You've heard it said that "Jesus saves", and for most of my life, I thought that salvation referred mainly to the "afterlife", meaning that his death on the cross made our redemption possible, giving us the ability to be spared from spending eternity in hell. While this is true, he also made it possible for us to be saved right here, right now, from the trials and tribulations of life. I believe the enemy doesn't want us to know this, which is why many believers don't.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Many people hear the gospel and pray the sinner's prayer of salvation, asking forgiveness and accepting Jesus as their personal Saviour, but when things go wrong and prayers go unanswered time after time, it can chip away at their faith. They're often left believing that God isn't real or he just doesn't care, but, of course, neither of these is true.
First, know that every GOOD thing comes from God and he had and has blessings planned for you. Here you can find 93 of the many verses about the blessings God promises those who love and obey him. Read them and be encouraged that God, the Creator of the universe and everything in it, actually promises blessings for those who obey his law. If such promises were coming from a presidential candidate or an official up for re-election, the promise might not mean much, but this is straight from the Word of God in at least 93 places in both the Old and New Testament, and God cannot lie, nor does he ever change. People change - we grow, learn, and strive to improve ourselves, but God is perfect and always has been. Perfection doesn't require change.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. - James 1:17
Next, know that God hates sin, or the breaking of his laws, which were put in place so mankind could live in peace and harmony on earth. God's laws were not made for his convenience or amusement. They were made for our safety, security, and well-being. Sin is essentially selfishness. It almost always involves putting one's own needs or desires above the needs and desires of others. Sin causes pain, oppression, and misery, which is why God hates and condemns it. If people weren't greedy or jealous, didn't worship false gods, lie, or kill and bring shame to their families, but instead they were kind and generous, had compassion, honored their parents, kept the Sabbath as a day of rest, LOVED instead of judging or competing with people, were more humble than prideful, and didn't worship false gods, life on earth would be far better than it is today. Instead, as more and more people fall away from faith in God and many don't even know his laws, we see more and more lawlessness - theft, corruption, deception, murder, backstabbing, immorality, addiction, perversion, and all kinds of sin becoming more and more commonplace. Who can feel safe, secure, or happy in a lawless world?
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. - Galatians 5:13
Having given mankind free will, God knows the evil people are capable of, and his laws were put into place to deter people from doing evil to others. Everyone is subject to the law, but just like innocent, law-abiding citizens don't need to be concerned about being arrested by the police, in the same way, the righteous who fear God and repent and confess their sins don't need to worry about being subjected to curses or doomed to eternity in hell.
Curses were always a result of rebellion against God and his laws, just as blessings are a result of obeying God's laws. The blessings were always there, but because of unrighteousness and sin, blessings are replaced with curses. Here you can find 25 verses about the causes of curses.
While we are here on earth, being tempted and tried by Satan and his minions, knowing God's law is critical. When we break God's laws, we bring judgement or curses upon ourselves. It isn't always immediate, but it is automatic, and God doesn't show favoritism. When it comes to breaking his law, it doesn't matter who you are, who your family is, what religion you follow, how rich or poor you are, how generous you are, or how much good you've done - every sin is met with judgement and until we are cleansed of that sin, God will not hear our prayers.
The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. - Proverbs 15:29
The "good news" is, that if we confess and repent of our sin, and ask for forgiveness in the Name of Jesus, who paid our penalty with his own blood and made redemption possible, then our prayers will be heard, and we can be delivered. The prayer of the righteous avails much, so if you want your prayers to be heard, be righteous! Righteousness, through Christ, is our hedge of protection from the evil all around us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9
Learn God's laws, confess your sins, and know that God's Word never lies. He is fair, trustworthy, and good, but best of all, he loves you. Like a loving Father, he wants what is best for you. If a child does something wrong, would you reward him or her? No, because children need to be taught what is acceptable and what is not, and we expect our children to love and respect us enough to trust our advice and follow our rules, even if they don't understand why at this time. Without guidance and discipline, children wouldn't survive long in this world. In the same way, we need our heavenly father's guidance, and when we fail, which we often do, we need to know that it will hang over our heads like a dark cloud, breaking down our hedge of protection, until we confess and repent.
Let your love for God and fear of judgement help you overcome the temptation to sin and when you do, confess and repent in the Name of Jesus, Yahshua Messiah, in sincerity. You will see God work in ways you could never have imagined to turn those curses into blessings. His plans and blessings are better than anything we could even conceive.
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. - Psalms 145:18
I hope and pray you are blessed by this message and encourage you to study God's word to learn HIS ways and HIS laws and experience the amazing blessings God had planned for you from the beginning. Following God's law isn't difficult, but not following it is!
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. - Matthew 6:33
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