Faith, Author at FollowingJesusUS.com

Do Not Fear!

“Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame” – Isaiah 54:4

We all fear some things; it’s just part of being human. But the stronger our faith; the less we fear.

One of our fears can be whether or not we will know what to say when we are called upon to stand up for our faith. But we need not worry about this. God has already Promised that the Holy Spirit will place the words in our heart that we need to say. We will not be “confounded” or “put to shame”.

A time is coming for all of us in which we will need to make some very hard choices. Choose Christ 🙂

And do not worry about the future, for God always Keeps His Promises 🙂

Be “Blessedly Assured” :)

I met a marine today. And it reminded me once again how brave and selfless they each are. And how grateful I am.

This particular marine served in Beirut, Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War and the Hostage Crisis. 220 marines were killed in just one day.

Personally, I can’t even imagine that much suffering and that much fear! Nor can I imagine all of the suffering he must have witnessed! Those who serve in the military don’t just risk physical harm, they risk emotional, mental and spiritual harm. And so do their families.

The marine I met was shot in the leg. And as he lay there bleeding profusely, he could not help but wonder if he would die. The saddest thing for him was that although he went to church, he didn’t even think to call out to God.

The church was something he attended, but it was not alive in him. And neither was the Holy Spirit!

How many human beings is this true for? Just that thought gives new urgency to sharing the Gospel with those we meet!

However, 10 years later, he accepted Jesus and the Holy Spirit came alive in him. And he received the “Blessed Assurance” that all Believers have.

For those who do not know, “Blessed Assurance” is a hymn written in 1873 by Fanny Crosby, who was blind. The first two sentences are:

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!”

The “Blessed Assurance” IS Jesus.

For because of Jesus, we are reunited with our Father and we are definitely going to Home to Heaven one day 🙂

When Bad Things Happen.

When bad things happen. When someone we love becomes ill or even dies, when someone who is just so very good, who seemed to do everything right, suffers, it can be a real test of faith.

But it is also when we need our faith the most. And while we are praying so hard for the person we love to be healed; we also need to be praying for ourselves and those we love. We need to Pray that our faith will not fail, but grow. We need to ask Jesus to hold on to us, even if we fail to hold on to Him. And we need to ask God to strengthen our faith and not allow it to weaken. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to Help us. To Comfort us. To lift us out of the pain we are in, if only for a while, so that we can recharge and comfort others.

And we also need to be honest in our prayers. If we don’t understand why these horrific things are happening, it’s okay to tell God that. I do. And it is okay to be angry and sad. But it is also important to end our prayer with “Thy Will Be Done”.

We only know what we want now, but God knows all of our tomorrows. In fact, God knows all of the tomorrows of every single human being and He loves us. We can Trust His love; we need too.

And perhaps most important. Faith is not about how we feel every day, but who we choose to follow. There have been a number of times in my life where I have been on my knees praying, teeth gritted, tears flowing, and forced myself to pray. And that is exactly how we sometimes get through really difficult times with our faith intact. We keep praying, even when we don’t feel like it. And even if God “feels” far away, He is not. He’s right beside us. Holding us up.

This is not Heaven. Bad things happen on earth. God does not stop them all, but He does help us walk through them. And unfortunately, with pain, that is the only way to deal with it. We have to walk through it to the other side. With God holding our hand every step of the way!

Trust God; He loves us and will not let us down. And God will never leave us.

God’s Roadmap :)

Serving for God’s Glory

“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.If anyone speaks, let him speak as the ^[c]oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the ^[d]dominion forever and ever. Amen.-1 Peter 4:7-11

How Blessed are we that our Lord gave us things we can do!

Prepare, Pray and Be Ready 🙂

The Fourth Horse

**Seen While Praying The Rosary: The Pale Horse**

“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.”

^”And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”-Revelations 6:7-8

Our time will come…

Prepare, Pray and Be Ready…

What is “Highly Esteemed Among Men Is Abomination In The Sight Of God”

“And he said to them, You are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”-Luke 16:15

There can be no doubt that many Americans, millions even, justify their actions by the approval of other human beings, rather than the approval of God. The problem with that choice (for they choose to do so) is that God does NOT approve!

We need to seek God’s Will for every choice we make in our lives. Daily prayer and the daily reading of G0d’s Word can help us to make more Godly choices. Ending every prayer with a prayer that “God’s Will Be Done” can really help 🙂

All of our choices should be chosen based on what God’s Will is for us, not man’s.

Prepare, Pray and Be Ready!

Do We “Esteem” Jesus Now?

“He is despised andrejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” – Isaiah 53:3

Jesus sacrificed so much for us. Do we esteem Jesus now?

Prepare, Pray and Be Ready!

**“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”-Matthew 24:12**

“So likewise you, when you see all these things, know thatit is near— even at the doors.” – Matthew 24:33

“For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,”-Matthew 24: 38

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of ^[a]heaven, but My Father only.” – Matthew 24:36

These verses all refer to the “end”.