Hello! My name is
Crystal and I want to thank you so much for taking the time to read this
blog. I hope it will help encourage you
and maybe help you as you witness to people around you. Mainly, I have created this blog for those
who have not given their life to Christ.
I want to talk personally to you so here goes…
First, I want to ask you if there’s something or someone in
your life that you love dearly; you love them so much that you can’t imagine
loving them more? You can’t picture love
like that being trumped by anyone. While
I understand that love because I love my daughter, parents, and family just as
much, there’s a love far greater than that. God loves us more than we can
know. Our human minds can’t comprehend
the expansive love of God. He loves you
right now and every day since before the Earth was formed. He knew you would be born, what you’d look
like, every step you’d take in your life, every success and failure you’d have,
and every sin you’d commit. There’s
nothing that you’ve done that God doesn’t know about, and guess what….He adores
you! His love is boundless for you! Why else would He send His Son, Jesus, to die
for you on the cross? He couldn’t stand
the thought of you taking the horrible punishment for your sins. He wants you near Him always, from every day
you live here on earth and beyond.
Next, I want to tell you that God is attainable. I think that some people who haven’t had a
personal relationship with Him may picture God and Jesus sitting on huge thrones
and they’re far too big and mighty to hear your prayers. They’re too intimidating to talk to. That isn’t true at all. While on earth, Jesus said that He’s the only
way to God. Talk to Him and He will
speak to God for you. Jesus hears your
prayers. He said that if you call out His
name, He will hear. Jesus wants you to
call out to Him, not with rehearsed, fancy words, but as you would talk to your friends. He wants to be as personal with you as you’ll
let Him be. Even the smallest things He’ll be
happy to listen to. I can’t tell you how
many times I’ve asked Him to help me find my car keys and open jars. I don’t have to use elaborate words. Just a simple, “Okay, Jesus, will you help me
open this jam jar before I throw it out the window?” He helps me every time. Just talk to Him like you would with anyone
else.
For a while now I’ve felt an ache in my heart for those who
don’t know Jesus. Maybe it’s because of
the things going on in our world and how many people say that we’re living in
the last days before Jesus returns for those who love Him. The rest will remain here to endure the worst
seven years the world has ever seen. It
makes me sad and a bit nauseous to think of anyone left here when they have the
option to be spared from it. In my mind
I think the decision is simple because who wouldn’t want boundless love? Who wouldn’t want to walk this world and know
you’re not walking alone? Who wouldn’t
want the assurance that, when their life here is over, they will be in paradise
for eternity? Of course I realize that
not everyone thinks like me, but can I tell you why I have this faith in God
and the assurance of where my fate lies?
Can I show you how you can have the same faith and assurance?
If your answer is yes, I’d like to give you a
journal that my cousins, Jessica and Charity, and I put together for our family. Some entries were written by one of us, while others are things we’ve found various places that
have helped us in our faith. This journal talks
about God’s love for you, what He wants for your life, what He commands, what
happens when someone doesn’t obey His commands, and what our eternity will be
like if we follow Him. We give this to
you because, though we may not be relatives now, we would love for you to be our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.That would make us so happy; even more than that, it would make our Father in Heaven
happy, too!
Here’s the journal and we pray that you not only read it, but
share it with people you know who may find encouragement by it….
******************************************************
A LETTER FROM GOD
My
Child, you may not know me, but I know everything about you (Psalm 139:3). I know when you sit down and when you rise
up. (Psalm 139:2). I am familiar with
all your ways (Psalm 139:3). Even the very hairs on your head are numbered (Matthew 10:29-31). You were made in my image (Genesis 1:27). In me you live and
move and have your being (Acts 17-28).
For you are my offspring (Acts 17:28). I knew you even before you were
conceived (Jeremiah 1:4-5). I chose you
when I planned creation (Ephesians 1:11-12).
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book (Psalm
139:15-16). I
determined the exact time
of your birth and where you would live (Acts 17:26). You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm
17:26). I knit you together in your
mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). And
brought you forth on the day you were born (Psalm 71:6). I have been misrepresented by those who don’t
know me (John 8:41-44). I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love (1 John 3:1). And it is my desire to lavish my love on you
simply because you are my child and I am your Father (1 John 3:1). I offer you more than your earthly father
could (Matthew 7:11). I am the perfect
Father (Matthew 5:48). Every good gift
that you receive comes from my hand (James 1:17). I am your provider and I meet all your needs (Matthew 6:31-33). My plan for your
future has always been filled with hope (Jeremiah 31:3). Because I love you with an everlasting love
(Jeremiah 31:3). My thoughts toward you
are countless as the sand on the seashore (Psalm 139:17-18). And I rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). I will never stop
doing good to you (Jeremiah 32:40). You
are my treasured possession (Exodus 19:5).
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul (Jeremiah
32:41). And I want to show you great and marvelous things (Jeremiah 33:3).
*******************************************
Love and Encouragement from
Jessica….
It’s
tough living in the world today. There
is bad news all day, every day. We have
more stress than ever. Our bodies and
minds fail us. We worry about family,
work, money, and health…the list goes on and on. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by trouble and
fear. It’s impossible for us to always
figure out the plan within ourselves a way to make it all okay all of the
time-to avoid all of life’s troubles.
What
we do have is a helper - a giver of hope - that we have free, unlimited access
to at any time. God sees you as His
child. A child that He loves dearly,
even more than we can imagine, even more than we love our own children. Because we are His children He wants to be
there for us, to rescue us, to comfort us, to defend us, to fight for us, and
to save us.
He
wants to know our troubles big or small.
He comforts us with open arms when we hurt and even when we mess
up. Yes - even when we mess up. He even rejoices when we turn to Him and ask
for forgiveness. He longs to set us on
the right path because He loves us.
Don’t
believe what the world says. The world
says that there are certain wrongs that are worse than others. Many believe that some things just cannot be
forgiven. This comes from people, not
God. It is not the truth. God desires that even the murderer turn from
his sin, ask for forgiveness, and to experience a life full of His love and
grace. Don’t let anyone make you believe
that you cannot be forgiven by God. He
only wants us to turn away from sin, ask for forgiveness, believe that Jesus
died so that we can be forgiven, and look to Him for wisdom and guidance
daily.
God
loves you so much that He wants to see you happy, successful, and content. This doesn’t mean that He is some genie
granting wishes when we ask. We may
never have large bank accounts but the key is in being content. Look around at what we have and simply be
thankful and enjoy those blessings to the fullest. Enjoy your family, your home, the sunshine,
enjoy the falling of leaves. Always look
for ways to find contentment, not ways to have more and more. It is a losing game that steals our
contentment and joy.
He
also wants to have a daily relationship with you that look like your other
relationships here. He wants to talk with us on a regular
basis. He wants to show you how much He
cares for you and He wants to hear how much you care for Him. He wants to hear and be there with us in our
hurts, excitement, worries, and joy. He
wants us to communicate with Him daily.
Some
people think that prayer has to be formal with specific layouts, only done
before meals, at church, or at a funeral spoken in fancy language full of
‘church words’. I’m not trying to say
that God doesn’t like that kind of prayer or that it’s bad but that isn’t the
only way we talk to God. He wants us to
talk to Him like we would our spouses, or a friend, or our parents. You can pray in your thoughts, or in a quiet
voice, or loudly at any time or place about anything. The Bible says pray without ceasing.
Many
times through the day something will come to my mind and I may simply think in
my head “Lord give me strength” or Lord help me with this” or “Thank you for my
family”. Those are all prayers as long
as we are ‘speaking’ to the Lord.
Once
you start having a relationship with God, be open to signs big and small for
Him to show you that He is working in your life in different situations. He often shows us reminders of His presence
and His working in our lives.
I’ve
had many times where I’ve been nervous or afraid and I will pray and then I
will see something or someone will say something that is an obvious,
overwhelming sign that He is there and He heard me. We only need to be open to these signs.
Take
time when you are stressed or overwhelmed and walk among nature. Think about each animal, each tree, each
plant, each flower – all of the small details that go into each. God created all of these things – every tiny
detail. You will be amazed. This often
gets my mind away from troubles and reminds me how great He is – He is great
and yet He wants to spend time with me – to help me – to have a relationship
with me – to shower me with His love.
In
this world it is often difficult to keep our mind on such things. It has to be an intentional thing that we
make time for. When I find it hard to
focus on positive things each day, it’s then that I find that I must remind
myself of His promises that are found in the Bible. The Bible is full of promises that are just
as real today as they were back thousands of years ago. His promises never fail no matter what it
looks like to us. His promises are still
true. We can’t see the whole picture and
even when things look bad, God wants to turn us around for good. If you think on these promises daily, they
will give you peace, hope, joy, rest, and direction. They turn your mind from fear to Him and the
help only He can give.
I
would like to share some of the promises straight from the Bible that have
helped me. Feel free to discover other
promises in the Bible. Think on them
often to help keep in your heart and mind in a positive place. You will notice a difference if you make an
effort to be persistent and truly believe in the promises he has given……..
‘He has given as his great and precious promises
so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the
corruption in the world caused by evil desires.’ 2 Peter 1:4
‘Do not be anxious about anything, rather bring
up all your requests to God and your prayers and petitions, along with giving
thanks. Then the peace of God that
exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.’ Phillippians 4:6-7
‘His anger lasts for only a second, but his
favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay
all night but joy comes in the morning.’
Psalm 30:5
‘Then you will call, and the Lord will answer
your cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am.”.’ Isaiah 58:9
‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only to
be still.’ Exodus 14:14
‘The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.’
Psalm 34:17
‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares
the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and
a future.’
Jeremiah 29:11
‘I sought the Lord and he answered me; he
delivered me from all my fears.’ Psalm
34:4
‘When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love,
oh Lord, supported me. When anxiety was
great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.’ Psalm 94:18-19
‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares
for you.’ 1Peter 5:7
‘…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world.’ John 16:33
‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your
life, what you will eat or drink; and about your body, what will you wear. Is not life more important than food, and the
body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow
or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour
to his life? And why do you worry about
clothes? See how the lilies of the field
grow? They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all
of his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today
and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you? Oh you of little faith? So do not worry,
saying what shall we eat? Or what shall
we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after these things, and
your heavenly father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well. Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’ Matthew 6:25-34
‘Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give
you the desires of your heart.’ Psalm
37:4
‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present
help in trouble.’
Psalm 46:1
‘Keep this book of the law (Bible) always on
your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do
everything in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful.’ Joshua 1:8
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make
your paths straight.’ Proverbs 3:5-6
‘Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord
will personally go ahead of you. He will
be with you, he will never fail you or abandon you.’ Deuteronomy 31:8
‘Oh Lord my God you have performed many wonders
for us. Your plans for us are too
numerous to list. You have no
equal. If I tried to recite all your
wonderful deeds I would never come to the end of them.’Psalm 40:5
****************************************
God’s
Love For You
‘This is what real love is. It is not our love of God; it is God’s love
for us in sending His Son to be the way to take away our sins.’ 1 John 4:10
‘No, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him who loved us. For
I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything
else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Romans 8:37-39
‘He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs into His arms and
carries them close to His heart. He
gently leads those that have young.’
Isaiah 40:17
‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one
and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal
life.’ John 3:16
‘The Father Himself loves you. He loves you because you loved Me (Jesus) and
believed that I came from God.’ 1John
16:27
****************************************
*********************************************************************
What the Bible says about….
Sin
‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God.’ -Romans 3:23
‘All of us have become like who is unclean, and all
our righteous acts like filthy rags. We
all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.’ -Isaiah 64:6
‘He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but
whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.’ -Proverbs 28:13
‘Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and
doesn’t do it, sins.’ -James 4:17
‘The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual
immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord,
jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy,
drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I
warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the
Kingdom of God.’ -Galatians 5:19-20
‘Put to death, therefore, whatever impurity, lust,
evil desires and greed, which are idolatry.
Because of these, the wrath of God is.’ -Colossians 3:5-6
Punishment for Sin
‘He who punish those who do not know God and do not
obey the Lord Jesus.
The will be
punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the
Lord.’ -2 Thessalonians 1:8
‘There will be trouble and distress for every human
being who does evil.’ -Romans 2:8
‘If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of
life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.’
-Revelation 20:15
‘Then He will say to those on His left, “Depart from
me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels. –Matthew 25:41
‘But transgressors will be altogether destroyed: The
posterity of the wicked will be cut off.’
-Psalm 37:38
‘But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant
heart you are storing up the wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous, judgment of God, who will render to each person
according to his deeds.’ -Romans 2:5-6
Forgiveness
“I (Jesus) have not come to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance.” -Luke
5:32
‘Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of
you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.” Acts 2:38
(Jesus said) “This is my blood of the covenant which
is poured out for the many for the forgiveness of sins.” –Matthew 26-28
‘Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that
through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.’ –Acts 13-38
‘Then I confess my sins to you and didn’t hide my
guilt. I said, “I will confess my sins
to the Lord and You forgave me of my guilt.’ –Psalm 32:5
************************************************
Love and Encouragement From Charity:
And
God Gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I
asked for Wisdom….
And
God gave me problems
to
solve.
I
asked for Prosperity…
And
God gave me brain and brawn to work.
I
asked for Courage…
And
God gave me danger
to
overcome.
I
asked for Favors…
And
God gave me opportunities.
I
received nothing I wanted…
I
received everything I needed.
Trust
in God
************************************************
The Sinner’s
Prayer
‘Happy is he who has forgiveness for his wrongdoing, and
whose sin is covered.’ Psalm 25:11
‘That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved. For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and
are saved.’ Romans 10:9-10
Dear God, I know that
I am a sinner. I’m sorry for those sins
and ask for your forgiveness. You said
that if I turn from sin and give my life to Jesus, who died on the cross for
me, I will be saved. I give my life to
Him now and confess that He is Lord of my soul.
Thank You for saving me. I ask
that you help me live as I should and ensure that when my life here is over, I
will spend eternity with you in Heaven.
I ask these things in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
************************************
The
Rapture
‘For the Lord Himself will descend
from Heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the
sound of the trumpet of God. And the
dead in Christ will rise first. Then we
who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these
words.’
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
‘Then will appear in Heaven the
sign of the Son of Man and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven with power and
great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they
will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the
other. Matthew 24:30-31
‘But our citizenship is in Heaven,
and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our
lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him, even to
subject all things to Himself.’ Philippians 3:20-21
“And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, you
may be also.”
John 14:3
**********************************************
What Will Happen to Those Left
Behind After the Rapture?
God forbid any of us are left
here after the rapture, so let’s just say someone named Ted is left here.
First of all, Ted will be
shocked, panicked, and terrified. He’s
going about his life just as he always has then, without warning, millions of
people disappear. Some people believe that after the rapture, there may be
rumors that the millions of people who suddenly left the earth is the work of
UFO’s, a government program, or some sort of conspiracy. If Ted read the Bible or has something like
this journal, he won’t believe it. He
would know that Jesus has come for those who have given their lives to
Him. He would know that he, and all who
are left behind, are about to live through the Great Tribulation. It is seven terrifying years in which God
turns away from the earth and Satan takes over.
It is the punishment to those who didn’t follow Him.
Ted may think, “But I know there
is a God. Why did I get left behind?” The answer is that Ted never let GOD know HIM. See, it is one thing to know there is a God;
know about His Son, Jesus. But to be a
child of God, you must put your full faith and trust in Him. Cast away any sin that you knowingly
commit. We are called the ‘Bride of
Christ’. Jesus doesn’t want a broken
bride. He doesn’t want us to be sinful
and unrepentant. He DOES want us to give
our lives to Him, just as He gave His life for us. He wants us to confess our
sins and let Him turn us into the beautiful, pure, and blameless bride He wants
us to be. Ted being left behind is proof
that he didn’t do those things which make him a child of God.
The great news is that, despite
being left behind, Ted will still have the opportunity to give his life to God
and be saved. Jesus said that if you
call His name, He will listen. Just
because the world will be ruled by Satan, Jesus will still save your soul so
that, whether you die or make it through the seven years, you will still be
with Him in Heaven after Satan is defeated and we live with God for
eternity. If Ted says the Sinner’s
Prayer and gives his life to God, he can take comfort that, no matter how
terrible the earth becomes, his destiny will be secure in Heaven.
The Bible, while sometimes can be
hard to understand, gives us a picture of what the seven years of tribulation
will be like and the timing of things that will happen. First, the Antichrist will appear. He, while giving the appearance of a peaceful
and helpful leader, is the human embodiment of Satan. We are told in the Bible that he will be a
great leader who promises peace and order to the world. He will require everyone to take a mark, or
some people think it will be a chip, on their forehead or right hand in order
to buy and sell things like food and supplies.
DO NOT TAKE THE MARK!
It is called the Mark of the
Beast and will force everyone to worship the antichrist. If they do this, they will have given their
soul to him and will lose their favor with God and be cast into hell when Satan
in defeated after the seven year tribulation.
The Bible speaks of earthquakes,
meteors, darkness, demons, famine, and diseases during the seven years of
tribulation. It also speaks of two men
that will appear in Jerusalem who will help spread the word that Jesus is the
Messiah and Lord. Millions of people
will be saved then.
In those seven years, it will be
very dangerous to be a Christian so it will be very important for Ted to find
other Christians. The antichrist will
behead anyone who doesn’t worship him so he will need their encouragement and
strength.
The book of Revelation in the
Bible gives more detail on what will happen during the Great Tribulation. As unbelievable as these things may sound, it
is the truth given to us by God. That is
why it is so important for everyone to give their lives to Jesus now before
they are faced with the Great Tribulation.
Pastors, Prophets, Rabbis, and other men and women in ministry agree
that, because of the sinful nature our world has become, Jesus will be coming
for his bride soon and who is left will half to face seven years of
punishment. It was never the intention
of God that any of us should be sent to hell.
He wants everyone to spend eternity with Him. All we need to do is give our lives to Him.
********************************
What will
Heaven look like?
‘It shone like the glory of God,
and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like jasper, clear
as crystal. It had a great, high wall
with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel. There were
three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three on the south and three
on the west. The wall of the city had
twelve foundations and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb. The angel who talked with me had a
measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square with the
rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia (1,400 miles) in length, and as wide as it
is long. The angel measured the wall
using human measurements and it was 144 cubits (200 feet) thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of
pure gold, as pure as glass. The
foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious
stone. The first foundation was jasper,
the second was sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx,
the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the
tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each
gate was of gold as pure as transparent glass.
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are its temple. The city does
not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it
light, and the lamb is its light. The
nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their
splendor into it. On no day will its
gates ever shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought
into it. Nothing impure will ever enter
it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those
whose names are written in the Lamb’s book
of Life.’ -Revelation 10:21-27
****************************************************
Now we pray that you will let what we've shown you into your heart. Remember, God loves you. He wants you in His kingdom forever. Don't let insecurities you may feel or doubt keep you from His care. Just as you are right now, He loves you. Don't think you have to get things in your life in order before you give your life to Him. Come to Him now and let Him help you get things in order.
We also pray that you will share this journal with everyone you may think can benefit from it.
May God bless you and keep you in His care.
We love you!
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