YOU’RE FORGIVEN!

                                                  YOU’RE FORGIVEN!

 

I have had this question asked before: “How do I know God has forgiven me?”  “How do I know I’m saved?  I don’t feel forgiven or saved?” So, I’ve decided to write this teaching just in case there’s someone out there who’s wondering the same things and are asking these same questions.

 

Friends, we have to go to the TRUTH of the Word of God to get these questions and ALL fears and doubts removed. Our feelings and emotions come and go, they change constantly, today we feel and say this and that and tomorrow is another thing. So we’re NOT going to go on our feelings today…We are going to turn to the “Word Of God” for our answers.

 

1-How Do I Know I’m Forgiven?

In Ezekiel, The LORD says, this….

"But if a wicked man (Watch This… Don’t Miss It!) TURNS AWAY FROM ALL THE SINS he has committed and keeps all my decrees AND DOES what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. "NONE OF THE OFFENSES” he has committed will be REMEMBERED AGAINST HIM. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live.”~ (Ezekiel 18:21-22)

 

Note: WOW!!! I believe this is GREAT NEWS, don’t you? Now that you know what the word of GOD says, say GOOD-BYE once and for ALL to those false feelings and dismiss those fears, that God will bring up all your sins on judgment day. The LORD says, if we turn from our sins and do what is just and right and we follow Him and His teachings…We are completely forgiven and we are made NEW! (2 Corinthians 5:17) NONE, I Repeat NONE, of our sins and offenses will be remembered by GOD, EVER! "For I will FORGIVE their wickedness and WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.” (Jeremiah 31:34, Hebrews 8:12, 10:17)

 

2- How Do I Know I’m Saved? I Don’t Feel Forgiven Or Saved?

 

In The book of Romans it tells us this, concerning this question….

“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. As the Scripture says, "ANYONE” who trusts in him will NEVER be put to shame."… FOR, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."~(Romans 10:9-11, 13)

 

Note: God makes it very simple for anyone who wants to be saved…The Holy Scriptures says “If we confess with our mouth, JESUS IS LORD," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED.”(Romans 10:9) It is the Word of GOD that we have to believe and stand on and NOT on our emotions or feelings. Believe in the word of the Lord, my friends. If God said it, then, that’s the way is going to be and you are saved according to Romans 10:9-11, 13. “FOR, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED.”

BUT let me give you all a warning… If we turn to the old way of living and go back to living a sinful lifestyle…This is what THE LORD says:

 

“BUT IF A RIGHTEOUS MAN TURNS FROM his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, WILL HE LIVE? NONE of the righteous things he has done WILL BE REMEMBERED. (Watch This…Don’t Miss It!!) Because of "THE UNFAITHFULNESS" HE IS GUILTY of and because of the SINS HE HAS COMMITTED, HE WILL DIE.”… If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and “COMMITS SIN”, HE WILL DIE FOR IT; because of the sin he has committed he will die.” (Ezekiel 18:24, 26)~HEAVEN won’t be the place of eternity for ANYONE who lives a sinful life!

 

Watch Jesus REPEAT this same exhortation and warnings to ALL of us:

 

“The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) will send out HIS ANGELS, (Watch This…Don’t Miss It!) AND THEY WILL WEED OUT of His kingdom “EVERYTHING THAT CAUSES SIN AND ALL WHO DO EVIL.” They will THROW THEM INTO THE FIERY FURNACE, where there WILL BE weeping and gnashing of teeth.”~(Matthew 13:41-42)~ Remember, Jesus is NOT a man that HE should LIE! (Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Titus 1:2)  If Jesus gives us these warnings and we still continue to sin then the “Fiery Furnace” awaits us and NOT Heaven!

 
Jesus says:

“IF YOUR RIGHT EYE CAUSES YOU TO SIN, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be “THROWN INTO HELL.” AND IF YOUR RIGHT HAND CAUSES YOU TO SIN, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your WHOLE BODY TO GO INTO HELL.”~(Matthew 5:29-30)

 

Note: This means GETTING RID OF/ PUTTING TO DEATH, “EVERYTHING” that causes us to sin against our GOD…NOTHING in this world is worth losing your salvation, NOTHING! The choice is “ALWAYS” ours to make. (Colossians 3:1-10) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Please read the whole chapter of Romans 6… “FOR SIN SHALL NOT be your master, because you are not under law, BUT under GRACE.” (Romans 6:14, Ezekiel 18:30-32)

 

Jesus means what HE says… We are commanded to live “Holy and Godly lives” in this present age and we better heed the warnings, if we want to enter Heaven. Peter tells us this: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE OUGHT YOU TO BE? You ought to “LIVE HOLY AND GODLY LIVES…” (2 Peter 3:11, Titus 2:12, Romans 12:1)

 

Let me show you what Paul tells the Church Of Ephesus:

 

“BE IMITATORS OF GOD, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Watch This… Don’t Miss It!) BUT AMONG YOU there MUST NOT be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, BECAUSE THESE ARE IMPROPER FOR GOD’S HOLY PEOPLE. NOR should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (Here it Comes Now… Don’t Miss It!) FOR OF THIS YOU CAN BE SURE: NO immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater—"HAS ANY INHERITANCE" in the kingdom of Christ and of God."~(Ephesians 5:5)

 

Note: With this statement Paul is GUARANTEEING US; that anyone who lives this kind of life (the sinful life) “WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD”…“For of this you can be sure: NO immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has ANY inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” (Ephesians 5:5)  See Also: (Matthew 13:40-42, Galatians 5:19-21, Colossians 3:1-17, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Revelation 21:27, 22:15)


Friends, when JESUS says: “YOU’RE FORGIVEN!”  You’re truly and completely forgiven BUT we “MUST ALSO BE” diligent and faithful in “OBEYING” the Lord, and following His commandments to enter Heaven. (John 14:15, 21, 23-24) NEVER tire of doing good…“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

 

 

GOD BLESS YOU ALL NOW AND ALWAYS
YOUR FRIEND,
VICKY RIVERA

IS IT TOO LATE FOR ME?

 IS IT TOO LATE FOR ME?

We have all had people who gave us good advice in our life, right? Whether it was about a relationship we should have not gotten into or ran away from, jobs we should have taken or not taken, financial advice, etc. And for some reason we don’t always follow the good advice that we are given. We’ll say to ourselves that sounds good, BUT I’m going to do it my way, and when our way doesn’t work, that’s when we think back to that person who gave us the good advice and say; "I should have listened to what they told me to do!"

I’m sure there has been many times when we have said… “Wow, I really blew it! Just because we may have missed some opportunities in life and not done the right thing, the first time around it does not mean that other ones won’t come our way again… BUT hopefully we have learned from our past mistakes, and make better choices when the next opportunity presents itself again.

If we follow God’s guidance for our lives…Things WILL begin to start working out for us and we will be much happier in life, guaranteed! BUT we will have to trust God completely and do what HE says FIRST!  In this teaching, I would like to show what the Bible says, about a paralyzed man and the woman caught in the act of adultery and how the Lord Jesus gave them a second chance in life, a chance to turn their lives around for the better…

“The Healing at the Pool”

“Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie--the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked…” (Watch This Don’t Miss It! This Is When “The Fork In The Road” Comes To This Man…)  Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, YOU are well AGAIN. STOP sinning OR something WORSE may happen to YOU." (John 5:2-9, 14)

Note: By the way Jesus spoke to this man who had been completely cured of his condition, we can safely assume that his condition was brought upon him because of some past sin…. “Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." (John 5:14)- Just to be clear…This is NOT always the case with all sick people… But it was the case for this paralyzed man that Jesus healed at the pool. I can only hope that this man listened to Jesus exhortation about leaving his life of sin… “Stop sinning OR something worse may happen to you." (John 5:14)

There are times in our life that we escape some kind of a bad accident, death, a medical report that we thought would bring us bad news, etc, and we think, we just got lucky. In these times we completely miss that God was compassionate towards us and that HE perhaps spared us from that (accident, death, bad medical report, etc.) in the hopes that we would see His hand in that situation and turn to HIM, seek HIM with all our hearts. But if we fail to see God’s love and mercy for us, and continue to sin then life is not going to get better for us, as a matter of fact… The Bible says, “something worse may happen to you." (John 5:14)

The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23) Sin only brings death and devastation into our lives and homes. The misery that sin brings into our lives and the people that we hurt along the way are NOT worth all the trouble and the pain that it brings with it! The Bible says, “Your own conduct and actions have brought this upon you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!” (Jeremiah 4:18) The outcome will always end up bad when we don’t turn from our sins and continue on our sinful lifestyle. Nothing good comes from doing/living wrong… Nothing! As a matter of fact… “Disaster follows disaster…” (Jeremiah 4:20)

The other person I wanted to talk about in this teaching is a woman many wanted stoned for her sin…

“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group. and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.” (John 8:3-5) Many wanted her to die for her sin but Jesus wouldn’t condemned her instead Jesus forgave her and gave her this exhortation …"GO NOW and LEAVE your life of SIN." (John 8:11) We are not supposed to keep on sinning once we are told about our wrongdoings and if you think … 'I am innocent; HE (GOD) is not angry with me.' But (GOD says…) I will pass judgment on you because you say, 'I have not sinned.” (Jeremiah 2:35) Only Jesus can set us free from our sins! Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, EVERYONE who SINS is a SLAVE to SIN.”(John 8:34)

Note: I’ve said this before and I’ll continue to say it… If you’re still struggling with sin, then come to the ONLY one that can set you FREE and YOU will be free INDEED… “SO if the SON sets you free, you will be FREE indeed.” (John 8:36) We must confess our sins to GOD and turn from all our wrongdoings! And we will receive mercy from HIM… “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, (Watch This… Don’t Miss It!) but WHOEVER confesses and renounces them FINDS mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)

Some may be wondering… "Is It Too Late For Me?" Friend, as long as you are here on earth… It’s NEVER too late to turn from your sins and come to the Savior of the world! This is a GOD that is ready to forgive all of your wrongdoings, if you ask Him to and turn to HIM with all your heart… "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:34/ Hebrews 8:12)

Note: People may remember all your wrongdoings BUT when you give your life to Jesus Christ and ask HIM for forgiveness of all your sins… HE will Forgive them and will NEVER remember your sins again, EVER! "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their SINS NO MORE." (Jeremiah 31:34) When GOD says all your sins are forgiven… They ARE truly and completely FORGIVEN! How awesome is that!!! The Bible says, “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." (Isaiah 44:22) Amen!

If you’re tired of living in that roller-coaster lifestyle that you’ve been living in and are tired of hiding that emptiness that you’ve been feeling inside. And you’re so tired of filling it with things that you thought will help you get by and instead are destroying you!

My friend, if you’re ready for a change, then today is the day… You still have time to turn your life around and come to the GOD who is anxiously waiting for you to give your life completely to Him! JESUS is an expert in healing lives, restoring marriages, HE can break any addictions; HE can restore health and finances, etc. Jesus can help you with whatever help you need! The Bible says, “For NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE with GOD." (Luke 1:37) Amen!

If you give your life to Jesus Christ today I guarantee it will be a decision that you will NEVER regret making… Rejecting the Savior will be the biggest mistake anyone can ever make in this life! Please do not ignore HIS calling. If you’re still thinking… “IS IT TOO LATE FOR ME?” The answer is NO, you’re not too Late! Jesus is still waiting for you… The choice is yours my friend!

Jesus Says: "COME to ME, all you who are weary and burdened, and I WILL give you REST.” (Matthew 11:28)

GOD BLESS YOU NOW AND ALWAYS,
YOUR FRIEND,
VICKY RIVERA

WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS?

WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS?


"The Lord said to Samuel, “DO NOT" consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord "DOES NOT" look at the things man looks at, MAN LOOKS at the outward appearance, BUT THE LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART.” (1 Samuel 16:7) NIV


Note: What a comforting and encouraging Scripture is 1 Samuel 16:7!  How good it is to know that God doesn’t look at how we look, who we know, or what church we go to! The Lord looks and examines our hearts; He knows our true intentions towards Him and people.

I love what Jesus tells the Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law, when they asked Jesus…

“Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with “ unclean hands? (Watch This... Don't Miss It!) He replied, “ Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: These people honor me with their lips, BUT their hearts ARE FAR from me. They worship me "IN VAIN"; their teachings are BUT rules TAUGHT by men." (Mark 7: 5-7)


Note: The Lord knows us very well and He knows our true motives towards HIM and towards our fellow man!

This is what our Savior says: “Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said. “ Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. "NOTHING" outside a man CAN MAKE HIM ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, "IT IS WHAT COMES OUT" of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’

"He went on: “ What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ (Watch This...Don't Miss It!) FOR from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ (Mark 7:14-16, 20-23)


The Lord doesn’t look to see if we belong to right church denomination. If we’re wearing a suit to church or if we’re wearing jeans and a t-shirt to church! If you have piercing or tattoos! None of these things God looks at! That’s what people see and care about! The Lord says, that the bad things we harbor in our hearts and the bad things that we do is what makes us ‘unclean’… NOT what we look like in the OUTSIDE!! GOD always looks at our hearts... So the question is: "What Are Your Intentions?" Jesus says: "SO IN EVERYTHING", DO to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)


Jesus Says: “STOP JUDGING BY MERE APPEARANCES, AND MAKE A RIGHT JUDGMENT.” (JOHN 7:24)


GOD BLESS YOU NOW AND ALWAYS!
YOUR FRIEND,
VICKY RIVERA

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE


The Bible says:

“According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” Hallelujah! (1Thessalonians 4: 15-17) NIV


Note: Some of us have family members and friends that have fallen asleep (who have died) in the Lord. This is a wonderful and exciting promise that the Lord has given for all of us who believe in Him. We will be reunited with our loved ones in Heaven someday... We won’t be separated from them ever again! What a glorious day that will be. To see Our Lord and Savior, face to face, our families and friends... I can't wait! I’m also looking forward to meeting some of you on that day face to face.

This is why we have to be obedient to Our Lord’s commands. We have our families and friends waiting for us. This is one of the many reasons, we cannot let anything or anyone derail us from the path that the Lord teaches us to stay on... "Fight the good fight of faith." (1 Timothy 6: 12)

The Bible says:

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-11)

The Lord is near, my friends. We must obey the Lord, study His word and "DO" what it says. (James 1:22)

This is what the Word of the Lord says:

"What good is it, my brothers; if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “ Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by actions, is dead."(James 2:14-17)

"As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:14-16)

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith… (Hebrews 12:2)

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)


Note: We have all heard the phrase “ No Pain, No Gain”  The Lord never said it was going to be easy. The Christian life is one of self-discipline and self-denial. As a matter of fact Jesus said as they treated me they would treat you. (John 15:18-21) "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9) We live in this world but we are not of this world. Jesus said that he went to prepare a place for us and He also said that He would come back for us. (John 14:2-3) This world is not our home, in no shape or form should we submit to it. We should not set our minds in the things of this world but in heavenly things, our citizenship is in heaven. (Colossians 3:2, Philippians 3:20)

God has given us a gleam into the future… What will it be like on that glorious day. In the book of Revelation 21:1-7 it says:

“ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “ Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (I don’t know about you but that sounds like a pretty good deal to me… Sounds like an amazing place!!)  He who was seated on the throne said, “ I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Note: These are the rewards for all of those that lived a life here on earth following the Lord and obeying His commands BUT for those WHO DID NOT believed in Jesus Christ, WHO DID NOT follow or obeyed Him… Read what the word of the Lord says:

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Revelation 21:8)

“IF ANYYONE'S" name was NOT found written in the book of life, he was THROWN into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15)

“NOTHING" impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27)

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." (Revelation 2:7)

Note: Be faithful to the Lord, trust Him, follow Him, and obey Him. He’s coming soon!…  "However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Keep your eyes on the prize, my friends. Don’t look to see who’s in front of you or who’s behind you… Keep your eyes on the finish line, which is Jesus Christ our Lord.. With Jesus by your side, you cannot lose!

Jesus says:

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (Revelation 3:11)  Jesus says, Our crowns can be taken away… So lets make sure that "NO ONE" takes it from us…Be an overcomer in Jesus name!
If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior and would like to have a relationship with Him… All you have to do is believe in Him, invite Jesus into your heart, ask Him to forgive you of all your sins and He’ll take care of the rest. 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." (Romans 10:9)

Here is a sample prayer that you can say to invite Jesus into your life. As long as it comes from your heart and you mean it… That’s really all that matters:

“Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank you for sacrificing Your life to save me, then rising to life again that I might live forever in Heaven with You. I turn from my sins and invite You into my life. Help me to live in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth”. Amen

If you just invited Jesus into your heart, God bless you and welcome to God’s family. The Holy Scriptures says... FOR, “EVERYONE" who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)



GOD BLESS YOU ALL NOW AND ALWAYS
YOUR FRIEND,
VICKY RIVERA