Verse(s) For Week Feb 27 - Mar 4, 2008

Standing Fast in Liberty (Freedom)

Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

God many times rescues us from dangerous situations. He spends a lot of time protecting us from ourselves. Or at least He does on me. In the verse above, God tells us to "stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free." When He rescues us, we are to stay strong in the freedom He has given us.

Now, this doesn't mean that we have freedom to do anything we want to do and expect Jesus to rescue us again from that same situation. As a matter of fact, He warns us about that in the rest of the verse. He says, "and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." In other words, don't turn back into whatever it is He rescued you from. Don't jump back into the same types of bondage (or sin) that you were in before.

When Jesus gives us a way of escape from a bad situation, He does it so that we will be free from that situation forever. There are so many people that have been rescued out of bad relationships; yet, the first thing they do is turn right around and either jump back into the same relationship or one like it. We have to stop making God's job so hard. He wants to bless us so much, but spends a lot of time re-rescuing us from the same things - over and over.

Make a conscious decision today to "stand fast" in the freedom God has given you. Promise yourself and God that you will no longer be "entangled again with the yoke of bondage" and keep moving forward, not backward. Help yourself and God. Stand strong in your God given liberty.

Until next time,
Linda Sedrick Pearson

Verse(s) for Week Feb 19-26, 2008

Taming the Tongue

James 3:8-10 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

I think that James 3 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. Maybe it is because it lets me know that God understands that I have problems sometimes keeping my mouth shut and my tongue tamed. This chapter tells me that God understands that with the same mouth I praise God and curse man. He doesn't say it is alright to do so. As a matter of fact, He says that it should not be that way.

I need you, Dear Reader, to say a special prayer for me that God will give me extra strength to tame my tongue. I try not to say things I shouldn't say, but sometimes it just comes out. It is almost like my tongue/mouth has a mind of its own at times! Please pray for me that God will work with me extra hard on this issue. I never want to be an offense to anyone and if I cannot control my tongue, then I can lead people astray. It is not a good witness for Jesus Christ if I cannot keep my mouth shut when I should. I don't want to be a backbiter, gossiper, or anything else like that.

I will say a special prayer for everyone that reads this also that God will help her to tame her tongue. (Or him.) I know that God will answer our prayers and I for one will be a much better person because of Him. I have to learn how to put that bridle on my tongue and to keep it still when it should be still. I need to let God put His words in my mouth so that I speak what He wants me to speak.

Please, don't forget to pray for me.

In Jesus Name,
Linda Sedrick Pearson

Verse(s) for Feb 12-18, 2008

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Grace is a gift given to us. Grace means unearned favor. There is nothing we can do to earn God's favor. It is a gift freely given to us. There is nothing any human being has ever done or can ever do that will earn grace from God. It is through the grace of God that He sent Jesus Christ, His only Son, to die for our sins.

God fixed it so that we can't do any works in order to be saved. Why? Because if there was something we could do to earn salvation, we wouldn't need Jesus Christ. Also, we would pat ourselves on the back and tell ourselves what good people we are.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

We are unclean without Jesus Christ and there is nothing we can do to cleanse ourselves. We can scrub and clean ourselves on the outside and put on perfumes or deodorant. That just cleans us on the outside and makes us smell good to the people of the world. When we sin, our iniquities make us stink to God. He looks upon us and all he sees is filth.

However, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior then when God looks upon us, He sees nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ. He no longer sees or smells our filth. He sees us through the blood of His Son who died on the cross for our sakes. Jesus didn't have to pay for His own sins because He was sinless (without sin). He did it for us. He did it so that the Father would not see our filth.

Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and His death on the cross as payment for our sins, we are reunited with the Father in heaven through our spirits. How precious is everything that Jesus Christ did for us. I thank God for sending His Son to wash away my filthiness and dress me in His precious blood.

If you have not taken the step to allow Jesus Christ to cleanse you, please do that today. I love you and am concerned for you. Please don't think that you can work your way to heaven. No one - NOT ONE - is good enough for that. Please don't die in your sins. Accept Him today!

Sincerely,
Linda Sedrick Pearson

Verse(s) for Week Feb 5 - Feb 11, 2008

Matthew 16:24-26 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

What is more important to you? Your life or your soul? Did you know that your soul needs food just like your body does? That is interesting to me. I know that if I don't take time to feed my soul by talking daily to God (prayer) and reading His Word, then I have problems. I usually feel depressed, angry without reason, and make a lot of mistakes throughout the day.

However, if I take the time to put God first in the mornings and read the Bible before I leave for work in the morning, my day goes much better. Things seem to just fall into their proper place. Now, this doesn't mean that I don't still have a day when some things just don't work right. However, it does mean that I am equipped for the day to handle these things better.

"Whosoever will save his life shall lose it." Many people spend a lot time trying to save themselves. They figure if they can just get enough money, or a bigger house, or a newer car, or any number of other things, then they will be okay. That is not true. The "grass is never greener on the other side" without Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!

You can't work your way to heaven. If you have never taken the steps to confess your sins to God, accept Jesus Christ as payment in full for your sins, and make Him the Lord of your life, then your life is lost! If you are in that position, I beg you to take the steps and let Jesus Christ pay your sin debt to God. Accept Him as your Savior and Lord. Don't lose your life. And, please, don't wait until tomorrow. Do it right now.

God never promised any tomorrow. For many - tomorrow never comes. When God is ready for you to die, that is it. It could be a wreck, a heart attack, cancer, or any number of things that could take your life. Remember, there is no promise of tomorrow.

Won't you accept Him today?

Until next time,
Linda Sedrick Pearson