Following Christ English

Question..⏬ There is so much on the news about warfare and weapons of war. In my study of world wars and civil wars, it is hard to imagine anything worse and I’ve decided it will never change—peace is not possible. Answer..⏬ From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham The greatest warfare going on in the world today is between mankind and God. Until people surrender to Jesus Christ, God considers man at war with Him. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Peace is possible. How? To have peace with God, one must repent of sin against Him and walk a new direction. When a person accepts Christ as Lord and Savior, He gives us the power to do this. The Bible tells us that God is the author of peace. God provided salvation through the cross. He made peace by the shedding of His blood to cover our sin. The war that exists between man and God can be over quickly, with a peace treaty signed in the blood of His Son. Without this, there is no hope for the future. Jesus said there is going

God is a God of love, mercy, and grace, and His love extends from everlasting to everlasting. He loves you, and He is willing to offer you His forgiveness because of the cross of Christ. The greatest display of love came when Jesus Christ died on the cross and God raised Him from the dead. And God says, "If you repent of your sins and accept My Son as your Savior, you will be saved on that great day of judgment." come to the savior Jesus is the only way to the Father, and the only one who can save your soul. What do you need to do? First, confess your sin and turn away from it. Second, accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, put your faith in Him alone to save you. You can do this right now. He promises to live in you and change your life. If you surrender to Christ you can have a new life, a new beginning.

“All things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23    One day a distraught father came to Jesus and said, “My son…frequently…falls into the fire and…the water…I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to cure him” (Matthew 17:15-16). Notice, he never once said, “Maybe my son inherited this problem from me” or “Perhaps if I had raised him differently.” No, he dumped the responsibility onto the disciples, who were themselves in training. Whenever we’re in trouble, we like to blame the pastor, the church, our mate, our boss, our family, our looks, our social status, or find some other excuse. We’re unable or unwilling to admit that we stuck our own hand in the fire or almost drowned by jumping in headfirst when we couldn’t swim. After Jesus healed the boy, His disciples asked Him, “Why can’t we do the things you do?” (See Matthew 17:19). That’s like asking, “Why isn’t my marriage working?” or “How come I’m still in debt?” or “Why isn’t my life going as plan

Hope Beyond Death By Billy Graham  The righteous hath hope in his death. —Proverbs 14:32 We don’t like to talk about death; it’s the forbidden subject of our generation. Yet it’s real for all of us. Sometimes on television I see motion pictures featuring actors who are no longer living. They seem very much alive in the picture, but they are dead. Some of them were my personal friends. Death is real, and when we die, that is a battle we have to fight all alone. Nobody can be with us in that hour, but David said he had found an answer that would take the fear of death away. David said that there is an answer to death, there is a hope beyond death. That hope is centered in the risen Christ. Paul wrote that to be “absent from the body” is to be “present with the Lord.” So the fear of death is removed.

“Do not be drunk with wine…but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18    The Christian life isn’t only a changed life but an exchanged life. At the moment of conversion, we give our old life to God and He gives us a new life in its place. But He does more; He comes to live within us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul made the contrast between being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit. One causes you to be out of control, while the other enables you to be in control. One is counterproductive, while the other is productive. One makes you powerless, while the other empowers you. One brings you sorrow, while the other brings you joy. This Scripture is not a promise or even an option, it’s a command: “Be filled with the Spirit.” And Paul gives us three evidences of a Spirit-filled life: (1) “Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (v. 19 NKJV). This song isn’t induced by circumstances but despite them. “At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and

“Those who trust in the Lord…cannot be shaken.” Psalms 125:1   People are naturally attracted to leaders who convey poise and self-assurance; they won’t follow one who lacks self-confidence. An excellent illustration of this is an incident that took place in Russia during an attempted coup. Army tanks encircled the government building that held President Boris Yeltsin and his prodemocracy supporters. As the army moved into position, Yeltsin strode from the building, climbed up on a tank, stared the commander in the eye, and thanked him for turning to the side of democracy. Later the commander admitted that although he hadn’t intended to go over to Yeltsin’s side, the Russian leader appeared so confident, the soldiers decided to join him. Great achievers exhibit confidence regardless of circumstances. But true confidence doesn’t come from having the approval of people around you. The Bible says,  “The Lord will be your confidence” (Proverbs 3:26) ; it’s about knowing He has

“Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” Eph 6:16  Pay attention to what Satan is shooting at you: “fiery arrows!” He knows that if he can light the fires of worry and anxiety within you, he can immobilize and defeat you. And notice what God has given you to protect yourself: “the shield of faith.” But you have a part to play: “Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” A shield won’t help a soldier while it’s on the ground, or even at his side. He must lift it up to cover himself from attack. The same goes for you. When the Devil attacks you with unpleasant circumstances and thoughts that cause you to worry and be afraid, you must immediately lift up the shield of faith. Faith in what? Yourself? No, faith in the faithfulness of God! At times your faith in God may falter, but His love and care for you will never falter. “Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy” (1Th 5:24 AMPC). How do you li