Martyr's Place

The Flag Dream

2011-02-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

The Dream

Two weeks ago I had a dream. It was definitely from the Lord.

In the dream I was standing outside on a beautiful sunny day. The sky was a gorgeous bright blue and there was a good strong breeze blowing. I was singing "The Star Spangled Banner" with everything in me. Even in the dream I took note of how beautiful it sounded. My heart was swollen with love for America and all her goodness.

I heard the sound of a flag flapping loudly in the breeze and turned to look at it. The flag was missing its stripes and its stars. It was just a washed out bluish-white piece of material flapping in the breeze. I felt a sense of amazement wondering what had happened, and also great grief swelling up in me mixed with great love. I felt like someone very precious and beloved by me had died in the service of their country.

Some Remarks and Observations

What does this dream mean? I can't tell you everything yet, but I will share with you some things that I see very clearly.

1. Americans as a people have always had a fierce love for their country and were willing to do whatever it took to protect her.

2. We have also had certain priorities: God, Family, and Country. This country was founded on Christian principles and the Word of God. Our laws came straight out of the Old Testament: You shall not steal; You shall not kill; You shall not commit adultery (yes, it used to be against the law to commit adultery, still is in Florida even though they don't enforce it). Our three branches of government come right out of its pages: Legislative (God the Lawgiver), Executive (God the Executor of the Law), Justice (God the Righteous Judge we will all stand before to give an account of what we have done with our lives.)

3. Americans have always hated injustice heaped upon others in the world. When Hitler's Nazi concentration camps were liberated, my father in law was one of the young American soldiers who walked in there heartbroken over what he saw had been done to other members of the human race.

4. Even when we feel forced to go to war against another people, when it's over and done with, we pour in millions of dollars and thousands of men to help the people of that country repair and restore that country so they can get on with life. ("Love your enemy, do good to those who hate you and despitefully use you." Jesus.)

5. In this dream the flag was missing its stars and stripes. It was a washed out bluish-white. I want to share something with you that was said by Charles Sumner in 1861. He was Chairman of a Senate Committee.

"There is the national flag. He must be cold indeed who can look upon its folds, rippling in the breeze, without pride of country. If he be in a foreign land, the flag is companionship and country itself, with all its endearments.

Who as he sees it, can think of a state merely? Whose eyes, once fastened upon its radiant trophies, can fail to recognize the image of the whole nation? It has been called a "floating piece of poetry," and yet I know not if it has an intrinsic beauty beyond other ensigns. Its highest beauty is in what it symbolizs. It is because it represents all, that all gaze at it with delight and reverence.

It is a piece of bunting lifted in the air; but it speaks sublimely, and every part has a voice. Its stripes of alternate red and white proclaim the original union of thirteen states to maintain the "Declaration of Independence", its stars of white on a field of blue, proclaim that union of states constituting our national constellation, which receives a new star with every new state. The two together signify union past and present.

The very colors have a language which was officially recognized by our fathers. White is for purity, red for valor, blue for justice; and all together -- bunting, stripes, stars, and colors, blazing in the sky -- make the flag of our country to be cherished by all our hearts, to be upheld by all our hands."

But, the flag was missing the red and white stripes representing the past union with its courage and purity (the thirteen original colonies from whom the Declaration of Independence sprang). It was missing its white stars (purity) on their background of blue (justice). All that remained was the material itself and a pale washed out, faded out bluish-white color. Our purity gone? Our justice quickly fading away? Our independence and allegiance to God and country missing?

What has happened? We have forgotten where we came from. We have turned our backs on God and now serve the god of Self. We want to do whatever brings us pleasure and we want others to support us in it. The country is erupting into massive protests against anybody who would dare suggest that it's not the place of government to support them and give them what they want at the expense of others. From illegal immigrants to public workers, we have developed a new mindset of "it's someone else's responsibility to take care of me from cradle to grave." Where is the spirit of courage and independence and self-reliability this country is known for? It disappeared with our new progressive ideals. What the Bible said has come to pass: "Woe to them who call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes!" Isaiah 5:20-21

I hope and pray this is a picture of what is going to happen if we don't as a people turn to God with all our hearts and regain the courage and purity and justice that come from confidence that if God is for us who can stand against us.

I hope and pray this is not a picture of what is going to happen no matter what we do. If it is, we can still be right with God ourselves as His people. He has promised He will never leave us or forsake us. I'm not talking about Americans now, I'm talking about the people of God.

Please read a promise God has given His people for when He decides to send judgment on a land where they are. It is found in Ezekiel 14:12-20. Please don't think to yourself, "That's the Old Testament, I don't need to read that." In I Corinthians 10:11 (New Testament) it speaks to us about God's dealings with His people in the Old Testament and it says, "Now all these things happened to them for examples: and they are written for our admontion (warning), upon whom the ends of the world have come."

We need to cry out to God, ask Him to help us to know what to do, how to be ready, and how to stand no matter what the circumstances are. And we need to help our children and loved ones to be ready also.

In Him,

Sylvia

2009-08-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Is God Warning Us to be Prepared?

Last month I posted a message entitled “A Scriptural Argument for Christians to be Prepared”. There were several examples from the Scripture that plainly showed God’s thoughts on the matter. At the end of that message I asked this question: “Is the Lord warning us to prepare for danger ahead?” This is the subject I am writing about today.

Amos 3:7 tells us: “Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until He reveals His plans to His servants the prophets.”

In the above verse the Hebrew word for prophet is “nabiy” and it means “one who speaks for God under the inspiration of His Spirit.”

God has always used certain people He has given a special gift to of “hearing” Him to warn others of coming calamity and judgment. He uses them to warn people to repent. Sometimes repentance causes God to “change His mind” and hold off the judgment.

God used people He called to be prophets all through the Old Testament.

· He used Noah to warn people the flood was coming (They laughed at him.)
· He used Elijah to warn Ahab and Jezebel of the coming judgment. (They hated him for it.)
· He used Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, among others, to warn the nation of Israel to repent or God was sending judgment. (They told them to take his message someplace else.)

And, God used prophets in the New Testament as well.

In Acts 11:27-29 we read this account of a prophetic warning:

“During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them name Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and prophesied by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.”

Why I am going over all this? I want you to be aware it is not unusual or “weird” that God sends people (His prophets) to warn us to get ready or repent or whatever else He wants to tell us.

Is God using certain people to do the same thing today? God says He never changes and His Word never changes. You can believe that what He has done before, He will do again.

For the three months before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Holy Spirit dealt with David Wilkerson, the pastor of Times Square Church in Manhattan that a great disaster was about to strike his city and his country. He and his congregation prayed day and night during that time. We all know what happened in Manhattan at the Twin Towers that fateful morning.

Another pastor by the name of Dan Bohler while preaching a revival in New Orleans received a word from the Lord which he announced in that revival meeting. “If the people in New Orleans don’t repent of their wickedness, I’m going to put this city under water.” Not long afterwards hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. You know the rest of the story.

These are just two examples of many, many other warnings that have gone forth and been fulfilled.

Are there any warnings being given at this time? Yes.

Just this past spring on March 7,2009, David Wilkerson again heard from the Holy Spirit. He sent out an email alert to everyone on his mailing list that he called “An Urgent Message.” This is what he said the Holy Spirit had revealed to him:

“An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen. It is going to be so frightening, we are all going to tremble- even the godliest among us.”

He went on to say there will be riots and fires in many major cities worldwide. There will be looting- including Times Square, New York City….Then, he gave some instructions he had received personally for God’s people:

1. If possible lay up a 30 day supply of food and other essentials, because grocery stores will be emptied with an hour of hearing these things are beginning.
2. Fix your eyes and your trust on the Lord.

He ended his warning with this note:

“I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.”

There are many other prophetic warnings of impending judgment and calamity going on right now. Many involve earthquakes (New Madrid Fault), a monster hurricane, fires, riots, etc.

What I am asking you to do, is to get into your prayer closet and seek God’s wisdom with all you heart. When someone wants to know His will, the Word says He will show it to them. If you mean business with Him, He will lead you in the way you should go.

Maranatha!

A Scriptural Argument For Christians to be Prepared

2009-07-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

“A prudent (wise) man foreseeth the evil (danger), and hideth (gets prepared): but the simple (foolish) pass on (continue blindly on), and are punished.”
Proverbs 22:3

Proverbs is a book of wisdom. In its pages we can find many contrasts between what the wise are like, and what the foolish or wicked are like. Looking at Proverbs 22:3 we can see that a wise person looks ahead, sees when a time of danger is approaching and prepares himself to get through it. On the other hand, a foolish person doesn’t pay any attention to what is getting ready to happen and ends up suffering for it.

I know that the church is full of teaching that says, “Don't worry, Be happy.” We hear teaching and preaching all the time that says “God would never let His people suffer.” Or “If you have faith, you don’t need to concern yourself. You’re just giving in to fear. After all, God gave the children of Israel manna in the wilderness.”

That all sounds wonderful, but is it scriptural?

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”
Hebrews 11:7

It was faith that caused Noah to believe God’s warning to him that danger was ahead. It was faith that caused him to move with fear and get prepared.

Could God have saved him and his family without the ark? Absolutely! It was all a matter of obedience. If Noah hadn’t built the ark and provisioned it as instructed by God, the fact is, Noah and his family would have died in the flood.

In Genesis chapter forty-one, another account of preparing for disaster is told. The King of Egypt has two dreams one night, very troubling dreams. A young man named Joseph, known as an interpreter of dreams is called to the king to explain the dreams. The dreams are a warning from the Lord that there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of severe famine. Unless something is done tens of thousands of people will die.

Joseph is full of God’s wisdom. He instructs Pharaoh what needs to be done.

“Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.” Genesis 41:34-36

In Proverbs once again there are some words of wisdom concerning preparation for hard times. We are instructed that there are four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceedingly wise. One of which is:

“…..The ants are a little people not strong, yet they prepare (make ready, put up) their food in the summer…”
Proverbs 30:24-28

The Lord Jesus, Himself gives us this warning:

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves…”
Matthew 10:16

Is the Lord warning us to get ready for danger ahead? That’s what I’ll be writing about next. Look for it in the next few days.

If you would like to be notified about new articles posted on this blog, please email me at sacroft@bellsouth.net and also become a follower of this blog.

In His Service,
Sylvia Croft
MorningStar Family Church
July 29, 2009

A Promise Kept

2008-11-26T18:24:00.000-08:00

"In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Jesus Christ (John 16:33B New King James Version)

Meet Darcie Gill. Over the last few years she has stared the truth of Jesus' words right in the eye, up close and personal. Cuba, Sudan, Columbia, Korea, China and many other countries are not friendly to Christians. As a representative of Voice of the Martyrs Gill has seen people who, because of their faith in Christ, live in extreme poverty and under almost unbearable persecution. Yet in those pressing circumstances these people who love and trust Him have "overcome the world".

Voice of the Martyrs is a ministry which focuses on helping the persecuted church in other nations. It was founded in 1971 by Richard Wurmbrand who was arrested and imprisoned for more than fourteen years in a Romanian prison camp for no other reason than that he boldly proclaimed the name of Jesus. After getting out of prison and going to Ontario,Canada, his
heart's cry became to make others aware of these courageous Christians who share the word of God, risking persecution for it every day. Gill and her husband, Tim, share the same heart cry.
Gill and her husband have been associated with VOM for the last ten years. They are not considered missionaries, but rather are representatives of VOM and the persecuted church to Christians here in America.

"So, that's what I do", Gill said, "I travel throughout the United States and I share the stories of the people I've been with or people that the ministry has met, because you won't hear about them on the evening news. I share their stories and I raise support and bring help back to them. I go into restricted nations to meet those people. Sometimes very dangerous areas."

According to The World Evangelical Alliance's written report presented to the United Nations Human Rights Commission last year, Christians are "the largest single group in the world which is being denied human rights on the basis of their faith." Most people have no idea of that fact.
Gill and the team she works with, visited Sudan in the midst of a violent civil war. The Muslim north apparently learned of the route they were traveling, tracked them and bombed the route.

"Looking back at my journal to that time was a real eye-opener." Gill said, "One of the things God laid on my heart before that trip was to memorize Psalm 91:3. We had just crossed the Blue Nile and came out on the other side when the big truck carrying supplies and aid had a flat tire. We all felt like we were under a spiritual attack. The enemy was trying to stop us from
reaching our destination. Yet God kept bringing back Psalm 91:3 to me: 'I will deliver you from the snare of the fowler.'"

Because of that flat tire, they had to go back to base to get it repaired. After they reached their base, Russian Antonov 26s indiscriminately dropped clusters of bombs on the place they left their truck, as well as the village where they had been headed. God had sent them back to base with a flat tire, to insure their safety.

A literal flood of people, many of them Christians, fleeing the Muslims made their way to a place near the front named Juba. It was a place of great suffering. Women and children came there because their husbands were on the front lines. While there Gill and her team interviewed widows whose husbands had been killed by the Muslims, women who had been kidnapped by Muslim soldiers, and young women who were carrying the babies of Muslim soldiers who had raped them.

"I've never seen anything like it," said Gill. "You know how when you go to some places you can look around and see all the different colors? All I could see there was brown. Nothing but brown. The people were brown, their clothes were dust covered and brown (the ones who had clothes on), the earth was brown, everything was brown. There was no shelter. We slept outside. An enclosure was made by bundling grass up and putting it around the borders. We slept on the ground in the center of it. We were surrounded by foxholes where men lay with their guns guarding us. The Muslims were only about four miles away."

"In another village we met a young girl who had scars all over her body. She shared with us how she was captured by Muslim soldiers when she was fourteen years old. They gave her an
opportunity to convert to Islam. She told them again and again that she was a Christian. They raped her repeatedly. Then they heated their knives and began to torture her, and left her for dead. She lived," said Gill. This girl shared how she had been running from the Muslim soldiers with a group of people from her village. An Anglican man in that group shared the Gospel with her. She accepted the Lord and she was willing to die for Him. This girl had never seen a Bible, never been to a Youth Group meeting, yet the power of the gospel had changed her heart. What a remarkable young girl!

Columbia is one of the world's most violent nations and Medellin, its second largest city is the world's most violent city. Gill went to Bellavista Prison in Medellin. There she met people who were contract killers, para-military soldiers, and drug cartel members who had given their lives to Christ while they were in prison. Some of them when released made a commitment that they were going to show by their works that they indeed had experienced a new life in Christ. One man committed himself to help widows and orphans. He went to an area where many flee to escape the guerillas and drug cartel members. Many of them end up outside major cities or in the hill country in massive slums. This one man, an individual who was not a part of any organization raises money wherever he can and goes into these areas to feed the widows and the orphans.

Gill said, "He wanted us to come and see this place. As we prepared to go, we were advised it was a very dangerous area. We said, 'Every place we work is a dangerous area. That tends to be the way persecution works.' We prayed about it and decided we were supposed to go. We went with a driver into this area known as a Red Zone. At the time we had no idea what that meant.

Later, we found out a Red Zone is a place so dangerous that the police and the military will not even go. We finally got to the top. However, on the way down there were many times a bus going in the opposite direction would meet us. We would have to get out and back up to get around them. When we got out of there is when we found out how really dangerous it was. We were told if someone is not from there you are either killed, robbed, or kidnapped and held for ransom. You don't go in there and come out. And yet we did. That was God's plan. We were able to get in there, take that man some money to help him to feed those widows and orphans. God can use one bold person willing to help in a place where it could cost him his life."
In Columbia, Gill also met a young pastor and his family who went up into a guerilla held area to pastor a church of eighteen people. Within a year, that church exploded into almost two hundred members. The guerillas were not happy. They came and as they made him watch, took his wife, raped her all day and night and did other horrible things to her. The young pastor sobbed his heart out as he shared, "They did awful things to her, man after man." They held a gun to his head, then to his wife's head pulling the trigger repeatedly. They mocked him, "You think your God can save you?" Tiring of their sport, they left the family tied in a room and went off for a while. A short time later one of the guerillas came back and said, "I want to know this God who keeps the bullets from coming out of the gun." This remarkable young pastor who had just witnessed the guerilla rape his wife, now prayed with him to receive Christ as his Savior. The pastor and his family were finally released and went back home. They later began receiving threats that their children were going to be kidnapped, so they left the area. Pray for their safety, at this time, their whereabouts are unknown.

China is a Communist nation and there are still faithful Communists there. However, the majority of the people are not. There are more Christians in China than there are Communists. The underground church has absolutely exploded. They are a thorn in the flesh to the Communist government of China. The underground church is illegal, but it continues to grow at an amazing rate. What the government wants is for them to be part of the "Three Self Patriot Movement" which is the government state sponsored church. In the "Three Self Patriot Movement" there are some true believers, but they have to make certain agreements such as what the pastor may or may not preach. He cannot preach about the return of Christ. He cannot preach that Jesus is the "only way" or that your allegiance must lie with Christ even above government. There are multitudes of scriptures that cannot be preached or taught in the government church. You cannot evangelize anyone under the age of eighteen, not even your own children. It is illegal to raise your children with an understanding of God or His word. All these people have to decide what's more important: their safety and financial stability or their obedience to scripture and their love for God. Many people that used to be part of the "Three Self Patriot Movement" say, "If you want to grow spiritually, you can't stay there, you just can't." They had to make their decision and they left.

God is now calling the Chinese church to a new movement named the Back to Jerusalem Movement. This movement is comprised of 100,000 missionaries to the world who have committed themselves to walk down the Silk Roads (One of the world's oldest and most historically important trade routes running between China and the Mediterranean Sea). Some will go to Buddhist lands, some to Hindu lands, and some to Muslim lands. One of the pastors
involved in this movement said, "We've made a decision to write our testimony in our own blood." They are determined to reach the world, especially those lands that are hostile to the gospel. According to them one of the sweetest gifts they have been given is the persecution under the hands of the Chinese Communists.

The church in America has never experienced the type of persecution about which you have just read. Is that a blessing? The pastors in Cuba pray for the American church because they say it is harder to be a Christian in America than it is in Cuba. The Christians in China pray for the church in America that persecution will come. Why do the Christians that suffer persecution feel this way? Remember, the Chinese Christians consider the persecution they endure to be a sweet gift. Through the centuries, persecution has caused the church to flourish rather than to wane. Where persecution exists, the church is forced into a position to examine and then stand for what it truly believes. The cost of believing is so great those who are just playing games do not stick around. The church becomes stronger because those who stay are quite literally willing to lay down their lives for Christ and their fellow believers.

Many believers in America have never really had to decide if their faith in Christ is worth losing their lives for. Many find it hard living for Him so how will they die for Him if it comes to that. What? You don't think it will ever come to that. Think again. It is becoming increasingly unpopular to be a Christian in America. There is an outcry over any public observance or accommodation towards Christianity. Everything from Nativity scenes outside of city halls to the Ten Commandments hanging in county courthouses is forbidden. Graduates in high schools and universities have been forbidden to mention the name of Jesus in speeches to classmates. Teachers are fired for hanging copies of founding documents on their classroom walls because God is mentioned in them. Talk show hosts and news broadcasters had better think twice before saying anything that could be taken as condescending or deprecating about any group or type of people without losing their jobs, or at the very least being suspended, unless, of course, it is about Christians. Christians are fair game. How could this be in America, one nation under God?

Thirty or forty years ago no one would believe the intolerance towards Christians that exists here today. More than likely, it will get worse. How much worse? Only the Lord knows. Ask yourself this question: "Am I ready to stand?"
Gill said that being involved with the persecuted church has really changed her perspective on life and faith. It has helped her to see the true value of "things" in contrast to faith and love. It has caused her to ask herself, "What is a soul worth?" Seeing believers who were tortured and suffered the loss of everything turn to their persecutors and not only forgive them, but also pray with them to know Christ, has caused her to examine her own faith.

"The things that used to be so incredibly important to me have had a different light shed on them." Gill said, "I don't think it's wrong to have a nice home, a decent car, and all those things. I have them and I'm thankful for them. They make life easier, more comfortable. But, they're just things. I've been with people that have been burned out four or five times, who have lost everything they had. They have seen their wives raped, their husbands shot or mutilated, their children killed, yet, they haven't lost what's most important: their faith and trust in Jesus Christ."

What Will You Decide?

2008-11-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

In the Bible, God's Word, He reveals the root of all mankind's problems.

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…." Isaiah 53:6

In the very beginning when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, God gave them everything they needed for both their physical needs and for pleasure. There was only one thing God withheld from them - The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He told them, "You may not eat of this tree. If you do, you will die!"

One day when Eve was walking in the garden, the devil came. He told her God was a liar. He told her God just didn't want her to be able to decide for herself what was good and what was evil. If she ate from that tree she would be as smart as God. Eve decided to believe the devil's lie instead of trusting God and obeying Him. Adam and Eve chose to go their own way. And so through Adam sin entered the world. Every man, woman and child born from then on inherited a sin nature from Adam the same way we inherit the color of our eyes or the color of our hair from our parents.

This problem of wanting to go our own way is called sin. Sin caused our spirit to die and caused us to be separated from fellowship with God. God says sin must always be paid for by death. "The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23

In the Bible in I Corinthians 6:9-10 it says:

"Don't you know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the Kingdom of God……"

God says that no one who does these things will be His child or enter Heaven. So, now we have a real problem. All of us have committed some of these or other sins. All of us have walked away from God. None of us are good enough to go to heaven.

In Romans chapter 3 God says:
Verse 10: There is none righteous, no, not one.
Verse 11: There is no one that understands and seeks after God.
Verse 23: For all have sinned and come short of God's glory.

We are all in the same situation! Is there any hope for us?

Yes, Thank God! God sent His only Son to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. He came in the body of a man. He was tested and tempted in every way we are, yet He never committed sin. That is why He didn't have to die for His own sin. He was able instead to take your place and my place when He was nailed to the cross. It should have been you and me being nailed to the cross. But, Jesus said, "Father, let me die for them and pay the price for their sin." And He did.

God loves us so much He found a way to bring us back to Himself, to reconcile us to Himself. What is the way?

Acts 20:21 says that we must have or experience two things:
Repentance toward God
Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ

Repentance toward God means: we must apologize to God and turn our backs on living our own way. We must turn our backs on doing what pleases us. Turn our backs on sin! And, make a new decision we will live in a way to please God. We will do what He wants and live by His words.

Faith toward our Lord Jesus means: we know and accept that Jesus' death is the only thing that will pay for our sin and make us acceptable to God. On our own we can never be good enough to be acceptable to God.

Listen to this from I John 1:5-9.

"This is the message we have heard from Him, and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with God, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Listen, no matter what you have done – no matter how ugly or sinful you have lived, the blood of Jesus Christ is strong enough to cleanse you from all of it! If sin wasn't as hateful to God as it is, Jesus would not have had to die. We could have done something to make it right on our own.

God not only will forgive you, He desires to forgive you. He made you in His own image. He gave you the ability to choose to love and obey Him or not to. If you have to make somebody love you, it's no good. But, when someone chooses to love you, that is a precious gift.

God wants you to be His own special treasure. He created you with His special purpose in mind. But you are the one who will decide to continue going your own way – or deciding to go God's way. Which choice will you make?

God's Word says in Deuteronomy 30:15-20:

"See, I have set before you this day life and good – and death and evil; in that I command you this day to love your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments – that you may live and multiply. But if you turn your heart away, so that you will not hear, but are drawn away…. I denounce to you this day, that you will surely die….. I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your children may live: That you may love the Lord your God, and that you may obey His voice and cleave to Him. For He is your life, and the length of your days…."

What will you decide?