Fighting Horses

READ YOUR BIBLE EVERYDAY!

Tracts are still effective

Steve states:
Pretty quickly after saying my prayer to Jesus, I started to pass out tracts. Concerning sharing the gospel, I am shy about striking up conversations with strangers, but I can at least leave tracts here and there.

I originally bought Chick tracts and I still do. Some people may think they aren't cool or in vogue but I believe that the little comics are still effective to lure people into reading them.

About a year ago I found Way of the Master (Living Waters) and have bought many a tract from them. My favorite would be the million dollar bill which is wonderful to leave with your tip when you eat out. I'm also big on the 10 Commandments coin.

I just bought some tracts from Custom Tract Source. They are in Texas and I really like the post notes they have. I leave them on pay phones in plain site for people to see. These don't have a gospel message on it but it refers them to a web page.

Another is One Million Tracts. Jon Speed of Last Cause Ministries recommended these guys and from their website I can see several I'd like to try. The card-sized tracts with a sports team schedule on one side and a gospel tract on the other sounds like it might get read eventually. I know in Dallas-Ft Worth the Cowboys are held in high esteem. I will definitely get some of those.

How I use them:
I leave them places I go and I always try to carry them with me. When I mail merchandise from my band to fans, I slip in tracts. It's funny they usually don't say anything about them, but I pray that I have planted a seed.

Some times I do something I've dubbed a "Time Bomb" and that's when I hide tracts from plain site. In some places you get the feeling they'll be thrown away pretty quickly so I hide some in the toilet paper ring, in paper towels that are stacked on the counter of some fancier restrooms, under a vase on the counter, etc. People may not find them today but it plants the seed for a later discovery. I will do this even when I leave some tracts in plain site.

This blog shows the BIG list of tracts that are available plus places you can put tracts.

Quotes on tracts:

Charles Spurgeon stated, “When preaching and private talk are not available, you need to have a tract ready. . . Get good striking tracts, or none at all. But a touching gospel tract may be the seed of eternal life. Therefore, do not go out without your tracts.”

Charles Spurgeon on the use of tracts:
I well remember distributing them in a town in England where tracts had never been distributed before, and going from house to house, and telling in humble language the things of the kingdom of God. I might have done nothing, if I had not been encouraged by finding myself able to do something . . . [Tracts are] adapted to those persons who have but little power and little ability, but nevertheless, wish to do something for Christ. They may not have the tongue of the eloquent, but they may have the hand of the diligent. They cannot stand and preach, but they can stand and distribute here and there these silent preachers . . . They may buy their thousand tracts, and these they can distribute broadcast.

I found this on Repent and Turn Ministries webpage which has some good information on tracts and evangelism.

Why don't they talk about HELL in church anymore?

Taken from a sermon "Hell No Exits" Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994)

"When you last hear a sermon on TV about hell? About everlasting destruction? It's not fashionable, it doesn't bring the money in. Doesn't tickle the ears, tickles the conscience..." Leonard Ravenhill

Steve notes:
After listening to Leonard Ravenhill's sermon above, I decided to read Jonathan Edwards' infamous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (1741). These choice words jumped off that page at me.



From Section IV:
So that is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and don't resent it, that he don't let loose his hand and cut them off. God is not altogether such as one as themselves, though they may imagine him to be so. The wrath of God burns against them, their damnation don't slumber, the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them, the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened her moth under them.

From Section V:
The devil stand ready to fall upon them and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion. The Scripture represents them as his "goods," Luke 11:21. The devils watch them; they are ever by them, at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back; if God should withdraw his hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls. The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.

From Section IX.
They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the bigger part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell; but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done; he don't intend to come to that place of torment; he says within himself, that he intends to take care that shall be effectual, and to order matters so for himself as not to fail.

Under Application section:
The use may be of awakening to unconverted person in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ. The world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God, there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor anything to take hold of: there is nothing between you and hell but the air; 'tis only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.

You probably are not sensible of this, you find you are kept out of hell, but don't see the hand of God in it, but look at other things, as the good state of your bodily constitution, your care of your own life, and the means you use for you own preservation. But indeed these things are nothing; if God should withdraw his hand, they would avail no more to keep you from falling, than the thin air to hold up a person that is suspended in it.

Some paragraphs down in Application section:
Thus are all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls, all that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life (however you may have reform your life in many things, and may have had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in your families and closets, and in the house of God, and may be strict in it), you are thus in the hands of an angry God, tis nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction.

Last paragraph:
Therefore let everyone that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over great part of this congregation: let everyone fly out of Sodom: "Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed." Gen 19:17

Steve concludes:
Can you imagine Joel Osteen preaching this?

What has your church turned God into? Santa Claus, a best buddy, a magic genie with three wishes, Jesus is my homeboy, self-help God? Do you never hear of Jonathan Edward's God there? God is only love? Is God not righteous (just) and morally perfect? And we are not?

Most people would call this hell fire preaching. And I agree, but what I have a problem with is that if you truly believe what's in your Bible, what would be wrong with warning people of the wrath to come? We have been tricked by today's political correctness to believe that not offending people is more important than warning them of what happens in the next life. How logical is that? But most of us, me included, suffer from this. We know that we won't be very popular if we start talking about hell to unbelievers, luke-warm believers.

I'm not saying we should return to hell fire preaching, but we should not be afraid to talk to people about the reality of hell. We need to verbalize to people that hell exists and is a real place that some people will definitely spend eternity if they don't trust in Jesus Christ and repent of their sins. It can be done in love.

Revelation 20:15 (NIV)
"If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Read Luke 16:19-26 - Lazarus and the Rich Man


A sermon from Robert Jeffress "The Truth about Hell" January 1, 2008

PLACEBO

Steve says:
I am fascinated with Near Death Experiences. I love to try to play detective and determine if they are faithful to the Bible or not. I try to determine if the person telling the story is a reliable witness or not.

One NDE that I find intriguing is from Howard Pittman who is featured on Spirit Lessons website. I do warn that you must be very careful when listening to these type of experiences almost as much as reading some of the garbage the modern Christian writers are churning out these days. But I am not focusing on his NDE story in this blog, just the forward to his booklet called "Placebo". In my opinion he describes the modern church perfectly. He uses the placebo pill used by doctors as an analogy of many churches in our land, it describes believers who are not saved yet are being coddled into thinking everything's fine, not being challenged in the Word and therefore think they are saved.

Go ahead and read below and see what you think.

Below taken from Spirit Lessons website:

On August 3, 1979, Howard Pittman, a Baptist minister for 35 years, died while on the operating table during surgery and had a near-death experience. After angels showed him the second and third heavens, he was taken before the very throne of God where he was given a message to share with the world.

The following is an excerpt from his booklet, Placebo, which documents his amazing near-death experience. You can purchase his audio tapes and booklets at the Lake Hamilton Bible Camp store.

Forward

Webster's Dictionary defines "placebo" as "a medication prescribed more for the mental relief of a patient than for the actual effect on his disorder, or something tending to soothe."

The doctors tell us that if we know we are being treated with a placebo, it does not work. In our minds we must think that it is a real medication and has the strength or power to heal. If the patient believes this, then the treatment has been known to work wonders in many cases that otherwise could not have been treated. Placebo treatment is, in fact, nothing of substance, but in the mind of the patient it is real. In order for this kind of treatment to work, the doctor must convince the patient of the work of the medication.

My friend, I declare unto you that this is the exact "treatment" that most "mouth-professing" Christians are using today. The doctor administering this "medication" is Satan himself. He gives the "patent" a sugar-coated religion, a shallow experience, and whispers half-truths into his ears. He then tells the "patient" that it is real and that it is all the "patent" needs. The "patent", having been taken in by Satan, believes this and goes on his merry way declaring to all that he has been born again, his salvation is real, and this experience is all that he needs. Doctor Satan will allow his "patient" to continue to go to church and will allow him to take part in any church, that is, singing, leading in prayer, teaching Sunday School, and even preaching. He will allow the "patient" to make any kind of statement in connection with his "mouth-professing" religion, even to the point of the saving power of Jesus. Yes, he will allow the "patient" to do all and say all with one exception. That exception is that the "patient" will not be allowed to live the life that he confesses with his mouth ...

What does it mean to be a Christian in China?

General info on China:
There are over 1.3 billion people in China. The Chinese government admits to around 13.3 million Protestant Christians in China but some sources say that number is more like 60 million or higher.

What does it mean to be a Christian in China?

- To have a church service means having to meet in secret in people's homes or even out in the country.

- Potentially spending time in jail for holding secret church meetings, sharing the gospel, for distributing Christian materials, if you're caught.
What can I do?

Write letters to Christian prisoners around the word that are in prison: Voice of the Martyrs - Prisoner Alert

- When believers have tried to build churches, the government knocks them down. The government requires permission they won't grant to protestant churches for a building to be built.

- To own a Bible can be very difficult. No Barnes and Noble with a hundreds to choose from in China.
What can I do?

Check out Bibles Unbound to donate money for bibles to be purchased for nations that are hostile to Christianity. When I checked the website in February, they had over 25,000 requests for bibles to China.
This movie shows how the program works. Bibles Unbound Movie

Please check out - Voice of the Martyrs main site for information on how to help the persecuted church not just in China but all over the world.

Books, articles and Videos on China:

"The Marvelous Promises" by Pak-Chue Chan, MD (book)

"The Cross - Jesus in China" (video)

"Heavenly Man" by Brother Yun (book)

- This article in the Christian Post explains how the Chinese government is cracking down on Christians (Feb 2008).

- Article "China Launches "Secret" Crackdown On House Churches, 'Open Doors' Says",
(Jan 2008)

- "Chinese Christians Forced to Worship in Secret", article from ABC News (Nov 2005).

In conclusion:
Yet with all this persecution, China is seeing signs of revival we can only envy here in the United States. Pray for our persecuted brothers in China daily!

Ephesians 6:18
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

SIGN - No seeker sensitivity here...

This sign is located at I-35 in Carrollton, Texas between Beltline and Crosby on the west side of the road. The ArmyNavyWarehouse paid for this sign.

I have to admit I really like this sign. The message is shown in a direct to the point way with almost an old time feel to it. I tried to get the railroad crossing in there to emphasize the need to make a decision- should you cross into faith or not. Most will reject this sign but I pray some will seek the Lord because of it.

I can hear the the new age modernist believers arguing that this might turn people off to the gospel. We are so afraid we'll give someone a bad experience we settle for not even trying to share the gospel.

Do you think Christ offended some people when he went into the temple and knocked over the money changers tables? (John 2:13-16) How about when he stood toe to toe with the Pharisees? Think about it- he made them so mad they wanted to kill him. Could you imagine your pastor having this kind of conviction? Do you have this kind of conviction? Pray for it, I do.

The devil loves for us to pretend in church. He loves when we are into the world more than Christ.

We need to preach the Word of God.

John 2:13-16
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

Cussing / Swearing

Steve admits:

This post will not be an easy one for me but I feel lead to talk about my struggle with cursing. Recently, I read an interview on the Internet I did in 2006 with The Metal Pit and I saw to my horror several times I cursed in it. I have to no excuse and I have repented since but I have this example of my sin living on the net to remind me of my slipping into this sinful habit.

When we started the Rotting Corpse website and reunion shows in 2004, I got caught in the mindset of when I was 20. Thankfully, because I was a believer I didn't do everything I did back in the day. I falsely believed that- if I wasn't drinking, lusting after women, and being a generally nice guy, I wasn't hurting anything by a few cuss words. I believed I could pick my sins. Even after my daughter was born, I continued some cursing but through the urging of some friends who were bold, I finally realized I needed to watch my mouth.

What happened? Part of it is I like to cuss. When I get excited or angry, I like to express myself this way. The other part is I fell into the Seeker Sensitive trap of "If I act really cool, people will like me and might start believing in Christ (Jesus is better than beer)". After a few years back in the metal scene, I saw my friends still living the lives they lived before they re-met me in 2004 and realized how wrong I was to naively believe that the power to transform someone's life to Christ had anything to do with me being of the world. I also failed in that I was afraid to share the gospel with them verbally. I thought that them knowing I was a believer would be enough. I pray the Lord will bless me with more opportunities to share my faith boldly with my old friends from the metal scene and that he will forgive me for my timid ignorance.

Without true repentance, can we truly know the Lord?

Ephesians 4:29
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Colossians 3:8
"But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips."

1 Timothy 4:12
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

Swearing:
Since 2002 I have been sensitive to people who say GD or JC in vain. It's like a kick in the stomach when I hear someone say it. I am praying for the boldness to tell people (in a nice way) to not say those things around me. I figure it's the least I can do for the man who gave his life for ours. And some times like me, people do not realize how much they are saying these things.

James 5:12
"Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned."

John MacArthur in Southlake Sunday

I was blessed to see John MacArthur speak at Countryside Bible Church, in Southlake, Texas last nite, February 10, 2008. Countryside is a beautiful little church in an area that is usually associated with money, giant houses and possessions galore. I'd like to thank Jon Speed of Lost Cause Ministries, for telling me about this because I had no clue the Sola Conference was was going when the weekend began.

John MacArthur is an excellent Biblical teacher who I had heard several times on WOTM radio but I didn't realize how good he was until seeing and hearing him live. His teaching style is very thorough with Biblical references galore (2nd time I used that word). He spoke for 2 hours to a fairly large turn out. I had to sit in another room because the main sanctuary was full.

- Grace Community Church

Evel Knievel was born again?

Steve states:
One Sunday my pastor spoke about Evel Knievel coming to know Christ before he died. So when I got home, I found his testimony on youtube. I was fascinated by his sincere expression of his struggle to know the Lord. And I suppose some people can argue he was just a crazy old man driven by years of pain from injuries suffered doing his stunts. But isn't being broken what drives us to accept the gift of grace from the Lord? I know it was in my case.

His struggle to know God is something many in the church miss today. Most people today believe that if you pray a little prayer and really mean it, you're saved. No matter how they act afterwards. Some believe they don't need to read their Bible (if they even own one) or go to church.

I've been reading "Grace Abounding" by John Bunyan and was amazed how he struggled to know God. This book was written in 1666 while he was imprisoned.

From Chapter 6 (Temptation)
Sometimes I would lie under great guilt for sin, even crushed to the ground with the weight of it, and then the Lord would show me the death of Christ. Yes, He so sprinkled my conscience with His blood that I would find, even before I was aware, that in this conscience, where but just now did reign and rage the law, even there would rest and abide the peace and love of God through Christ.

From Chapter 8 (Continual Affirmation of Truth)
Then crying out in the bitterness of my soul, I said to my soul with a grievous sigh, "How can God comfort such a wretch?" I had no sooner said it but this returned upon me as an echo answers a voice, "This sin is not unto death." At that, it was as if I had been raised out of the grave and cried out again, "Lord, how could You find out such a word as this?" I was filled with admiration at the fitness and at the unexpectedness of the sentence - the fitness of the word, the rightness of the timing of it. The power and sweetness and light and glory that came with it were marvelous to me to find.

Steve continues:
Bunyan continues to question himself even further after these seemingly revelations he has had.

Perhaps we should consider our salvation and what it means to be saved. Has our modern society with all it's busyness made us insensitive to God's will, God's call? The gift of eternal life is beyond any kind of value. It's truly amazing what Jesus Christ our Lord did for us on that cross 2000 years ago.

EXAMINE YOURSELVES!!!

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?



Philippians 2:12-13
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Paul Washer

Steve notes:
I have been blown away repeatedly by the sermons of this man, Paul Washer. He doesn't hold anything back and I hope he represents a new breed of preachers in America. Almost every sermon I've heard from him is so convicting I feel as though I've been kicked in the gut after I listen to them.

He is one of the men that has challenged me to dig into my Bible like never before as well as find out what pioneers of the church believed - Moody, Whitfield, Spurgeon, Luther instead of reading the self-help humanistic teachings of today's so-called Christian preachers.

Below are some videos of Paul Washer, a missionary and itinerant preacher.





Description taken from youtube on the video below, this is a little long but it's worth listening to every bit of it:

This is a Shockingly Powerful & Biblical message
preached to about 5,000 youth in a day when youth
are appealed to through shallow and worldly means.

At one point in this sermon the 5,000 Youth are
clapping and yelling BUT THEN the preacher makes
a comment that CHANGES THE WHOLE ATMOSPHERE TO
WHERE YOU COULD HAVE HEARD A PIN DROP... As you
can imagine, the preacher was never invited back.

We believe the whole sermon will be a blessing
to many souls. For more info about Paul Washer
go to www.heartcrymissionary.com

Mike Murdock - TV preacher I prayed the prayer with

A friend asked me what TV preacher I was referring to in my Profile section and that credit goes to Mr. Mike Murdock. He's frequently on Daystar during the telethon periods and is famous for chanting into a sincere-camera-close up, "go to the phone, go to the phone," over and over while he's praying. He has a tendency to brag about the fact people give him money, expensive cars and gifts of all sorts. At the time in 2002 he had just purchased his own personal plane and felt the need to justify why he needed that so badly.

He'll come up with a random number like 58 and tell you that God told him this was perfect dollar amount to sow a seed with to get a double portion. At the time being a fledging Christian this sounded good to me and I pledged to pay $58 for so many months. In a matter of months I realized how silly this was from reading the Bible for the first time and attending a Bible-based church. But I finished out my pledge period figuring I had prayed to God I would give this money, and it's on Daystar's head what they do with it.

At the time I came to Christ I was also going through a period of wanting to get rich. I was reading a lot of the get rich type business books. I had my own company which was driving me nuts and dreamed of making big money to get away from the woes of the world so it's understandable why I would not have a problem with Mr. Murdock's method of prosperity teaching (name and claim it). Fortunately for me, I kept digging to find people who preached the true gospel reflected in the Bible. I have heard stories of many people who don't get that far, gave away a lot of their money and become bitterly disillusioned enough to join the group of folks that believes that all of Christianity is run by frauds and believers are easily mislead sheep.

I can't help but think of Matthew 7:22-23 when I come across teachers like Mike and the infamous Benny Hinn (both live in north Texas BTW). I would hate to stand before God knowing that I took money from people in the name of Jesus so as to advance a life of luxury for myself. But I guess only they know if they are being good stewards of the treasures God has given them. To a certain extent we will all be subject how we spent our wealth on that last great day. I know I've been guilty of wasting money on silly things that could have helped feed a starving child somewhere in the world or helped someone hear the gospel.

Matthew 7:22
22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

A confession: I love Internet search engines because it makes me appear like I can recite Bible verses from memory. In reality I can remember part of a verse and then search on that phrase to find it the rest of it and it's book and numbering.

Mike Murdock in action:



What some people say about Mike Murdock:

- http://www.forgottenword.org/murdock.html

Bart - a friend from my past

Irving, TX 1986 (Bart, David, Steve)

Steve states:

I have played in bands most of my life. Not so much in the last 10 years but I still have played some reunion shows with one of my first bands called Rotting Corpse that dates back to the 80s. We played a primitive style of metal called thrash. It amazes me that the younger generation is getting to this but everything seems to come around again in fashion. One thing about playing in bands is that you meet a lot of people and with the Internet (Rotting Corpse webpage), I’ve been able to reconnect with several people I knew back in the day.

One of those is a fellow named Bart Blair. We played in a band called Eldritch Rite together for maybe a week in 1986. He was slotted to be the replacement singer but the band broke up instead of going on. I have a band photo taken behind Pipedream Records by Stu Taylor with Bart posing with us (he has the glasses on). He went on with the guitarist David of ER to form The Answer doing music in a similar vein as Eldritch for a year or so. I had lost touch with Bart since seeing him one time quite on accident at a grocery store in northern Austin (maybe in the early 90s?) while I was visiting a friend. I had heard that he had gotten into government work and didn’t want to be associated with his metal roots or friends. So I was quite surprised when I got a myspace friend invitation from him. He is now a worship leader for Grace Community Church in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. I’ve put in a video clip of his testimony and how he wound up from Northern Texas to frozen Canada. He has a much cooler conversion story than mine.

- www.myspace.com/bartblair

- www.bartblair.com

- www.grace-church.ca

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

The conversion of Charles H. Spurgeon

This is the story of Charles Spurgeon's conversion, in his own words. The preacher whom Spurgeon describes was the Rev. Robert Eaglen. Taken from Charles H. Spurgeon: His Faith and Works, H.L. Wayland, 1892.

I was miserable, I could do scarcely anything. My heart was broken to pieces. Six months did I pray, prayed agonizingly with all my heart, and never had an answer. I resolved that in the town where I lived I would visit every place of worship, in order to find the way of salvation. I felt I was willing to do anything if God would only forgive me. I set off determined to visit all the chapels, and though I deeply venerate the men who occupy those pulpits now, and did so then, I am bound to say, that I never heard them once fully preach the gospel. ... At last, one snowy day, I found rather an obscure street and turned down a court, and there was a little chapel. I wanted to go somewhere, but I did not know this street. It was the Primitive Methodists' chapel. I had heard of this people from many, and how they sang so loudly that they made people's heads ache; but that did not matter. I wanted to know how I might be saved, and if they made my head ache ever so much, I did not care. So sitting down, the service went on, but no minister came. At last a very thin-looking man came into the pulpit. He opened the Bible and read these words: "Look unto me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth." Just setting his eyes upon me, as if he knew me all by heart, he said: "Young man, you are in trouble!" Well, I was, sure enough. Says he: "You will never get out of it unless you look to Christ." Then, lifting his eyes, he cried, as only a Primitive Methodist could do, "Look, look, look!" I saw at once the way of salvation. O, how I did leap for joy at that moment! I know not what else he said, I was so possessed with that one thought. ... I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away, and in heaven I will look on still, in my joy unspeakable.

Steve notes:
I am always fascinated with conversion stories. Mine isn't very exciting- I didn't see any major flashes of light or have some unusual happenings that pointed me toward Jesus that I can remember. I was just fed up with the world. Even after I prayed my prayer, I continued to make sinful mistakes in areas I probably should have known better. I still struggle with sin and can only resolve it by getting on my knees in prayer and turning from my sins.

I believe some people have the perception of Christians that we think we're better than others. I admit there are some legalistic Phariseetic believers that are unduly judgmental of nonbelievers. But if Christians truly live, believe what's written in the Bible, we fully realize we are sinful wretches that are only pulled from death by the grace of Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:10
As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;