Month: August 2026

Repentance

On By CarmenIn Salvation & Relationship with GodLeave a comment

Driving around lately, I see a lot of signs that say, “Repent, Jesus is coming again soon.”

This is a true statement which should not scare us, but give us an opportunity to examine ourselves and where we stand with our Maker.

For those of us who are saved through Christ, we should be working out our salvation each and every day seeking after God by communing with Him through prayer and time alone with Him, reading His word, and obeying Him by being doers of His word.  

A close relationship with God is vital because we strive every day to battle our adversary and his lies with one plan which is to destroy us.

We desperately need truth which we find in the Bible to help renew our minds to God’s ways and wisdom.

God tells us to meditate upon His word (Joshua 1:8) and keep it at the forefront of our minds (Deuteronomy 11:18), so at a moment’s notice we have truth to refute Satan’s lies.

God’s Call for Repentance 

For those who have not yet trusted Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior, God is calling you to repent and surrender to Him to receive eternal salvation and victorious living in this life.

…Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Mark 1:14b-15

Jesus was proclaiming that He in their very presence was the Messiah, the promised One, who would take away the sins of the world.

Jesus is the good news!

He tells us that He paid the price for all our sins—IF we commit to Him and follow Him going forward.

This Good News came to us and fulfilled His purpose on earth over 2000 years ago. He made a way for us to be forgiven and return to the Father in Heaven.

He died on the cross a humiliating, painful death—for our sins. HE paid the price that we could not.

He purchased us through His death.

Will we thank Him for what He did for us? Or will we continue to live our lives in selfish sin that brings defeat, sorrow, and death?

God First Loved Us

We are all a part of God’s creation and He loves us, but He doesn’t force us to love Him.

We must choose to love God of our own volition, otherwise it wouldn’t be true love.

God gives us free will to decide where we place our allegiance; either to Him or to this world and its ruler, Satan.

After Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we inherited their sin nature, so God sent His Son Jesus to be the propitiation or scapegoat for us.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 

1 John 4:10

The first step in aligning our lives with God is to believe that Jesus is His Son who was sent to save us.

Jesus becomes our LORD and Savior when we invite Him into our lives and follow Him.

This means that we acknowledge our sins and repent or turn from them and commit our lives in obedience to Him.

Once we surrender to Jesus, we receive the Helper that lives within us and guides us on the path to obedience.

This Helper is the Holy Spirit.

Repentance: God’s Way to Victory

God knows all about you and wants to give you a victorious life with peace and profound joy.  

You need not be worried that you are not good enough for Jesus and His forgiveness.

Jesus is eager to take you just as you are right now. You don’t have to clean up your act for His love and forgiveness.

He tells us himself this very thing.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Luke 5:32

Jesus’ purpose was to come to save us from our sins!

None of us are perfect, but in need of the Savior. We have all sinned. (Romans 3:23)

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done wrong—drugs, immorality, theft, deception, slander, and yes, even murder.

These sins are not to be taken lightly and God knows whether we are truly repentant or not; but we are not to be held down because of them either.

Jesus died so that we could have life. (John 10:10)

He wants us to be free from sin, free to enjoy this life, free to serve Him, and free from eternal damnation.

If you are tired of hiding in shame, making excuses, and/or striving to overcome your sin on your own, just fall into Jesus’ arms in repentance.

He will accept you as you are no matter your past.

Once you commit your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will help you live a victorious life.

He will guide you, correct you, and give you wisdom to overcome your past and grow in faith.

Sometimes you will fail, but it’s ok; you only have to get back up, repent again, and continue to follow Jesus.

Keep abiding in Him and you will see that you will overcome your sin, and your perspective will change.

You may even sign up to serve God in helping others who will be struggling with the same sin you were able to overcome; simply because of your gratitude to Jesus for saving you and calling you to a better life.

So, I urge you to not put off accepting Christ any longer. The time is now.

A Warning to be Ready

We will be grateful if we’re ready and looking for Jesus’ return.

Let’s see what Jesus tells us about His second coming.  

“No one knows when that day or time will be. The Son and the angels in heaven don’t know when it will be. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man comes, it will be the same as what happened during Noah’s time. In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married right up to the day Noah entered the boat. They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the field. One will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding grain with a mill. One will be taken and the other will be left. So always be ready. You don’t know the day your Lord will come. What would a homeowner do if he knew when a thief was coming? You know he would be ready and not let the thief break in. So you also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him.”

Matthew 24:36-44

There’s no need to explain further what Jesus tells us in the verses above. There is no ambiguity, but truth, and completely comprehensible.

I pray you make this most important choice of your life today.

Repent and surrender to the LORD Jesus.

Enjoy the beautiful song below.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

Who Do You Follow?

On By CarmenIn Christian LivingLeave a comment

I have been moved to write this post for some time and have recently been prompted to do so even more due to many posts I read on social media promoting the agenda of specific people in government. 

There is nothing more adverse to me than to see people ruthlessly deride, take advantage of, lie, and mistreat others to gain fame, power, and wealth.  

And it’s disheartening when I see others who support these people as if waving a banner proudly to attach their identity to them.

So, I ask who do you follow?

Who is the person you put your name and your soul on the line for?

A Call for Discernment

We are told by God to be discerning and to examine others’ actions—not just their words.

This is exactly what the Bereans did when they listened to the apostle Paul preach to them in their small town in Greece.

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” 

Acts 17:11

Before going to Berea, Paul was preaching in Thessalonica when a group of people got together and began to speak against Paul and his followers which caused a riot that was unnecessary and ungodly.

However, the Bereans took what Paul said and compared it to the scriptures to see if there was truth in his message.

The Bereans were commended for their good judgment and actions in searching out truth.

This is how we all should be when it comes to discerning right from wrong in our society.

We are not supposed to sing praises of those who do not follow all of God’s ways.

We are to speak out against the wrong, no matter who is doing it.

We are to have discernment which we gain from communing with God and reading His word to know what is right and what is wrong.

God is the only one we should follow and praise.

Don’t Conform to this World

Sometimes I think people overlook offenses and conform to what they know is wrong because they want to be part of a certain group so they can be accepted by others, whether it be family, friends, or community.

I have seen this wherever I have lived.

Perhaps this is because they don’t search God’s word or they’re just afraid to stand out and be rejected if they go against the community’s belief system.  

However, we are told by God in His word to not conform to the belief system or ways of this world.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2

The renewing of our minds comes by reading the word of God—daily.

How can we know truth if we don’t read the Bible?

God’s word is truth and it teaches us right from wrong and shows us how we are to conduct our lives. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Align Your Thoughts and Actions with Jesus

As I recall all the backbiting during the last presidential election held in the U.S., it was saddening to see our nation so divided based on the wrongdoings of the candidates and parties they represent.  

God has blessed us in the United States of America; if only we had government leaders who would follow God’s ways so we could continue to be blessed.

Our division is due to the fact that we chose (as a nation) a path for so many years that is not of God.  

I wish we could go back and retrace our steps to be in line with God’s will, so we could live in peace and harmony with one another as opposed to bashing each other through social media.

It would be great if we would be mindful to ask before we speak or post, “What would Jesus do?”

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” 

Colossians 3:17

If we really considered what Jesus would do, and if we truly wanted to represent Him, we would be careful of our words and actions.

Jesus would

-pray

-be truthful

-show mercy for true repentance

-help the unfortunate

-expect us to follow Him and His ways

-lead us out of our sinful ways

I was so happy to see a sign in the yard of one of our neighbors that said “I vote for Jesus” during the 2024 presidential election. Those were my exact thoughts!

Jesus is coming back again, and I believe very soon. (Revelation 22:12-15)

We should all be expectant which means that we should be living as if He were coming back today.

When He comes, He will come as THE RULER who will defeat the ways of this world and its prince that has caused so much division and devastation.

As for me, I choose to follow Jesus Christ.

He died on the cross for all of us to pay for our sins.

He defeated death and the grave.

He will return to be our beloved King and reign righteously for ever and ever.

Come LORD Jesus, come!

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.