Most people live life from day to day in a worldly fashion. Some acknowledge that God exists but don’t pay much attention to Him or care about pleasing Him. Others, who have a New Age way of thinking, acknowledge a “higher power.” But that entity isn’t God Almighty. Many Christians work, play, and live like the worldly people around them and rarely question if they are right with God.

Then it happens. The abdominal pain is more than a pulled muscle. You have cancer. What now? Many people who have been diagnosed with a serious disease take that as a challenge to “Get right with God.” Someone who has been diagnosed with lung cancer may decide to stop smoking thinking that will appease God, or someone with heart problems may change his or her diet.

That’s good but that isn’t getting right with God. We live in a fallen world and disease is a fact of life. Sin is also a part of this life. Every person on earth sins and every sin can be forgiven. Every sin can be forgiven, but only if the sinner truly accepts Christ for salvation.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven”(Matthew 7:21).

If you think “getting in touch with your higher power” is the same as repenting of sin and placing your faith in Jesus Christ, you’re wrong. You need to study God’s Word and learn the truth. There is no other way for salvation than through Jesus Christ.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

There is no salvation in “a higher power.” Salvation comes only through Jesus Christ.

When tragedy or disease strikes, people who normally don’t give God much thought will either blame Him or turn to Him. When the crisis passes most people go back to ignoring Him. The days after September 11, 2001, are a prime example.

The American people seemed to cry out to God but there was no real commitment to Him. They were looking for a temporary shelter. Some asked “Why did God let this happen?” They blamed God for the tragedy. They forgot, or just didn’t understand, that Satan is working hard to destroy lives and America as a nation has rejected God for many years.

Most people want His blessings but don’t want to live so as to please Him. When bad things happen people like to put the blame somewhere. When a mass murder happens they blame the gun. If an earthquake destroys a city and claims many lives it’s called an “Act of God.” God did not create the calamities in this life. When God created Adam and Eve they lived in a perfect place…the Garden of Eden. Satanic lies and disobedience caused Adam and Eve to be expelled from God’s Garden and sin has caused calamity ever since.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Satan is behind every tragedy in life. Many people live lives that are opposed to God, but they expect His protection from troubles. God had told the nation of Israel:

“If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”  2 Chronicles 7:14).

Yes, this was directed to Israel, but it is good advice for Christians. After all, Christians are called by His name. We have we dropped the ball. Too many who claim to be Christians don’t live for Christ but honor Satan with worldly attitudes, manner of dress, tattoos, piercings, foul language, relationships, etc. Non-Christians don’t know any better. But those who claim to be Christians should not participate in worldly activities.

You may dispute that these things matter, but they do. We cannot “work” to earn our salvation, but our way of life reflects the intent our hearts. If you can use God’s name to curse and swear, you don’t honor Him with your words.

Do you embrace the homosexual agenda even though you know that God views it as sin? Do you move from one sexual encounter to another even though God is clear about the fact that this is sin? If you claim to be a Christian and embrace sin of any kind, then you need to repent of your sin, ask for His forgiveness, and get right with God.

What would happen if every Christian began to honor God in every part of life? We would certainly influence people around us.

“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).

As Christians, we can be an example to the people around us. If we are right with God and honor Him in all we do then we just might help a parent or a friend to come to know Jesus. If Christians would vote for godly men to run this nation, then prayer would not be banned from classrooms and sin would not be legalized.

If Christians would honor God in every facet of life there would be fewer babies born out of wedlock, abortion would be illegal, divorce statistics would drop, child abuse would be rare, and governments would not legalize sin. If Christians aren’t right with God then how can we lead others to Christ? Christians need to … humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways… We need to honor God in all we do.

Don’t honor God for what you want to get out of it. In other words, don’t think: “If I will stop ___ then God will do ___ for me.” Wrong. Jesus has already done the most wonderful thing for you that only He could do. He shed His blood to purchase your salvation.

We can’t imagine what this cost Him. Jesus is God, yet He became human. He knew what He would face when He entered His creation, but He chose to suffer for us and shed His blood for our salvation. Shouldn’t we who call ourselves Christians honor Him by being a living sacrifice for Him?

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1)

Live for Him. He who died for you.

How do we “get right with God?” First acknowledge that you are a sinner, repent, and place your faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ask Him to forgive your sins. He will. Then, live for Him. Live your life so that it is pleasing to God. Study His word and pray. Measure your life by what you read in the Bible. God has never changed and His view of sin is different than our view sin. We need to conform to God.

[Jesus said,] “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21-22).

All Christians need to take an honest look at themselves and pray for God’s help in turning away from sin. People around us who are worldly may laugh and mock, but it is God whom we need to please.

Tragedy will strike you one day. Someone you love will die or you will be stricken with disease.  Don’t wait until you’re older or until you have “sown your wild oats” to get right with God. We never know when it will be too late. Think of how many young drivers are killed in automobile accidents or how about that 30 year old man who suddenly dies of a heart attack. If death comes before you have accepted Christ then you have waited too long.

Now would be the time to repent of sin and ask Christ for forgiveness. If you have already accepted Christ, then be sure you are right with Him. We cannot do any works to gain or keep salvation, but there are eternal crowns to be earned. What you do on earth and the choices you make will matter for eternity.

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

It may not be illness that takes you by surprise. We are living in the last days that are foretold in the Bible. The Rapture is on the near horizon. The Bible tells us that after Jesus calls His followers Home, life on earth will be nearly unbearable.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

If you claim to be a Christian but don’t truly follow Christ you need to get right with Him. If His ways don’t matter to you then perhaps you didn’t mean it when you mouthed the words professing your faith. If you are sitting on the fence trying to decide whether or not to accept Him, make a decision for Him now.

If you have come outright and rejected Him, then you need to rethink your decision. You don’t want to be left here after the Rapture to face the horrors of the Tribulation. God has promised that Christians will not face the wrath of God, but it is up to you to be sure you have truly accepted Christ’s sacrifice.

“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).

There is no better time than right now to get right with God. Either accept Him as your Savior, or if you have already done that, start living your life to honor Him.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

We all face decisions. Some of those decisions may seem very small, such as whether to wear a black suit and tie or a polo shirt and shorts. The choice really depends upon where you’re going. If you’re going to a backyard barbecue, the suit would be out of place, but if you’re going to a job interview the polo shirt and shorts probably aren’t the best choice.

Experience tells us which is the better choice, but not all decisions are that cut and dried. A Christian should prayerfully base all decisions on God’s word. Jesus prayed. Even though He was God incarnate He still talked to God the Father about decisions. For instance, Jesus had many disciples, but had to choose just a few who would be very close to Him and learn all He had to teach.

“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles” (Luke 6:12-13).

Each one of those men had different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. Even Judas Iscariot had a purpose. Perhaps if Judas had prayed he would have made better decisions.

Many of life’s bad decisions can be avoided by studying our Bibles and getting to know God better.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).

When we respect God we don’t want to go against Him. He loves us and gave us the whole Bible as a guide. Through diligent study and adherence to God’s inerrant Word we can avoid making bad decisions. If you neglect studying your Bible, both Old and New Testaments, you’re making a mistake.

We read of victories when men followed God’s instructions, but we also learn from their failures when they chose not to trust Him. We make wise decisions when we put God’s will before our own and honor Him in our actions.

There are consequences when bad decisions are made. Moses is an example of both good and bad decisions. He led the Israelites on a journey that should have been relatively short, but ended up taking years. He witnessed God’s power first hand when the Red Sea parted and trusted God to allow them to pass to safety, he saw the pillar of cloud which led them by day and the pillar of fire by night.

Moses was in the presence of God on Mt. Sinai to receive the Law, which must have been an awesome experience. Yes, Moses was well aware of the power of God, but when it came to making an important decision he forgot to trust God. He had led the people to the Promised Land, then sent 12 spies to scout it out. They found giants there. Real giants, not just tall people. They were understandably intimidated, but they should have trusted God. Joshua and Caleb were ready to go and claim the land, but Moses made a bad decision. He listened to the majority opinion instead of God’s direction and left in fear of the giants rather than trusting God. Instead of entering the land that God had promised to them they wandered for 40 years.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?” (Numbers 14:11).

If they had trusted God they wouldn’t have wasted 40 years wandering and would have received God’s promise. The decision to not trust God cost them dearly. What about us? We miss out on so many blessings because we also make bad decisions when our trust in God waivers.

Joshua and Caleb were the two spies who trusted God. They knew that God would be with them if they just trusted Him. Because Moses didn’t trust God’s promises, every person over the age of 20 would die in the 40 years of wandering, except for Joshua and Caleb. They would be allowed to enter the land because of their faith.

Those two men made the right decision to trust God. After the Israelites finally entered the land God promised them, Joshua, whose name means “Jehovah is salvation” called the people together and encouraged them to follow God, ending his speech with:

“Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:14-15).

Those are wise words from Joshua.

When we make decisions do we ignore God’s Word or do we honor God in our choices? It’s important to study our Bible in order to keep God first. The more we neglect reading and studying His Word the easier it gets to just forget about it all together.

“My Bible’s not going anywhere and I’ll read it tomorrow.” That’s a bad decision. If you don’t study you may be duped into a wrong belief and decide to follow a false teacher. Paul and Silas travelled to Berea and went into the synagogue to speak to the Bereans about Christ.

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).

We also must search the Scriptures. If you don’t know what God’s truth is you run the risk of believing that all roads lead to heaven, or that everybody worships the same god. Only the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is God Almighty. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and if you follow a cult that denies that, then you have been deceived. If you decide to follow a false teaching it’s because you neglect God’s Word and don’t know the truth.

When you’re faced with a decision, turn to God’s Word and prayer for guidance. When you choose friends or enter into a partnership with someone, remember God’s Word teaches us not to be unequally yoked.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15).

If friends or business associates are not Christians they don’t have the Holy Spirit or God’s Word as a guide for their way of life. More often than not the unbeliever will cause the Christian to compromise rather than the Christian influencing the unbeliever.

Study God’s Word to be sure you make the right decision about life. Don’t make a distinction between your Sunday morning, pew sitting life and how you act when at work or play. Decide to keep Jesus the center of your life and you can’t go wrong.

The lack luster life of a biblically illiterate Christian is evident in how many wrong decisions occur in that individual’s life. For instance, marriage is a very important decision in life. Let God lead in that decision. Divorce among Christians is as high as in the secular world.

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22).

God has an order of things, but humans often ignore God’s advice. If the husband isn’t following Christ then it isn’t easy to submit to him. God’s word has not changed, but people seem to be moving away from honoring Him when making important decisions.

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).

A man who is committed to studying God’s Word will make decisions that honor Him. A godly man will lead his family closer to God and away from worldly pursuits. Is it God’s Word that holds your attention or the world?

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:23).

There is no more valuable inheritance you can give to your children than a solid foundation built upon Christ so that they will decide to follow Him in their lives. If you find Bible study monotonous or boring you’ve allowed outside interests to interfere with your thought process.

As following the world becomes more important to you than God, it becomes easier to make bad choices. The decision to skip a routine of devotional time or to neglect the daily reading of God’s word will have profound effects on the other decisions of the day.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

As you study, pray. When you pray for discernment you’ll find that God’s Word comes alive and your understanding of Scripture is deepened. A good time for prayer and devotion is in the morning. That will help to set your thoughts on God and the rest of that day’s decisions will be made with God’s guidance.

Without God’s guidance, believers are like ships drifting on ocean currents with no one at the helm. They may find themselves drifting from one current to another void of any real direction. Christians need God at the helm in order to not drift away.The most important decision we will ever make is the decision to follow Christ. Jesus is the Messiah, the Creator of the universe, the propitiation for our sins.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

God knew that Adam and Eve would make the bad decision to eat the forbidden fruit. That act would cause division between humans and God. Nothing surprises God and before He laid the foundation of the world He knew how He would the repair that separation. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, gave His life for us and only through His shed blood can we find salvation.

He was crucified but arose on the third day and conquered death. Because He loves you He made that sacrifice for you. If you have accepted His sacrifice for your salvation, then it is time to put worldly pursuits aside and decide to follow Him more closely.

If you have never asked Christ for salvation, don’t put that decision off another minute. He offers the free gift of salvation, but it is your decision to accept it. It is an eternal decision. Decide for yourself to turn from false gods and idol worship. Decide to follow Jesus for eternity.

God bless you all,

Ron & Nathele Graham