Opportunities To Share Jesus Are Flying By!

On a recent airplane trip to Louisville, Kentucky to team teach HeartCall and Gifted2Go with Jaye, God gave me an opportunity to share Jesus, at the airport I was traveling from, and on the airplane I was flying on...

As I missed my first flight, God used all the details of my second flight to build a quick relationship with the airline representative, we will call her Sally.  As I shared a "HeartTalk" witnessing booklet with Sally, then saw her again right before I boarded my flight, she expressed to me that she was going to go home after work and do exactly what she just read in "HeartTalk."  Sally expressed those words to me with tears in her eyes while God whispered in my heart that He took my missed flight and used that experience to share Jesus with Sally, Praise The Lord!

Tracy Jones

As I settled into the the final leg of my flight, a group of more than 30 women that were very friendly boarded my flight.  God placed one of them next to me and we became fast friends, we will call her Jane!  As I got to know my new fast friend, God gave me the opportunity to share with Jane about HeartCall, Gifted2Go as I shared a "HeartTalk" witnessing booklet with her.  Jane took the time right away to read her HeartTalk booklet and, as we were about to get off the plane, she shared with me that she was going to go to her hotel room and do exactly what she had just read in "HeartTalk"!

My heart was bursting with joy for the privilege of sharing Jesus with these 2 precious women!  All around us there are people to share Jesus with as God gives us these opportunities and God gives us the words to share!  God is so amazing to pour into our lives what He desires to pour out of our lives as we look for those "opportunities that are flying by" as we GO!!!

Do you have some witnessing booklets everyday everywhere you go?  That is one way that God equips you to be Gifted2Go!  Please put some booklets in your pocket, in your purse, in your car, at your desk, at the door of your home, everywhere you spend time!  You are Gifted2Go Share Jesus as you are Go-ing!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYvUym9E_nQ&playnext=1&list=PLCcSRKFsRpIfpCMfJaXMrb_sdQzEQl1dX  Each One Reach One!!  (Babbie Mason)

Call

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved…for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”  Romans 10:9-10, 13

Call on God.  Basically, it is a simple process.  To call on God is to talk to Him just like you would talk to anyone.  He is your very best friend.  He knows your needs.  He knows your struggles.  He knows your hearts.  He stands ready to open up the resources of heaven.  It all begins by you talking to him.

Confess with your mouth

Confess "Jesus is Lord"

As you talk to God, begin by confessing with your mouth and your voice that Jesus is Lord.  Acknowledge that He is the ruler of the universe and that you welcome Him as the boss of your life.

Lordship sounds so easy but sometimes it can be a hard thing to do.  God wants to be in the driver's seat.

Saved

The verses that you see above in Romans 10 also say that you call on God through Christ to be saved.  You must call on Him as the Lord of your life but you must also confess and acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave for you.  He is your personal Savior.

Believe in your heart

Now saying all this is not enough.  These verses also say that you must believe in your heart.  The heart is the very core of your being.  It is the depth of your emotion.  The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is certainly based on fact, but it all begins in the heart.  In your inner being, you must believe.

Believe that God raised Christ from the dead

First, you must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.  If Jesus is not alive and in heaven with the Father, then where would the hope be?  There is no hope without the resurrection of Christ.  Some have tried to explain it away but the fact remains that Jesus did live on this earth and did die for your sins and did rise from the dead.  People saw Him and even touched Him after the resurrection.  The Scriptures are clear and do not contradict historical evidence.  Jesus is alive and your faith is based on it.

Justified

After you believe that Jesus is with the Father in heaven, you need to understand justification.  It means, "just as if I'd never sinned".  To justify is to declare just or to declare righteous.  You can never be good enough and cannot be just in yourself.  You are condemned but with Christ; you are reconciled to God.  You access this reconciliation by faith and can therefore have hope.  Because Jesus was raised from the dead, you can now stand before God as if you were Christ, because Christ stood before God as if He were you.  That is a profound thought, that He actually took your place on the cross. 

He was delivered over to death for your sins and was raised to life for your justification.  Romans 4:25

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

Have you ever been in a relationship that has gone bad?  Maybe it was a family member or a spouse or even a boyfriend or a friend.  Something happened and your relationship was hurt by it.  Then, later, the relationship was restored.  Often, it is just not the same again.  Oh, it may seem okay on the outside but on the inside you know it will never really be the same again.  The trust and openness is just not there.  Without Jesus’ death on the cross, your relationship with God is severed and broken.  However, with His death and resurrection comes justification.  Not only is the relationship made whole, but it is just as if you had never sinned.  It is better than it ever could be.

There are many who think that they have a relationship with God.  They talk to Him and even confide in Him.  They pray when they have a need and are aware of His provision and protection in their lives.  Yet, if they don't come to God through the cross, then they never experience the life-changing relationship with Christ that they could have.   If you don't come to God through Jesus, then you are only fooling yourself.  You just know about God and don't know Him in an intimate and personal way.

Call on the Lord

Call on Jesus by name

Remember at the beginning of Session One when you looked at Jeremiah 29:11-13?  Let's look at it again:

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

When you call upon Jesus as Lord, then you know that He will listen to you.  Many call upon God but not as Lord.  God hears you when you come to Him in total submission to Him as Lord and Savior.  That's when you can know and understand what He tells you and what He has planned for you.  When you call upon His personal name, Jesus, then you can know that you will find Him when you seek Him with all of your heart.

Confess and believe Jesus is Lord

Look at Romans 10:9-10, 13 again.

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved…for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”  Romans 10:9-10, 13

These verses are a promise that if you confess or say that Jesus is Lord, and if you believe it in your heart, you will be saved.  It is true for everyone.

Salvation by faith

When you accept Christ as Lord and Savior, you do it on faith.  Faith is an act of the heart, the mind, and the will.  You are saved by believing in your heart, knowing it in your mind, and acting on it with your will.  Salvation is not earned.  Salvation is by faith alone.

Holy Spirit makes a new heart!

Dear friends, since God so loved you, you also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if you love one another, God lives in you and his love is made complete in you.  You know that you live in him and he in you, because he has given you of his Spirit.  And you have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so you know and rely on the love God has for you. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  1 John 4:11-16

God gives you the Holy Spirit

You would have a hard time trying to live up to God’s standard alone.  That’s why He gives you the Holy Spirit.  When you invite Christ to come into your life, He sends the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit lives inside you and helps you understand scripture and what God is trying to say to you.  The Holy Spirit wants all glory to be given to the Father God.  He becomes your Counselor and teaches you.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17

To know that the Holy Spirit is there for you is wonderful news!

The Holy Spirit will teach you

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:26-27

Not only does the Holy Spirit become your Counselor, but the Holy Spirit teaches you and reminds you of what the Scriptures say.  He is your ever-present guide.  You do not need to be troubled or afraid because He is the constant companion who is always there for you.

LOOK:

You have looked at what it means to hope, believe, turn, and call on Christ.  Review the prayer below.  If you have not yet prayed the prayer and meant it, now would be a great time to commit your life to Christ. 

                        Dear God,

Hope:             I know You have great plans for me and I want to

place my hope in You.

            Believe:         I believe You love me and sent Jesus to die on the

                                    cross for me.

            Turn:              Please forgive me and help me turn from my

                                    wrongdoings.

            Call:                I want You to lead my life.

                                    Amen.

If you have just prayed this prayer, congratulations!  You have a new heart!  If you are still thinking about it, ask God to make Himself known to you.  He will!

Turn

“…Turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…" Acts 3:19

What does it mean to turn?  You know the answer to that.  It means to go in the other direction.  In Acts 3:19, the Bible says to turn to God.  That must mean that you are to go another direction.  In fact, if you are turning, it often means that you are headed in the wrong direction.  Life without Christ is the wrong direction.  Paul, who wrote Acts, was speaking here and telling the people that they needed to turn to God or to go toward Him.  Isn't it wonderful that God never makes you accept Him but stands ready to receive you when you turn to Him?  Look at the rest of the verse.  When you turn to God, it says that your sins are wiped away and that refreshment is waiting for you.  He forgives.  He makes it easy.  He just wants you to turn your face to His.

When you were a child, you may remember your parents or other adults wanting you to look at them when they spoke to you.  God wants you to look His way.  When you do, you see Him in all His glory.  You see His heart and how much compassion He has and how much He loves and cares for you.  He stands ready to make it all better.  God wants to give you a new start by removing all the ugliness of wrongdoing.  He wants you to be renewed, refreshed, and recreated if you will.  He wants to give you a fresh start!

Everyone does wrong things

If God wants to give you a new start, you need to let Him.  Remember the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3?  Eve and Adam both do exactly what they were told not to do; they eat of the fruit of the one tree that they were not supposed to eat from.  And then they hid.  They hid because they were ashamed of what they had done.  When you do wrong things (everyone does), you don't want to turn to God because you know you are guilty.  Look at Proverbs 14:12 below.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.  Proverbs 14:12

           

You might think you know what's good for you and your family.  You might wonder how God could possibly have the whole picture.  It is awesome that God knows you so well that He knew that He needed to add this verse to the Bible.  There is a way that you think is right, but without God, it is not. 

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23

Everyone has sinned and no one lives up to God's standard of perfection.  All of you have turned the wrong way and need to make an about-face.  God knows when you are running from Him and yet still stands patiently waiting, willing to forgive you and give you hope and meaning in this life and in the life to come.

Some may think they are leading good and moral lives.  The Bible says that you have still done wrong things.  No one is perfect.  If you are living your life without a growing relationship with Christ, then you are living in the sin of not allowing Him to be the Lord of your life.

If you claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.  1 John 1:8, 10

The payment for wrongdoing is death

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23

What happens when you don't turn to God?  The answer is clear.  The answer is death.  The payment for wrongdoing is death or eternal separation from God.  However, the free gift from God is everlasting life through Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Someone had to pay for your sins.  It is only through the grace of God that He sent Jesus to pay the penalty.

Death separates you from God

Your sins separate you from God.  If each sin you commit is like a brick, then when you put these sins together, it is like building a brick wall between yourself and God.  The more bricks or sins there are, the more you may feel separated from God.  Even one brick or one sin separates you from God but the more sins you have in your life, the farther you feel from God.  So, sin leads you to eternal death and eternal separation from God but even on this earth, the separation is there.

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.  Isaiah 59:2

In the verse above, the Bible says that your sins keep you from Him and that He will not even hear you.  However, read the following great news:

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." John 3:17-18

This is why God sent Jesus - not to condemn you but to save you.  If you believe, you are not condemned.  If you don't believe, then you are condemned already.

The brick wall of sin is removed by accepting the fact that Jesus died on the cross for you.  You make it a personal decision.  Yes, He died for all but you must ask Him personally to come into your life.  You accept the forgiveness that has already been provided.  When the wall is removed, that openness with God is there.  You have been forgiven!

When you turn to God and away from sin,

God cleanses you and wipes out your sin

When God wipes out your sin, He wipes it out for good.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  Psalm 103:12

He removes your wrongdoing and all that is separating you from Him.  Just think, the east and the west never meet.  You may remember your sin but it is still gone.  You may live with the consequences of your sin, but it has been forgiven and removed!

"For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."  Hebrews 8:12

Not only are your sins removed and forgiven, but Hebrews 8:12 above says that God will not even remember them. God will never hold them against you. You have been forgiven and your sins have been wiped away.  When you turn to God in repentance, He is faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you.

God sends refreshment

When you are faithful to tell or confess to God what you have done wrong, He is faithful and will do what He says.  In the verse below, God clearly says that He is just or fair and will not only forgive you of your sins but will purify or cleanse you from anything that is unrighteous or unholy.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9

When He does this, you are refreshed.  Look at Acts 3:19-20 printed below:

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you-- even Jesus.  Acts 3:19-20

Refreshment comes when you are in a right relationship with God!  So, repent, or be sorry to the point that you turn your life around, and give God your life so that you may experience the fullness of life with Christ on this earth and in the life to come.

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."  John 10:10b

God stands ready to bring you a full and meaningful life with purpose.  The decision is up to you.

Believe

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

Believe.  It is a simple word; however, the subject is complex.  To believe means to place confidence in, to entrust, or to place your faith in.  And that's where it gets complex.  It is easy to say that you believe in something yet harder to actually do it.  To believe in God is to entrust Him with your very life.  When you read John 3:16 above and it says to believe in Him (meaning Jesus Christ), it means that you believe with every part of your being by placing your complete faith in Him alone.  When you know that Jesus died on the cross for you so that you could be forgiven and experience everlasting life in heaven, then it gets a little easier.  Many will tell you that it is too simple.  That one must work or earn her way to heaven.  God loves you more than to think you could ever get there on your own.  Only those who are perfect can get to heaven…except for the death of Christ on the cross.  God loved you so much that He sent His one and only Son to pay the penalty that you would owe.

God loves you

           

But because of his great love for you, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved.  Ephesians 2:4-5

It is only by God's grace that you can enter heaven.  It's because He loves you so very much.  Perfect love is hard to understand.  Most people don't come close to experiencing it on this earth, because all are sinners.  None is perfect.  So you cannot show perfect love to another.  God's love and mercy is so great that He forgave you and gave you a new life.  God is just and fair.  God is also full of mercy.  It is a balance that no one fully understands.  He knew that He would have to judge you and that you could not enter heaven because of your sin and wrongdoings.  Because of His mercy, He provided a way.  It is by grace that you are saved through Christ.  What is grace?  It is what is given when you don't deserve it.  That's how much He loved you.

God sent Jesus to die for you

           

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:5-8

Of all the religions in the world, Christianity is the only one that involved the death of a righteous man.  Who else died for you?  No one.  Oh, there may have been some good men with lots of great thoughts but there are none that gave up heaven and stepped onto earth to die just for you.  That's what hope is all about.  That's what love is all about.  That's what grace is all about.  Hope does not disappoint you because God poured out His love into your heart by allowing Christ to die for you.  Then, God sent the Holy Spirit to be your guide and to help each day.  Without God's help, you are powerless.  Christ died for the powerless.  God knew that you would never gain access to Him.  God showed His love to you by sending Christ to die for you.

God wants you to believe in Jesus

What is believing in Jesus?  It is putting your trust completely in Him.  Look at it another way.

Believing is not…

You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that - and shudder.  James 2:19

Believing is not just knowing something.  James 2:19 says that even the demons know and believe that there is only one God.  Think about it.  Satan knows there is only one God and He knows the true God.  Does that mean that He is in heaven with Christ?  Certainly not.  Believing is not just knowing something; it is placing faith in something.  The demons have not placed their faith in God and God alone. 

Knowing about God is not enough.  Knowing that Jesus died on the cross for you is not enough.  What is enough is placing your faith in Jesus to the extent that you are willing to turn from your wrongdoing and trust Him with your life.

Believing is…

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God.  John 1:12

To those who believe and place their trust in God, the Bible promises that God gave them the right to become children of God.  It is the highest honor one can have, to be called a child of the most high God.  You must receive Him by allowing Him to be a part of your life and trusting Him in every area.  You must believe in Jesus to the extent that you allow Him to change your life through the work of the Holy Spirit.

God promises eternal life through Christ

           

God wants you to believe and place your faith in Him through Christ, but He also wants to grant to you the promise of a better life to come.  Jesus was the only one who could do this because people are sinful and God is holy.   You could not enter heaven if it were not for Christ.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus...  1 Timothy 2:5

Only Jesus can be the go between.  No one else.  Not a mother.  Not a priest.  No one.  Yes, the fact remains that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man.  So no one can come to the Father except through Him.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast, For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do.  Ephesians 2:8-10

When you really believe in Jesus, you understand more that you could never have done what He did.  It is God's gift to you.  You cannot take the credit for it.  You cannot do enough good works to ever earn your salvation.  It is just a gift from God.  And it is a gift that each person decides whether he or she will accept or reject. 

If someone were to offer you a gift of an ink pen, you could decide if you wanted to take it or not.  It you took it, you might appreciate it and therefore want to do something in return for the gift-giver.  With God, He offers Jesus as a free gift.  You either take it or you don't.  And with many more consequences than accepting an ink pen or not.  If you accept His free gift, you would hopefully appreciate it so much that you would want to serve God.  You don't do things for God to earn your place in heaven; you do things to say thank you for allowing your Son Jesus to die on the cross for you.

Simply put, it is God's grace.  It is not you.  You are God's precious workmanship and you are recreated to live your life by honoring Christ.  It is simple faith.  It is simple trust.  It is the blessed hope you have that not only will God be here to help you through this life, but that when you leave this earth, you can go to heaven and live eternally with Him.

Believe In Him.  He sent Jesus to die for you.

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-- you and your household."  Acts 16:31

Acts says that when you believe in the Lord Jesus, you will be saved.  It goes on to say that your whole household will be saved.  What this is saying is that salvation will be brought to the house (see Luke 19:9) because the same light of Christ will be given to all in that home.  Anyone who believes will be saved in the same way.   When Christ is in your life, others in the household will certainly see it.   They too, will have the same opportunity to make a personal commitment to Jesus.

Believe

So, how do you believe?  You believe with all your being.  You say it with your mouth, you believe it on the inside (in your heart) and you show it on the outside by everything you say and do.  If you say you believe and do not live it out, then the question is, do you really believe?  You believe to the point that you put your whole trust in Christ and place your faith in Him and in Him alone.  He desires to give you hope and help in every area.  He desires that you believe.

Hope

HOPE

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:11-13

Life is hardly perfect, is it? Families are torn apart by all sorts of tragedies.  People lose their jobs. And the list goes on. In the seemingly wild and fast paced world you probably live in, sometimes you might wonder, is there any hope?

Maybe things in your life are going pretty well right now.  Your parents are seemingly great, your children are turning out even better than you planned; but you have this deep-seeded feeling that something is missing.  You can't put your finger on it, but it is just an emptiness that never goes away.  Do you ever wonder if there is any hope or meaning in this life?

Hope.  It's a little word but with big meaning.  It can make all the difference in the world about your life.  What is hope anyway?  Maybe it is an expectancy of something better that's going to happen.  Maybe it is a longing for a new day or a way out or even a way through.  No matter how you view hope, God knows and understands.  No matter what kind of hope you need, God already knows that too.

Hope.  It's what God wants you to know that you can have.  He tells you in Jeremiah 29:11-13 (written above) that not only does His plan give hope; but that God is hope.  Read these verses above.  Then, look at it piece by piece and see if you can figure out what God is trying to say to you.

God's plan gives hope

           

God made you and has a plan for your life

           

Can you even believe it?  God has a plan for your life.  It is not a plan that is the same for everyone.  It is a separate plan that He designed for you alone.  Oh, the plan that God has starts out with some basics, but each plan has a little different twist to it.  Think about it this way, most of your neighbors probably go to the same few grocery stores.  They will likely all come home with food in the basic food groups.  Yet, if you were to look in each pantry, you'd see lots of different stuff.  It's the same way with God's plan.  There are some basics but it looks a little different and God knows the recipe that each one needs to make it a perfect plan for that person.

In Jeremiah 29:11, God says that He knows the plans he has for you!  Wow!  To think that God has a plan for you might be a whole new thought!  And, to make it even better, God says that His plan is to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.  So, throw out all those thoughts you may have had about God that make you think that He is out to get you.  This verse clearly states that God wants the best for you.  He wants you to do well.  Now "prosper" can be a little confusing if you are thinking in physical terms because God is thinking in spiritual ones.  Of course, He wants you to do well but this is not saying that He wants you to be rich.  He knows there are much more important things in life than having things or lots of money.  No, God desires that you have the best that He offers and does not want anyone or anything to harm you…His precious creation!  He wants you to have hope!  And what's more, He wants you to know that you have a future here on earth as well as in heaven.  Not only does God love you, but He also adores you enough to help you with your life on a daily basis.  Look at these verses in Psalms 139:13-16.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139:13-16

Read that last line again.  God has your days all planned out for you.  That means that you still have choices with your life but that He has a direction planned out.  He even knew you before you were born because He decided just how He would fashion you.  So, it is no wonder that there is hope for you …the Creator of the universe not only made you but also knows what will make you happy and desires that you have a wonderful hope-filled life.

Hope is found in God

Hope can come from a lot of different places.  Hope can come from just anticipating an event or even from something much more important like finding hope in what your job will be.

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is your refuge. Selah."  Psalm 62:5-8

When you acknowledge Him alone as your salvation, the Word of God says that He will be your hope and that you cannot be shaken.  Oh, you may feel shaken and bounced around a bit, but the good news is that it won't have a lasting effect.  You can depend on Him as your secure and mighty rock, your very foundation for all that this life on earth holds, as well as the life to come.  The Bible says to pour out your heart to Him and trust in Him.  When you do, He is your refuge and you can hide in Him.

Trust in Christ brings assurance

When you give Him your heart and your trust, then you do have that assurance to know that He will always be there for you.

Trust in God brings hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13

How do you trust in God, you say?  You do this by placing your life in His hands.  It means that you trust Him enough to be the boss of your life, as well as save you.  Think of it this way, it's just like a little girl who jumps in a pool and trusts Daddy to catch her.  She knows he will and won't let her drown.  God wants you to trust Him.  He knows what the best plan for your life is.  It would be harder for an adult to jump in the pool and believe that someone would catch her.  That's why the Bible says to come as little children.

"And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 18:3

Most of you still want to hold on.  God tells you that He is the God of hope.  When you trust in Him, He fills you with joy and peace.  When He does, you then overflow with hope because of the Holy Spirit that is now living inside of you.  Yes, trust in God brings hope to life.

Hope leads you to Christ

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through your Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Romans 5:1-2

When you hope in God, He shows you what His Son, Jesus Christ, did for you on the cross.   God sent Jesus to die for everything you ever did or will do wrong.  He was the perfect sacrifice for your sins.  And because of Christ, you can now come to God because you have been made right or clean or holy.  Now that is hope!  You can then have the peace and hope that is offered.  And you can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God your Father in heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Christ brings assurance

And this is the testimony: God has given you eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  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.  1 John 5:11-13

What an incredible passage this is that is found in 1 John.  Because of Jesus, you have eternal life.  That means that when you die you will go to heaven and live forever.  You can have everlasting life because of Christ.  The writer, John, wants you to know that if you believe in the name of Jesus, you can have this assurance.  Basically, if you really trust Him, then you never have to doubt your salvation.  And certainly this gives you hope in life!

Call on Him

The real hope begins when you call on God through Christ.  You call to God by talking or praying to Him.  Look at what God says in the verse following:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  2 Chronicles 7:14

Wow, what a promise.  God wants you to call on Him by praying and seeking Him.  And when you do this, God hears your prayers.

Call on His personal name

Your God is a personal God.  You call to Him by praying to the Father and through the Son.  In other words, you pray to God and in the name of Jesus Christ.  You see, God sent His personal Son to die on the cross for you and He has a personal plan for your life.  Your name is important to you and to God.  He wants you to call on His personal name.

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  Acts 4:12

Only in the name of Jesus is salvation found.  No other name is the right name.  Some have trouble understanding this but God's Word is clear.  God sent Jesus to die on the cross, not someone else.  And Jesus is still alive.  Christ is the only way you can get to God.

Pray and talk to Him

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."  Jeremiah 33:3

Why do you have hope?  You have hope because the God and Father of all desires to commune with you.  He is waiting for you to call Him.  His line is never busy, He never puts you on hold, the voice mail never picks up, and He is never out of the office.  Not only is He always available, but when you take the time to call, He tells you great and mighty things that you would not know any other way.  He gives you secrets to survival in this life.  And my friend, that is hope!

Making your Events Evangelistic

You can turn any event or Bible study into an opportunity for evangelism with just a few simple steps.

1. As you first begin to plan your event, be sure to plan how you will invite non-churched women to attend. The use of advertising can be very expensive; however, most women come because someone personally invited them. You can have the greatest evangelistic event in the world but if lost women are not there, you will have done it all for nothing. Begin by brainstorming with your leadership about the many creative ways to get women to come.

2. Spend more time inviting people than on planning. Most people spend more time planning than they do personally inviting women to attend an event. In the parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14, Jesus mentioned the banquet but spent more time explaining how to invite others. For more helpful information, refer to the chapter on events in the resource book, Women Reaching Women.

3. As you walk through your event, imagine you are a guest, don’t know anyone and are unfamiliar with the building and the traditions. Think about what would make the guest more comfortable. What would the needs of this woman be? Plan things that would meet her needs.

4. Before the event, train your women in how to use HeartTalk. Every woman who comes to the event should have the opportunity to be trained. This will help her to share Christ with the guests she brings. Your leadership should all go through the training as well. All your women but especially your leadership should look for opportunities to share HeartTalk throughout the event. Often, you will find that someone who comes to the training will want to accept Christ. Be ready!

5. At the event, you will want each woman to have a copy of HeartTalk. This can be done in several ways. HeartTalk can be included in registration packets, placed at the dinner table at each place or in the center of the table, given out by the hostess of seminars, given out during a worship service, or various other times. The important thing is to give them out and make sure each woman receives one. Those who already know Christ can be encouraged to share it with a friend. Those who don’t know Christ will know how to make Him their Lord and Savior if they choose to do so.

6. An effective method of finding out who responds to HeartTalk is to have everyone at the event to fill out a card. This enables everyone to respond and makes all feel more comfortable. Event cards or evaluation cards allow women to share their thoughts about the event and can be a valuable tool to gain feedback as well as a great way to find out who has made decisions for Christ.

7. Have the speaker or someone on the women’s leadership team to present HeartTalk to the group. Have those who pray to receive Christ to record their decision with a heart drawn beside their name on the event card or evaluation form. Having appropriate responses to check is also very useful and will help you to follow up with the women who attend. Most women will not respond to an invitation that asks them to come down in front of the crowd.

8. Provide a HeartTalk room where those interested in talking to someone about
spiritual decisions can go to for further discussion and prayer. Have some of your trained leadership ready to explain the plan of salvation and answer questions. If you would rather not have a room, you can have women in each section or at the doors to collect the cards and then follow up within a week following the event.

(Quoted from "HeartTalk Leader" by Jaye Martin.)

HeartCall: Your Purpose

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13, ESV)

I never cease to be amazed at the gifts of women. One of our Women's Ministry Institute (WMI) students at Southern Seminary, created this video using some of the words and verses from the HeartTalk track that I wrote. What a message of hope for the Easter season! I am so proud of Karen Brawner, member and bible study leader at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY! Thank you Karen for using your gifts to share the message of hope!

We are all gifted2go! Jesus is THE GIFT! Let's share the message of hope with women who lead lives of emptiness. Please pass this on! And, share with us how you are telling the good news of Christ!

God loves YOU! Pass it on!