We believers in Jesus have FORGIVENESS of all of our sins: past, present and future--no matter what they are or how bad they are.

We are forever FREE of the condemnation of God because of Jesus.

We believers in Jesus have FULL ACCEPTANCE in Christ, even while we still through not relying on the Spirit (unfortunately) continue to sin. (We live in this kind of security.)

We believers in Jesus have God's INFALLIBLE WORD, the Bible.

We believers in Jesus have the SPIRIT of God and of Christ.

We believers in Jesus have God's LOVE and APPROVAL on ourselves because we are in Christ. (And we will feel His love in our hearts as we seek Him in PRAYER and FAITH and OBEDIENCE.)

We believers in Jesus have the GUARANTEE of Heaven.

Lukewarm believers are unaware of the fact that salvation is a PERMANENT thing.
Salvation cannot be lost. This fact gives great security to those who have believed the Gospel, who have received Christ as their Savior.

People who are not sure that their salvation is forever secure are endlessly worrying about whether they are really saved, or even whether they really believe at all.

These are not the type of people who are going to want to do a lot for Jesus--they are not living in His grace by not believing in what He said. (Believers in Jesus HAVE everlasting life. >>John 6:47.)

2) They aren't DAILY reading The New Testament, praying to Jesus, worshiping God, and fellowshiping with God and other believers, or OBEYING God's Spirit in their conscience in every area of their lives.

This is a DAILY thing--a daily EFFORT made in His power.

3) They aren't making close friends with those who are seriously following Jesus.

They aren't detaching themselves from those who bring them down and pull them away from Jesus.

4) They don't understand grace and the power of the Spirit.

You can't grow in grace without a DIRECT CONNECTION to God. He won't do it for us, but He will graciously do it with us and through you as we OBEY Him. (And, yes, he even works in you to get you to start obeying Him.)

Our RELATIONSHIP (fellowship) with God through His Word and His Spirit is what allows us to grow in knowledge and love and righteousness.

Many people think that the way to grow in Christian maturity is to follow a long list of RULES.

But this is NOT the way.

The way to maturity is to cultivate your RELATIONSHIP with God, given by His grace in Christ.

Some summarized points:

Jesus is God Almighty.

Cry out to Jesus! He can and will help you right this minute with anything your body or soul needs.

Anything.

He gave His life with unbearable PAIN, will He not freely give us all things? Yes, He will, says the Bible.

Pray to Jesus a half hour each day--right when you get up. (Also do Bible truth affirmations--very good habit. Powerful. Truth in your mind.)

Jesus is number one over anything and everything.

Jesus tells us to CHOOSE between God and Money for the number one slot in our lives.

Jesus tells us to be content with what we have.

Jesus can take care of you, no matter what. (And He promises to take care of you.)

TRUST JESUS.

Put Jesus first.

Give generously to Jesus' church and to the poor and needy, and He will bless you abundantly, spiritually, emotionally and financially.

Pay back all your debts as you can.

Pay your taxes in full.

Don't try to get more than is fair.

Talk about Jesus with others more than you talk about money.

Heaven is our Home.

God's truth in Scripture is far more important than anything Anthony Robbins ever wrote.

If you seek God to get money, God knows your heart and your real motivations.

No one can fool God.

Jesus can make you happier, even with no money, than any unbeliever with all the money in the world. Guaranteed.

Not having to work does not necessarily lead to happiness--ask any retiree.

God honors proportional giving: Jesus valued the widow's two cents over the huge amount given by the rich.

Enjoy what you have and thank God for it.

Your thankfulness will equal your happiness.

God's goal for your life is to make you like Christ--not retirement funds and financial independence.

People often forget about God when they get a lot of Money.

Put Jesus first, and he will give you peace and joy and love in your heart.

Not every rich ministry is being honored by God.

If you really want the local Children's Hospital to have a lot of money donations, just start praying that God would move the hearts of the rich to give millions.

Ask God to illuminate your heart and motivations.

Ask God to wake you up to the Truth in every area of your life.

Jesus, God in Human flesh, loves you enough to suffer excruciating pain that no amount of money could buy Him out of.

Exalt Jesus in your heart and with your mouth to others.

Watch all of your WORDS. See that they progressively come more and more from grace, love and the Spirit.

You are a new creation in Christ.

You are a new person in Him.

Live in His grace and confess your sin when you sin.

Pray when you awaken for a half hour every day.

Tell Him your needs, wants and desires.

Talk to Jesus like He was Money. Like He was going to fulfill your wildest dreams.

Because He will.

He really will.

Jesus can fill your soul with spiritual and emotional riches like money never can.

Plus He'll bless ya with mere money on top of it.

Jesus LOVES you.

Please read these thoughts over and over and ingrain them into your mind.

They are true according to the Bible and my experience.

Freedom from the power of money is real freedom. (This is more than financial independence. It is financial dependence on God.)

A person who has not received Jesus by faith has a dead and non-functioning organ as part of his being.

Since he has never at any time used it, he does not even know that it is there...

This dead organ is non-material.

This dead organ is called "the spirit."

The spirit in humans died in the Garden of Eden. God said: "in the day you eat of it [the forbidden fruit] you shall die."

Adam and Eve did not die physically that day.

But their spirits died.

Many people think that faith is primarily emotional.

It is not.

Many people think that faith is essentially a mental phenomenon.

It is not.

Faith is primarily of the spirit. It is of the conscience and of the intuition and of communion with God.

Knowing.

This is why unbelievers laugh at believer's emotions.

They reject believer's reasoning, no matter how sound it may be.

When a person is graciously enabled by the Holy Spirit, his spirit comes alive, and he or she can "see" things that could not be known at all before.

If one lives in willful sin, this spiritual knowing, this sixth sense, will be lessened to the point where it is no longer useable.

A person will also lose his assurance of salvation. (But a believer never loses salvation itself.)

On the other hand, obedience to God sharpens this sense.

We were blind.

Now we can see!

Imagine if you were born without the sense of vision.

One day you had an operation that enabled you to see with your eyeballs for the very first time!

We walk with God and we go from light to greater light.

Praise God for His amazing grace!

Tonight, at my church, Woodmen Valley Chapel, Lee Strobel was the special speaker.

Lee is an energetic man of about fifty, who is very engaging.

He is a journalist with a law degree who worked for the Chicago Tribune for 14 years.

He is also a former Atheist.

Lee Strobel is a national figure on the Christian apologetics scene, and he is a major thorn in the side of guys like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, leading Atheist/Evolutionist scientists who are trying to turn Americans away from faith in God, Jesus, and the Bible.

I have read several of Strobel's books, and even bought "The Case for Faith" in bulk several years ago to give away to people who might be interested.

His presentation was excellent, putting forth some of the basic arguments of his new book "The Case for the Real Jesus."

My only disagreement with him came at the end of his presentation when he said that there is a difference between "believing" in Jesus and "receiving" Him.

Talking with Lee in person at the book signing did not seem to clear up this vital point, maybe because I put him on the spot and we didn't have enough time to fully discuss the issue.

The Bible connects these two things: those who believe in Jesus, believe that He is God and they believe that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and they believe that He rose again on the third day.

The Bible says that He who believes in Jesus believes these things. This person has "received" Jesus, and this person has been "born again."

Certainly, there are those who believe that Jesus was a good man who died on a cross--but they do not believe that Jesus is God and they do not believe that He was resurrected from the dead.

Clearly, these people are not saved.

But the Bible also boldly states that those who believe that Jesus is God, are "born of God."

The Bible simply says that those who believe that Jesus rose from the dead are "saved."

This second type of believer does not need to do anything further to "receive Jesus."

He already has Him.

Whether or not an individual is following Jesus and is experiencing a close relationship with Jesus or not is another, secondary question.

Let's not confuse the biblical doctrine of salvation by simple faith (justification), and the secondary matter of growth and spiritual fellowship with Jesus through God's grace, the Holy Spirit, and Bible truth, faith, prayer and obedience (sanctification).

They are not the same thing.

What keeps Christians sinning is the belief that they cannot stop sinning.

We are told that we are sinners, and there is nothing we can do to stop sinning.

If we believe the Bible's spiritual facts by faith, then we realize that we are dead to sin.

We died with Jesus on the cross and we have been raised to life.

IN Christ.

We were IN Christ on the cross.

We were IN Christ when He was raised to life.

Believe it and you will stop sinning--for as long as you believe it.

That's where the real battle is.

The good fight of faith.

You are dead to sin...

but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

You are a new creature--IN Christ.

This truth will set you free, for as long as you believe it.

Amen.