Who is the Holy Spirit?

In my Bible studies a few weeks ago, I read a lot about the Holy Spirit. I had not thought much on the Holy Spirit, but God has brought a great friend into my life who loves the Spirit of God. Because of his praise and love for the Holy Spirit, I became interested in gaining some more knowledge of Him.

To gain more knowledge, I looked up "Holy Spirit" in my concordance and found many verses on it. I looked up every verse that mentioned the Spirit and then wrote down what I learned from each. As I read verse after verse and day after day, I began to really fall in love with the Spirit of God. What I want to do now, is point out to you several characteristics I saw repeated and reinforced in Scripture.

The Holy Spirit:

• Moves us to action: Before Saul is made king in 1 Samuel 10, The Spirit of God came upon him and he began to prophesy (verse 10). Also, in Nehemiah 9:30, the Israelites are confessing their sins and remembering how God was patient with them, counseling them through the prophets. The Spirit of God moved these prophets to prophesy and guide the Israelites. Again, Joel 2:28 speaks of God: He will "pour out His Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy..." The Spirit moves people to action. We can also look at the story of Philip and the Ethiopian from Acts 8:26-40. Verse 29 says "The Spirit told Philip, 'Go to that chariot and stay near it.'" The Spirit moved Philip to act so that the Ethiopian might be saved. I know I have experienced the Spirit's nudge in my own heart many times. Once, He called me to encourage our pastor before moving in to a new church building. Another time, He spoke through me and I was able to tell of God's goodness to a foreign exchange student at school. He has moved me to sit by lonely people in the church, the classroom, and at the cafeteria. The Holy Spirit's nudge is very real and absolutely exists today-not just in early church times.
  

• Gives us new life: Baptism is an outward symbol of the inward change that occurs when we become Christians. When John baptized Jesus in Matthew 3, he baptized with water. However, when we become Christians, the inward change is because of the Holy Spirit and when we are saved, we are baptized in the Him. John 6:63 states it clearly: "The Spirit gives life." Romans 8:1-17 is all about life through the Spirit. However, verse 11 is where I want to focus. It says, "And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you." In other words, The Holy Spirit raised Christ from the dead and this same Spirit lives in us! When we receive the Holy Spirit, we are raised from the dead and made alive. The power that raised Christ from the dead is in us.
  Finally, 2 Corinthians 3:6 says, "For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." Do you know what this "letter" is? It represents the law. But how does the law kill? Well, it's not necessarily the law that kills, it's living by it. Before Jesus came, people were living by so many laws-many of them not set by God, but by the religious leaders. They lived rigidly and held tightly to the laws. Following the law and being "righteous" or "a good person" didn't save them then and it will not save you now. Following the law (in our terms: "being a good person") leads to death, but the Spirit gives life
  

• Guides us: This characteristic of the Holy Spirit is one I have seen clearly in my own life. In Matthew 4:1, we see the Holy Spirit as a guide in Jesus' life as He leads Him to the desert. In John 14:25-26, Jesus says, "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things..." When Jesus was on earth, He was the counselor and guide to His followers. However, when He left them and ascended into heaven, He gave them His Holy Spirit. Now, although we don't have Jesus to walk around with and hear from audibly, we have His guidance through His Spirit. In John 16:13, Jesus tells His disciples "when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth..." The Spirit of God is not only our guide in life, but our guide to Truth.

• Reminds us of His Word: The Holy Spirit does not teach us His Word, rather, we have to read it for ourselves first and then He will remind us of it. John 14:26 says, "but the Counselor, the Holy Spirit,...will remind you of everything I have said to you." Jesus was speaking to His disciples here. His disciples followed Him and spent time with Him-listening and soaking up all of His words. Like the disciples, we must spend time with Him, soak up His teachings from the Bible and then when we go out to the world, His Spirit will remind us of what He told us in our quiet times with Him. In Acts 11:16, Peter says "Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'" The Holy Spirit reminded Peter of Jesus' words when He was on earth with them. In the same way, if we spend time with the Lord, His Holy Spirit will remind us of His Word.
  

• Controls us: Romans 8:6 says "the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." The Spirit controls us. However, He doesn't control those who have their minds set according to the sinful nature. When we set our minds according to the Spirit, we allow Him to control us. Taking another route, check out Ephesians 5:18. It says, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." What does it look like when someone is drunk? You can easily distinguish between who is under the control of alcohol and who is sober if you listen to their words and watch their actions. But what would it look like for someone to be under the control of the Spirit? If you were under the Holy Spirit's control, you would probably talk about God more and your actions would exemplify Christ. If you were under the control of the Spirit and filled with Him, you would be more like Christ-dedicated to your Father in heaven and spreading His love to all people. Be filled with the Spirit and put yourself under His control.
  

I found other characteristics, but these were not repeated like the ones above. However, I think these are important so that you know more about Him. So here they are: The Holy Spirit drives out evil (Matthew 12: 28, 32), gives us power (Acts 1:8), helps us in our weaknesses (Romans 8:26-27), and unites believers (Ephesians 4:4).

I want to encourage you to open your eyes and recognize the Spirit's work in your own life. Remember these characteristics and then praise God when you see His Spirit moving.

Preparation 101

Lately, God has challenged me to be reverent as I come into His presence. There were a couple of Sunday mornings that I would be walking into the church building, reciting and repeating Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools who do not know they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth or hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. He is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few." That is how I prepared myself. But that is exactly the problem. I prepared myself. The results of this were pretty ugly. I walked down the halls into the worship service without a smile. I usually didn't wave at anyone, but gave them a solemn tip of my head. To top it off, during the worship, you would find me with my arms crossed and my lips closed during an upbeat song. I wanted to be reverent, but I had no idea what that really meant.
However, last Sunday, I woke up early and left the room by 9:00 am. I drove to the church and parked. I opened my Bible onto my lap, but didn't read it. I bowed my head and spoke to the Lord for about 10 minutes. I just closed my eyes and asked God to prepare my heart. To give me the right attitude as I walked in and to go in with pure motives-- to meet Him there. I spent time inviting Him to meet with us because if He isn't there, there's no reason for us to go inside. After 10 minutes, I decided to walk in and the results were completely different than before. I saw my brother, went to him and gave him a big hug. I wasn't solemn and I didn't ignore anyone. I was happy to be there! This next part is great. The first song played was called "Wake Up the World" and was very upbeat. This time though, you would not have found me with my arms crossed and my smile upside down. You would have found me clapping my hands and praising the Lord, who had just prepared my heart.
Before, I thought reverence meant only slow movements, isolation, and quiet. Although God leads me to these at certain times, He doesn't want me to be rude. When I let Him prepare my heart, He gave me the right attitude about entering His presence and the right motives for doing so.
Psalm 110:4-5 "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."

Trusting. REALLY Trusting

Being raised in church, I have heard about trusting God all my life. However, "trust in God" was more of a church phrase than something I could understand. After talking to my youth minister's wife, and meditating on the concept, God gave me understanding.

Trusting in God means knowing and truly believing that in every circumstance, God is there for you, beside you, behind you, in front of you, and all around you. In every situation, God takes care of you.

Trusting God is NOT believing everything will always be great. We have been warned many times in the Bible of trials we will face. In the trials, we are supposed to believe God is in control like He says He is.

Also, trusting God is NOT life will turn out exactly how you want it. Have a possible spouse in mind? Trusting God means believing wholeheartedly that God has the right one for you and will bring you together in His perfect timing.

Trusting God is believing He is in control.

Principal or President?

The other day at the end of class, we were discussing the President, and principals and election and all that jazz. So, as usual, my brain wandered off and tried to apply it spiritually. Here is what I cam up with:

The Principal was not elected. He was hired. Not by vote, but because he earned it.

The President was not hired. He was elected. Because of the grace of the people.


We cannot earn our salvation; We cannot be hired. If we COULD be hired, we would be able to boast about what we earned. But the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "It is by grace you have been save, through faith-and this is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."

Instead, we have been elected by God to be a part of His family. God voted for us like we vote for the president. He saved us by His grace because He knows we can never earn it. (If we were the principal, we would never get the job). The reason we cannot earn His saving grace is because of our sin. Our daily shortcomings. Romans 3:23 says "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."


In my life, I have learned to take God's grace even when punishing yourself seems best. We are not perfect, therefore we cannot punish perfectly. If we beat ourselves up everytime we fall in a specific area, we will turn ourselves one way. You are not your own LORD. Rather, Jesus is the Perfect Father. He is a Perfect Disciplinarian because when He punishes us for our sin, He does it in a way that will still bring Him glory and will lead you down the right path. So please stop beating yourself up and realize God will forgive you and pick you back up. So get back up and know God's grace.

Summer Pictures!

1). One happy family. haha. Leah was NOT happy. 2). Super Summer! I am such a dork! I thought I was being really cute, but turns out I was just holding the 1 backwards.....oh gosh... 3). This is my new friend Stephani on our icee date at falls creek! yay! 4). My cousin, Lyndsy and I at falls creek. Love her! 5). Me and Leah at silver dollar city on a caterpillar. 6). This is a baptism that took most of our church service! 29 students obeyed God and were baptized. Then, an invitation to our whole church was given. If they wanted to obey God by being baptized, they could do it right after church in that big pool. 5 more were baptized. Praise the LORD!

My Promise

I just finished reading Every Young Man's Battle-no, its not a typo...-and I have learned MANY facts about guys. You might think its a little strange, but I think its smart. I wanted to read it because I thought it would help me help you (guys). During my teen years, I have dressed modestly and that has not really been a huge deal for me because of my parents. But since reading this, I have realized that modesty in clothing is great, but I also need to be modest in my actions and my body language. I have probably been a stumbling block to my brothers in this area, but since reading Every Young Man's Battle, I want to change. So, here is my promise to guys and since I am making it known to everyone, you may keep me accountable.

I Promise to act in a way pleasing to the LORD

and in a way that will not cause my brothers

to stumble or fall because in a world full of sexual

impurity and temptation, my brothers need

an example of a pure and modest young woman.

Romans 14:13b says "Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block in your brother's way."

Romans 14:21 says "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall."

Romans 15:1-2 says "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up."

EPIPHANY!

An odd epiphany came to me while mowing the lawn with my dad. I was sitting on the riding lawn mower trying to mow the straightest lines I could while my dad was weed eating the perimeter of the yard. When he had finished, he began watching me while he took a break from working. Then, he began to show me small patches of grass I had looked over and missed. From there, he just guided me in straight lines so I would not become distracted, look away, and miss any more patches of grass. And I found out that if I continued to focus on his back, I would go straight.

The epiphany I had was about how much this scene is related to life. If you become distracted and look away from the LORD, you will no longer make straight lines, or paths. But! If you do keep your focus on God's leadership and guidance, your paths will be straight. God will guide you, but you must focus on Him and commit to following Him.

Here are some verses about God's guidance:

• Exodus 15:13
• Psalm 23:3
• Psalm 25:9
• Psalm 48:14
• Psalm 67:4
• Psalm 73:24
• Psalm 78:14
• Psalm 139:10
• Isaiah 42:16
• Isaiah 58:11
• John 16:13

Bits O' Wisdom

These are little bits o' wisdom I have gained during my tenth grade year:

1. Girls, never tell your boyfriend your deepest, darkest secret.
2. Not every hill is worth dying on. (meaning, don't waste your time stressing out over problems. Instead, look to the LORD.)
3. When you choose to become a christian, you are choosing to choose everyday to be one. When you ask Jesus into your heart, you aren't just choosing Him today, you are choosing to choose Jesus everyday.........it makes sense to me. Ask me if you don't understand. :)
4. There's a need but not always a call.
5. When there are boys and girls in a room, be careful what you talk about. (Mixed company) -Brian B. :)
6. I have really learned that God's strength is perfect.
7. Let the LORD work through you. Always. Otherwise, you will regret it.
8. Cain killed Abel.
9. Live and talk as if Jesus is coming back tomorrow.
10. Nobody plans to fail. They just don't plan not to. -Brian B.
11. I AM NOT THE SAVIOR.
12. The more time you spend in God's presence, the more joy you have. This was a really neat realization for me.
13. To be like Jesus, you need to be willing to do what others are unwilling to do (in terms of acts of service)
14. The joy of intimacy is committment.
15. Your body is a temple of the LORD, so what you wouldn't do in a church (also a temple of the LORD), don't do to your body.

The Disciple Is A Servant

For 30 weeks, I had been working through a devotional by Andy and Kim Harrison called The Discipling Cycle. This is a great book and I really enjoyed it.



I was very excited about this particular study because the week before, I had been reading my leadership book. One section was about servanthood and its importance, So I was ready to hear more insight and dig into this topic of servanthood. An exerpt from the first page of the study says this "Everything we do and are encouraged to do by the world's standards brings the result of making us look good. We study for tests to make good grades, which of course we could hardly do for another person. But we also work hard to make first string, to win our latest love interest, to keep up our car payments, ect,. The issue is where we pour our energy. When was the last time making someone else look good was on your list of things to do?" This really touched me because I realized how often I tried to make myself look good. For example, looking good in front of the boys, in soccer, or in choir. This is not the heart of a servant. A servant in the form of a wife makes her husband look good. A servant in the form of a friend makes her peers look good. This is how strong relationships are built. I make Jesus look good to the world because when He died on the cross, He made us look perfect to His Father. When He died, He showed us He wanted a strong relationship with us because of His love.

On Day 2 of our study, we read the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet. (John 13:-1-15) Because of this story, I learned the value of being a servant by the example of Jesus. He tells His disciples in verses 14-15 to follow His example by washing the feet of others. He desires His children to be servants the way He was. Matthew 20:28 says "For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." To be like Jesus in this way, we must be willing to do what others are unwilling to do. Sweeping the floor, taking out the trash, or vacuuming the car are all practical ways to be a servant.

I decided to make a personal purpose statement out of 2 Corinthians 4:5. As a servant of the Lord, I will not preach about who I am or what I can do; rather, who Christ is and what He can do.

Finally, 2 Timothy 2:24-25 taught me that serving is a lifestyle. A lifestyle that will, in fact, make us like God.

Always Focus on the Goodness of the LORD

Always focus on the goodness of the LORD.



Have you ever had your breath taken away? Maybe you are thinking "Ya, I hyperventilated once." But no....not like that. Have you ever been so in awe of something that your breath is taken? One Sunday, I was completely awestruck. God revealed to me a portion of His marvelous works and I would love to share it with you.

During the service, we studied James 1:16-18.
Verse 17 says "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Heavenly lights who does not change like the shifting shadows."

• God, who created the world and the lights of Heaven is GOOD. The grass or dirt that is around your house is made by the Good God.

While my pastor was leading us through this passage, he showed us that if the earth was a tiny tiny bit closer to the sun or a tiny tiny bit farther away from the sun, we would die. Instead, the earth is positioned perfectly for the world to have perfect living conditions. I dont know about you, but that shows me that God cares about mankind. He obviously wants us to live. Otherwise, He would have just put the earth somewhere in the universe. But I am here to tell you that God is so in love with you and wants you to have life abundantly and we know this because He allows us to live.

Verse 18b: And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession.

• Now, how wonderful is that?! Go back to verse 17. God made everything. He is the Good Creator. So....if God has made Heaven and Earth, sun and moon, rain and snow, animals and humans, why then has He chosen us to be His prized possession? We are not the ones who praise Him every second of everyday like nature does. The sun and moon praise Him. The flowers and the trees sing of His great works everyday. Yet, He has not chosen them to be His prized possession. Humans curse Him everyday. Mankind rejects Him. And lets remember who killed His Son. It sure was NOT the stars. It was us. It was the humans. But He has chosen us over everything to pursue relentlessly. Praise the LORD because He chose us.

And while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

A Very Merry Christmas: 2000 Years Ago

In years past, I have never really dug into Christmas the way I have this year. I knew that the LORD was supposed to be the center of Christmas, but it was all very surface level. I did not look into it too much. This year though, I wanted to see what this was all about on a deeper level. I picked up " The Purpose Of Christmas" by Rick Warren and began reading four days before Christmas, causing me to finish on Christmas Eve because of the sections. He talks of celebration, salvation and reconciliation. It really is a wonderful little book and I highly recommend it. Especially if you want to dig deeper into why Jesus came.
Many of you, like me know that Jesus came and made Himself known on December 25, about 2000 years ago. How many of you have asked the question "Why exactly did Jesus come?" Well, He came for a very special reason. For YOU. For ME. For the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. He came to bring us salvation; to save our souls from eternal death. Jesus came to free us from sin, worry, guilt, death, and the world. To be free from them means we do not have to live with them anymore, or they are no longer a part of us. Instead, they can be apart FROM us. All thanks to the LORD!!!
So, now that you know why He came, take a look at how Jesus entered the world. The little LORD Jesus came to earth as a lowly, modest baby. He was born in a stable with animals. As you know, animals stink. They were probably flies hovering over their waste products, and the animals themselves. Normally, there are not opulent mattresses, silk sheets or even soft pillows in a stable. There was hay and flies and the stench of dirty mammals.
Before Jesus was sent, He was on His throne, ruling the world and celebrating with the others in heaven. In fact, He was the very one they were celebrating. He is God and He can do anything, but He limited Himself to a human body. Of course, He was still God, so He could still do anything. He lived on the earth and grew in wisdom and stature. (Luke 2:52) Though Jesus was tempted all His life, He never sinned. Jesus is PERFECT! Imagine being His parents! They were responsible for raising Christ up from childhood-going through puberty and lustful temptations, trying to help Jesus understand just exactly who He was. Pretty weird...
On the very first Christmas, God sent us the ultimate gift-His Son, who would one day die for the world and their sin. Only to be raised from the dead three days later!!! If Jesus, would not have risen, Christmas would not have meaning. PRAISE GOD HE DID!
This unassuming birth has wonderful potency to those who dig into it and discover the true meaning of His birth. I am so glad I have done that this year. It is very rewarding. Seek and Find. The true meaning is not so much GIVING as RECIEVING. God has given you gifts of love, joy, peace, salvation, celebration and so many others! My prayer is that with every Christmas present you open this year and next, you will thank the LORD for these gifts He has given to you. People give because they love you and they love to see the joy on your face when you unwrap your surprise. Well, Jesus is the same. So many of us do not take the gifts God gives freely to us. Take them. There is still time. You do not have to wait for Christmas.

Fun Facts:
1. We give gifts on Christmas because of God's gift to us 2000 years ago. Jesus! Our Saving Grace.
2. "Jingle Bells" was written for Thanksgiving and then became popular for Christmas.
3. If you recieved all the gifts from "12 Days of Christmas", you would have 364 gifts!

Alcohol, Drugs, Band-aids and Trust.

Ok, so guess what?! I finished reading my Bible. I went all the way through and it took me about two years. I finished on December 13, a Saturday. I didnt really know what to do after that, but my mom suggested writing. I love to write so I thought of some things that I learned reading through my bible and what would be beneficial to you as a reader.

There are so many of you who are Christians, yet have forgotten your committment to the LORD. You see, becoming a Christian is more than putting on a sign that labels you a religious person. To be a Christian means to follow Christ. To follow Christ means to go where He goes, to do what He does and go behind Him and let Him lead you to your destination. Not only getting directions, but going with Him until you reach the end.

I dont know why you are straying from Christ exactly. Maybe the pressure in high school is too much, or home life is unbearable, or you and your friends or boyfriend/girlfriend are going through a rough patch. Whatever it is, going out to forget about them by shoving them down, and going out to drink, smoke or even cuss shows that you do not trust God to fix your problems. So, you put down the Bible and begin to pick up the worldly magazines ( you know the ones: scandals, affairs, gossip-round-the-clock, and the ones telling you how to be loved by someone by using looks, scents or actions). All those do is cover up whatever you're going through that is painful. They are just band-aids. They don't fix the pain. They only hide it.

I have got a secret...................
Life Hurts.................................God Heals.
God is not like alcohol. God is not like drugs. God is not like a band-aid.
Instead,
God cares. God nurtures. God heals.

• Alcohol makes you feel better temporarily until you wake up in the morning, sick as a dog, and your head explodes with every throb. Alcohol gets you by for a night.
• Drugs give you a good feeling about life as though you were carefree. Later, you gain stained teeth, nails and possibly lung cancer. You age and look older than you really are and sound raspy as though you have been screaming for two years straight.
• Band-aids keep out dirt and cover up you imperfections. Until you hop in the shower and it loses its stickiness. They have absolutely no healing power. It only covers.

I'm here to tell you that God is different. He is not alcohol, drugs or band-aids. He is not a cover up for your pain. God is the only one who loves and cares about you enough to heal you. Alcohol is a temporary escape, like drugs. Band-aids are temporary cover ups. They dont love you the way God does. In fact, they do not love you at all. They have no feelings. They are to do their job and nothing more. Neither of these can talk to you and comfort you after a hard day. They are false. But the LORD is the ONLY TRUE ONE. There is no one/thing like Him. Hallelujah!! God cares for you. He cares about your pain and wants to fix it, but you have to open up and give your problems to Jesus. (Plus, He wants them out of your hands and into His.) Why though, would God want our problems? He's got bigger things to handle, right? NO WAY. He loves us and knows we have pain and wants to take it from us. He desires for us to be free. So, give Him your troubles and He will throw them to the bottom of the sea.

Temptation: Its a common thing.

Hello Fellow Pursuers!

I would like to state my opinions on things that might step on toes. And I mean all this in the most loving, Christian way possible. But, I have to get it out.

MTV, VH1, BET. What do they all have in common? They all try to put into our heads nasty images and that the earth has to be dramatic at all times to keep spinning. Now, really?! Is that what we need to be putting our time into? I have watched it. I dont know who probably hasnt tried it before. Its temptation and it seems to get the best of us. God says to run from temptation in 2 Timothy 2:22: "Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love and peace." Go after the things of God. Want them. And ya know what? God knows that temptation will come. After all, satan tempted Jesus in the desert in Matthew 4, Mark 1:9-15, and Luke 4. But God gives us a way out. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that the temptations in my life are no different than yours. God is faithful and He will always provide a way out if you do not want to fall into that temptation. He will not let us be tempted more than we can bear. Isnt that awesome!?! Now, I can think of some times when I have actually wanted to be tempted. Cause it is fun sometimes do just give in and do what you want and I have totally experienced that more than once. But just so you know,....God gives you a way out when you want it. And I hope you will take advantage of it. All those tv programs are about temptation. The people behind them want to attract people like us. Teens. And it works. But why do we watch them? Because they are interesting. I hope that when you are tempted this week that you will remember how Jesus was tempted and praise Him because He has never given in. HE IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. I also hope that you remember the verses in this post and know that God is with you. All the time. He loves you so much. Have a good week!

Testimony

Basically, the very day I was born, I was put into a crib at my church. Haha! I have only missed church being sick, or on vacation with my family. I have had a very sheltered and great life with my parents, brother and dog. I sort of knew the great commission Matthew 28: 19-20 and knew John 3:16 by heart. Even my preschool and kindergarten classes were at my church. After that, I went there for daycare after school in my elementary years.
I was only a non christian for 5 years of my life, so i wasn't in horrible trouble. I was sinful, but only as sinful as a 5 year old could be, being exposed to so many Christian examples and me teachers. i did however, know i needed God because He spoke to me through my parents and teachers and my pastor. I wanted to know Jesus and I wanted to be with Him in His glorious heaven forever.
How do we get into heaven? Well, not by our deeds. God tells us that we only enter heaven if we are saved and by His Son, Jesus. If we turn and run from our sin trust God to provide for us, and take away all of our sins, God saves us. Surrender your whole self to God and He will save you. I don't remember most of my salvation experience, but I know God saved me. Trusting God is so vital. So essential. God loves it when we trust Him because it gives Him the opportunity to prove Himself faithful. Also, repentance is important because just apologizing for sinning doesn't count if you don't TURN from it. Its ugly. Its evil. Get away.
Like I said, I have sinned, I have done wrong, and I have acted wickedly. 2 Chronicles 6:37
But I am human and I will sin. It is inherited nature. Fortunately, God's mercy is great. God's mercy has played a huge role in my life. There was a period when I was not humble and then, I was convicted. After that, the devil got his hold on me and made me think I was a horrible person and I had taken conviction too far. I had started mentally beating myself up for being conceited. Well, at Falls Creek, we listened to a song about God's mercy and how we don't have to beat ourselves up, but instead get up because God has forgiven us. I have learned to let God forgive me and not let Satan take my convictions too far. He is still helping me today and I am continuously learning how to be humble and forgive myself.