As believers, we have a Father who loves us. He desires the best for us. We're part of a large spiritual family with many brothers and sisters. But sometimes we still feel lonely. This can happen even when there's no major crisis in our lives.

Our greatest loneliness comes from a separation from the Father. This is a spiritual problem. The source is sin. We experience a break in our close fellowship with the Lord when we disobey Him and go our own way.

The remedy is confession. Confession leads to restored intimacy with God. If we refuse to admit our sin, the separation grows worse.

Busyness and preoccupation with earthly affairs also cause this isolation. Sometimes we push aside time with God to fulfill our obligations. We might focus so heavily on daily living that we ignore Him. To overcome loneliness, spend time reconnecting with God through His Word. Take in the knowledge of His deep, abiding love. Meditate on His great promises.

Being in harmony with God renews our purpose and energy for life causing that sense of isolation to lessen. Hope replaces discouragement. Our focus turns from "self" to others.

It's important to reconnect with people. So, look for opportunities to encourage, serve, love, and support those around you. Intimacy with the Lord is both the antidote to loneliness and protection from it.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 9:16 AM CDT

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All of us feel alone from time to time. Sickness, a busy work schedule, or trying times can make it difficult to stay connected. Moving to a new location, job, or school can also bring a sense of isolation. Once this "season" passes or we adjust to the new place, the feeling goes away.

Loneliness is different from aloneness. Loneliness involves a sense of separation from people. Loneliness can intensify over time. We find it harder to reach out and easier to be alone.

When our mind starts telling us that no one's interested in us, we build a wall around our heart. We'll allow few people into our world. The more we withdraw; the worse we feel. Peace of mind eludes us. Loneliness weighs us down.

God never intended for us to live disconnected from one another. From the beginning, He purposed we should enjoy an intimate relationship with Him and each other.

First, He established a personal relationship with Adam. God then provided Adam with Eve. Genesis 2:18 shows our Creator knew it wasn't good for us to live in isolation.

Intimacy with God comes before intimacy with anyone else. In the absence of a personal relationship with Him, one is never truly at peace. The only way to be connected to the Father is by trusting Jesus as Savior. Those who place faith in Him receive a new nature. Those who place faith in Him become part of God's family and experience His peace. If you've never accepted Christ's invitation, you can pray right now to become God's child.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 1:26 PM CDT

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True faith is based on Scripture. True faith embraces its eternal principles. Genuine belief knows God is who God says He is. Genuine trust means God will do everything He's promised. Such faith is worth sharing with others. This can be done in several ways.

We can verbally explain our beliefs on faith. We can also model a godly lifestyle. This is often a more effective way of influencing people for Christ. Spend time talking and listening about the ways God has worked in various situations in someone's life. Now imagine what God could do in your life.

Prayer can have a profound influence on someone's life. In those quiet moments, we learn to trust God when things look impossible. We also discover God is faithful. We can count on Him.

Consistency and perseverance are two other important parts of passing on our faith. Children look to see if we mean what we say. They want to see if we'll still rely on God when trouble comes. We can use our trials to demonstrate how a godly person responds. As we live out our faith in a visible way, we'll be passing on something far more valuable than gold or silver.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 10:41 AM CDT

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Billy Graham speaks about how to get righteousness:

You have to have righteousness before you can come into the kingdom of God. Where do you get it? You don’t have it. I don’t have it. I’ve never been righteous all my life; I’ve never been sinless. I’m a sinner. And the Bible says that sinners are lost and doomed and are going to face the judgment and hell. Where do we get this righteousness? Christ purchased it for us at the cross. And when you come to the cross, He clothes you in His righteousness so that when you come before God, He doesn’t see you; He sees the righteousness of Christ instead of you, and He accepts you and receives you because of that.

As Mr. Graham says, you have to come to Jesus Christ and his cross. To learn how to make that step of faith, call at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, toll free, at 866-JESUS CARES. Or click billygraham.org.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 1:37 PM CDT

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Franklin Graham speaks about the universal and personal need for Jesus:

God so loved the world, He gave His Son. Jesus Christ took your sin when He went to the cross. He took Franklin Graham’s sin when He went to the cross. He shed His blood. He died on the cross for me and for you. I’m a sinner. I deserve God’s judgment. I deserve hell, but He’s forgiven Franklin Graham. Not because I’m Billy Graham’s son or because I’ve done good works somewhere in the world. I’m a sinner who got on his knees one night and confessed my sin to God, asked Him for His forgiveness and then received His provision for my sin, Jesus Christ, into my heart. And God forgave me. I don’t deserve it, but He’s forgiven me, and I just thank God He loves me enough, that He’s provided a way for my sin. And He’s provided Jesus Christ for me.

Jesus Christ is the answer for your sin, as surely as he has been for Franklin Graham. We're the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. For a free booklet on how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, call toll free at 866-JESUS-CARES. Or click billygraham.org.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 8:53 AM CDT

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The most valuable "possession" believers can leave to family and friends is faith in Jesus Christ. While loved ones must choose to trust in the Savior, Christians can and should share key biblical truths with them.

Faith has many essential beliefs. The first found in Acts four is Salvation. Salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. From an early age, children should be taught the most important relationship in their life is with the Lord. Believing in Him and obeying Him is vital.

Next, our faith means we believe everything that exists was created by the Lord. He owns it all. We're managers of our resources, not owners. We're to invest in God's kingdom and not just spend on personal pleasures. His priorities are to become our own.

Another way we can pass down faith is by sharing God has a purpose for each of us. Ephesians 2:10 says discovering our purpose is very important. We can look for opportunities to share what we're learning about God's plan for our life. In the process, our family will become curious about what His purpose is for them.

Finally, as we pass on our faith, it's important to know God will provide whatever we need to carry out His plan. Our heavenly Father gives us talents and spiritual gifts to achieve His purposes. He has promised that we'll have what's necessary to live a life pleasing to Him.

The best time to share your faith is right now. Each day offers new opportunities to speak of our Savior. Think about those who you could pass along this precious possession to.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 12:00 PM CDT

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Faith in Christianity involves several elements. Knowledge of who Jesus is and what He did must come from confidence. We need to know the facts are true and apply to us. We must start by realizing that I have broken God's law. That makes me a sinner. All of us are born with a rebellious nature against the Lord.

To save faith, we acknowledge none of our efforts can earn His favor. We also agree "Jesus died for me." He paid for all our sins, no matter how terrible they are in the world's eyes.

Next, we believe Jesus' death is sufficient payment for our wrongdoing. Nothing else is needed. We must accept He paid our penalty and endured the Father's wrath in our place.

Finally, we accept by faith that we've been adopted into God's family on the basis of Christ's (sorrowful) atoning death. The invitation is for the world, but not everyone has true conviction. Too many people see these facts as "information" rather than life-altering truths.

Once we're convinced Jesus is our Savior, trust is demonstrated through action.

As "new creatures," we're no longer who we once were. Second Corinthians 5:17 says there are different values and priorities for us to embrace. Jesus, our Lord, has authority over our lives. He alone deserves to be our top priority. He knows what pleases the Father. Jesus has sent His Spirit to live in us and teach us.

Take time to examine yourself for evidence of knowledge, conviction, and trust. If one area is lacking, ask the Father to help you come to true saving faith.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 12:54 PM CDT

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The apostle Paul, recorded in Acts 16, told his jailer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." That Philippian man and his household had saving faith. They accepted the invitation and joined God's family.

Saving faith has three elements which are knowledge, conviction, and trust. The knowledge component means to believe in Jesus as our Savior, we need to know who He is. We need to know what Jesus accomplished. And finally, we need to know why it was necessary.

Jesus is the Son of God. At the request of God the Father, Jesus set aside His divine rights. Jesus took on human form to live on earth.

Jesus did this to accomplish much for us. Jesus lived a perfect life. This action qualified Him to be our substitute. Jesus stood in our place. He bore God's judgment for our sins. His death on the cross made way for us to be forgiven and experience peace with God.

Several people still question Jesus' death. But, we couldn't save ourselves. Our "good deeds" are scarred by our sin nature. When we accept Christ's remorseful work, we go from being God's enemy to a member of His family.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 2:39 PM CDT

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Motivating our children to pursue the path of godliness isn't always easy, but the rewards are great. It involves several things including commitment to love God with our entire heart. We should teach our children about His loving care.

The path of godliness for our children also involves sacrifice. We should give up those pleasures and habits that interfere with raising godly sons and daughters.

We also need to show our children courage. We need to admit we're wrong and ask for forgiveness when we make mistakes. Our family, who already know our weaknesses, will see Christ's power as we adjust our behavior.

The path of godliness also involves perseverance. We should show our children how to stay the course and not lose heart. It takes time for children to develop godly habits.

Prayer is another important aspect of godly parenting. Pray that your children will grow in understanding the Lord's character, plans, and purposes, and His love. Faithfully practice the spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible study.

The path of godliness for our children means we must learn to live by faith. We should trust in God and please Him. Recognize our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit.

We should return to the Lord a portion of our children's time, talents, and treasure. And, we should speak to others about Jesus.

Give your children the gift of a godly role model. As they follow in your footsteps, you'll experience the joy of watching them grow in holiness.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 11:05 AM CDT

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God designed fathers to be influential in children's lives. Dads can have a big role in training their sons and daughters in godliness. This is demonstrated through love, support and modeled behavior. Second Peter says Christian fathers have access to all they need for shepherding children.

A father's most powerful influence is his own walk with the Lord. Preschoolers have impressionable minds. These young children will remember seeing us read our Bible. They'll remember us praying on our knees. These young children will remember us worshiping with other believers.

When children are in elementary school, we can talk to them about why we pray and read the Word. They'll notice how we look in the Scriptures for answers to life's problems. They'll see how we receive divine guidance in response to prayer. When they hear us express our confidence that God has a plan for them, their own trust in Him will grow.

As teenagers, they'll watch to see how well our lives match our words. Since we're not perfect, we'll stumble at times. Handling our mistakes in a righteous manner and making necessary changes will speak volumes to them. This will teach them about the Lord's forgiveness and transforming power. And our influence doesn't stop there. It continues even when our children are grown.

God did not plan for fathers to accomplish this alone. Moms, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends all have important roles in teaching and modeling godliness. Working together under the Holy Spirit's guidance, we can watch our children love and serve Jesus with their whole heart.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 11:29 AM CDT

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A fair amount of westerners claim to "know God". They call themselves Christians. But several of them don't believe in Jesus. They don't believe in His assertion. They don't believe Jesus is the Son of God.

A person can't know the Father and be His child unless he or she has received Jesus Christ and entered into a personal relationship with Him.

Jesus is the doorway to salvation. It's not enough to "know God" by simply realizing there's a supreme being. Jesus said without faith in Him, it's impossible to come to the Father.

Since God is holy, He can't tolerate sin in His presence. But all people are sinners. Jesus died in our place to pay our debt. His death bridged the gap between impure man and holy God. Anyone, who receives Jesus' sacrifice for sin, is forgiven. This person is declared righteous. Jesus welcomes this person into fellowship with God.

Jesus is the doorway to discovery. Jesus was the earthly representation of His Father in heaven. Christ's life among men provides the most complete picture we have of God the Father. Through the Son's actions, choices, and teachings, we learn how the

Almighty thinks. We also learn what He desires from His followers.

Jesus said He and His Father are one. Omitting Christ from religious beliefs or practice leaves people with a narrow and inaccurate view of their Creator. We can't know God unless we get to know the Son.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 9:32 AM CDT

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The Lord's Prayer expresses God's fatherhood to His human children. In Jesus' day, calling God "Father" must have seemed like a radical and marvelous concept. The Israelites understood a link between people and a divine being. But Christ's words implied a personal relationship.

Today, adoption into God's family is still an exciting offer for anyone seeking His love and acceptance. How amazing the Holy Creator wants a relationship with us! By receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, a person is welcomed into the Lord's family. This happens even though you can never be as holy or perfect as the heavenly Father.

The bond isn't based on your own abilities, but on God's great love. The wording of the Lord's Prayer guides Christians to develop intimacy in their relationship with God. This prayer develops a connection between father and child.

The relationship Jesus demonstrated directs spiritually, adopted children to share needs, confess sin, and admit weakness. In return, the Father answers prayers. He also makes His presence known during quiet times. God offers comfort and assurance that He is always near.

Posted by Prophecies Of Revelation at 3:15 PM CDT

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