| Part 13: God's Desire For You |
Once I’ve accepted Christ, what does God want me to do?
In a nutshell—Demonstrate your faith.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6)
When you genuinely accept Jesus inwardly with a sincere heart, then it manifests action and is evidenced outwardly. For example, if you “believe in your heart” that it’s going to rain, then you’ll take an umbrella. Similarly, God wants to see your behaviours reflect your beliefs thereby evidencing that your faith is genuine.
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)
How do I demonstrate my faith?
1) Obey the Ten Commandments (the Law) (Exodus 20:1-17)
You should start by evaluating your life to ensure your obeying God’s instructions:
- You shall have no other gods before me.
- You shall not make for yourself a carved image (idols).
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day (Saturday), to keep it holy.
- Honour your father and your mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness (lie).
- You shall not covet.
When asked “which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
So who is “your neighbour”? Jesus provides us with a scenario to illustrate this point in Luke 10:29-37 where He depicts a seriously injured man by the side of the road. Several people simply walk by ignoring the man’s obvious needs before a Samaritan stops to provide him assistance. Jesus then identifies the “neighbour” as that Good Samaritan who “showed mercy on him” because he responded to the situation in the same manner as a neighbour of the injured man would.
So to “love your neighbour as yourself” means that in the same way we would take care of ourselves and are concerned about our own needs, we should likewise take care of and have concern for the needs of others.
By just applying these two commandments of love, you will always be adhering to the Ten Commandments, which prompts the question: How does God define love?
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
Showing love to others is a reflection of Jesus, and an essential quality to maintain in order to be pleasing to God.
“…though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor…but have not love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2-3)
Do you know anyone that you can demonstrate the love of Christ to?
It’s important to note here that one cannot obtain salvation just by following the Ten Commandments. Their purpose is not to provide salvation but rather to make us recognise that nobody can perfectly obey God’s Law (Romans 7:7-8; Ecclesiastes 7:20) demonstrating that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and are therefore in need of God’s forgiveness, mercy and grace to obtain salvation.
2) Read God’s Word and Pray (Matthew 6:5-15)
Once you have these commandments in your heart, go deeper with God. Seek Him daily so that you may be “transformed” by the Holy Spirit through the “renewing of your mind”, which is the “will of God” that can only be achieved through reading His Word in the Bible.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
God states that you need nothing more than His inspired Word that you may be “complete, [and] thoroughly equipped for every good work”.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
If you don’t have a Bible, you can read the Bible online or download the mobile app. We recommend the New King James Version (NKJV) as it’s widely recognised as one of the most accurate translations. We also highly recommend you read the Rules of Biblical Interpretation before beginning as they are absolutely crucial to obtaining an accurate understanding of God’s Word.
The Bible is God’s inerrant Word to you, which once accepted and implemented in your life, bears fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). So when you see these qualities developing in your life then you can be sure that you’re going in the right direction.
Pray regularly and sincerely. The only way to please God is through obedience to His Word (Hebrews 11:6). The ninth commandment is do not lie, so be open and honest in your prayers with a sincere and thankful heart. God already knows all your needs, sins, thoughts, desires and motives (Matthew 6:8). So open your heart to him in every hidden detail, because you can’t be forgiven if you don’t first confess it to God. He is waiting to forgive you in the very moment you confess it to Him and ask for forgiveness.
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)
God declares that we are made righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22), a righteousness that is evidenced in our lives when we have genuine faith. In order that your prayers may “avail much” you need to ensure they are effective (or unhindered) and fervent (having a passionate intensity of spirit). If it’s not important enough for you to pray fervently about, then you can’t expect God to consider it important enough to answer either.
Hindrances to Prayer
The more closely you align your life with the perfect example of Jesus Christ the more your prayers will be heard and answered by God. There are several elements that will render your prayers ineffective, closing Gods ears to them. These include:
- Failing to address the sin in your life (Psalms 66:18)
- Failing to spend time in the Word of God (John 15:7)
- Failing to pray in faith, expecting God to answer (Matthew 21:22; James 1:5-7)
- Failing to ask due to a spirit of self-dependence (James 4:2)
- Failing to ask with right motives, supplicating in accordance with God’s will (James 4:3)
- Failing to ask persistently, enduring until answered (Luke 18:1-8)
- Failing to forgive others (Mark 11:25-26)
- Failing to intimately approach God in prayer (Matthew 6:5-8)
- Praying in vain repetitions or cultic ritual (Matthew 6:7; Romans 10:2-3)
- Failing to treat your spouse according to God’s Word (1 Peter 3:1-7)
Unanswered prayer is always due to our failures, not Gods. If you strive to maintain your life and prayers in accordance with the above requirements of God, you can be assured that He will act on your behalf because He states that His Word “shall not return to Me void” (Isaiah 55:11).
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15)
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24)
3) Save the souls of others
When the disciples saw Jesus for the first time after His resurrection, He gave them the single most important task that they should be doing, he said:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19)
What is a disciple and how can I become one?
A disciple is someone that follows the Word of God in their own life and actively seeks to show others the truth of God, so they too will be saved and escape eternal condemnation. Following God’s Word by sharing it with others shows your appreciation for what Jesus has done for you and displays your love for both God and others, the greatest command of all.
Now given the fact that you’re living in the Tribulation where an overt declaration of faith in Jesus Christ will likely result in persecution or even death, you will need to be very careful and discretely spread the truth of God. God expects you to plant the seed of His Word in unbelievers and to water the seeds that you or others have planted, by ministering and encouraging other believers; but it is God who will grow those seeds.
“So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labour.” (1 Corinthians 3:7-8)
Given that everyone on the planet is in the same position as you, one of the most powerful ways you can share God’s word is by disseminating this information. You can privately provide it to those close to you and publically share it anonymously anywhere you can. Print it out and put it in your neighbour’s letterbox, mail it to random people in regions that don’t have internet access or share it online.
For Your Security: As this site will quickly be taken down, you will need to share the pdf copy you’ve downloaded. You can share this pdf online with complete anonymity by using OnionShare, which is a free service that utilises encrypted anonymising networks to generate a unique file sharing link that you can post on any (non-login) site you wish. Then anyone can download from that link with 100% anonymity for both you and them. This software is so secure that even WikiLeaks uses it.
However this method will only be anonymous initially because once the Antichrist becomes the dominant world power he will likely infiltrate such anonymity organisations by force in order to identify users. The only truly anonymous method thereafter will be by physical mail. However be mindful that he may even attempt to thwart this avenue too; most international mail is weighed and x-rayed, so vary the size and contents of your letters to avoid easy detection.
Why is it so important to share God’s Word?
Because it gives eternal life to all who choose to receive it. But you can’t receive something if it’s not first given by another (Romans 10:14; Romans 10:17). In fact God deems His Word so important that He values it above all else, even His own name (Psalms 138:2).
And for good reason, consider how important this information has been to you; it’s equally important to those who are perishing, they just don’t know it yet. Remember that Jesus will judge you at the end of the Tribulation according to how your works evidence your faith over the next seven years. When you share God’s Word you are seeding a lost soul and also bearing fruit for yourself. The more you seed, the greater your reward in heaven.
“For everyone to whom much [knowledge of God] is given, from him much [action] will be required…” (Luke 12:48)
This is especially important during the first 3 ½ years. This is the only window of opportunity you will have to ensure that the maximum number of people receives the knowledge of the truth before the mark of the Beast is introduced, lest they are “destroyed for lack of knowledge”.
Consider if you were one of those people without the means to receive this information electronically. How grateful would you be in heaven to the one who showed enough love for you to take the time to send you a printed copy? Without doubt, eternally so. Don’t miss the bigger picture here, your situation is temporarily difficult, but you will soon be in eternal glory. For those without this knowledge, it’s eternally horrifying. Yet right now, you hold in your hands the ability to save them from certain destruction. Remember, there are no second chances.
Jesus has given us the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) to explain this point. A talent is a Greek unit of measure, usually monetary and represents God’s Word. Those who sow it into the hearts of others find that it multiplies in new believers. Those who study it find that their own understanding grows, multiplying their faith.
But those who ignore God’s Word find that it’s like burying it in the ground. They heard the truth but failed to accept and act upon it, condemning them as unbelievers, to be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 25:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:10).
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
Where should I start? Obviously online is a great avenue but don’t forget the billions of people in less developed countries that don’t have internet access and can only be seeded by physical mail. Or those in a similar position who have internet access but lack the freedom of information online, such as the oppressed souls in countries like China, India, Viet Nam, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The 1.4 billion people in China are so heavily oppressed that they live in an electronic vault, nothing gets in without governmental approval (even text messages) and it’s all blocked in real time.
There are some 3.3 billion people in the aforementioned countries that desperately need this information, yet have no way to receive it. But you can help by printing the language specific version and mailing it to random addresses. The more you can send out, the better. Remember, the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of your recipients to continue sharing your gift. Sending a single copy can result in countless souls being saved, and you will personally know each and every one of them in heaven.
Note: If the rapture happens before we get all the translations done, you could make a huge impact by having the English PDF copy professionally translated and distributing it online (or in print) within that language's geographical regions. What a powerful disciple you would be for Christ!
In the next part we will conclude this study and give you some practical steps that you should be taking to survive the next seven years under the regime of the Antichrist.
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