How to Change Your Destiny by Randy Willis

by Randy Willis

Many today have just enough religion to inoculate them from knowing Christ. —Randy Willis

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We all reach this valley—the valley of decision. The most crucial decision of our lives is whether to accept or reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Therefore, understanding who Jesus Christ is and is not is paramount.

The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

John, the Apostle, reveals that the Word (Logos in Greek) is a person, Jesus Christ. And John does it in only four words: “The Word became flesh.” (John 1:14)

“The Word became flesh.” (John 1:14)

Jesus Christ is not a mystic power, cosmic dust, divine energy, or someone’s metaphysical concept of a higher power. Jesus is not a created being, an angel, or a prophet.

When we stand before Jesus Christ, God in human flesh (1 Timothy 3:16), He will not be a mystic power.

When we stand before Jesus Christ, the Lord of Creation (Colossians 1:15-19), He will not be cosmic dust.

When we stand before Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, “God with us,”(Matthew 1:23), He will not be a divine energy.

Many patronize Jesus Christ by referring to Him as less-than God in the flesh?

He will not be a mystical figure when we stand before Jesus Christ, but the Lord of lords and King of kings (Revelation 17:14 and 19:16). He will be God in the flesh. Yes, the Bible says He returns bodily just as He ascended bodily. (Zechariah 14:3-4)

He will not be a politically correct higher power when He comes in His power, majesty and Shekinah glory. There will be no doubt who He is as every knee bows and every tongue confesses Him as Lord. (Philippians 2:11)

According to a 2023 survey, 74% of Americans believe in God. Gallup found that 81% of Americans expressed belief when asked, “Do you believe in God?” This was down from 87% in 2017.

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15-17)

Who do you perceive Jesus Christ to be? Many believe in an ambiguous higher power, while others believe God is nature. Some say God can be found in all religions. Many say they are Christians but have these same beliefs. If you use the words higher power, you will offend no one. Use the name Jesus, and you will offend many, perhaps even family and friends.

“They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise!” (Romans 1:25)

Many Christians avoid unwanted attention from an unbelieving world when they pray in public. They fail to pray as the Bible instructs in John 14:13-14, 15-16, and 16:23-24. The Bible tells us to pray in Jesus’s name.

“But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33)

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Today, many worship an unholy trinity: me, myself, and I. Their god is self. They cry, “I’m in control of my body; look at me; no one can tell me what to do. I can deny God. I can curse him using his own name. I can mock him and spit in his face. I am in control of my destiny.”

Oh, how original. I marvel at their words on social media and TV. I should write the last chapter of their memoir. But then I remember there is no need. It was written long ago by an author much more significant than I. Oh, how sad. I plead that if they would only see His Majesty. If only they could know His Glory and His Deity. If only they would know the One, they crucify anew on their make-believe tree.

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C.S. Lewis explains much better than me in Mere Christianity, and I quote:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.

“That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell.” — C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

I also agree with the famed theologian and Oxford and Cambridge professor C.S. Lewis: “You must make a choice.”

Do you believe Jesus is but a “poached egg?” God forbid. Calling Jesus a created being is like calling Him a poached egg. Describing Him as a man who became God, an angel, or a prophet is wrong, too. Referring to Jesus Christ as less than God in the flesh is likewise tantamount to calling Him a poached egg.

Christ is the eternal Second Person of the Trinity. Jesus Christ is from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:2). In the Epistle to the Colossians, he is the Lord of Creation. In the Gospel of John and the First Epistle to Timothy, he is God in the flesh. In the Gospel of Matthew, he is God with us. In the Book of Revelation, he is the Lord of lords and King of kings.

John the Apostle leaned his head on Jesus during the Last Supper. The affectionate gesture was customary in those days. It is a warm, beautiful scene of John’s love for Jesus and melts my heart.

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The word “Revelation” in the Bible means unveiling. He will not come the next time as a baby laid in a humble feed trough called a manger. No one had room for Him in the village of Bethlehem that starry night. Do you have room for him this night? Or will you reduce Him to the “stable” of your life or less than God in the flesh?

As mentioned before, the Apostle John once leaned his head on the veiled Jesus Christ. When he encounters his unveiled Savior, Jesus Christ, John falls at His feet as though dead. John is overwhelmed by His glory and majesty. I can’t imagine this scene with my meager mind, but it makes me long for the day I meet Him.

“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.” (Revelation 1:17)

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Jesus Christ will come with all power, majesty, glory, and authority at His Second Coming. He will judge His creation, you and me. I love the nativity scenes at Christmas. This time, though, He comes as lighting from the east. The blast of a trumpet will awake the dead. (1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-57).

Jesus Christ will return with the saints of all ages (1 Thessalonians 3:13). His bride, the Church, will accompany Him (Revelation 19:7-8 and Revelation 21:1-2). In their innumerable number, every angel in Heaven will also be with Him (Matthew 25:31).

The stars will fall from heaven (Mathew 24:29). This is no nativity scene.

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I recently listened to a TV preacher on YouTube. He claimed to have been caught up in the third heaven, where God swells like the Apostle Paul. The TV preacher claimed to have hugged and consoled Jesus. However, the Apostle John did not experience that when he encountered God. Nor did the Prophet Isaiah experience that when he encountered God or anyone else in the Bible.

Jesus said: “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24)

Like the Apostle John in the New Testament, the Prophet Isaiah came before God.

“So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” (Isaiah 6:5-7)

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“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8)

Yes, a thousand times yes, draw near to the Lord Jesus Christ. But realize that the closer you get to Him, the more you will feel like the Apostle John. You will feel like the Prophet Isaiah, too. You will feel so sinful that you will fall to your face in shame. Cry out for our Lord to cleanse you. It is not a pleasant experience. However, the closer you get, the more peace, joy, and purpose in life you will receive.

Perhaps you feel too old, worn out, and have made too many mistakes. God can and will restore your broken life and dreams. You’re not too old for God to use you. Moses was 80 when he responded to the pre-incarnate Christ in the burning bush. The Apostle John was even older, around 80 or 90 when he wrote the Book of Revelation. Turn, surrender, draw near, and cry for God to cleanse you from your sins.

God may not call you to deliver hundreds of thousands as He did Moses. Perhaps He will call you as He did me with Matthew 25:40: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

The Lord said: “And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)

Decades ago, I began leaving coffee, donuts, and a few New Testaments on a small table for the men who picked up my garbage. This gesture was greatly appreciated by the men. One time, I forgot to put out my garbage. I later noticed they had walked down my long driveway with no fanfare and done that for me.

Mama always said, “Sow a smile, reap a smile. Sow love and reap love. Sow hate and you will reap even more hate.” Give a cup of cold water in Jesus’s name and watch how He multiples it.

You, too, can reply as the great Prophet did, even if it’s with just a cup of cold water when the Triune God asked:

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us? Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”’ (Isaiah 6:8)

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I was fetched up on a 40-acre black land farm three miles from Angleton, Texas. It didn’t take me long to learn about sowing and reaping. Lesson one was that you always reap what you sow. Sow butter beans, and you won’t reap stalks of corn. Go figure, I know. And you always reaped more than you sowed. I could sow a handful of seeds, and eventually, it would overtake our 40-acre farm through replanting.

The lesson is that you always reap what you sow and more than you sow. But the third one is deceptive: You reap later than when you sow. If you sow love, you will receive a payday someday. The same is true with hate. That truth applies to Hayseed Cowboys like me, doctors, lawyers, preachers, and candlestick makers. And, dare I say, politicians.

Daddy, Jake Willis, and me on the farm. I asked for a more powerful horse. This one, an International Harvester 240 Tractor with a bush hog attached, had 38.50 horsepower and came with all the bugs you could eat. Ozempic was not needed to lose weight in those days. Daddy was 44 and I was 14. circa 1963 Mama would bring us a bologna sandwich and ice cold Coca-Cola to us for lunch. I devoured my 10 minute lunch on that tractor. And if my grandchildren read this, no, I didn’t walk to school barefooted in the snow because it never snowed. That part I made up.

In my journey of 3/4 of a century, I have drawn closer to the Lord. As I approach a very holy, holy, holy God, I realize something astounding. I have become more aware of how sinful I really am. I have only begun to understand the great cost Christ paid for my sins with His lifeblood on Calvary’s cross.

He did this so I could be reconciled to a Holy God. The Bible says, “God cannot even look upon sins.” (Habakkuk 1:13). Yet He loves me so much. He sends His Son, His only Son, Christ in the flesh, God in the flesh, to die for me. There will never be a more extraordinary love story than that. No man with pen and ink can do justice to that love story. Only those inspired by Him in the Bible can.

How often do I repent of my sins? It seems I need to do it almost every week. But oh, what joy each time I do.

Draw near to Him, and He will purify your heart. On Good Friday , Jesus took our place on that center cross, lifted high for everyone to see. Jesus was bloody, pierced, naked, and nailed to a tree. He took our place on the center cross meant for you and me. The Righteous for the unrighteous, the Godly for the ungodly, and the sinless Lamb of God for the sinner.

Satan and his demons must have had a celebration, a party to gloat. Their party was short-lived. Three days later, Christ rose from the grave. He conquered hell, death, and the grave.

Would you say yes—yes today to Jesus? Will you say yes to His free gift of eternal life paid for with His blood—God’s precious blood that day? Will you say yes to the risen Lord? You will never regret it.

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My Grandson Corbin Willis is with me in Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Valley. I took this photo in June of 2024. We held hands in another valley—The Valley of Decision a few years ago. At that moment, he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. Jackson Hole is my favorite valley by sight. The other is my favorite Valley by faith. —Randy Willis

Epilogue

This is written for and dedicated to eleven people: my three sons (and their wives) and six grandchildren. They are the joy of my life. Anyone else who would care to listen in is welcome.

I have a concern…

These days, I seldom call myself a Christian, Evangelical, or Baptist. I was saved and baptized at age eight in a Southern Baptist Church, Temple Baptist, in Clute, Texas. In fact, I still belong to one. I’ve belonged to four in the past seven decades in Texas. I attended Longleaf Baptist in Louisiana until I was four. All five have “stood in the gap” against sin. They have also resisted the onslaught of evil that attempts to water down the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I have been blessed in all five churches. My three sons accepted Christ as Lord and Savior at Hyde Park Baptist in Austin. My three eldest grandchildren have done the same in their local Baptist church. My prayers are my three youngest grandchildren (ages 1, 3, and 10) will do the same one day.

My concern, not fear, is the future once the Lord calls me home to Heaven. Write this scripture on the tablets of your heart. Remember, not everything that glitters is gold.

“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:20-25)

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In the winter of life, I prefer to label myself as simply a follower of Christ. I want to avoid being confused with some today who claim to be Christians and endorse almost every sin in the Bible, including the shedding of innocent blood. The sacred union, marriage, created by God, seems to be misunderstood too. As a boy, I learned that “God is not the author of confusion,” as written in Corinthians 14:33. He got everything right on the first try. He has never made a mistake.

Does that mean it’s wrong to label yourself as a Christian, Evangelical, Protestant, or Southern Baptist? Not hardly. But a follower of Christ is how this ole man sees himself in the spring of his life. Sorry, that should be winter; I tend to forget until I read how many grammatical mistakes I make these Trust the Lord and He will give His angels care of you. (Psalms 91)

With gratitude and love.

“Their strength of character has been demonstrated many times by how they treat people who can do nothing for them.” —Randy Willis, aka Dad, Grandpa, Papaw

Dedicated to my three sons (and their wives): Aaron Joseph Willis, Joshua Randall Willis, and Adam Lee Willis

Choose your Destiny

Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied. —Proverbs 27:20

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There are insatiable desires in man of appetites, recognition, money, and lust. Many are always wanting more, bigger, and better things. This is nothing new.

For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. —2 Corinthians 11:14

The eyes of man are never satisfied, the scripture records. Our restless heart that cannot find contentment in worldly possessions. We seem to be always seeking more.

Man has a hole in his heart. It’s a void, an emptiness. We can never fill it with relationships or money. Nor an endless array of entertainment, stimulants. Family and religion cannot fill this emptiness either.

Why? Only God can fill the “hole in our hearts.” Jesus Christ can and will satisfy that sense of longing and emptiness. We are designed—created—for God alone to occupy our souls: our heart, our mind, our will, our emotions.

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. —Psalm 139:13

We need a personal relationship with the Lord of Creation, Jesus. This means a one-on-one connection with God in the Flesh. Jesus, the Christ of the Bible, fulfills this role. He alone can fill the longings of our hearts.

Millions try pills, drugs, and alcohol. History is littered with those who have taken this route. Some try education, career, family, and religion. My friend, only Jesus can fill the longing in our hearts. He alone can fill the hole in your heart—your soul —your mind.

Jesus loves you. He came to this earth because of that love. Jesus was beaten, and a crown of thorns was pressed into his head. His beard was plucked out. He was nailed to a cross naked. Shedding his blood, God’s blood for you and me.

His coat was gambled for. And dying high on that hill called Calvary—while his beloved mother wept. His disciples, who had witnessed His miracles, all fled—save one. Despised, mocked, and rejected, he prayed.

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. —Luke 23:34

All of this for you and me. That’s how much he loves you and me.

Do you want joy and peace, and a sense of purpose? Do you long to know why the Holy God in Heaven created you? Is his intent to jerk you up by the “nap of your shirt” and then condemn you with a smirk? Not hardly.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. —John 3:17

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Is your heart broken? Have your dreams failed? Are you overwhelmed? Are you oppressed? Jesus said in Luke 4:18:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed. —Luke 4:18

Join me on the most extraordinary destiny ever offered to mankind.

This most extraordinary destiny ever offered to mankind.

You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. —Habakkuk 1:13

The Lord God in Heaven cannot look upon sin, for He is Holy. Yet He loves us, sinful man, and has provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him. To spend eternity with Him.

This is the story of this most extraordinary destiny ever offered to mankind.

Let’s begin with the last invitation in the Word of God, which is in Revelation 22:17.

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” —Revelation 22:17

Are you thirsty? Then come. Let him who hears come. And whosoever will, can come.

The invitation is to you—to me—to “whosoever will”—to everyone!

Bring your disappointments, failures, fears, and heartaches. The Holy Spirit says, Come to Jesus, our Savior.

God loves you. He wants to save you. He will save you. Come to Jesus, and drink the water of life freely.

Christ suffered, He bled, He died because He loves you and me. Listen to the still voice of the Holy Spirit, bidding you come to Jesus.

Don’t wait—come today! The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2 today is the day of salvation.

The Ends of the Earth

Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. —Isaiah 45:22

All you ends of the earth” includes the Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert.

All you ends of the earth” are those in darkest Africa.

All you ends of the earth” are the isolated tribes in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

All you ends of the earth” are presidents, world leaders, and kings.

All you ends of the earth” is the polished lawyer, the gifted doctor, and the brilliant college professor.

All you ends of the earth” is the prostitute. It is the drug dealer. It is the rapist. It is the thief. It is the murderer.

All the ends of the earth is me—and you. Come today!

Why a Bronze Serpent

“So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was if a serpent had bitten anyone when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. —Numbers 21:19

Bronze represents judgment. The serpent is destructive, deceptive, and the most dangerous creature you will ever encounter. He is our adversary and the father of all lies. His name is Satan.

He does not appear with horns, a red cape, and an ugly face. Instead, he appears as an angel of light and says, what harm can what I offer do? No one will know. No one will be hurt.

It’s your body. You are in control. You can be your own god. You can be like god. No one can tell you what you can and can’t do. He is Satan, and he comes to destroy God’s most cherished and loved creation: You.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. —John 10:10

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Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. “Take a little cocaine,” Satan whispers. “It will make you feel good. No one will know. You’re not hurting anyone.”

The Greek term pharmakeia, in the Bible, is the root of the word “pharmacy,” in English. Pharmakeia is used in the New Testament (Galatians 5:20; Revelation 9:21; 18:23) to describe sorcery, witchcraft, and drug-related magic.

Jesus says, He has come that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Choose an abundant life in Jesus today.

You don’t need hangouts, hangups, or hangovers. You need a personal relationship with the Lord of Creation, who created the Universe and you. Jesus is His name.

In that relationship lies your future, your blessed Hope, your salvation, and your joy. And your Christ blood bought destiny. Choose your destiny today. It has already been paid for with Jesus’s blood on the cross of Calvary. But you must accept God’s free gift of eternal life. That is done through faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. —2 Corinthians 11:14

You and I have been bitten by sin, like the Israelite’s who followed Moses out of Egyptian bondage.

The Israelites had to choose whether to put their faith in God. It was a simple act of faith, but a life-or-death decision. We too face such a choice.

Those who looked lived.
Those who looked were healed.
Those who looked were made whole.
Those who looked were saved.
They didn’t wait until they were better people.
They didn’t have to touch it.
They just looked.

Jesus tells us in John 3:14-15 that this is a picture of Him being lifted up on the Cross of Calvary.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. —John 3:14-15

The bronze serpent represented the people’s sin. According to the Scriptures, Christ was made sin for us.

Will you look to Jesus?—will you put your trust in Him?—the One who died for your sins.

Will you put your faith in Jesus?—the One who shed His lifeblood for you—and me.

My son Aaron Willis’s Automobile Accident

Some years ago, my eldest son, Aaron, was in an automobile accident. His back was broken so severely that the doctors said he might not ever walk again.

Several vertebrae in his lower back were fused. After that, he was able to begin the long task of healing from the spinal fusion surgery. He was encased in a rigid plastic back brace from his neck to his waist.

Later, his doctor agreed to let him briefly remove the brace and shower as long as someone was with him.

I was driving to pick Aaron and his brothers up for the weekend. Unbeknownst to me, his brother Josh helped him remove the brace as instructed by the doctor. Aaron could take a hot shower in his shorts. Josh was with him, but was much smaller than Aaron at that time. Aaron’s doctor approved all of this.

I began to exit to stop at the Austin post office on St. Johns, off Interstate 35, when a small but clear voice said, “You need to go now.”

I passed the post office exit. I drove as fast as possible to Wimberley, an hour away. I wondered what that warning was about.

There were no cell phones then. As I entered their mother’s home, I asked his mother where Aaron was. She said in the shower.

I ran to it, and the moment I entered the bathroom, Aaron said, “Dad, I’m dizzy.”

I stepped into the shower and placed my arms under his arms from his back. He immediately passed out.

I told Josh to help me move him to a bed while their mother called 911. His dead weight was more than I could have imagined.

We got him onto his bed without re-injuring his back. I knew if he had fallen, he probably would have been paralyzed.

I prayed as I followed the ambulance to the emergency room at Austin’s Seton Medical Center. I noticed the symbol on the back of the ambulance.

It was the American Medical Association’s (AMA) logo of a serpent wrapped around a staff.

The sign of healing medicine reminded me of the bronze serpent on the staff lifted up by Moses. Christians believe that’s where the symbol originated.

But, more importantly, it reminded me of Jesus being lifted up on a cross for my son. God’s son suffered in place of my son.

To this day, I cannot see that symbol without giving thanks to the Lord for that warning. I remember the shed blood of Christ lifted high upon a cross. It was for my sins, your sins, and the entire world’s sins.

When we arrived at the hospital’s emergency room, the doctors gave him intravenous (IV) fluids. They also gave him two bottles of Gatorade for dehydration.

The hot shower, combined with pain medication and dehydration, caused his blood to rush to his feet. This resulted in him fainting.

Look

Will you look to the One lifted up on a cross for you and me? Will you look to the Great Physician—Jesus—to heal you of all your pain, emptiness, and disappointments?

Will you look to Jesus? He took your place on the cross and died for your sins. Through Him alone, you can be made new, whole, and born again.

Choose

Jesus hung between two thieves (criminals) on a cross. One rejected Him, but the other put his faith in Him.

“Will You remember me when You enter Your kingdom?” one thief asks.

Jesus replied, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Both of those men were guilty of crimes serious enough to warrant the Roman death penalty. One put his trust in Jesus, and the other chose not to.

The question is, which thief on the cross are you? The one who said yes or the one who said no?

Now, there was the third cross that day. It was for another criminal named Barabbas, and he represents us.

Jesus was crucified on a cross meant for Barabbas—it was your cross—it was my cross, too.

Come

Come just as you are.

Will you say yes to Jesus—today?

There’s a Scripture that I love, and it explains things so clearly even I can understand.

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. —Romans 10:9-10

You can settle this question in heaven and on earth today. Say yes to Jesus. Accept His pardon, just as that one thief did on the cross. There are no prescriptive or mandated words. Praying is just talking to the Lord.

Open

Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” — Revelation 3:20

Ask

Self-improvement will not qualify you for salvation, for God’s Word says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10)

Comparing yourself to others will not work either: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

We seek to commend ourselves to God. However, God says our good works are like filthy rags in His sight [Isaiah 64:6]. If we are ever accepted in the eyes of Holy God, it must be through Christ our Lord.

There is no other way for says in Habakkuk 1:13, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.”

If you could be good enough to pay for your sins, think about this. Why did Jesus have to die for you?

Jesus bore your cross and my cross. He took our place on the cross. He shed His blood for our sins on that cross high on a hill for all the world to see.

The Just for the unjust. The Righteous for the unrighteous. The Godly for the ungodly The sinless Lamb of God for the sinner.

According to the Bible, we all have feet of clay and fall short of God’s glory. Our righteousness is described in the Bible as filthy rags. God’s grace (his undeserved favor) is available to us all. However, we must accept His gift of forgiveness. This gift was bought and paid for on the cross with Jesus Christ’s lifeblood. You can say yes to Jesus’s free gift right now.

Our greatest need is forgiveness. Christ came to forgive us, but we must accept that free gift. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. —Revelation 3:20

Jesus knocks, but you must open the door to your heart, to your life, to your future.

It’s not a prescribed list of words. In Luke 23:42, one of the criminals crucified with Jesus pleads, “Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom. His heartfelt cry of faith from the cross saves him.

Jesus answers in the next verse with a promise. He says, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” The first person to accompany Christ to Heaven was this lowly thief on the cross.

Isn’t it time to decide which “thief” on the cross you are? Are you the one who put his faith in Jesus Christ? Or are you the one who rejected our Savior who gave His lifeblood for us?

The most famous 25 words ever written.

For God so loved the world. He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. —John 3:16

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If these words are how you feel in your heart, then pray:

Heavenly Father,

I pray to You, asking for the forgiveness of my sins.

I confess with my mouth. I believe with my heart that Jesus is Your Son. He died on the cross at Calvary so that I might be forgiven.

Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. I ask Jesus to come into my life as my personal Lord and Savior.

I turn from my sins and will surrender to your will throughout my life.

Your word is truth. I confess with my mouth that I am born again. I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus!

In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen!

Reach out and touch Him today!

For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well. —Matthew 9:21

How did I come to know Christ?

I was headed to Temple Baptist Church with Grandma, and my owner’s manual: the Bible. It was Grandma Lillie Hanks Willis who first poured Jesus into me; sometimes, she even used words. That’s my dog Pedro wanting to follow me.

We attended Temple Baptist Church in Clute, Texas, every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. It seemed that everyone attended church in those days.

On a Wednesday night, my mother could not attend church. I walked to church from our home at 519 Coleman Street. My twelve-year-old sister Marjorie accompanied me. I was only eight.

I had no intention of that night being any different from any other. I cannot recall a word Pastor Bill Campbell said in his sermon. But I remember vividly another voice that spoke to my mind—my heart—my spirit.

It was not an audible voice. It was a still, gentle voice, tender but ever so clear, telling me to go forward and accept Christ as my Savior.

I recall my response to the Holy Spirit as if it were five minutes ago: “Lord, I am too shy. I would if my mother were here to go with me.”

I felt someone touch my left shoulder. My sister Marjorie was sitting in the back row with her friends. She could not see my face, for I was seated near the front.

She said, “I’ll go with you if you want me to.” I immediately stood and walked with her to the front of the church and made my decision public.

I know you do not have to have an experience like that to be born again. Nevertheless, I am grateful for that experience; it has never left my mind or my heart.