Christians-Today Ministry

The People of Haiti Need Your Help Now

Ordinarily I write about what it means to be a Christian and why we are called by God to do certain things. Today I come to you as a concerned United States Citizen and as a Christian, urging you to step up to the plate and do your part in the humanitarian effort for the Haitian earthquake victims. On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Haiti suffered a catastrophic earthquake that left tens of thousands dead and many more injured, and without food, water or shelter. The bible states that in the end times that there will be great earthquakes and famines. Luke 21, verses 10-11 states:

¹⁰Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”

Mark 13:8 states:

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

Those of you who know the written word of God may be wondering if this particular earthquake is one of those signs. Personally, I don’t know if it is or not, and I believe that right now as Christians, we shouldn’t be placing our focus on that. We should be focusing our attention on the humanitarian effort and asking ourselves “What can I do to help the Haitian people?” This morning on CNN President Obama, along with former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton gave a speech, rallying the American people to come together as a nation in a humanitarian effort to help save the lives of the Haitian people, and help them to reclaim and rebuild their country.

The two Former Presidents Clinton and Bush have established a website where you can go to donate toward saving the lives of the people of Haiti. From a statement on their website here is what they are saying:

“Through the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, we will work to provide immediate relief and long-term support to earthquake survivors. We will channel the collective goodwill around the globe to help the people of Haiti rebuild their cities, their neighborhoods, and their families.”

Won’t you please join in this effort as a Christian, as a decent Human Being and as my Brothers and Sisters in Christ? Even if you can only donate $5 or $10, I believe that every little bit helps and we can make this world a better place - even if it is just a little bit at a time.

To make a donation and learn more about this fund, please visit: CLINTON BUSH HAITI FUND

Also, I believe that prayer can move mountains. If you find it in your heart, please pray for the Haitian Nation that God will have mercy on them and that He will bless them, making them strong. Please pray that those He has claimed as His, will come to know Jesus as their Savior.

May God Bless You,

Cindy

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Isaiah 53:5 (NIV): But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Often you will hear Christians talking about “The Blood of Jesus” or “The Blood of the Lamb”; and some of you may not fully understand what it is that they are referring to. You see, human beings are creatures that are sinful by nature, and there is only one way in which we can be reconciled to God; and that is by our sins being washed clean by the Blood of Jesus (sometimes referred to as the Blood of the Lamb). If you do not understand what this means, then I am sure that it may sound a bit far-fetched, considering the color of blood. However, in the Kingdom of God, it is only by blood that one’s sins can be washed white as snow. It is only by the Blood of Jesus that we can be forgiven of our sins and be freed from our guilt as sinners. It is only by the blood of Jesus that we are able to be reconciled to God, and dwell with Him in Heaven forever. Here is what 1 John says about The Blood of Jesus:

1 John 1:5-10 ~ Walking in the Light

5 This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.

The History of “The Blood”

Adam and Eve were the first  to introduce sin into God’s perfect and sinless world. It was in the Garden of Eden that Eve first disobeyed God and caused her husband Adam to sin as well. After this, God banished them both from the garden; and because they had eaten from the forbidden Tree of Life, they would surely die instead of spending eternity with God (Genesis 2:4 - Genesis 3).

In the days of Noah and after the flood, burnt offerings were offered up to God at the altar (Genesis 8:15-22), and this pleased God very much. Years later, but not long after the mass exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, Leviticus 17 tells us that the Israelites were instructed to provide burnt offerings at the altar for atonement (forgiveness) of their sins. Here is what it says in Leviticus 17:10-14:

Leviticus 17:10-14 (New International Version)
10 ” ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.”

13 ” ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”

It is in the book of Exodus that God spoke to Moses about redemption (Exodus 40). God redeemed his people from bondage in Egypt with His mighty hand, in order to fulfill the oath that he had sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. At Mount Sinai, the covenant was established and the Law of Moses (as we now know it), was given. It was at this time that God commanded Moses to build a tabernacle to be His dwelling place in the midst of His people.

And so it was, for God to accept their sin offering (sins that were against the laws and decrees that God had commanded for the people of Israel), the Israelites were instructed to follow certain rituals and traditions (The Sin Offering ~ Leviticus 4).  In order for sins to be forgiven, the shedding of blood is an absolute requirement. Because of the sinful actions or thoughts that the Israelites had committed each year, an atonement for those sins was needed. There were more than 600 commandments that the Israelites were supposed to keep, but keeping them was impossible for them to do. Therefore, it was the High Priest who made the sacrifice on their behalf each year. The High Priest would then sacrifice a pure, spotless lamb without blemish, and it was to be slain and offered unto the Lord so that the people could be forgiven of their sins.

The Final Sacrifice ~ The Blood of Jesus

In His mercy, because God knew that it would be impossible for any human to keep ALL of the commandments of God, it was through the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 9:6-7), that God foretold of The One who would eventually come; The One who would become the final sacrifice for the remission of all sin, on our behalf (Isaiah 53). Yes, it was Jesus Christ, The One who Isaiah foretold would come to take away the sins of the world. It is only by the blood of Jesus Christ that we can be forgiven of our sins; and it is only by His blood that we are able to be reconciled to God.

How You Too Can Accept Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Savior

WATCH: Nothing But the Blood of Jesus…

How do you feel when you know that someone has done something wrong to you or someone you care about, and they ask you for forgiveness? Most people without even thinking, will feel that if they forgive that person, they are condoning their behavior or what they’ve done. However, this is so far from the truth. Jesus said in Matthew 18:21-22:

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Why do you think Jesus would actually want us to forgive someone who sins against us? Is it because He thinks we should condone sin? No. It is because when we ask Jesus to forgive us of our own sins, He does. And if we do not forgive those who have sinned against us, God may not forgive us for our sins.

In Mark 11:25, Jesus tells us:

^{25 “}And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

You see, if you want God to forgive you for your own sins, then you MUST forgive others. Now you may be asking, how can this be done? If someone has hurt you, forgiving them is usually the last thing you intend to do, right? Let me tell you a little bit about forgiveness. I honestly think that forgiveness is one of the hardest things we are expected to do in our Christian walk. If you know that you have to forgive someone and it isn’t in your heart to do that, how can you? Did you know that when you do not forgive, that person actually has power over you? That’s right, they actually have power over you. I say this because when you are angry, feeling rejected, or you are mentally or physically wounded by someone and you hold on to that, it is constantly playing out in your mind over and over again, just like a broken record. When you don’t forgive, you are actually hurting yourself.

Here is an example about forgiveness: Let’s say that you just caught one of your friends cheating with your spouse. At this point you are feeling angry, rejected, betrayed and bitter toward your spouse and your friend. Your spouse begs you for your forgiveness, but it just isn’t in your heart to forgive them. Your friend doesn’t bother asking you for forgiveness, so in your mind you feel that you will never forgive them. A few days go by and your spouse keeps begging for forgiveness, but still you cannot forgive them. You go to sleep angry each night and wake up angry each morning. But still, you do not condone what they did, so you will not forgive. Two weeks have now gone by and you still haven’t forgiven your spouse or your friend. You are now starting to suffer with migraines and you are drained because you haven’t been sleeping well. You become irritable and your job is starting to suffer as well. Now you are at a point where something has to give - or you are going to have worse problems.

Finally. You approach your spouse and say that you need to discuss what happened and where to go from here. You make the decision that if you want to continue in your marriage, you are going to have to forgive. At this point you forgive your spouse and you find a way to work things out. Just because you forgave, does not mean that you condone. You feel better because when you forgive someone, you are no longer resisting something that inevitably needs to happen in order to maintain your relationship

However… you still have not forgiven your friend and you never plan to. Your friend has been avoiding you and has had such a bad attitude. It is as if they have no remorse for what they’ve done to you and your family. The migraines continue, the anger still hovers in the background and you are still not sleeping well. What should you do at this point? The first thing that I suggest that you do is to forgive your friend. I know, it is not an easy thing to do. But there is a way of doing this, without even saying a word to your friend. What you now need to do is forgive that person in your heart. Obviously they are not coming to you asking for you to forgive them, and they seem to have no remorse, so I would not go to them and forgive them either. BUT I would forgive them in my heart so that they no longer have the power over me, causing me to hold on to that anger and resentment. Once you have forgiven somebody for wronging you, you will be set free. You will have no reason to hold on to any of that bitterness or negative feelings any longer. Sure the anger and resentment will creep back up from time to time, but you will just need to forgive them again and again, for as long as it takes. Even though your friend (or ex-friend at this point) has not asked for your forgiveness, if you take it upon yourself to forgive them in your heart, they never need to know. You are doing this for your own peace of mind and to heal your own heart, not to make them feel better.

So remember, when someone sins against you, once you have come to your senses, you need to realize that at some point you will have to forgive them and let it go; because if you don’t, it will eat at you until you do. Believe me, after many hard lessons and many sleepless nights, I finally began to use this technique in my own life, and it really has made a positive difference in the way I interact with other people.

May God Bless You,

Cindy

Today, I heard on the news driving home from work, that a man in Louisiana who was mowing his lawn on a tractor, was hit by a stray bullet. Ordinarily, the man would carry his cell phone in his pants pocket, but today he put it in his shirt pocket - something he wouldn’t have done before. While mowing his grass, the man was struck in the chest by a stray bullet that authorities believe came from a hunter’s gun. The cell phone in the man’s shirt pocket miraculously stopped the bullet and the man only got a bruised chest. Would you call that a coincidence, or a miracle?

A father was getting his daughter and himself ready for work and school, and the daughter wouldn’t quit playing around and get ready like she was told. Most days this little girl is up and dressed before her dad. Needless to say, completely out of character for her, this day she didn’t feel like going to school. She took her time picking out her clothes, playing with her toys, picking at her breakfast - you name it. During this unexpected ordeal the father becomes extremely agitated at his daughter’s tardiness, realizing that she is making him late for work and that she would also be late for school. When they were about 10 minutes late getting out the door, finally, they were in the car and on their way. About a mile down the highway, traffic had come to a complete halt. There were fire trucks, ambulances, rescue workers and police cars everywhere. It turned out that 10 minutes prior to their arrival, there was a huge accident and most everyone involved in the accident had died. Had the father and daughter been running on time that day, they would most certainly have been in that accident - and most likely would be dead, had they not been running late that day. Coincidence or Miracle?

A woman driving to work, was driving 80 miles per hour on a winding highway in the far left lane, just like she did every weekday morning. Today was no different. As she was approaching a bend in the road, “something” told her to get over in the next lane IMMEDIATELY! Just as she was over in the other lane and coming around the bend, there was a mini-van stalled in the lane she was in. As she passed the mini-van, she glanced in her rear-view mirror and saw the mini-van pull off to the shoulder of the road just AFTER she had passed. If she had stayed in the far left-hand lane, she would have slammed into that mini-van going 80 miles per hour. She may as well of hit a brick wall. Coincidence or Miracle?

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It states in Ephesians 2:8-9: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

If you already know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can be thankful that God saved you by His grace. If you don’t already have a relationship with Jesus, you may ask, “What is meant by God’s Grace?” Grace is God showing His love to us even though we do not deserve it. Because grace is a gift from God, we cannot earn it. Grace was shown to us by God when He saved us from the punishment of sin through the death of Christ on the cross. We must put our faith in Jesus and trust him as our Lord and Savior in order to receive God’s grace. God also shows us His grace by giving us the strength to handle difficult situations, providing us with guidance by caring for us each day.

You can depend on God each and every day for the grace you need to live for Him. Because God lovingly shows His grace to you, you should in turn, show His grace to others.

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Do you understand what Communion is? In 1Corinthians, chapter 11, while Jesus was seated amongst his apostles sharing the ‘Last Supper’ with them before his crucifixion, he left them with instructions on how believers should regularly gather together in his name and share the Lord’s Supper (also known as communion). In the following scripture, the Apostle Paul touches on what Jesus said at the Last Supper and discusses the manner in which communion was introduced to the early church. Also, notice how at the end of this scripture, the Apostle Paul issues a warning to those who receive communion in an unworthy manner.

1 Corinthians 11:23-34 (NIV)

The Lord’s Supper

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.

You see, in the Church of Corinth, many believers were excluded from communion, some were there only to eat the feast, and others were there to get drunk on the wine. Paul brought order to communion with his instructions on how a man or woman should spiritually examine themselves before taking communion and that the body of believers should take communion in unison.

In the Lord’s Supper, according to Christ’s own Word and institution, it is his true body and blood that physically exists in the consecrated bread and wine. Trusting in the promises of their Savior, communicants who repent of their sins receive from Jesus the forgiveness of their sins as well as the blessings that flow from this forgiveness. However, as Paul warns in 1Corinithian 11:27-34, those who commune in an unworthy manner, without discerning the Lord’s body, sin against Christ’s body and blood, and eat and drink to their own judgment. Participating in the Sacrament of communion is a very serious matter.

Mutual participation in the Lord’s Supper is an outward manifestation of our biblically based oneness in the Christian faith. As the church communes together, they remember Jesus Christ and everything he has taught and accomplished for our salvation, therefore proclaiming the saving Gospel of Christ in unity.

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Are you searching for someone or something that you don’t even know if they or it exists? Do you ever find yourself feeling like you have a huge hole in your heart and nothing or nobody can fill that empty space? If you can relate to these questions and you are feeling lonely and without direction, I can tell you how to fill that gaping hole in your heart.

Earlier in my life, I had always been searching, hoping to find somebody, anybody who would make me feel complete. I went from relationship to relationship, from activity to activity, but always coming up short, and feeling emptier than I did before. Then, one night, when I was at my all time low in life, I met a friend, a comforter, someone I could talk to who was always there waiting to hear my troubles. Someone who gave me peace in times of turmoil, someone whom I could trust with my life and someone who gave up his life so that I could live. If you are wondering who I found that is so perfect for me, well then I’ll tell you; It is Jesus Christ, that’s who. My life was completely falling apart, I was filled with so much loneliness and despair, that I was on a quick-moving downward spiral, with little chance of recovery on my own. The night I met Jesus, I was ready to go down a road of no-return, a road that could only condemn me to a place that I wouldn’t want my worst enemy to be. Hell. I was ready to take my own life and I didn’t think that God would send me there had I succeeded in taking my own life- but now I know differently. That night, before I could dispose of my own life, Jesus came to me; filled me with his love and his peace and I have never been the same since. Family and friends noticed the difference in me immediately. I was happier and filled to the brim with joy. Now my life is devoted to teaching others about the joy and peace they too can know when they turn their lives over to Jesus.

Not only does Jesus restore the joy and peace in your life, he restores order. He gives you a reason to get up every day and a reason to press on even in times of trial. The loneliness and despair that I once knew, now seem like they belonged to someone else - a part of someone else’s life. I now feel complete and am no longer searching for someone else to complete me. Jesus has already done that for me - and he can do that for you as well.

Do you want to know Jesus; to enjoy a life with joy, peace, happiness and direction? I am not saying that once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that you won’t have times of trials, but you will be better equipped to handle those trials. It is through Jesus Christ that you are given the strength to handle whatever trials that come your way and it is through the word of God that you are able to defeat the enemy, Satan.

See previous post: The Prayer of Salvation

If you would like to learn more about Salvation, here is a website that will teach you more about accepting Christ into your life: http://www.salvationprayer.info.

Click here to learn more about the life of Jesus: http://www.jesusmysavior.info.

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Do you understand the meaning of Salvation?

A Question: Friends, here I ask you the most important question of your life; in fact, your joy or your sorrow for all eternity will depend upon your answer. The question is: Are you saved? This is not a question of how good you are, nor if you are a church member, but are you saved? Are you sure you will go to Heaven when you die?

The Answer and Solution: Have you ever heard of the Prayer of Salvation, the Salvation Prayer or the Sinner’s Prayer? You see, because God loves you so much, Salvation is a gift from God that will enable you to spend eternity in Heaven. In order to receive this gift from God, all you need to do is accept Jesus Christ into your life and repent, and turn away from your sins. Also, you will need to begin living a life that is pleasing to God, rather than the worldly ways in which you are accustomed to. Right now, I can almost hear you saying, “I can’t change the way I am right now. I have lived my life too many years this way and I have done too many bad things for God to forgive me.” If you are remotely thinking in such a way, you are so very wrong. Whether you are elderly or young, rich or poor, a liar, a thief, an adulterer, a murderer and so on, if you truly repent of your sins and in your heart, accept Jesus Christ, YOU WILL BE SAVED. God considers sin to be sin, no matter what it is. Below is scripture (John 8:1-11 NIV) that will help you to understand how Jesus felt about sin:

John 8:1-11 (NIV)

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11″No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

You see, even though in the laws of the world, the woman was to be stoned to death. But once you have become a believer in Christ, your sins are forgiven, no matter how badly you have sinned. Of course you must repent and as Jesus said, “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” The stipulation is that you need to leave your life of sin once you’ve accepted Jesus and repented. If you think it will be too hard to change, think again! Once you accept Jesus into your heart, a dramatic change begins to take place inside of you. The Holy Spirit starts to work on you and you become a New Creation in Christ.

If you would like to accept Jesus into your heart and into your life, please pray the Salvation Prayer below. If you would like to ask Jesus into your heart in your own words, please feel free to do so, as our prayer is only here to help guide you:

The Salvation Prayer

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.

Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved.

Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.

Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.
Amen.

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I believe that God will touch each and every person on this earth and give him or her a chance for eternal life with Him. Although we, as many cultures, are separated by earth, water and language barriers, there are no limitations when it comes to God. God knows how to speak to each person’s heart and soul, no matter where they are located on this earth. Here is an awesome video of a man whom God chose to give a revelation of the spiritual realm, of Heaven and hell, and helped him to understand that God can and will communicate with each and every person, but they have to be willing to open their heart to God in order to be able to hear the Almighty. Heaven and hell are real my friends, and it is only a matter of time before the human race will experience first-hand, those truths of reality.

Check out this awesome video:

Excerpt from YouTube.com: The man you see died in a plane-accident and was on his way to hell. But by the grace of God he was given a chance to cry out to God to save him. God did, and now he tells people hell is real- he experienced that darkness- and heaven is real. Pleading with you to repent and choose the Lord Jesus Christ, the ONLY WAY (John 14:6) to heaven and eternal life!

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