I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Why we can stop making decisions we regret
Think back to a decision you made that you now regret. We’ve all done things that weigh us down and make us wonder, “Why do I seem to do what I know is wrong?”
The apostle Paul knew what this felt like…
“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”
Romans 7:19 NLT
The apostle Paul described this as a struggle between our old and our new natures.
Our old nature is marked by a desire to do whatever seems pleasing to us in the moment, regardless of the consequences. And while this might feel freeing at times, it ultimately leads to conflict, chaos, and destruction.
Before Jesus’ resurrection, the Hebrew people kept this old nature in check by closely following the laws God gave to Moses. These laws were meant to help people draw near to God. But they didn’t fix human nature—they revealed humanity’s brokenness.
The law separated from God by revealing how far people naturally were from God. But all of this changed when Jesus arrived.
His life, death, and resurrection fulfilled the requirements God laid out in His law. His sacrifice gave us access to a new nature created after God’s character, not based on our brokenness.
This nature is available to us through Jesus, because of Jesus. And when we receive this new nature, this is what happens…
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When God sees us, He sees Jesus in us. This allows us to pursue God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength without fear of losing His favor or love.
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Jesus gives us the strength to wrestle with our old natures and win. We can now overcome our tendency to make choices we regret by asking the Holy Spirit to help us make decisions that honor and reflect Jesus.
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Because of Jesus, we are no longer condemned. Even though we will still struggle between what’s right and wrong, we are no longer enslaved to sin, or sentenced to an eternity separated from God.
Today, allow Jesus to show you what He has saved you from, and then take a few minutes to thank Him for all that He has done for you.
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24 KJV,https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.16.24.KJV
The Price of Following Jesus
We know from Scripture that salvation is a free gift that Jesus gives us when we believe in Him. But just because our salvation is free—that doesn’t mean the rest of our lives with Jesus will cost us nothing as well.
Jesus says that following Him will cost us everything. This doesn’t mean that we have to earn our salvation or work for acceptance, but it does mean that following Jesus requires everything that we have.
When we become disciples of Jesus, we follow in His footsteps. We let Jesus teach and guide us. If we are serious about this, then our lives will become patterned after His life. This means that just as Jesus took up a cross and gave up everything He had, by following Jesus we must also do the same.
So what does it mean to take up a cross and follow Jesus? It means that we should be ready to give up everything for the sake of Jesus. It means denying ourselves by surrendering our own desires and plans for God’s desires and plans. Rather than ...
