THE TEST - Will you pass?

Many people have found themselves asking that same question: what is this life about? And: What are we here for? The answer to those questions is that this life is nothing but a test. God created the world and placed man in it in order to test him/her. (By 'man' I simply mean people) But man sinned, and was therefore separated from God. This world is imperfect because of our sin. All have sinned.


Romans 3:23
***for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,***


But, Jesus Christ died to save ALL people. He desires ALL men to be saved. God (or Jesus Christ) came to earth in the form of man. He remained sinless throughout His life up until the very end when He was to die on the cross to pay for our sins. He died the death of a murderer and a sinner. He died for us.


1 Timothy 2: 3-6

***For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,***


Now here is where the test comes in. Whether or not you will choose God is your choice. You can either choose the choice of accepting His free gift of salvation unto eternal life (which will result in passing the test), or you can choose to reject Him and His free gift, continuing in your sin which will lead to eternal damnation in Hell (failing the test). Your choices in life will determine where you will go when you die.

This life is only a test! You must choose God, your Creator (whether you believe in Him or not), and OBEY Him. Let me tell you, it is not legalism to obey God!


John 14:21
***He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.***


If you love God, you are going to be obedient to Him. A sinner has no inheritance in the things of God. A sinner will BY NO MEANS enter Heaven. Heaven is for the Godly person. Heaven is for the righteous one.

This is a test, nothing more than a test. It is a test to see who will willingly serve God and who will rebel, desiring to serve themselves in their own sinful lusts. A Christian, though not completely free from sin (but we will be when we are taken to Heaven with Christ, that is, as long as we hold fast), will not serve sin.


Romans 6:11-13

***Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.***


A Christian will serve the Lord in all that they do, though failing at times. We don't love God in word only, but in all that we do. Anyone can say they love you, but if they don't show it in their actions, do they truly love you? ...or is it just words without meaning? No Christian has the desire to live in sin. Yes, we are tempted and do sin sometimes, but we must get back up and continue fighting the good fight against sin and all that is evil.


1 John 3: 18-19

***Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence***


....a test...


Zechariah 13: 8-9

***“ That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one-third shall be left in it:
I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”***


Christ will refine us as gold or silver is refined. He will put us through tribulation (the refining) in order to test us to see if we will really follow Him to the very end. Some will fall away, but those who remain true to God will be as refined silver or gold. We will be without blemish (or without fault), cleased from sin through Jesus' dieing on the cross, and refined (or perfected) through persecution. When we die or are taken to Heaven with Him (in the rapture), we will be as pure gold. We will never have to go through any more tribulation. The test will be over.

....But it is not over yet! Choose who you will follow now! Jesus Christ who died in your place, or Satan who cares nothing for you except that you continue in sin and perish in Hell with Him. Don't be rebellious; you will regret it in the end! Choose today who you will follow!


Joshua 24:15

***...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve....***


God bless!


-Courtney-

What Is A True Christian And How Do You Know If You Are Saved?

A true Christian is, to put it quite simply, a person who follows the Bible and does what it says. A true Christian OBEYS God and has NO pleasure in sin. A true Christian will HATE their sin. They will sin, don't get me wrong, but they do not WANT to sin because it displeases God. A Christian is a person currently obeying God.

THEIR IS NO ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED! That is the lie of the devil. That is the same lie that the serpent (Satan speaking from it) told Eve in the Garden of Eden. "You shall not surely die," he said. Basically he was saying that you can disobey God and not be punished.

The Bible, however, says differently. The Bible, throughout both the New and the Old Testament (if you will only read it for yourself), says very clearly that those disobedient will get what they deserve, eternal damnation in Hell.

But, who are the disobedient? Who are those who will be tossed into Hell? Let me show you by this verse.


1 Corinthians 6:9-14 (New King James Version)

***Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.***


Those who love God obey Him. It's as simple as that.


John 14:21 (NKJV)

***He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”***


You want to know if you are truly saved? Look at these verses below.


1 John 2:3-11 (NKJV)


***Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.***


Do you think you are truly saved, or have you been deceived? So many have been deceived into thinking that God doesn't care what you do, that once you are saved, you are always saved. But, as the Bible says, God sees the wicked everyday and hates sin. He will NOT allow sin into Heaven. As long as you are following Jesus, you will be saved, but if you get off the path that leads to life, you have death coming to you.

Stop sinning and repent. Read the Bible and do what it says. Christ can save you if you'll only let Him. God bless!


(Sorry if I'm a bit rambly. It's just that one thing always seems to lead to another.)


-Courtney-

My Book (Eivarlost)

Hey, guys! I haven't written in a while....a long while.... Well, I've been drawing a bit lately for this book I've been attempting to write. I haven't gotten all that far, but I have the basic story in my head. If you want the basics of what I'm writing, I'll be posting it below.

Ok here goes. There is this wicked place called Nersin's Realm (I have a reason for calling it that. See if you can find out. =D). It is a place full of wickedness. It signifies the world.

Eivarlost, my main character, grew up in this aweful place with his drunkard father who only lives for fun. Eivarlost is different from most of the people in this place, however. He wants the truth, but he simply cannot find it, at least, not in the confines of this wicked city.

Eivarlost grew up being trained to kill. He was taught sword fighting since he was young. He trained alongside his best friend, Teinas who, although he is not quite like Eivarlost, is relatively a good.

Eivarlost, by the time he was near 20, became a leader of a small band of 30 men. His mission, given him by the lords of Nersins Realm, was always the same: destroy the innocent villages of the Christians.

Eivarlost does what he is told, but he doesn't feel quite right about it. Teinas, on the otherhand, continuously tells Eivarlost that "it's just the way things are" and "you've just got to go with the flow".

The rest of the story is about how Eivarlost finds the Truth through an old man who sacrifices himself for Eivarlost. Finally, his eyes are opened.

So....sound interesting? Oh yeah, and I need a title....any suggestions?


I think I forgot to tell you about Leighah. Well, all you need to know is that she also aids Eivarlost in finding the Truth.

-Courtney-

Christmas

Today is Christmas. We had eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast. Then we cleaned up the kitchen really quickly, so that we could all give out gifts. We kids were the first to hand out our gifts. Dad got some screw drivers, candy, and a toothbrush. Mom was given a kitchen towel, dry erase markers for school, a candle, and some candy.

I got lots of candy from my siblings, beef jerky, a red sweatsuit, socks, and an awesome digital camera! The skateboarder of the family, Will, got some Tech Decks (mini skateboards for your fingers to do tricks on) along with a ramp and rail for his mini skate park. He also got some camouflage skateboard shoes, candy, jerky - errr - some jeans, boxers, cologne, and I think that's it. Jaime was given a gigantic pillow (it's about as long as her bed), candy of course (she loves smarties), jerky, a lamp, skateboard shoes (they're Hawks), and....that's probably it. Annie got a bone to chew and some dog treats. She also got some bacon this morning!

Our grandparents, Mommom and Poppop, got us ten bucks, notebooks, folders, and a few other things while they were here. They gave me some impossible puzzles. Jaime got some cross stitch stuff. Will got some kneepads which he can use at the skate park. So, yeah, that's about it. It was a pretty nice little Christmas, quiet and peaceful. Well, I s'pose that's about it.

-Courtney-

Grandparents

Our grandparents are coming to spend this weekend with us, so we've been cleaning the house. I had to really make sure I cleaned my room, since they're going to be sleeping in there. My room is the only room (besides Mom and Dad's bedroom) that has a big enough bed. I've got a couch bed which can pull out into a queensized bed, taking up practically the entire room. Well, I guess I'll tell you how it goes later. Not much of anything interesting to write of now, but.....


Christmas is going to be different this year. It always seems to change. I guess we're just going to get a few gifts. I'm pretty sure we won't be doing anything special. I don't really care though. I s'pose we'll just read the story of Christ's birth like we always do and just give gifts. I sure am glad my parents don't go into an uproar over Christmas. You know, like with buying all this stuff to give us. I mean it's really not that big a deal.

And don't you hate that Santa junk that some parents lay on their kids. I mean lying to the kids. I mean, how do you think the kids 'll feel when they find out you've been lying to 'em all their lives. Santa, humph, what a pack of lies. You know, Christmas is more of a pagan holiday than a holiday for Christ. At least, if you add in all that Santa junk it is. If you keep it simply about God, I suppose it's not.

The Santa junk is what gets me. And the Christmas tree. Did you know that if you move the letters in 'Santa' around a bit, you get 'Satan.' Coincidence? I don't think so. You know, Satanists like to scramble letters in words to create other words. And the Christmas trees, did you know Satanists used to hang the heads of those they sacrificed on evergreen trees. I don't mean to gross you out, but, well, it seems to me that the whole holiday is pagan (or at least has a pagan background).

Did you know that Satanists delight in Christmas. They love the Santa character and the Christmas trees and the decorations. They love the holiday. It seems to me that Christmas isn't so much about Christ as many like to believe, but is rather a holiday to glorify Satan and greed. Sorry, I think I'm getting off on a rant. I'd better stop now. God bless, ya'll!

-Courtney-

Random Going Ons

Since Christmas is approaching, we're going to get next week off from school! Hurray! Not that I hate school or anything; it's just good to get a break once in a while.

Annie, our dog, has been sick. She threw up last night... =( I guess it's 'cause she's getting old. She's near 10 years old maybe. I'm not exactly sure.... Lol, we kind of babied her today, and let her sleep under the covers. (She doesn't usually get to sleep under the covers because she's so spoiled, she got to digging up the beds in order to get under.)

Jaime, Mom, Will, and I have been cutting out snowflakes for fun and hanging them in the window. Mom and Jaime made some really nice ones. Me? I'm not good with that. They all come out....well, not so nice as Mom's and Jaime's do. Jaime also made this little green, red, and yellow paper chain, which we hung up above the living room window.

We don't really do Christmas decorations, but we did take out this little nativity scene that Mrs. Deaton (and maybe the rest of her family too) made for us a few years ago. Not sure. Could have been a year........ I believe it was at least 2 years ago. It's a really nice one. It's got shingles made out of pine cone chips, and the bottom has moss for grass. There are 2 tied straw bales inside, and, of course, the baby Jesus in a manger, Mary, Joseph, and the wise men. An angel is on the front tied onto the roof. And besides all that, there are little Christmas lights weaved around the open edges, so that it lights up. I love it! All we need are some animals to place in there.

We won't be doing Christmas really big this year. We're just going to get a few gifts. I think I'll probably get a CD or 2 and then just ask for money to save up. I'm trying to save up for a laptop, you know like maybe a used one or something. So far I only have about $30 or $35 saved up.

-Courtney-

My "IF" Page

If there is a creation, there is a creator.


If there is a Heaven, there is also a Hell.


If something is true, it is always true no matter what you believe.


If you are a Christian, you WILL have a relationship with Jesus Christ. This includes praying as well as reading your Bible. What good is it to only talk to God through prayers if you don't let Him talk back to you through His Word?


If you say God is your father and you refuse to obey Him, then your father is not God but Satan. For Satan, from the beginning, refused to obey God and exalted himself above his Creator.

If the Bible distinctly says (in Matthew 24 verses 29 and 30) that
“Immediately after the tribulation.......the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn....."

then we should be able to see that AFTER the tribulation Jesus will come back for us. Note that "all the tribes of the earth" will see His coming.

If you follow your heart, don't be surprised when it leads you into a mess of trouble. Rather follow God.


If you love someone who is an unbeliever, then you WILL witness to them; you WILL warn them.


If God chose people to either go to Heaven or Hell-if He chose some to go to Heaven and some to go to Hell, then where is the love in that? Where is the love in choosing some to go to Hell and some to go to Heaven? Creating people for Hell. If this were the case, then wouldn't God be playing favorites? God is NOT like that. He loves every human being! He created all people and He wishes all to be saved according to 1 Timothy 2:3-4. I've posted the verse below.

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."


If you are a born again believer, then you are dead to sin, alive to Christ. Here's the verse that goes along with that.

"Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:11)


If God made all people, then HOW is one race better than the other. I'm not speaking of Israel; I speaking of racism. Also, all races came from one family: Noah's family. How then can one race of people be better than all the other races?


If we were created to serve God as Colossians 1:16 says, then why are some "Christians" serving themselves by sinning? We were created by God and for God not for ourselves and our sinful natures! If you follow God you will NOT sin. This is what baptism is all about! It is a symbol of dying to your old man and living to your new man. It is a symbol of what you do when you get saved! It is NOT a requirement to be saved! It is a symbol of when you get saved and how you give up your old ways to live your life for Christ! Here is Colossians 1:16 if you would like to read it.

"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."

Courtney

My Parable-Type Writings

There was a beautiful flower that
died and blew away. When it died,
it left seeds behind. The seeds
grew and became even more brilliant
and beautiful than the first.

The first flower is like someone
who died for Christ. A person who
was not ashamed and who boldly
proclaimed the gospel. When
he/she was killed, others
were grafted into the family
of Christ. They were given
courage and boldness after
the first gave up his/her life
for Christ. God can take even
the worst circumstances and
use them for good.


Parents are like the covers of a book.
Children are like the pages of the book
and God is like the binder which holds
everything together. Without God,
you're incomplete. God keeps us
together.


Christians are like canoes, and God
is like our paddles. He steers us
away from sin and towards our
future home with Christ.
Unbelievers are like canoes
without paddles; they drift
off into sin and finally destruction.


We are like trees. Satan and his demons
are like wood cutters who try to cut us down,
so they can throw us into the fires of hell.
If we call upon God, he will save us.
If we hold fast to Him, then Satan
and his forces of evil will not cut us down.
We must hold onto Jesus, otherwise
Satan WILL chop us down.


We, Christians, are like different types
of automobiles. God is like our motor;
He keeps us going,but if we don't
fill our gas tanks with the
Word of God, the Bible, we won't
be able to go anywhere. We
may be saved, but we won't grow
in our relationship with Him.
Anyone who loves God WILL want
to grow in their relationship with Him.
Both prayer as well as reading the
scripture are very important
in keeping our relationship
with our Savior.


Some people say that God
doesn't answer their prayers,
but he always answers prayer.
He does so in several different ways
such as: yes, no, wait, or for an
unbeliever, I can't hear you!
God answers the prayers of
true Christians, but rejects the
prayers of those who are
living their lives in sin.
Sin separates us from Christ.
We MUST REPENT of our sin
and follow Christ in
righteousness and truth,
FORSAKING our old man and
living our lives as examples
of Christ.


Jesus is our ticket to heaven,
but if we lose our ticket because
of sin, we will not be saved,
and we will go to hell unless
we repent and repurchase
our ticket.


Unbelievers are like filthy pigs;
they have the time of their lives
eating garbage and rotten food.
They roll around in their sin,
thinking they're just fine the way
they are, but when Farmer Satan comes,
they are slaughtered and feasted upon.

But those that are saved
are like sheep, protected by
Jesus, the good shepherd.


Toying with little sins is
like playing with matches.
Soon your whole life will be
caught on fire, for a few small
sparks can quickly become
a raging fire. If you repent
and call upon Fireman God,
he will put out the fire
and save you. You will
get burned if you play
with sin, but if you repent,
God will save you.


God is like our Commander.
He commands. We obey. When
He tells us to do something, we do it.
If anyone is not being obedient to
Christ, then he/she is NOT a
follower of God. We may
make mistakes, but if we
are living lives of sin, then
we are NOT Christians.
1 John 2:3-6 says:

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.


We are like unexperienced sailors. We try to
steer our lives away from sin, but we just can't.
When we get saved, Jesus takes over and steers our
lives in another direction. He leads us into
righteousness and truth rather than sin and
lawlessness. When we're ready, He hands the
steering wheel to us, and gives us a map, the Bible.
We must follow the map so that we do not steer
into sin which will eventually lead to our deaths.
We must follow and do everything the way the map
tells us to, otherwise we may not make it to our
destination, heaven, where we will have
everlasting life with Christ, our savior.

-Courtney-