Archive for Accepting Christ

Jesus Is A Bridge

{ December 5, 2010 @ 2:30 am } · { 1 John, 2 Corinthians, Accepting Christ, Art Work, Bible Verses, Faith in Hard Times, John, Romans, Specific Lessons }
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I drew this picture on neondragonart.com.

Took about 8 hours. (Click pic. for actual size! :))

This picture rings so true in my heart. Mankind is on 1 side of the world. God is on the other side of the world. We could never reach God because of our sinful nature:

“There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24

Without Jesus, we would have to be perfect to get into heaven. But because Jesus was perfect and sacrificed himself to take on our sins and free us from them by paying for them by death on the cross, the broken connection between God and mankind is now fixed. His strength and love and mercy allowed us to have a relationship with the Father, allows us to get into heaven.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.'” John 14:6-7

Jesus was perfect where we couldn’t be perfect, and he was perfect for us. God is too glorious for us to reach alone, but because Jesus was just as his father, he bridged the gap, healed the broken family. Wow.

So while we might try to do many different things to get into heaven, for example, go to church, pray, not curse, not gossip, give money to those in need- none of these things will get us into heaven. Because when we sin, we are out of reach of heaven. The bad thing is that we sin everyday, all the time. It’s very natural for us. The good thing is that we are saved by having faith in Jesus Christ, having faith that he saved us from our sins and died on the cross from them and rose 3 days later.

We are saved as we allow him to lead us in our lives instead of letting ourselves lead. Just having faith in a general ‘God’ will not get us into heaven. It’s having faith in Christ. Jesus was our only chance, and he did not let us down. Now we have to choose to take a leap of faith and take that chance.

We are saved not only from hell, but from the bondage of this world, saved from being trapped in sin. After we accept Christ into our hearts, we are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness. We no longer belong to the world, we belong to Christ.

“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19

Ever since being redeemed by Jesus, I have felt a sense of peace and an everlasting eternal freedom.

Freedom to grow, love, be strong, survive, thrive, be happy, have hope.. my whole spirit was reborn. Where before, I always felt way too inhibited to do those things, trusting in Christ and trusting in God helped me to have that freedom in my heart again. It gave me freedom to stand against the crap in the world and feel awesome doing it.

I hated feeling alone all the time. I hate that even my best days, when I belonged to the world, even those days really sucked. I love the fact that with Christ, the worse days I’ve ever had with him are better than the best days I’ve ever had in the world.

I have literally cried over and over and had my heart broken and stumped on and been mad at Jesus and been in so much pain- and it does not come close to the pain I had when I was in the world, even when I was doing my best there. It’s so insane! Why would anyone not want to have this strength? It’s awesome that this strength is not even my own strength, but Christ in me.

I used to write so much poetry to ‘make my heart heal’, but it never worked. My heart only broke even more. I remember I thought I was gonna die and felt like I was gonna go insane before I trusted God. I’d sit at the computer and not be able to really write, because there were so many thougts that I just could not freakin’ keep up with! That was my strength alone- to try constantly to succeed at making me feel better and only fail. That’s where I died; in that room, on the computer, fighting to getting the words out, loosing an eternally impossible battle. Trusting God- that’s where his life started in me.

So the heart I have now is does not contain the desires that I want, but rather contains the desires that God wants: to reach the world, to save all the broken people, to let them know there is strength more than they could ever know; to let them know there is strength and so much mercy that they could have peace, no matter how horrible their circumstances are. Jesus is funny like that, awesome like that.

You could be beaten half to death and still feel a sense of peace in your heart, because no matter what people try to do to you in this world, he gives you freedom from them, because you belong to him when you trust him. I’ve gone through so much agony in Christ, and felt this endless fountain of love and hope and strength.

Following Christ is not easy, but it has always been easier for me to do this than to wrack my brains out trying to write poetry to heal myself and what not.

I never say “I want to be famous because I am awesome,” or, “this life is all about me, me, me”. Because that selfish little “me, me, me” heart died at that computer screen. The reason why I am so eager to please the Holy Spirit and obey him is because I gave up myself that night, when I realized I was going to die if I trusted in my strength.

I don’t mind tithing my money to church, or devoting time and money into relationships that help tell people about Christ. Because Christ is the true answer to all the hell in this world. There was a kid that accepted Christ once, and his dad was into sorcery and what not, and he tried to beat Jesus out of his son.

He beat him from his head to his feet. He kicked him out the house and said he was dead to him, because he loved Jesus suddenly. But the kid didn’t even care. He had that fountain of strength in Jesus, his friends said that they saw peace in his eyes, despite what had happened to him.

So I’ve learned that even kids in the most difficult circumstances- whether in poverty or having a tough time with family- if they have that true hope that Christ rescued them from sin by dying for them on the cross, they gain that fountain of strength, and can endure the craziest of circumstances!

This is how even the people in the most disasterous of situation can survive in their heart and spirit, where they couldn’t survive in this world. Paul the Apostle new what it was like to love Jesus, be treated like crap for it, and completely be able to handle it, for he said:

“Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:4-10

“Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-27

This shows that Paul the Apostle suffered so severely for Christ, but he had strength to endure it. Who else has the strength to go through so much pain and tolerate it, no matter what? He has the strength of Christ in him. That boy who got beaten by his father has that strength. Me, even with all my bad days, feeling better than I’ve ever felt before… I have the strength of Christ in me.

This bridge from this world to the next. Faith in Christ. Freakin’ awesome. Are you ready to devote your life to him? The bible says:

“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 10:8-10

Pray in your heart: “Jesus, come into my life, take over, be my Lord. Lead me, show me how to live for you. I know you paid for my sins on the cross. Be my king”

As long as you truly mean that when you pray it, you will be saved. How many of you have already made this decision? Let me know! 🙂

God bless, xox, Jennifer Clayton

What’s the Point of Christ?

{ November 19, 2010 @ 10:52 am } · { Accepting Christ, Bible Verses, Changing the Heart, Ephesians, Job, John, Love, Peace, Prayer, Romans, Specific Lessons, Trust }
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This blog is mainly about Jesus. Clearly. Hence the name. But why? Why do I decide to put such an emphasis on him? Well, as he says in the bible:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Basically, he’s saying that no one can get to heaven and be with God the Father except for by believing in him. They have to have faith in him, believing that he died on the cross to pay for all our sins once and for all, and that he rose from the grave 3 days later.

They have to acknowledge that they are sinful and can be forgiven by Jesus, if they ask for it. They need to proclaim it with their hearts and their mouths that Jesus is Lord:

“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 10:8-10

Remember it is about a change in the heart. A prayer alone cannot save you, but only if you truly believe in your heart will you be saved. But if you do this, you will be saved. You must take the leap of faith and begin to trust Jesus. Trust that he will catch you when you fall, when you make mistakes.

Some people act like there are many ways to get to God, but I only know one. Through Christ himself. We were separated from God because of our sins, because of what Adam and Eve had did in the garden, that lead to the downfall of everyone.

And because God is just and perfect and we are not because of sin, we truly deserve only to go to hell. But by God sending his only son, Jesus Christ, to the world, he gave us a chance to get to heaven.

Christ lived a perfect life, obeying all of God’s laws, and then he was crucified, carrying all our sins with him to the cross, and he died a perfect death. His rising three days later showed that he had defeated death, and thus, defeated sin in us.

This means by believing in Jesus, he forgives our sins, and our slate is whiped clean, and because Jesus gives us a clean slate, we are allowed to get into heaven. But we have to believe in our hearts that he died for us and rescued us from our sinful selves.

“Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, and it brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves. In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God’s grace,” Ephesians 1:5-7

He became our sacrifice to God, so we can get into heaven. And my life was jacked up before I knew him. Everything was going south, nothing made sense. I literally have never felt so much peace than when I am in Christ as opposed to being in the world. Millions of dollars could not match the peace I have found. I would choose to die for him on the spot than to have a materialistic life without him.

He healed my broken heart and satisfied me. He gave me peace in the place of ceasless worry. He was a friend, holding out a hand to help lift me up, as opposed to people in the world who conversely only ever pushed me down. He did not care about all the crap I did, he just wanted to love me, so he did. And I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for that, for a friend like him.

“You gave me life and showed me kindness,
and in your care you watched over my life.” Job 10:12

But there is only one way to get to God, through Christ alone. Any other way won’t get you into heaven. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and face the facts. Anyone could try to argue this, but I will never argue with the peace I have found and the loving relationship I have gained in the name of Christ.

That, my friends, is what this blog is all about. 🙂

Good to Trust in Jesus, Accepting Him

{ November 5, 2010 @ 9:00 am } · { Accepting Christ, Changing the Heart, Specific Lessons, The Church }
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“‘I know what I am planning for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.’” Jeremiah 29:11 NCV

“You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 TEV

“Let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet!” Philippians 3:15 The Message

But you must truly believe in Christ in your heart to obtain this the blessings he has stored up for you; he has blessings stored up for each and every one of us. Belief is such a loose word, but that’s a WHOLE DIFFERENT story for another time. To truly accept Christ, you have to believe that he is alive in spirit and around still today to do the things he said and promised he would.

I believe this in my own heart, even more so than the air I breathe—than the sure oxygen that fills my lungs. You must trust him, and through doing so, learn to know him in your heart. You need to confess that Jesus is Lord of your life, realize that he loves you and that he lived for you, died for you, and rose from the grave—so that you might live with him and his father in heaven, in his big house with many rooms, and have eternal life! Realize that by Christ lived the perfect life and sacrificed himself to take away your sins.

If you confess these things, truly believing them in your heart, you will know that you have accepted Christ, and will get into heaven and live with him. Pray for this in your heart, even say it out loud, and Satan and hell will have lost their foothold on your soul. And then, welcome to the new life.

Always feel free to contact me deadwednesdays@yahoo.com . Or leave a comment if you have questions or anything. 🙂

Check out NewSpring church, which is a place for any and all imperfect people, REGARDLESS OF THEIR PAST!! Everyone is welcomed by the kindness of true children of fricken’ AWESOME JESUS!! You don’t need to be all dressy and can come in casual clothes, and you can actually understand what the preachers are preaching about. It’s a very much home away from home feel, and it is really quite enjoyable. It’s the way church needs to be, for there to be any life change (and there is here, all the time!).

The site is here: http://www.newspring.cc. Check the site for info on locations (http://www.newspring.cc/newhere/locations). If you don’t live near one currently, watch videos on the web campus, visit the senior pastor’s blog: www.perrynoble.com, which is packed with loads of useful info, and get in touch with people who attend this church.

Preparing for “Operation Christmas Child”

{ October 10, 2010 @ 1:13 pm } · { Accepting Christ, Beauty, Changing the Heart, Faith in Hard Times, Giving, Love, Operation Christmas Child, Selflessness, Specific Lessons, Trust }
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Last year, at Electric City Fellowship, I donated two shoe boxes to Operation Christmas Child. Operaction Christmas Child is where people get shoeboxes and fill them with gifts for needy children around the world. I spent about $40 dollars last year, and I went to Target. I only had enough money to buy two.

Well, this year, we are about to start up with OCC again at church, and now since I work at Chick-fil-A, I am planning on saving $100 to make at least 4 shoe boxes. I was gonna buy some clothes for myself, but of course, this is waaaaay more important! 😀

I was talking to a friend today, and she said that she went to the Dollar Store to get stuff to make her shoe boxes. Her and her mom made them a lot.I figured I could go there and get stuff a lot cheaper than it costs at Target, and maybe I can get 7 boxes instead of four! I want to reach as many children as possible to bless them with gifts to show that Jesus loves them, and tell them that he cares about them. This is so important to me. Makes me so glad I started working.

I’m going to stuff each box with necesseties like toothbrushes and soap or deorderant, and then I’ll add a few toys, and then I’ll write a unique letter to each one explaining how much Jesus loves these children. I’ll also put in a picture of Jesus hugging a bunch of children, so they truly feel special. I also want to pray about this, that he truly changes the lives of all these hurting children.

I wish I had a thousand dollars to spend. I love making these gifts. Even if I could only make one, I would be truly happy, because that means I am blessing the life of one child and changing their hearts for the better by telling them about Jesus. Nothing is better than that! To just help one child would truly fill my heart with so much joy.

Everyone should try these! I think I am going to make it my tradition to make these shoebox gifts. 🙂 I love children, and Jesus loves them much more than I do.

It’s by being selfless, spending money and time on others, that really shoes the true character of Jesus. By doing this, the children will feel loved and special and like they are important, even if they live in a rough place and don’t really have homes or the necesseties they need.

By sending these gifts, they learn to see how much Jesus cares for them. Because it’s not my own heart that is giving them these gifts, but rather Jesus’s heart in me. He is the one who actually sends them these gifts. When they realize this, the children will love him all the more.

Doing stuff like this is how you truly change the world for Jesus. Show people how much he cares for them, how he was willing to die for them because he loved us all so much. Be selfless, be courageous. Be willing to put aside a little time and money to advance the gospel. This is how you truly glorify God.

When I make the shoeboxes, I want to pray over each one of them before I send them off. Pray that Jesus truly reaches and touches and heals the hearts of these children. Pray that he gives them the courage to trust in him, despite all the problems and challenges they face. Pray that they may truly be healed by his presence. Pray that he gives them a better life and helps them get all the things that they need. I will pray that he has a close and very personal relationship with him, because they need this even more than they need things like deoderant.

This is because when they die, they will leave the things of this world behind, but their relationship with Christ after they die only continues to grow, and they get richly and eternally blessed in heaven. 🙂

Just to reach and change the heart of one child is my goal. This is what I live for- changing the world for Jesus. I want those children to be thanking Jesus in their hearts after they get their gifts, not thanking me. It’s not my love that heals, it truly is his. It’s truly his message, and I’m just a messanger, an advocate for his gospel of truth and peace. I pray that Jesus saves these children.

But everyone should make these boxes! You can help heal a hurting child. I have to put aside some of the things I want- buying food, clothes, music stuff- for the sake of helping a truly hearting child, helping them in the name of Jesus. How could anyone want anymore than that? I encourage to send at least one box through Operation Christmas Child- or anything like that. Anything that helps spread the message of Christ- anything you can donate to where people can learn about Jesus and get stuff. Just give and pray.

To learn how to donate to Operation Christmas Child, click here.