Category: News

What Are The Signs Of The End Times? He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! – Revelation 22:20 Matthew 24:5-8 gives us some important clues for discerning the approach of the end times: “Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” An increase in false messiahs, an increase in warfare, and increases in famines, plagues, and natural disasters-these are signs of the end times. In this passage, though, we are given a warning: we are not to be deceived, because these events are only the beginning of birth pains; the end is still to come. Read more at http://faithhub.net/signs-of-end-times-question/#Ycb0ZUXibgVQj2Yd.99 Source: What Are The Signs Of The End Times? | FaithHub Originally posted 2015-10-28 06:03:59.

How Can We Know For Sure If We Are Saved? This is one of the most important questions in the Christian life. Many believers doubt their salvation because they don’t see signs of genuine faith in their lives. There are those who say we should never doubt our decision to follow Christ, but the Bible encourages us to examine ourselves to see if we are truly “in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Thankfully, God has given us ample instruction for how we can know for sure that we have eternal life. The first epistle of John was actually written for that purpose, as it states in 1 John 5:13, ‘I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.’ There is a series of tests in 1 John that we can use to examine ourselves and our faith. As we look at them, remember that no one will perfectly fulfill all of them all the time, but they should reveal a consistent trend that characterizes our lives as we grow in grace. You might also enjoy: What Is “Saving Faith?” Do you enjoy having fellowship with Christ and His redeemed people? (1 John 1:3) Would people say you walk in the light, or walk in the darkness? (1 John 1:6-7) Do you admit and confess your sin? (1 John 1:8) Are you obedient to God’s Word? (1 John 2:3-5) Does your life indicate you love God rather than the world? (1 John 2:15) Is your life characterized by ‘doing what is right’? (1 John 2:29) Do you seek to maintain a pure life? (1 John 3:3) Do you see a decreasing pattern of sin in your life? (1 John 3:5-6) [Note: this refers to not continuing in sin as a way of life, not a total absence of sin.] Do you demonstrate love for other Christians? (1 John 3:14) Do you ‘walk the walk,’ versus just ‘talking the talk’? (1 John 3:18-19) Do you maintain a clear conscience? (1 John 3:21) Do you experience victory in your Christian walk? (1 John 5:4) Also check out: What Are Some Things That May Cause Us To Drift Away From Faith? If you are able to truthfully answer ‘Yes’ to these questions (or a majority of them, and are working on the others), then your life is bearing the fruit of true salvation. Jesus said that it is by our fruits that we are known as His disciples (Matthew 7:20). Fruitless branches-professing believers who do not display the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are cut off and thrown into the fire (John 15:7). A genuine faith is one that not only believes in God (the devils themselves do that – James 2:19), but leads to open confession of sin and obedience to Christ’s commands. Remember, we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works (Ephesians 2:8-9), but our works should display the reality of our salvation (James 2:17-18). Genuine saving faith will always produce works; a faith that is perpetually without works is no faith at all and saves no one. In addition to these confirmations, we need to remember God’s promises and the reality of the war we are in. Satan is just as real as Jesus Christ, and he is a formidable enemy of our souls. When we turn to Christ, Satan will look for every opportunity to deceive and defeat us. He will try to convince us that we are unworthy failures or that God has given up on us. When we are in Christ, we have the assurance that we are kept by Him. Jesus Himself prayed for us in John 17:11 that the Father would ‘protect them by the power of your name-the name you gave me-so that they may be one as we are one.’ Again in verse 15, He prayed, ‘keep them from the evil one.’In John 10:27-29, Jesus said, ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.’ If you hear and obey the voice of Jesus, then you are one of His sheep, and He will never let you go. Jesus gave a wonderful word picture here of Christians securely held within His loving hands and the Father’s almighty hands wrapping themselves around His, giving us a double assurance of eternal security. Read more at http://faithhub.net/signs-of-genuine-saving-faith-question/#IBqFPUFlmveuVqd7.99 Source: How Can We Know For Sure If We Are Saved? | FaithHub Originally posted 2015-10-16 06:07:38.

COME AS A CHILD “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4) You may have heard it a hundred times: God sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from sin and restore us to our heavenly Father. Perhaps you volunteer in a Sunday morning children’s program or Vacation Bible School, and you have shared this message often with the next generation. But is it possible that while you’ve heard and shared these truths, you’ve never applied them to yourself? Many have grown up attending church. They have read the Bible and even memorized large sections. Yet they’re still on the outside looking in at the mystery of salvation. Regardless of our age, Jesus said we are to come to Him as children. Children rarely worry about their needs. They trust their parents will provide. A little child is completely dependent on his or her parents. Our heavenly Father provides for us, including our most vital need: the need for a Savior. All He asks is that we respond with the same childlike trust. When we receive the gift of salvation, He calls us to trust Him, not only for eternity, but also for each new day. About the writer: Ava Pennington is a Bible teacher, speaker, and author of DAILY REFLECTIONS ON THE NAMES OF GOD: A DEVOTIONAL. She has a Bible Studies Certificate from Moody Bible Institute and teaches a weekly interdenominational Bible study class for 200 women in Stuart, Florida. She also enjoys Scrabble games with her husband and playing with her two boxer puppies. Ava has been a regular Anchor writer for several years. Source: Anchor Devotional – Come as a Child Originally posted 2015-10-02 04:51:56.

PEACE WITHIN HIS WALLS “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls…’ For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’” (Psalm 122:6-8) We will need the Lord’s daily grace to fulfill the Father’s will that we as disciples will be one as Jesus and the Father are one (John 17:11). What an incredibly high standard of unity that is! It will involve putting other Christians’ interests above our own and considering that we may be wrong even about dearly held theological concepts. It will mean allowing the Lord’s steadfast love to fill us, taking priority over our being right. It will mean that if anyone has something against us, even if in fact it is that person’s fault, we will try sincerely to put it right with them. This takes priority over any other seemingly pressing Christian duty (Matthew 5:23-24). As I know in my own life, this takes a great deal of self-control. However, unity does depend on the walls being built up by exercising this self-control. The book of Proverbs says, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control” (25:28). And the brokenness of our own walls will impact the defenses of other believers. Source: Anchor Devotional – Peace within His Walls Originally posted 2015-09-29 18:34:20.