The following is from the devotional “Portals of Prayer” July-September 2017 edition.

“The power of grace is the cross and empty tomb; the purpose of grace is to wipe away any fear of judgement. To awaken each morning knowing that our slate is clean and we have been born anew yields joy; not the kind of joy that clicks our heels and lets us whistle merrily through life, but a quiet, inner joy that enables us to know, believe, and celebrate that we are always and forever bounded on all sides by God’s grace.”

Ephesians 1: 7 & 8 says; “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.”

The free dictionary defines grace as, “Divine favor bestowed freely on people, as in granting redemption from sin.” Bestowed freely. Lavished on us. Both references show us that we do not, nor can we, acquire grace on our own. This must also show us the love Christ has for us. This past Easter was a reminder of just how great that love is, we remembered what Christ went through, willingly, for us.

Now let’s see if you heard me clearly? I said bestowed freely and lavished on us. Both are in the past tense. They have already been done. So, again, there is nothing that we can do, in the present, to earn grace, you already have it, it is in your hand. If you work 40 hours in a week, and then get paid, you have your earnings. There is nothing that you can do to earn extra money, because you already have your money. So, why would you ask to do more work, so you could get the money for the 40 hours? The same goes for the grace we have from God, why work for something that we already have? In John 15:5 it says, “I am the vine you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” This tells us that we can not accomplish our salvation on our own. Our works amount to nothing unless we are one with Christ, through the acceptance of Him as our personal Savior.

That is why the non-believers can’t understand it, their understanding is that “You can’t get something for nothing.”  2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” But, for the believer this makes sense. In 2 Corinthians 4:6 it says, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed the face of Christ.”  Christ gave His life in order that we can receive grace from God. His Son died so that our sins “He remembers no more!”  In Romans 2:1 Paul says this, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at what ever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” Here is an explanation from the NIV Life Application Study Bible on that verse. “When Paul’s letter was read in the Roman church, no doubt many heads nodded as he condemned idol worshipers, homosexual practices, and violent people. But what surprise his listeners must have felt when he turned on them and said in effect, “You have no excuse. You are just as bad!” Paul was emphatically stressing that nobody is good enough to save himself or herself. If we want to avoid punishment and live eternally with Christ, all of us, whether we have been murderers and molesters or whether we have been honest, hardworking, solid citizens, must depend totally on God’s grace. Paul is not discussing whether some sins are worse than others. Any sin is enough to lead us to depend on Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life. We have all sinned repeatedly, and there is no way apart from Christ to be saved from sin’s consequences.”

Grace, we have learned, is free. Jesus desires for us to have it, but we MUST accept Him so that He can give it to us. We MUST open our hearts and allow Him to take residence in us. Tomorrow may be too late, later today may be too late. At the first sign of a cold, we immediately begin to take medication to battle it, so why wait until all hell breaks loose for us to come to Christ and receive what is free for the taking. Accepting Jesus Christ right now will start the process of healing. It will bring the onset of the peace and joy that grace allows. Put aside the world’s view of “you don’t get something for nothing.” You can do nothing and receive something, the washing away of your sins, past, present and future. Living in the freedom of knowing without a doubt that you are saved because you have accepted Christ and are now “Bounded on all sides by Christ Jesus,” and the grace that comes with that.

                                   Seeing is believing

As believers we have seen God at work, in our lives and the lives of others around us. Now, in the lives of others, how many were believers? How many were non-believers? How many of those non-believers turned to Christ after He helped them? I want to talk about 4 examples in the bible of where others believed in Jesus after He helped them. And, I want these examples to encourage us in our walk of faith.

The first comes from Luke 17:11-19. While traveling to Jerusalem, He assed between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, 10 men with serious skin diseases me Him. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He told the, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were healed. But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God. He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine” Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner? And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.” See all 10 had faith, but 9 went about their business. Would it be safe to say that they were so entrenched in the world? That what had just happened to them really did not mean much? But the 1 man did see, his eyes were opened to the miracle that Christ had done for him. Now the bible does not say if all these men were Samaritans, but if would be safe to say since they were all together they probably were. Now the one man that came back fell at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him. This one man saw the power, knew were it came from and came back to honor the Lord. He saw, and believed! When we see the power of God work in others lives, we must stand with them and rejoice, shouting hallelujah to Christ the King with them. This is imperative if this person is a non-believer. Christ in us could be the guiding light they need in order to make the confession of faith in Him. We can help them “See and Believe.”

The second example comes also from Luke. Chapter 7 verses 11 through 17. “Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him an, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said, “God has come to help his people. This news about Jesus spread throughout Juda and the surrounding country.”  In this scenario we see that “they were filled with awe.” People saw what had just happened and they believed because they “praised God” and “news about Jesus spread throughout Juda and the surrounding country.” These people did what we need to do when we have seen Christ work in either our lives or the lives of others, SPREAD THE NEWS!!!! We must use our examples, of blessings or healings, as testimony to others, telling them that the Jesus we know wants a relationship with them also. We must use His good works as examples of what He desires to give to them, no matter their past, present or future. God loves to give, to those who believe and follow Him, and they will receive too, all they need to do is ask for forgiveness and repent and accept Christ as their Savior.

                         The Word   Ephesians 15: 13-14 

Ephesians 1:13-14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14) who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

         Isn’t it great to hear the word of God? I don’t know about you, but I am filled with a joy and peace when I get into the word. In the past few years since I have accepted Christ whenever I read the word or hear the word preached, I just get pumped up.  Proverbs 8:34 says, “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.”  Luke 8:15 reads “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Being obedient to Christ, and what He has called us to do, is taking the time to read His word daily. By planting His word in our hearts and minds, we go out into the fields and sow what we have learned into others that we meet. We show them the love of Christ, and the salvation that we have received. Philippians 1: 27 & 28 says this, “Just one thing: live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, working side by side for the faith of the gospel not being frightened in any way by your opponents.”

         Now we don’t have a physical seal on us, but the Holy Spirit in us is the seal, and needs to flow forth out of us, which makes it important to read our bibles daily, so as to fill us up in order that we can give it away. The Holy Spirit in us, gives our voices the passion to speak about what Christ has done for us. People will hear that passion in our voices and they will walk away thinking, “That person really has something that I want.” The indwelling of the Holy Spirit needs to escape when ever possible from our lips, our actions, and our lives. The Holy Spirit enables us to boldly proclaim Christ no matter what opposition we may face. The Holy Spirit gives us courage to work for Christ every chance we get. Our eyes on Christ and our heart going out to those who don’t know Him. “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:16. 1 John 3:24 reads, “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”  We know that by doing His will here on earth for the others around us we are storing up treasures in heaven, but that should not be our focus. We need to look at everyone we meet and have a desire to inform them of the love God has for them, so that they may have treasures in heaven also. “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1: 21 & 22. “To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:18. By telling others, we give them the opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior, so that His seal will be on them as well.

         Many time we thinks, “Well, what can I do? I’m just one person.” But think of this, if you, being that one person, bring someone else to Christ, then there are two. And those two become four, then eight, then sixteen and so on. Our mission, with the power coming from the Holy Spirit, is to give us passion and boldness in our voices, telling others about what He has done for us, and them. We must sow the seed, possibly watering it, and maybe even reaping it, but what ever the case the power of the Holy Spirit in us, is what gives us the desire to sow the seeds, to give others a chance at their inheritance. Continually showing them that they are God’s possession. As we share the love of Christ, others will take notice and possibly coming to a knowledge and relationship with Him. And when that happens we can give glory to God. We opened the door of their hearts, through our actions, prayers and words, for the Savior to enter in, and to give to them what He so richly has given to us, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and most importantly, His word.  

              Mercy-Compassion-Cleansing Psalm 51: 1-2

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” 

I want you to think back to your lives before you accepted Christ as your Savior, if you have, and honestly and truly remember what you were like. Before I accepted Christ, it was hard to accept the meaning to the words in verse 1. I had a “me” mentality. I did not put much thinking into how my actions, or words, would affect other people. I looked at my life as a colossal failure! I truly believed that I was someone that could not be accepted by Christ. I was not worthy of His mercy. I was such a wreak that there was no way AT ALL that God loved me!!!! Jesus did not have a blotter big enough to take care of my transgressions. Before I accepted Christ, all these words, were just that, words. They had no meaning to me, they made no sense to me, I just did not understand the length and depth of Christ’s love. It wasn’t until I was at the end of my rope, in what ever situation that I found that I had gotten myself into, that I even cried out to God for help, and when I did, I felt some relief. I did feel better, I felt the tension subside somewhat. What ever situation that I was struggling with at the time did not go away, I just put out of my mind, if you will, and did not worry about it any longer. In my mind, I took it to the Lord, He solved it, I thought it was done. I had peace inside! Didn’t Jesus help me? No, Jesus did not do anything. I looked to myself, honestly. Like I said the situations and circumstances eventually came to light again, because they never left in the first place. So that frustrated me and my faith in Christ was no faith at all. I didn’t believe anymore than some of you do right now that God loved me, that He had mercy for me, that He even knew that I existed at all. This coming from someone that attended church every Sunday, had devotions with the wife on an almost daily basis, and prayed with my kids every night until they were 10 or 11.

         Then August 18 came, my world, as I knew it, fell apart. This time I was in desperate need for Jesus, and out of that desperation I cried out to Him. And as I sat in the bottom of the hole, that I had been digging all my life, I saw His hand. Jesus reached out His hand and wanted to lift me, ME of all people, out of the hole. Jeremiah 31: 3 sums it up well, “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying; I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Here I was, a person that slapped Jesus in the face when ever I sinned. A person who delighted in walking my own way want no help from Christ whatever. A guy who did not care for God because His ways were too hard to live up to. But, here was His hand. Here was the God that formed me and gave me life. These words are etched in my brain, and will be forever, “Todd, I love you!”

          In that moment, all the things that I had heard about God, all the stories of forgiveness, mercy, compassion, love, grace, they all came rushing in. The surge of it all swept me away, I was transformed! “who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy” Micah 7:18. “For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” Psalm 108:4. So, I took hold of His hand and He lifted me up. “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40: 2 & 3. It was also in that moment that I began to understand that it had been Satan putting those thoughts and ideas in my head. His mission is to take our eyes off Christ and what He did for us on the cross. Satan takes and covers us with the mud and muck of the lives we live in order to cover up the beauty of who God made us to be. I know that I did not see the beauty that was underneath, and you may not either, but please believe me that there is beauty there and God wants you to find it. By accepting Him as you’re Savior, you are washed in His blood, being transformed, made new. By accepting Christ, you have the power to rebuke the words that Satan has been whispering in your ear all your life.  “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7.

         So here I am today. Proclaiming the words that changed my life---forever! Allowing Jesus to take over my life, for me to lay in His hands my troubles, fears and trials, He gives me the strength to endure them. He guides me as I write these words. He gives me the hope that someone will read them and be encouraged by them, letting them see the real Jesus and not the one that Satan wants them to continue to see. No matter what you think about Jesus, I am here to say that He does love you! He desires to have a relationship with you! He knows you better that you know yourself!!! Personally, I would run the other way, when confronted about my sins by someone. I would pretend to listen, and then go on with my life, living like I wanted to. When I fell in my hole, I could not run any longer. He allowed my sins to bring me to Him, since I would not come to Him on my own. Think about that!  He allowed my sinfulness to bring me to Him. He had that planned before the world began! He has the same plans in place for your life too, meaning He wants you to come to Him and have a relationship with Him. He wants to show you first hand that what I am saying here today is the truth, because this truth will set you free!! This blog may be His way of bringing you to Him. Jesus’ death on the cross HAS cleansed you from ALL your sins PERIOD!!!! And by accepting Him as your Savior, He will wash you in that blood. He will wash the mud and muck from your life and reveal you to yourself that you are white, pure and holy. “Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name, deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.” Psalm 79:9. Turn to Christ. Allow Him to make you anew. Accept Him as your Savior, allowing His mercy, compassion and cleansing to turn you into the person He designed you to be.

                                        Divine Power

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may pate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Accepting Christ, knowing Him personally, is the power that we all need to make it day to day. Accepting Christ, opening the door to your heart to allow Him to enter, is the power we need to accomplish the tasks that He has set before us. Before I accepted Him, I floundered in this life and did not know why. Oh, in the back of my mind I knew, but I was too blind and dumb to admit it, my heart was not in place to accept what I needed to do. I walked my life in a stupor. “But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.” (Job 32:8). I lacked this “spirit” in me. The “breath of the Almighty” had not filled me. I was only filled with the spirit of self, and my breath came from my lungs as I searched for a better life. I gathered “riches,” only to give them to others when I got incarcerated. My home, car, and, for awhile my family, were taken from me. My spirit of self could not help me, God had taken my breath away from me to teach me, so that I could acquire the knowledge Jesus needed to show me so that I would be ready to do His will upon my release. Ecclesiastes 2:26 reads; “To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”  How often have you felt that way? Do you work hard, seeming to gather much, just to have to hand it over to someone? I did. That is because my motives were centered on me, I looked to myself and my power to get what I wanted. But what I gained was fleeting, just like the mist in the morning, it all disappeared.

When I surrendered to Christ, I began to understand, and see, the power of Him who created all things. I began to realize just how much He loves me. I saw the power that came from His crucifixion. “If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king.” (Daniel 3:17). This God does exist, and He is the one that saved me, and can save you too. The squalor of your life is not too much for Christ to handle. No one’s life is squeaky clean. God is aware of that. But He wants to come into your life anyway, to rescue you from that squalor and filth and pain and sorrow that makes up your life. No matter what you have heard others say, God wants to put your feet on His path, because He knows that is the path that will lead to happiness and prosperity. Of course, it will not look like what you think it will be because we all look at it through a world set of eyes. But when you accept Him, your view of happiness and prosperity changes from a worldly view to a God view. “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel. 11:19. “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13.

Christ desires to give to each of us what we need, not what we want, but what we need so that we are fully able to do His work here on earth. Yes, the work is hard at times. We may be shunned, talked about, ridiculed. But Christ does, and will, give us the courage and strength to carry on, to get through those times. And upon exiting the other end, the riches of His love for our obedience is there for us to take. “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10. Our Father wants all to truly see the world for what it is, broken, sinful, selfish. By having a relationship with Him, He takes our hearts and reshapes them into Him, His ways, His way of thinking and acting. His desire is for us to fully understand that this world leads us along its paths, its thinking. And since this world is flawed, there can only be flaws in us as we follow its path. The world’s path is wide and, we think, easy to get around on. God’s path is narrow, at times it is difficult to walk. But unlike the world’s path, where we walk alone, God guides and leads us on His path. He walks with us, so that we are able to come to Him, in prayer, to get the right direction in which to go. We are able to come to Him, through prayer, to ask for someone to walk with us. On God’s path we are never alone, God does walk with us and many times He will bring along side us other people of faith to walk with us. That is the love God has for us. He desires that no one walk alone, in silence and despair. “And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people).” Ephesians 1:18. 

Christ wants to open your eyes to see the world for what it is. He wants to enter into your life and give you the riches that only He can give to you. Some will be given here on earth, many, though, will be stored in heaven where they can not be stolen. They will be forever yours. Take the step of faith, take His hand and allow Him to take you out of your despair and heartache. Accept Him as you Savior, and start to live the life He desires you live. My prayer is for you. 

Caring for the Garden

Caring for the Garden

  Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

             The Creator put man, made in His image, in a perfect place. And He instructed man to take care of it. But, man failed to obey, allowing sin to enter into this perfect place. The man and woman were exiled from the Garden of Eden. The doubt that entered their minds forever separated them from a physical relationship with God. But because of God’s love for what He had created, He continued to have a spiritual relationship with them. They were righteously punished for their disobedience, but God did not abandon them. As it is written in Joshua 1:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

             Today, believers are in charge of a different kind of garden. The garden of souls, not only their own souls but also those of the non-believer. The believer uses the bible, if you will, as a plow, to break up the hardness in their hearts so that the word that is planted in them has soft ground in which to grow. We also use the word as we interact with others, showing them the love of Jesus in us. Believers must be honest and confess, to those around them, that they too stumble and fall, but the love Jesus has for those He created, and His shed blood, cover their sins. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”  Ephesians 1:7 & 8. Through their lives, actions and words, the believer is breaking up the hard hearts of the people they come in contact with. Using the Word as a tool to then plant the seed of hope and peace and joy in the hearts of a fallen world.

             Reading the word, daily, we are greatly encouraged to tell others what the Lord has done for us. How our lives have been changed. How the peace of Jesus Christ has enabled us to endure the storms and heart break in our lives. How the Holy Spirit has strengthened us, and blessed us. And we tell others that that is what the Lord wants for them, no matter the circumstances or thoughts they may have otherwise. Again, this may mean that we must gently tend to the garden and possibly replant numerous times. But our knowledge that God walks with us enables us to carry on. “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40: 31.

            Now we have to be honest, how many times has Jesus planted seeds in our hearts, only to have it land on the path? Or the rocky soul? Or among the thistles? How often did He have to replant the seed before it landed on the good ground? God NEVER GIVES UP SOWING SEEDS. So, likewise, we too must never give up planting the seeds in the hearts of the non-believers in our lives. 2 Peter 3:9 says The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God is giving us the patience and perseverance to endure, we must continue to plant the seed, because our understanding of the word tells us that God will work, but it is in His time. 2 Peter 3:9 needs to spur us on, not wanting anyone to perish, enabling us to sow even more seeds. “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” James 5: 7 & 8.

           So, continue to plant. Continue to pray. Continue to wait patiently for the Lord. For when the harvest comes, the first fruits of that harvest will be the hearts of the new believers. God will take the first fruits and it will be “a pleasant aroma” to Him. And we will know that He will say to us, “well done good and faithful servant.” Just like Adam, we have a garden to tend to, let’s do it with all the strength that the Lord will give us. Praising Him daily, knowing that souls will be saved, hearts mended and minds focused on Jesus Christ!

compass

We all have an inner compass in us, many would call it a conscience. Some of us trust what it tells us, and some don’t. Now believe it or not everyone has a compass that points us in the direction of Jesus Christ--- some trust in it, and some don’t. For those who trust in it, it is because God has either taken them through a time of trials, so that they have no choice but to trust in what their “compass” is showing them, or the Holy Spirit has convicted them to trust. For me it was a trial. For a period of 7 years I was in prison, and Christ was taking that time to show me how to use, read, and follow, effectively, what my “compass” was telling me. Up until that time my compass was broken, if you will, by the lies of Satan. He did not want me to find the way to God, because he knew that once I did, or we do, I would be able to see for myself the lies that he had been telling me all along.

          Satan’s lies are that we are too broken for God to put back together. Our compass’s, if you will, have been broken beyond repair, because of our pasts. It is true that our internal compasses are broken, Christ does have the power to correct, change and repair any life, period. Change is hard, change requires us to do things differently than the way we have been. I thought that way, “why change, I can’t do it and I am too far gone for God to want me back,” so I just kept prodding along through the mud that was my life. But, one day I did reach that dead end!! I had come to the end of the road and had nowhere else to turn. Now see Jesus knew this would happen. Now I know that you are wondering, “Isn’t God a loving God? Why would He let this happen?” Yes, God did know that I would be in this place, and He also knew that I would need to be in this place in order that I would understand Satan’s lies, that I would find out for myself that He, God, truly did love me, no matter what I had done; past, present or future. Christ knew that I would have to be in this place in order for me to fully understand what He did, when He went, willingly, to the cross to die for me, to shed His blood in order that my sins, and yours too by the way, would be covered and remembered no more!!! I can’t stress enough that your past does not matter to Christ, all He wants is for you to believe in Him, repent, and be saved. Just as Jesus Christ wanted to repair my compass, He desires to fix yours also. He loves you, and cares for and about you. This may be hard to wrap your head around because of the lies that Satan has been spewing out at you for so long, but it is true, I am proof!!

          I always thought that I had to live a perfect life before I could accept Christ, which made it even that much harder to come to Him, and you may think that way too, but again, that was a lie perpetrated by Satan to keep us in his clutches, to keep me, and you, from having the inner peace. See, NO ONE can live a perfect life, and Christ knows that. He does not expect us to. He wants us to live for Him, but as we do, Christ is walking there along side us. Our compass, that is His love, mercy, grace, and Holy Spirit, will aid in our walk-through life. Our compass will not only direct our steps, but will give us comfort in the trials and storms that WILL come our way through life. I pray that if you have not accepted Christ as your Savior that you will, so that Jesus Christ can fix your compass, which will allow you to walk in the right direction, the direction of Christ, the one that died for you!