Category: What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Page 1 of 3

Good morning! What has God impressed upon you the most during this series? One thing that has stood out for me is that ANY sin will keep a person out of Heaven. God is holy and cannot allow any sin in Heaven. This is the whole purpose of Jesus coming to earth to pay the penalty for our sins. God knew that we could not get to Heaven on our own. If you say you’re not “that bad,” then you lie to yourself! The Bible says:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

There’s nothing you can do that will make up for your sins. You cannot live like Mother Theresa and get to Heaven on those merits. The Bible says:

Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.

If you could get to heaven by your good deeds, then you would be able to say, “Look at me! I’m a good person and look at all that I have done!” But friend, the Bible says differently in the verses above. Furthermore, if you could get to Heaven by your good deeds, then why in the world would Jesus come to earth to die for our sins??? That seems futile, doesn’t it?

Tit 3:3-6 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. (4) But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, (5) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (6) Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

You may think you’re not that bad a person and that you’ve never murdered anyone or did anything deserving of Hell. Jesus told us:

Mat 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The very first sin we covered in this series was fear. This same fear is what is preventing you from salvation. You may be afraid of what your family will think or that they will think you’re crazy. As well, you may fear that they will abandon you. But what if they do? Is this fear you bear on your shoulders worth eternity in a burning Lake of Fire? If you do reject salvation through Jesus Christ, this will affect those family members who love you. They will also reject the Lord and will also join you in that Lake of Fire. But you won’t see them there – you will be in utter darkness, alone in your pain. You influence your family and friends whether you believe that or not. How will they hear about Jesus and His salvation unless they see His miracle of a “new life” in you?

Friend, once you die, that’s it. Don’t be the one that has heard all about how sin can keep you out of Heaven but never did anything about it. Is a moment’s pleasure worth an eternity of pain and suffering?

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

You don’t know if today is your last day on earth. No one does. But one thing is for certain is that when you do die, you will be judged. If your name is not found in found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then you will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life is so important that it is mentioned eight times in the New Testament; seven in Revelation alone! Philippians 4:3 tells us that our names are placed in the Book of Life while we are yet on earth so it stands to reason that “something” had to be done in order for our names to be recorded in the Book. That something is repentance and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour!

(Phil 4:3) And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

(Rev 3:5) He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

(Rev 13:8) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (speaking of those who worship the antichrist)

(Rev 17:8) The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

(Rev 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.

(Rev 20:15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

(Rev 21:27) And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

(Rev 22:19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

God does not change, Friend. (Malachi 3:6) You are running out of time! The Rapture can happen at any moment and the time to be saved is now. (2 Cor. 6:2) You don’t want to enter the Tribulation period without Christ. If you think you will be saved during that time, you may be right. But you will experience the worst judgment known to mankind coming down on an unbelieving and God-hating world. You will be martyred for your faith! Why would you choose this over getting saved now? Now is the day of salvation, Reader (2 Cor. 6:2)!

The time is coming when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 19 – Heresies

By Kate Plourde

On February 24, 2023

In Devotionals, What's Stopping You From Salvation?

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Good morning!

This word is hardly heard today. It is probably because “religion” has become an unpopular topic of discussion. Do you realize that as of 2022, only 22% of Americans attend church every week? This 22% covers all religions. I can’t even imagine what percentage of this 22% covers truly born-again Christians. (In 2017, 31% of Americans identified as born-again Christians.) It’s horrifying to me to see the spiritual decline of this nation. Going to church doesn’t make one a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car! True Christianity brings a change of heart through repentance and a desire to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Anything other than that is going against God’s Word.

So just what is heresy? Noah Webster defines it as:

A fundamental error in religion, or an error of opinion respecting some fundamental doctrine of religion. But in countries where there is an established church, an opinion is deemed heresy, when it differs from that of the church. The Scriptures being the standard of faith, any opinion that is repugnant to its doctrines, is heresy; but as men differ in the interpretation of Scripture, an opinion deemed heretical by one body of Christians, may be deemed orthodox by another.

Heresy, therefore, is the sin that has affected the Church in these past couple of centuries. Satan has managed to convince some to question God’s Word, even change God’s Word. His efforts began in the Garden of Eden when he questioned Eve:

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

From that point on, Satan’s efforts to corrupt God’s Word has been his main objective. The King James Version of the Bible was the only accepted English Bible. According to this article:

I am afraid no one can give you an exact number for the English translations and paraphrases of the Bible printed since Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526. In part this is due to the difficulty of determining what should be defined as a new translation as opposed to a correction or a revision of an existing translation. There is the additional question of how we should count translations that include not a complete Bible or Testament, but just a group of books or even a single book. And then, of course, there is the difficulty of sheer numbers. With all these caveats in mind, the number of printed English translations and paraphrases of the Bible, whether complete or not, is about 900.
https://news.americanbible.org/article/number-of-english-translations-of-the-bible

Do you think Satan has succeeded at causing doubt into God’s Word? I should say so! But the fundamental plan of salvation can still be found. The Church of England (Protestant in beliefs) is going to meet in the Spring to discuss a gender neutral reference to God. If they agree to this, the next step would be to change their Bible to reflect this belief. This is true heresy. Any time you change God’s Word to reflect the desires of man will accomplish the devil’s work! Any time you stray from God’s Word and change it, you are guilty of heresy.

Let’s look at a different form of heresy. I know of people who want to be considered Christian but they do not want to change the way they live; they do not want to repent of their sin. A good example of this is homosexuality. There are homosexual “Christians” who believe they can continue in their sin; in fact, they believe their sin is not a sin at all. They believe that Christ accepts everyone. But does He? If that is true, then God’s words in the Old Testament are a lie. The Bible says that God does not change! God’s Word is the same yesterday, today and forever! God’s Word is truth!

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Since we know that God does not change and His Word does not change, then whatever was considered sin in the Old Testament is still sin in the New Testament. Let’s take a look at all the verses that deal with this:

Lev 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

Lev 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

1Co 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (11) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

“Abusers of themselves with mankind” in the Greek is ἀρσενοκοῖτοι arsenokoitoi. According to Strong’s Concordance:

arsenokoites: a male engaging in same-gender sexual activityOriginal Word: ἀρσενοκοίτης, ου, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: arsenokoites
Phonetic Spelling: (ar-sen-ok-oy’-tace)
Definition: a sodomite
Usage: a male engaging in same-gender sexual activity; a sodomite, pederast.

Just to give you an example of how the world’s views on homosexuality have changed, just try to do a Google search for Bible verses againist it. You are hard pressed to find anything biblically and fundamentally sound! I did the exact same search in DuckDuckGo and found what I was looking for.

So to wrap this up, anything that is contrary to God’s Word is heresy. God does not take this lightly. Satan has succeeded in turning the world’s views on sin. We see this more and more with the LGBTQ agenda. But, friend, God does not change. Sin is still sin. We are running out of time! The Rapture can happen at any moment and the time to be saved is now. (2 Cor. 6:2) You don’t want to enter the Tribulation period without Christ. If you think you will be saved during that time, you may be right. But you will experience the worst judgment known to mankind coming down on an unbelieving and God-hating world. You will be martyred for your faith! Why would you choose this over getting saved now? Now is the day of salvation, Reader! The time is coming when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 18 – Seditions

By Kate Plourde

On February 22, 2023

In Devotionals, What's Stopping You From Salvation?

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Good morning, Friends! I hope you are receiving a blessing from this series. I would think that to the believer, this would prompt a deeper desire to lead others to Christ before it’s eternally too late. But to the one who doesn’t know Jesus Christ as their Saviour, I would imagine that this series would be convicting; at least I would hope and pray that it is.

Today’s word is “seditions” and, at first, I wasn’t 100% certain as to its meaning. I thought about presidential assassinations and betrayals to our nation like that of Benedict Arnold. But let’s take a look at what the word actually means:

A factious commotion of the people, a tumultuous assembly of men rising in opposition to law or the administration of justice, and in disturbance of the public peace. Sedition is a rising or commotion of less extent than an insurrection, and both are less than rebellion; but some kinds of sedition, in Great Britain, amount to high treason. In general, sedition is a local or limited insurrection in opposition to civil authority, as mutiny is to military.

We’ve seen this type of behavior promoted to push a specific agenda. Some claim that the pro-life movement would fall under sedition but is it truly? God’s Word is eternal and will never end. Jesus said that His words will not pass away – NEVER.

(Mat 24:35) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

God is against the taking of life and we know that life begins at the moment of conception. The moment the egg is fertilized, there is no stopping the growth of a baby inside the mother’s womb. When that baby has finished growing, it comes into the world and no one questions whether or not it is a baby. But the demonstrations and at times riots that have resulted because of the argument that the baby is not “alive” until birth is utterly ridiculous! We must obey God, not men! (Acts 5:29) This is a type of sedition where anger and strife is so great, it divides a nation.

Seditions occurred in early America as our nation was forming and we were going against England’s rule. This was in pursuit of freedom against the suffocating English laws. Everything our forefathers fought for was in jeopardy but they moved forward. Today’s seditions against the laws of our nation are stirred up by cunning people who want power over the people. They depend on the ignorance of people to accomplish their agenda. The laws of our land are in place but seditious acts to undermine the laws are in full force. Our immigration laws are being ignored, beginning with our own leaders! These are seditious acts committed by men and women guilty of the sin of sedition. Are you one of these people?

All will be held accountable for any of the sins pointed out in the Scriptures. There will come a time when everyone will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and give an account of ALL their actions and words. This will be a most miserable time for those whose name is not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life!

Rev 20:12-15 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. (13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Friend, if you are reading this and you have not made a decision to follow Christ, make it now! You don’t know if you are going to die in an accident on your way home from work or even wake up tomorrow morning! Hebrews 9:27 says that after you die, you will be judged! Do you really want to stand before God and He brings up the porn you watched? Do you really want to account for each lie you told? Everything you have ever done against God’s Word will be judged. At that point, if you still don’t believe that a merciful God would punish you, God will open the Lamb’s Book of Life and He will look for your name. If you are not born again (John 3:3, 3:7), your name will not be in it. God doesn’t send you to hell, YOU send yourself by not repenting of your sin while you yet have time!

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark 6:12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Luke 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Repentance means to feel great sorrow for your sins. But it does not end there. We all are sorry that we got caught with our hand in the cookie jar but if we continue to do it, that is not the sorrow generated by repentance. True repentance is a genuine sorrow for sinning against God. When that repentance comes and you understand:

Jesus Christ (God Himself) came to earth in the flesh;
He was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life;
He died on the cross as the payment for your sins;
He rose on the third day
He now sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven waiting to come again at the end of the Tribulation to reign and rule.

If you believe this with all your heart and repent of your sins, you are born again. The Holy Spirit comes into you and abides in you. (John 14:16, John 14:26, John 15:26) He will teach you God’s Word and help you to grow spiritually.

We are running out of time! The Rapture can happen at any moment and the time to be saved is now. (2 Cor. 6:2) You don’t want to enter the Tribulation period without Christ. If you think you will be saved during that time, you may be right. But you will experience the worst judgment known to mankind coming down on an unbelieving and God-hating world. You will be martyred for your faith! Why would you choose this over getting saved now? Now is the day of salvation, Reader! The time is coming when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 17 – Strife

By Kate Plourde

On February 20, 2023

In Devotionals, What's Stopping You From Salvation?

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Good morning, Friends! When the weatherman warns of an incoming hurricane or tornado, it is natural of viewers to take shelter to avoid its oncoming path of destruction. It always amazes me how people can ignore the warnings of the Bible. It was going on in the Apostle Peter’s day and is going on today!

2 Peter 3:3-7 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, (4) 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. (5) 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: (6) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: (7) But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

By the same Word of God, the people of Noah’s day were warned of the upcoming storm that would destroy the entire globe. But did they heed Noah’s warning? No! It’s sad to say that only eight people were protected from that destruction.

It is the same today, Reader! Those people who choose to ignore the warnings of Christians all over the world will receive judgment unto fire! This warning goes to anyone who is not born-again! (John 3:3, 3:7) Those who hear these warnings and ignore them are the same who cause today’s sin (strife) and won’t see the Kingdom of God! This should bother anyone who is not saved! Paul warned the early Church night and day of those who led many astray with their false teachings.

Act 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Vine’s definition says that the Greek word for strife is:

eris (G2054), “strife, contention,” is the expression of “enmity,” “strife” (KJV, “debate”);

Is it any wonder that the world thinks Christians are nuts? There are so many different “churches” and beliefs today. Most “Christian religions” have deviated from God’s Word and allowed the world’s beliefs into their teachings. LGBTQ pastors are leading congregants to Hell. Preachers do not preach the Gospel but are merely using their position as a platform to push an agenda to distract and deceive their listeners. This is exactly what the devil hopes to accomplish in these end times. Satan wants people so distracted with the things of this world that they won’t have time nor desire to learn about Jesus Christ and the salvation He provides. This is when strife within the church comes up. People who are not saved and are “playing church” manage to cause dissension. Even in churches filled with born-again believers, Christians are blinded and unknowingly cause strife. What a poor testimony to the unsaved world.

The worst part of the strife within the church is the testimony it gives. It does not attract a dying world but it distracts. After all, if Christians have strife, how much the more will the unsaved? This sin is forgiven for believers who commit it and repent. But to the unbelievers, it is a sin that keeps them from entering the Kingdom of God! It is not a small thing. There is so much strife today. Heated conversations that end up in violent conflicts are the “norm”! Riots in the streets used to be far and few between but now they are an everyday occurrence? Why is this so? It is the evil intentions of men’s hearts that has come to the forefront. These evil intentions used to be hidden and behind closed doors. But now they are in the open and people have become desensitized to this sin.

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 16 – Wrath

By Kate Plourde

On February 17, 2023

In Devotionals, What's Stopping You From Salvation?

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Good morning! This series must be discouraging to the unbeliever. But to the believer, it should light a fire under us to pursue the lost and warn them! If you do not feel the sense of urgency to win the lost to Christ, something is not right in your spiritual life. That is what Christ called us to do and if we are not doing it, then we are neglecting His command in Matt. 28:19!

Today’s sin is called wrath. The English language has one word for wrath but the Greek language has three different words for wrath.

thumos; thoo-mos’
From G2380; passion (as if breathing hard): – fierceness, indignation, wrath.

orge; or-gay’
From G3713; properly desire (as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind), that is, (by analogy) violent passion (ire, or [justifiable] abhorrence); by implication punishment: – anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath.

parorgismos; par-org-is-mos’ From G3950 occurs in Eph_4:26 : For the verb parorgizo, “to provoke to wrath,” Eph_6:4

The wrath of man is seen all around us. Anger is more prevalent today than it has been since creation. Social media has given anonymity an opportunity to bring this sin out into the open. People are bolder to say things they would not dare say to one’s face. They spew cruel comments and don’t care of the repercussions. Furthermore, rioting and destruction in the streets has become an everyday occurrence, when fifty years ago, it would have been stopped by our Country’s leaders. All it takes is one person to incite and provoke others to ransack businesses! This kind of wrath is what is meant by today’s verses in Galatians 5:19-20. This is a sin that comes from the condition of the heart. The Bible has much to say about the heart of man. The sin of wrath is not new. It has existed from the beginning when Cain killed Abel. The problem is the heart:

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Jer 7:24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Psa 14:1-3 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. (2) The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. (3) They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Mat 15:18-19 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. (19) For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

There is not one person on this earth that is born without sin. As each person grows older, that sinful heart becomes more wicked with time. Unless one is born-again (John 3:3, 3:7) he CANNOT see the Kingdom of God. Jesus said these words, not me. Take your anger up with Him when He calls you to the Great White Throne judgment of God.

Rev 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (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. (13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The time WILL come if men do not repent. It is not IF but WHEN. Do not let the devil convince you to “wait” until the Tribulation. You will have to die during that time if you profess Christianity. (Revelation 6:9-10) You may be guilty of the sin of wrath, but you don’t want to be the recipient of God’s wrath. That wrath is the ultimate and will last for all eternity if you choose to continue to live your life without repenting.

Friend, there will come a time when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 15 – Emulations

By Kate Plourde

On February 15, 2023

In Devotionals, What's Stopping You From Salvation?

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Good morning, Reader! In today’s language, to emulate someone is usually a good thing. However, it is not the initial intent of the sin we are covering today. This sin is enough to keep you from entering the Kingdom of God. So we must look at it from the author’s intention. If Paul saw it in his day, can you imagine what it is today?? We see this sin over and over in our society, both in social media and in the pushing forward of the enemy’s agenda. A prime example of this is Greta Thunberg. As a young teenager, she suddenly became a world renowned expert on climate change! She is following an agenda impressed upon her by the world and has made herself a scholar in this field; or should I say, those “powers that be” have made her to be a scholar in this field. The media has moved this agenda forward and she has fallen prey to their plight. Friend, she’s not a scholar. She is a byproduct of the sin of emulation.

She is not alone. The fight amongst super powers to be the best and greatest is alive and well on planet Earth. People who don’t even deserve that status are among them. Take Bill Gates for example. He only has two years of college education and yet he is touted as being a scholar in his field. His wealth is what makes him a self-imposed super power. His influence has created a generation of emulators.

Exactly what is this sin? Noah Webster defines it as:

EMULA’TION, n. The act of attempting to equal or excel in qualities or actions; rivalry; desire of superiority, attended with effort to attain to it; in a bad sense, a striving to equal or do more than others to obtain carnal favors or honors. Gal.5.

Contest; contention; strife; competition; rivalry accompanied with a desire of depressing another.

We see people who want to be superior to others and place themselves in positions of higher authority. The devil’s agenda is pushing forward to a one-world government by using this sin to encourage an unbelieving world to accomplish his goals. The rich of the world will be the ones ruling over the poor. This has been going on for thousands of years but will be even stronger in these end times. This may seem insignificant to you, but believe me, it is not to God. It is included in today’s list of sins that will keep people out of Heaven, including idolatry, adultery, and witchcraft!

We must be alert and diligent in leading others to Christ, Christian. One of these sins is prevalent in everyone’s life. It is our solemn duty to the Lord Jesus to expose the devil’s plot to a sinful world. If we don’t, who will? They don’t search the Scriptures to find out how to be saved. (Acts 17:11, Rom. 10:14) They have no desire for godly things, let alone God’s Word. We must be as megaphones, Reader! We must speak up and be followers of Christ! If not us, who? We cannot be lazy as our time is short. We will be called Home to be with the Lord at the Rapture and our work here will be finished. There will be no more chances for us to lead the lost to Christ. Those that are not saved in our family and circle of friends will be ushered into the most horrific time ever to be experienced on this earth!

Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Some, including close friends, claim that we are currently in the Tribulation period. But friend, we have seen wars, we have seen earthquakes, we have seen horrifying things. However, they are no worse than the times of World War II! Jesus said that this great Tribulation period will be the worst ever, in the past, present AND future! Therefore, we cannot be in the Tribulation period. Wise up, Christian! Do your job and witness to the lost instead of fighting amongst ourselves. That is what Christ called us to do, after all. (Matt. 28:19) Have a following – teach and disciple them to do the same. THAT is our job. We are ambassadors for Christ. (2 Cor. 5:20-21) The time is coming when ambassadors will be called Home before judgment is unleashed on a wicked and unbelieving world.

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 14 – Variance

By Kate Plourde

On February 13, 2023

In Devotionals, What's Stopping You From Salvation?

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Good morning, Reader! Today’s word is not used in everyday language. We know of it and we understand an overall meaning for it. However, when it is used in the context of the new Christian faith of that era, we come to see that it was being used in relation to conflicts within the faith. Some would bring their Jewish roots into the Christian faith and would try to add to the faith or take away from it. It must have been very difficult to have been raised in the Jewish religion of works and then come to Christ by faith and not of works (Eph. 2:8-9)

I have that background as well. I was not raised Jewish but was raised Catholic and the same foundation of salvation by works was ingrained in us from birth. The concept of salvation by faith and not of works was, and at times still is, difficult to fully absorb. Even after I have been saved for nearly 43 years, I still have to fight off the thoughts of having to “do” certain things in order for the Lord to love me. He loves me despite of my actions. I naturally want to “do” work for the Lord, but it does not involve working for my salvation. Jesus took care of that when He nailed all my sins to the cross! (Col. 2:14) It is similar to the love that parents have for their children. No matter what their children do, their love for them will never end and nothing separates that love.

Rom 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Friend, if you are truly born again, nothing will separate you from God’s love. Why? Because verse 39 says that it is because we are in Christ Jesus! We have been born-again and 1 Peter 1:23 says that we are born of incorruptible seed by God’s Word and His Word lives and abides forever!

So what is this variance that existed in the early Church, and is still going on today? Let’s look at Noah Webster’s definition:

VA’RIANCE, n. [See Vary.]

In law, an alteration of something formerly laid in a writ; or a difference between a declaration and a writ, or the deed on which it is grounded.

Any alteration or change of condition.

Difference that produces dispute or controversy; disagreement; dissension; discord. A mere variance may become a war. Without a spirit of condescension, there will be an everlasting variance.

At variance, in disagreement; in a state of difference or want of agreement.

In a state of dissension or controversy; in a state of enmity.

As the early Church was in its infancy, I’m sure it was difficult to spread the words of the Apostles in a timely manner. It was by word of mouth through preachers that were moved through the Holy Spirit of God to preach and write the Scriptures. I can imagine the strife it stirred up in those religious Jews when they found out that some of their traditions were fulfilled through Christ according to those preaching the Christian faith. I’m sure it caused quite a bit of contention within the Church itself. Paul spoke of these contentions in 1 Thess. 2:2.

Today, we see strife and contention in the Church over the color of carpeting to put on the floors in the Church building. There’s fighting and backbiting amongst so called believers. This does not show the love of Christ. We are to love one another as He loved us! (1 John 3:16) If we loved the brethren enough to lay down our own lives for them, there would be no variances, contention or strife, amen?

But let’s look at the condition of the world in the light of this sin. There is a LOT of strife today. The definition of variance specifically speaks volumes. The anger that arose when the Supreme Court sent the abortion issue back to the states is a prime example. The sin of variance digs deeper than just an opinion. It involves:

…something formerly laid in a writ; or a difference between a declaration and a writ, or the deed on which it is grounded.

Any alteration or change of condition.

What once was declared as a contract or covenant now is ignored. I think of our blessed Constitution and how the left is trying to trash it to achieve a socialist and communist agenda. Little by little our Country’s foundational beliefs are being chipped away. The devil’s evil agenda is moving forward and people are buying it hook, line and sinker! I also think of this latest effort to silence U.S. citizens and the rest of the world by using Covid to lock us down. Internal strife arose between believers as to whether they were vaxed or not vaxed. These things should not be so. If we, as believers, are warring amongst ourselves, then the devil has succeeded in causing division in our churches and showing the world that believers are actually no better than the unsaved. The light we are supposed to be is not shining. (Matt. 5:14) The salt we are supposed to be to cause the unsaved to thirst after the things of God has lost its flavor. (Luke 14:34)

But let’s look at it from the viewpoint of “inheriting the Kingdom of God.” This sin will prevent entrance to God’s Kingdom. It seems that everyone is at variance with someone. Variance is another word for strife and we see it all around us. We have riots in the streets over civil liberties. There are racial conflicts which are being driven by leaders and rich people who want to cause civil unrest so they can take control. There are people who will be held accountable for this sin. Those who partake in it are furthering the devil’s agenda and will one day stand before God at the Great White Throne and have to account for their sins. (Rev. 20:11)

Do you see the severity of this sin? It may seem minuscule to you but it is not according to God’s Word. It will be judged when you stand before God and you will be found guilty. The books that are opened at the judgment will cover every sin you ever committed and every opportunity you were given to be born-again. God judges you on all your sinful acts and deeds that will be recorded in those books and you will see that the scales for your life will be found “wanting.” (Daniel 5:27) Jesus Christ will open up the Book of Life to see if your name is written in it. But because you were not born-again (John 3:3, 3:7), your name will not appear in that book. (Rev. 20:11-15)

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 13 – Hatred

By Kate Plourde

On February 10, 2023

In Devotionals, What's Stopping You From Salvation?

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Good morning, Reader! It was not until I began this series that I realized the intensity of Ephesians 2:8-9!!! There is absolutely no way man can get to Heaven on his own. We have been guilty of at least one, if not each of the sins that we’ve covered so far. If you say you have no sin, you are lying. (1 John 1:8) Everything boils down to being born with a sin nature. Everyone is born with the innate ability to sin since the time of Adam and Eve’s first sin! (Romans 5:12)

Today’s sin is one that people may think is not really “as bad” as murder, let’s say. But the Bible is quite clear about this sin of hate. The Apostle John wrote:

1 Jn 3:14-15 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (15) Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Today’s world is a perfect example of the hatred that has formed in men’s hearts! The first sin of hatred began with Cain killing his own brother, Abel, out of jealousy, pride and hatred! It continued on throughout history and is heavily reflected in the hearts of man in our current world! The dissension created by liberalism has culminated into a cacophony of hatred. The hatred shown toward God is also prevalent. The enemy is bent on taking as many with him as possible. Those who are guilty of this sin will not inherit the kingdom of God, Reader! Unless one is born again (John 3:3-7), he will not enter into God’s kingdom. The message is clear!

You cannot get to Heaven on your own merits, plain and simple! Again, Ephesians 2:8-9 is still in the Bible and it makes it clear that it is not by your own works. It’s the grace of God that allows us to enter into His presence.

You have to check your own heart on a daily basis. Once you are saved, you should check your heart daily to make sure that you are a living example of God’s goodness and grace! The verses below are often used by proponents of salvation by works. However, they fail to read verse 13.

Php 2:12-13 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (13) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

It is God that works in the heart of man after salvation. Paul is merely exhorting the brethren to check their spiritual fruit to make sure that they are living lives which will draw the lost to the Lord! God wants all to be saved and doesn’t want anyone to go to Hell! (2 Peter 3:9) Once a person is born again, God wants to use that person for His glory and His pleasure! If one says he is born again, but he is still committing sins from his “old life,” then God cannot use that person for His good pleasure, now can he? (2 Cor. 5:17) This is why Paul is telling the believers in Philippi to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” They cannot be used of God to be a light to the lost. Working out your own salvation is not so that you can BE saved. It is so that you can confess your sins so you can be used of God. (1 John 1:9) Each time we “check” ourselves, we give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to work in us. (1 Thess. 5:19, 1 Thess. 5:22) We must abstain from sin, from the very appearance of it! This is how God can work His will in us.

If you are a believer and are guilty of hate, you need to go back to the beginning. Check your heart and confess it so you can be used of God! We are to be living a new life in Christ and showing His fruit. If you’re not a born-again believer, then this one sin will keep you out of Heaven. It only takes one sin to make you guilty before God. (James 2:10)

There will come a time when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 12 – Lasciviousness

By Kate Plourde

On February 8, 2023

In Devotionals, What's Stopping You From Salvation?

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Good morning, Reader! I hope and pray that at some point, someone who doesn’t know the Lord Jesus will read one of these posts and realize that they are in need of salvation! It is my highest goal for this blog. I think of the patience of God and His desire for all to come to salvation. (2 Peter 3:9) He doesn’t want to send anyone to Hell / Lake of Fire. After all, that horrid place was not created for man. (Matt. 25:41) But because of man’s rebellion, it will be his destination for all eternity if he remains unrepentant.

Today’s word is “lasciviousness” and it only appears in the New Testament. The meaning of it, as described by Noah Webster, is:

LASCIV’IOUSNESS, n.

Looseness; irregular indulgence of animal desires; wantonness; lustfulness.
Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lasciviousness. Eph 4:19.

Tendency to excite lust, and promote irregular indulgences.

This sin appears to be deeply rooted in the depraved heart.

Eph 4:17-19 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, (18) Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: (19) Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

The Gentile referred to here are the unbelievers of the world – anyone who is not born-again. Paul had his hands full when he preached in Ephesus. This city was vibrant and was known as the capital of Asia in the first two centuries. They were part of the Greek culture, which had many gods, one of which was Artemis. Her temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. She was the goddess of nature, hunting, fertility and childbirth and the most revered of the ancient Greek religion. Tradition has it that she would dance in the wild with a company of nymphs. She is part of the Hellenic practice and pagans still worship her today. One of the ways pagans worship her today is devoting themselves to the protection of wildlife, clean up pollution and help ecological organizations. I find that interesting since much of the world is obsessed with global warming, the green initiative, etc. Paul had his hands full in his day and we still have the same challenges today!

Lasciviousness will keep one from entering Heaven if one does not repent of it. One who has a mouth filled with dirty talk, filthy words, and crude references are considered lascivious. (Col. 3:8) This type of talk comes from a mind filled with lust and sexual desires. They don’t stop there but they pass these thoughts along to others, enticing them to partake as well. It’s like he is plotting a crime, and cunningly attempts to draw others into the same sin. This reveals how the devil manipulates people and sucks them into sin.

Those who are not born again are children of the devil according to 1 John 3:8, 3:10.

I know this may offend some but God’s Word, the Bible, contains truth. People say it is filled with contradictions but they cannot provide anything of substance to prove their point. No other book written had approximately 40 authors but the ultimate Author is God. (2 Timothy 3:16) The Bible was written over a 1,500 year span yet it does not have one contradiction whatsoever. Unsaved men and women will be judged by what is recorded in its pages. (John 12:48)

Jud 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Born-again Christians are not exempt from the devil’s wiles but we can resist his temptations. (James 4:7) God gives us power over sin when we are saved because His Holy Spirit resides within us. Ephesians 6:11 tells us to put on the whole armour of God so we can stand against the devil. God’s Word is our weapon, Christian. (Hebrews 4:12) Jesus quoted it when He was in the wilderness and Satan was trying to tempt Him. (Matthew 4:1-11)

There will come a time when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, if you are guilty of this sin, it’s not too late. Repent of it and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 11 – Uncleanness

By Kate Plourde

On February 6, 2023

In Devotionals, What's Stopping You From Salvation?

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Noah Webster defines uncleanness as:

UNCLE’ANNESS, n.

Foulness; dirtiness; filthiness.

Want of ritual or ceremonial purity. Lev 15.

Moral impurity; defilement by sin; sinfulness.

Lewdness; incontinence. Col 3. 2 Pet 2.

When I think of unclean, I think of a dirty house. But when the Bible was written, it had a deeper meaning. Do you recall an old saying, “Cleanliness is next to godliness”? Some think that this is in the Bible, but it isn’t. This phrase can be found in a sermon done by John Wesley in 1778 sermon. I doubt he had a clean house in mind when he said this.

The word uncleanness can be found in 24 verses in the Old Testament and 11 in the New Testament. The Old Testament’s use of the word referred to anything that came from the body was considered unclean; i.e., an issue of blood, or anything oozing from the flesh. There was a specific way to deal with this according to Levitical Law. No one was to come in contact with the individual and the body, clothing and anything touching the clothing had to be washed. Then a sacrificial offering had to be taken to the High Priest to finish the “cleansing” process.

The New Testament, however, mostly refers to uncleanness with defiling the body with sexual sin. (Rom 1:24, 2 Cor. 12:21, Gal. 5:19, Eph. 4:19, Eph. 5:3, Col. 3:5) There are a few verses that refer to the deceit, sinful desires, and hypocrisy. (Matt. 23:27, Rom. 6:19, 1 Thess. 2:23, 1 Thess. 4:7 and 2 Pet. 2:10)

No matter how you look at uncleanness, it is a sin against God! The Old Testament viewpoint is really quite interesting as it reveals to us just how vile and wicked man is. The only way to make it right with God was to clean the body, his clothing, his home and then bring a sacrifice to God atone for the uncleanness. Look at it in this way as born-again believers. When we come to salvation in Jesus Christ, we acknowledge His perfect atonement for our disgusting sins. He died for my sins; He shed His blood for my sins; our sins were nailed to the cross and Jesus took those sins out of the way! (Col. 2:14) Furthermore, God does not remember those sins any longer! The sacrifice for our sins was performed by God Himself through Jesus Christ! If they were nailed to the cross and forgiven, then why should they reappear? (Isaiah 1:18, Psalm 103:12) Our flesh is no longer unclean but has been made new at our new birth. (2 Cor. 5:17)

There will come a time when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, if you are guilty of this sin, it’s not too late. Repent of it and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. God will do what He said He would (Ecc. 3:14). It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

1 Cor. 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Category: What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Page 1 of 3

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 20 – None Righteous

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 19 – Heresies

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 18 – Seditions

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 17 – Strife

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 16 – Wrath

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 15 – Emulations

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 14 – Variance

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 13 – Hatred

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 12 – Lasciviousness

What’s Stopping You From Salvation? Day 11 – Uncleanness