Jesus is the only way to heaven

JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN. A lot of people have been deceived thinking that if they don't repent of their sins and do good works that they won't get accepted into heaven, but that is a lie. Yes, you should repent of your sins and try to live a godly life. Yes, God wants you to do good works and bless others. BUT, none of that matters IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS. The blood of Jesus that spilled at the cross is the ONLY way to save us. Truly believing this is the ONLY way to heaven.

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.
John 10:9 NLT

For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 2:5 NLT

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 NLT

There are SEVERAL other bible verses to back this up, but I prefer to read WHOLE CHAPTERS at a time to get the full context and understanding. I encourage you to open your bibles DAILY  and read. The more we are in God's word, the more He speaks to us. 

Give generously without expecting an instant reward or even an earthly reward

<span;>But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
<span;>Matthew 6:3 NLT

<span;>A lot of people get confused by this verse. My understanding of it has always been that when you give, you should do it without telling anyone or getting credit for it. You should give in secret and not feel the need to tell the world of your good deeds. If you are giving to charity, you should do it because you want to and without expecting anything in return.

<span;>Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
<span;>Matthew 6:4 NLT

<span;>“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.
<span;>Matthew 6:1‭-‬2 NLT
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Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalms 100:1‭-‬5 NLT

It can be hard to be thankful when you're dealing with depression or just going through a rough patch in general. But there is always something to be thankful for. I am forever thankful for God's love and grace because without it I'd be dead right now, not spiritually but actually dead. I've been in several situations that should have killed me, but I walked away with minimal damage. That was all God.

God made sure to protect me even when I wasn't a Christian, for He knew He had a greater purpose for my life. I was extremely depressed and suicidal as a teenager, but God made sure I survived those awful years. Now I am almost 30, with 2 beautiful children and an amazing husband. I'm thankful God has given me such a perfect little family,  they are my reason for living each and everyday.

I'm also incredibly thankful for the woman He chose to be my mother.  She was an extremely independent, hard working, funny, fun, loving person. My mother was one of a kind who unfortunately lost her life to cancer last year. But I'm forever grateful for all the great memories I have of her. I see her everywhere and think of her always. Keep in mind that life will not always be easy, but there will always be something to be thankful for. If you're feeling low, do yourself a favor and pray. God wants us to lean on Him in the difficult times. <!--/data/user/0/com.samsung.android.app.notes/files/clipdata/clipdata_bodytext_221120_083738_470.sdocx-->

We may never know why God allows bad things to happen. We can choose to make ourselves miserable and dwell on it. Or we can trust in the Lord with all our hearts and hope that maybe something good may just come out of it.

A lot of us get angry at God when someone we love passes away. Because we know our God is a God that performs miracles and we know that He can cure them if it is His will. So when He doesn't, we get upset and angry. But the truth is, death is inevitable. & maybe that loved one who passed was so worn down with life and tired of the pain that they were ready to go. Maybe that's why God took them too soon.

My first born was born with a birth defect called Spina Bifida. I got the diagnosis when I was only 15 weeks pregnant and I was heart broken. I never did drugs, drank or smoked while pregnant or even trying to conceive. I was 100% sober for months before I even decided to have a baby with my husband. I was angry that God would put us through something like this. But despite how I felt, I stayed strong and something miraculous came from it. I kept faith that God would let my baby have a "normal" life.

My son has only had one surgery in his 6 years of life and that was his spinal repair surgery. He never had a shunt and at an appointment a few years back his neurosurgeon gave us great news. He didn't have Hydrocephalus, (which often accompanies Spina Bifida), just enlarged ventricles. He also started walking independently at 15 months old and has never had physical therapy or bracing.

God made my son the way He did to show us all that He still performs miracles. That despite any diagnosis He is the one in charge of how things turn out. God's will is ultimate. Even though sometimes that means that bad things will happen without reason. God knows what He's doing.

We've gotta quit thinking that because God allows bad things to happen that He doesn't love us. We all have to go through our trials and tribulations, some more than others. Life is 100% unfair. But how we react and respond to these things is a test. Will we give up our faith, or will we give it all to God? Will we run away from Him and never look back, or will we praise Him even more?

I often feel like an outcast. I'm a loner, I prefer to stick to myself. So when I go to parties, bbqs and get togethers, I often feel left out. I tend to stick to myself because I don't know how to blend in. I feel like I'm forcing my way into conversations and like people just generally don't like me or want me around.

I'm not the fun one, my sense of humor is a bit too much for normal people and I have the worst anxiety when I'm pushed out of my comfort zone. These feelings often overwhelm me and bother me for days or even weeks after an event. I can't help but feel like no one wanted me around.

But Jesus doesn't make me feel that way, God makes me feel loved and welcomed. Often times I'll go to church and feel like the message was meant for me. I'll read certain verses in my bible that leave me feeling full of joy and peace. God has a special way of letting me know that not only does He hear my prayers, but that He loves me as well.

I read a verse in the bible the other day that was quite perplexing to me...25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.-John 12:25. I don't necessarily hate my life, but it hasn't been a walk in the park either.

My point is, that just because you don't live a lavish life of luxury and things go horribly wrong often, doesn't mean that God doesn't love you. Just because you feel like you never belong anywhere you go, doesn't mean God doesn't love you. He loves us so much that He sent His only son to die for our sins.

Just look at Jesus' life for example. He lived a life of serving others. He traveled and preached the gospel everywhere He went. He fasted and went to pray on the mountain often. He wasn't traveling to enjoy life and see new places. There weren't resorts and 5 star hotels back in Jesus' days. He stayed with people willing to take Him in and ate what they offered. He also suffered a horrible death for us.

God wants us to be like Jesus. That doesn't mean He doesn't want us happy, but He wants us to be happy by helping others. He wants us to find joy in spreading the gospel and reaching the lost. I was once one of them. I was so angry, bitter and depressed. I was mad at the world because I felt it was unfair to be given a life full of hardships. But now I realize that every thing I've been through in my life has taught me a valuable lesson and made me stronger as well. What I want you to take from this message today is that Jesus loves you immensely, even when you don't feel His love.

There are a lot of people who believe that they are too lost, too broken, too far gone for Jesus to love and forgive them. You're not. As long as you truly believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and you ask Him for forgiveness, He will forgive you.

The next step in your journey of redemption will be to forgive others, because without forgiving others, God will not forgive you. It doesn't matter what they did to you or said about you, you should forgive them so that you can move past it and live a life of peace.

You also need to try to live a sin free life. Which will be hard and you will more than likely still sin daily. But asking God to give you conviction for your sins, so that you know the difference between right and wrong, will help you realize what you're doing. It will make you more aware of sin so you know what to pray for forgiveness about. Confess all your sins of the day to God and ask Him for forgiveness and watch how He changes your life.

You don't necessarily have to attend church, some people aren't for "organized religion" and that's okay. Religion isn't about church, it's about your personal relationship with Jesus. The church isn't just a place to gather and worship. The church is the people of God gathering together in His name to worship and do good works, regardless of where you are.

Reading your bible DAILY, helps you hear God's voice and will help guide you and teach you how to be Christ like. God will not speak to you if you aren't regularly in His word because He speaks to us through His word and through His people. He puts things on our hearts to do and share with others.

Giving tithes and offering will help show your faithfulness to the Lord. Giving the church 10% of all your income will show God how serious you are in trusting Him. You may also give to charity as well. There are various charities out there to choose from but my personal favorite is Compassion International. They help kids and their families who are living in poverty and are a Christian organization so they also help develop relationships with Jesus.

It's okay if you're not 100% ready to take these steps. It takes time to fully trust God. I encourage you to pray on all this and see what God lays on your heart to do. God will change your life, but first YOU have to be willing to change.

Love is a beautiful thing. Whether it's the love between a husband and wife, mother and daughter, brother and sister or between friends, it is the greatest gift we can give. It is easy to love when things are good and everyone gets along.

However, it is much harder to love when things get rough. But you have to remember to love even when you disagree, even when the other does something to make you angry or hurt you. And I know for a lot of you, that makes zero sense. Why would you love someone that hurt you? Because God commanded you to and He will reward you for it.

Love and forgiveness go hand in hand. You cannot truly forgive someone unless you decide to still love them as well, even from a distance. Some people make this extremely difficult, but you need to forgive them anyway and move on.

The bible says, "forget the former things, do not dwell on the past." -Isaiah 43:1 This means that once you forgive someone, you FORGET the sins they committed against you, just as God erased your sins against Him. The devil has been trying extremely hard to rip apart families and make people hate one another, because he knows it is the opposite of God's will. "For anger gives a foothold to the devil." -Ephesians 4:27 Do not give the devil that sort of power of your life. Choose love ALWAYS. Choose KINDNESS and COMPASSION, because right now, that's what the world needs.

Grief and mourning are natural cycles of life. There is no time limit for them, for some it only lasts a while, for others, it lasts a lifetime. But that's okay.

When you lose someone who was a big part of your life, it changes you. It rocks your world and makes you question things. It can make you feel all alone and overwhelm you. You'll find yourself randomly crying in the car when a certain song comes on the radio. You may break down halfway through your work day and need to step away to get yourself together, or even go home early and call it a day. There is nothing wrong with that and no one expects you to get "back to normal", because your normal has now changed.

No matter what you do, you'll feel a void inside of you, like a piece of you is missing. But God blesses those who mourn, he comforts them and one day, you will have joy again. The person you lost, wouldn't want you to be sad or depressed all the time. They'd want you to reminense on the good days and laugh. They'd want you to do great things in life despite the fact that they aren't there to witness them.

So mourn and grieve for as long as you need, but know that it's okay to be happy. It's okay to live your life to the fullest still. Life is short and you never know when your time is up, so live it while you can.

As Christians, we should give generously and help those in need when we are able. Even if you don't have a lot to give, giving when you have very little just shows the kind of person you are.

It's easy for a rich person to constantly give and help others because they have more money than they need. But for those of us that don't have much, it is much more difficult.

I know I've given to church and charity and then a week later, something broke and needed replaced but I didn't have the money because I gave to the church instead. I'd like to think that if said item quit working BEFORE giving that I'd have still given money and worried about how I'd buy what I needed later, but honestly I'm not sure if I would have. The troubles of this world often weigh me down.

God has blessed me since giving faithfully. I've received a nice raise at work along with more hours every week. My dad bought me the new washer that I needed because I couldn't afford it. And I've just overall felt less guilty because I'm doing good for others.

We don't give to receive, but God does reward those who give generously. For the first will be last and the last will be first...

God provides us with all we need. When Jesus' disciples went out to preach and heal, He told them not to bring ANYTHING with them, because He already knew that God would provide their needs.

When the crowds of people were hungry after listening to Jesus' parables, He provided. He turned a small amount of fish and bread, into MORE THAN ENOUGH for them ALL. This is how God works when we are faithful.

When Moses led his people to the promised land, God gave them manna to eat daily. He made sure they had all they needed. For our needs will always be met with God.

When we go through difficult times and feel like we're walking in darkness, Jesus is still there. He's the light in the darkness. He is the moon and the stars in our dark evening sky. (Metaphorically speaking
, of course.)

God hates to see is in turmoil and pain, BUT pain and difficult times are a part of life. We can't just skate through life without any obstacles. We will have our trials and tribulations.
But don't you for a second dare to think that God isn't still present in these times.

God is ALWAYS there, even when you can't feel Him, He's with you every step of the way. Even when you feel like the darkness is consuming you, He is still there. He is that tiny shred of light peaking behind the dark clouds.

A lot of us go into work everyday with a mindset of quite simply just wanting to get it done and over with. We do the bare minimum and skate by while others are picking up the slack.

We all have those days where we're not feeling our best and that's okay. But it's not okay to ALWAYS do the bare minimum and expect others to do what you simply didn't feel like doing, that's laziness.

God wants us to work hard as if everything we are doing, we are doing for Him. God wants us to give our ALL in EVERYTHING we do. He wants us to WANT to WORK HARD. A lot of people think that hard work doesn't pay off, but I'm living proof it does. I've been promoted at ALMOST every job I've obtained by simply doing my BEST every single day.

Good managers appreciate hard workers and reward them with raises and promotions. Just like God will reward us in Heaven for the hard work we do daily here on Earth.

It's time we change our mindset when it comes to working and decide to give our ALL each day regardless of whether we like our job, our bosses or our coworkers.

Jesus knew before he was betrayed exactly how it was all gonna go down. This put Him in great distress, therefor he prayed for God's will to be done and not his own. There is so much we can learn from this moment. Jesus knew He would suffer horribly for crimes that He wasn't guilty of, He knew He had to be our sacrifice. If Jesus can do such a great thing for us at such a high cost to him,  imagine what we can do for others at a much lower cost to us. We all go through things in life that are difficult to handle and it's okay to pray to God for help, that's what He wants us to do. But if you're constantly praying the same thing over and over, maybe God has already answered you but it's an answer you're not willing to accept. Which can be disappointing and heartbreaking, but God didn't promise that this life would be all rainbows and sunshine, we've got to go through difficult times as well. We need to learn to ask God to do His will in our lives regardless of what that may be. It might not be what you want it to be, but God knows what He's doing and we need to learn to have FAITH  and TRUST IN HIM, ALWAYS. 

It is so easy for us to be jealous or envious of others and want the things they have in which we lack. But envy and jealousy get us no where in life, it just brings us down and makes us feel worse. Instead of being jealous of what you don't have, try being GRATEFUL for what you DO have! I encourage you to write a list of every single thing you are grateful for in your life and look at it any time you are feeling envious.

We all want bigger and better things, it's part of being human, to want. I often times have to remind myself that I have everything I NEED and that's all that truly matters. I'm already so blessed and wanting more is kind of insulting! I feel that most of us live our lives in constant want, but today I'm encouraging you to TAKE A STEP BACK and look at what truly matters in your life. Your health, your family, your job, your school, the fact that you have a roof over your head, that you never go hungry and that you have clean water to drink and shower in. These things are much more important than your wants because they are your needs!