What a scripture to endure!

"Whoever is stubborn after being corrected many times will suddenly be hurt beyond cure." ~Proverbs 29:1

Wow. I don't know a lot about the bible, but this passage seems pretty clear. This is what makes me unsure of my disease. Of course I expect a miracle, but my uncompromising way of life prior was stubborn, to say the least.

Living with stage iv colon cancer has caused me to change my whole life and give it to God. Amen for that. I can only hope and pray that in Him I will find longevity and more and more grace everyday. He has blessed me with so much already.

He has healed me from the torture of a terminal illness. The mental, physical and psychological strain was almost more than I could bear. Through prayer He has heard my cries and made my life more enjoyable and pleasant than I could have ever imagined. He helped me to release a lot of guilt, pain, and forgiveness through my book Bad Can Be Broken (Raven White). I believe He led me to write the very open and honest memoir of my life to help others who may be suffering from some of the same anguish.

My mind, body, and soul have been strengthened through my troubles. It costs a great deal to live without God. Some may not believe it, but if you don't know Him personally, life is going to be hard. Not that believers got it easy, because we don't of course. We are always passing a test of some sort to deepen our faith. And faith leads to blessings and eventually heaven.

Heaven. It's something we have to come to terms with when facing a death sentence. Why would we not believe in something beautiful when we have the choice to? What do we have to lose by choosing a life of good instead of evil? The bible says a lot. I, for one, would rather know I'm going somewhere comforting in the end. Wouldn't you?

Something to ponder. God loves YOU! Yes, even you. And He forgives even the greatest of sins. AND, forgets about them. All you have to do is ask, believe, and receive.

Thank you Lord for the opportunity to share this message. I hope at least one person will be willing to change because of it.

Life is beautiful with Jesus. I've never known true love until Him. He just makes the whole world better.

Who is God?

I think everyone has heard the name God. But do you know who He is really? He is our creator. The creator of all things in the universe. A lot of what I am about to reveal on this blog requires faith. Faith is believing in something you can't see. But faith is what gives us hope. And hope can be found in God.

God is the Father of all of us including Jesus Christ. If He created everything and everyone wouldn't that make sense? He is everywhere all the time. That's what makes Him so amazing. God had many, many people write the 66 books of the bible. That is how we know about Him and learn from Him everyday. How to live, love and follow the path He has laid out for us. This is how we find our purpose, through the word of God.

God is a spirit being. He lives within us if we accept Him as our Lord and Savoir. He and Jesus are one in the same. Even though Jesus is His son, Jesus has the same power to save and love us and give us everything we need. If we believe and have faith.

So see it doesn't matter if you talk to God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. They are all one. The Holy Spirit is what lives within us (God as spirit) guiding us to do the right things in life. And the more we believe in Him the more He blesses us. The more we do for Him as advised in the bible the more we grow spiritually and become what He would have us to be.

God is love. That's really all you have to remember. Anytime you feel you are falling apart, feel helpless, need inspiration, just plain help, He is there to pick up the pieces and comfort us and help put us back on track. All you have to do is ask. He hears our prayers. I am living proof of that. I will share my story later on in a different post.

The point is, God is there for us. He loves us unconditionally. So much that He sent His only son to die on the cross to save us from death of sin. Jesus came to teach us to do the right thing. And only by following the bible will we know what the right thing is.

And that is why I'm here. To share the good news that is the bible. The good news that God is love and love is the most important thing in the world.

Scripture: Enjoy serving the Lord, and He will give you what you want. Depend on the Lord, trust Him and He will take care of you. --Psalm 37:45

Relationship...not religion



When you tell someone about your faith, do you give them religion or relationship?
 
The bible says we must be born again--it doesn't say we must be religious. Unfortunately, people often present the Gospel like it's a list of religious rules, not true relationship with God.

But following "Christian" rules and going to church won't make you a christian any more than sitting in a garage will make you a car.

Religious rules and regulations can be harsh, hard and pressing, but that is NOT WHAT Jesus wants for people. Jesus wants people to live in relationship with Him.

If someone asks us, "What religion are you?" we should talk about our personal relationship with Jesus instead of what church we attend. I like to answer that question by saying, "Thank you for asking. I don't have any religion, but I do have Jesus."

We need to start asking people, "Do you know Jesus? Is He your friend? Do you have a personal relationship with Him?"

Next time someone asks about your faith, give them relationship not religion.

**Joyce Meyer