Decision Making Made Easy!By James Lantz

When we looked at our options to either love and serve God or to love and serve our flesh and the devil we had a choice to make. Those who choose the narrow road which leads to eternal life find themselves in the minority going cross wise of this world’s system and needing to resist the unseen adversary and their own fleshly desires.Jesus said that we are to count the cost of following Him!  Luke 14:26 NLT If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. When we consider that our life on earth is like a vapor or a fog that disappears with the morning sun compared to the privilege of spending all of eternity with Jesus this should be a no-brainer. I suppose many of you were like me and didn’t fully understand how to count the cost of following Jesus but realized we needed eternal life regardless of the cost.  John 6:65 ESVAnd he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”God revealed His great love for us through the giving of His Son! Receive God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ and enter His kingdom today!  1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.There should be no sad christians because God said He will not withhold any good thing from His children!  Rom. 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?After we received the heavenly gift of eternal life God wants us to receive the gift of being filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. When we are born from above we are born of the Spirit but the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a subsequent empowering of the Holy Spirit. Jesus likened being born of the Spirit as one who receives a well of water which gives everlasting life but the infilling of the Holy Spirit is to provide a strong flow of the supernatural power of God which will effect many others.  John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ and knowing the truth sets us free! Knowing who we are and whose we are and where we are going makes decision making easy! We will know that we have eternal life because we love the brethren and do those things which please our heavenly Father!

Since we are not our own but have been purchased with the precious blood of the Lamb we are to submit to Him who is to have preeminence in all things.1 Cor. 6:20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.Jesus suffering, death on the cross, defeating hell, and rising from the dead provided redemption for us, spirit, soul, and body. Our spirit is made alive unto God immediately upon receiving Jesus as Lord! The redemption of our body must wait until our Lord returns to swallow death in victory and receive us unto Himself. 1 Cor. 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.Those who have died in Christ will return to the earth with Him to pick up their corrupted body and have it changed into an incorruptible body like unto His glorious body.Phil. 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

We who are alive on the earth are next and will be gloriously changed and given a body like unto His resurrected body before we are caught up with Him to the wedding feast!1 Thess. 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.Our soul, which includes our mind, will, and emotions is to be conformed into His image through thinking His thoughts, pursuing His purpose, and loving what He loves and hating what He hates! The saving of our soul is a process that takes place as weresist evil and receive God’s word, giving Him (the word) preeminence in what we think, say, and do.

Receive The Word Which Is Able To Save Your Soul!

James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.  James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.This aspect of our salvation is foreign to many who wrongly believe that everything is up to God. Our prospering and being in health is greatly dependent upon our souls prospering. The Lord has instructed us not to think like those who are still in the kingdom of darkness but rather think like He thinks.  Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.We must do the very same thing that Joshua did in order to make our way prosperous and successful.  Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.As we speak, meditate and do God’s word we will recognize thoughts and imaginations from the enemy that must be cast down! The wicked think their life is their own and that they can do and say anything they want.  Ps. 12:3&4 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? We who have the mind of Christ think, speak, and act accordingly!

Knowing who you are!- One who is valuable and precious in God’s sight

One who has been gloriously redeemed from sin, sickness, and poverty! (Gal. 3:13, 1 Pet. 1:18&19)

One dead to sins through Jesus Christ who purchased him with His Own blood! (1 Pet. 2:24, Acts 20:28)

One who has received the gift of righteousness! (2 Cor. 5:21 & Romans 5:17)

One who is called to represent God to the world!(2 Cor. 5:20)

One who is separated unto God and made holy!(1 Cor. 3:17 & 2 Cor. 6:17 & 1 John 3:3)

Knowing Whose you are! – A child of the King, joint heir with Jesus Christ

A child of the Most High God who made the heavens and earth! (Acts 4:24 & 1 John 3:2)

The Lord is good to all and fulfills the desire of all who fear Him!(Ps. 84:11 & Ps. 145 & Luke 12:31&32)

Our God protects and keeps us as we stay close to Him!(Psalms 23 & Psalms 91 & John 10:29)

Knowing where you are going! – Following our Lord’s instructions helps us keep it simple!

This world is not my home, I am just passing through!(John 14:2 & John 18:36 & Heb. 11:13-16)

We are not of those who are going to end up in hell because their god is their bodily desires, proud of

what they should be ashamed of, and only thinking of the things of this world. We are citizens of

heaven, eagerly waiting for our Savior, Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. (see Phil. 3:18-21 GNT)

Pro. 4:18But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Pro. 4:19The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Dear Friend:

If you have not committed your life to Jesus, do it today. Salvation is for everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord! Jesus did the hard part in bearing the punishment for our sins and bearing our sicknesses, our poverty and our shame!

Our commitment to live for Him is our part. Do this by calling out to God in the Name of Jesus and He will receive you because of Jesus.

If you have previously committed your life to Christ and your heart condemns you, humble yourself and follow God’s instructions of acknowledging your sin by confessing it to Him, ask Him for forgiveness, commit to do right, and walk free believing that you are forgiven.

1 John 1:9 GNT But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.

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