Are You Looking for That Blessed Hope?

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" Titus 2:11-13

When we live with the realization that Christ Jesus could come at any moment to rapture the believers in the air and forever we will be with Him in Heaven (the blessed hope), our life here on earth becomes focused on the question, "Am I ready?"  And the second question is, "Am I living a life, pleasing to God?"

Am I Ready?

Do you know Jesus?  Is your name written in the Lamb's book of life?  If not, would you like to know?  It's as easy as A,B,C.

Admit before God that you have fallen short of God’s perfection.  The Bible calls this sin.  There is no exception; all of us have offended God. Sin separates us from God.

 “For there is not a just man upon the earth that does good and sins not”

(Ecclesiastes 7:20)

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

Believe that Jesus died on a cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again from the dead.  The gift of eternal Life is only through Jesus Christ.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"These things have I written unto you

that believe on the name of the Son of God;

that ye may know that ye have eternal life,

and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God”

(I John 5:13)

Here is a way you can make it more personal - by inserting your name where it says "world" and "whosoever":

 "For God so loved the world (you can insert your name here),

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever  (insert your name) believes in him

 should not perish, but have everlasting life”  (John 3:16)

God's "only begotten Son" is Jesus Christ.

Confirm your decision. Speak to the Lord from your heart and receive him now as your personal Savior. 

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."  Romans 10:9

Since prayer can be an expression of sincere faith, you may express your trust in Jesus as your Savior through words like these: 

    *** Note ***   (It’s not saying the words, but your trust in Christ alone that saves)

“Lord God, I admit that I have a sin nature, and  I  have fallen short of  your perfect righteousness.  Forgive my sin of unbelief.  I now accept and believe that Jesus, God in the flesh, died on the cross, shed His precious blood for my sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. Thank you for your forgiveness, and for the gift of eternal life.  Lord Jesus, live in my heart and save my soul.  Help me to walk faithfully in my new spiritual life.

 In Jesus' name I pray, Amen." 

If you have prayed and accepted the Lord's gift of eternal life, or have questions please let me know in the comments!  I would be happy to pray for you in your new life with Him!

(Portions taken from: http://www.rossvallythemovie.com/gospel-challenge.html )

Am I living a life pleasing to God?

Our verse above in Titus 2 says that because of the grace given to us, we are to live godly, righteous, sober lives.  As we grow in the Lord through prayer and reading His Word, the Bible, we learn more and more how to walk in His ways and do the things that please Him.  It is a journey.  We continue to learn and to yield our lives to him each day as we look for that blessed hope.

How my Faith Journey Started: "For we walk by faith, not by sight:" 2 Corinthians 5:7

Well, I finally took a step into the Blog zone! It’s pretty scary, if you ask me. For one thing, I’m a pretty shy, quiet person. Always been, since I was a kid. But, the Lord has been teaching me to act on His gentle leading. So, here I am!

My journey started many years ago when I was young. Because of the faithfulness of my dear Mother in exposing us to the Word and good Bible teaching, I learned that I was lost and had a sin nature that needed to be dealt with in order to have fellowship with God. (Ecclesiastes 7:20) I didn’t know if heaven would be my home after I left this earth. But, one night, after a youth meeting where the gospel was explained clearly, I realized that God loved me so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to suffer and die to pay for my sin and give me eternal life. Even if I was the only person on this earth, God would have still done this for me. That’s how much He loves me. (John 3:16) I accepted this gift and now I know that if I should die, heaven would be the next place my eyes would behold when they open. (I John 5:13) But, he didn’t do this for just me. He did it for the whole world – which includes you! Read more about how you can know for sure you have eternal life in heaven at www.PraiseExpressions.com/heavenisagift.html

As I follow the Lord Jesus Christ, I view each day as a daily walk with Him. This world is not my home, I’m just pass’n through. Like old Abraham, we are looking for “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:10). It’s an exciting faith journey. Sometimes, it’s a tough path with many rocks, and stones in the way. But, most of the time, it’s pleasant, joyful and sunny. I come from a happy family. Every time we get together, we laugh. My husband finds humor in a lot of things. I love that about Him. He has been my companion on this journey since our marriage. We have traveled a long way since then, leading us into full time ministry with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (http://www.foi.org/) and are continuing on together, till we see the Lord face to face! (I Corinthians 13:12)


(Photograph taken by Sarah Cardenas of http://www.brighthousephotography.com/ )