Maggie K.’s Journal

Christ is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions. He told us that he is the way, the truth and the life, that no one will come to the Father apart from him. Man doesn't want to hear that. They want to make their own rules and come to God on their terms, much like Cain did with his offering. God gets to make the rules, and we have to approach him on his terms. This is what trips up so many.

"attacking" sinful behavior in the unsaved is no more effective in bringing them to Christ as is merely treating symptoms of an illness and not dealing with the cause. Sinners will sin because they do not have the power to do otherwise. they have to be reached with the gospel in a loving way, and once they have the Spirit, then the behaviors will begin to come into line with God's Word. we are getting the cart before the horse. more importantly, our lives should be such that we should be drawing those people to God because we have the joy and peace that they are seeking.... Just living a good Christian life isn't enough, we have to be talking about the gospel too, but people are going to stand back and evaluate you on what you say and how you live to see if they match up. You are the first introduction to God and His Word most people will have.

the Christian life is a struggle. we will struggle with the sin nature until we are with Christ. But this struggle is for our good. Just like a caterpillar must struggle from its cocoon in order to strengthen it's wings so it can fly when it emerges, we must struggle in this life so we can mount up with wings as eagles and be victorious. the good news is that we do not struggle alone. we now have the power of God in us. we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

the things we do are choices we make. we make conscious decisions to do certain things, or to entertain certain thoughts. yes, we have thoughts that come to our minds unbidden, but then we have to chose whether or not to push it out and dwell on something else, or to let it run lose in there. how we react to what other people do, situations we find ourselves in, etc. are choices, and we are responsible for those choices. we can't push our responsibility on someone else (such as, the Devil made me do it). it is also only on us, after we are saved, if we give in to sinful desires. we now have the power of God in our lives, who will make a way of escape with any temptation that faces us. it's up to us to tap into that power and overcome, or give in to the desires of the flesh. but remember this -- each time you give in, there will be a consequence to pay. maybe not right away, but eventually. even if you think no one knows, God knows, and eventually it will be revealed.

those in the world who encounter someone who claims faith in God, in believing the Bible literally, are quick to accuse us of buying into a myth and ignoring logic. they claim we cannot know there is a God. I disagree. My faith is not built on the fact that I was brainwashed as a child by being taken to church. I was never pushed "to become a Christian." The Spirit spoke to my heart as a six year old child. Everything I had been taught in church -- and more importantly, at home -- fell into place in my mind one afternoon as I was playing alone. Right then and there I knelt down and gave my heart to Christ, knowing that was the logical thing to do in light of what I knew. From that moment on I have felt the Spirit working in my life. I have felt the comfort and leading of God. The scriptures are quickened for me when I read. I have not blindly accepted a myth as fact. I have experienced God, and continue to experience Him, in my life, that is evidence of my faith and for the hope that is within me. I know whom I have believe, and I shall not be moved.

because of our faith, we are clothed in Christ's righteousness. not of ourselves, it is a gift of God. Glory to His Name!

we all fail. at some point we are unfaithful. but God is always faithful. nothing we do will change God or what He has promised us. let us work to be ever faithful in thankfulness for God's faithfulness that is constant and unchanging.

If not for salvation, there is not one of us who could say we would not be out in the world committing adultery, fornicating, stealing, murdering, etc. But for the grace of God, any one of us could be the kind of sinner we speak out against. A sinner is going to sin. It is his nature. Telling him to quit sinning (whatever heinous sin it might be in our eyes) is just as effective as telling a fish to quit swimming and come out on land and live as a human. It is against the fish's nature, he cannot do it. A sinner is going to sin, he cannot help it. He needs the power of the Spirit in his life to gain control over that nature, to put it aside and live for God. Instead of focusing on the sin, we should be showing sinners the love of God and sharing the gospel. Only God can change them. If we focus on the sin, it will divide our efforts, for there are many and varied sins to speak out against. But if we focus on the gospel, that one thing will deal with all the many sins that are out there. It's just like those who train to spot counterfeit currency. If they tried to memorize all the fakes out there, it would take much longer, and eventually they would come across one never before seen that would slip through. Instead, they memorize authentic bills, so that when they find a fake it sticks out like a sore thumb. We need to quit focusing on the many "counterfeit" issues out there and focus on the authentic issue -- the gospel. By bring people to Christ the sin problems will begin to lessen in society.

AMEN! Praise to His Holy Name. I am so very thankful for this.

While at first everything Paul faced getting to Rome might seem bad, God worked it out for good. Paul was able to share the gospel freely to many, many people. Being used by God in adverse circumstances depends on your willingness and outlook....