I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9–10) During a wedding ceremony, two people make a commitment to be together for life. They vow to choose each other every day from that day forward. They leave behind an old life of living for themselves and move forward in a new life together as they are pronounced husband and wife. It would be ridiculous for the bride and groom to walk back down the aisle, look at each other, and say, “Thanks for the great wedding day, but I’m going to do my own thing now.” Or, “That was a great one-day experience, but it does not change me or my life.” No! The newlyweds celebrate with a honeymoon to grow closer. They share a home and a life together. Their wedding vows are the starting point of their life together, not the end. They commit to continue to grow in unity. If you believe Jesus died and rose again to forgive you and to give you true life, if you have asked him to forgive you, if you have asked him to come into your life, then hooray! You have begun an incredible journey with the Lord of the universe. No longer do you have to worry about whether you’re good enough for God, because in Christ you are God’s own child! Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. When you feel alone or when you experience guilt and shame, you can turn to God instead of running away from him. You are forgiven! A relationship with God is better than any other relationship or anything you can buy. It’s permanent and will change you more than anything else in your life. Welcome to the beginning of a lifelong journey. (Spoiler alert: this one ends in happily ever after.)
Zephaniah 3:17 Yahweh your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy. Zephaniah is bringing the people a prophesy from God about the restoration that is to come. Times are hard, and they are facing judgment, but a time will come when God will bring restoration. God is not their enemy, but their salvation. And He will rejoice with the people, comfort them, and share in their delight. This is our God! God is with you. He rejoices in your gladness and quiets your suffering with His love. When you feel trapped in your sin, it is easy to give up, lose hope, and feel abandoned, but God never does. Jesus has already defeated sin. He has won the battle, and God is with us to share the victory. Do not allow yourself to think that you are still alone in the fight. God is with those who have come to Him through Jesus. Let Him laugh with you and cry with you and remember that you are never alone. Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, because I am with you. Don’t be intimidated; I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will support you with my victorious right hand. Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD is the one who is going ahead of you. He will be with you. He won’t abandon you or leave you. So don’t be afraid or terrified.”
WHAT EVER YOU MAY BE GOING THROUGH, DON’T PANIC, DON’T GIVE UP, GOD IS WITH YOU AND HE WILL GIVE YOU THE VICTORY.
Sadly, there are many false believers who will be expecting to go to Heaven and will be denied entrance. The best way to avoid being one is to make sure you have truly put your trust in Christ alone for salvation. Beware, there are many fake Christians Matthew 15:8 These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. “Don’t let your lips and your lives preach two different messages.” James 1:26 If a person thinks that he is religious but can’t control his tongue, he is fooling himself. That person’s religion is worthless. 1 John 2:9 Those who say that they are in the light but hate other believers are still in the dark. Titus 1:16 They claim to know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit to do anything good. “Your most powerful testimony is how you treat others after the church service is over.” Fake Christians sin on purpose saying, “I’ll just repent later” and disobey God’s teachings. Even though we are all sinners and we still struggle with sin, Christians don’t live a lifestyle of willfully and deliberately sin. 1 John 2:4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 1 John 3:6 Those who live in Christ don’t go on sinning. Those who go on sinning haven’t seen or known Christ. This is the Word of God, amen and amen. “What a heartbreak it would be to live an “almost” Christian life, then “almost” get into heaven.” THINK ABOUT IT.
The command to love your neighbor is one of the most central themes in Scripture, and it shows up in both the Old and New Testaments with a beautiful consistency. Here are some key verses that speak directly to it: Leviticus 19:18 “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the very first place the command appears. God roots it in justice, compassion, and holiness. Matthew 22:37–39 Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He teaches that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commands. Luke 10:27 A man quotes the law to Jesus: “Love the Lord your God… and love your neighbor as yourself.” This leads into the parable of the Good Samaritan, where Jesus shows that “neighbor” means anyone in need, not just those like us. Romans 13:9–10 Paul writes that all the commandments are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He adds that love does no harm to a neighbor, so love is the fulfillment of the law. Galatians 5:14 “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.” James 2:8 James calls it the “royal law” found in Scripture: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
ALLOW THIS WORD FROM GOD TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. STOP THE HATE, ENVY, AND RACISM.
James 5:15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” 1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” Psalm 103:2–3 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.”
ALLOW THIS WORD FROM GOD TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE.
Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be arrogant, but be friendly to humble people. Don’t think that you are smarter than you really are. Romans 12:10 Be devoted to each other like a loving family. Excel in showing respect for each other. Romans 12:3 “Because of the kindness that God has shown me, I ask you not to think of yourselves more highly than you should. Instead, your thoughts should lead you to use good judgment based on what God has given each of you as believers.” Galatians 3:28 There are neither Jews nor Greeks, slaves nor free people, males nor females. You are all the same in Christ Jesus. Proverbs 16:18 Pride precedes a disaster, and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall. 1 Peter 4:7 “The end of everything is near. Therefore, practice self‑control, and keep your minds clear so that you can pray.”
ALLOW THIS WORD FROM GOD TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE.
Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be arrogant, but be friendly to humble people. Don’t think that you are smarter than you really are. Romans 12:10 Be devoted to each other like a loving family. Excel in showing respect for each other. Romans 12:3 “Because of the kindness that God has shown me, I ask you not to think of yourselves more highly than you should. Instead, your thoughts should lead you to use good judgment based on what God has given each of you as believers.” Galatians 3:28 There are neither Jews nor Greeks, slaves nor free people, males nor females. You are all the same in Christ Jesus. Proverbs 16:18 Pride precedes a disaster, and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall. 1 Peter 4:7 “The end of everything is near. Therefore, practice self‑control, and keep your minds clear so that you can pray.”
ALLOW THIS WORD FROM GOD TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE.
Hebrews 4:13 “No creature can hide from God. Everything is uncovered and exposed for him to see. We must answer to him.” Proverbs 15:3 “The LORD’s eyes are everywhere. They watch evil people and good people.” Jeremiah 16:17 “I see everything they do. They cannot hide from me the things they do. Their wickedness is not hidden from me.” Job 34:21 “God’s eyes are on a person’s ways. He sees all his steps.” God Knows the Heart — Not Just Actions 1 Chronicles 28:9 “Serve the LORD your God with a whole heart and a willing mind, because the LORD searches every heart and understands the motives behind every thought.” God Will Expose What Is Hidden Ecclesiastes 12:14 “God will certainly judge everything that is done. This includes every secret thing, whether it is good or bad.”
REMEMBER GOD IS WATCHING YOU, HE SEES EVERYTHING YOU DO. YOU WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
Hebrews 3:12 Be careful, brothers and sisters, that none of you ever develop a wicked, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 1 Timothy 4:1“The Spirit says clearly that in the last times some believers will desert the Christian faith. They will follow spirits that deceive, and they will believe the teachings of demons.” Hebrews 10:23 “We must continue to hold firmly to our declaration of faith. The one who made the promise is faithful.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.” John 10:26-28 However, you don’t believe because you’re not my sheep. My sheep respond to my voice, and I know who they are. They follow me, and I give them eternal life. They will never be lost, and no one will tear them away from me.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO TURN AWAY FROM GOD. HOLD ON TO YOUR FAITH. CHECK YOURSELF TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE NOT TURNED AWAY FROM GOD.
