SOME HELPS FOR VICTORY

1) Be absolutely sure you (have) come to Jesus the right way in the beginning. That is, be sure you are saved. Repentance-turning in mind and heart FROM your former beliefs, your unbelief and sinfulness AND turning TO Jesus Christ alone in sincere FAITH=belief as your God and Saviour! This is trusting in only what Jesus Christ did for you on Calvary’s Cross, when He shed His blood and died for you, paying your sin debt in full, was buried, and on the 3rd day rose from the dead, was seen by hundreds and is alive for evermore! “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36

2) Be Biblically Immersed (baptized) by a Bible-Believing Great Commission Church (I F Baptist).

3) Understand the Christian (life) Race is not a Sprint but a Marathon. (Plan to pace yourself, stay in the race “run with patience ..looking unto Jesus..”)

4) Take time to Encourage Others In Their Own Race!

5) Remember, even if you start out right, you can fall along the way. (A good start does not guarantee a good finish.)

6) The Downward Slope is Gradual but Slippery and It Picks Up Speed (as You Plunge to the Bottom- so Do Not Start Down off the path of Righteousness!)

7) Your Direction Will Determine Your Destination!  Are you going God’s direction?  Why not?

Conclusion: Stay on (or get on) the right path going the right direction. Be committed, loyal & consistent. You’ll then have victory & finish well.

The Choice of Who is Lord?

I said “Lord, let me walk in the field”
God said “Nay, walk in the town”
I said “There are no flowers there”
He said “No flowers, but a crown.”

I said “But the sky is black,
There is nothing but noise and din”
But He wept as He sent me back,
“There is more … there is sin.”

I said “But the air is thick,
And fogs are veiling the sun”
He answered “Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone.”

I said “I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say”
He answered me “Choose tonight
If I am to miss you, or they.”

I pleaded for time to be given
He said “Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have followed the steps of your Guide.”

I cast one look at the fields
Then set my face to the town
He said “My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?

Then into His hand went mine
And in power came He to me
And I walk in the light Divine
The path that I feared to see.

-MacDonald (edited)

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE GOD

Here is a encouraging poem about the living and true God.   Is He YOUR GOD?

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE OUR GOD

They cannot bomb His city

Nor dynamite His throne;

They cannot nuke His Heaven

Nor rob Him of His own.

They cannot take Him captive,

Nor strike Him deaf or blind;

Nor starve Him to surrender,

Nor make Him change His mind.

They cannot cause Him panic,

Nor cut off His supplies;

They cannot take His kingdom,

Nor hurt Him with their lies.

Though all the world be shattered,

His truth remains the same;

His righteous laws still potent,

CHRIST JESUS IS HIS NAME!

He is a Friend to sinners,

He came to shed His Blood;

To die and pay our sin debt,

And so prove His awesome Love.

The third day He arose,

His power o’er Death and Hell,

Proving He’s Jehovah

Soon to ring Judgment’s bell.

Those who repent of their sin

Put trust in Christ alone,

Will be given righteousness

And heaven as their Home.

Now we fight devil and sin,

And feel their darts and rod;

But we know above all conflict

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE OUR GOD!

-anonymous

LOVING LIFE – Part 2

“For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 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.” 1 Peter 3:10-12

There is no doubt about it; the Christian life is a changed life. The change comes from God Himself. When a person gets saved the Bible way, viz. it’s the only way one can truly get saved, God Himself comes in the heart. The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence; His Divine Nature is imparted to us. “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” 2 Cor 1:21-22

It is the “obtaining of like precious faith … through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ … partakers of the divine nature..” See 2 Peter 1:1-4 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” 2 Cor 5:17, See 1 Thess 1:9. This authentic change within comes out in the life of the genuine Believer.

For this reason my dad, no longer hung around after work to drink beer. He also stopped allowing alcohol into his house or into his body. Of course, relatives, friends, and associates thought he had flipped.. was a nut now, etc.. It took him longer to get over his cussing. But now he WANTED to stop the sinful things. Before there was no reason to quit or desire to stop doing these things that displeased the Lord Jesus.

He not only quit the ungodly things but he also started a bunch of godly things. He began reading the precious Word of God everyday. He began praying daily to Jesus Christ his God and Saviour. He started going to Church taking his kids to Sunday School and anyone else that he could get to come. This was another new good habit. He also began talking about His Saviour to most everyone that was willing to listen. He began memorizing Scripture. He learned there is power in the Word of God.

Lonnie Edwin Spence Sr. knew now, there was really a life worth living and loving. Now things made sense. Now there was purpose and joy and strength to live and please Christ. A great God and Saviour to lean upon Who is trustworthy and faithful was “above all that [Lonnie] could ask or think”.  Eph 3:19-20

What about you, dear Reader? Have you honestly turned TO the Saviour the LORD Jesus and FROM your life without Christ serving self and your own works? Do you see it is time to get saved? Then call upon the LORD Jesus to save you and He will !! Tell Him you are a sinner deserving judgment. Tell Him you believe that He died on the Cross and shed His blood to pay for all your sin debt. Tell Him you know He rose from the dead on the third day and is alive for evermore. Ask Him to forgive your sin and to come in your heart and save you. Tell the LORD Jesus you want to live for Him. Then, Thank Him for saving you! Amen. Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

What about the reader that is saved but there are many things in the life that displease the Lord. Quit them! and replace them! with the godly habits and practices. Then, you’ll truly, live and love life as Christ intended.

We both know that help, encouragement and direction is sometimes needed to do the above. It would be my joy to do what I can to assist you in these vital matters. Let me know: ask@experiencevictory.org

LOVING LIFE – Part I

“For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace and ensue it. 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.” 1 Peter 3:10-12

Recently, my dear father, became “absent from the body and … present with the Lord.” 2 Cor 5:8 He had reached 91 years and 17 days. He is only present with the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven, because he turned from his sinfulness and turned to Jesus Christ alone by faith alone for his complete salvation over 54 years ago. When one goes to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sin and the “already paid for by Jesus blood” gift of everlasting life, they receive exactly what He promised – an eternal salvation! SAVED FOREVER because of what Jesus did FOR them in His death, burial, and resurrection! When my dad finally understood this he simply turned his whole case over to the Lord Jesus. He came to realize, like Jonah, “Salvation is of the LORD.”

There was an awakening time for my dad. He was attending the funeral of a nephew. The rabbi said “The LORD gave and the LORD hath taken away, blessed be the name of the LORD.” This enraged my father. He said to himself, “I’d rather have a man cuss me out then say that to me about my dead child.” As he thought on the power of life and death that the living and true God held in His hands, he vowed, “Lord, if you let me keep my little girl, I’ll do my best to please You and raise her right.”

This understanding of the power of God and the conviction of his sinfulness led him to truly seek the Lord. There was a time as he sought the Lord for help, he attended a particular Church where some truly saved Bible believing men saw his condition and said, “Lonnie, you look like you are seeking the Lord.” My dad responded in tears, “I am; but I don’t know how to find him.” These men took him to the basement of the Church house and prayed for him concerning the salvation of his soul through the merits of Christ’s Cross-work alone.

It was soon after this encounter with the truth of Jesus Christ as Saviour that he trusted the Lord Jesus as his God and Saviour. The LORD gave Lonnie a personal spiritual song at this time. “This my Love, my Love of fancy, this my God in Heaven above. He’s the One Who shows us mercy; He’s the One Who cares for my soul. The only One Whose heart is tender; the only One Whose heart’s not cold. This my Love, my Love of fancy, He’s my Jesus Who died for my soul.”

The opening verses of this article really depict how Lonnie Edwin Spence Sr. lived. That’s coming. There must be a beginning. It starts with the new life God gave to my dad when he trusted Jesus Christ as His personal Saviour!

Communicate #3

Are atheists born or are they later formed? Does God give (communicate) sufficient “light” (truth) to the human spirit that one would know there is GOD?

Our final authority for life, faith and practice states in John 1:9, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Now read Romans 1:20, which tells us “every man” has the light of the Creator through Creation! Romans 2:14-15 explains all have the light of God through conscience, a sense of right and wrong.

Hence, all know that there is GOD. He is Creator and our conscience affirms and confirms these truths we know from our earliest years UNTIL some FOOL comes along and teaches them differently. See Romans 1:21-23, Psalm 14:1.

This is done through deceived adults, peers, schools, and through the various streams of media. Read 2 Timothy 3:13. Only exposure to the truth, the Bible and the work of the Holy Spirit can reverse the lies and set one free. 2 Timothy 3:14-17, John 16:7-8.

One can be assured all know these revealed truths. Smothered and with vigorous attempts to replace God’s light with varied shades of darkness (damnable lies mixed with some truth-2 Peter 2:1), the human heart still knows there is GOD!