Dear Family, Friends, and Visitors,
I want to help build the Kingdom of God and and help SAVE LOST SOULS. I titled this Witness as an Ambassador and thought I would also post the definitions of both and also discuss them as I am never short of words:
AMBASSADOR - A diplomatic agent of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another either as resident representative or on temporary special service; an authorized messenger or representative
WITNESS - to see or know by personal presence and perception; to be present at as a formal witness or otherwise;to bear witness to; testify to; give or afford evidence of; to attest by ones signature; a person or thing that affords evidence
I think that is COOL about the temporary special service and it truly captures the WALK WITH JESUS in this WORLD, serving as a agent, a representative or an authorized messenger to spread the good news, make disciples, and BUILD a kingdom for his name sake.
Notice I say WALK, because that is exactly what it is, a walk through this valley of the shadow of death or a wicked world and it is also a world that will sidetrack us and lead us away from being an Ambassador. I am glad it is only temporary, because in my walk, I tend to stumble, as we all will but in different forms, showing our weakness and need for a savior.
Most of us have that spirit of the fight and want to be that Ambassador for Christ, for GOOD vs evil, LOVE vs hate, or all of the spiritual character opposites especially when we first become a follower of Jesus we tend to be an over zealous evangelist and forget the meaning of being a witness.
The first couple of years in my walk I got a little caught up in being a Christian and sharing the gospel I was even told that I preach too much, imagine that. I got so caught up in being something, an Ambassador , that I forgot to truly witness or to share the presence of GOD and provide evidence of the grace of GOD. After all I was a believer in Christ now, I had it made and nothing was ever wrong, I didn't need to to ask for prayer, I didn't need the support of other believers.
In turn I wasn't sharing how God was getting me through the tough times and testifying to the account and being a TRUE witness. In order to be able to testify as an Ambassador, we need the evidence and ability to attest by ones own signature, meaning our character, our approach to others, and most importantly our motives for being Ambassador.
Here are some questions to ask and share with ALL, to Witness as an Ambassador:
- Have you discovered the grace of God?
Yes, He loves me, He cherishes me, we talk daily about my family, my friends and building HIS Kingdom. We also talk about how to reach LOST SOULS and glorify HIM for his name sake. Even when I don't always do the right things or neglect being the person that He created me to be He will never LEAVE ME or Disappoint ME.
- Have you ever felt burdened and weighed down by sin?
- Have you ever felt guilt and shame, but didn't know what to do about it?
All of us know what is RIGHT vs wrong and when we do the wrong things, we usually are convicted of those things innately or spiritually. C.S. Lewis, a brilliant theologian talked about being born with the ability to know the difference at birth in a great book called Mere Christianity.
Since we are all sinners, we are going to do the wrong things, and the good news is, there is no condemnation in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will always LOVE YOU, CHERISH YOU, and NEVER LEAVE YOU no matter what you have done. Seek Him and hang on to that PROMISE. By the GRACE OF GOD we have been SAVED, because we repent of our sins without condemnation. It is by GRACE that we are saved.
- Do you know how to be reconciled to your True Loving Father and experience the blessings of heaven?
It truly is such a RELIEF when I realized that I didn't have to do this alone. I don't have to drive the car of my own life in this wicked world. We have a Savior in the name of Jesus Christ, accept him into your heart, truly believe and find reconciliation.
I truly need the Lord and no matter how many times I try to take the steering wheel of life, I always end up screwing it up. My love affair for the Lord involves more than just accepting, it involves prayer, talking to Him daily throughout the day and slowly building a relationship with Him. It involves reading His word, using the tools He Has put in place for us, having fellowship with other believers, loving others out of gratitude and not arrogance, serving each other out of love and not self righteousness.
- Have you experienced the embrace of our True Loving God?
- Do you know the fullness of life available to you in Jesus Christ?
- Have you experienced the joy of newness of life?
- Do you know the Prince of peace who quiets all stress and strife in your life?
- Do you have any questions about God or things I can pray for you concerning?
- What is the best thing and the worst thing you have ever heard about God?
- Have you ever known religion and religious people to misrepresent the HEART of God?
- How do you and your family feel about God?
Are we truly WITNESSING as an AMBASSADOR or building God's Kingdom if WE are NOT asking these questions of people and sharing OUR FAITH and why he have this FAITH.
Thank you Lord for the tool of witnessing to use as a sword in our special service as an ambassador for You and this opportunity to share YOUR WORD through my testimonies and the message of the gospel to friends, family, and visitors, in YOUR name Jesus Christ, amen.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
BATTLE for OUR SOUL
Dear Family, Friends, and Visitors,
What does it mean to be SAVED? What does it mean to be LOST? If you know you have a SOUL or spirit and it means something to you, then is it LOST or SAVED? I started this BLOG because I recognized that there are a lot of LOST people out there that need to be SAVED, including myself. Those of us that know we have a soul or spirit believe in the spiritual world. The spiritual world that I believe in is a world that is in constant BATTLE for OUR SOUL in the form of many ways here on earth including, but not limited to:
• GOOD vs evil
• RIGHT vs wrong
• THE CREATOR vs the accuser
• LIGHT vs dark
• CHURCH vs cult
• FAMILY vs isolation
• ANGELS vs demons
• FAITHFUL vs unreliable
• HEAVEN vs hell
• SELFLESS vs selfish
• ETERNAL LIFE vs death
• EASY YOKE vs hard yoke
• LOVE vs hate
• COMPASSIONATE vs merciless
• TRUTH vs lies
• UNBURNED vs burned
• BLESSED vs miserable
• FORGIVENESS vs resentment
• PEACE vs worry
• PURE MOTIVE vs manipulative motive
• ACCEPTED vs rejected
• HUMBLE vs prideful
• SELF CONTROLLED vs out of control
• APPROACHABLE vs unkind
• GOODNESS vs evilness
• JESUS vs Satan
This is the spiritual world fighting for OUR SOUL. Now that I've got your attention about our souls, what does this have to do with being saved or whether or not it is lost? Lets talk a little more about the spirit.
I have often heard people say things like:
"I really felt the holy spirit today flowing within me."
"That spirit drink was really good last night."
"Are we in good spirits today?"
"The spirit consumed me and I was able to comfort a women today."
"I really felt the spirit present when the brothers in the priesthood were there."
"I felt the spirit overwhelm me and it healed me."
"The spirit allowed me to speak another language."
"The spirit allowed me to be able to heal and know things about people I didn't know previously."
"We must seek the spirit earnestly as the best gift from our heavenly father."
"The holy spirit really touched my heart today, causing me to cry."
"I really felt the holy ghost's presence today."
Ok, so there is a spiritual world and everyone is talking about the spirit and having access to the spirit, almost if there is a spirit that we should be tapping into, feeling, and allowing us to do wonderful things with.
But which spirit are we talking about? There is such a fine line between all of those GOOD vs evil comparisons above and the list will grow as I think of them, who's to tell? If the spiritual world is GOOD vs evil or any of the examples above, and we believe in at least that, then who's SIDE are we on, what spirit are we accessing? Who is to say it the GOOD spirit and not the evil spirit.
Are we so LOST that we might not know that we need to be SAVED yet, not recognizing the spiritual battle for our soul? Do you think our soul is fine even if we might be accessing the wrong spirit through man-made religion or what I like to call the false teachings of who God really is. And the real question is who is going to WIN when it comes to Good vs evil when wrestling with our individual souls if we are worshiping the wrong spirit or a false god and putting our faith in the wrong things without even realizing it?
I truly believe we were created for a purpose, created to worship something and created to have faith in something. Some of us choose different religions, different practices and different things to worship and have faith in. Some will worship a book and put their entire faith and sacredness on a Book, and this includes the Bible. Some people just worship the things of the world and put their faith in it. Some people worship themselves or their jobs. Everyone will worship and then in turn put their faith in something based on that worship.
Using the words Worship and Faith a lot, I thought I would look up the words worship and faith in my American College Dictionary:
WORSHIP - reverent honor and homage given to God or a sacred personage; or to any object regarded as sacred; adoring reverence or regard
So we could pretty much worship any person or any object or animal. Basically any NOUN, being a person, place, or thing based on the definition. When we give honor, praise, and gratitude to our SACRED NOUN, we can do it in many different forms.
Some man-made religions or false teachings have people sacrificing animals or cutting themselves open to release bad spirits, like in the Old Testament. Or people are worshiping rats or other animals in some countries, where the animal supposedly has the spirit of the God they worship. Some people worship temples, some people worship the Bible, some people worship statues, and in many of the man-made religions today people are paying homage or worshiping and doing religious acts for the DEAD!
This never made sense and sounds a little scary if you ask me. An old lady I worked with at the casino years ago knew I went to church and always asked me to pray for her and her family. She came to me one day and said, "Tonya, I need you to pray for Bobby, pray for his soul, he passed away last night." I thought to myself, wow, I've never prayed for the DEAD before, and then told her "Jeanie, we need to be praying for his family and his friends who are living and have faith that God has reasons for his death." His soul, like the souls of many in the past, is already in the spiritual world or beyond and can't be SAVED.
Knowing what we know about the thin line or shadow of the spiritual world, why would I want anything to do with those who have already DIED, when there are so many LOST SOULS still living that need to be SAVED. I don't want to baptize for the DEAD, or perform ritualistic acts that cause me to worship an object for the DEAD. This is the perfect example of false teachings and false religions which are purely man-made to draw us away from the TRUE and Living GOD. As we are drawn further and further away from the TRUE and Living GOD, we slowly begin to lose the BATTLE for OUR SOUL taking place in the spiritual world.
The TRUE and Living God is concerned with the living SOULS and His antonym wants to get us too occupied worshiping the false gods which somehow gets us trying to tap into the spiritual world as we begin to have FAITH in this WORLD.
Dictionary Definition of FAITH:
FAITH -confidence or trust in one person or thing; belief which is not based on proof; the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promises, vows, etc.; that trust in God and His promises as made through Christ by which man is justified or saved.
So we are created to WORSHIP and have FAITH, which is confidence or trust in someone or something and giving the credit where the credit is due. Also to have FAITH, we don't need to see proof, we simply BELIEVE, which shows our FAITH. I love the last definition listed for FAITH and that was the promise made by Christ Jesus, that it is by FAITH that we are justified or SAVED. What a relief it is that we are SAVED by FAITH and FAITH alone, not by our WORKS or what we do in this lifetime. Since the fall of man(Adam and Eve), we have missed the mark(SIN) or have become a sinner and will always be a sinner and we need saving.
So to answer the question to start the BLOG, what does it mean to be SAVED? It first means recognizing that we have missed the mark and are a sinner and that we need a savior to worship and have faith in, to adore and have a promise by HIM to hold onto.
I truly believe that GOD saw how sinful the human nature had become and came down in human form, in the form of Jesus Christ and enduring all of the temptations, tribulations,and persecutions that we struggle with daily in this valley of the shadow of death to justify all of us and our sinful ways. He DIED for all of us and showed us the true meaning of love. His DEATH built a bridge between Him and humanity, Jesus said more than once and in more than one way, "I am the truth, I am the way, and I am the light."
If we are going to worship someone and have faith in something that will SAVE our SOULS, lets have faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and nothing else. Lets recognize false teachings that will lead us away from Jesus and not seek to tap into the spiritual world without first knowing the TRUE and Living GOD, which would be the only spirit I would want to have contact with. The TRUE spirit loves us, is content with us or accepts us for who we are, is patient with us in our walk, is kind and just even when we don't deserve it, and takes care of us throughout eternity. This is someone to WORSHIP and have FAITH in.
Thank you Lord for this opportunity to worship You freely through blogging, writing, and praying and the opportunity to share Your message of the gospel to family, friends, and visitors of the BLOG and I ask in faith that you bless each of them and I pray in faith that if any of them are being led astray by false religion or false teachings, that You pull them back, save their soul, and begin to show Your love that allows them to become the person that You wanted them to become as a child of God, if it is in Your will, we love You, and I say this in Your name Jesus Christ, amen.
Tonya
www.flywithchrist.blogspot.com
www.savelostsouls.blogspot.com
www.bigsistertutoring.blogspot.com
Suggested Bible Readings:
Galatians Chapter 5 Verses 13-26
Ephesians Chapter 2 Verses 8-10
John Chapters 1-21 All Verses
Psalm 23
What does it mean to be SAVED? What does it mean to be LOST? If you know you have a SOUL or spirit and it means something to you, then is it LOST or SAVED? I started this BLOG because I recognized that there are a lot of LOST people out there that need to be SAVED, including myself. Those of us that know we have a soul or spirit believe in the spiritual world. The spiritual world that I believe in is a world that is in constant BATTLE for OUR SOUL in the form of many ways here on earth including, but not limited to:
• GOOD vs evil
• RIGHT vs wrong
• THE CREATOR vs the accuser
• LIGHT vs dark
• CHURCH vs cult
• FAMILY vs isolation
• ANGELS vs demons
• FAITHFUL vs unreliable
• HEAVEN vs hell
• SELFLESS vs selfish
• ETERNAL LIFE vs death
• EASY YOKE vs hard yoke
• LOVE vs hate
• COMPASSIONATE vs merciless
• TRUTH vs lies
• UNBURNED vs burned
• BLESSED vs miserable
• FORGIVENESS vs resentment
• PEACE vs worry
• PURE MOTIVE vs manipulative motive
• ACCEPTED vs rejected
• HUMBLE vs prideful
• SELF CONTROLLED vs out of control
• APPROACHABLE vs unkind
• GOODNESS vs evilness
• JESUS vs Satan
This is the spiritual world fighting for OUR SOUL. Now that I've got your attention about our souls, what does this have to do with being saved or whether or not it is lost? Lets talk a little more about the spirit.
I have often heard people say things like:
"I really felt the holy spirit today flowing within me."
"That spirit drink was really good last night."
"Are we in good spirits today?"
"The spirit consumed me and I was able to comfort a women today."
"I really felt the spirit present when the brothers in the priesthood were there."
"I felt the spirit overwhelm me and it healed me."
"The spirit allowed me to speak another language."
"The spirit allowed me to be able to heal and know things about people I didn't know previously."
"We must seek the spirit earnestly as the best gift from our heavenly father."
"The holy spirit really touched my heart today, causing me to cry."
"I really felt the holy ghost's presence today."
Ok, so there is a spiritual world and everyone is talking about the spirit and having access to the spirit, almost if there is a spirit that we should be tapping into, feeling, and allowing us to do wonderful things with.
But which spirit are we talking about? There is such a fine line between all of those GOOD vs evil comparisons above and the list will grow as I think of them, who's to tell? If the spiritual world is GOOD vs evil or any of the examples above, and we believe in at least that, then who's SIDE are we on, what spirit are we accessing? Who is to say it the GOOD spirit and not the evil spirit.
Are we so LOST that we might not know that we need to be SAVED yet, not recognizing the spiritual battle for our soul? Do you think our soul is fine even if we might be accessing the wrong spirit through man-made religion or what I like to call the false teachings of who God really is. And the real question is who is going to WIN when it comes to Good vs evil when wrestling with our individual souls if we are worshiping the wrong spirit or a false god and putting our faith in the wrong things without even realizing it?
I truly believe we were created for a purpose, created to worship something and created to have faith in something. Some of us choose different religions, different practices and different things to worship and have faith in. Some will worship a book and put their entire faith and sacredness on a Book, and this includes the Bible. Some people just worship the things of the world and put their faith in it. Some people worship themselves or their jobs. Everyone will worship and then in turn put their faith in something based on that worship.
Using the words Worship and Faith a lot, I thought I would look up the words worship and faith in my American College Dictionary:
WORSHIP - reverent honor and homage given to God or a sacred personage; or to any object regarded as sacred; adoring reverence or regard
So we could pretty much worship any person or any object or animal. Basically any NOUN, being a person, place, or thing based on the definition. When we give honor, praise, and gratitude to our SACRED NOUN, we can do it in many different forms.
Some man-made religions or false teachings have people sacrificing animals or cutting themselves open to release bad spirits, like in the Old Testament. Or people are worshiping rats or other animals in some countries, where the animal supposedly has the spirit of the God they worship. Some people worship temples, some people worship the Bible, some people worship statues, and in many of the man-made religions today people are paying homage or worshiping and doing religious acts for the DEAD!
This never made sense and sounds a little scary if you ask me. An old lady I worked with at the casino years ago knew I went to church and always asked me to pray for her and her family. She came to me one day and said, "Tonya, I need you to pray for Bobby, pray for his soul, he passed away last night." I thought to myself, wow, I've never prayed for the DEAD before, and then told her "Jeanie, we need to be praying for his family and his friends who are living and have faith that God has reasons for his death." His soul, like the souls of many in the past, is already in the spiritual world or beyond and can't be SAVED.
Knowing what we know about the thin line or shadow of the spiritual world, why would I want anything to do with those who have already DIED, when there are so many LOST SOULS still living that need to be SAVED. I don't want to baptize for the DEAD, or perform ritualistic acts that cause me to worship an object for the DEAD. This is the perfect example of false teachings and false religions which are purely man-made to draw us away from the TRUE and Living GOD. As we are drawn further and further away from the TRUE and Living GOD, we slowly begin to lose the BATTLE for OUR SOUL taking place in the spiritual world.
The TRUE and Living God is concerned with the living SOULS and His antonym wants to get us too occupied worshiping the false gods which somehow gets us trying to tap into the spiritual world as we begin to have FAITH in this WORLD.
Dictionary Definition of FAITH:
FAITH -confidence or trust in one person or thing; belief which is not based on proof; the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promises, vows, etc.; that trust in God and His promises as made through Christ by which man is justified or saved.
So we are created to WORSHIP and have FAITH, which is confidence or trust in someone or something and giving the credit where the credit is due. Also to have FAITH, we don't need to see proof, we simply BELIEVE, which shows our FAITH. I love the last definition listed for FAITH and that was the promise made by Christ Jesus, that it is by FAITH that we are justified or SAVED. What a relief it is that we are SAVED by FAITH and FAITH alone, not by our WORKS or what we do in this lifetime. Since the fall of man(Adam and Eve), we have missed the mark(SIN) or have become a sinner and will always be a sinner and we need saving.
So to answer the question to start the BLOG, what does it mean to be SAVED? It first means recognizing that we have missed the mark and are a sinner and that we need a savior to worship and have faith in, to adore and have a promise by HIM to hold onto.
I truly believe that GOD saw how sinful the human nature had become and came down in human form, in the form of Jesus Christ and enduring all of the temptations, tribulations,and persecutions that we struggle with daily in this valley of the shadow of death to justify all of us and our sinful ways. He DIED for all of us and showed us the true meaning of love. His DEATH built a bridge between Him and humanity, Jesus said more than once and in more than one way, "I am the truth, I am the way, and I am the light."
If we are going to worship someone and have faith in something that will SAVE our SOULS, lets have faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and nothing else. Lets recognize false teachings that will lead us away from Jesus and not seek to tap into the spiritual world without first knowing the TRUE and Living GOD, which would be the only spirit I would want to have contact with. The TRUE spirit loves us, is content with us or accepts us for who we are, is patient with us in our walk, is kind and just even when we don't deserve it, and takes care of us throughout eternity. This is someone to WORSHIP and have FAITH in.
Thank you Lord for this opportunity to worship You freely through blogging, writing, and praying and the opportunity to share Your message of the gospel to family, friends, and visitors of the BLOG and I ask in faith that you bless each of them and I pray in faith that if any of them are being led astray by false religion or false teachings, that You pull them back, save their soul, and begin to show Your love that allows them to become the person that You wanted them to become as a child of God, if it is in Your will, we love You, and I say this in Your name Jesus Christ, amen.
Tonya
www.flywithchrist.blogspot.com
www.savelostsouls.blogspot.com
www.bigsistertutoring.blogspot.com
Suggested Bible Readings:
Galatians Chapter 5 Verses 13-26
Ephesians Chapter 2 Verses 8-10
John Chapters 1-21 All Verses
Psalm 23
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