FollowingJesusUS.com

What Future Will We Choose?

“I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.”-Isaiah 66:4-5

This does not have to be our future. God gave us a choice. He sent His only Son Jesus to Save us!

This Christmas, as we celebrate His birth, we can also recommit ourselves to Truly Following Christ. Let that be our Birthday Gift to Jesus.

This Christmas, Share Christ’s Love With The Lost!

“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace”-Wonderful Counselor”

How Blessed are we :).

But there are some who reject Jesus. Some who celebrate Christmas, without even celebrating His birth. It’s hard to imagine how anyone could celebrate Christmas, but not celebrate Christ’s birth. It seems wrong.

To realize that there are people/souls are “perishing all around us, going out into the blackness of darkness and despair, eternally lost”. And not to care. Somehow that also seems wrong.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”-John 3:16

Seems like if God loved us so, we should love unbelievers just as well.

This Christmas, pray especially for those who do not believe. Reach out to those who do not yet know Jesus. And pray they will come to know Him in time.

Believe!

“Believe what you do believe. or else you will never persuade anybody else to believe it.”-Charles Spurgeon

As we approach Christmas, our thoughts and our hearts go out to those we love that do not believe. We want to share our joy and our hope with them, but are sometimes unsure how we can do that.

The first step is to “Believe what you do believe”. We can’t share what we don’t truly have ourselves. So often we ask, how do we make our faith stronger? There are some steps that can help such as praying and reading the Bible.

But really the way lies in asking God to make our faith stronger. To give us that Gift so that we can share it with others. Jesus said in John 7:38, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit.

So ask the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ Name, for Help today 🙂

The Bridge

See while praying the Rosary: The Great Depression

With the economy struggling world wide, many of us worry if we will one day return to the days of the Great Depression. Or worse yet, just as World War II pulled us out of the Great Depression, will there be a World War III?

But the answer is the same today as it was yesterday, Jesus 🙂

Jesus created a Bridge between the Father and us. He created a path for us to spend eternity in Heaven. but we do need to accept His Great Gift.

As we approach the Celebration of Christ’s birth, accept His Gift today!

We Need To Open Our Eyes!

“Father, please open our eyes” is a phrase in the lyrics of the song Make It Right. As we approach Christmas, the need to “open our eyes” has never been stronger and more necessary.

Because being Christian is more than just a phrase and it is more than just a claim. It’s who we are, every minute of every day!

“I’m praying that you open our eyes”-Make It Right.

Please pray that we all “open our eyes”. For a prison can be a building, but it can also be our behavior choices. It can be the people we choose to spend our time with. It can be how we prioritize our time. Prisons are often of our own making, but we can choose to be free in Christ 🙂

And this Christmas, I also pray that we all make following Jesus our number one priority, we can make that our gift to Jesus 🙂

For Jesus have already given us so much. Thank you Jesus!

Pray For Peace!

In Matthew 24, verse 24, Jesus warns us that:

“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” – Matthew 24:24

So how will we know when Jesus truly returns? We know many things, but one of them is that Jesus will never contradict what is in God’s Word. Never.

The Bible is our resource; we need to read it.

And as we approach the celebration of Christ’s birth, we can celebrate the Hope that Jesus gives us. The knowledge that we are saved because He chose to be born. Truly we are Blessed. Thank you Jesus!

Prepare, Pray and Be Ready!

Thank You Joseph!

In order to understand Joseph’s Great Faith, one has to understand the times in which He lived. Men did not marry women who were already pregnant. At least not in this particular type of situation. For example, if Joseph had exposed Her pregnancy publicly, Mary could have been stoned to death! Thankfully, Joseph, a descendant of the House of King David, was a good man and unwilling to expose Mary to public disgrace.

Blessedly, an Angel appeared to Joseph telling him to be Mary’s husband. And telling Him to name the baby Jesus. Joseph did both!

Joseph had a second dream some years later, in which an angel told him to flee to Egypt. Joseph awoke in the middle of the night and fled with Mary and Jesus.

Personally, I stand in awe of His faith. He didn’t hesitate; he just obeyed! Would that we could all be more like him 🙂

But there were also other incredible gifts that Joseph gave. He took care of Jesus in the way an earthly father would. He loved him; he supported him and he protected him. And he did the same for Mary! He was an emotional and physical shoulder for Mary to lean on. He was there. Mary could depend on him, in all ways. And Mary loved him 🙂

And Joseph Loved Mary & Jesus 🙂

“Be Born In Me”

Thank You!

Christmas, in a sense, began with Mary’s Yes. We often forget just how young Mary was. Just a girl. How overwhelmed She must have been! I can’t even imagine how filled with love Her Heart was for God! Or how filled with courage and faith :).

That Mary said Yes to God, and helped to give us the Greatest Gift we have ever received: Jesus.

Thank you Mary, we will always be so very grateful 🙂

Mary’s Message Of Hope

During the 16th and 17th centuries, our Blessed Mother Mary appeared in Ecuador to a little known Spanish nun. She gave both a warning and hope for the future. Mary predicted a “spiritual catastrophe” that would occur in the Catholic church, beginning sometime after the mid 1900’s and spread.

One thing that Mary shared was that many would be unable to receive the Sacraments (Holy Communion, Confession, Baptism…). And did this not occur during Covid? While Walmart was deemed “essential”, church was not!

Mary also warned that the Sacrament of Marriage would be attacked. And has it not been? Less and less young people are even getting married. Gay marriage seems to be the law of the land, despite the fact that it is clearly displeasing to God! And in spite of the fact that during the Sacrament of Marriage, we pledge before God to love another person until death due us part, divorce has grown by leaps and bounds.

Does God forgive us if we ask in Jesus’ Name and repent? Of course! God forgives all of those who truly repent though His Son Jesus Christ. But the increase of men and woman breaking the vows that they made before God is concerning. Is Marriage under attack? Yes!

There will, for a variety of reasons, be a decrease in Priestly and Religious vocations. And that is important, for who will teach us? And who will help to hold us accountable? Who will lead the effort to continue the faith?

Many of the sick will not receive the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. In other Christian Churches, this is simply called a Prayer for the Sick. And it’s also important. For those prayers sometimes bring healing and always bring comfort.

Mary also told us that priests who truly serve the Lord would be attacked. Have they not been? Both priests and ministers who truly serve the Lord ARE being attacked. And their message, found in God’s Word, ARE under attack as well!

Mary also said that many of the Faithful would be Blinded. Truly unable to see what is happening around them and to them, and truly unable to see what God requires of them! Will they be lost?

Mary also said even more people will fall into sin! Too many will pick and choose among God’s Word, seeking to justify their sinful choices, but there will be no justification before God!

“Widespread moral corruption, Profanation of the Sacraments of Matrimony, Depraved Priests, Unbridled Lust, Loss of Innocence and Lack of Priestly and Religious Vocations” are just a few of the evils that Mary warned us would happen.

This will be a time of punishment. But Mary said, ” I will always be there ready to listen to their cries and soothe their pain. Tell them that they should always run to their Mother with confidence and love…”

And Mary also said, “But when evil finally seems to triumph over all, when all seems lost, Complete Restoration of the Church will begin and the Church will finally reawaken.” Because God loves us 🙂

We need to pray daily, both for the courage we will need and that our Faith will grow-despite the difficult challenges we will face. And God WILL answer, because He loves us 🙂

The Assumption of Mary

As the Apostles prayed and watched, Mary died and later was taken into Heaven, body and soul. Some believe this and some do not. I do.

But make no mistake, this is not just a Catholic belief. Martin Luther also believed in the Assumption of Mary, as did the great Protestant reformer H. Bullinger.

Why wouldn’t Mary be Assumed in to Heaven. Assumed simply means that God took Mary’s body up into Heaven with Her soul. Why wouldn’t He?

Imagine how much God must have loved Mary. How much Jesus must have loved His mother! She followed their Will always. She walked with them Daily. No matter what the Cost, no matter how much Pain or Suffering, Mary was always Faithful and always Willing. A True Temple of the Holy Spirit, Mary loved us all and She has never stopped 🙂

Of course, God would want to do something special for Mary!