I am a Surgical Technologist and work at St. Joseph Hospital . I love my job, but my dream job would be to be in the ministry full time. At one time, I was the head Chaplain at the Orange County Rescue Mission's men's shelter. But the Lord closed the doors there and has placed me where I am at now.
Really, ministry is a calling and we all have been called to the "ministry of reconciliation." So I am in full time ministry, just not in a house of worship.
"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ , as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ , be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:18-21
I know that God directs my steps. So, I walk in faith, believing that the Lord is in control of the big picture of my life and that all that happens is for a reason. I put my trust in Him and I know that He will do the rest, for He is my Lord, Shepherd and Savior. I am striving to walk with Him daily and my goal is to hear "well done good and faithful servant."
How about you? Do you know that God directs your steps? Do you believe in Jesus ? Have you asked Jesus Christ to come into your life? The simple act of sincerely asking Jesus to come into your life makes your relationship with God secure. You've embarked on a life of adventure with an all-loving, all-powerful God. And He will direct your steps.
The writer of Proverbs says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." If we exercise trust and acknowledge Him in every area of our lives, His promise is that he will guide us. We don't have to be aware that that is happening. Often it will only be as we look back that we see He has been guiding us.
If you've accepted Jesus , your relationship with God is secure. You are His child. He forgave your sins and gave you a new and eternal life. He will never leave you. When facing doubts about your decision, rely on these and other truths in the Bible, not on your feelings.
Everyone that makes the decision to accept Jesus as their Savior has doubts. It's natural to have doubts. There are days that you will not "feel" like a Christian. There are many things affect our feelings—friends, health, weather, sin, and more. Don't gauge your relationship with Jesus by your emotions, which may change. Instead, trust in God and the truths set out in the Bible, which don't change.
When we "Sin" we can have doubts about our relationship with God. When a driver cuts you off, a classmate insults you, your spouse forgets to pick you up, and suddenly you're swearing and yelling. Or maybe you find yourself tempted by other actions and attitudes, like drunkenness, promiscuity, gossip, or bitterness that take your focus off God. These sorts of attitudes and actions are called "sin." The word "sin" carries the idea of falling short of a target or missing the mark. When we do what we want instead of what God wants, we sin. When old habits and attitudes creep up, don't get discouraged. You're still God's child. Sin, however, disrupts our closeness to God, our communication with Him. It keeps us from experiencing His love. And we all sin, even as Christians. That's why we all need God's forgiveness each day.
When Jesus died for us, He made it possible for us to have a relationship with God. His death also allows us to claim God's forgiveness daily.
"You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ . He forgave all our sins. He cancelled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross." (Colossians 2:13-14)
When this passage was written, a "record" was an itemized list of crimes for which a prisoner had been convicted. It was nailed to the prison door. Once the sentence was served or the debt paid, the prisoner could use the cancelled record as proof he could never be tried for those crimes again.
Similarly, when we trust in Jesus' payment for our sins, we can never be tried for them again. We have a full pardon from God.
"He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west." (Psalm 103:10-12)
Although you are totally forgiven, you still need to deal with your sins day-to-day to keep a close relationship with God. Does sin separate you from God? "No"! But you feel that you are because that is one of the consequences of sin. What really happens is, not that God has moved away from you, but that you have moved away from God by your actions. That is why you need to confess your sin. Confession means:
1. Agreeing with God that you have sinned
2. Thanking God for having already forgiven you
3. Trusting God to change your wrong attitudes and actions
Instead of feeling separated, turn away from your sin and back to God. This is called "repentance." Repentance allows you to experience God's love and forgiveness. It restores you to a close relationship with Him.
We face choices every day. By choosing to continually confessing, repenting, and trusting in God's forgiveness, we can experience His love and grow closer to Him daily.
YBICJ
Steven
PS ~ My sole purpose for having this site is to edify, encourage, and strengthen Christians and for those that do not believe I want to speak the "word of reconciliation…as though God were making an appeal through me; I beg you on behalf of Christ , be reconciled to God."