SINCERELY WRONG

"For false christs and false prophets will
rise and show great signs and wonders
to deceive, if possible, even the elect."
(Matthew 24:24)

Growing up I desperately wanted to be accepted, to be one of the crowd. I hated feeling 'different,' and as though I was always on the outside looking in. I hated being made fun of and being picked last for teams. I hated not having the kind of family everybody else seemed to have.

Later, in my teens, I dreamed of falling in love and getting married to someone I would grow old with. I dreamed of having a solid, close-knit family that enjoyed each other's company and did things together. And I did fall in love and get married and have a family, but my husband and I did not grow old together, and the many mistakes I made as a single mom pretty much killed any chance for the strong, bonded family I had yearned for.

After my husband passed away, I went through a time of searching for roots, for something that would make me feel grounded, that would give me a sense of purpose. Long story short, I discovered New Age and the occult and felt as though I had finally come home. Astrology, metaphysics, the concept of karma and reincarnation, opened up a whole new world that seemed to provide all the answers that had heretofore eluded me. I had finally found my roots, and what I sincerely believed to be truth. My days of searching were over.

I embraced these new ideologies with a passion and eventually became a numerologist. As such, I started doing readings for folks and was even published, which brought me the acceptance I had so craved in my early years. Now, all of a sudden, I was seen as an expert. People were actually seeking me out to tell them what the future had in store.

How I got from there to here is not really what this post is about. If you are interested in that part, you can check out the My Testimony link on my sidebar or click here for a free download of my book. This post is about how my vulnerability led to my believing a lie, and how that led to my misleading other people and getting them to buy into that lie too. I was not consciously deceiving anyone, I was just sincerely wrong, and if I can reach even one person through this post who is living under the same kind of deception I was back then and help you see the light, then baring my soul like this will have been worthwhile.

If I were to see you headed towards some imminent danger, such as a gaping hole in the sidewalk ahead of you, it would be unconscionable of me not to warn you of what lay ahead, and I would not hesitate to do so--even yanking you aside if necessary. So why the hesitation when the danger is spiritual, and therefore invisible? I guess, in my case, it's fear of rejection, of being judged, all the things I struggled with at the beginning of my life, but I know that I can't let those things stop me any longer. There's too much at stake.

Don't be deceived, as I was, into thinking that there are many paths to God, or that we get to Heaven by being 'good.' Although we were created to have fellowship with God, Adam and Eve's sin caused us to be born into a fallen world. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and "The wages of sin is death." Because of sin there is a great gulf that separates us from God, and there is no way we can cross it through our own efforts. There is only one path that can lead us to eternal life, and that is Jesus, "the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through [Him]" (John 14:6).

The good news is that "God so loved the world (you and me included) that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). In fact, God loves you so much that even if you were the only person on this Earth, He would still have sent Jesus to die for your sins so you could be set free.

This gift of salvation that is being handed to you can only be received by grace, through faith. It cannot be earned by good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). And as much as it is not God's will for anyone to perish, He will not impose His will on you or force you to accept it. The choice is yours.

Jesus stands at the door of your heart, knocking and waiting for you to answer (Revelation 3:20). I pray that you would open the door before it is too late, and accept His invitation to enter your life, forgive your sins, and make you a new creation.

THE FUTILITY OF RUNNING AWAY

Hope you will take the time to read this message by Ron Hutchcraft .  He expresses it so much better than I ever could.

The Futility of Running Away - #6122
Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The party had been going just fine until a doctor who was there got very offended by something another guest said. He was in a rage! He stormed out and slammed the door behind him. Someone said, "At last he's gone." The host corrected him. "No, he's not gone. That's a closet."

There's something inside us humans that wants to avoid facing the God who made us. Maybe it's because we know that He knows everything about us. Maybe we don't want to face our darkness. We know that facing God means surrendering the wheel of our life. Whatever the reason, we walk away, or run away, or in some cases we even storm away from God, only to find that we've only walked into a closet.

We get very good at avoiding God. You can hide behind all those religious hypocrites you've seen. Or you can hide out in those doubts and questions you keep raising to protect you from really facing your Creator's demands on your life. You can stay very busy, running so hard, sedating yourself so much, that you don't have to think about why you're here and where you're going. You can even hide out in your religion, faithfully, maybe fervently, going through all the spiritual motions. That way you can feel like you're spiritually OK without having to really face God Himself.

Guess who invented running from God? The first man and woman God ever created! It's like avoiding God is in our spiritual DNA! In Genesis 3:8-9, Adam and Eve realized that they have disobeyed the one command given to them by the God who had given them so much. Then, in our word for today from the Word of God, it says, "The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, 'Where are you?' He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid...so I hid.'"

From the first fugitive from God down to maybe someone who's listening today, here's the reality of God's love. The God you're trying to avoid is pursuing you wherever you go. Why? Because He loves you too much to lose you. In fact, Jesus said He's like a shepherd who cannot be content with the sheep He already has in the fold while even one is lost. He said He would "go after the lost sheep" until He finds him or her (Luke 15:1-7).

His pursuit of you and me took Him all the way to the cross where He died a brutal death. The Bible says His death was "...a sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10). He died in your place to pay for the sins that you would otherwise have to pay for eternally.

And now He's pursued you to wherever you are today. You can walk away or run away again, I suppose, but He'll keep pursuing you to rescue you until the day you run out of time. Someday will be your last day to get ready for God before you meet God. But for now, His arms are open, inviting you to come home to the One you were made for. When you walk away from Him, you walk away from the only possible hope of a life with meaning and an eternity in heaven. Be glad that He's loved you enough to pursue you all the way to a cross.

My prayer is that this might be the day when you run to God and let the battle finally be over. Your personal love relationship with God begins when you say, "Jesus, I'm Yours." You have nothing to fear from coming to Jesus. He loved you enough to die for you. He will never do you wrong.

If you want to open up your life to the One who gave His life for you, I've got some information on our website that I think will help. I hope you'll go there as soon as you can today. Read about how to know you belong to Jesus. Just go to YoursForLife.net. Or if you'd like me to send you my little booklet about it called Yours For Life, you can just call and ask for that. It's a toll free call: 877-741-1200.

Once you experience His love for yourself, you'll have only one regret. You'll just wish that you'd come sooner.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2011

Dear Blog Friends -- May the New Year be a time of peace, joy, good health, and prosperity in every area of your life.  Praying that the Lord would shower you with His blessings and open your eyes to his abundant love and grace. 

I also have a New Years card for you, but couldn't figure out how to embed it in this post, so you'll need to click on this link to see it.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOMENTS FROM RON HUTCHCRAFT - DAY 25

Day 25:  The Bethlehem Scandal 

Illegitimate. That's what some people called the baby born in Bethlehem that first Christmas - even years later. They didn't understand, or didn't believe, that this was God's Son, miraculously conceived in a virgin's womb.

Actually, there's no such thing as an illegitimate or unplanned child. Every life has been planned by God. "God's workmanship" - That's what the Bible calls you, no matter how you were conceived or how you've been treated (Ephesians 2:10 ).

And you can tell how much God loves you by what He spent on you - to save you from the awful penalty of defying Him and running your own life. In the Bible's words, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 ). He sent His Son to die in your place. He wants you in His family, in His heaven. If you've never pinned all your hopes on Jesus, this could be your day to experience His love for yourself. Call us at 888-Need-Him or chat with us live at needhim.org.  Nobody loves you like He does.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOMENTS FROM RON HUTCHCRAFT - DAY 24

Day 24:  It's Christmas!  Come on In! 

Two teenage friends suddenly appeared at our door on Christmas Eve, looking for a refuge from the party at home. Well, we were in the middle of acting out the Christmas story - with our two-year-old in a basket as Baby Jesus, and his older brother and sister in bathrobe and shawl as Joseph and Mary - with me, the angel, on the back of the couch and my wife crawling around baa-ing. The girls weren't too sure about us - but, hey, we invited them right into our Christmas.

Which is what God is doing for you this Christmas season - inviting you into the middle of what He was really doing that first Christmas. Anybody's welcome to come on in and join God's family. Look at who got the first invitation to "come on in" - shepherds, society's rejects in that day. God said to them, "A Savior has been born to you" (Luke 2:11 ). Now, maybe you, like the shepherds, have felt your share of closed doors and condemnation. Well, so did Jesus - all the way to the cross where He died for all the sins of your life.

This Christmas, Jesus is throwing open the door to His family, and saying, "I died for you. Come on in." If you'd like to, call us at 888-Need-Him or chat with us live at needhim.org. You need to come on in.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOMENTS FROM RON HUTCHCRAFT - DAY 23

Day 23:  The Manger Under the Tree 

As I was growing up, our manger was always under our Christmas tree. That's probably the right place for it - since, in a real sense, the shadow of a tree loomed over the manger that first Christmas morning. You can't really understand Christmas without Good Friday - where this sinless Son of God was nailed to a tree He created, by men He created. 

The Bible says, "He bore our sins in His body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24 ). Jesus absorbed the death penalty of hell for every wrong thing you've done - to rescue you. That's how much He loves you.

In the words of the carol, "What Child Is This": "Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, the cross be borne for me, for you." You've had your Christmases, celebrating Christ's coming. Have you ever had your Good Friday, where you stand at His cross and put your life and your sin in His hands? If you want to belong to Jesus Christ, call us at 888-Need-Him or chat with us live at needhim.org.  No one loved you like He does.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOMENTS FROM RON HUTCHCRAFT - DAY 22

Day 22:  Forget the Wrapping Paper! 

You can wrap that present like a pro - a kid doesn't care. He'll just rip off the paper with one mighty blow. All he cares about is what's inside.

God's like that. He doesn't much care about what you're like on the outside - the Bible says, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7 ). He sees what no one else sees - the pain, the insecurity, the sin. Jesus came because He wants to heal that pain...to give you one love, one hope you can never lose, and to forgive every wrong thing you've ever done.

It took dying on the cross to pay for the junk inside all of us. He's not impressed with your image, your religion, or whatever's on the outside. He wants to love you and change you from the inside out, if you'll give yourself to this Man who knows all about you and loves you so very much. Call us if you want to begin a relationship with Jesus. At 888-Need-Him or chat with us live at needhim.org.  You can celebrate this Christmas with Christ in your heart.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOMENTS FROM RON HUTCHCRAFT - DAY 21

Day 21:  Missing at Christmas 

As our two-year-old grandson was helping set up the family Nativity scene, he noticed they were missing one figure - Baby Jesus. That night, our grandson greeted his father at the door with an impassioned question - "Hey, where's Jesus?" 

That's the question God is asking some of us as He looks at our lives - "Where's Jesus?" It's possible that, like our grandson that day, you have everything except Jesus. That's why the Bible says, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5 ). You may have a Christian vocabulary, Christian beliefs, - but there may have never been that time when you personally told Jesus, "I believe You died for me - I'm Yours."

He's giving you another opportunity, this opportunity, to take the step that will finally bring Jesus into your life. If you want to do that right now, we're waiting to talk with you at 888-Need-Him or chat with us live at needhim.org.  Judgment Day is the wrong time to have God look in your heart and say, "Where's Jesus?" Be sure He's in your heart.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOMENTS FROM RON HUTCHCRAFT - DAY 20

Day 20: Skin On 

The little boy was having a hard time getting to sleep - he was scared of the dark, even though his Mommy told him God was there, watching over him. And he responded, "Mommy - I need God with skin on."

Because of Christmas, we've got God with skin on. The Bible says that the Son of God "became flesh and made His dwelling among us (John 1:14 ). Jesus isn't just another prophet or religious leader - He's God with skin on. This Jesus, who asks for your heart, has walked your trail. He knows what it is to be lonely...to be abandoned...to be betrayed...to be a victim...to be tortured...to die. That brutal death on a cross was ultimately His choice - He loves you so much that He chose to take the death penalty for your sin so you could be with Him forever.

And now this Jesus wants to walk every mile of the rest of your life with you - if you'll give yourself to Him. If you've never done that, and you want to, we'd love to talk with you at 888-Need-Him or chat with us live at needhim.org.  You'll never spend another day alone.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOMENTS FROM RON HUTCHCRAFT - DAY 19

Day 19:  Bombshell Birthday 

Bottom line - Christmas is a birthday. The bombshell birthday. The birth that literally split history in two. B.C., A.D. - before Christ and after Christ.

For millions of people, the coming of Jesus has been the turning point of their life - my life before Jesus was there, and since He came in. The Bible describes the miraculous change this way: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17 ).

All of us who've opened up to Jesus consider all the years "before Christ" pretty much wasted years - away from the God we were made for, carrying the guilt and the death penalty of running our own lives. But we discovered that "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son" to cancel the death penalty for our sins (John 3:16 ).

There really is a definite moment when you move from "B.C." to "A.D." - it's when you tell Jesus, "I'm Yours from this day on." We'd love to help you do that if you'll just call us at 888-Need-Him or chat with us live at needhim.org.  And the miracle can begin.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOMENTS FROM RON HUTCHCRAFT - DAY 18

Day 18:  The Worst Part in the Christmas Story 

I've played a shepherd, a wise man, even Joseph in the Christmas Story. I've never played King Herod. I never want to. He was the king the wise men told about the birth of Jesus - the king who was enraged that there could possibly be a king other than him.

So he missed the Son of God who was born just six miles from his palace. But Herod's not the last person to miss Jesus because of wanting to be king. We all want to be king - of our own life. And that self-rule the Bible calls "sin" is what ultimately separates us from the God we can't live without and keeps us out of His heaven.

Jesus asked, "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?" (Matthew 8:36 ). We are in danger of losing our soul- until we come in our heart to the cross where Jesus gave His life to pay our spiritual death penalty. We surrender the throne we never should have occupied to the Savior who belongs there. If you want to experience Jesus' love and forgiveness for yourself, call us at 888-Need-Him or chat with us live at needhim.org.

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MOMENTS FROM RON HUTCHCRAFT - DAY 17

Day 17:  Christmas When You Want

Recently, I went to the garage and hauled out Christmas - all the boxes full of decorations. All too soon, I'll be putting our Christmas away again - until we want it again. You can do that with Christmas - you can't do that with Christ. 

To be honest, maybe that's what it's been like with you and Jesus. You've kept Him on the edges of your life. You want Him to be around, but you don't want Him to be in charge. It's nice to have Jesus for Christmas, for Sundays, for emergencies. But the truth is, you've never really given your life to the One who gave His life for you. That cross was for you - for every wrong thing you've ever done.

You were made by Him...you were made for Him...He died for you. The Bible asks this sobering question: "How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3 ). If you want to be with Jesus forever, you need to give yourself to Him now. And the Christmas season would be a great time to begin your personal relationship with Him. And we'd love to help you do that if you'll just call us at 888-Need-Him or chat with us live at needhim.org.  You can finally be spiritually home for Christmas.