good parenting

These are my rambling notes from a sermon I heard on Sunday March 2nd, 2008 at my church at Long Island Baptist. It was preached by Pastor John Graf:

Good parenting is not done by accident or happenstance. Good parenting is carefully calculated and strategically planned to bring our children to an expected end. A child by nature is rebellious, disobedient, deceitful lustful and altogether undone. (Mark 7:20) This nature is embedded in the heart and must be dealt with dutifully. Begin by teaching obedience to parental authority. If a child is taught to obey, he will please his parents. He is taught to abstain from sin and avoid fleshly lusts and flee from vice by teaching him obedience to God and His will.

This is done by planting the seeds of obedience. But just planting is not enough. It is the nurture and loving hands of guidance that rescue our children from the grips of rebellion and pride. By capturing our children's hearts and subduing them, we can then bring the child into obedience to Jesus Christ. The heart is captured by building the bridge of relationships that so many miss. These bridges are the ties that bind. It takes work and dedication and determination in the face of great difficulty to accomplish these lofty goals of relationship building. These bonds of relationships grow stronger with memories built and impressions made on young hearts that trigger hurt and heartache when the bond is broken by mistrust and unresolved issues. It takes dedication to prayer for our children. It takes determination to do whatever it takes to bring our children to an expected end.

Parents are not just babysitters. We are to be about the Father's business by forming and guiding our children to be above the norm. As an archer that forms his arrows so must we as parents form our children to fly straight and true. (Psalm 127:4) The arrows are to be aimed with precision and accuracy to hit the target. This is done by relating to our children in the most attentive and careful way. The arrow does not care how pretty the feathers are. Only that they are located and formed right. Children do not want us to buy them stuff. They want attention. My children want ME! Backyard baseball and hobbies and sports, reading a book and playing a game are all activities not wasted on our children.

Please post a comment.

Things to come?

Is this a omen of things to come? It is if Mohammedans get their way.




From The Times

February 7, 2008

Religious police in Saudi Arabia arrest mother for sitting with a man

Sonia Verma in Dubai

A 37-year-old American businesswoman and married mother of three is seeking justice after she was thrown in jail by Saudi Arabia's religious police for sitting with a male colleague at a Starbucks coffee shop in Riyadh.

Yara, who does not want her last name published for fear of retribution, was bruised and crying when she was freed from a day in prison after she was strip-searched, threatened and forced to sign false confessions by the Kingdom's “Mutaween” police.

Her story offers a rare first-hand glimpse of the discrimination faced by women living in Saudi Arabia. In her first interview with the foreign press, Yara told The Times that she would remain in Saudi Arabia to challenge its harsh enforcement of conservative Islam rather than return to America.

“If I want to make a difference I have to stick around. If I leave they win. I can't just surrender to the terrorist acts of these people,” said Yara, who moved to Jeddah eight years ago with her husband, a prominent businessman.

Her ordeal began with a routine visit to the new Riyadh offices of her finance company, where she is a managing partner.

The electricity temporarily cut out, so Yara and her colleagues — who are all men — went to a nearby Starbucks to use its wireless internet.

She sat in a curtained booth with her business partner in the café's “family” area, the only seats where men and women are allowed to mix.

For Yara, it was a matter of convenience. But in Saudi Arabia, public contact between unrelated men and women is strictly prohibited.

“Some men came up to us with very long beards and white dresses. They asked ‘Why are you here together?'. I explained about the power being out in our office. They got very angry and told me what I was doing was a great sin,” recalled Yara, who wears an abaya and headscarf, like most Saudi women.

The men were from Saudi Arabia's Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, a police force of several thousand men charged with enforcing dress codes, sex segregation and the observance of prayers.

Yara, whose parents are Jordanian and grew up in Salt Lake City, once believed that life in Saudi Arabia was becoming more liberal. But on Monday the religious police took her mobile phone, pushed her into a cab and drove her to Malaz prison in Riyadh. She was interrogated, strip-searched and forced to sign and fingerprint a series of confessions pleading guilty to her “crime”.

“They took me into a filthy bathroom, full of water and dirt. They made me take off my clothes and squat and they threw my clothes in this slush and made me put them back on,” she said. Eventually she was taken before a judge.

“He said 'You are sinful and you are going to burn in hell'. I told him I was sorry. I was very submissive. I had given up. I felt hopeless,” she said.

Yara's husband, Hatim, used his political contacts in Jeddah to track her whereabouts. He was able to secure her release.

“I was lucky. I met other women in that prison who don't have the connections I did,” she said. Her story has received rare coverage in Saudi Arabia, where the press has been sharply critical of the police.

Yara was visited yesterday by officials from the American Embassy, who promised they would file a report.

An embassy official told The Times that it was being treated as “an internal Saudi matter” and refused to comment on her case.

Tough justice

— Saudi Arabia’s Mutaween has 10,000 members in almost 500 offices

— Ahmad al-Bluwi, 50, died in custody in 2007 in the city of Tabuk after he invited a woman outside his immediate family into his car

— In 2007 the victim of a gang rape was sentenced to 200 lashes and six years in jail for having been in an unrelated man’s car at the time. She was pardoned by King Abdullah, although he maintained the sentence had been fair

Praying for your Pastor

Another guest blog by Barry Greer. Barry is a great writer with wonderful insights to church and Christian issues.

Praying For Your Pastor

Do you pray for your pastor? Do you realize that HE is the most spiritual person in your life?

I understand that a spouse, parent, sibling, or other church members have a great influence in

your life concerning the things of God, but make no mistake; YOUR PASTOR is the only other

person, beside yourself, that will give an account to God for you! Think about that statement for

a moment. As we individually stand before the “Judgment Seat of Christ” giving an account of

our own lives (Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.), the

Lord will have your pastor give an account of you as well (Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have

the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give

account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you). How powerful

and sobering!

I must confess, to my shame, I hadn’t always prayed for my pastor, as I should. This left him

more vulnerable to the attacks of the devil. As with any army, you disable the leadership, your

chances of winning increase. We are engaged in spiritual warfare. Souls, lives, eternities are at

stake. We all, as fellow soldiers with Christ, have a responsibility to the Lord of sabaoth (James

5:4) to pray for our pastor, the one who watches for OUR souls. That is why we are to put on

the “Whole Armour of God”, made complete by prayer (Ephesians 6:13,18 Wherefore take unto

you the whole armour of God… Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit….

Here are a few reasons to pray for your pastor.

1) The Gift of God: The Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 3:16), and eternal life (Rom 6:23) are gifts of God, but so is a pastor (Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding). What great love our Father has for us, and wisely has given us a man who will feed us with knowledge and understanding. He needs our prayers.

2) The Gospel of God: This world is spiritually “hard of hearing” concerning the gospel, deafened by sin, self and Satan. The man of God needs wisdom and power to proclaim truth. (Colossians 4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ…) My pastor, being led by the Spirit of God, knew exactly what to say to me the night I struggled to be saved. He needs our prayers.

3) The Glory of God: Individually, we are to bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31 …whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.). Corporately, the Lord established His 3^rd institution for that very purpose (Ephesians 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus…). Christ is the Head of every church, but has placed a man in an “office” to oversee each church (Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some…pastors and teachers). With that office, the pastor has a great responsibility. (Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.) He needs our prayers.

The Apostle Paul regularly instructed the churches to pray for those in leadership. He was very much aware of his own need for prayer (Rom 15:30, Eph 6:19, Phil 1:19, 1 Thess 5:25, 2 Thess 3:1). His ministry would not have been successful without the saturation of prayer.

Child of God, your pastor needs your prayers. Be assured, your pastor daily brings your name before the throne of grace. (2 Corinthians 11:28 … that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.) Time after time after time, my pastor has given testimony of praying for our church, and members in particular. Should we not also intercede on his behalf? Support your pastor in prayer and thank the Lord in the interest of His Gift, His Gospel, His Glory.

For Christ,

Barry J. Greer

Jer 32:27

Faith while in Action

Readers: I came across this story from "The Baptist Muse".

It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.



On a cool, quiet January morning, Corporal Rick Garrett was shaving in the shower trailer at Camp Victory, Iraq. Wrapped in a towel and enjoying the energy he felt from a good night's sleep, he began thinking about the months he had left overseas. Many questions filled his mind: Would the war get even bloodier? Would any of his buddies be killed? Would he do his duty well? In fact, would he even survive?

Then another question - it was a prayer, really - formed itself in his mind: "God, are you able to protect me over here?"

The words had just become a conscious thought when Corporal Garrett heard a deafening crash. It was the sound of the trailer door shattering. An RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) had pierced the door and was now flying through the middle of the trailer. In an instant, the projectile flew past Corporal Garrett, lightly creasing his stomach en route, and embedded itself in the trailer wall opposite the door.

For a moment, Garrett was frozen in shock, expecting the RPG to explode. But it did not. Realizing he might have a moment to escape, the corporal ran to the gaping hole where the door had been and hurled himself through it to the ground several feet below. Jumping up as quickly as he could, he sprinted from the trailer while shouting a warning to those in the nearby trailers. Dozens of soldiers braced themselves for an explosion.

Yet nothing happened. The RPG never exploded. It was a dud. Garrett picked himself up from the ground and began laughing with relief. As a crowd gathered and began congratulating him for his luck, he remembered the question he had been asking God: "Can you protect me over here?" It seemed that God had answered.

In case the message hadn't been clear enough, though, there was something more. When the ordinance specialists examined the unexploded RPG, they found a message had been scratched onto it. This was not uncommon. Insurgents often painted or scratched some message on the missiles they fired as an added insult to their American enemy. But the message on this particular missile had a special meaning to Corporal Garrett.

It read simply, "From the God of the American Soldiers."

Apparently, an insurgent had intended the message as a cruel insult. Corporal Garrett knew better. Whatever the insurgents meant to say, he knew that his God was saying in dramatic terms, "Yes, I can protect you over here. For I am indeed, 'the God of the American Soldiers.'"

Taken from 'American Heroes' by Stephen Mansfield.

In the last days...

In the last days, scorners and mockers will come…

Jude 1:14-15 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

We have heard it told for a long time that Jesus will soon return. It is the hope of every Christian that God will make a swift end of the ungodliness we see daily. There is coming a time when God will change this vile body and I will put on incorruption. Jesus is coming again soon as the verse above implies. At that time will be a judgement on earth the world has never seen. It is a horrible time where Gods wrath will be poured out without any mercy. Men will use their own name for a curse word then. The warnings of God are too plain to ignore.

There are those who mock and scorn Jesus Christ and His return.

2 Peter 3:3-5 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

Consider the irreligious and ungodly websites out there mocking and scorning the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible. Any web search will produce hundreds of web sites built for the sole purpose of scorning the Bible and Jesus Christ. Consider also the comedy channels and movies made to mock Christianity and those who follow Christ. Try to find a movie or TV show that mocks and scorns Budda or Mohammad and Allah.

Jude 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

The most sobering words that can be spoken are words of impending judgement of Christ rejectors.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

One man said,“The wheels of Gods judgement grind slow, but they grind ever so fine.”

Be sure of this, God will have the last laugh. Please read the following portion carefully. Your soul depends upon your response.

Proverbs 1:23-33 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Those that would mock and make fun of God and the Bible are in for serious trouble. You are sinning away your day of grace. Please consider your plight before you turn away to mock another day. God is not finished with you yet.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

What's New?

What’s New?

This is the New Year! People all over the world look to a fresh start. A new beginning that will last the whole year long. How refreshing is something that is new. I love the newness the new year brings and want to try to keep it new every day. Here are some things to keep new the whole year:

A New Strength

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Knowing my power to live the Christian life is insufficient. I will wait upon the Lord.

Waiting, as in tarrying for and looking to and attending to the things of God in these last days.

A New Spirit

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

The power of God is in the pure life we are commanded to keep. Endeavoring to keep my heart right and clean, I will set no wicked thing before my eyes to profane my heart. I will keep my heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.This is a secret to power in the Christian life.

A New Man

Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Here is the key to Christian life. To live daily in the new man God has created in me. The old man is done away with and is crucified with Christ. The victory is mine and I will possess it.

All Things New

Revelation 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

The great and final coming of our Lord is something I can look forward to this year, What if Jesus were to return again today? Would you be ready for the final judgement on this life? Life is short and the time is at hand.

Wise Men Worship Him

Readers:
Here in its entirety is an article by E.L.Bynum. Brother Bynum pastored Tabernacle Baptist Church for 44 years. He is still involved in many aspects of the ministry.


Wise Men Worship Him

By E. L. Bynum


"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." Matthew 2:1,2.

It is tragic that human traditions and pagan religious errors have robbed so many of the truths concerning the birth of Jesus Christ. No birth was ever so important to both God and man as this birth. This birth must be a fulfillment of God's promises of the Messiah, beginning with Genesis 3:15. This birth was the only one that could provide a Saviour for lost and fallen man. How important then, that we sweep aside human traditions and pagan errors, and seek the truth as it is to be found in the Bible.

The Time of His Birth

Even the year of His birth cannot be fixed with absolute certainty. Our calendar is off from 4 to 8 years at least. He was born while Herod was king and it is a well established fact that Herod died in 4 B.C.
Certainly He was not born on December 25th. For one thing, it is too cold in December for shepherds to keep their flocks by night in the open fields, as they were doing at the time of His birth. (Luke 2:8). He was born at a time when everyone had to go to their native city to be enrolled for taxation, and this would have been unlikely to have been scheduled in the middle of the winter. The winter was not a time to travel. (Matthew 24:20). December 25th was a pagan holiday long before the birth of Christ. It was established by Babylonian "sun-god" worshipers who looked upon this day as the birthday of the "Sun God." The worship of Baal was of course a part of the same false religion. The winter solstice comes on December 22, and is considered to be the shortest day of the year. As the days begin to lengthen, the "sun-god" worshipers would naturally rejoice. December 25th was a well-established day of revelry and licentious religious worship, long before anyone ever thought of making it Christ's birthday.
It was not until the 3rd Century that some Christians began to celebrate the birth of Christ on this date. It could be that those who established this date for the birth of Christ, really thought they could Christianize this pagan holiday. Needless to say, their efforts have tended to paganize Christianity. In 336 A.D. Emperor Constantine declared December 25th as a Roman holiday, because it was Christ's birthday.
The month and day of the passover, as well as other ancient festival days are well known. Why have we not learned that God has purposely concealed the date of Christ's birth for very good reasons? The reason is, that we might emphasize His death and resurrection. Why else did God allow us to know the month and day of His death and the day of His resurrection? Each Sunday we commemorate His resurrection when we come together to worship Him.
Certainly Santa Claus has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. Even the word "Christmas" is pagan for it is an abbreviated form of "Christ Mass" which came from the Roman Catholic Church.

When Did The Wise Men Worship Him?

Again human traditions have been substituted for the truth of God's Word. Over and over again we have viewed a manger scene showing the shepherds and the wise men worshiping the new born babe. This is contrary to the teaching of the Bible. The shepherds were notified the very day of His birth and they found the babe in a manger. (Luke 2:11-12). The wise men found the young child in a house. (Matthew 2:11). There is quite a difference between a babe in a manger and a young child in a house.
The wise men had seen His star in the east, and it would have taken them a long time to have traveled from Babylon or any other eastern area to Jerusalem. When they talked with Herod, he inquired "diligently what time the star appeared." The word here translated "diligently" means exactly and is elsewhere translated perfect and perfectly. (Matthew 2:7). When Herod ordered the children of Bethlehem slain, in order to kill Jesus, he ordered that all of them be slain, "from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men." (Matthew 2:16). So Jesus could have been anywhere from a few months up to two years of age at the time that the wise men came.
While we do not know the time of His birth, we do know that He was born at the right time. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law . . ." (Galatians 4:4-5)

I. Wise Men Follow The Light

Men do not seek Jesus until the light of God has shined in their hearts. They did not seek Him who was born King of the Jews, until they had seen His star in the east. Remember that Daniel, Nehemiah and other true men of God had been carried captive into Assyria, Babylon and Persia. These devout Jews were witnesses in high governmental offices. Note that this was true of Daniel and Nehemiah. Daniel was even trained as a wise man among the Babylonians. With their devout testimony, and their Hebrew scriptures, they would have had ample opportunity of creating considerable interest in the prophecies of the coming Messiah.
Balaam had prophesied, "there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel . . ." (Numbers 24:17). Since this portion of the Word was written by Moses, it would have undoubtedly been carried into the captivity. It would be likely that copies of these scriptures so prized by the Jews would find their way into the libraries of the east.
The book of Daniel is rich in Messianic Prophecy and remember that it was written in Babylon. Daniel 9:24-26 gives the time table with absolute certainty for the appearance of "Messiah the Prince." Daniel describes this as 69 weeks or 483 years from the time of the commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem. Since there were at least three such decrees made, the wise men might not have known which decree was meant. But at least they could have known approximately the time of the Messiah.
We hasten to say, that there is no scriptural proof that they knew anything about the prophecies of Balaam and Daniel. But we do believe that they followed the light that God gave them. They saw a star in the east that was different from anything they had seen before. However, seeing a star would not direct them to Jerusalem, unless they knew about the above scriptures or God spoke to them by a special revelation. God did speak to them in a dream after they arrived. (Matthew 2:12)
They did follow the light of God's Word when it was revealed unto them. (Matthew 2:5,6; Micah 5:2). They did follow the light of the star. (Matthew 2:9).
There are many men today with great knowledge, but unless they come to know Christ they will never be "wise men." "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom . . ." (Proverbs 9:10). "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . ." (James 1:5). According to James 3:15, there is a wisdom that is earthly, sensual and devilish.
Those who follow the light to Jesus Christ are the only ones who are truly wise.

II. Wise Men Worship Jesus

Many would have been satisfied with a visit with wicked King, Herod, but not these wise men! They inquired as to where the new born King could be found. We do not know how many wise men there were. We do not know from which country they came. But we do know that they would not be satisfied with anyone less than Jesus. They had studied the knowledge of the east. They no doubt had talked with kings and generals, but the greatest audience they ever had, was when they came into the presence of Jesus.
They "fell down, and worshipped Him." Today, men are worshiping the god of science. Others are worshiping the god of material things. Their pursuit of "things" leaves them no time for God. Many are worshiping the god of lust and pleasure. Theories, thrills and things occupy 20th century man, so that he has no time for the true and the living God. But eternity will reveal that they who worship Him, are the true wise men. A poorly educated man who worships Jesus Christ is wiser than an educated genius who rejects Him as Saviour.

III. Wise Men Give To Jesus

They gave Him "gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." These were gifts of great value, and no doubt had a typical meaning. GOLD was a fitting gift for a king, and particularly so in this case, since He is to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Frankincense was a fitting gift for a priest, for it was used in connection with sacrifice and priestly service. Since He was God manifest in the flesh, how fitting that they should offer frankincense unto Him. Myrrh was used in the embalming of the dead. (John 19:39). How correct that He who was to die for sin as a sacrifice should receive the myrrh.
Wise men will give their TIME, TALENT and TITHE to the Lord. In giving, it should be remembered that we should "first" give our "own selves to the Lord. "(II Cor. 8:5). God wants us to "present" our "bodies" as a "living sacrifice." (Romans 12:1). If we have done this, we will not mind giving our time and our tithes and offerings unto the Lord.
Many today are busy buying gifts for one another. How different the wise men, they gave to Him. Let us remember the lesson of the wise men, if we are truly wise we will give unto Him.

IV. Wise Men Go Back Another Way

"And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way." (Matthew 2:12). When men come to know Christ, there is a change made in their ways. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (II Cor. 5:17). Paul said that the Thessalonian believers had "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." (I Thess. 1:9).
It is sad that so many claim to know Christ, but go back to the same old way of sin and worldliness. Much modern Christianity has no cross, and no separation from the world. Christ came to save us from our sins, but many want to make salvation into a fire escape from hell. How foolish that some think they can have all the sin of this world, and all the salvation of the world to come. Wise men are changed. Wise men go back another way.

V. Wise Men Will Bring Others To Jesus

The Bible does not tell us what happened to these wise men after they went back to their own country. Perhaps eternity will reveal this story, if God be pleased to make it known. However, in the light of God's Holy Word, we know what true wise men should be doing today.
"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and HE THAT WINNETH SOULS IS WISE." (Proverbs 11:30). "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3). Paul said, ". . . I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (I Cor. 9:22). If you know Christ, may I urge you to use every scriptural means to bring others to know Him. This is wise!

If some unsaved one should read this message, we urge you to repent and turn to Christ in faith. It will be the wisest thing you will ever do. Bow before Him, acknowledge your sin, and trust in His saving grace.