The Devil's Inoculation from Salvation for the 21st Century

Written by my husband, Sean.  This is an excellent article about what exactly is wrong with our "Christian America".   


The inoculation of our nation against the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is alive and well.

Romans 6:23: God came to save us from sin,not the natural wages of it (Isaiah 59:2). Salvation was never supposed to be a fire escape from hell, it was created to be our freedom from sin (John 8:31,32, Romans 6:18-22,Romans 8:1-3)


I see more and more men that appear powerful in the pulpit and with the Word of God grievously compromising themselves when it comes to salvation, the cornerstone of our relationship with Christ! Ephesians2:1-5/Acts 3:19 The US is more & more concerned about being saved from hell instead of from sin! Sin is the problem, not hell. Biblical terms need to be defined Biblically, not through today's dumbed-down English(Thanks for that, no coincidence, as far as satan is concerned). More and more preachers emphasize the "gift" without the repentance (change of heart about our sins) for the remission of sins. Jesus Christ and the apostles all preached repentance from sin, not being saved from hell (2Corinthians 7:9,10). Yet our nation's preachers call for accepting the gift of salvation as a source of relief from the penalty of sin, hell. Sin is the problem, hell is the penalty! We are starting to teach treating the symptoms, instead of the problem, just like our medical doctors do.

Taking the focus off our sin, and putting it on hell, and simply "accepting the gift" is the most grievous deception we can give a soul lost in sin. It might be easier to get someone to say yes to a fire escape from hell, but it does nothing to deal with the sin that sends us there. This is no different from telling someone any other religious way to heaven will save them. We are not here to SELL salvation as easily as possible (Just believe in Jesus (James 2:17-20). We are here to offer salvation the same way Christ did, as Repentance from sin toward God, and Faith in our LORD Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21) and the decision to accept or reject the LORD Jesus Christ (all three names are important Acts 16:31, Acts 11:17, John 11:25-27) is each of ours to make. Christ promises a change of life and desires when we truly repent from sin and turn to Him (2Corinthians 5:17). Not because we make the change, but because HE makes the change in us! And that's the only change that can truly last. His Holy Spirit does the work in our hearts after repentance from sin, and it affects our outward lives (Ephesians 5:8-11, Galations 5:22-24). Repentance is not a dirty word, and does not need the definition changed from what God intended in order to make it more palatable to the lost world. A lack of belief in God has never been the problem (James 2:17-20), the problem has always been sin. Until sin is addressed, salvation cannot occur, only an inoculation from true salvation, by changing the simple gospel that is found in the Word of God (Galations 1:6,7/ 2Corinthians 11:2-4).

Let us not change the gospel of the LORD Jesus Christ for our own selfish purposes of numbers in the pews, money in the bank, notches on our "soulwinners gunbelt", or any other reason the devil gives us! To do so is confusion to the lost world, and does nothing for their lost souls (Matthew 7:22-23).

Focal Wall gets French Facelift

I've been wanting to do a fun wall collage for a while, and finally got around to doing it!

This is my "Crafty Creations" post for this week because it's proof that you can create fun wall art for your home, with a collage of items that you already have.

Items I used:

-Black scrolly frame - Ikea
-Letter 'S' - Hobby Lobby
-Various frames - garage sales/thrift stores ( spray painted)
-Candleabra and Paris Subway Art - TJMaxx (LOVE that store!)
-"Love" picture - wedding gift
-Picture of my hubby and I - thanks to Eden Photography (frame a garage sale find!)
-Decorative mirrors - can't remember ;-)
(framing my thermostat is just an added bonus)

Begin by arranging your items on the floor - you want the items to all go together but avoid being too "matchy matchy". You want them to all relate, or have some coordinating element but be random enough to be interesting. I chose to use items with a French flair (they also go with other decor in my room, like a gorgeous lamp I'll show you in another post)

A wall collage tends to be like a puzzle, as you're trying to create balance in an effort to achieve a look that you're happy with. Don't get frustrated, the end result is fabulous!

My bare focal wall is now adorned with a fun, French inspired collage that I am beyond pleased with! It has just the right amount of wimsy, style, and love to make this girl happy.

What have you created today?

~Lauren

Toffee Crack...umm I mean Crackers

My sister and I were craving something sweet but alas, had NOTHING like that in the cupboards to satisfy our sweet tooth. That, my friends, is when ingenuity must kick in.

We were able to make something amazing using ONLY 4 ingredients for this decadent treat. We affectionately call it....


"Toffee Crack"...because it's just THAT addicting.

What you'll need:

• 1.5 sleeves of saltine crackers - we used Club crackers
  
• 1 stick (4 oz) butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups chocolate chips- we used 85% dark
  

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Arrange the crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet so that there are no empty spaces in between them. Crush any remaining crackers into small crumbs and set aside for now.

3. Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir while the butter melts, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Once boiling, carefully pour the sugar-butter mixture over the crackers on the baking sheet in an even layer, trying to cover most of the crackers. If you miss some spots, don’t worry as the toffee will spread in the oven.

4. Bake the toffee crackers at 350 degrees for five minutes, until the toffee is bubbling all over. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for one minute.

5. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the hot toffee, and allow them to sit for one minute to soften and melt. Once softened, use an offset spatula or knife to spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface of the toffee in an even layer. While the chocolate is still sticky, sprinkle the top with the reserved crushed crackers.

6. Refrigerate the pan to set the toffee and chocolate for about 30 minutes. Once set, break into small uneven pieces by hand, and enjoy! Store uneaten saltine toffee in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yet Will I Rejoice

This morning a tragic car accident happened and a sweet 3 year old girl entered the arms of Jesus. Her family and friends are heartbroken, but amidst the tragedy, there is still hope. God is STILL in control, and He makes no mistakes. I thought this daily devotion put out by Pastor Thomas Smith in St. Clair, MO was SO timely.



YET WILL I REJOICE
Devotion for February 20, 2012

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
Habakkuk 3:17, 18.

The word happiness is defined as being "favored by luck or fortune." In other words, happiness is understood as being dependent upon circumstances or happenings. We all enjoy and appreciate it when circumstances are favorable and things are happening which are in our favor. It is easy to be happy when we have our health, our needs are met, and things seem to be going our way. However, Habakkuk speaks of a place of joy that is not the result of these things. He speaks of trees failing to blossom, vines being barren, fields yielding no fruit, flocks being lost, and yet being able to rejoice.

I think we all long for a place of constant joy that is not affected by every problem of life. There is no question about this; God wants our lives to be filled with joy. However, our rejoicing must be in something that is constant, not constantly changing. For instance, if we can only rejoice when the sun is shining, what shall we do on rainy days? If we can only find joy when we are feeling well, what are we to do when we are in pain? Circumstances will change, but some things never change. Our rejoicing can be consistent if we are finding joy in things that remain the same. Habakkuk says, "I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." We can always rejoice in the Lord because He never changes. His character and attributes never change. God's love for us is constant. His promises to us are unchanging.

Notice also that the prophet speaks of rejoicing in the "God of my salvation." We can always rejoice in our salvation because this is also something that does not change. We can be joyful because our sins are forgiven and Heaven is our future home. Nothing can alter that. We can rejoice every day that God is our Father and Jesus is our Lord. The kind of rejoicing that we find in our text is not based on feelings or fortune, but it is the result of Bible faith. By faith, we can rejoice because of the blessings that are ours in Jesus Christ. Even when the way becomes difficult, through faith we are able to find reasons to rejoice.

Thank YOU!!!

Yes, I know that this Thursday is almost over but it's not too late to get one quick "Thankful Thursday" post up!

We just want to take the time to sincerely thank each and every one of you for being a supporter of this blog!! Each moment you spend reading our posts, means a lot to us!

Our goal is for this blog to be a place where women can be edified in the Lord, encouraged to stay faithful to Him, learn some great recipes to wow their families, discover quick tips to make their lives easier, to be inspired with DIY projects and crafts, and to be reminded of life's many blessings.

We are SO thankful for YOU....each and every one of you!

Much love,

Lauren & Page