Help For Fallen Believers

Help For Fallen Believers

Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 18:12–14 CSB:

"What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won't he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish."

Sadly, some of us have drifted away from the Lord and experienced familiar pitfalls in life. That should make us more sensitive to the believer who has stopped following Christ and has been deceived by our enemy, the devil.

But the Lord Jesus reminds us that our Heavenly Father seeks out those who have wandered away from fellowship with Christ. If you find yourself in this situation, be encouraged: your Heavenly Father is seeking you and wants you back in fellowship with Him.

The enemy loves to tell us that we have failed God and that we cannot live the Christian life. That is a lie. We may have lost a battle, but God will grant us the victory.

Proverbs 21:31 CSB says:

"...victory comes from the LORD."

A fallen believer can have a happy ending to their journey. They can be restored, refreshed, and refocused as they continue following Jesus, our Lord.

Remember God's words of comfort in James 4:8: Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you...."

Open The Door

Open The Door

Revelation 3:20

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

Let's open the door to Jesus this very moment. Let's invite Him in, fresh and anew, to lead us on the wonderful path of following Jesus. Let's open the door to new adventures in faith—new opportunities to walk and talk with Jesus.

Possibly, we have shut the door through rebellion against His teaching. Or, through weakness, we have given in to temptation. Let us open the door for Jesus to come back in and fill us afresh and anew with His love, mercy, forgiveness, and renewed purpose in life.

I encourage you to open the door and pray to the LORD right now.

The Pure In Heart

The Pure In Heart

Matthew 5:8 NKJV

Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

As I read this Bible passage, I was reminded that it is our Heavenly Father who gives us a pure heart so that we can see Him. It reads in Deuteronomy 30:6:

And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

And this circumcision is by Jesus Christ our Lord. Colossians 2:11 says:

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

What a happy day when we think of God's love, so great that He purified our hearts to see Him and walk with Him!

Go Into The Highways

Go Into The Highways

I was reading this morning about Jesus’ teaching from His parable of the wedding feast:

Matthew 22:9-10  NKJV

“Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

I have thought of that as a command to me. How about you?

The Holy Spirit in me drives me to Jesus, to His teachings in the Bible, and points me to the highways to invite people to come to Jesus Christ in faith for salvation. I want to preach the same message as Jesus: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

For some, they are unable to physically get out onto the streets and highways to tell people about Jesus. But there are so many other ways we can share the Gospel—a blog, a podcast, or even prayer time from home for the lost in the world.

We can also look to the Holy Spirit this hour to fill us and give us boldness to speak the Word of God.

Acts 4:31

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”

Fellow believer in Christ, I encourage you to treasure the time God has given you to minister. You’re never too young or too old to tell others about Jesus.

Use the opportunities God gives you. Go into the highways, invite people to come to Jesus, and trust Him with the results.