How to be Sure of Heaven

Can we really be sure we are going to go to heaven?

Without a doubt, we can be absolutely sure.

• The trouble most of us have is attempting to get there the wrong way. One of the most common ways is through a religion. The truth is, you can belong to every religion in the world and still miss out going to heaven.
• Another way that many believe will get them to heaven is by doing all kinds things that look like holy works. This also will not get you to your objective (heaven). Works only come into play after salvation.
• One more common belief is we can get to heaven if we keep the ten commandment. Well, even if we keep them all (which no one can), will not get you to heaven.
• That's a pretty heavy concentration of seemingly goodly righteous things. Well, what if I did all these things together over the rest of my life -- would that possibly get me into heaven? Again, the answer is NO! So? What will get me there?

 There is only One Way. First off, we are all sinners as Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." And guess what? Sin cannot enter into heaven. However, when we look at Romans 6:23, it says, "The wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." So how do we go about getting this gift of eternal life from God that is available through Jesus Christ?

First, we must remember the main reason Jesus came to this earth was for the redemption of sin. Since sin cannot enter into heaven, it has to be paid for at some time, in some place, by somebody. Jesus paid the price for every sin ever committed by mankind. Yet, it is not automatic. We have a free-will to accept what Jesus did for us or reject it. If we choose to reject God's free Gift of eternal life -- the wages of sin is still death. We can choose to use the death that Jesus paid for our sin, or we can pay for our sins our self. In case we choose to pay for them ourselves, we get all the benefits that come with it such as eternal death, hell and the grave, and Satan as our master for all the eternal death.

Now let's look at the alternative -- accepting the free-gift from Jesus Christ. Here is how the Bible tells us to go about it. Looking at Romans again, this time from chapter 10:9&10, which tells us, "If you shall confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." "For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." These two things will get you to heaven -- confessing Jesus as your Lord, and believing that God raised Jesus from the dead (His death, burial, and resurrection.)

So how do I know for sure if I was sincere when I do these two things? For one -- the not so good things you used to do before, you will despise. Another -- you will be able to understand the Bible when you read it, because the Holy Spirit is living within you and only He can interpret the Word of God. Also, sin will be utterly discussing to you from now on.

What to do next after your New Birth? Confess Jesus as Lord to others and be not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Find a good church home that is preaching and teaching the Bible message without compromise.

For those who take these steps, may God bless you in the coming days, study the Word and be strong in the faith. We would love to hear from you if you will and leave a comment. God loves you.

Are You Going To Heaven?

Heaven? Is there any way to know for sure that Heaven will be your new home when you die? Jesus gave us the answer to that question in John's Gospel in chapter #3. Simply stated, you must first be Born-again to enter into the Kingdom of God. But what does that term mean and how is becoming "Born-again" accomplished?

First of all you must be aware that the Bible tells us that sin cannot enter into heaven. Therefore, most people believe you can get into heaven by keeping the ten commandments or other laws. As you are probably aware -- no one can keep the commandments and laws. Simply stated, since no one can keep the commandments or laws, no one will ever get into heaven. Romans 3:20 states that by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for the law is the knowledge of sin. Can you then go to a priest and confess your sins to him? By no means. You are still attempting to be justified by the law.

Can a man under the law forgive another individual who is also under the law his or her sins? The Bible says that only God can forgive sin. In any case we cannot be saved by the works of the law even if we confess our sins to a thousand priests. If we could, then Jesus died in vain. We are saved by grace and not by the works of the law or by any deeds of the flesh. We are save by grace through faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross and in that fact alone takes away our sins by His shed blood and opens the door to heaven for us. It is not by works of righteousness that we have done, but by His mercy He has saved us.

Let's carry this a little further and consider a passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes 9:3:

• "There is an evil among all things that are done under the sun...the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead."

The hearts of men are evil of evil because we were all born into sin. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - (Romans 3:23) Sin cannot enter into heaven. If it did, it would be just as bad there as it is here on earth. So we must get rid of our sin first if we want to enter into heaven. That is where "we must become born-again" comes into play.

Ecclesiastes goes on to say that: "The living know that they shall die, but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more reward; for the memory of them is perished. Also their love, their hatred and their envy is now perished; neither have they any portion of any thing that is done under the sun."

All of our hurrying and backbiting is over in the grave. So, did God just haphazardly put us on this earth without any reason or purpose? The Bible says "God made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation." Why did He do that? The next two verses tells us -- "So they should seek the Lord, if haply they seek after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us. For in Him we live, and move, and have our being...for we are also His offspring." - (Acts 17:26-28) We are His offspring, but sin has kept us apart. What is the answer? "Born-again"!

So back to the question, "Are You Going To Heaven?" The primary answer to that question is "Have you been Born-again?" Jesus said: "Unless a man is Born-again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." The next question is: "How do I know I have been Born-again?" Two things are necessary to be Born-again. First - repentance. The Bible states in Isaiah 55:7, "Let the wicked forsake their ways." Second - Romans 3:23 states: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." and Romans 6:23, "...but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus." Therefore, by repentance, (which is the forsaking of our sinful ways) and calling upon the name of Jesus Christ and invite Him to become Lord and Savior and believing in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead. This is how we become born-again. After that happens the following verse kicks into play.

• "But scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." - (Galatians 3:22)

When we make these two decisions on our part, God takes over on His part. Our part is to initiate the decisions and desire for salvation. God will not violate our free-will, but He awaits for an invitation from us. When we have repented and invited Jesus to become our Lord, we are Born-again according to the Scriptures. Do this now and the next time someone asks you if you are going to Heaven, you will know for sure and answer with a definite - ("YES I am, but -- how about you my friend?.")

A Religious Fanatic

Identity labels help us determine some one's particular interest. Individuals involved in various interests and causes are generally branded with labels such as: devotees, supporters, fans, followers, visionaries, etc. For those dedicated to promoting God and His Word, the term religious fanatic is generally used. Of course, there are many variations of religious fanatics today, but Jesus said we could recognize them by their fruits. A good tree will not produce evil fruit, nor shall a corrupt tree produce good fruit.

A Christian religious fanatic is someone who has come out of the world by recognizing his or her inability to live a righteous life through self determination. Therefore this passionate devotee attempts to warn those still under bondage to the evil forces of the world, about the freedom available for them. Many times these warnings are met with hostility. Those under bondage cannot understand the freedom of the fanatic, and thinks he or she is sending him into a trap. Contrarily, the fanatic is merely attempting to set that individual free from the trap he is already entangled in.

Saint Peter refers to these fanatics in his epistle as peculiar people. That is, they have been set free and no longer look or act like the rest of society. Certainly, not everyone will become a fanatic, but that is not to say they cannot if they so choose. Many times it takes the deathbed to open the blinded eyes, then again sometimes even then is too late. The Bible tells us, "Now is the acceptable day; today is the day of salvation. Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart."

It all boils down to this: Everyone can become a religious fanatic, but not everyone will. Many look for some type of life from within themselves. However, because of sin, the only life available to them within their own body, comes from the flesh. Because they do not realize there is another life available to them, they rely upon their flesh as the source of happiness, enjoyment and supply. In essence, the flesh becomes their god, which makes themselves their god, instead of the Creator God.

When a religious fanatic is able to infiltrate their flesh and reveal to them another life source available to them, the news is sometimes met with hostility and sometimes joy. The one requirement to attain this new life is that  they must give up being the lord over their life and allow Jesus to become their Lord and Savior. The contrasting consequences is this -- unless they undergo a pledge to strike a covenant relationship with God, they shall forever remain under bondage to the evil forces of this world. But, when they make the pledge with a covenant relationship, they will find another life -- a new life brought about by the Spirit of God touching their spirit and radiating life into their soul. Whereas before, the soul sought after temporary life from the flesh, now it seeks after everlasting life from the spirit.

Remember the Proverb, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Also remember the words of Jesus, "Whom the Son sets free, he is free indeed." The fields are ripe for harvest, but we need more laborers in the field --consider becoming a Christian religious fanatic today.

What Should it Profit a Man?

 A virtue so central to Christianity's core values is enclosed within (1 Corinthians 13).

• 1 Cor. 13:1) "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become  as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."
• 1 Cor. 13:2) "And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."
• 1 Cor. 13:3) "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

Before the Lord ascended into heaven, He left us with the Great Commission to go forth and teach all nations about the mighty salvation, which He has provided for the world. An important truth emerges within verses 1-3 above regarding how to approach evangelizing.

(Verse 1) signifies that no matter how faithful our witness appears or how gracious our words may sound, if we have self-gratifying purposes without a motive out of pure love - the words we speak are merely as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

(Verse 2) - If we have the gift of prophecy so we know the beginning to the end and understand every mystery God has kept from us these many years, and understand everything in the Bible from cover to cover, and faith to move every mountain we encounter, everything is meaningless if we do not have love.

(Verse 3) - If we give to charity or to the poor $50, $1000, $10,000, or every ounce of our possessions; it profits us nothing if not given out of love.

The Bible declares that men will become more wicked and vile in these last days, and the love of many will wax cold. However, a Christian is not of the world and Jesus is the lesson we learn in these three verses. He set the example for us to follow. Everything He did was out of love and fully forgiving what we have done in our lives, by dying in our place and paying our penalty. If we are to bear any fruit by carrying out the Great Commission as He commanded, love must be our foremost concern. Without love, even for our enemies, we are become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. As noted in the very last verse in 1 Corinthians 13 - "Now abideth these: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love." 1 Peter 4:8 reports that "Love covers a multitude of sins." Make it first and foremost in your witness endeavors and, may God bless your efforts.

Is the road getting rough to travel? -- Have you decided to throw in the towel?

President's day is viewed by some as just another day off. Although gone for now, that day will come around again next year. Still, it is fitting that we set aside a day to honor a handful of 45 men. These 45 special men were selected and elected by a process and privilege, which we in the United States enjoy. That process says, we want this one man (or woman) to represent us as a nation. One individual with power and authority to lead and guide our country in many areas of decisions.

Over the years, we have been blessed with godly men who took charge to keep this nation strong and free. Presidents who were not afraid to call upon God for guidance and wisdom, and to use that wisdom even when it went against the grain of opposition. When I think of these men who took charge of this nation, one such man comes into mind more than any other.

A man whose odds of becoming president were so great, you wonder why he even kept trying. He was born into a very poor family. At 7 years of age, his family was forced out of their home and this boy had to work to support them. At age 9, this shy backwards boy's mother died. At age 22, he lost his job as a store clerk. He wanted to attend law school, but his education simply was not good enough. At age 23, he went into debt to be a partner in a store, but 3 years later, his partner died leaving him with a huge debt. At age 28, a 4-year romantic relationship with a young lady ended when she turned down his marriage proposal. Still, an earlier courtship ended in heartache with her death. At age 37, after a third try, he finally became elected to congress, but 2 years later failed to win reelection. At the same time, it was observed that he had what many today would call a nervous breakdown. At age 41, adding to the heartaches of an already unhappy marriage, his 4 year old son died. At age 42, he was rejected for land officer. At age 45, he ran for the Senate and lost. At age 47, He was defeated for Vice Presidential nominee. At age 49, he again ran for the Senate and lost.

Can you imagine how he was probably criticized, misunderstood, had periods of depression, and snubbed by his colleagues - certainly he was not the envy of his peers. Nevertheless, in spite of all his heartaches and setbacks, he did not let it deter him. He kept going forward, not looking back. Thankfully, he did not give up, because at age 51, he was elected to the highest office of President of the United States.

You have probably guessed who this man was. Defeated repeatedly by personal, business and political failures, yet he never gave up. Born in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809, next year marks the 200th anniversary of his birth. Shot in the head by an assassin's bullet on Good Friday, he died the next day on April 15, 1865.

Abraham Lincoln, who became perhaps the most revered of all Presidents, never gave up when circumstances were against him. He kept his focus on the good until he won the prize. There is a prize awaiting you too. Paul the Apostle declared in the Epistle of Philippians - His desire is to know Jesus and counted all things as dung that he might win Christ. "Forgetting those things, which are behind, I press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Just as Abraham Lincoln did not give up at 7 years old, 9 years old, 22, 23, 28, 37, 41, 42, 47, 49 years old amidst failures and heartaches and attained the prize of President; and, as Paul pressed on until he reached his mark of his high calling; we too must set our sights toward and endeavor to persevere in our quest of reaching the highest office that anyone could ever reach - not as President of the United States, but as kings and priest in the house of our God in Christ Jesus forever.