Category Archives: Salvation: A New You

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November 12, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Love & Works, Obedience, Salvation: A New You, Sharing Our Faith

WOE TO US

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. [Matthew 4:19-20 (NLT)]

Jesus compared evangelism to fishing and a good fisherman knows with what to bait his hook, where to throw in the nets or line, and how to bring in his catch. Jesus didn’t have to beg or force anyone to follow him. His message, demeanor, compassion, wisdom, miracles, truth, and love were what netted followers. Although He practiced what he preached, I’m not so sure His followers do so today. In yesterday’s message, I wrote about hypocrites. Jesus had some harsh words about the Pharisees’ hypocrisy, but religious hypocrisy didn’t end in 1st century Judea. The hypocrisy found in Christ’s church and His followers is one of the most common roadblocks to evangelism and objections to Christianity.

When confronted with this objection, evangelist D. James Kennedy responds, “Well, there’s always room for one more.” He cautions people that, if they find a perfect church, they probably shouldn’t join it since they would ruin it! Indeed, we all struggle with some measure of hypocrisy. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean our struggles and temptations disappear or that we’ll never grow impatient, lose our temper, or have doubts. Conversion doesn’t come with a magic wand of perfection—we all are works in progress and, sometimes, we fail! Nevertheless, there is a difference between being honest sinners trying to become more like Christ and hypocrites who deny their flaws and failures!

Fortunately, the validity of Christianity doesn’t depend on the good behavior of Christ’s followers; it depends on the truth of Jesus Christ—His death, resurrection and ascension! Nevertheless, while the truth of Christianity doesn’t hinge on our behavior, the expansion of God’s Kingdom does. I’m the first to admit that my actions often don’t match my words and there frequently is a shortage of spiritual fruit in my orchard. But, when our behavior doesn’t reflect our God, we don’t make very good fishermen.

Whenever we profess to love but have no compassion, claim to forgive but hold a grudge, speak of generosity but won’t open our wallets, give lip service to helping others but never serve, or speak of peace when being vindictive, we’re driving away rather than catching followers. Jesus gave His disciples the command to fish for men and grow His Kingdom. It’s not easy to do that when our nets have the holes of hypocrisy or our bait is tainted and false.

The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable. [Brennan Manning]

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? [James 2:14 NLT)]

Jesus told them, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites in Scripture: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’” [Mark 7:6 (GW)]

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November 2, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Fear & Doubt, Peace of God, Salvation: A New You, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Wisdom & Guidance

OTHER DEMONS

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:37-39 (NLT)]

ghostLast week, I wrote about the emotional vampires that can plague us, but there are other demons even harder to spot than those two-legged ones. Invisible, they’re Satan’s minions and go by the names of guilt, anger, doubt, fear, self-pity, shame, regret, fear, and worry. They haunt us with “if only,” “what if,” “should have,” and “could have.” Leaving us discontented, sullen, resentful, frightened, or anxious, they are the hobgoblins whispering lies and half-truths in our ears. They tell us we’re unlovable, contemptible, unforgiven, helpless, inadequate, or worthless. They demean our accomplishments and demoralize us. Whether because of our appearance, age, education, weight, race, background, inexperience, or past, they tell us we’re damaged goods. Friends of the enemy, they keep us from living boldly, stepping out in faith, and leading the fulfilling and joyful life Jesus promised.

It’s time to declare war on these monsters; they have no place in our lives. In the old movies, evil was repelled by the crucifix—a mere religious symbol. In real life, however, it is the power of Jesus that defeats the enemy! Through His power, we can banish those demons that steal our joy and suck the life from us. We are the beloved children of God—children He loved enough to sacrifice His son for us! As such, we can face our secrets, shed our shame, forgive others (and ourselves), know we are loved, release our anxiety and fear, trust God, and choose His truth. Let the voice we hear be that of the Holy Spirit rather than the unsettling accusatory voice of the enemy. With the power of the cross, we will be able to step out of the haunted house of our lives—not in fear, but in faith—not in darkness, but in light.

Heavenly Father, help us look into the dark corners of our lives. Shine your loving light on them so the hidden monsters slink away in fear! Banish the demons that keep us from the abundant life you promised.

The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls. [Edgar Allen Poe]

 God had a Son that had no fault, but He never had a son that was not found fault with. God Himself was slandered in paradise by Satan. Let us not expect, therefore, to escape from the venomous tongue. [Charles Spurgeon]

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. [John 10:10 (NLT)]

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. [Philippians 4:8-9 (NLT)]

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October 15, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, Forgiveness, Holy Spirit, Obedience, Salvation: A New You

DELIBERATE SIN – Forgiveness Part 2

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. [2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT)]

common moorhenJesus clearly promises forgiveness of our sins but some people treat this gift like Monopoly’s “Get Out of Jail Free” card. In John Bunyan’s wonderful allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress, we meet such a person—Mr. Selfwill. Confident in God’s promise of “eternal security,” Selfwill feels free to live any way he wants. Since David committed adultery, Rahab lied, and Jacob deceived, Mr. Selfwill reasons that he can deliberately do those things, as well. He thinks anyone who believes that Jesus has forgiven his sins has the freedom to sin willfully as long as he has some virtues to go along with his sins. Foolishly thinking his good deeds cancel out his bad ones, the unregenerate pretender deliberately sins.

Because we are sinners, all Christians will struggle with sin and it is not until we see Jesus face to face that we’ll be completely free from sin. Nevertheless, Christ didn’t die on the cross so mankind would continue to sin! Bunyon’s characters Honest and Great Heart explain to Selfwill that falling into sin and deliberately committing it are not the same things. There is a difference between a stumble into the mud puddle and an eager and deliberate leap into the muck so one can wallow in it! Selfwill, however,  has the attitude of, “Since I’m saved and all my sins are forgiven, I can (and will) keep sinning.”

While a genuine believer won’t lose his share in Christ’s salvation when he sins and repents, Mr. Selfwill isn’t a genuine believer. Nor is he repentant! Confident that he can’t lose his salvation when he eagerly and intentionally sins, Selfwill doesn’t realize he’s never been saved! Believing that Jesus died for our sins is the correct doctrine but believing in a doctrine is not what saves us. We are saved when we believe in and give our lives to the right person—Jesus Christ—a distinction Selfwill missed. We don’t just believe in Jesus with our minds; after all, even Satan believed in Him. We must believe in Jesus with our hearts and souls—our entire being! Forgiveness is not something to be taken lightly and, for the true believer, willfully continuing to sin is not an option. Rather than deliberately committing a sin, the true believer wants to be delivered from his sins.

If we are living a life that is indistinguishable from that of an unbeliever, it’s time to look in a mirror and examine ourselves. Have we truly received Christ as our Lord and Savior? In Bunyon’s book, Mr. Selfwill bypassed the narrow Wicket Gate opening into the Way. When he (and others like him who climbed over the gate) arrive at the Celestial City, they will find the door locked and be unable to gain admittance. The same will be true in real life for those who’ve not been reborn—whose lives have not been transformed by the Holy Spirit.

You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. … Not everyone who calls out to me, “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, “Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.” But I will reply, “I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.” [Matthew 7: 13-14, 21-23 (NLT)]

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September 21, 2026

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Bible Stories, Fear & Doubt, Holy Spirit, Obedience, Salvation: A New You, Temptation & Sin

MY ENEMY

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. [Romans 7:21-23 (NLT)]

 The Christian life is a battle against Satan. [Zac Poonen]

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 139 but, as I read it this morning, I got annoyed with David. Near the end of this beautiful psalm praising God for His omniscience, omnipresence, and intensely personal involvement in his life, David mentions hating his enemies (something he and other psalmists frequently did in Psalms). David certainly had his share of enemies. Along with the Philistines, Moabites, Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites, his enemies included Goliath, King Saul, Absalom (the son who tried to overthrow the kingdom), Ahithophel (the counselor who defected to Absalom), and Adonijah (who tried to wrest the crown from Solomon). Looking at Israel’s history, I understand why David and the other psalmists mentioned enemies so frequently, but I’m not running for my life, fighting a rebellion, or fending off Assyrians and Babylonians, so why do I care about their enemies?

Perhaps I’m naïve but, when I asked my husband the names of our enemies, we couldn’t think of anyone who qualified! We’ve had competitors, rivals, opponents, and some very annoying and exasperating people in our lives, but we’ve never thought of them as enemies. So, what do these Psalms mentioning enemies mean to us today?

Looking again at David’s history, however, I see a greater enemy than Saul or the Philistines: David himself. Although courageous, he could be deceitful. He lied to Ahimelech, pretended to be insane to King Achish, and, after taking refuge with the Philistines, double-crossed them. Short-tempered, he nearly killed everyone in Nabal’s household because of the man’s rudeness. Prone to despair, there were many times he felt God abandoned him. Lustful and impulsive, despite seven wives (and numerous concubines), David took another man’s wife and killed her husband to cover his crime. He was an inattentive father who ignored Absalom and failed to punish Amnon for raping Tamar. A reckless man of pride and ambition, David failed to follow God’s directions concerning the Ark and the census. While loyal to his friends, he could be ruthless to his enemies. Nathan’s words in 2 Samuel tell us that many of David’s trials were the result of his own sins. “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you.” [12:11] Considered a man after God’s heart, we like to think of David as the ideal man but, like any man or woman, he had his dark side.

David had flesh and blood enemies but, when he listened to Satan rather than God, he became his own worst enemy! Today’s verse tells us the Apostle Paul fought with this same enemy. Satan, of course, didn’t stop with David and Paul; he’s always out and about hunting for prey. Rather than spears, missiles, drones, or ransomware, his weapons are things like pride, deceit, fear, anger, hate, doubt, lust, insecurity, self-pity, unforgiveness, recklessness, impatience, jealousy, arrogance, materialism, and lack of faith.

Like David and Paul, I don’t have to look far to see my real enemy and, like them, I want him destroyed! No matter where we are in our walk with Jesus, sin remains in us. The good news, however, is that we are not defenseless. Christ’s followers don’t have to live like unbelievers! By faith, we have the Spirit of God and no longer need be controlled by our sinful nature. We have the power to declare war on our enemy and “put to death” the behavior and attitudes we know to be wrong! Rather than serving our own worldly desires, we choose to serve God by minding His Holy Spirit. We do this because of our love for Christ and our gratitude for all He’s done and will do for us in the future. With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can defeat our enemy!

We must have a spirit of power towards the enemy, a spirit of love towards men, and a spirit of self-control towards ourselves. [Watchman Nee]

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.  For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. [Romans 8:12-14 (NLT)]

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September 7, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, Love & Works, Salvation: A New You

GOD’S SMILE

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. [Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)]

sunflowerPastor Sandi always closes the service with Numbers 6:24-26. With this blessing, she’s continuing a tradition that is more than 3,000 years old. Intended as a blessing for the people, the Lord gave those words to Moses for Aaron to pass on to his sons and successive Temple priests. In 1979, that ancient blessing was found on two tiny silver scrolls in a burial cave near Jerusalem. Known as the Ketef Hinnom scrolls, they contain verses from Deuteronomy 7 and Numbers 6 and date to around 600 BC (making them the oldest known text of the Bible)!

Granted, as spirit, God has no face as we know it. In His glory, God is too magnificent to be seen by sinful man and, when He visually reveals Himself, He does so in a way we can understand, as He did for us with Jesus. Even so, when referring to God’s presence and favor, Scripture frequently speaks of the face or countenance of God.

When God is pleased with His people, His face shines upon them and He shows them His favor. But, when He’s displeased with His people, Scripture often says He turns His face from them and withholds his favor and blessing. God even warned Moses that if Israel broke their covenant, He would hide His face from them because of their evil. [Deut 31:18] In Psalm 88, the psalmist asks, “Why are you turning your face from me and looking the other way?” and in Psalm 27, David begs God not to turn His face away. [88:14;27:9]

While most Bibles translate Numbers 6:25 as making the Lord’s face either “shine upon you,” or “smile down on you,” the Living Bible’s paraphrase of “May the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you!” truly paints a vivid picture. I suspect God’s face radiated with joy when Mary gave birth and the armies of heaven sang their praises or when Jesus was baptized and a voice was heard to say, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” [Lk 2:14, Mt 3:17]

Rather than turning His face from us, can you picture God’s face literally glowing with joy because of us? What would make Him beam the way a parent does when their baby takes his first steps or that baby graduates from college with honors? What could we do to cause His face to radiate with joy the way it does when your child comes home unscathed from deployment abroad? How would we make God smile the way a Grandma does when she holds her first grandchild?

Fortunately, God, provided the answer in Scripture and Jesus summarized it beautifully with two commandments: love God with our entire being and love others as we love ourselves. If we want to put a smile on God’s face, we should love Him with the same intensity we did when we first came to know Jesus by loving Him so much that we want to spend time in His presence contemplating His word and listening for His voice. He’ll smile as we grow strong in our faith, give thanks for His gifts, become obedient to His word, and are accepting of His will.

While that sort of devotion may put a smile on God’s face, if we want Him to “radiate with joy,” we must have as much concern for other people’s well-being as we have for our own. We must be as willing to overlook their shortcomings and accept their faults as we are ready to ignore and disregard ours. We should be as attentive and supportive of others as we are self-indulgent and accommodating to ourselves. Our sincere love for Him and our fellow travelers in this world is what will make God’s face beam with joy as He looks down at us!

The smile of God is the goal of your life. [Rick Warren]

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. [Psalm 67:1-2 (NIV)]

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August 27, 2026

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Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, God's Word: The Bible, Salvation: A New You, Today: Make it Count

WHY DON’T THE BAD SUFFER? (Part 2)

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” [Luke 23:42-44 (NLT)]

Last Monday, I referenced an article in Christianity Today by theology teacher Jared Dodson whose students wanted to know “when bad people will get what they deserve.” Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that bad people will get what they deserve while on this side of the grass. Nevertheless, if they don’t repent and follow Jesus, those people eventually will get their comeuppance. Scripture makes it clear that those who don’t know God and follow the gospel of Jesus “will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.” [2 Thes 1:8-9]

What, however, of those who were evil most of their lives but repent and proclaim Jesus shortly before death? What does Scripture say about that? Jesus told us that “Anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life.… I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” [John 3:36,5:24] However, He never said they had to come to believe by a certain point in their lives. Two thieves hung on crosses beside Jesus that dark Friday and both were sinners. One thief died in sin but, because the other thief reached out to Jesus and claimed the mercy of Christ with his last few breaths, he died to sin! Both men were equally guilty, but one thief’s sins were erased. Once he professed his belief in Jesus, that thief didn’t have time to do anything good for anyone! Nevertheless, he ended up with the Lord in paradise while the other thief ended up in hell.

On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter announced that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” [Acts 2:21] He never said anything about undergoing divine punishment for one’s sins before receiving eternal life! When their jailer asked Paul and Silas what he had to do to be saved, their answer simply was, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” [Acts 16:31] Paul never said the jailer had to somehow work off his previous sins before that salvation went into effect!

If people like Hitler, Pol Pot, John Wayne Gacy, Stalin, Jeffrey Dahmer, Pablo Escobar, or Jeffrey Epstein truly repented of their sins and became true believers in the saving grace of Jesus before their deaths, rather than suffer in hell for eternity, it appears that their horrific sins would have been forgiven. Even if those evil men didn’t repent and accept Jesus until the very end of their lives, they would have escaped eternal punishment for their sins in the same way every other believer escapes it. To our mortal minds, that doesn’t seem fair but let’s not begrudge God His mercy and forgiveness. We all are sinners and every one of us deserves hellfire and brimstone but, because we’re followers of Jesus, that won’t happen. Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, we get God’s mercy instead of His punishment.

We are saved by grace through faith and not works. Nevertheless, even though believers escape eternal condemnation, we all will give the Lord an account of ourselves as His workers. As for those who think they can sin all they want and then, at the last minute, profess belief to escape condemnation, Jesus will not be fooled by empty words; He knows what’s in our hearts! Puritan theologian Thomas Watson warned, “Take heed of abusing this mercy of God….To sin because mercy abounds is the devil’s logic; he that sins because of God’s mercy, shall have judgment without mercy.” A final caution—one should never wait until the eleventh hour to repent; death may arrive at 10:30!

God in his infinite mercy has devised a way by which justice can be satisfied, and yet mercy can be triumphant. Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father, took upon himself the form of man, and offered unto Divine Justice that which was accepted as an equivalent for the punishment due to all his people. [Charles Spurgeon]

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. [Romans 10:9-10, 13 (NLT)]

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. [Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)]

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