Month: December 2024

This is part two of my Friday affirmation series, “Eyes on Jesus.” This will be my final blog about Bible affirmations. The Bible is God’s commandment (singular), which means every verse in the Bible is a commandment from God as long as it makes sense when reading it. So we can make affirmations using most Bible verses. When we speak Bible affirmations before God in prayer we’re offering up the seldom-used prayers of rejoicing to glorify God. My old affirmations were all over the place. My new affirmations have a narrow focus that covers the five pillars of faith I’ve identified that will help me glorify God and maintain a deeper relationship with God. I plan to shuffle my new affirmations and offer up my prayers of rejoicing a couple at a time, but three times a day instead of all at once. I figure if I spread out my Bible affirmations it’ll keep me on track and help me maintain my fellowship with God. I’m listing my five pillars of faith below:

(1) “Eyes on Jesus” – At all times so I can emulate my Lord and Savior.

(2) Continuous prayer – Speaking to God so I receive his instructions and his blessings.

(3) Reading the Bible daily – Listening to God so I receive his instructions and his blessings.

(4) Witnessing for Christ – Sharing the gospel message of Jesus Christ with nonbelievers to save them to heaven. I will receive honor, glory, and riches from God on the last day for my “good works.”

(5) Obedience – Pleasing God by obeying all his commandments to the best of my ability.

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

Galatians 4:4-5 – But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Hebrews 10:36 – For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

2 Thessalonians 2:14 – To which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

MY AFFIRMATION:

Long ago someone helped save me by witnessing Christ to me. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and became a son of the Most High God. I owe it to my God and all the nonbelievers out there in the world to share the gospel message with them so that some might receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior the way I did. Lord, help me to run my race before God with endurance; saving many lost souls to heaven by my testimony. Lord grant me the promised honor, glory, and riches in heaven on the last day for my obedience.

NOTE: Because of Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden, his sin was imputed to all men who came after Adam so that all men are born on the path to eternal death in hell. Only the shed blood of a sinless man could atone for our sins before God. No sinless man could be found so God came off his throne in heaven and took on flesh; becoming a human being like the rest of us. Jesus Christ, the son of God, fully God and fully man with no mixing of the two natures. To all those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God gifts to them eternal life in heaven. To those who witness for Christ and save lost souls to heaven, God will give them honor, glory, and riches in heaven on the last day.

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

Psalm 23:4 – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 31:15 – My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

Joshua 24:15 – And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

MY AFFIRMATION:

God made us and put us on this earth so we could make a free will decision whether to serve God or Satan. Not making a choice is a choice for Satan. I will serve only the Lord my God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Daily will I worship my God, giving him the praise of my lips. I will offer up honor and glory to Almighty God who sits upon the throne of grace in heaven. My times are in your hands. Deliver me from my enemies. I walk this evil world in service to my God by witnessing for Christ. I will fear no evil because I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. Your rod and your staff comfort me.

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Ephesians 4:10-12 – He who descended is also the One who ascended far above the heavens, that He might fill all things. And He Himself gave some to be Apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

Revelation 19:16 – And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.

MY AFFIRMATION:

Thank you Jesus for descending from heaven in the incarnation of Jesus Christ to die on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins. Thank you Jesus for rising from the dead on the third day and ascending back to heaven. Your resurrection indicates that all disciples of Christ will be resurrected in like manner when we die. Thank you Jesus for eternal life in heaven. Jesus Christ will be coming soon to rapture his saints in the air, where he’ll give them their glorified bodies before taking them home to heaven. Exactly seven years later Jesus Christ will be setting foot on the Mount of Olives at the Second Coming, to defeat Satan and judge the nations for their sins against God. All the saints in heaven will be coming with Jesus, along with all his angels. Jesus will then set us his millennial kingdom on the earth. My mantra is always, “Eyes on Jesus.” Lord, I watch for your coming, so come quickly

Jesus Christ descended from heaven and died on the cross for the sins of all men, past, present, and future. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven where he sits at the right hand of God as our Mediator. God the Father has made Jesus heir of all things and he has appointed Jesus as the righteous judge of the living and the dead on the last day. Jesus appoints a ministry to each believer so they can edify the body of Christ and share the gospel message to save souls to heaven. It’s up to each one of us to discover what Jesus wants us to do with our lives. The Holy Spirit within me gave me my ministry a long time ago. My ministry of reconciliation is studying God’s word and giving my testimony; which I do on this Christian blog site and also through my Christian tract ministry where I donate gospel tracts to my seven prison ministries.

The word of God in Hebrews 4:12 is Jesus Christ. Jesus came to earth the first time as a suffering servant but the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to earth will be as the King of kings and Lord of lords, wielding awesome power to defeat Satan and establish his millennial kingdom on the earth. Believers will be there to see it all unfold just as God says it will in the Bible. Nonbelievers will be in hell for all eternity because they rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They blew their chance at heaven. Before the Second Coming, Jesus is coming in the air to rapture his saints to him so he can give them their glorified bodies before returning to heaven with them. I recommend all believers keep their “Eyes on Jesus” at all times because Jesus is coming soon!

1 John 5:7 – For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

Matthew 28:19 – (Jesus) – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 – (Jesus) – But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 10:30 – (Jesus) – I and My Father are one.

The topic of my Friday affirmations is, “Eyes on Jesus.” Our Christian faith teaches us we have a triune Godhead, which is confusing for a lot of Christians who don’t abide in God’s word. I’m not an expert but let me try to explain it. There is only one God and Jehovah is his name. We have a triune Godhead consisting of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Ghost. One God who exists as three separate persons, all of whom are divine and all of whom are God. Each member of the triune Godhead has a distinct function within the whole. This is a difficult teaching that puts some people off, but to me it has the ring of truth and makes perfect sense. I know the truth of God when I see it and when I feel it in my soul. I’m a believer who reads scripture daily and I’ve studied God’s word for the last twenty years. The divine persons of the holy trinity are mentioned dozens of times; and often all three in one verse like the ones shown above. The existence of the triune Godhead only corroborates, or validates, my faith that Jehovah is the one true God of creation.

Look, if someone wanted to create a fake religion they would need to start with a god that was both simple and easy to understand; a god that does not speak and has no tales to tell. Someone would not start a fake religion with anything as difficult as a triune Godhead; therefore the triune Godhead of our God must be the truth. To create a fake god he’d have to be aloof so nobody could get close enough to spot the fake. A fake religion would have to be spread by conquest and anyone who doesn’t join the fake religion would have to be put to the sword. Forced conversion is the key ingredient. You would need to brainwash your new converts by making it mandatory for them to say prayers to their false god at least six times a day. Anyone who dares to question the fake religion would be labeled as a blasphemer and put to death. Anyone seeking to leave the false religion would be deemed a traitor and marked for death by any follower of the fake religion. A fake religion has to be enforced or it would fall apart. The fake god would need to have an impressive god-like name to complete the deception. An illiterate camel herder in Saudi Arabia figured all this out in 610 AD. By 622 AD Mohammad had his fake religion (Islam) up and running. It just so happened that one of the local desert tribes had a moon god named “Allah” and this name was conveniently borrowed for the name of the new false god Mohammad created for Islam; his fake religion.

John 1:1,14 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Colossians 1:15-17 – He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Philippians 2:9-11 – Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on the earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Isaiah 9:6 – For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be on His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

As you can see from the above verses, many Christians underestimate Jesus. Believe it or not, some Christians still don’t understand that Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus was the burning bush on Mount Sanai that spoke to Moses and delivered the Ten Commandments. Jesus was the twenty foot tall pillar of fire that went before the Israelites out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea. God the Father was the architect who designed the universe but it was Jesus who was the builder. Jesus Christ created the universe, the earth, and us. The Holy Spirit was also involved in creation. All three persons of the triune Godhead are actively involved in God’s creation from beginning to end. It was the invisible God who came off his throne in heaven and came to earth in the incarnation of Jesus Christ the man. It was Jesus who died on the cross for our sins so we could enter heaven. Because of Jesus’ sacrificial death to save us from hell, God the Father has appointed Jesus Christ to be the righteous judge of every person who has ever lived, and every knee will bow before him on the last day. Every angel and every demon will also kneel before Jesus on the last day and confess him as Lord. Because I’m a believer who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I look forward to that day because I have been gifted eternal life in heaven in the presence of Jesus. My number one priority in life is keeping my, “Eyes on Jesus” at all times so I can focus on being obedient to his commandments to the best of my ability.

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

2 Timothy 4:1-2 – I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

Hebrews 2:10 – For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.

2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

MY AFFIRMATION:

Thank you Jesus for making me and putting me on this earth you have created. Lord, thank you for dying on the cross in my place so I wouldn’t have to suffer eternal death in hell. I’ve accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by my confession of faith, and as a result, I have been given the precious gift of eternal life in heaven by a merciful and loving God. I will share this “good news” from heaven as I witness for Christ with passion and endurance all the days of my life. O Lord, my times are in your hands. Lord, help me to effectively share the gospel message of Jesus Christ with nonbelievers so that many are saved unto eternal life in heaven by the gospel seed I have sown before the throne of grace.

Note: 2 Timothy 4:1-2 are the best two verses in the Bible when it comes to God telling all believers that his top priority for them is to “witness for Christ” with conviction, passion, and endurance, to save nonbelievers to heaven. When God says “I charge you” it’s not a suggestion. It’s a command from the Lord, our King, to us, his humble servants. God is commanding that believers work in his harvest field (the whole world) to help him save nonbelievers to the kingdom of heaven through our witness for Christ. Jesus is coming to the earth twice more before the end of time. At “His appearing” Jesus will come down from heaven on the shekinah glory cloud of God to rapture all his saints, both dead and alive, to him in the air where he’ll give the saints their glorified bodies before returning to heaven. “His kingdom” means Jesus is coming back exactly seven years after the rapture to set foot on the Mount of Olives, destroy his enemies, and judge the nations for their sins. This is the last day. This is also referred to as the ‘Second Coming” of Jesus Christ to the earth. Jesus will then set up his millennial kingdom from Jerusalem and rule the earth for a thousand years.

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

Acts 10:42 – And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

2 Timothy 2:15 – Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 – For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified un due time.

MY AFFIRMATION:

In obedience to God, I will share the gospel message of Jesus Christ with all nations and all people. I will study God’s word for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom so I can do a better job of saving nonbelievers to heaven. The Lord called me and saved me unto eternal life in heaven so that I can save others by my testimony. When I go to heaven I want my good works done here on earth to be pleasing to God. On the last day, when I stand before the bema judgment seat of Jesus Christ I long to hear the Lord say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” I desire to save many nonbelievers to heaven by my witness for Christ.

All believers are commanded to witness for Christ and testify that Jesus is our Lord and righteous judge. What has Jesus done to be worthy of our devotion; so that we keep our “Eyes on Jesus?” In the beginning, Jesus spoke the universe into being and one day he will speak again and the earth will burn up and dissolve into nothingness. Jesus is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (Rev. 22:13). Jesus Christ came down from heaven and died on the cross in our place so that God could forgive our sins. Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead on the third day before ascending back to heaven where he sits at the right hand of God the Father as our Mediator. By accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by a confession of faith we are saved unto eternal life in heaven. What we’re saying is that Jesus saved us from going to hell and then he turned around and saved us to heaven. Jesus is the wisdom of God and our redemption. Jesus led a sinless life as an example for us to emulate. Believers will be in the presence of Jesus forever. Only God is worthy of our gaze and Jesus is God. Believers are both blessed and wise when they keep their, “Eyes on Jesus.”

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

John 14:6 – (Jesus) – I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Matthew 10:28 – (Jesus) – And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

John 14:9 – (Jesus) – He who has seen Me has seen the Father.

MY AFFIRMATION:

Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Jesus is my Lord because he is the one true God of creation, and on the last day all creatures will kneel to their King. Jesus is my Savior because he died on the cross for my sins so I wouldn’t have to suffer eternal death. Jesus saved me from going to hell for all eternity when I die, and when I leave this world Jesus has saved me to heaven forevermore. Jesus is the truth and wisdom of God, and the only path to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God made Jesus judge over the earth so only Jesus can condemn a soul to hell and save a nonbeliever to heaven. Jesus is God in the flesh and we’ll be in his presence forever. Praise God for his love, mercy, and grace!

NOTE: If God’s word were to suddenly disappear and I could only keep one verse from the Bible, John 14:6 would probably be my choice. It tells us Jesus is the son of God and the only ticket to heaven is by believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Liberals in our humanist world like to say there are many paths to heaven but they are sadly mistaken. Those who have taken on Christ have life, and those who have rejected Christ do not have life. A lot of people are afraid of the devil for good reason, but he cannot send you to hell. Satan can take you to hell when you die because of your unforgiven sins but only Jesus Christ can send you to hell for your sins on the last day because he is our righteous judge. You have to understand that Jesus is God. Jesus Christ is the one you should fear because he can keep you out of hell. Therefore, you need to keep your, “Eyes on Jesus” at all times to make sure you stay out of hell. Keeping your, “Eyes on Jesus” to make sure you enter heaven. You need to make sure you’re obeying the commandments of God to the best of your ability at all times and you can best do that when you have your “Eyes on Jesus.”

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

Colossians 2:9-10 – For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Colossians 1:17 – And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

2 Corinthians 5:18 – Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

MY AFFIRMATION:

Jesus Christ is the bodily representation of the triune Godhead. Jesus was, is, and forever will be Almighty God; awesome in power. Jesus made the universe, and he upholds all things with his mighty right hand. Jesus is God in the flesh and his death on the cross reconciled us to God the Father, for those who believe in his name. Believers who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are gifted eternal life in heaven. Believers are given the ministry of reconciliation, which is another way of saying we are commanded by God to witness for Christ to save nonbelievers to heaven. God will reward us for our obedience.

NOTE: It’s a no-brainer we need to keep our “Eyers on Jesus” because Jesus is God in the flesh; the only God we can see with our own eyes. We can’t see Father God or the Holy Spirit. Human beings are visual creatures and we tend to handle things better when we can see them. In heaven, Jesus will forever remain in his glorified human body, which will be just like the glorified body that all believers will receive once we get to heaven. Jesus will be before our eyes during the millennium as our King and in heaven for all eternity. Colossians 1:15 says, “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God. That says it all. Colossians 2:9-10 – tells us Jesus is the bodily representation of the triune Godhead of heaven (God, the Son, and the Holy Ghost). As God, Jesus had no beginning and no end. Jesus created the universe and he upholds it by his power. Jesus died to save us and he has given us the ministry of reconciliation; which is the same thing as witnessing for Christ. The whole world belongs to Jesus and he’ll be our King, both on earth and in heaven, for all eternity.

I’m amazed that every single person on the planet doesn’t understand that we’re here to find God and then give our testimony to help nonbelievers find the way to heaven too. It’s just so obvious to me. I understand Satan has put blinders over the eyes of nonbelievers so they cannot see the truth of God. That’s the reason but it’s not a good excuse in the eyes of God. God expects every person to use their mind and find their way back to heaven. We’re all creatures made by the hands of God and he has put eternity in our hearts, so we would seek out our creator. Some people just get lost along the way. When we look up at the moon, the sun, and the stars in the night sky we see God’s handiwork, which is confirmed in Psalm 19:1. We know deep down in our souls there’s a God in heaven whether we want to admit it or not. I’m amazed that Satan and his fallen angels (demons) have been successful at hiding the truth of God from man. Satan has put blinders over the eyes of nonbelievers so they cannot see God without the help of believers witnessing Christ to them. Every day roughly 16,000 believers are dying in the arms of God and returning to heaven to be in the presence of Jesus Christ forever. On the flip side, approximately 160,000 nonbelievers are also dying daily and going straight to hell for the lack of a witness for Christ. Nonbelievers in hell will be in the presence of Satan where they’ll be in pain and agony 24/7 forever.

There are approximately eight billion people on Earth, and 2.5 billion of them claim to be Christians. How many of these Christians are saved unto eternal life in heaven? All of them think they are because they know Jesus, but I’m guessing maybe only 50% are truly saved to heaven by a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I’m amazed that most self-proclaimed Christians do not read God’s word regularly. How can they be in fellowship with God if they aren’t immersed in his word? Only 10% of Christians who attend church regularly have read the Bible in its entirety. That is a travesty! Even fewer Christians than that have taken the time to study God’s word for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Those believers who do abide in God’s word know that to please God they must obey the commandments of God contained in the Bible. You cannot “do” until you know what to do. The number one commandment of God is for believers to witness for Christ to save lost souls to the kingdom of heaven.

Believers become saints in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Believers still go to heaven even if they don’t save a single soul to heaven. 90% of the saints in heaven are in that category. You have to understand that if you don’t witness for Christ and save at least one person to heaven you won’t please God and you’ll be on the lowest rung of heaven forever. You might be okay with disobeying God by not saving anyone to heaven but I’m not. You might be okay with being a worker bee in heaven for a billion trillion years but I’m not. My mantra every day is to, “save one more for Jesus” by my witness for Christ. My goal is to save a minimum of one thousand lost souls to heaven during my lifetime. Is that going to be difficult to achieve? You bet it is. Is it going to be impossible? No, it isn’t. With God’s help, nothing is impossible. Pick a goal that works for you and run your race before God to achieve it. Dream big because you can do it. Never forget God is inside you as your helper. In 1 Corinthians 9:24, the Apostle Paul says believers are to run their race before God so they receive the prize. What is the prize? It can’t be eternal life because we already have that. Our prize from Jesus Christ on the last day can only be honor, glory, and riches based on how many people we save to heaven.

PRAYER AFFIRMATION:

2 Corinthians 5:20 – Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God was pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

Matthew 13:23 – (Jesus) – But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

MY AFFIRMATION:

The purpose of my life is to witness for Christ to the nonbeliever in obedience to the commandments of my God. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I’m a representative of God on this earth. I’m duty-bound to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ with all nations and all people. My goal is to produce much fruit for God by saving as many lost souls to the kingdom of heaven as I can during my lifetime. Lord, I ask that you guide me in this task, and strengthen me so that I have the wisdom, determination, and perseverance to finish the salvation plan you have for my life. Praise God for his love, mercy, and grace toward his servant!

In Corinthians 5:20, when God begins the verse with the words “now then” it indicates something has to happen before the verse is applicable. God means that after believers have been saved unto eternal life in heaven by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; at that very moment; God appoints them as ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador is defined as, “a diplomat sent by a state as its representative in a foreign country.” The kingdom of heaven is a state not of this world ruled by God. God made us and put us on this earth (a foreign country) and the moment we’re saved to heaven we return home spiritually to the God who made us. God makes it clear in the Bible that believers are in the world, but not of the world. Furthermore, believers are strangers and aliens on the earth. Those are God’s words, not mine. Philippians 3:20 tells us, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” The second part of this verse indicates believers are waiting for Jesus to come in the air to rapture his saints to himself, so they can receive their glorified bodies in the air, before returning home to heaven.

Ambassadors for Christ are saved believers and they have just one job, and that job is to witness for Christ to save nonbelievers to heaven. In Matthew 13:23 Jesus uses the metaphor of “fruit” to represent nonbelievers saved to heaven. Jesus makes it clear all believers are to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ, but some believers will be more successful than others. Obedience to God is more important than how many people you save for heaven. Everyone who saves at least one person to heaven will receive honor, glory, and riches from God on the last day. The more you save the more you receive from God. One of the spiritual truths of heaven is, “You reap what you sow.” Only 10% of the saints in heaven will have saved at least one other person to heaven. Some believers will produce much fruit by saving 30, 60, and even 100 people to heaven. The Lord says a hundred lost souls saved to heaven is a good harvest. Only 1% of the saints in heaven will have saved at least one thousand nonbelievers to the kingdom of heaven and they will shine like the stars in the firmament on the last day; like it says in Daniel 12:3. I plan to run my race before the Lord so that I save “many” nonbelievers to heaven (at least a thousand) so that I’m in the top 1% of the saints in heaven when all is said and done.

PRAYER AFFIRMATION:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own. For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Acts 1:8 – (Jesus) – But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

MY AFFIRMATION:

Holy God, Lord of Heaven and Earth; at my conception, you gave me a part of your divine essence, my eternal spirit, so that I might fellowship with you forever in heaven. You knit me in my mother’s womb. Help me find my way back to the God who made me. I have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As a result, your Holy Spirit indwells me. My body has become God’s temple. The blood shed by Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary has made me a slave of Christ and my body is not my own. Lord, I give my body back to you as my reasonable service. I will glorify God by praying continually before the throne of grace. I’ll continually witness the gospel message of Jesus Christ to all nations and all people to save nonbelievers to heaven, in obedience to the commandments of God.

NOTE: In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 God tells us that as believers, we belong to God because we were purchased by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior God sends his Holy Spirit to indwell us as a sign of his ownership. God has set his seal on us and nothing can separate us from God or keep us out of going to heaven one day. The Holy Spirit will never leave the body of a believer. When we die the Holy Spirit will take our eternal spirit back to heaven and when we receive our glorified body from God the Holy Spirit will indwell that body too, for all eternity. The Lord reminds us that our body and spirit came for God and we are slaves of Christ through his death on the cross. God tells us our primary mission on earth is to glorify God through continuous prayer and by using our bodies to go forth into the world and share our witness for Christ with nonbelievers so that they might be saved from hell and saved to heaven.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus commands his disciples to witness for Christ to all nations and all people. Jesus is not just talking to his original disciples; he’s talking to every believer from that moment in time until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth on the last day. I’m a believer and a disciple of Christ, so I’m being personally commanded by God to give my testimony of him to the nonbeliever. Shall I disobey the God who made me? Certainly not! Shall I make a weak attempt to share the gospel message and then back off when I feel rejected? The answer is no! God tells us in his word that following him won’t be easy. If it was easy everybody would be witnessing for Christ. God says many are called but few are chosen. Make sure you step forward when your name is called. God doesn’t let you go into battle for him alone. 1 Thessalonians 1:5 tells us the gospel goes forth not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and much assurance. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation and we are simply the messenger. We see this confirmed in Acts 1:8. You cannot effectively witness for Christ unless you have the Holy Spirit inside you and with you, as you witness to the nonbeliever. Only the Holy Spirit can save someone to heaven.

PRAYER AFFIRMATION:

1 Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain.

Matthew 6:19-20 – (Jesus) – Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

MY AFFIRMATION:

I can do nothing on my own, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I will obey the commandments of God as I keep my eyes on Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. My trust in God and my love of God will never wane. I will seek to please God always by my good works. Lord, bless me as I sow the gospel seed of Christ bountifully so that I will reap bountifully on the last day. My goal in life is to please the God who made me by my work on Christ’s behalf. When I stand before the bema judgment seat of Jesus Christ on the last day I long to hear him say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

The word “vain” means unsuccessful. So if what we’re doing is “not” in vain that means we’re being successful. In the Bible, our work for the Lord, our labor, is defined as sharing the gospel message of Christ with all nations and all people. That’s what we mean when we say “witnessing for Christ.” God is speaking only to those who believe in Jesus (believers) in 1 Corinthians 15:58 because he refers to us as his “beloved brethren.” Immovable means, “not able to be changed or persuaded.” The word steadfast is defined as, “completely unwavering in one’s attitude or aims.” God is making it clear in this verse that if believers witness for Christ often (abundantly) they will save nonbelievers to heaven abundantly. How could it be otherwise? Two spiritual truths of heaven are, “You reap what you sow” and “If you sow bountifully you will reap bountifully.”

Every day we need to remind ourselves why we’re here and what our job is. “One more for Jesus” is my mantra and I say it every morning while I’m drinking my pot of coffee. Our job as believers is to be unwavering in our determination to serve God by witnessing for Christ at every opportunity for as long as we’re able. We’re the bearer of “good news” and it’s up to God to save whomever he will through the gospel seed we cast before him. If we do our part God will do his. On the last day, when we’re in heaven, we need to make sure we have no regrets and that we have given our all in service to our God. God is fair and just to all. God will remember us and our work. God will shower us with honor, glory, and riches in heaven. We can’t take our money with us to heaven but we can pay it forward by using our time and money to help save nonbelievers to heaven. God will bless us tenfold when we do this. I witness for Christ because I love God and my fellowman, and not for a reward. If no rewards were forthcoming for my service to God my witness for Christ wouldn’t change one iota because every soul is precious in the eyes of God. I love what God loves and I hate what God hates. God is generous to a fault and if he wants to give me anything on the last day I’ll graciously accept it and so should you.

The topic of my Thursday affirmation blog series is, “witnessing for Christ.” God’s salvation plan for man calls for believers to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ with those who are nonbelievers so they too can be saved unto eternal life in heaven. That’s how God plans to populate heaven with his saints. When God refers to “good works” in the Bible he’s talking about witnessing for Christ. Every human being was made by the hands of God with the intention that they might fellowship with God in heaven forever. God never made anyone with the express purpose of sending them to hell. Everyone has an equal shot at heaven and the free will to choose to serve either God or Satan. We’re all equally loved by God and we’re all equally priceless in his eyes. There is no partiality with God. Therefore, witnessing for Christ to save lost souls to heaven is the thing dearest to God’s heart. How could it be otherwise? Jesus Christ is the son of God sent from heaven to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. There’s no greater proof of God’s love than that. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day to show that we too will be resurrected if we believe in his name. Before Jesus ascended back to heaven from the Mount of Olives he commanded his disciples to fulfill the Great Commission, which is to share the gospel message with all nations and all people. All believers are disciples of Christ and the Great Commission falls on us as well. It’s the number one reason why we’re here. Otherwise, our lives have no real purpose down here and we might as well go home to heaven once we’re saved.

The word redeem has a couple of definitions that are important to us. Redeem can mean to, “save someone from sin, error, or evil.” This definition applies only to God because only God can forgive our sins. One of the many names of Jesus Christ is “Redeemer” because he is the one sent from God to, “save us from our sins.” Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden was imputed to all men who came after Adam, so all of us are sinners destined to suffer eternal death in hell the day we’re born. One of the spiritual truths of heaven is, “the wages of sin is death.” Somebody had to die because we sinned. God, because of his love, mercy, and grace, sent his son to die on the cross in our place; so our sins could be forgiven. The words Savior and Redeemer mean the same thing. The death of Jesus Christ on our behalf was the “act of redeeming” us, which we refer to as redemption. Jesus is our redemption.

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

Hosea 13:14 – (God speaking) – I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.

Luke 1:68 – Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people.

Colossians 4:5 – Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.

Ephesians 5:15-16 – See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Galatians 3:13 – Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.

MY AFFIRMATION:

I bless the Lord my God for allowing me the honor of working alongside my King in his harvest field. And I pray for more workers because God’s harvest field is great and the workers are few. I will redeem my time on earth by diligently spreading the gospel message of Jesus Christ to all nations and all people. I will sow the gospel seed bountifully so that I will reap bountifully; by saving many lost souls to heaven through my testimony. My time is short and there is much good work still to be done on Christ’s behalf. My mantra every day is to save, “one more for Jesus.” I desire to harvest as much fruit for God as possible, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I will run my race before the Lord with fear and endurance.

NOTE: The entire Bible is the revelation of Jesus Christ coming from heaven down to earth to save (redeem) us from our sins. Variations of the word redeem appears 162 times in the Bible; sometimes about Jesus and sometimes about man. A second definition of the word redeem means to, “repay or clear a debt.” This definition applies only to man because God cannot owe a debt to anyone. Jesus has redeemed us to heaven if we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (i.e., Redeemer). Believers are supposed to emulate Christ on this earth by redeeming nonbelievers, by witnessing Christ to them. That’s what “redeeming the time” means in the Bible. It’s very simple. Someone once helped save us and, as believers, we owe a debt to God and other nonbelievers to help them find salvation unto eternal life in heaven. Once we become believers, it’s our sacred duty to repay our debt to God by witnessing for Christ during our brief life on earth. The Bible says we need to diligently pursue this “good work” while we are able to work because the day will come when we’re no longer able to work.

In Hosea 13:14, God is saying he will save us from eternal death but not physical death. Our frail physical bodies will die because they are full of sin but when we become saved our original sin-filled inner spirit from God is replaced with a new spirit without sin. Our inner man is the real us and the one who will go to heaven in our new glorified bodies and live forever with Jesus. The exception is those people who are still alive when Jesus Christ comes in the air to rapture his saints to the clouds to receive their glorified bodies before returning to heaven. Those individuals will never suffer physical death. The dead in Christ will rise first to meet Jesus in the air, followed by those who remain alive at his coming. God refers to believers as being “inside” the family of God; which means those not saved (nonbelievers) are considered to be “outside.” We see this reference in Colossians 4:5. God uses the term “wise” to describe believers who witness Christ to save lost souls to heaven. In Colossians 4:5 God is making it clear all believers should be actively sharing the gospel message with nonbelievers because our lifetime is short and there is much work to do.

I chose five examples from my index card file of scriptures containing the word “redeem.” I usually use no more than three scriptures to illustrate my point but I couldn’t help myself this time because there are so many good examples to choose from. God makes it pretty clear what we must do with our life. If you’re a nonbeliever God considers you to be a “fool”, and if you’re a believer, who also witnesses for Christ then God calls you “wise.” Go be wise before God! In Ephesians 5:15-16 God is again commanding believers to share the gospel because his harvest field is great and the workers are few. The days are evil because the world is full of demons and nonbelievers going to hell. Satan is trying his best to hide the truth of God from man so he can drag them down to the pit with him. In Galatians 3:13 we know that the curse of the law is eternal death for man; but Jesus Christ died for us, so God could forgive our sins if we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You would be wise to take God up on his offer of eternal life in heaven while you yet live.

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

Mark 16:15-16 – (Jesus) – Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

2 Corinthians 9:6 – But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

MY AFFIRMATION:

Before ascending back to heaven, Jesus commanded his disciples to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ, the good news of our salvation, with all nations and all people. As a believer, I’m a disciple of Christ so I’m also commanded to fulfill the Great Commission. I will give my testimony of Jesus one-on-one when the opportunity arises. I will continually witness for Christ “passively” through my Christian blog sites and my Christian tract ministry. I will sow the gospel seed of Christ bountifully all the days of my life so that I’ll also reap bountifully on the last day.

NOTE: The word gospel means “good news.” And what is this good news? Jesus Christ, the son of God, came off his throne in heaven and died on the cross for our sins; before rising from the dead on the third day and returning to heaven. If we believe that the shed blood of Christ paid our sin debt to God then we are saved unto eternal life in heaven. That’s what it means when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We acknowledge Jesus is God and he saved us from hell. In the Bible, God often refers to us as his creatures because he made us. When believers are saved they’re baptized by the holy water of God, which is just another way of saying we’re indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Nonbelievers are” “condemned”, which means they’re going to hell when they die. One of the spiritual truths of heaven is, “you reap what you sow.” If you witness for Christ a lot you’ll save a lot of people to heaven, and vice versa. That’s just common sense. God makes it clear in his word that believers who save lost souls to heaven are “wise” in his eyes and they will be rewarded on the last day with honor, glory, and riches based on how many people they save to heaven.

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

Romans 12:1 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Hebrews 12:1 – Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

MY AFFIRMATION:

Lord, you gave me an eternal spirit at conception. You have given me my body, this tent, as a temple for the Holy Spirit. By your presence inside me, you have made me holy and acceptable to God. Therefore, I present my body back to you as my reasonable service to the God who made me. I will do good works before the Lord in his harvest field by witnessing for Christ to save lost souls to heaven. I will run my race before God with endurance, trying to save, “one more for Jesus”, every day of my life. Lord, bless me with forty years in your service; if you are willing and there is time before the rapture comes. O Lord, help me to save many as I fulfill the salvation plan you have for my life.

NOTE: God’s salvation plan for man calls for believers to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ with nonbelievers so they can be saved unto eternal life in heaven. If you happen to be a nonbeliever, you’re of no use to God because you still have your original sin-filled spirit, which means you’re still on the path to hell where you’ll be in pain and agony 24/7 for all eternity. Sin cannot enter heaven. On the other hand, believers are saved unto eternal life in heaven because they’ve accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Once believers are saved they’re given a new sin-free spirit by God and they’re indwelt by the Holy Spirit from that point forward, for all eternity. At this point, the believer’s body is deemed to be holy by God and a fit vessel for his use. As believers, we’re slaves of Christ and our bodies belong to the God who made us. Nonbelievers are slaves of Satan whether they know it or not.

Believers are expected to use their bodies to witness for Christ. It’s their reasonable service expected by God. God often refers to our reasonable service to him as our “race” before the Lord. Notice in Hebrews 12:1 that God says our race is, “set before us.” That means God has an individual salvation plan for each of us and it’s up to each one of us to find out what that plan is and then go out and fulfill it to the best of our ability. 90% of the saints in heaven are there through faith in Jesus Christ alone; never having saved even a single person to heaven by a witness for Christ. These are the worker bees of heaven. However, believers who save at least one person to heaven will please God because every soul is priceless in God’s eyes.

Those who save at least one person to heaven will be rewarded on the last day. How could it be otherwise? There is a pecking order in heaven and your rank will depend on the number of nonbelievers you save to heaven. How do I know this? One of the spiritual truths of heaven is, “You reap what you sow.” Scripture also says, “Those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly and those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully.” Furthermore, the honor, glory, and riches each believer will receive at the bema judgment seat of Jesus Christ will be directly proportional to the number of people we have saved to the kingdom of heaven. It’s as simple as that. Our good works for God can only occur here on earth and not in heaven. Whatever we receive from God in heaven will be based entirely on our body of good works done on earth. In heaven, we get to keep what we earn down here forever.

PRAYER AFFIRMATIONS:

2 Timothy 2:21 – Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter (dishonor/sin), he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

1 Peter 1:17 – And if you call on the Father, who without penalty judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.

Hebrews 6:10 – For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

MY AFFIRMATION:

I have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit since the age of twelve when I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. My body, this tent, has been cleansed and is now a holy vessel useful for the good works God has given me to do. I will share my witness for Christ with believers and nonbelievers alike; exhorting them to save lost souls to heaven. I will worship my God always, asking for his help in saving nonbelievers to heaven. My time to do “good works” for God on this earth is very short, therefore my mantra every day is to save, “one more for Jesus.” On the last day, when I stand before the bema judgment seat of Jesus Christ, I pray that my body of work on earth will glorify God in heaven and be pleasing in his sight.

This is the second part of my revamped Wednesday affirmations exhorting believers to, “study God’s word.” Every believer talking to God knows we’re to pray for solutions, the end result, without whining about problems. To do otherwise is just giving Satan a foothold in your life. Remember, praying for the solution and thanking God for it, even if it hasn’t occurred yet, exhibits faith in God and faith is what makes prayer work. No faith (unbelief) will result in unanswered prayers and it’ll give Satan power over you. God can do anything he wants to do and the Bible assures us that God hears the prayers of believers. God promises to answer our prayers and God cannot lie. The secret ingredient in all prayers is we that must “believe” in God and that he will answer our prayers. I’ll tell you another secret. The cure for unbelief is prayer, studying God’s word, and obedience to the commandments of God. Affirmations are prayers of rejoicing to God. The more we say our Bible affirmations out loud to God in prayer, the greater will be our belief in God and our fellowship with him. Our brains are a funny thing. We have to be careful what we feed our minds. Our mind believes what we say if we say it over and over long enough.

It’s what we confess with our lips that dominates our inner being, which is why our Bible affirmations are so effective and why they’re important to keeping our faith strong. If you pray continually to the Lord your fellowship will automatically become stronger which will also please God. Our confession (prayer) is the battleground on which we fight Satan. Our prayers are the only thing we have that reaches across time and space and into the very throne room of God. The Bible is the sword of truth and the only weapon we need to resist and defeat Satan in our lives because we can bring God on the scene to protect us. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days and he was tempted by the devil three times. Each time Jesus defeated Satan by quoting the holy scriptures. That’s the perfect example for us to follow when we’re dealing with Satan. When Satan oppresses us we need to cry out to God in prayer for his protection. The Bible says if we resist Satan he will flee from us and God cannot lie.

PRAYER AFFIRMATION:

Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 2:6 – For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 23:23 – Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding.

MY AFFIRMATION:

I live in fear of the Lord my God. The Lord talks to me through the pages of his word and gives me knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. God has given me his wisdom and his truth. It will not depart from before my eyes because it is health and healing to all my flesh. I will read my Bible every day and meditate on the magnitude and majesty of Almighty God. I will worship my God daily. I will always give the Lord the praise of my lips in prayer. I will continually offer up honor and glory to God in heaven because he is worthy of worship. God is good and God is great and this my spirit knows very well.

NOTE: There are dozens of holy scriptures where God commands all men to study the word of God for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. This is especially true in the books of Psalms and Proverbs, which are classified as wisdom literature of the Old Testament. I just pulled the verses shown above from my index card file because they are good examples of how important it is to study the Bible. The word “fear” in Proverbs 1:7 means we are to look upon God with awe, reverence, and deep respect. You can’t even begin to know God without that frame of mind. Nonbelievers are fools according to God and they “despise”, or look down upon, the Bible because they think it’s just a book. Nonbelievers fail to see the wisdom and instruction in God’s word.

The Bible is God’s wisdom and there’s no other source of wisdom that compares to it in the entire universe. Not even close. The amazing thing is this; God gives away his wisdom free to all who come to him and read his word. God wants us to know him and what we must do to enter heaven. God wants to share his commandments with us so we can accomplish the “good work” he has planned for us to do (i.e., witnessing for Christ). God wants us to understand that we must turn from sin, reject Satan, and choose God so we end up in heaven instead of hell. God wants us to have the wisdom to obey God and emulate Jesus Christ in our daily lives. God encourages us to purchase the truth of God (wisdom) by studying God’s word continually. We’re to never let the word of God depart from our eyes for any length of time for any reason. It’s our protection from the evil of this world.

PRAYER AFFIRMATION:

Proverbs 23:12 – Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.

Proverbs 8:34 – Blessed is the man who listens to Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors.

Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.

MY AFFIRMATION:

I have an unquenchable thirst for God’s word which was given to me by the Holy Spirit as part of my ministry. I blog because God wants me to give my testimony of him. I will listen attentively to what the Lord has to say so that I can obey his instructions. My heart yearns to please my God. I want to know God and his salvation plan for my life. Daily I will seek out knowledge, understanding, and wisdom from God through the pages of my Bible. I will speak to God continually in prayer and ask him to reveal his truth to me. I am truly blessed by Almighty God because of my obedience to his commandments. Lord, your word shows me the way to heaven and what I must do to please you. With the help of God, I’ll save many lost souls to the kingdom of heaven through my witness for Christ.

NOTE: In Proverbs 23:12 God makes it very clear to all men that we’re to attack, or devour, God’s word with intentionality and purpose, whether we read the Bible or hear it spoken. Approach God’s word like a hungry man would a steak dinner. We’re to absorb the wisdom of the Bible as if our life depended on it; because it does! In Proverbs 8:34 God says he’ll bless those who obey his commandments in the Bible. If you don’t read the Bible you can’t obey God. You have to know what to do before you can do it. Look, we’re all born into this world in total darkness. And by that I mean we don’t know where we came from and what we’re supposed to do. The theory of evolution has been debunked. We also have no idea where we’re going and how to get there. Everything is pitch black.

And then suddenly, we see a point of light. And, as we approach the light out of curiosity what do we see? We see God’s word, our Holy Bible, and out of its pages shines forth the light of God that gives us knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. The brightness of God illuminates the way back home to heaven where we’ll be in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever. If you abide in God’s word you’ll have the flashlight (or torch) that’ll light up your way to heaven. In Matthew 7:13 Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate; because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Jesus has a message for all the leaders of the fake religions in the world in Matthew 15:14, when he says, “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” Make sure you don’t fall into a ditch.

There is only one true God, which is Jehovah, and only one true word of God, which is the Christian Bible. Jesus Christ is the son of God and the only way to heaven is through faith in him. In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” God can’t be any clearer than that. Therefore, all other gods are false and all other religions and their holy books are fake. Let me be clear, if you’re not reading your Bible daily or hearing God’s word spoken regularly you’re probably not going to find your way to heaven. If you’re not earnestly studying God’s word for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom you’re probably going to stumble around like a blind man all your life, never knowing how to please God and accrue honor, glory, and riches in heaven on the last day from the hand of God.

PRAYER AFFIRMATION:

Proverbs 13:13 – He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

Ephesians 1:17-18 – That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory on His inheritance in the saints.

Colossians 1:10-11 – That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with you.

MY AFFIRMATION:

I thirst for the word of God and I’ll be rewarded on the last day for my obedience. I read my Bible daily and I thank you for the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom it contains. I bless you Lord for opening the eyes of my understanding so I can see the truth of God, the salvation of your calling, and the honor, glory, and riches that you will give me on the last day. I pray that you will strengthen me Lord so that I may walk worthy of you; saving many lost souls for the kingdom of heaven.

NOTE: In Provers 13:13 God says those who look upon the Bible with awe, reverence, and respect (i.e., fear) will be rewarded. If you fear the Bible you’ll read it, study it, and do what it commands us to do. At which time God will bless you on this earth and later on in heaven God will shower you with honor, glory, and riches. You would be wise to abide in the word of God. Notice that God refers to the entire Bible as his commandment (singular). Every positive statement in the Bible should be viewed as a commandment from God if it makes plain sense to do so. When I see the word “rewarded” in Proverbs 13:13 I think of salvation unto eternal life in heaven in the presence of Jesus. That’s God’s greatest reward to man.

I love Ephesians 1:17-18 because in these verses God tells us exactly what’ll happen to us if we study his word. God will give us wisdom. How good is that? God will reveal his truth to us. God will open our eyes so we can see him and our salvation unto eternal life in heaven. And lastly, we see the honor, glory, and riches the Lord will give us on the last day. When we look at Colossians 1:10-11, we see that God gives us a different twist to studying his word. God is promising we’ll be fruitful in every good work, which is another way of saying we’ll save many lost souls to heaven by our witness for Christ. On the flip side, if you don’t study your Bible you will not be fruitful and probably won’t save anyone to heaven. If we’re fruitful we’ll please God and if we’re not fruitful we won’t please God. I don’t know about you but I desperately want God to be pleased with me.

Another thing I noticed in Colossians 1:10-11 is that when we study God’s word he promises to strengthen us with the power of God when we share the gospel message of Christ with the nonbeliever. We see this confirmed in 1 Thessalonians 1:5. We know the Holy Spirit is inside us as we witness Christ to the nonbeliever. If we pray for God to strengthen us before, during, and after we witness for Christ it will make us more fruitful. We will save more people to heaven with God than we will without God. You can have God’s strength but you must ask for it in prayer. In James 4:2, God says, “Yet you do not have because you do not ask.” By using the expectant word “yet” God is telling us he’s still waiting patiently for us to ask for what we need in prayer. God is glorified when we pray to him; so what’s stopping you? When God answers our prayers God is also glorified which should tell you that God wants to answer our prayers. Start asking and start receiving.

In my twenty years of serving the Lord, I’ve saved well over 100 lost souls to heaven and my ultimate goal is to save 1000 people during my lifetime. I can’t save anyone unless I’m sharing the gospel message while also praying for God to strengthen me and help me. Believers do 20% of the work of saving a nonbeliever to heaven while the Holy Spirit does the other 80%. The heavy lifting. Only the Holy Spirit can convict a nonbeliever of their sin if their heart is ready to receive God. Only the Holy Spirit can change a person’s eternal destination from hell to heaven and put their name in the Book of Life. God doesn’t need our help to save someone. There’s nothing God can’t do. God allows us to help with his salvation plan for man for our benefit because he wants to bless us with honor, glory, and riches on the last day. Praise God!