Decision Time
Taken from the book When Faith Came by Franklin Whittenburg Copyright © 1998-2006
Now we come to the point where you have to make the same decision I did. The decision to finally surrender all to Jesus is very serious. Because, if you pretend to die with Jesus, which is what I did when I said the “sinners prayer” at age twelve, then you will also pretend to live with Jesus, which is what I did for the next eighteen years. Jesus explained this when he said that some people would even praise and worship him without giving Him their whole heart.
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Mark 7:6,7 KJV).
The spiritual “newbirth” isn’t symbolic or pretend. What you are about to do if you truly mean it, is end your life, as you know it. There is no way back, at least I haven’t found it. Some preachers also preach that we should “practice” the presence of God. When I was in religion, what I would do is “practice” the presence of God as many in the church do today. I had never experienced His presence so instead I just pretended to be in it. This is also not the victory.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19 KJV).
If you are drawn by religion to ease a guilty conscience, you will usually join a church and be taught by man (spiritual leaders, cell groups, small groups, etc.) how to act like a Christian. The responsibility of becoming like Jesus will be placed squarely on your shoulders by the church leadership. This is also not the victory. You will go through life trying to act like a Christian instead of being one. What I have found out is acting like a Christian is the hardest thing you will ever do, but being a Christian is the easiest thing you can do. Because a true Christian is created by Jesus Christ working in you through the power of the Holy Spirit. Many people in religion have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof. The power to live a godly life comes strictly from God. Jesus said:
Now ye are clean through the word, which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:3-5 KJV).
When I talk about a total surrender, I am not talking about surrender to “the church” or “cell / small group” or a “pastor” or any other man or group, for they did not die for your sins. Only Jesus Christ can be your Savior. No person or group can stand as a mediator between you and God, but Jesus Christ. The church has never replaced a personal relationship with Jesus. God has opened the veil of temple to every Christian through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. Your salvation is a personal covenant between you and God through Jesus Christ, not a corporate covenant.
But just how much of your life do you have to sacrifice? How committed was Abraham in sacrificing the life of Isaac? Abraham had the knife in his hand and would have killed Isaac unless an angel had not stopped him. Isaac was not a sacrifice for sin like Jesus, but a sacrifice of faith in the resurrection power of God, like we are to offer our lives as a “living” sacrifice (Romans 12:1 KJV).
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure (Hebrews 11:17-19 KJV).
Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable (Hebrews 11:11,12 KJV).
Abraham had the faith that God could have resurrected Isaac from the dead even if he did kill him! Abraham was so committed to sacrificing Issac that the Bible in Hebrews 11:12 says that Issac was “as good as dead”! People that are about to commit suicide are so close to a miraculous breakthrough to a beautiful spiritual world and new life in Jesus Christ, if only they would offer themselves as a “living” sacrifice to God instead of choosing physical death. They have actually come to the end of themselves.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1 KJV).
When Jesus died on the cross for you, He laid down His own life. No man took it from Him! Because of the actual sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, you can offer yourself a “living sacrifice” to God, but offer the blood of Jesus in place of your own to pay the death penalty required for sin. The blood of Jesus, the spotless Lamb, is the only sacrifice that God accepted for your sin. Remember it was the sacrifice for your sin that God required to be spotless, God knows you are not. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Sacrificing your money, time, job, house, etc. will not do it.
Do you believe that God can also resurrect you from the dead and let you walk in a new and living way if you truly give your life to Him? All it takes is the faith that Abraham had which was a complete, total surrender. You just have to surrender all, and God will be the one to judge your heart and decide if you really are serious. Just like Abraham and Isaac’s experience, God has already provided a sacrifice (Jesus) for you. If you want to “die in Christ” to be able to be resurrected to walk in a new and living way, but don’t know how or what to pray, then try this prayer;
Lord Jesus, I offer what’s left of this life that I have made a mess of to you as a total living sacrifice. I do not want to be in control anymore. Please take my life and use it to help others. I offer you my life for your use as you see fit, but I trust only in your blood that you shed for me in place of my own that the law required for the penalty of my sin. If you see that I am still holding on to even a small part of this world, then reveal it right now so that I may also lay it down as a total sacrifice. Please judge my heart now and if you find me sincere. Bear me witness and confirm this covenant with the seal of the Holy Ghost. In Jesus Holy name I pray this prayer. Amen
After I prayed a very similar prayer, I had my “road to Damascus” experience where I was “caught away in the Spirit” and I felt the Holy Spirit enter in and seal me for all eternity. My faith in Jesus today is not built on the fact that I made a plea for salvation, but on His ANSWER to my plea for salvation.
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him (Luke 11:13 KJV)?
I want to make something very, very clear at this point. It is not the prayer that I prayed that saved me. It was a total surrender of the heart to Jesus, like Abraham sacrificing Issac. Just like the “sinner’s prayer” I prayed when I was twelve, this prayer will not work for you either if your heart is not serious and God is the only one that is judging your heart for sincerity. I do not want people to start reciting this prayer that I prayed and assume they are now saved. That is the same problem I had with saying the “sinner’s prayer”. Wait for the confirming of the covenant by the Holy Spirit! Do not worry that you might not realize it when it happens. It will be the most dramatic, intense experience of your life. Please read the chapter “Understanding Circumcision” for a deeper explanation of this experience. If you are not experiencing any fruits of salvation, then there is a good chance you still are not saved and a stranger to God.
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (Ephesians 2:12).
If you want to show God your personal faith in Him and “bring fruits meet for repentance”, one of the few places in the Bible where God says, “prove me” is with the tithe. Since I wasn’t part of a local congregation, I anonymously donated the tithe to the local homeless kitchen. Do not just tithe once and stop, but continue and you may be surprised at just what happens as a result! I tithe today not because of a command to tithe, but I give to the church willingly. Someone has to help pay the bills of the church and other Christians sometimes are in financial need. I also like having a building to fellowship with other Christians that protects us from the weather. I would still fellowship with them in the rain, but a warm building is a lot nicer! But even today as a child of God, I cannot escape the fact that I am still free.
And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free (Matthew 17:24-26 KJV).
The person that gives the tithe according to the law (Malachi 3:7-10 KJV) is on the path of obedience. On the other hand, the person that gives their money to the poor is on the path to perfection!
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me (Matthew 19:16 KJV).
If you do decide to donate money to the poor, you need to do this in secret. There is another important reason other than not receiving praise from men why you need to give in secret. If you openly give to the poor and needy, even in your own family, they come to look at you as their “savior” instead of Jesus Christ. If you have a family member that always stays “in need” financially and you want to give them money, find a creative way to do it without them knowing where it came from.
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly (Matthew 6:3,4 KJV).
Finally, if you are finding it difficult to let completely go of the things of this world to follow Jesus, there is a reason! You are caught in a snare of the devil and I will expose it to you. We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices. You are caught in one of these two traps. “The Monkey Trap” or the “Hog Farmer”. The “Monkey Trap” analogy exposes the snare of material desires. The “Hog Farmer” analogy exposes physical addictions. Only Jesus can set you free from both:
“The Monkey Trap”
Once I heard about a trap that was used by some tribes in Africa to catch monkeys. Whether it actually is used or not, I don’t know, but it still makes a good analogy to describe the snare of sin. What would happen is the natives would cut a hole in the side of a hollow log just big enough for a monkey to get his hand in the hole. They would then place some fruit in the hole. What would happen is the monkey would see the fruit in the hole and reach in the hole to get the fruit. Once the monkey grabbed the fruit, then its hand with the fruit in it would be too big to pull out of the hole. The monkey was then trapped until; he either turned loose of the fruit, was freed by someone, or killed and eaten by the natives. I wonder sometimes if the other monkeys would stand around and try to talk it into letting go of the fruit?
In this analogy, what was the strength of the trap? Was the small hole in the hollow log the thing that had the monkey trapped? No. Then it must be the fruit that was used as bait! No, the fruit, although it was beautiful and desirable, was not the trap. What made the trap work was the monkey’s desire of the fruit! The strength of the trap was in the monkey’s desire of the fruit. What triggered the trap was inside the monkey and not on the outside!
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:13-15 KJV).
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:34,35 KJV).
Man is so busy looking for sin on the outside that he cannot see the trap on the inside, which is his desire of the world. Man sees the world and all it has to offer and tries to fulfill his heart’s desire. By the time man realizes that he is snared, then his desire of the fruit (world) is so strong that he cannot turn loose. In a desperate attempt for freedom, man will usually turn to religion for deliverance because he still doesn’t want to surrender all to Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20 KJV). So instead of turning loose of the fruit (world), man prays to God to work a miracle in his life by making the hole bigger so he can get his hand and the fruit out of the trap!
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (1 Timothy 6:7-9 KJV).
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:15-21 KJV).
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:33 KJV).
The Bible speaks of the king’s highway that the Christian walks that leads to the New Jerusalem. I will discuss this more in the chapter “The Spiritual World”. This highway is full of poor people that are rich in faith. On this highway everybody walks. Many TV evangelists will probably hate me for telling you this, but there is no luxury class sedans allowed on this highway.
And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall WALK there: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35:8-10 KJV).
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? (James 2:5-7).
Here is just an interesting note also about the king’s highway if you plan to walk on it. This king’s highway that goes to Mount Zion and the New Jerusalem points to the north spiritually. But many in the church today are running wide open down a highway that is heading toward the east spiritually. Churches today are even starting to embrace eastern philosophies like “Christian Yoga”, chanting mantras, and embracing “all faiths” for the sake of unity of man.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge (Psalms 48:1,2 KJV).
Your pastor may promise you material riches in this world, but in the kingdom of God those material goods will never help you get to the “next” level.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ (Philippians 3:7 KJV).
Please turn to your neighbor in the pew and tell them, “the Bible says that we are never going to get promoted to the “next” level if we keep heading to the east spiritually”.
For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south (Psalms 75:6 KJV).
There is a highway to hell that does allow you to take all your worldly goods with you though (Ecclesiastes 5:10-17 KJV).
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me (Matthew 4:8,9 KJV).
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:5-10 KJV).
“ The Hog Farmer “
Here is another analogy that I heard a preacher talk about to describe the snare of physical desires. I thought that this was a good analogy though, but I want to expound on that even more. In this example, if a hog farmer that raises hogs on a big farm wants to get a hog to a small pen for slaughter, he will put a few ears of corn into his pockets and go out into the woods in search of the hogs. When he finds them, then the farmer starts dropping a few kernels of corn on the ground for the hog to eat. The farmer never gives the hog the whole ear of corn or it would take the ear of corn and go back out into the woods. He leaves a trail of a few kernels at a time for the hog to eat as he walks back to the slaughter pen. The hog will follow the trail of a few kernels of corn all the way to its slaughter. The thing that the hog never realizes while it is eating the kernels is, it will never get to taste the whole ear of corn before its killed. It other words it will never be satisfied as long as there is an anticipation of something better just up ahead.
I thought that was a good analogy to explain a snare of Satan, but let me explain further. Does it ever seem to you that the things you are doing (intimate relationships, drugs and alcohol, material goods, etc.) never seem to satisfy, but for a moment? Is there always a constant desire that the lifestyle you are in is leading to something better, but you just never can seem to get close enough to grasp it? Some how that abundant life always stays just barely out of reach. Then it could be that you are being led back to the pen for the slaughter.
But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:14,15 KJV).
As long as man is blinded to the trap on the inside and looking for sin on the outside, he will never be free and eventually die in his sin. You have to understand where this desire comes from to ever get free. The Bible says that the source of sin is a wicked heart.
The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV)
Jesus also taught about the source of sin in the gospel of Mark.
And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man (Mark 7:14-23 KJV).
The trick is the heart blames everything for the cause of man’s sin, but itself!
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God (1 John 3:20,21 KJV).
The heart tells your mind that I am good deep down and it’s the world that is the cause of your sin. So man has attacked what he perceives to be the source of the sin that is destroying him and he tries to remove what is tempting him. For years the church has attacked the alcohol establishments, adult bookstores, and abortion clinics and tried to rid the community of them. The church has failed to realize that if there were not a desire for alcohol, there would be no liquor stores. If there were not a desire for pornography, then there would be no adult bookstores. If there were not a desire for abortion, then there would be no abortion clinics.
A doctrine similar to this has also become very prevalent in the church today. It is called “deliverance ministries”. Actually what “deliverance ministries” have become is the same thing as “confessionals” that are still used by the Catholic Church today. According to deliverance ministries, what use to be considered by the church years ago as “acts of the flesh”, which are overcome by the Holy Spirit, has now become “demonic spirits” that have attached themselves to the Christian and they must be delivered by a special “deliverance ministry” or an “intercessory prayer team”. Some even teach that a Christian that has been “born again” still can walk in “generational curses” as a child of God! What are “works of the flesh”?
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:16-23 KJV).
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another (Galatians 5:13 KJV).
The Bible does speak of the Christian as warring against spiritual wickedness and demons, but the Christian already has the victory through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and doesn’t need a “deliverance ministry”.
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4 KJV).
In actuality this is just another way the heart came blame something other than itself for sin. The heart says, “that I am good deep down, but it is a demon that has attached itself to me that is causing me to sin. If you get rid of the demon that is causing you to sin, then I will be good from now own”. Do you know where true “deliverance” comes from?
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:34-36 KJV).
Some religions have approached the problem of desire from the opposite direction. Instead of trying to rid the community of what they perceive as causing the sin, they withdraw themselves from the world. Examples: Religious communities, monks in monasteries, etc. The Christian should not hide from the world, but be a light shining in it! Jesus had a different desire on the inside than the world, and nothing on the outside could change that! Jesus ate his dinner with drunks and prostitutes. The solution to the problem can only come from a new heart, and a new heart can only come from faith in Jesus Christ and the spiritual newbirth!
And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith (Acts 15:9 KJV).
There are some pastors that claim the Christian still has a wicked heart even after they are saved. They need to go back and read Jesus’ words:
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8 KJV).
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate (Titus 1:15,16 KJV)
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22 KJV).
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean (Romans 14:14 KJV).
I am just showing these traps to you so you can see if you are in one. If you are, then you cannot free yourself. You need a Savior to set you free.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first (Matthew 19:23-30 KJV).
You have to surrender all!
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul (Mark 8:35-37 KJV)?
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he CANNOT be my disciple (Luke 14:33).
Did you answer the knock on your door by Jesus and are you now in spiritual union through the Holy Spirit with Jesus Christ? Are you walking in the light looking toward eternity? GOOD MORNING!!! It is a new day, and one day with the Lord is as a thousand years. Welcome to the world of the Spirit! I want to now share with you some things that have helped me on my journey in the spiritual world. If you are still rejecting a total surrender to Jesus Christ, then stop right here, because these studies I have placed on www.christiannewbirth.com will have no useful purpose in a natural life. You need to go back to the bondage of Egypt. You may need more suffering in this world before you are truly ready to surrender all to Jesus. Please understand, you cannot go and stay at the same time………….
And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:57-62 KJV).
But for you that have truly died in Christ then it’s time to go on and leave death behind. There is a resurrection from the dead waiting for you ahead. Remember it is only appointed for men once to die. When you were born again, you were crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) and He took your eternal judgment. Let us now go on unto perfection.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3 KJV).
The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath (Proverbs 15:24 KJV).
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame (Hebrews 6:1-6 KJV).
What you read in this study may have refreshed you, but my experience with Jesus Christ cannot truly change your life. Please understand this is my testimony with Jesus Christ. I shared my testimony with you in the hope that you too will meet Jesus Christ and have your own personal experience with Him. The thing that would bless me most is hearing your testimony of how Jesus Christ has changed your life also. God Bless.
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