Subtitle: There Is A Tremendous Difference Between Having Reverential Fear For Our Heavenly Father And Being Terrified Of Him!

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One of the most touching things I deal with on a daily basis  is answering questions from those who have no peace in their hearts. They usually confess to some "big" sin they have committed and that the failure haunts them--so much so, they are worried sick that God may not accept them on Judgment Day. The majority usually add that they have prayed and asked God to forgive them, but just "do not have any peace about it."

My heart goes out to all those people because they are obviously hurting and need relief. But what is so ironic is that their fretting may in fact be a good sign they do not need to fret!!!!

People who are lost--unregenerate and without the Holy Spirit living within them--seldom, if ever, give much thought to the condition of their soul. Only when the Spirit moves upon them and convicts them of sin do they even suffer pangs of conscience. But distress and remorse for sin that continues over an extended period of time is, in the majority of cases, going to be that of a genuine child of God! Why? Because if the sin is not properly dealt with by faith through claiming the promise of 1 John 1:9 , the Holy Spirit will continue to convict until the matter is resolved. That precious verse of Scripture (1 John 1:9) says:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

But what if the sin has been confessed and there is still no peace? In that case something else is involved that is easily overlooked. Few things give the devil more enjoyment than to deceive a child of grace into feeling  he/she is unforgiven and is in danger of losing their salvation. Satan cannot attack God directly, so he delights in attacking His children. Beloved, feelings have absolutely nothing to do with salvation. If adopted children feel they are not really a member of the family--does that change the rock-solid fact of their adoption? Of course not! So confess the sin by faith--then our heavenly Father will do His part in forgiving the sin and cleansing us. Once confession is made, we must trust the Lord to do what He says and then get on with our lives. To allow the devil to "rake us over the coals" night and day is in itself sinful, because doubt is not faith. "...Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom.14:23b).

Immature Christians need to grow up to grasp the concept that God has literally adopted them into His family and they can never be disinherited! Listen to me friend-----the ridiculous and totally unscriptural notion that God would ever, under any circumstances, reject one of His children is sheer insanity!!!!!!!!! To accuse Him of doing something that unthinkable is unthinkable itself--yet people continue to stumble over it. Would normal, sane parents ever be guilty of condemning one of their children to death? That child can wind up breaking their parents' hearts, but parental love is never terminated. So why would anyone conclude that a perfect and loving God is somehow different? "Oh, but you do not know how bad a sin I have committed." No, I do not know how bad the sin was--but I do know for a fact it--along with every other sin you have, or will, commit--was still in the future when Christ paid for them. Was the price He paid insufficient to cover your "bad" sin?

As a young boy growing up I was normal and got into my share of trouble. When I grew to be as large as my mother (too big for my britches!), her discipline became tame because spankings no longer hurt. So naturally I tried to exploit my newly discovered advantage. She tolerated my stupidity for a while, but when the infraction was sufficiently severe and my reaction to her punishment insufficiently sincere--she brought out the "big gun" and told Dad I needed his undivided attention. Red Alert--unexpected consequences!!! In my memory I can still see that big hand hardened by years of work being applied to my seat of learning! From then on I realized I was not quite as clever as I thought. But did I become terrified by the threat of my Dad's discipline? No, because I knew he loved me and I deserved what I received. Plus there was the added bonus of a life-long respect for his authority.

God gave humanity the family organization as an aid to understanding not only the Father-child relationship, but the "chain of command" so necessary for it to be healthy and productive. And for those of us who have been born into His eternal family, His loving Fatherhood and authority should be well understood. Will He "whack" us if we get out of line? Absolutely and without question! Will He throw us into hell for all of eternity if the sin is "big" enough? Come on, now--you know better! Common sense should dictate the answer even if the Word of God was vague (which it certain is not). How anyone can read Romans 8:28-39 and come to any other conclusion is a mystery. Well, maybe it's not so mysterious after all, because Satan knows exactly which buttons to push.

Have you ever been washed in the precious soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ? Have you ever, as a consequence, been given eternal life and a place in God's family? If so, you have literally been adopted by God through a legal transaction that can not be rescinded. Period!

Romans 8:15
    For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Romans 8:23
    And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Romans 9:4
    Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

Galatians 4:5
    To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Ephes. 1:5
    Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

As far as I am aware, no country of this world will allow someone who has been legally adopted to be disinherited. So if sinful men place that much emphasis upon the adoption decree and the protection it affords the child--why would anyone think a perfect and loving God would do differently?

Yes, I know there are a few verses in the New Testament which some interpret as teaching salvation can be forfeited. I also know there are least ten times as many which clearly say otherwise! So are you going to listen to the preponderance of Scripture or those who are determined to keep you in bondage to fear? The Roman Catholic Church will have to answer to Almighty God for its teaching on this matter, along with the residual effect it continues to have among Protestants. For nearly two thousand years they have used this fear to manipulate and control people who are ignorant of the Scriptures.

Beloved, if in your heart of hearts you know you are a genuine believer, no sin--regardless of how "big" it may be--can ever separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:39). If on the other hand, you are not at all sure about the legitimacy of your profession of faith--may I lovingly direct you to our "Salvation Page" link (www.cuttingedge.org/salvation.html ) and suggest you pull it up and read it carefully--paying particular attention to the twelve "tests" at the very beginning? We placed those evidences of the Holy Spirit's presence at the beginning so that people like yourself can determine whether or not you are legitimate. If He truly lives within you--as He has promised to do for all believers--His "tracks" are unmistakable. This means all of the "tests" will, to some extent, be true in your life. Take the test,  be honest with yourself, and bear in mind the following:

"The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are the children of God" (Romans 8: 16, Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible commentary).

If you belong to Him, He will make Himself known to you and your life will reflect the reality of His presence.

So how about it? Are you going to spend the rest of your life "squirming like a worm in hot ashes," or confident in the knowledge of your relationship with God? My prayer is that you will find the peace of heart expressed in the following verse:

 "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" Philip. 4:7 (KJV).

If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order—Kingdom of Antichrist—in their daily news.

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Finally, we would love to hear from you. You can write us at:
Cutting Edge Ministries, C/O Pastor Ron Riffe
P.O. Box 26
Gordo, AL 35466

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God bless you.