge our own sincerity, and we compare ourselves with others. We are very impressed with ourselves and consequently not so impressed with Jesus. It’s very easy for us to become “careless sinners” even while pursuing a life of outward piety. We may even think our faith is real because we have a seminary degree.

There will be many good theologians in hell. In fact, hell is populated with good theologians already. They are called demons. Make sure you don’t join them.

Knowledge alone will never save you.
Checking the right boxes will never save you.
Living in fear of hell will never save you.

Let this be a somber warning to you and me. Don’t make the mistake of knowing a lot and yet doing nothing with what you know. That brings me to me my second application.
 

The Great Blondin

We need true biblical faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. True saving faith involves the intellect, the emotions, and the will. The faith that saves us involves all we are in coming to Christ. Faith starts with knowledge, moves to conviction, and ends with commitment.

In the nineteenth century, the greatest tightrope walker in the world was a man named Charles Blondin. On June 30, 1859, he became the first man in history to walk on a tightrope across Niagara Falls. Over twenty-five thousand people gathered to watch him walk 1,100 feet suspended on a tiny rope 160 feet above the raging waters. He worked without a net or safety harness of any kind. The slightest slip would prove fatal. When he safely reached the Canadian side, the crowd burst into a mighty roar.

In the days that followed, he would walk across the Falls many times. Once he walked across on stilts; another time he took a chair and a stove with him and sat down midway across, cooked an omelet, and ate it. Once he carried his manager across riding piggyback. And once he pushed a wheelbarrow across loaded with 350 pounds of cement. On one occasion he asked the cheering spectators if they thought he could push a man across sitting in a wheelbarrow. A mighty roar of approval rose from the crowd. Spying a man cheering loudly, he asked, “Sir, do you think I could safely carry you across in this wheelbarrow?” “Yes, of course.” “Get in,” the Great Blondin replied with a smile. The man refused.

That makes it clear, doesn’t it? It’s one thing to believe a man can walk across by himself. It’s another thing to believe he could safely carry you across. But it’s something else entirely to get into the wheelbarrow yourself. That’s the difference between knowledge, conviction, and commitment.

If you know what it means to believe a doctor when he says, “You need surgery,” you know what it means to have faith. If you know what it means to step into an airplane entrusting your safety to the captain in the cockpit, you know what it means to have faith. If you know what it means to ask a lawyer to plead your case in court, you know what it means to have faith. Faith is total reliance upon another person to do that which you could never do for yourself.

How much faith does it take to go to heaven? It depends. The answer is not much, but all you’ve got. If you are willing to trust Jesus Christ with as much faith as you happen to have, you can be saved. But if you’re holding anything back, thinking that maybe you need to do something to help save yourself, forget it!
 

Five Words

Here are five words that will take you all the way to heaven: Only Jesus and Jesus only. But it is not enough to say those words or to memorize them or to write them on a card. You must trust Christ and him alone.

Don’t fall into the trap of demonic faith. That’s the trap of thinking you can recognize Christ without having a relationship with him. It’s the trap of acknowledging him without accepting him. It’s the trap of fearing him, but never trusting him.

No demon will ever trust Christ. But you can!
No demon will ever repent. But you can!
No demon will ever believe and be saved. But you can!

God help you and me, each of us individually and all of us together, to trust in Jesus Christ. Let us say, “I am trusting Jesus so much that if he can’t take me to heaven, I’m not going there.” Let us wholly lean on Jesus’ name. He is a great Savior. Jesus never turns away anyone who comes to him in true faith.