alicel

Our sure salvation that will be manifested when Jesus is revealed again is the basis of our inexpressible and glorious Christian joy. This salvation cannot be snatched away from us, it is imperishable and eternal and of the greatest value. This joy is not based on human emotions but it is in the spirit. It is not dependant upon our circumstances or things around us but it is an attitude that results from our firm faith and hope in Jesus. However this joy can affect our human emotions positively and help us to look beyond our current circumstances especially if they are difficult, towards our glorious future. It is not essentially emotional as our emotions are more responses to external stimulation/situations and change as our circumstances change. The difference between the

Praise be to God that HE has used many instances to help my husband and me climb the ladder of growth in Him. One of the most vivid instances in my life was when my husband lost his job a few years ago. When we first got the news it was as if the ground beneath us had disappeared. And as I went through the emotions

God's part was to making it available (which He has already done) and is to see that it continues to be available by guarding it and us who are to enter into it. Our part is to want it and then realising that we cannot hold on to it on our own, have faith in GOd's ability and willingness to guard us and lead us to own it. God does not go against our wills. It is up to us to subject our wills to Him and yield ourselves to Him completely.. We, with our faith and God with His protection can together enter into the fullness of all the wonderful things God has in store for us!!

We needed forgiveness because we were sinners and our sin was so great that we would have been eternally cut off from Father God were it not for Jesus dying on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Having said that, though we have been forgiven once and for all,our sinful nature makes us prone to sin repeatedly. This is where obedience comes in. When we obey and work at obeying we minimise our falling into sin. Obedience helps us to walk in the leading of the Lord, and it is obedience which keeps us in right relationship with God. With only forgiveness we may be restored in our relationship wtih God but we are still stumbling along blindly in our daily living. With only obedience it is still possible for us to fall into sin because of our inherent imperfections, requiring forgiveness. Hence we obedience and forgiveness are a package that we need. We are saved by grace rather than works because God's standards are very high and all our works amount to nothing.(our righteousness is like filthy rags)We can never attain His standards no matter how hard we try and God knows this, yet in His infinite love for us He extends to us grace far beyond what we deserve so that we may know beyond a shadow of doubt that we are saved by HIS grace and not our good works. This is also to keep us humble, because if we were saved because of our works it wouldn't take us very long to get puffed up in pride. (God is so good!! He knows our propensity to pride,and therefore He will not give us reason to be proud)

A christian whio identifies more with his present homeland than his heavenly one is a short sighted christian. He is so involved in the day to day activites of living in this world that he gets sucked into the nitty gritties which are of no eternal value. This results in a waste of precious time which can never be got back and it also hinders him from performing his God given/ordained role for furthering His kingdom here on earth. Unable to see the larger picture, he undergoes a lot of unnecessary pain and heartache harbouring anger resentment bitterness etc which are the result of hurt pride/ego. I have caught myself doing this very many times. Were it not for the gentle promptings of God's Holy Spirit I too would end up indulging in this waste of time here on earth. We need to ask God constantly to help us see things from His point of view, if we are to get our spiritual priorities straight. A close walk with the Lord along with regular meditation/study of His Word will help keep us focussed. We are to constantly renew our our minds and our attitudes with the help of the Holy Spirit.This alone will help us keep our spiritual priorities straight.

Hello All, My name is Alice and I am a homeschooling mom of 2 precious little girls from India. I was not successful in the previous study on Revelations, and I know I've started late here too. But this time around I hope to successfully catch up and complete this study to God's glory. I was part of an 800+voice choir at a Benny Hinn crusade in Mumbai India which was attended by an estimated 1.7 million people!! To see all those people worshipping with lifted hands was a tremendous blessing!! To see all the miracles was another thrill because thsi showed the people of our country that "Jesus is alive and well in India!!!" Am looking forward to what God has for me in this study.!!! With warm regards to all in this forum