How Do We Walk Out This Life Of Faith? – Of The Two Roads, Or Paths, Before Us Only One Will Bring Us The Victory We Seek!

Originally published on September 17, 2020

“You will show me the path of life: in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

A Fictional Narrative

There was once a man who began a long journey along a pathway to what he was promised was a wonderful future destination. Almost immediately, he came upon a fork in the road. One of the ways he had to choose from seemed like a continuation of the path he had just begun on his journey. The other seemed quite familiar and comfortable to him. It reminded him of the former times before he began his journey on the path. He wondered which way he should choose? He knew his future could depend on it. Would he end up at the same destination on either path? He hesitated for a period of time to consider his options.

In the end, he chose the old familiar comfortable path that was before him. It was a well-worn path and seemed to be the right choice. Most of the other travelers were going this way as well. However, once he started down this path the sky darkened and he had to make his way uphill along what had become a rocky path. There were also dangers along the way that gave him great fear. He pushed forward along the way showing great determination even though things had become very difficult. The other travelers he came across on his journey assured him that he was on the right path. They encouraged him to just try harder and to overcome his fears and the difficulties by persevering despite the troubles.

“Are you so foolish having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3)

He was starting to believe that something was terribly wrong. He had no peace, the troubles increased and there seemed to be no way for him to have a successful journey. What could he do? He had made his choice and felt he must push forward. He continued on for some time fighting to go on until his strength ran out. He was completely exhausted and sat down at the side of the path. He saw others go by continuing on their journeys, but he had not the strength, nor the will to go any further. It just seemed like there was no way that he could continue along the path. He was very discouraged and felt like his only option was to give up.

“Nevertheless, I have somewhat against you, Because you have left your first love.” (Revelation 2:4)

And then he thought back to the time he started his journey along the path. The way seemed easier then and he remembered how he loved walking along the path in those days. He decided he would go back to the fork in the road and choose the other path. He spoke to other travelers he met as he made his way back, warning them of the dangers ahead and pointing the way back to the fork in the road. He was quite surprised that most did not listen, but continued on their way. It didn’t take him long to return to the fork in the road and start down the other path once he had made the decision to return.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6)

Immediately, everything seemed brighter. The path did lead uphill at times, but he had a renewed strength. There were dangers and areas of the path were rocky as well, but he seemed to forge through these with a joy he had not known. The sky became overcast and threatening at times as well, but he had a renewed faith and a sure hope that he would arrive at his final destination. He found that he had a great peace that he had not experienced on the other path. In spite of some difficulties along the way, he was able to continue on toward his goal with a confidence and an assurance that all was well. Overall, the journey on this path was nothing like his previous experience on the other path. Although this path was not well-traveled, he knew he had found the right way and that he would reach his promised journey’s end.

“You rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (1 Peter 1:8)

And then one day the man came to his final destination. It was a beautiful land. It was all he could have ever hoped for. He was so thankful and was filled with great joy. As he entered the land, he looked back on his journey and rejoiced in the fact that he had found the right path and had persevered until reaching his final destination. It was called the Promised Land and the man could not believe his good fortune in coming into this wonderful land that offered him all he could ever desire and a land that he could now call home.

“My home is in Heaven. I’m just traveling through this world.” Reverend Billy Graham 1918- 2018

[We are called to a life of faith. Faith in Jesus and Him Crucified. This is our first love. As we place our faith in the Lord and His great work at the cross; Romans 8:2 tells us that the Holy Spirit will work mightily in our lives to bring us victory.]

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“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world” (1 Peter 5:8,9).

The title line above is from The Lord’s Prayer and it’s really what salvation is all about. The Lord came to deliver us from all evil by His death on the Cross. At the beginning of His ministry He announced to all the purpose of His coming by reading these words of prophecy about Himself from the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them who are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” He came into the world to rescue us from the evil of sin and it’s consequences. Sin produces wretchedness and misery in our lives.

All the evil in the world is the result of disobedience to God. It comes to us through the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world and the world system are totally opposed to the ways of God. We have a fallen nature (the sin nature) and therefore cannot save ourselves. The Devil hates those that are walking with the Lord and will oppose us in every way. In this article, we will address our adversary the Devil.

We have a powerful enemy in the Devil, or Satan as he is also known. We can only resist (withstand, oppose) the Devil through faith. We cannot contend with him in our own strength. He is much too powerful. He comes against us in many ways and even masquerades as an “angel of light” (disguises himself so it looks like he stands for good), by using people (including false brethren), or coming to us with something that appears to be from God but is meant for our harm. As the above verse says of him: “As a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.” Clearly, we are faced with a very powerful adversary. Ephesians Chapter 6 says this of that which we face in the spirit world: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood [these foes are not human], but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” These principalities, powers, and rulers of this world work in concert with Satan.

The Lord gave Adam and Eve the command to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan came to them and tempted them to doubt God and disobey Him. He comes to us in the same way. He seeks to get us to doubt God’s Word for he knows that our victory comes only through faith. He is a powerful fallen angel and opposed to God, and to all those that believe in the Lord and are living their lives for Him.

So, how do we resist the devil by faith? There is only one way. We must place our faith exclusively in Christ and Him Crucified. Jesus paid the total price for our freedom (“It is finished”) on the Cross. We must place our faith in His great work. Jesus said: “The thief (Satan) comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I come that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly.” The source of this “life” is Christ (“I am the resurrection and the life”). He keeps us as we place our faith in Him daily. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says: “But the Lord is faithful (we can depend on Him), who shall establish you, and keep you from evil.”

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [within our ability], but mighty unto God [faith in Christ and Him Crucified] to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God [pride], and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ [only accomplished by faith in the Cross].”

The Apostle Paul said of Jesus in Galatians: “Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world.” Truly, salvation (deliverance from all evil) is from the Lord. Victory over the world, the flesh, and the Devil is found in Him, and Him alone.

Appendix A

Names of the Devil– Prior to his fall (he served the Lord in righteousness for an undetermined amount of time) – Lucifer– meaning morning star (Isaiah 14:12), the anointed one that covers (Isaiah 28:14). After his fall (he led a revolution against God with one third of the angels)- Satan (Job 1:6), god of this world (2 Corinth, 4:4), Devil/ accuser (Matthew 4:1), tempter (Matthew 4:1), adversary (Job 1), dragon (Revelation 12:9), roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24), Belial (2 Corinth. 6:15), wicked one (Matthew 13:19), serpent ( Genesis 3:1), prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) and ruler of the demons (Matthew 12:24).

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A Fictional Narrative

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8).

There once was a king that was very powerful in his kingdom and who was respected and loved by all those that dwelt there. He was very benevolent and cared for all his subject’s well-being. He was also very protective of his kingdom and his subjects. The surrounding kingdoms were ruled by Kings of much lesser character who placed their needs above those of their subjects and kingdoms.

One of these kings sought to know how the powerful king ran his kingdom. He sent an ambassador to find out all he could about the powerful king and his kingdom. When the ambassador arrived, he was greeted by the King. The King told him of his kingdom and all it had to offer his loyal subjects. The ambassador was quite impressed with both the king and kingdom.

The ambassador’s visit included an introduction to the laws of the land. He was quite impressed with the truth he found in the laws. They were so far above the laws of his kingdom. The people of the kingdom had only wonderful things to say about their king and his rule. They all said that they were treated like family and that the king loved them. The ambassador had never seen such a kingdom and desired to learn all he could about it before he left to return to his king and kingdom.

The time came for his departure and the ambassador left reluctantly. He carried with him a love for this kingdom, the people, and above all the king. He reported all he had found to his king. The King was not pleased with the ambassador’s glowing report on his visit to the neighboring kingdom. He was also surprised to see that most of those that he told about the wonderful king and kingdom did not want to hear what he had to say. There was a small group that welcomed what he had to say and encouraged him to tell them all he knew of this wonderful kingdom.

He had left his country as an ambassador to a foreign land. He now returned as an ambassador for this wonderful land. He lived the remainder of his life, telling all who would listen, of this wonderful kingdom.

We too dwelt in the kingdom of darkness before coming to the Lord. Now, as Christians, we have experienced the wonderful kingdom of God. We come out of the world to this kingdom and are confronted with the beauty of all the Lord in His mercy and grace has provided for us. We too are ambassadors for Christ in this world telling all who will listen of this wonderful kingdom.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us [the message we bring is from God]: we pray you in Christ stead [as if He brought it Himself], be ye reconciled to God [the purpose for us bring the message]” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

As stated, we are ambassadors for Christ bringing the message of God, even as if He were bringing it Himself, that those that hear and believe in Christ and Him crucified might be reconciled to God. What a fantastic message that we have for all those that will receive it. And, what a great honor the Lord Has afforded us……that we might be His ambassadors!

Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com – 2021

The Question The Lord Asks Us All

“And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9)

Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves and hid from the Lord after their fall in the Garden. The Lord, in His mercy, sought out Adam and Eve. If He had not sought them out then their, and our, condition would be as hopeless as that of the fallen angels. But the Lord did seek them out and showed them a way that they might have fellowship with Him.

The Lord, of course, knew exactly where they were, but in asking the question, He wanted Adam and Eve to see their true condition. The Lord does the same thing today. He calls out to everyone through His Word to show us where we are (i.e. our lost condition), and to show us the “Way” to have fellowship with Him. Jesus said:

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

Adam and Eve hid from God because of their disobedience, not due to any change in the Lord. They found that it was impossible to hide from God, and neither can we. They hid because of guilt. Sin causes us to feel guilty, and we see God as someone to fear and hide from. We come to the Lord only by the Holy Spirit seeking us out just as the Lord sought out Adam and Eve.

By the Lord covering them with “coats of skin,” it showed them the seriousness of sin, in that, an innocent animal had to die. This, of course, pointed ahead to the cross It showed them, and us, that salvation is all of the Lord. The fig leaves they used to try and cover themselves were useless. Likewise, any attempt we make to cover our sin, or live for the Lord by our efforts, is useless and will be rejected by the Lord.

As has been stated, the “coats of skin” were a type, pointing to Calvary. It cost the Lord greatly to “cover” the sin that was a result of the fall in the Garden. We have a fallen nature and are unable to save ourselves. It took God becoming man and dying on a cruel cross to pay the price to redeem us.

Once we come to the Lord in repentance and faith; we are to continue to keep our faith in the “covering” the Lord has provided. The church in Ephesus in the Book of Revelation was admonished by the Lord for not doing this very thing:

“Nevertheless I (Jesus) have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4).

They had “left” their first love, which was faith in the only “covering” the Lord has provided – Christ and Him crucified. They had moved their faith to other things. They had fallen from grace, and this will lead any individual, or church, to spiritual wreckage. The question today from the Lord is the same: “Where are you?” Is our faith in the “covering” the Lord has provided or are we trusting in “fig leaves.” Paul said it best:

“For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).

The “covering” has always been Christ and Him crucified. Just as the Lord covered Adam and Eve with the skin of a slain animal, the Lord covers us with the Blood of Jesus. Salvation is of the Lord from first to last. We praise His Name for His mercy and grace towards us.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2021

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“And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not” (Leviticus 10:1).

Nadab and Abihu were priests and it was their duty to bring fire, twice a day, from the Brazen Alter to the Golden Alter of Incense. The Golden Alter was located just in front of the curtain behind which was the Holy of Holies where God dwelt between the Mercy Seat and the Cherubim. Nadab and Abihu brought fire from a different source to use on the Golden Alter.

In the previous Chapter of Leviticus, fire had come out from the Lord from the same place, the Holy of Holies, and consumed the sacrifice on the Brazen Alter. This showed the people that the sacrifice was accepted by the Lord and was a display of His glory, and a blessing to the people. This second fire also came from the Holy of Holies, but was judgment from the Lord as the following verse tells us:

“And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” (Leviticus 10:2).

Why did this happen? Why did the Lord send fire and accept the sacrifice on the Brazen Alter, but reject the fire with incense on the Golden Alter offered by the two brothers. It was because of where the fire came from. It had to come from the Brazen Alter to be accepted by the Lord. The Brazen alter was a type of Christ’s great sacrifice on the cross. The incense offered up to the Lord represented prayer and intercession. The Brazen Alter was a type of Calvary, and by the brothers bringing fire from a different source, they were, in effect, negating the need for the Lord’s required sacrifice. In other words they were, in type, ignoring the cross.

Bringing this forward to today, anything we substitute for Christ and Him crucified will be rejected by the Lord and will cause us to lose our way. There is only one way to forgiveness and new life, and there is only one way that is acceptable to the Lord as we walk out this life of faith. We must go the Lord’s way for salvation and continue that way for sanctification (our daily walk). Should we move our faith from Christ crucified to other things to gain victory in our lives then we have offered up “strange fire.” The Christian disciplines of prayer, Bible reading, church attendance, fasting, etc are all necessary and things we should do, but they will not bring us the victory we seek in our lives. These may look good, but just as all fire looked the same, the fire the brothers brought resulted in death. Our faith in the wrong object will do the same. We are to place our faith in His great sacrifice and keep it there. This will allow the Holy Spirit to work mightily in our lives (Romans 8:2).

We must remember Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians when he told them to: ” Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith, prove your own selves…” Being in the faith means having our faith firmly placed in Christ and His great sacrifice. If we move our faith to other things, as good as those things might be, we will shipwreck our faith. Paul told Timothy to: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, where unto you are also called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.” We are called to follow Christ. Faith in His sacrifice at the cross will bring us victory. Anything else is “strange fire.”

Victorious Christian Living

We were saved by placing our faith in Christ and Him crucified, and we are sanctified (our daily walk) in the same way.

Focus – Jesus Christ

Object of Faith – The Cross of Christ

Power Source – The Holy Spirit

Result- Victory.

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That I Might Know You More

“Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead in your truth, and teach me: for You are the God of my salvation; on You do I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:4-5).

As Christians, our deepest desire is to know and walk with the Lord. We are His and He is ours. He is our sure hope. Our life was given to us by the Lord and we are grateful. He has paid the price required by God to redeem us from our lost and fallen condition. We come to Him with nothing but our gratitude and faith in His goodness and mercy. We are not our own; we were bought with a price. We were bought with the precious blood of Jesus.

“We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

As we seek Him each day, we yearn to know Him more. We cry out to the Lord in earnest and ask Him to show us His ways. Although His works, those things He does, are of great interest and importance, we want to know His ways, that is, who He is.

We will grow closer to the Lord if we seek Him in His Word. The Holy Spirit will show us the way. He will lead us closer and closer through the truth and the abundant life found in the Word of God. His Word stands firm and is a light for us in a darkened world. We can place our faith and trust in the Lord and His Word.

We also want His leading in this life. We want to walk in the path He has prepared for us. If we are following Him and seeking to know His ways; He will direct our path in this life. The Lord will be with us in this life through all our difficulties, trials and all the decisions that are before us. Our path will be made sure by our faith in the One that loves us. He will direct our steps and when our life is complete, bring us home to glory.

He is God, our savior – the God of our salvation. He proved His love for us by shedding His Blood and dying a cruel death on the cross. We can know His ways, His paths, and His truth by continually placing our faith in Him and His great sacrifice on the cross. As we do this we will draw closer to the Lord. He is the One who redeemed us and He is the One that keeps us. He is the only way to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me.”

So, as we seek the Lord in this fallen world, let us remember His great love for us and yield to the Holy Spirit whom He has sent as our helper and guide to bring us through this life – to bring us into the very presence of God.

This is the desire of all those that love Him: that we might know him more. That we might walk with Him in His truth, in His ways, and in His will for us in this life. That we might love Him more and more each day – the One that loved us and died for us.

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs for You, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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There Is Only One Sacrifice Acceptable To The Lord

And in process of time, it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering, He had no respect. And Cain was very angry and his countenance fell” (Genesis 4:3-5).

After Adam and Eve’s fall in the garden, the Lord provided “garments of skin” to cover their nakedness to show them the necessity of the sacrificial system if they were to have communion with Him. Cain knew this and knew the type of sacrifice the Lord required and would accept. Instead, Cain offered up the fruit of his labor. In the account of Cain and Abel, we see the rebelliousness of man on full display. Cain knew that the Lord required an animal sacrifice but chose not to obey Him. He didn’t deny that a sacrifice was due the Lord but disagreed with the type of sacrifice the Lord required. The sacrificial system instituted by the Lord pointed ahead to the One who John the Baptist introduced when he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.”

Bringing this forward to today, the Lord requires us to place our faith in His great sacrifice at the cross. If we believe that we can earn Heaven by obedience to any law or commandment then we are going the way of Cain. If we believe that we will be acceptable to the Lord and go to Heaven if our good deeds outway our bad then we are going the way of Cain. If we believe that there is any way to Heaven outside of faith in Jesus and His sacrifice at the cross; we are going the way of Cain. There is only one sacrifice acceptable to God! It’s Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.

” I am the way , the truth and the life . no one comes to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6)

We see in this account of Cain and Abel the two diametrically opposed ways that men have chosen to seek fellowship with the Lord from that time forward. Men either see that we are in need of a savior due to our sinful and fallen nature, or they approach the Lord by their works. There was no difference in the two men that day, only in the type of sacrifice. We cannot approach the Lord with our works of righteousness. The Bible says “If righteous come by the law (what we do) then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:21).

Just like Cain and Abel before us, we must choose between law and grace. Will we go the way of Cain and trust in the fruit of our labor, or will we go the way of faith as Abel did by trusting in the only way to have fellowship with the Lord – the sacrifice? Cain was able to choose the right way and did not. He wouldn’t offer up an innocent lamb as the Lord required but ended up killing his brother. Going our way always brings pride and is the way of death. We can choose the correct sacrifice today and come into the forgiveness, blessing, and fellowship of the Lord. If you haven’t come to the Lord by faith in Christ and Him crucified; won’t you choose the way of faith today and come into the salvation of the Lord. His Word says:

“That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus (He is the savior paying the price for your sin on the cross), and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead (the Resurrection), you shall be saved (it’s faith alone that saves us)” (Romans 10:9,10).

The following is the sinner’s prayer prayed by millions. In the words of the great gospel song by Billy Gaines: “There’s room at the cross for you. Though millions have come, there’s still room for one. There’s room at the cross for you.” Won’t you come!!!!

Sinner’s Prayer

Dear God in Heaven, I come to you in the Name of Jesus. I’m sorry for my sins. The way I’ve lived, the things I’ve done. Please forgive me. Cleanse me with your precious Blood from all unrighteousness. With my mouth, I confess Jesus Christ. In my heart, I believe God raised Jesus from the dead and He is alive. This very moment I place my faith in Jesus Christ as the savior of my soul. And I make Him the lord of my life. According to Your Word which cannot lie; I am washed, I am cleansed, I am forgiven, I am saved. Amen

If you prayed this prayer and believed what you prayed then you have placed your faith in the sacrifice prescribed by the Lord. The Lord paid a tremendous price to redeem us from our fallen state. The way of Cain brings only death because it sets aside the Lord’s great work at the cross. When we choose the Lord and His prescribed way, we pass from death to life and come into all the blessings of the Lord.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2021

“These things have I written unto you who believe on the Name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Where will you spend eternity? The above verse makes it clear that we can know. Do you know? How would you answer the following question? Your answer to it will help show just where your hope lies for eternal life.

If you were to die today and stand before God, and He were to ask you: “Why should I let you into my Heaven?”; How would you answer?

Some may think that it would be prideful to believe that we can know that we have eternal life and will go to Heaven. The following will show us just what the Lord requires of us to gain eternal life. Believe me, it is the very opposite of prideful boasting.

Grace

We cannot earn our way to Heaven by works or good deeds. The Bible says that eternal life is a gift (grace). And grace is unmerited favor.

“……….The gift of God us eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Roman’s 2:8,9).

“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Man

Man is a sinner and sin is the breaking of the law of God. We would have to be perfect to attain Heaven on our own merit. Jesus said, ” Be ye perfect even as your Father in Heaven.” This is certainly a high bar and one we cannot reach by our own efforts.

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

“There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

God

God is merciful, loves us and doesn’t want to punish us. The Bible says:

” God is love” (1 John 4:8).

“…. I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).

However, God is just and must punish sin. All those that will not come to the Lord in repentance will face God’s judgment. The Word says:

” And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you who work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23).

” Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous” (Psalm 1:5).

Christ

The Bible tells us that Jesus was God in the flesh.

“In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1,14)

Jesus lived a sinless life and died on a cruel cross to pay for our sins.

” All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity (sin) of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

Faith

The Lord Jesus, by living a sinless life and dying on the cross, paid the sin debt owed to God, and He now offers us eternal life as a gift (grace). We receive this gift by repenting of our sins and placing our faith in Jesus and His great work at the cross. The Bible says the following:

“…. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Romans 16:31).

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9,10).

How did you answer the above question? If you said that your faith was exclusively in Jesus and His finished work on the cross, then you answered correctly. This is the only way. We cannot gain entrance into Heaven by our own efforts; Jesus paid a very high price that we might be forgiven.

If you have never reprented of your sins and placed your faith in Christ and Him crucified, you can pray the following “Sinner’s Prayer” and make things right with the Lord. If you will pray this prayer and believe it, the Lord says that you have passed from death to life. You have been born again (born from above).

SINNERS PRAYER

Dear God in Heaven,

I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I’m sorry for my sins. The way I’ve lived, the things I’ve done. Please forgive me. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood from all unrighteousness. With my mouth, I confess Jesus Christ. In my heart, I believe that You raised Him from the dead and He is alive. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as the savior of my soul. And I make Him the lord of my life. And according to His Word which cannot lie, I am washed: I am cleansed, I am forgiven. I am saved.

“And being found in Him (united by faith with Christ), not having my own righteousnes, which is of the law (man’s efforts), but that which is through faith in Christ (the cross), the righteousness which is of God by faith (free gift through our faith in the cross)” (Philippians 3:9).

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Grace, grace, God’s grace. Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all our sin.

(Composed by Julia H. Johnston pub. 1910)

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A Fictional Narrative

Two men are about to attend a very important meeting that will determine their future with the company.

Two men were working for the same employer and there came a time when they both would be called before senior management to vie for an open position in senior management at the firm. Both had been with the company the same amount of time and had similar responsibilities. Both were well qualified in what they did in their current responsibilities, and in the responsibilities for the new position.

The day came for them to present themselves before those that would decide on their futures. Both men presented their ideas on how the job before them would be accomplished. The first man said that he would follow well-proven methods that the company had used from its inception. The other man said that he had new ideas about how to accomplish all that the job entailed.

The response from management was quick and to the point. Management said that the guidelines they had established from the beginning had served them well in all the years that the company had been in business. The new way laid out by the second man was not a proven way and therefore would be a great risk for the company to go that way. The first man was given the job and was quite successful at it. The second man remained where he was and was warned by the company that his way could only lead to failure. He had a choice to make; would he conform to the company guidelines that would bring him future success, or would he continue the wrong way which would lead to certain failure. We leave our story here hoping that the second man would not let pride and self will determine his future and come back to the well-established way. Only time will tell.

Well-established ways should not be ignored. The Gospel lays out a well-established way for salvation and our daily walk (sanctification). Straying from this way will bring failure to our lives. We are to place our faith in Jesus and His sacrifice at the cross for salvation. This is the well-established, and the only way to join the kingdom of God. We are to continue to place our faith in the cross as we walk out of this life. The second man did not understand that how he started with the company, the company guidelines, was the way he should approach any new task. Leaving this well-established way cost him his promotion, and in the end, could cost him his career.

We cannot walk with the Lord any other way except by the way He has established. We keep our faith in the Christ crucified and this allows the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Straying from this path given us by the Lord will cause us much trouble and may result in us losing our way. The Holy Spirit works exclusively through faith in the finished work of Christ as the following verse states:

“For the Law (Law of God) of the Spirit (how the Holy Spirit works) of Life in Christ Jesus (Christ crucified) has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death (we will have victory over this law only by the Law of the Spirit). (Romans 8:2)

When we come to the Lord in salvation, the sin nature in us is made dormant. We are dead to it by our faith in Christ. If we choose to move our faith from Christ to some other thing as we walk out this life, the sin nature becomes active in our life. We are only dead to it as we keep our faith in Christ The sin nature is not dead if we leave the well-established path. We have left our walk of faith and started down the path of works. This can only end poorly for us.

“Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed to sin (the sin nature), but alive to unto God through Jesus Christ (faith in Christ brings victory in our daily life). Let not sin (the sin nature) therefore reign (shows it can reign if our faith is not in Christ crucified) in your mortal body that you should obey it in the lusts thereof (Paul is saying this will be the result if faith is not continued in the cross)” (Romans 6:11,12).

We are called to walk in newness of life by following the well-established and only way the Lord has set forth. He paid a great price to pay the sin debt for us. Spiritually, we are buried with Him and raised to newness of life. The only way we can walk in this newness of life is by continually placing our faith in Christ and Him crucified. It’s the well-established way.

“Therefore we are buried with Him in baptism into death: that like so Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

See The Sin Nature, And The Ways It’s Addressed page on this website. Link below.

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/186

See The Victorious Christian Living page on this website. Link below.

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/211

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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“Looking for that Blessed Hope (the Rapture of the church), and the glorious appearing of the great God and our savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming and it could be at any time. In fact, He is coming twice. The first of the two appearances will be for His church at the Rapture. At the Rapture, all those that are His will be caught up to be with the Lord. The Bible says this regarding the Rapture of the church:

“For the Lord Himself (Jesus) shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first: then we which are alive and remain (all those living that love the Lord) shall be caught up (raptured) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Thessalonians. 4:16,17

The next and final appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ will be at the end of the age at the coming Great Tribulation. It will be a time of unimaginable war and destruction. Israel will be surrounded by the armies of the Antichrist and complete annihilation will look certain for Israel. The Lord Jesus Christ will come to save them and defeat the armies of the Antichrist. The Bible says the following about this time and glorious appearing of the Lord:

“And I saw Heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and He Who sat on him (Jesus) was called faithful and true, and in righteousness He does judge and make war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on His head were many crowns” (Revelation 19:11,12a).

“And the armies which were in Heaven followed Him on white horses…. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should, smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God. (Revelation 19:14,15).

So, the first appearing, or return, of the Lord occurs prior to the Great Tribulation. All those that love the Lord and are waiting for His coming will be “caught up” or raptured to meet Him in the air and accompany Him to Heaven where they will forever be with the Lord. The second appearing will be at the end of the Great Tribulation when He comes to save Israel and brings judgment on the nations. We have a choice today. Obviously, going in the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ would be more desirable then suffering through the unimaginable destruction of the Great Tribulation. The Bible says this about the times of the end:

“For there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days be shortened, there should be no flesh saved (speaks of Israel coming close to total destruction): but for the elect’s sake (Israel), those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21,22)

This is the final battle, the final confrontation between Satan and the Lord. Satan will make a final push to totally destroy Israel and kill every Jew. The resulting destruction will affect all those on the earth… many will die. It will be a time of unequaled death and destruction. It is the time of God’s wrath on all the evil that has caused death and sorrow for millions down through the ages. When the Lord comes the second time, He is staying and will rule and reign in Righteousness from Jerusalem. As the following verses show, both of the Lord’s comings will occur suddenly and without warning:

Regarding The Rapture

“Behold I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep (die), be we shall all be changed (both the living and the dead). In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trump will sound (could happen at any time), and the dead shall be raised incorruptible (no sin nature & glorified bodies), and we shall be changed (saints alive at the time will receive glorified bodies)” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

Regarding the Second Coming of the Lord at the end of the Great Tribulation

“Behold, He (Jesus) comes with clouds (all the saints); and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him (the Jews, who will now know He is their Messiah): and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him (He brings judgment). Even so, Amen (Revelation 1:7).

Today is the day of salvation. Jesus paid the price for all sin on the cross. If you have never come to the Lord in repentance and placed your faith in Christ and Him crucified; won’t you do so today. God is patient and loves you. In His mercy, He calls out to all those that would come that they might find rest for their souls.

” The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

See the A,B,C’s of Salvation page on this website. Link below.

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/5448

See The Sinner’s Prayer page on this website. Link below.

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/1752

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

Here I Am Lord -Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2021

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