Across Linville Gorge, North toward Grandfather Mtn

Tree of Life Ministries 


    
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Tommy & Pat James

 

 

 

 

Pat's New Book!

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    A Day Dream
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FREE!  The Overcomer's
Bible Reading Program
 

       

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Restoring The Foundations

   

 

                A special article on "A Time To Prepare"
      from Dreams and Visions Author, Stephen Fox-Helser.
                                                click this link to download the PDF file.

 

               Pat's Pearls

            "We Have A Choice" Part I

 “See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command you this day to love the Lord your God, to walk in His Ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, so you will live and multiply... But if your heart turns away, so that you will not heed, but will be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them; I announce to you this day that you will surely perish, you will not prolong your days upon the land... I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you. I have set before you life and death, blessings and cursing. Therefore choose life.” Deut. 30:15-20.

 Scripture is very clear that God expects his children to love Him, to obey His commandments and to serve Him alone. He promises us a covenant of love under His supernatural protection, provision and plan for our lives. If we love and obey Him, life will go well with us. If we do not- life will be filled with problems which we have brought on ourselves through our own rebellion and stubborn-heartedness. We can live under His covenant of love with all its benefits, or we can live without His mercy and grace which produces pain and failure. We have a choice.

 “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments and I will ask the Father, so that He would be with you forever. He will give you another Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world is not able to accept, because it does not see and does not know Him; you know Him, because He remains beside you and will be inside you.” John 14:15-17.
We are born with an Adamic, sin nature that naturally wants to hide from God, rebel against God's commandments, does not want to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, or the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. However, God offers mankind a complete salvation covenant so we don't have to live in pain and misery, separated from God's love and life. We serve an “If-Then” God; if we will love and obey Him, then He will keep His promises toward us. If we don't make the right choice, then we are on our own without His grace and power.

God's complete, salvation covenant includes four stages or levels of progress. 1. First being born-again so we can live in the supernatural kingdom of God, instead of this natural world with its limitations and corruptions. 2. Sanctification or being filled with the Spirit of God so we will have the power to overcome sin, the world and Satan. 3. Transformation of our old nature into the maturity of Christ so we become co-heirs with Him, true sons of God. 4. Finally, being given a position of responsibility in Christ's millennial reign here on earth, because we have been over comers in this life.

 Will we choose a destiny that leads to death and destruction, living eternally separated from His Presence? Will we choose His complete plan of salvation? Or will we choose just the parts of His plan we are comfortable with? Although He is our Creator, an all knowing, omnipresent God, He gave us the ability to determine our destiny. We are not doomed to destruction, but through His Son Jesus Christ, we have a choice.
 
Many people have heard the gospel message sometime in their life and have chosen to "get saved" by acknowledging Jesus Christ died for their sins. They believe the historical facts of Christ's death on the cross and his resurrection to life eternal. They made a an intellectual and religious decision to pray the sinner's prayer and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. After all, that only makes sense in light of the other dire consequences of hell. Heaven with its streets of gold, many mansions and incredibly, beautiful scenery sounds like a much more enjoyable place to spend eternity. But did they truly turn their hearts toward God, repent of their sins, change their lifestyle and seek after a personal relationship with God through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit? Have they truly been born again? Or did they choose to practice the religion of Christianity? Religion or relationship; we have a choice.

 Scriptures taken from the One New Man Bible: Revealing Jewish Roots and Power, translated by William J. Morford, 2011, True Potential Publishing, Inc. Travelers Rest, SC.