Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

That is one of my favorite pieces of Scripture from the Gospels. Why? Because it reminds me that all I think, do and say in the name of Jesus Christ is not in vain. That there is a purpose, and a reason for my strong faith. That there is a reason, a purpose and reward for every Christian's strong faith. God told us specifically that faith in Jesus Christ leads to salvation and everlasting life. The most famous line of the Bible says, "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)

Now much of the time I'm deciphering prophecy or digging into the parables or memorizing Scripture, so I don't often take time to pause and reflect on parts of the Bible like that. But today is one of those days where I really need to read them, and then re-read them. Why? Because they offer hope for people like me. And why do I need hope, you ask?

Because once in a while I get a glimpse of what Jesus had been talking about. Every now and then, I understand what the Scriptures are trying to say about faith and truth. I know that there are 6 billion people on this earth, and many, many of them don't care one iota about God or religion. And I know that many more don't believe that faith in Jesus Christ is the specific and only way to be with God and have eternal life in Heaven. I realize that in the grand scheme of things, those people who are truly faithful and trusting in Christ are a very small group.

But just because there is a small group of people around the world who completely, absolutely believe in Christ and trust in God... who have repented from their sins and dove headfirst into their faith... does that mean that they're crazy? Long ago when I first started this blog, I remember one reader saying, "You're nuts. There is no way that God is going to let billions and billions of good people perish in hell just because they didn't believe in Christ." My reaction was, "How do YOU know what God is and isn't going to do?"

The good LORD gave us instructions on how to live, and what to do. In a nutshell, we just have to believe and have faith in Him, and in His son Jesus Christ. We have to recognize our sins, and accept His gift of salvation so that we can have eternal life with Him in Heaven. That's it. That's all. We're not required to devote our lives to ministry, although some do. We're not required to go off and fight in wars, although some do. We don't have to give up our hobbies... our loves... our family -- although some do. All we have to do is have faith.

Think of it this way: Take life in America. Pretty much, you have free reign to do whatever the heck you want in this country. The government really doesn't care how you live as long as you obey the laws and pay your taxes. And for the most part, with the exception of some thieves, criminals and degenerates, we all do that. Some might grumble about it (especially how much in taxes we have to pay). But really, we all recognize that we only really have to do those two things in order to live how we want and enjoy life in America. That's it, and that's all.

And so God says to us that we can have ETERNAL LIFE -- meaning for all the infinity of time -- in a really good place in Heaven with Him. All we have to do is have faith and belief in His son Jesus, and accept the gift of salvation while repenting from our sins.

Yet, people fight that one as hard as they can. They simply will not give into it. If you didn't catch it, I had an anonymous poster give several comments to my last entry. Allow me to bring his/her final comment to the surface, and paste it here. I'm not angry or upset or anything. I just want to pick it apart. It's what I do best. :o)

RELIGIONS don't claim anything at all, only the people who profess them do. Now, if you're talking about religious texts, sure they mention peoples and places all the time. But, you're making the mistake that the Islamic tradition started with a single text: the Qur'an, which was written down in 633 AD. This is not true. In fact, the first prophet of Islam is Adam, yes that Adam, and then it's Abraham...So, if you believe the Bible to be non-fiction, I guess that pushes the start of Islam back pretty much to the beginning of things. Indeed all three religious texts claim these men (retroactively, of course). One of these days you religious people will come to the realization that your traditions are founded on many of the same events, people, places, and yes, god(s). At which point there will truly be a jubilee on earth.

1) "Religions don't claim anything at all, only the people who profess them do." That is absolutely not true. The Bible comes from God. Personally, I don't feel there is any doubt about that. There are too many consistencies, prophecies, similarities with other historical records and factual back-up to imply that this is just a "fictional" story that a bunch of dudes over the years made up. I'm not saying that God specifically wrote it. But I do believe 100% that these men had the Holy Spirit within them, and the Holy Spirit guided them on what to write. Sounds crazy? No way. Check out my "most popular posts" over to the right. Sometimes I go back and read those and think, "Wow. How on earth did I come up with all of that? I couldn't go back and write that again if I tried." And the truth is, I didn't REALLY write it. Sure, I physically wrote it. But something inside of me guided me on what to write. Before I sit down to write, I always pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me in typing out the exact message that God wants me to put out there. And I whole-heartedly believe that's exactly what He does. Therefore, I believe the Bible to be "God-breathed" and true. And with that being said, the "religion" of Christianity absolutely does claim things and offer promises. It claims that there is only one-true God, and that God is the Father of our Savior Jesus Christ. Our religion also "claims" and promises that by having faith in that God and His son, we are to be given the reward of eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

2) "But, you're making the mistake that the Islamic tradition started with a single text: the Qur'an, which was written down in 633 AD. This is not true. In fact, the first prophet of Islam is Adam, yes that Adam, and then it's Abraham...So, if you believe the Bible to be non-fiction, I guess that pushes the start of Islam back pretty much to the beginning of things." Okay, sure. I'll bite and say that the first prophet of Islam is Adam, and then Abraham. Back as a Muslim girl going to Qur'an school, I remember learning those stories and believing them to be Holy. But now as a Christian, I recognize one very important thing -- that while those "Muslims" believed in the prophets like Adam and Abraham, they stopped believing (or never believed in the first place) in the Son of God Jesus Christ. Islam itself came about from a following of the Prophet Mohammad who began having dreams and prophecies that conflicted with Christianity. And the prophet Mohammad didn't live until centuries after Christ. Since the Gospels had long been written by that time and the Holy Scriptures of the Bible were complete and in place, all it takes is one look at the prophet Mohammad and one can recognize the numerous warnings about false prophets that Jesus talked about and that are mentioned in other parts of the Bible. Just because hundreds of millions of people believe in or have converted to the religion of Islam doesn't make it the "right" one. No other man besides Jesus Christ died and then became resurrected by God. This same man left his footprints all over Jerusalem, and this same man's teachings about God is still going strong to this day. The words about him that were written by several prophets/disciples before and after his birth and death ALL say the same thing -- that belief in Christ is the only one true path to God. And that everything else -- ANYTHING else -- is false idolatry.

Judaism, Islam and Christianity are all known as "Abrahamic religions" because they trace their history to the covenant God made with Abraham back in the Hebrew Bible (the Torah, and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible). The main difference between Islam and Christianity is that the Islamic religion believes that Jesus was only a prophet, not the Son of God. Therefore, Muslims purposely chose to IGNORE the teachings of Christ (who proclaimed many, many times that he was the son of God) and they chose to IGNORE the resurrection of Christ. They also chose to ignore the basic principal of Christian faith, which rests on this line that Jesus said in John chapter 14: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." So to conclude, the fact that a group of people decided to start believing and following some other guy who taught a different message than Jesus almost 700 years after he was killed and then resurrected means nothing to me whatsoever. It's not any different than believing in Wicca or Joseph Smith or Adolph Hitler or Oprah Winfrey.

3) "One of these days you religious people will come to the realization that your traditions are founded on many of the same events, people, places, and yes, god(s). At which point there will truly be a jubilee on earth." What does that matter? So several religions had the same beginnings and recognized the same events. So what??? Then the Islamic religion took a turn and went off into a different direction after that. Does that still make it right? Does it still means that those followers of Islam are doing the same thing and ending up in the same place as Christians? If three people started out for a cross-country road trip from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, and made it all the way to the Mississippi river together, then you would say that they all three were together in doing/believing/following the same path. But then if one person began to head north... and then another person began to head south... and the middle person continued on westward in order to reach their destination... could you still really say that they are all going to end up in the same place? Nope! Those other two decided a different route looked better, and they didn't want to follow the map anymore.

In a different analogy, you could have three eggs scrambled, with a bit of milk and a bit of salt in different three bowls. In one bowl, we add mozzarella, curry, parsley and garlic powder. In another bowl, we add flour, chocolate and sugar. And in the third bowl, we add crab meat, bacon, cheddar and noodles. After cooking all three, they are distinctly different, aren't they? There's no way you can say that they are all essentially the same dish with the same purposes just because they all started out the same. It does not absolutely matter that the three religions believed in Adam and Abraham. God made promises to King David that he would have a descendant who would save mankind and be king of kings. There are prophecies throughout the entire Bible that foretell the story of Jesus.

The prophet Isaiah, who lived about 700 years before Jesus Christ was ever born, prophesied about the Messiah. He wrote:

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, [a] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

How is it that this man could foretell the coming of our Messiah some 700 years before he was born? And why would those who began following the prophet Mohammad choose to ignore this?

I don't have any answers for it. Over and over and over God warns us of false prophets:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:16)

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. (Ezekiel 13:9)

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." (Matthew 7:15)

"...many false prophets will appear and deceive many people." (Matthew 24:11)

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. (Mark 13:22)

So friends, my point is this: Jesus talked about how "small is the gate, and narrow the road." Why? Because that's just how it is. The criteria/requirement for taking your place with God for all eternity is only one simple thing: that you have true faith in Jesus Christ as the son of God. Yet God knew (and still knows) that this just isn't the case with many people. His children here on earth refuse to do that. They look for excuses why it doesn't make sense... they believe in science over faith... they think that other religions are okay, too... they see people who do believe in Christ as "Jesus-freaks"... they're too cool and too embarrassed to profess their faith... or they simply believe that they don't need Christ. Whatever the reason, they won't be walking through that gate.

Why?

Because Jesus said: "Yes, I AM THE GATE. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures." (John 10:9)

Much of the focus of these past few days has been on the escalated Israeli assault of the Palestinians on the Gaza Strip. In the past three days, over 300 people killed and hundreds more wounded. Is this right of them to do that? Whose side are you on? What do the people of America think about this conflict?

News and TV reports say that the U.S. president-elect Barack Obama has refused to get drawn into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Obama has not given us any indication of hist stance on this issue, but implementing a peace plan will be a priority in his administration.

Although, to his credit, he did say, "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing."

But now the interesting thing is that people all over the world -- including many Americans -- blame Israel, and are angry at them for the deaths that occurred as a result of this conflict. On so many TV newscasts, blogs and articles, Americans are throwing their opinions out there -- and almost all of them seem to be "pro-peace" and "anti-Israel."

Which absolutely blows my mind. Why? Because of two reasons:

1) I am in complete agreement with Obama's statement up above. The Palestinians have been continuously firing rockets into Israel. Sure, they had a shaky peace agreement for the past six months, but as soon as that ended on December 19th, the Palestinians started it back up again. They didn't do enough to declare an all-out war, but they bullied. They terrorized. They had no basis behind the senseless rocket firings, and were simply provoking. Now I don't know about you, but if a couple of bullies were messing with my family over and over and over... how much do you think it would take me to finally stand up and say, "Hey! Enough already!" And if the bullies didn't stop, what would you expect me to do??? Shrug, sit back, and hold up a peace sign? At some point, you put it to a stop. Yes, war is ugly. Yes, fatalities and wounded citizens are an awful, horrific result to violent conflict. But wars have been going on forever, and they will continue to happen until the very end of days. It's one thing to have one or two bullies beating up your kid. But when you have a whole country beating up your kids, it's a different story. And sometimes, the only way to resolve the conflict (especially when peace treaties haven't worked) is to show your strength and retaliate.

2) Conflict in this region is Biblical, and we should always take the side of Israel. The Jews and the land of Israel is God's -- the God of Abraham, David and Jesus Christ. Not the god of Mohammad.

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

"I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)

The Jews are God's people. The descendants of David -- most especially Jesus Christ -- are God's. There is much prophecy around the people of Israel and the land on which it rests. After the Rapture of the Christian church, the entire focus is on the Jews and Israel. Past Scripture... present day faith... and future prophecy all focuses on two things: Christ with his faithful (the Church) and the Jews in the land of Israel.

Say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, where they are gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all; neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling-places, in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them. They shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, in which your fathers lived; and they shall dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children's children, forever: and David my servant shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. My tent also shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. The nations shall know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore. (Ezekiel 37:21-28)

For I don't desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won't be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written,

"There will come out of Zion the Deliverer,
and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
This is my covenant to them,
When I will take away their sins."

Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sake. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:25-29)

Supporting Israel does not mean giving absolute approval of and for everything that they do. Israel is by no means perfect. However, we should always lift Israel up in our prayers, recognizing that the will of God is at work and the time-clock of prophecy is ticking.

And as a final thought, it's almost impossible to stay neutral and not take sides. Truly, to not have any feeling about the conflict whatsoever is really tough. And if you're not on the side of Israel, then you're on the side of the Palestinians. The Palestinians do a good job of extracting sympathy from much of the world (especially Americans). They insist that all of the land is theirs, and for years fought for the right to Jerusalem. The Israelis have always felt that the land was theirs. It's all about land in this conflict. And so why do we Christians support the land as Israel's... and as God's?

Let me give you a little definition of Palestine from Wikipedia: In the Biblical account, the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah ruled from Jerusalem a vast territory extending far west and north of Palestine for some 120 years. Archaeological evidence for this period is very rare, however, and its implications much disputed.

The Hebrew Bible calls the region Canaan (Numbers 34:1–12), while the part of it occupied by Israelites is designated Israel (Yisrael). The name "Land of the Hebrews" (ארץ העברים, Eretz Ha-Ivrim) is also found, as well as several poetical names: "land flowing with milk and honey", "land that [God] swore to your fathers to assign to you", "Holy Land", "Land of the Lord", and the "Promised Land".

The Land of Canaan is given a precise description in (Numbers 34:1) as including all of Lebanon, as well (Joshua 13:5). The wide area appears to have been the home of several small nations such as the Canaanites, Hebrews, Hittites, Amorrhites, Pherezites, Hevites and Jebusites.

According to Hebrew tradition, the land of Canaan is part of the land given to the descendants of Abraham, which extends from the Nile to the Euphrates River (Genesis 15:18). This land is said to include an area called Aram Naharaim, which includes Ur Kasdim in modern Turkey, where Abraham's father was born.

In Exodus 13:17, "And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt."

The events of the Four Gospels of the Christian Bible take place almost entirely in this country, which in Christian tradition thereafter became known as The Holy Land.

Now, let's read on: Judea or Judæa is the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel, an area now divided between Israel and the West Bank (itself partly under Palestinian Authority administration and Israeli military rule).

The name Judea is a Greek and Roman adaptation of the name "Judah", which originally encompassed the territory of the Israelite tribe of that name and later of the ancient Kingdom of Judah. The area was the site of the Hasmonean Kingdom and the later Kingdom of Judah, a client kingdom of the Roman Empire. In modern times, the name "Yehudah" may be used by Hebrew speakers to refer to a large southern section of Israel and the West Bank, or in the combined term Judea and Samaria to refer specifically to the West Bank area south of Jerusalem.

The interesting thing about it all is that the Muslims claim this region to be theirs. Again, according to Wiki, the Qur'an mentions the term الأرض المقدسة (Al-Ard Al-Muqaddasah, English: "Holy Land") is mentioned at least seven times, once when Moses proclaims to the Children of Israel: "O my people! Enter the holy land which Allah hath assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown, to your own ruin." (Surah 5:21)

Why is that interesting? Because Mohammad, who was the prophet and founder of Islam, was born around 570 A.D. At that time, many people of the region still worshiped many gods despite the teachings of Christ (think Egyptians with their multiple gods). As he grew up, he became dissatisfied with polytheism and came to believe in one God, Allah. He apparently began to have religious visions around age 40. During these visions, Muhammad would receive "messages" or "revelations" from Allah. He would memorize them and teach them to his followers. These visions are now recorded in the Qur'an (or Koran). Muhammad continued to receive these visions and messages until his death in 632 A.D.

That's 600 years after the death of Christ. And Islam didn't really catch on right away. So really, the religion of "Islam" began rising in popularity more than a half a millennium after Christ. That's long after the Kingdom of Judah had been declared for the Jews. And long after God promised many things for the descendants of David who lived there. And most importantly, it was almost 700 years after the son of God came down and died on the cross for our sins.

And yet, what many fail to realize is that Islam came to be long after the Bible predicted that many "false prophets" would come and deceive people.

And for the millions and millions of Muslims in this world who still follow that false prophet and who are continuously terrorizing the people of King David (and who are continuously trying to take their land)... I only have one thing to say:

We who follow Christ and read the Holy Scriptures KNOW how this is going to end.

Please pray for Israel.

My widgets will be disappearing for a bit as I change up my layout. I'd like to delve back into writing for the first of the year, and thought that a fresh new background and easier-to-read font would be a great way to start.

Hang tight! And Happy New Year! It is my hope that 2009 is a year full of God's grace, mercy and blessings.

Merry Christmas, brothers and sisters!

I love this holiday. Christmas makes me feel peaceful... happy... joyous... compassionate...

But this holiday also makes me a little sad. Why? Because all around me I see people turning this holiday into something it's not. Christmas is not about consumerism, and retail store profits. Christmas is not about being politically correct, and making sure all songs/decorations are "PC." Christmas is not a time for racking up debt, buying presents that we can't afford.

Christmas is about the birth of our savior -- plain and simple.

Today is his birthday. Whether it's Jesus Christ's actual birthday or not remains to be seen. But we observe his birthday today, and rejoice in the one simple fact that God sent His son down to earth, to take punishment for our sins and die on the cross so that we can have eternity in Heaven. There are some folks who celebrate Christmas who aren't Christians. There are some who claim to be Christian but who don't recognize that Christ is their salvation, and they use this holiday for gifts, food, parties, etc. It's their freedom to do that, and their right as an American do observe and celebrate in any way they choose.

But I'll tell you one thing. This holiday is about salvation. It's about recognizing the birthday of this man who was crucified for us. If anyone celebrates today without acknowledging that fact, then they are missing the point. And not only are they missing the point of this holiday, but they are also missing the whole point of life. Every New Year that passes by that someone is not saved by Christ is another year wasted. Every day that goes by that you don't have the Holy Spirit is another risk that you take -- because today might be your last day on earth. Our lives here on earth are about one main point: Finding God through Christ. Anything else is just extra.

And if you're missing out on that one main point of salvation, then none of that "extra" counts. You can be as nice or as generous or as compassionate as you want, but you still do not have the ticket that earns you passage into Heaven when your life ends.

And at that point, when you've realized that you missed out on the one main point of life... you will then know that all the presents, lights, trees, decorations and treats were for nothing. Because none of that represented the true reason you were celebrating Christmas.

My Christmas wish for each and every one of you is this: For those of you who are Born Again and saved by Christ, may you be blessed and filled with His love this holiday season and in 2009. It's been an interesting year -- a tough one for some. But God is always with you, and He will guide you and give you wisdom so that you come through any difficulties that might come your way.

And for those who don't consider themselves to be "Born Again" know this: If you truly would like to celebrate Christmas the right way -- for the right reason -- ask Jesus into your heart. Just going to church every once in a while, or being baptized as a baby doesn't do it. The Bible clearly states that we have to "ACCEPT" Jesus Christ as our savior and "RECEIVE" the gift of salvation. It's the only way. Think of it like a Christmas present. It's not enough that someone bought it for you. You actually have to receive the gift, and accept it, and open it. Which means you physically must take a moment... pray to the LORD and acknowledge that you want Jesus Christ to come into your life and save you from your sins. In turn, you will be filled with the Holy Spirit. You'll be "tagged" so to speak, with a presence in your soul that will guide you throughout your life.

Do this, and I'll be seeing you in Heaven where they REALLY know how to celebrate. :o)

Peace, love and many blessings to you in the name of Christ...

Merry Christmas!

Hey, readers! I know it's been a long time since I've blogged. I was caught between the craziness of work (typical of this time of year in my business)... and the overwhelming news each day about our economy. What perplexing times we live in! One day it seems as if we've hit the bottom, and the next day the experts say that we haven't even seen the worst. People left and right are losing their jobs or getting hours cut. The word around the Detroit area -- even in the upper class neighborhoods -- is that things are really, really tough right now.

It's funny how God has a way of moving in your heart. Just as I reached a point where I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do or how I was supposed to feel, our pastor came through with a message that couldn't be better timed. Right now, our church is going through the book of Matthew, week-by-week. But this past week, our pastor interrupted the series to talk about the calamity of our economy and the fear surrounding the failure of the Big Three.

If you have a half-hour or so, I really urge you to watch this. Whether you're concerned about your finances... worried about your mortgage... scared about the future of the Big Three... or just interested to hear what's in store for us in the near future, watch this video. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and tune in.

And I promise -- I'll be back on a regular basis next week! Thanks for your continued readership. God bless!