Scripture: Matthew 7 v 14
What does our Heavenly Father desire most from us? He
wants us home with Him!! We were abducted by Satan and taken hostage before the
Earth was formed. He has missed us for a very long time.
Think about Madeleine McCann and what her parents have
suffered for 6 long years. Multiply that by 7 billion children and 6000 years
to know the love and anguish our Father feels for all of us.
John 3 v 16 - "For God so loved the world (us) that
He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever (anybody) who
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
This is the heart of the gospel and the chief negotiation
with Satan. If any believe in Jesus you lose that one soul to Me. There is no
other name by which we can be saved.
Once we call on the name of Jesus the rescue plan starts
operating - Jesus said "Follow Me" to His disciples, and that's what
we must do.
Step 1 - Be born again.
Step 2 - Be baptized
Step 3 - be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Step 4 - Read the Bible daily as it shows the Path to Life.
Step 4 - Read the Bible daily as it shows the Path to Life.
Step 5 - Pray without ceasing - stay in contact at all
times.
Step 6 - Have fellowship with other Christians and help
one another.
Step 7 Open the gifts the Holy Spirit has given to be
very helpful to one another and which edify you.
Once you have got this far you have put significant
distance between you and Satan. He is always on the prowl though for a weak,
lonely, isolated lamb so stay close to those who mentor you.
The Lord will warn you of dangerous territory where the
vulnerable could fall. Heed these warnings promptly or you may lose your way
and have to go through some heavy countryside involving the moving of mountains
to reach safety again.
The enemy is relentless and ruthless so make sure you
have on your whole armour from Ephesians 6 v 12-15. Stay away from sinful
activities that can see you back in enemy hands. His secret agents are only
detected by using the gifts correctly.
If you are recaptured - its called backsliding - you have
an Advocate with the Father who will plead your case for you if you are
remorseful and promise to walk in the light. The advocate's name is Jesus
Christ. There is no charge for His services.
One of the worst traps is to go back to living under the
Law of Moses. When Jesus died He fulfilled that set of 665 laws as it was
impossible for man to keep all those as some of them contradicted each other.
He gave us just two to keep:
1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind
and strength.
2. Love your neighbour as you love yourself.
Love transcends all other laws.
The Sabbath was a day set apart for the Jews to worship
God. We worship Him every day and at all times.
We have the honour of being able to hear His voice and to
talk to Him too. We have a personal friendship with Jesus and are the sons and
daughters of our Heavenly Father.
If we cannot hear Him we need to check if we have
offended Him. Sin and disobedience cause God to stop communicating with us
until it is corrected.
This is the simple plan of salvation that puts us on the
Path of life. It is Eternal Life that begins the day you are born again. It
takes you to Heaven when you die or are Raptured, whichever comes first.
Follow in the footsteps of Jesus and He will lead you
through minefields, quicksand, storms and deserts in complete safety.
Prayer: Father God You say You are blessed by the death
of Your saints, the believers, because they come home to You. Father, let us
all find the path of life through calling on the name of Jesus. There is no
other way or path which leads us home. In Jesus' name. Amen.