FORGIVEN: Now Is The Time

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Listen to FORGIVEN by Crowder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUiwA1JNDig

As I drove to my Bible Study Fellowship this morning, this song slammed into my heart. My responses to the John 19 lesson fresh in my mind, I listened to these lyrics, picturing Jesus's Crucifixion with a fresh perspective.

SLAM! Right between the eyes. Crowder's lyrics hit me with the facts:

I held the nails.
I pounded MY SIN upon His flesh hanging from the Cross.
I fell to the ground with a hammer in my hands.
My lips once denied God, even in their silence.

My mind returned to that time, to that season of life, when God came down to me in the middle of a massive mess created by disobedience and unbelief. He lifted up my chin to gaze upon HIM on that very Cross where He hung, bearing every one of my horrible sins. Bearing the sins of others who hurt and shamed me. Bearing the sins of the broken world that could care less about Him hanging there, beaten and bloodied for their cause. Jesus looked down upon me from that cross, arms open wide, and cried: FORGIVEN! IT IS FINISHED!

I felt His Spirit take up residence inside me, and my life has not been the same since--no turning back! A fire burns inside of me to know and love God more and more every single day. The fire heats up my testimony and sparks me to share God's love everywhere I go. I know how much I have been forgiven, and the weight of it overshadows any intellectual doubts that arise. Even when I wrestle with my finite ability to grasp the infinite grace, goodness, and mercy of God, the reality of the knowledge I cannot escape pins me to the solid ground of faith in Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends, if you have not nailed your sin to the Cross, not crucified your fleshly and worldly desires, not asked God for freedom by His gift of forgiveness, THIS IS THE WEEK! Wait no longer!

Give it all up, Girlfriends; all the striving, all the searching, all the seeking. Give up the appearances, the appeals, the aspirations to conquer the world. Jesus already did the work. He conquered and brought His Kingdom down so He can give it you without worry and with peace. He suffered and died so YOU DON'T HAVE TO! He wants to give you freedom and new life, one without fear, guilt, shame, or lies. Yes, you will have to give up your sin, but what you gain is eternal glory and the unconditional love of the Father. You join forever the family of God, the Creator of the Universe and Sustainer of all life.

Do not be fooled into believing you are without sin. Do not think you have it all together and don't need God. Nor should you believe you need to have it all together before you can go to God. We all have fallen short of the holiness and glory of God--successful or struggling, solid or shaky, shining brightly or silently suffering--it does not matter. The only place your life matters is in God's economy, in His Kingdom. This world and all you have or have done will fade away. You will die. But will you LIVE? Girlfriends, CHOOSE LIFE NOW! Jesus conquered death on the Cross and rose from the tomb so that we can start eternal life now. Right now. Today.

I pray you will listen to this song and feel the conviction I felt this morning. Yes, I want you to feel guilty so that you can be set free! I want you to pick up that hammer and nail your sin to the cross. I want you to fall down in submission at the foot of the Cross, then look up and see His arms open wide for you. I want you to die with Him and come back to life with His Spirit living inside you, so that all of us Girlfriends can enjoy eternal life together, now and forever.

Girlfriends, what are you waiting for?

He is Risen. He is Risen Indeed!

Lyrics to Crowder's Forgiven:

I am the one who held the nail
It was cold between my fingertips
I have hidden in the garden
I have denied you with my very lips

God I fall down to my knees
with a hammer in my hands
You look at me
Arms Open

FORGIVEN. FORGIVEN. Child there is freedom from all of it.
SAY GOODBYE.
TO EVERY SIN.
YOU ARE FORGIVEN!

I have done things I wish I hadn't done
I have seen things I wish I hadn't seen
Just the thought of your AMAZING GRACE
I cry JESUS, FORGIVE ME.

God I fall down to my knees
with a hammer in my hands
You look at me
ARMS OPEN

FORGIVEN. FORGIVEN. Child there is freedom from all of it.
SAY GOODBYE.
TO EVERY SIN.
YOU ARE FORGIVEN!

I could've been six feet under
I could've been lost forever
Yeah I should be in that fire
But now there's fire inside of me

Here I am a dead man walking
No grave gonna hold God's people
All the weight of all our evil
Lifted away, Forever Free.

Who could believe? Who could believe?
FORGIVEN. FORGIVEN.
You love me even when I don't deserve it.
FORGIVEN. I'M FORGIVEN.

JESUS, YOUR BLOOD makes me INNOCENT
So I will say goodbye
to every sin
I AM FORGIVEN.
I AM FORGIVEN.

Choice Between Life or Death

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Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins.  

Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, 

I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me.  

To those who win the victory I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, 

just as I have been victorious and now sit by my Father on his throne.

"If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!” 

Revelation 3:19-22

It is the weekend, Girlfriends! I hope you are enjoying your day, whether beneath the sun, the snow, or the artificial bulbs of a tanning bed--a place I frequently find myself during winter months while living in northern climates! I know, I know: Bad, bad, bad for me. But like everyone who does not want to take responsibility for their choices, I blame my mom. She always says, "Tan fat is better than white fat!" I guess I could go exercise rather than fake bake, but I am not sure white skinny looks better than tan skinny. And besides, a fifteen minute nap on a hot, hard surface sounds better than an hour sweating and exerting myself in a stinky gym. Call me crazy.

So, what does this rambling have to do with my message today? Absolutely nothing other than the fact that we have the power to make choices. A choice to enjoy the day or spend it grumbling and complaining. A choice to enhance or endanger your health. A choice to be productive or lazy. A choice to live or to die. 

The Choices

Wait a minute, did I say you can choose to live or die? Do we not all die whether we choose it or not? Yes, Girlfriends, that is what I said, and yes, at some point you will no longer have the choice to continue living on this earth. However, you do have the choice right now whether your soul will live eternally in the presence of God or be forever separated from His love, power, and grace. And unfortunately, you cannot rely upon your momma, nor anyone else for that matter, to make that choice for you. Nor can you escape responsibility for your choice in the future by blaming your parents or anyone else influencing you. The choice is yours, and yours alone. 

While no one can make your choice for you, many people can assist you in the decision-making process. This blog exists for that very purpose: reaching out to women, all of whom I consider my girlfriends, albeit some closer than others. My goal is to offer insight, information, and intelligence regarding what I consider the most important choice you will ever make: accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ. If you reject Him, you are saying 'no thanks' to God's free offer of salvation. If you accept Him, your life will be irreversibly altered for the better. You will receive peace, freedom from guilt, acceptance and awareness of unconditional love, and eternal life in Heaven. 

Why This Choice?

Make no mistake, ladies, you cannot achieve this redemption in any other manner. You cannot work for it and earn it, "for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). No matter how hard you try, sin is a part of our nature and can only be erased from it through the blood of Jesus Christ. His atoning sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the grave were for you. He did what you cannot do on your own: paid your penalty for your sin, as we would expect from a just and righteous God, so that you can walk away free and clear of all wrong-doing. Only in this way can you live forever in the presence of God, for He is holy and pure and so must you be.

How do you become holy and pure, worthy and presentable to a perfect and loving God? Not by your own power, but by your complete submission and surrender to Jesus Christ. His work becomes your achievement. His death is the destruction of your sin. His reward is now your crowning glory. You have been given a priceless gift. Accept it. Access it. Own it. Jesus Christ is the gift; God is your only path to unending existence. 

Why Choose Now?

Girlfriends, read the key verse from Revelations at the top of this blog again. 

The Lord is speaking to you now. His Word is alive and active.

"Listen! I stand at the door and knock." 

Make a choice.

"...if any hear my voice and open the door." 

Do not simply open the door. Take it off its hinges and throw it in the fire! 

Let Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit inside you to refresh and renew your life.

"If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!”

Listen to what God is speaking to you today.
He loves you. He desires you. He wants you with Him.

"To those who win the victory I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, 

just as I have been victorious and now sit by my Father on his throne."

Victory in Christ belongs to you if only you will make a choice.

What will you choose? And when? 

Time is of the essence.

“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens....“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." 

Luke 13:26-27, 32

Choose Life

Today, Girlfriends, I pray you will hear and respond to the knock at the door of your heart, of your soul. I long for you to experience the peace and love only a personal relationship with Jesus can provide. 
As much as I love you, He IS Love.  
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16b  
As much as I desire eternal life for you, He IS eternal life.  
And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:3  
As much as I want to take you to Heaven, the choice IS yours.  
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach... No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it...This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 30:11,14, 19-20a

Ladies, I am praying right now for you. And if you decide to choose Jesus, but cannot find the words to express it, know that in my heart I am concurring with you as you offer up your life and possibly use this prayer:

"O Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner and cannot ever completely remove sin from my life by my own actions. I am sorry for hurting You and others. I repent and turn from my sins. I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins, rose from the grave, and is alive at Your right hand forever. I open the door of my heart and soul, receiving Jesus Christ as my Savior. I know I will stumble along the way, but I want You in my life and will seek to know you more. Thank You for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Good choice!

Girlfriends, tan fat or white fat, tan skinny or white skinny, may our God Bless you this day. 
Love to All!