Tag Archives: faith

Prayer of Salvation

Posted on by

6

As I sit here in tears, on my 11th salvation anniversary, at 4am in the morning, I am reminded of the beauty of the mercy and grace that was lavished on me 11 years ago for no reason at all other than God chose me.

At 3am, I was woken up by my husband who was quietly sobbing next to me because of the immense pain he is in. Three discs in his back are bulging from late stage diabetes and the pain is unbearable at times. I used to say I can count how many times I have seen him cry on one hand, but now it seems to be a daily occurrence. This is a difficult time for someone who never shows emotion.

We’ve been together since we were 18. If you have read my testimony you will know that I thought I was saved during those years. We were marred when we were 30. I still married him even though I though I was saved. I now understand why I did not have the strength to let go of my high school love.

People used to tell me how hard it would be since we were “unequally yolked”. What they did not understand, and what I now understand, is that we were equally yolked at the time. Our marriage was really easy in the beginning. It was not until 2013 that things drastically changed. Becoming an actual Christian, fully saved, filled, and sealed by the Holy Spirit changed everything.

Now, over 20 years of marriage later, he is still not saved and is as stubborn as ever. Tonight I told him to ask God to help him with his pain. I told him I have been praying for him too. What Tim doesn’t know is that I don’t pray that God would heal him. I pray that God would save him. His soul is of far more value than his decaying body.

If you read this, would you please pray for Tim O’Sullivan. Not for his body, but for his soul? Pray that God would grant Tim the same wonderful mercy and grace He gave to me on May 19, 2013. Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal to him that he is a sinner, that he needs forgiveness, and he needs to be holy in front of a Holy God that he may be meeting sooner than later.

Thank you my friend! God is good, even through the valley.

Goals

Posted on by

0

Every year at this time we set out to change things for next year. What goals have you set in place? How long do you think you can keep them going?

In order to make a true shift in your ability to make something actually happen, you must commit by changing or updating your identity. The number one goal we should all have this year is to get a few steps closer to Jesus. Our whole world becomes clearer and calmer when we abide in Jesus and His Word abides in us!

Who are you? What is your identity? If your identity is found in Jesus, then let the following five commitments be our battle cry this year:

  1. I am committed to having a “learner’s spirit” (a desire to learn Jesus).
  2. I am committed to examine my life honestly in light of the Bible only and not the world.
  3. I am committed to comparing myself to the Bible rather than to others.
  4. I am committed to obeying God, in all circumstances.
  5. I am committed to Biblically prepare myself for trials and tribulation this year and learn through them as I lean on the Word of God. 

With these five commitments in mind, our one, over-arching commitment should be to read the Bible often and thoroughly. Be blessed through God’s love letter to you!

Clean Your Lens with the Gospel

Posted on by

0

We go about our lives mostly on autopilot. Life consumes us. Life beats us down. We often become tired, annoyed, restless, anxious, and even depressed when we do not view life through the lens that God has desired for us. Somehow our lens has gotten foggy and distorted with images of self, desire, pride, people-pleasing, control, and any other world-view that eagerly fights for a spot on that lens. How do we wipe away that lens so we can see clearly? The gospel.

Why is the gospel message so important?

It is our hope, our redemption, our purpose, our lens cleaner.

Get to know the gospel. Memorize it. Preach it to yourself. Share it with others… often!

THE GOSPEL BASICS

God created the world – He created you and me too! As Creator, He is in charge of everything and everyone. He made us to be holy, as He is holy. Sin entered the world through Adam and Even with the deception of Satan. The sin is now in every human and is our nature. Sin separates us from God and deserves ultimate punishment – death. Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth and lived a perfect life that we should have, a holy life, died the death that we deserved due to our sin, and rose again to eternal life. We may have reconciliation to God and eternal life with Him through hearing the Father’s call and giving our life to Jesus by putting our entire trust, faith, and hope in Him as our Lord and Savior. This means being obedient to His commands as seen in His Word, the Bible, and trusting His will and plan for our life over our own.

TEN POINTS OF MEMORIZATION

  • God is the Creator
  • God is holy
  • Sin separated us
  • God is a just God
  • God is a loving God
  • Jesus is the way
  • We must repent
  • God gave mercy and grace
  • We must have faith
  • Christians gain eternal life with Jesus

TEN POINTS WITH SCRIPTURE

God is the Creator
See Genesis 1:1, John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, and Revelation 4:11.
He created everything, the world and people, to be perfect and without sin.

God is Holy 
See 1 Peter 1:16, 1 Samuel 2:2, and Revelation 4:8.
God is holy, which means set apart or without sin. He created us to be holy, too.
We can only be with God if we are holy like He is.

Sin Separated Us
See Romans 5:12-14, Isaiah 59:2, and Romans 3:23.
Sin entered the world through Adam and was passed down to us. Apart from Christ, sin is now our nature and manifests in our selfish desires and motives. This makes us unholy and separates us from God.

God is a Just God 
See Romans 6:23, Romans 5:12, and James 1:15.
The consequence of our unholy sin nature is death.

God is a Loving God
See John 3:16, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, and 1 John 4:8.
God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to pay the price for us by dying on the cross.

Jesus is the Way 
See 1 Peter 2:22, Matthew 14:33, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, and John 14:6.
Jesus, fully God and fully man, is God’s only Son who lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. He is the only way to salvation.

We must Repent
See 1 John 1:9, Acts 3:19, and Ephesians 1:7.
We are to ask for forgiveness and turn away from sin and toward Jesus.

God Gave us Mercy and Grace 
See Ephesians 2:4-9, 1 Peter 1:3, 2 Chronicles 30:9b, and Daniel 9:9
God gives us mercy and grace. Mercy is not getting what we deserve, punishment in hell. Grace is getting something we don’t deserve, treasures in heaven.

We must have Faith  
See Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10, and Romans 10:17.
We are to give our lives fully to Jesus and trust only in Him for our salvation.

Christians Gain Eternal Life with Jesus
See Revelations 21:4, Luke 23:43, Matthew 6:19-21, John 14:2, and Ephesians 2:6-7.
We will live forever in Heaven with Jesus in our resurrected, perfect bodies where there is no more pain and there is only perfect harmony with Jesus.

Purpose, Passion, and Peace

Posted on by

0

How do you live your life? What do you think about most? What do you think about when you think about God?

A.W. Tozer said that what you think about God is the most important thing about you. While that statement is true, a better thought, in my opinion, was said by C.S. Lewis and says what God thinks about you is infinitely more important.

There are two responses to how we live our lives.

Our vertical response and our horizontal response.

Our vertical response is how we were created in light of our relationship vertically, up to God. Our horizontal response is how we were created in light of our relationships horizontally, out to others. The simple answer is usually the most easy to understand, is often the most practical, and usually the hardest to follow.

VERTICAL – You are intended to WORSHIP God.

HORIZONTAL – You are intended to HELP other humans.

As a woman, you are intended to help. Not everyone all the time, but specific people for specific seasons. As an individual, your job is to bring glory to God. As a wife, your roll is to be a helper to your husband. As a mother, your job is to help raise your children to glorify God. As an adult daughter, your job is to help and honor your aging parents. As a friend, your job is to help carry your friends burdens.

Are you overwhelmed yet by that long list? Being a helper is a lot of work. My goal is to try to help you become the best at giving glory and worship to God first and knowing exactly how to be the best helper to others in your life without completely overwhelming yourself. I want you to know when it’s time to say yes and time to say no. I want you to know that every need that people present to you is not always a calling from God. I want you to know that it is OK and necessary to keep a lot of white space on your calendar rather than filling it up with things that may not matter 100 years from now.

Are you ready to find out God’s foundational plan for you? Are you ready to be full of purpose, passion, and peace? Are you ready to stop caring about what the world thinks your purpose should be and focus on God’s perfect plan? Are you ready to rest in that gorgeous plan that is already spelled out for you in the Bible?

I pray that this blog will help you to lean more fully on the Holy Spirit, follow more fervently Jesus’ example, and rest more abundantly in God’s plan.

An Excellent Wife

Posted on by

0

What have we become? Overwhelmed. Worrisome. Riddled with anxiety. I had thoughts of becoming an excellent wife as a young girl. Like the descriptions in the Bible – a wife who is regarded as “more precious than jewels” and praised by her husband, who is strong, smart, generous, skilled, dignified, wise, kind, full of hope, without fear of the future, and without worry. This describes the women of long ago. These are the women we are supposed to emulate. What happened? How did we veer so far off course?

I remember watching my son focused as he worked, masterfully creating and artfully building, snapping one LEGO piece together with another. I often wondered what he was creating and how it was to be used.

What is my purpose? Why was I created? Amidst a myriad of worldly reasons, the roll of women has been battled and argued, seemingly won at times, only to find more confusion and frustration arise from within the human ranks as history speeds on. To obtain a correct view of our purpose we must take several large steps back and ask ourselves Who created us and what was the Creator’s intentions.

You would probably find it comical, if not outright frightening, if your child’s LEGO creation stood up and boldly proclaimed its autonomy with an inherent right to decide for itself its purpose. I can almost hear what my child’s respond would be as he corrects his creation and decides to change mid-play its intended use, or chooses to smash it to pieces in order to build it up as something wholly different.

Why is this any different with the Almighty Creator of the universe in regard to us? Just because we have will, conscience, and seeming autonomy, the fact of the matter is, we have a purpose that was already determined. All we need to do is understand two specific intentions as put forth by our Creator.

Why were YOU created by God?

Periscope: Satan’s Newest Weapon of Mass Destruction

Posted on by

3

In 1 Samuel 2:16 it says “Let them burn the fat first.” What does this mean? Some speculate it had to do with the fat being what gives us our strength. God wants us to get our strength from Him and Him alone. To boast only in Him. He asked us to give the best to Him first. Do you see what happened in this verse?

And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 1 Samuel 2:16 ESV

Who is talking? A random man who was sacrificing and a priest’s servant who was demanding the man give to the priest what the Lord commanded should be given to Him alone. What is the significance here? Even the common man knew this was wrong. What was going on here was very very wrong.

Today we think nothing of skipping breakfast let alone prayer time and Bible study. It breaks my heart that I too am responsible for not loving the LORD my God with ALL my heart, soul, strength, and mind. I am guilty of waking up and giving the first part of my mind to Facebook, or Instagram, or text messages, or emails. My flesh is weak. New worldly distractions are being pushed out daily. Periscope can now be added to my list of distractions and sin. We all have trigger points. Things that will take us out of the game from time to time.

Satan is on the continual prowl seeking new and innovative ways to keep the lost from finding God and the saved from doing their work. You may find me a bit over-the-top by calling Periscope a weapon of mass destruction, but if you think about it for just a second, if it is taking someone away from God’s work then most certainly it could be. Just like anything else in this world could also be considered the same. Again, it goes back to knowing what is taking you away from the work of God. Food, TV, people, worldly praise and recognition, your kids, relationships, careers, sports, etc. Really the list is endless.

We all have our weaknesses. What is taking you out of the game? What is causing your eyes to dim from the light of the Kingdom? What are you doing that is not allowing you to give God your first? Are you even aware that you are not giving Him your best?

Father, I ask for more of you. More of your Holy Spirit. Jesus teach me. Holy Spirit guide me. Father give me wisdom to do your will. Take away my selfish ambition and help me to have Kingdom eyes and Kingdom flesh. Humble my pride. Sharpen my mind. Train me and discipline me. Give me mercy and grace and love for your people, and above all give me Jesus.

The Ultimate Fruit Test! See how you measure up to what the Bible says about being a Follower of Jesus Christ.

Posted on by

0

Answer the following questions and look up the associated verses to determine if you are a follower of Jesus or just a really big fan.

Who You Are
Audit #1: Is your character in keeping with the Fruit of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23
Audit #2: Do you Walk by the Spirit? Galatians 5:16-26
Audit #3: Do you Actively “Make Disciples”? Matthew 28:19
Audit #4: Do you Love God with all that you are? Matthew 22:38-38

God’s Law
Audit #5: Do You Crave the Word of God? 1 Peter 2:2-3. Romans 7:22, John 8:47, Matthew 5:6
Audit #6: Do You Keep His Commands? Exodus 20
Audit #7: Is God’s Law Written on Your Heart? Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:6-13
Audit #8: Do You Grow in Wisdom or just Knowledge?  James 1:15

Understanding Love
Audit #9: Do You Love Others? 1 John 4:7-12
Audit #10: Do You Love your Enemy? Matthew 5:43-48, 1 Corinthians 4:12
Audit #11: Do You Have a Love Affair with the World? 1 John 2:15-17, John 15:19
Audit #12: Are you politically correct when it comes to Jesus and your friends, family and coworkers? Matthew 10:32-33, 2 Corinthians 5:20

Tests and Discipline
Audit #13: Do you Have Chronic Sin? 1 John 3:6-10
Audit #14: Do You Get Disciplined by God? Hebrews 12:3-11
Audit #15: Do You Get Tested by God? James 1:2-3, 1 Peter 4:12-14
Audit #16: Are you instantly convicted when you sin? John 16:7-11
Audit #17: Do you get persecuted for your faith? 2 Timothy 3:12, John 15:18, 1 Peter 4:12-14, 1 Peter 3:14, Matthew 5:10
Audit #18: Are you hated by some people because of your faith? 1 John 3:13, Luke 6:22,

A Changed Life
Audit #19: Do You See a Changed Life? Ezekiel 36:25-26
Audit #20: Is Your Spiritual Life Different from Last Year? Are you growing? Colossians 1:9-10, 2 Peter 3:18
Audit #21: Do You Find Assurance or Conviction When You Read the Entire Book of 1 John?
Audit #22: Christian: Would a stranger or even a close friend or family member who is not a follower of Christ convict you of being a follower? 1 John 5:19, Colossians 4:5-6, 1 Corinthians 1:21-23

FRUIT AUDIT – Have you ever taken a fruit audit? You may want to!

Posted on by

2

We are encouraged in the Bible by Paul to test our faith. He tells us in his second letter to the Corinthians, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.” (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV) Likewise, in Matthew we see a call to test others by their fruits. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-20, ESV) Also, John the Baptist in preparing the way for the Messiah in a clear and bold way declares the following: “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:8-9, ESV)

With all that said plus many other scriptures that speak about our fruit as Christians, I think it is something worth checking often in our walks with Jesus! Check out the many verses below that reference our fruit. We will be going through a daily series of “audits” for you to consider as you test yourself. Check back each day for the daily audit.

Verses that reference our fruit: James 3:17, Matthew 21:43, Matthew 12:33, Luke 6:43, John 15:2, John 15:16, Matthew 3:8, Matthew 13:23, Mark 4:20, Luke 8:15, Luke 13:7, John 4:36, John 15:4-5, John 15:8, Romans 6:22, Galatians 5:22, Ephesians 5:9, Philippians 1:11, Philippians 4:17, Colossians 1:6, Colossians 1:10, Hebrews 12:11, Hebrews 13:15.

Maranatha!

FRUIT AUDIT PREVIOUS POSTS:
Introduction: Have Your Ever Taken a Fruit Audit?

Answer the following questions and look up the associated verses to determine if you are a follower of Jesus or just a really big fan.

Who You Are
Audit #1: Is your character in keeping with the Fruit of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23
Audit #2: Do you Walk by the Spirit? Galatians 5:16-26
Audit #3: Do you Actively “Make Disciples”? Matthew 28:19
Audit #4: Do you Love God with all that you are? Matthew 22:38-38

God’s Law
Audit #5: Do You Crave the Word of God? 1 Peter 2:2-3. Romans 7:22, John 8:47, Matthew 5:6
Audit #6: Do You Keep His Commands? Exodus 20
Audit #7: Is God’s Law Written on Your Heart? Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:6-13
Audit #8: Do You Grow in Wisdom or just Knowledge?  James 1:15

Understanding Love
Audit #9: Do You Love Others? 1 John 4:7-12
Audit #10: Do You Love your Enemy? Matthew 5:43-48, 1 Corinthians 4:12
Audit #11: Do You Have a Love Affair with the World? 1 John 2:15-17, John 15:19
Audit #12: Are you politically correct when it comes to Jesus and your friends, family and coworkers? Matthew 10:32-33, 2 Corinthians 5:20

Tests and Discipline
Audit #13: Do you Have Chronic Sin? 1 John 3:6-10
Audit #14: Do You Get Disciplined by God? Hebrews 12:3-11
Audit #15: Do You Get Tested by God? James 1:2-3, 1 Peter 4:12-14
Audit #16: Are you instantly convicted when you sin? John 16:7-11
Audit #17: Do you get persecuted for your faith? 2 Timothy 3:12, John 15:18, 1 Peter 4:12-14, 1 Peter 3:14, Matthew 5:10
Audit #18: Are you hated by some people because of your faith? 1 John 3:13, Luke 6:22,

A Changed Life
Audit #19: Do You See a Changed Life? Ezekiel 36:25-26
Audit #20: Is Your Spiritual Life Different from Last Year? Are you growing? Colossians 1:9-10, 2 Peter 3:18
Audit #21: Do You Find Assurance or Conviction When You Read the Book of 1 John
Audit #22: Christian: Would a stranger or even a close friend or family member who is not a follower of Christ convict you of being a follower? 1 John 5:19, Colossians 4:5-6, 1 Corinthians 1:21-23

 

Modern Parable ~ Blind Obedience

Posted on by

0

jenosullivan_20131031_0002_webSometimes I need my 5 year old to just simply obey something I ask him to do: Don’t cross the street yet… Eat your veggies… Go to bed… Don’t eat the entire bag of Halloween candy at once. While his little 5 year old mind cannot fathom any good reason to follow any of these ridiculous rules, he does. Why? Somehow in his 5 long years of life he has figured out that going against what I say as a direct command usually goes badly… sometimes very badly. So, here I sit. Almost 40 years old, still whining to God about this rule and that rule. “Why can’t I just…” on this command and that command. In my bible study today, I was reading and dissecting one verse in 1 Peter. Yes, sometimes it is important to dig into the Bible one verse at a time and digest it fully before moving on. So, here is what I studied this morning:

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, (1 Peter 1:14, ESV)

God is commanding me to not be conformed to all the things of this world that are sin and that are against His law. But get this, the first part of that sentence is “as obedient children.” This context is like a child is obedient to his father. Like my child is obedient to me. Blind obedience at times. Kicking and screaming but still obedient obedience. I hung my head low this morning as I reflected on my desire to mature in this one point. With the help of the LORD I will prevail!

~ Jen O’Sullivan
www.HolyJustLove.com

Quote of the Day ~ R.C. Sproul on Foolishness

Posted on by

0

“As the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, so the denial of God is the height of foolishness.”
― R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith