Discouragement: What to do?

Maybe you have lost your job. Maybe you can't find job. Or perhaps your discouragement has nothing to do with employment. It could be a relationship, health, money problems? Oh, the list can go on and the sad truth is that everyone has wrestled with discouragement. Someone can help. It is the Lord. You might pray to our Father in Jesus' name with the help of the Holy Spirit. It's easy. Get your Bible out, or go on line and spend some time in His Word. Open your heart and let these words seep into your being... Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phillipians 4:6-8). Now go to Psalm 31:24, Psalm 138:7, Psalm 27:1-14 (a favorite), John 14:1-3 and 27, and Hebrews 13:6. Truly, if God is my helper and my salvation, who or what can I fear?

Does Good Get You Into Heaven?

There has always been discussion on who goes to heaven. Many people believe that if you are "good" you will make it to the pearly gates. As Christians, we don't believe this, because, really,--how good is good enough? Pick up the book by that title written by Andy Stanley. It's an eye opener for those who think that if they are 'good', they will get to heaven regardless of how many times they have violated their own so-called goodness by sinning. Of course there are those who don't believe in God, much less heaven, but if you do believe in both, consider what makes sense. God's truth regarding salvation or your perception of salvation? Goodness is in the eye of the beholder. Truth is a fact. As Andy Stanley says, "Good people don't go to heaven. Forgiven people go to heaven." Our Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins so that if we believed on what he did for us, we would be forgiven and gain entrance to heaven. Our faith and our trust needs to be in what the Lord did for us, not what we do for ourselves or others. John 3:16 says it all: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Grab your Bible and read: Hebrews 11:6, Romans 3:23, John 3:17, and Ephesians 2:8,9