Faith, Author at FollowingJesusUS.com

“The Good News of Salvation”

Sometimes this life on earth can make us feel tired. The news headlines scream of all that is wrong with our world and all of the evil that people do, the price of basic necessities and medical care is rising far faster than our paychecks, our jobs, supporting our families, worrying about the future…it’s a lot. But it won’t always be this way! Read Isaiah 61 below and hide it in your heart 🙂

61 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
²To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
³To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

⁴And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
⁵Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
⁶But you shall be named the priests of the Lord,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.
⁷Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

⁸“For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth,
And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
⁹Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,
And their offspring among the people.
All who see them shall acknowledge them,
That they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed.”

¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.“

Thanks to Jesus, we can look forward to a much brighter future! One that lasts forever and never makes us tired. Above is Isaiah 61. Read it. Remember it. Thanks to Jesus, our Day will come 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready 🙂

“You Generation Of Vipers”

This was an insert in my Bible, but it rings true today. How many “religious leaders” are leading their flock in the wrong direction? How many teach that a sin-is not a sin? That sinful behavior is acceptable to God?

“Questions & Objections: You shouldn’t talk about sin because Jesus didn’t condemn anybody. He was always loving and kind”

“Jesus did indeed condemn some people for their sin. In Matthew 23 He called the religious leaders “hypocrites” seven times. He told them that they were “blind fools”, children of hell, full of hypocrisy and sin. He climaxed his sermon by saying “You serpents; you generation of vipers, how shall you escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33). He then warned that He would say to the wicked “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels”” (Matthew 25:41)

Jesus made such a huge sacrifice that we might be forgiven our sins and go to Heaven. He created a Bridge between each of us and God. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try our very best to live a righteous life. A sin-free life. It does mean that when we have done our very best to live a righteous life, there will still be sin. We are not perfect. And Jesus will forgive us our sins; the ones we tried so hard not to commit.

In other words, if we truly believe in Jesus, if we accept Him as our Savior, than we will also believe God’s Word and do our very best to follow it!

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

For Zion’s Sake!

“For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” – Isaiah 62:1

What is Zion? Where is Zion? It is often referred to as a “Holy Place” or “Heaven”. A place where God is. So this verse starts out with “For Zion’s sake”, so it must be pretty important. And then it goes on “for Jerusalem’s sake”, also important :).

“Isaiah prophesied in a time when Jerusalem was still a functioning city but was spiritually corrupt.” (Enduring Word Bible Commentary). Is this not America today? We are still functioning as a nation, but our nation has become “spiritually corrupt”.

But God promises that He will not rest until our “righteousness” returns and we shine brightly once again :). And nor should we rest until righteousness returns.

He has not forsaken us and He will not leave us. We will be Saved 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Warning: To All Those Who Teach!

“And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?” – Ezekiel 34:1-2

We read the phrase “feed the flock” often in the Bible. We hear Jesus say, “feed my flock”. But is that what every church is doing today? Or are some churches refusing to “feed their flock” and instead feeding them whatever is popular -no matter how sinful! How many of those we love have been lost because a preacher led them astray and reassured them that their sinful choices were acceptable to God when they were not?

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord.” – Jeremiah 23:1

May they all turn back to the Lord and Teach God’s Truth while they still can!

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Happy Mother’s Day Mary :)

I often think of Mary with awe! Although we often talk of Jesus’ sacrifice, we don’t talk of Mary’s nearly enough.

As a Mom, I can’t even imagine the horror and pain she endured watching her Son dying on that Cross. A million thoughts must have raced through her mind and heart. That she didn’t simply collapse is a testament to her courage and faith, her love for Jesus, as well as our Father’s strength and the Holy Spirit’s Comfort. It’s was a miracle in and of itself!

Personally, I know I would have collapsed. Just as I know I would have begged our Father not to allow my Son to die, especially in such a horrific way. But that was not Jesus’ Will. He came to save us from our sin, no matter the cost.

Instead, Mary gave Jesus what He needed most, Her love and her strength, and Her faith in our Father’s Will. Mary trusted our Father. She knew God’s ways were, and are, “higher than our ways”. And I am sure she prayed for Jesus! For Mary knew just how important prayer was and is!

Mary gave God Her all and trusted God with the outcome…and that is what we need to do!

As a Mom, the sheer horror of watching my Son crucified would have broken me, but it didn’t break Mary. Because Her love for Jesus and was that pure and that strong. And that love helped Her to overcome all. And for that alone, I will always be grateful to Mary. Just as I will always hope to be more like her!

Too often, modern day churches seem to argue about Mary’s role in the “church”. But the truth is – there really is no need for we are all the “church”

Mary was Jesus’ Mother and one of the best role models we will ever have. By Her sacrifice alone, she has not only proven Her love for our Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, but for each of us as well.

And Jesus loves Mary so very much too, as only a Son can love His Mother.

As for the confusion of “praying to Our Blessed Mother Mary”. It is not that we are “praying to Mary”, but rather we are asking Mary to pray for us! And why would we not?

Mary is in Heaven with God and I talk with her every day! Sometimes simply to thank Her for all she sacrificed for us. And sometimes to ask her to pray for me or others. And I know she does, because She loves each of us.

Mary has enriched my faith and brought me great joy and peace! She can do the same for you. Happy Mother’s Day Mary, and thank you!

Trenches!

While praying the Rosary, I saw soldiers walking through a deep trench.

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

God Is Always Fair!

“Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair!When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it. But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it.Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways.” – Ezekiel 33:17-20

God is ALWAYS fair! Truly, whether we go to Heaven depends on the choices we make ourselves. We all have the same ability to make a choice to put our faith in Jesus and to do what is right.

It doesn’t matter where or how we live, as long as we are alive; we can still choose Christ.

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Do Not Fear!

“O Israel, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield” – Psalm 113:9

There are a lot of scarey things going on in the world today, for all of us. The state of the country, the state of the world. And sometimes our fears are more personal, our jobs, our health, someone we love needs help, the rising cost of everything!

But our “Help comes from the Lord”. And our Lord is far more powerful than any power on earth-or anywhere else for that matter. And the Lord loves us with the kind of love that is always faithful! His Love never leaves; never lessens; is always there for us.

Do not fear, for our Lord is with us 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Saving Your Soul!

“Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” – Ezekiel 33:9

There is a trend lately. A bad trend. Our society fears to hurt anyone’s feelings or offend anyone. And yet, if we don’t share the truth, God’s Truth, with those we love; they may well fall-permanently.

While it’s true that many, and perhaps all, of those that we share God’s Truth with may refuse to hear it, we will still have done the right thing. Because when we love someone, we tell them the TRUTH-GOD’S TRUTH!

And remember, Truth by it’s very nature has only one Truth! Just as there is only one God 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

God’s Mercy Is Everlasting For Those Who Fear Him!

“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.” Psalm 103:11-13

“For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;” -Psalm 103:14-17

These are verses that we need to “hide in our heart” forever. Especially that His Mercy is from “everlasting to everlasting”.

And know, God understands our struggles and He loves us.

Prepare, pray and Be Ready!