It’s an exciting life when you’ve accepted Christ for salvation. We still face many things that can make us feel fearful, anxious, or even hinder our joy in Christ. Bills pile up, our sons march off to war, and the weatherman predicts violent storms. These things can steal our joy in the Lord. When life becomes too much to handle, that’s when we need to take a good look at our blessings that only come from God.

“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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).

Take a few moments and let that verse fill your mind and heart. God Almighty loves you. He has loved you since before you were even born. We’re talking about the Creator of the universe who loves you. God the Father sent His only begotten Son to shed His blood, just so you can live eternally with Him. The Son came willingly knowing that He would be mocked, beaten, and crucified. All because you are that important to Him. That fact should fill you with unbounded joy.

The only way to live with Him forever is to put your faith in Him. There’s no other way. Why do so many people choose to reject His love? We hear it all the time. “I can’t love a god who sends people to Hell?” God doesn’t send anybody to Hell; we make our own choice as to where we spend eternity.

Go back and re-read the above verses. It takes faith. Not faith in a false god, or the teachings of a cult, not even faith in yourself. You must be born again; you must have a spiritual rebirth. Recognize that you are a sinner and only faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ can take your sin away.

The body is a temporary place where your soul resides, but your soul is eternal. You will live eternally either with Jesus in Heaven, or with Satan in the burning lake of fire. You must truly believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God…Jesus!

When you make that profession of faith, your life should change. You should no longer desire to follow the lusts of the flesh, but you should desire the things of God. That’s how you find true joy in spite of the pressures of this world. More often than not, the change in your life and attitude will take a while to show in your life. The deeper you study Scripture, the more you will see your own imperfections and begin to live to please God rather than yourself. Don’t get discouraged because that will cause you to return to your old ways. You might have found temporary pleasure in sin, but that will never be as satisfying as the joy you find in Jesus.

There will always be temptations in life, and there’s more than a slight chance that you will slip now and then. That doesn’t mean you’ve lost your salvation. When you truly have repented and asked Jesus to forgive your sin, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…the Godhead. When you truly understand that the Holy Spirit resides in you, your attitude will change. It will humble you.

Pride will cause you to think you don’t sin. Then you will become smug and “holier than thou.” The Holy Spirit living in you will draw you nearer to Jesus, and sin will no longer win the battle. While we live on this side of Heaven, we will always wrestle with our sin nature.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).

If you continue to embrace the sin you claim you were forgiven of, then His word isn’t in you. Your lifestyle should reflect your life in Christ. He will always forgive you if you truly repent. What a blessing it is to know Jesus! What a joy!

Another thing you need to let sink in is that the Holy Spirit lives in you. You might have read in mythology that the gods live on Mount Olympus or some other faraway place of fiction. Satan always tries to deceive us. Scripture tells us God’s truth. The Father and Son are in Heaven, but the Holy Spirit indwells Christians. When we first truly believe, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and He will guide us. No matter what we do, He’s right there watching and feeling joy when we obey God, and grief when we choose to sin. He feels our hurt when we lie, or gossip, or worse.

“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderheated, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:25-32).

The best way to have joy in the Lord is to live your life to honor Him. Jesus loves you. He died for you. That should bring great joy to every Christian.

Nobody said it would be an easy walk when you walk with Jesus. There will always be temptations and always another person who will get under your skin. Believe me, I struggle to keep loving thoughts when I’m around certain people. Remember, Jesus died for your adversaries just as He died for you. If you come into contact with someone who really riles you, pray. Pray for God to keep your thoughts pure, and pray for the other person. Then, instead of acting angrily towards them, do kindness. That will really throw them off!

You cannot be a soul-winner if you spew anger to the very people you need to share the Gospel with. There’s no greater example of kindness and love than when Jesus was hanging on the cross and looking down at the people mocking Him, and seeing the soldiers who had driven the nails into His hands and feet as they divided His clothing. Do you recall His prayer?

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots” (Luke 23:34).

Jesus could have called upon angels to take Him off the cross and wreak havoc upon those who had done such evil to Him, but He chose love and forgiveness. Can we be so forgiving of those who have done far less evil to us? You will feel more joy when you choose to forgive.

Peace and joy come from walking with Jesus, but we also have hope. Not the type of hope that you have when you want things to go a certain way, but the kind of hope that comes from knowing that no matter what happens, everything will be alright. Most people see death as a loss and something to be feared. Christians know that, for us, death in this world means stepping into life in eternity with Jesus.

“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

That will be a glorious event. We have another hope, and that is the Rapture. The time is coming when God’s wrath will be poured out. Judgment is coming quickly. Things are being put in place for a one-world leader, a one-world religion, and a one-world economy. Scripture tells us this will happen, and it will be a time like no other time in history. Evil will reign, and demonic entities will be unleashed. You don’t want to be here to see those horrors.

The blessed hope that Christians have is that when the seven-year tribulation is happening on Earth and everyone who has rejected Christ is facing judgments, Christians will have been taken Home away from God’s wrath. This isn’t a false hope, but a blessed promise from God.

If you watch the world news, you know there are troubling things happening throughout the world, not the least of which is the war in the Middle East. Remember, Biblical prophecy focuses on Israel, not America, France, England, or any other nation. If you watch that war with an eye to Bible prophecy, you’ll know this war is mentioned. Which war is it? I really don’t think we can be certain until it’s over and we have the benefit of hindsight. Some say it’s Ezekiel 38, some say it’s Zechariah 14, others say Jeremiah 49. In my opinion, it looks more like what’s described in Jeremiah 49, but I won’t say that for sure.

Whichever war it is, you don’t have to be afraid. God didn’t want us to be afraid when the signs of the end of time begin to happen. That’s why He gave us prophecy. It comforts me to know that God saw this happening and told us about it. Remember, God has not turned His back on Israel. He chose that nation centuries ago when He called Abram away from his pagan life and gave him the land we now know as Israel. That gift and the promises to Abraham are forever, and the Jewish people are still His chosen people.

The war looks bad right now, but God is still protecting Israel. Prophecy will be fulfilled just as God foretold. One day, the Jewish people will know the joy that comes from knowing Christ. It will be a struggle, but at the end of the Tribulation, they will look to their Messiah and know that He is Jesus. At that time, He will finish the war they face and will be victorious. Then they will find the joy that comes from knowing Jesus. Christians have that joy now.

If you haven’t found joy in Jesus, but you claim to be a Christian, the problem isn’t with Jesus. Living in this fallen world comes with many struggles. Are you studying Scripture and living to honor Him? If you are looking for joy, don’t follow the ways of the world. Knowing that Jesus is your Lord and will never leave nor forsake you will bring joy. Don’t allow the world to steal your joy.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” Psalm 122:6.

This world is a crazy place to live anymore, and I hope we go Home soon. I know it’s getting close.

 

 

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:8-9).

And so, we come to Easter. That pagan holiday that celebrates carnal lusts in honor of a pagan goddess who was very sexually perverse. For convenience, Christians took this pagan day of debauchery and say we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, whose own blood was shed to take away sin, including sexual perversion. Why do we reject God’s ways?

It seems as if, from the time of Adam and Eve, people have chosen to compromise God’s word. God was very specific when He gave Moses the directions on how to be protected from death.

“Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house” (Exodus 12:3).

The month spoken of was Nissan. The chosen lamb was to be unblemished. “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats” (Exodus 12:5).

The word “unblemished” is from the Hebrew “tamim.” Noah was tamim. “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).

Noah wasn’t a perfect man, but he didn’t mingle with the pagans around him, and his blood wasn’t tainted by the genetic tampering of the fallen angels and human women. He respected God. Too many Christians today prefer the ways of the world rather than honoring God. Sadly, that preference shines through when we celebrate the two holidays that say they celebrate Christ: Christmas and Easter. These days are both celebrated on pagan holidays. The two most important events to Christians are wrapped in paganism.

Once the Passover lamb was chosen, it was to be kept for four days. “And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening” (Exodus 12:6).

It became like a family pet, but then it was to be sacrificed. The children must have been heartbroken. Why was the lamb slaughtered? To protect the Israelites who were living as slaves in Egypt. God had sent many plagues to convince Pharaoh to give Israel freedom, but he refused. This final plague would kill all of the firstborn, unless they were protected by the blood of the lamb.

“And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it” (Exodus 12:7).

There is much detail about how the lamb was to be cooked and eaten. They were to eat it while being ready to leave Egypt and be free from the pagan ways found there. The blood of the lamb would protect them from death.

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12-13).

God went into great detail to be sure they knew when and how the Passover would happen. Only the blood of the sacrificial lamb would save a person from death. If any of the Israelites decided to follow the pagan ways instead of God’s ways, they would die that night. Likewise, if an Egyptian happened to be in the house of a Hebrew, they would be protected by the blood. Death would come if the blood was rejected.

This blood sacrifice was a picture of Jesus. He was born of a virgin, just as prophecy said He would. People rejected that fact because everybody knows it takes a man and a woman to make a child, and they underestimated God. So, when He was actually born of a virgin, many people of that day didn’t recognize Him. John the Baptist did. In fact, when he was in his mother’s womb, he recognized Jesus. Mary had gone to visit John’s mother Elisabeth. When Mary greeted Elisabeth, John leaped:

“And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost” (Luke 1:41).

John was never confused as to the identity of Jesus. Many years later, John was baptizing people when He saw Jesus coming toward him. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

It wasn’t a bunny dropping eggs that John saw, but Jesus the Christ! The Jewish people had been looking for their Messiah throughout their history, and here He was. He was rejected by the religious leaders because they didn’t want to lose their power. Many people were just blind to their need for salvation. The ones who came to Him were the ones who knew they needed Him. Some came for healing, and some came for forgiveness. Jesus loved them all. Today, we see the same attitudes within the Christian community.

Sin is what separates us from God. We are conditioned to view sin as a big sin or a little sin. God sees all sin as equal, and it all separates us from God. There is no way to atone for our sin except by the shedding of blood. That’s why God included animal sacrifice when He gave Moses the Law.

“But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:3-4).

There is no way that animal blood can take sin away, and it had to be done regularly. Only human blood can take human sin away. God doesn’t accept human sacrifices, which is a pagan practice. All human blood is tainted by the sin of Adam. God had a solution for the problem of sin. A virgin would give birth to God’s only Son. In that way, He would be human because Mary was just a human like you and me, but because His father was God, there would be no sin-tainted blood.

Jesus was born of a virgin, and God was His Father. Do you believe that? If not, then you need to examine your faith. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He entered His creation for one purpose, and that purpose was to be the final sacrifice for the sin of humans. He went to the cross willingly to be our only way of salvation.

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

Only faith in His death, burial, and resurrection makes eternal life possible. Don’t mock Him by celebrating a bunny.

God went to great measures to tell us when Jesus was sacrificed. The Jewish Passover was a foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice. It was established in the month of Nissan. He spent three days and three nights in the tomb; but on the third day, which was the Jewish feast of Firstfruits, Jesus arose from the dead, and all who believe are given eternal life with Him.

Christianity and the Jewish faith have much in common, and God hasn’t replaced the Jewish people with Christians. Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets but didn’t eliminate them.

Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe His blood is the only sacrifice for sin? Do you believe He rose from the grave? If so, then you need to stop glorifying the bunny.

One day, I was shopping and was saddened by the many aisles of Easter eggs, Easter bunnies, Easter baskets, Easter, Easter, Easter. Nothing to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. This year, they have even degraded this time even more by selling “exploding bunny poop.” I don’t even want to know what that is.

I wrote a poem, and I’ve shared it before, but I’ll share it again. As you read it, I hope you think about what you’re celebrating, and ask yourself if it matters. Teach your children what Christ did for them on the cross. It’s not about a bunny, but it’s about Jesus fulfilling the Passover. It’s about Jesus shedding His blood on the cross to take sin away.

“For by grace are ye saved through  faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Take that seriously.

It’s Not About A Bunny By Nathele Graham

It’s not about a bunny
That hops away so fast.
It is about Christ my Saviour,
Whose love will always last.

It’s not about an egg
With a pretty painted shell
It is about Christ who died
To save us all from Hell.

It’s not about an Easter bonnet
Upon your head that’s worn
It is about Christ the King
Who wore a crown of thorns

Christ’s death was a victory
Over sin, death, and the grave.
Don’t praise a bunny, tell Christ’s story
His life He freely gave.

Celebrate His love for you
In everything you do.
The bunny always hops away
But Christ will dwell in you.

If you choose to celebrate this special day on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox rather than on the 14^th day of Nissan, at least call it Resurrection Sunday in honor of what Christ did rather than Easter in honor of a pagan goddess. Remember that all of us were once dead in our sin until we realized we needed to repent and ask Jesus to forgive us.

“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:13-15).

We owe Jesus so much but praise Him too little. If you choose to celebrate His resurrection and call it Easter, I can’t judge your choice. “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17).

Just be sure to honor Christ.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).