Verse(s) for Week Jan 29 - Feb 4, 2008

When Thou Art Converted

"But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" Luke 22:32.

"When thou art converted" is very interesting in this verse. Jesus was talking to Simon Peter (one of His disciples) and this was right before Jesus was arrested. I found this an interesting statement because Peter had lived and worked with Jesus since the beginning of His ministry. As a matter of fact, Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew, were the first two people that Jesus called to be disciples (Matthew 4:18).

I always assumed that Jesus called these men to be his disciples because they either accepted Him right away as their Lord and Savior or had accepted salvation through the preaching of John the Baptist. In other words, I thought that the disciples were saved from the moment that Jesus called them into service. From the statement in this verse, I see that was not true. Jesus called people that would serve Him even though they were not yet saved. He called those who had potential. Simon Peter was not saved (converted) until after he denied Jesus three times during the time Jesus was being questioned. I believe that the moment that Peter "wept bitterly" because he denied Jesus was the moment that Simon Peter was "converted" or saved. I am in awe that Peter could be so close to Jesus Christ for approximately three and a half years, yet he never really accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior until after he publicly denounced (or denied) Him! I don't know why I am so shocked at that revelation, but I am.

Today, there are many people who sit in a church pew every Sunday, teach Sunday School, preach the Gospel, or do other work in God's service. They go through the motions of serving God on a daily basis. However, they (like Peter) have never taken the necessary step to confess their sins and ask God's forgiveness. They have never asked Jesus Christ to come into their hearts and save them. They have never accepted Him as Lord and Savior! They are so busy "doing" that they have never taken the time to get right with God.

Dear reader, are you so busy doing things for the Lord that you have never taken the time to truly accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If that is the case, please get down on your knees, bow your head, or go outside and look up into the heavens. Talk to God, confess your sins, ask His forgiveness. It is not too late for you.

Like Peter, Jesus is giving you a warning now. Jesus warned Peter by telling him that before the night was over he would deny Jesus three times. That did happen. Now, I don't know what warning God is giving you other than to say that for some reason God wanted me to write this message for this week. There is someone out there that needs to hear it. That someone must be you. God is giving you another chance to stop pretending to be a Christian and to actually become one. What are you waiting for? You are either already serving God or know what God wants you to do. Your ministry (or service) will be much more affective and will not fail if you take the step of salvation first. Confess your sins, "weep bitterly" as Peter did. Get rid of all the earthly sins that have plagued you while you worked in God's service. Step out with a lighter load - let Jesus Christ take your sins and burdens to the cross with Him. Let Him be the payment for your sins.

Begin your new service today "when thou art converted!"

Dear God, I pray for everyone that reads this message, including myself as I write it. Please lead us all into the truth. Show each and every one of us what we need to do to be true Christians. Help us all to search the deepest parts of our lives and confess these sins to You, Lord. Lord Jesus, show us what needs to be cleaned up in our lives. Help us to leave the sin behind and to step out renewed and alive. Holy Spirit, lead and guide. Sweep out the old hidden sins inside of each of us. Cleanse us. Lord Jesus, save us. In Jesus name we pray. AMEN!!

Sincerely,
Linda Sedrick Pearson - a renewed servant to the Lord God!

Verse(s) For the Week of Jan 22 – 28, 2008

Hold Fast to Your Faith

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)” Hebrews 10:23

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

“Without wavering” means do not doubt. Whatever you do, keep your faith and don’t doubt God. Do not doubt whether He exists. He does exist, He is true, and He never fails. He is faithful to us. Believe that He is and that He is with you always. Don’t lose your faith.

Sometimes in the trials and troubles of this world, it could be easy to doubt God. It could be very easy to lose faith in Him and your beliefs. Many times it seems as if Satan is winning and that we are wasting our time believing in someone we cannot see. Dear Reader, that is what makes it faith! It is very easy to believe in things you can see, touch, smell, and taste. It is much harder to believe in something or someone that you know exists only by your heart and spirit.

Don’t let your mind fool you. A preacher said once that there are only 18 inches between the head and the heart and yet that is the longest 18 inches he ever saw. He said that because many times our minds want to take over and tell us what to believe. When it comes to God, we have to let our hearts rule and convince us that God is real, He is true, and He is faithful. He also expects us to be faithful and not doubt Him. So, hold fast to your faith. Do NOT doubt! GOD IS REAL!

Until next time,
Linda Sedrick Pearson

Verse(s) For the Week of Jan 15 - 21, 2008

Daily Quiet Time
Psalm 5:3, Ps 46:10, Matthew 6:6, Isaiah 30:15, I Corinthians 9:27, Proverbs 8:34, James 4:10

To have a daily quiet time, you can take just 15 minutes out of each day. Here is a simple schedule, in case you are having problems getting started.

5 minutes - Listen to God. Read the Word of God for 5 minutes.
5 minutes - Talk to God. Pray.
5 minutes - Plan to do what God wants you to do.

There you have it - 15 minutes out of your busy life.

1. Set a time to spend time with God and stick to it. Surely you can spare 15 minutes for God. Preferably in the morning when you are fresh. Psalm 5:3 "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up."

2. Stillness - Be still and listen to God's Word. This allows you to concentrate. Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

3. Seclusion - Be alone with God, without distraction so He can have your absolute attention. Matthew 6:6 "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

4. Silence - Be quiet so God can put His thoughts into your thinking. He will bring truth to your understanding. Isaiah 30:15 "For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength and ye would not."

5. Self-control (temperance) - Keep your attention on God. Pay attention to His Word.
I Corinthian 9:27 "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."
Proverbs 8:34 "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors."

6. Submission to God - Be prepared to do what God asks you to do. To refuse is to break fellowship with Him. James 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up."

DEPEND TOTALLY ON GOD!!!

Until next time,
Linda Sedrick Pearson

Verse(s) for Week Jan 8-14, 2008

No Man Took His Life, He Gave It
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (John 10:17-18)

Jesus freely gave up His own life for all of us. No man took His life from Him. He could have called down tens of thousands of angels if He had wanted to. Jesus Christ came to pay the debt for every one of us. When we commit sin, we earn death. Jesus paid that debt for us so that we could live forever in heaven with Him and His Father, God.

No one could take the life of Jesus. In order to meet the requirements of God - the Father, Jesus Christ - God’s Son had to give His life freely. Of His own will and the will of the Father, Jesus Christ suffered for our sins. He paid all of our sin debts so that God, the Father, would mark our bill “PAID IN FULL.” Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. He died for our sins. He took it all upon Himself.

He was spit upon, stripped of His clothes, beaten so that He was unrecognizable, paraded through the public streets, and a mock crown of sharp thorns was jammed on His head. He was laid down and large, dull, spikes were hammered into His hands and feet, as He was nailed to a wooden cross. He was raised up into the air for all to see with very little clothing on His body. Soldiers gambled for His clothing beneath Him. He suffered the shame and public humiliation for all our sins. There is not one sin for which He did not suffer. Yet, He never complained. He did all this of His own free will. Why? Because He loves us.

If you think that you are not worthy of that kind of love, think again! If you think that you have to clean up your act before you come to accept Him, think again! Jesus died for you just as you are. He did it because He felt you are worth it. He looked into the future from that day on the cross and died for you! He paid your debt. All you have to do is accept that your bill of sin is PAID IN FULL!

Won’t you accept Him today? Hopefully you won’t let His death for your sins be in vain. If you do not accept Him, Jesus Christ, as payment of your sins then, you must pay the debt yourself when you meet God face-to-face. Jesus has done all that He can do. It is now up to you. PLEASE ACCEPT HIM TODAY!

Until next time,
Linda Sedrick Pearson

Verse for Week of Jan 1 - 7, 2008

Welcome to the first weekly verse of January 2008.
The verse to study for this week is:
"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands" (Acts 17:24, King James Version).

God does not live (dwell) in earthly temples (temples made with hands). He is God of the universe and lives in the heaven above. God made the world and everything in it. This includes each and every one of us. We were created by God. He lovingly shaped each and every one of us.

Since God does not live in earthly temples, this means that He is available to us everywhere. We don't have to go to a particular building in order to speak with Him. We can visit with Him wherever we are. This means even at work or school we have access to our God and Lord.

I thank God that I don't have to go to a particular place to have a conversation with Him, or to praise Him. He is always available to me whenever I need Him and His door is never locked. All I have to do is knock and He opens it for me.

Thank you, Lord for being everywhere I need you to be. Thank you for being patient with me and for leading me. Thank you for not having locked doors and having an "open door" policy.

Until next time my beloved readers,
Linda Sedrick Pearson