Defeating Negative Thoughts

Subduing Self-Will

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9). Additionally, we are also commanded in (2 Corinthians 10:5) to "take every thought captive".

Brethren, we are not writing this message because we think it’s easy to control negative thoughts nor are we saying we have managed the technique of overcoming negative thoughts. Instead, we have learned to acknowledge the existence of evil thoughts and to align such thoughts in accordance with the expectation of our new life in Christ (Romans 12:2). Now whether we would acknowledge it or not, one thing is clear, we wilfully entertain all thoughts and decide either to reject it or to give expression to it. There are simply countless Christians who are battling to control negative thoughts they have about others and sadly many think this is not a sin. It is as much a bondage and punishable sin as any other sin we give expression to (Matthew 15:19; 5:28). Therefore, evil thoughts are not just influencing our attitudes towards others, it makes us walk contrary to our call in Christ.

Therefore, as humans we are and will always be subjected to decision making (Proverbs 5:22; Genesis 3:6; Matthew 21:22) which expresses our will and often there are benefits and consequences. As it is, since we naturally generate thoughts and sometimes allow some outside forces to dictate and influence our choices we will ultimately have to give an answer for our decisions and people either view us as wise, rude, easy, self-centred, complicated, moody, honest, kind, gentle, or loving to mention but a few and all these virtues and vices are based on the principle of choice.

Simply stated, a negative thought will precede our actions which give expression to our feelings. Does this not remind us of our recent moods article? Yes it does! Did it not start with what we were thinking and the objective thereof? Given to our experiences and teachings from the Lord Jesus Christ, negative thoughts has its roots either in lusts, self-gain, bad perceptions, bad experience, impatience, anger, grudges, hatred, unforgiveness, jealousies, suspicions, fear and even guilt to group but a few negative motives together (1 Corinthians 6:10; Romans 2:8).

Furthermore, the Lord has repeatedly warn us and some of our children not to allow bad thoughts to influence their sense of sound and godly judgment. What the Lord meant was if we accept a bad thought from the evil one and we act upon it, we become guilty of sin and our acceptance of it carries irreversible consequences (Genesis 3:1-19).

Praying And Seeking God

Now brethren, the Lord is not pleased with a Christian who allows negative thoughts to influence his or her feelings. By giving us a teaching on negative thoughts, we recall the Lord frequently warning some of our children and ministry members not to swear or hate people in their minds for that the Lord said was wickedness. Additionally, often some Christian folk have a quarrel because of a strong presence of the spirit of suspicion where someone is being falsely accused and I am sure quite a many of us fell foul to this. Furthermore, some divisions among believers are caused by negative thoughts that are driven by gossip and speculative suspicions. As a ministry, we often had to deal with such a spirit and the Lord in His Wisdom would always remind us to forgive and to bear with one another’s weaknesses (Colossians 3:13).

In conclusion, if we would at every thinking opportunity consider how the spirit which motivates us to accept negative thoughts influences our relationship with people around us and the Lord, we would be better prepared to resist the evil motives (as considered above) and accept the light of guidance from the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).

Now brethren, kindly answer these few questions honestly. Are you a fearful person? Do you often think bad things about others? Are past experiences bothering you? Do you have grudges and unforgiveness in your heart? If so, you need to repent, and pray a lot (Thessalonians 5:17) and ask the Lord to bless you with the Fruit of the Spirit (Luke 11:13; Galatians 5:22-23).

If you are not yet born again, please get started by praying this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed grace,
Brother Glenn

How Faithful Are You To God?

Being Caring is Proven by Faithfulness

The Bible says, “Faithful is He who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you]” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 AMP).

Also, “A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich [at any cost] shall not go unpunished” (Proverbs 28:20).

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit: “but the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, and Faithfulness….” (Galatians 5:22).

Brethren we must fear the Lord – He is Holy. If we who are being saved are so sinful, how much more the disobedient and unfaithful? (1 Peter 4:18).

Brethren, please bear with us here, is not my intention to highlight me here the Lord is the One who should get the Glory! Now, when I was around 10 years old I met our neighbor's son and he became my best friend. So day after day we would play together and share almost everything with one other. Being at that age, I knew I did not really know or understand faithfulness it was only later that I came to understand what faithfulness was. As most of us know, having a friend compels us to do our bit to  to prove our friendship and loyalty to our friends. Being children, we allow ourselves to be influenced by our friends even if we must steal things or rob others. In order to maintain our continued friendship we learned the value of confidentiality. That's why, when I was in trouble for things we did together, I dare not implicate my friend.

Furthermore, please allow me to share another incident. I was about 14 years old I received a digital watch as a prize for academic excellence at school, because of the love I had for my friend I often took off my watch and give it to him to put on for awhile or while we were playing and before we part ways he would give it back to me. A few days thereafter and on a rainy day he accidentally (I hoped so) dropped my watch in the running waters and without apologizing he handed me my watch saying, 'see it fell into the water'. Being moved with disappointment and being hurt I took my watch and I decided not to go tell my parents the truth as to why my watch stopped working. Again, on another occasion, one day I had a quarrel with another boy who was about our age for passing hurtful remarks to me which was meant as a joke but it was somewhat embarrassing me to which drew negative attention. As it was, I objected to that insult and boy who passed the bad remark threatened me with violence to which I retaliated and through the side of my right eye, I saw my best friend, Michael handing a knife over to the other boy to stab me and this really hurt me but God gave me the strength to endure that unfortunate moment.

I was totally shocked at that act of cowardice and I looked at Michael my best friend, and I asked him, “Is that how much you hate me you even willing to have me stabbed?” He thought I didn’t see him and he walked away smiling embarrassingly. However, we made up and continued with our friendship. About 10 years later, when we were both in our early twenties we (Michael and I) met again in Johannesburg. It was an emotional moment of re-union for us. As we discoursed, he shared with me what he was doing and he showed me what he had achieved in life, including his new friends. Having learned from others that I was saved and in a good job, he had one intention to show off and to display some superiority to who I came and what I achieved. I told him that I had become a born-again Christian, and that the Lord had also blessed me with a good job and despite the setbacks in my earlier ways. By then he drank and smoked and enticed me to do the same things, but I told him that I am a child of God. This led him to speak ill about me in my absence and later that evening, I gently rebuked one of his new friends and they reported it to him. Again, instead of diffusing the tension between us, he called me out for a fight. Being saved and born-again then, I didn't take him up on that challenge in stead I offered them my sincere apologies, while feeling hurt by this act of 'betrayal'.

Now Brethren, you might ask, why am I sharing this? I am trying to demonstrate  to you that human faithfulness is only lasts until you have nothing to more to offer it is then that people loses interest in you. As it were, I had nothing then to display or give to my friend like our junior years, so he despised me. This is a trustworthy observation; people show or prove loyalty when they can get something for themselves, and rarely because they care. Some people may care all the time for someone special to them, but only to satisfy their own need. Biblically, the Spirit of Faithfulness finds its root in love and it has a rich concern all the time to everyone. We might be faithful in our relationship to our spouses according to God’s word (Proverbs 5:15-23; 1 Corinthians 7:3-4; Hebrews 13:4),but we remain unfaithful in matters pertaining to our relationship to God (Matthew 7:24-27). We want to serve God for only what we can get from Him. Like my friend Michael, he was spoiled by the things I gave him and our friendship only had life while I could give him something. I did not understand faithfulness then. This might be just one incident but oftentimes people show loyalty, not faithfulness, to receive a due.

Love Defined Through Faithfulness

When we display the fruit of faithfulness, we should expect nothing back in return; in fact we are doing it for the benefit of others (Luke 17:10). If we do expect some credit in return, we would have acted from selfish motives to receive something (Matthew 6:2-3). Faithfulness is fueled by love, and love is expressed through unconditional giving without expecting anything back in return (John 3:16).

When we are faithful, self is excluded and the well-being of others is placed before ours. In our previous articles, I mentioned by saying that faithfulness is not a human value but a spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22). Like the other fruits of the Holy Spirit, we must choose daily and where needed, employ the fruit in obedience to the Lord. In other words, do I submit through a decision to display faithfulness, or do I ignore and regain my convenience in disobedience?

In addition, faithfulness gives honour to the recipient and values the other higher than ourselves (Philippians 2:3; Matthew 23:11). This is a principle of the Kingdom of God!

Does Faithfulness Complete Our Salvation?

To this, I say a resounding yes!!! As marriage is incomplete if there is no faithfulness, our union with Christ is incomplete or disrupted if there is no faithfulness (Matthew 24:13). Being the bride of Christ, the believer must submit to the Lord through obedience, and thus showing faithfulness and appreciation for our salvation (James 4:7). We show faithfulness to the Lord when we:

• Pray (Daniel 6:10; Psalm 55:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
• Read, study, and obey the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 2:2; Joshua 1:8; John 14:23-24)
• Witness to others (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8; Matthew 25:14-30)
• Love and forgive one another (John 13:34-35; Ephesians 4:32)

The above examples, plus the employment of the rest of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, completes our salvation. These might be considered as works, but how can faithfulness declared if these are absent? (Matthew 25:31-46). If you want to know what the Lord is talking to us through Charis every day apart from visions, He points us to the above.

Recently, the Lord rebuked someone who reads the Bible with commitment but not with a faithful heart, meaning read to ease our conscious and not read in submission and appreciation. If we don’t occupy our lives doing the will of God, we will be occupied by the devil, which brings worldliness to activate our fleshly desires. When we are faithful in our service to God, others are being ministered to and Christ is seen through our conduct and service to them (Acts 4:13). This is Godly fear; love the LORD not just through words, but through your faithfulness! Jesus Loves YOU!

Are you faithful in serving God? Are you praying, studying, obeying the Bible? Are you witnessing to others on the love of Christ? Are you loving and forgiving? To get you started, here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance, and for any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Brother Glenn.

God Is Well Pleased With A Humble Servant

Being Humble

“Likewise, you younger men [of lesser rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek their counsel]; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the servant’s apron], for God is opposed to the proud [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], but He gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5 AMP).

How God Taught A Pastor Humility

A few years ago, I attended a Church service in Hillbrow, Johannesburg to listen to a Pastor’s testimony after he and a team of missionaries returned from visiting another African country. In his address to the congregation, the pastor described in detail the humble way of life of the locals, he complained about the type of food, the straw bedding, clay utensils, and the condition of the houses with no ablution facilities. By reliving his experience, the pastor explained jokingly how he would get up during the night and complaining bitterly against God saying, ‘God, I am not impressed with you for allowing me to live in these conditions, was it for this that you send me here?’ In addition, he further explained how resentful his heart grew against God and that he longed the comfort of his home and to be away from his God ordained assignment.

However, as he narrated his experience the pastor sensed the love of the Lord for all people, despite their socio-economic circumstances. He also realised how the rich and powerful often forgets the plight of the very poor and needy avoiding their company or being unable to render a service to them. Being greatly moved by the Lord, the contentment and appreciation the pastor saw in the eyes and faces of the locals made him feel even guiltier for acting like such an ungrateful spoilt-brat. Holding back his tears of not only having seen hardship with contentment (1 Timothy 6:8), but also experiencing hardship the pastor opened his heart to the Lord and humbled himself to serve and endure for the remainder of his service to the needy there.

A Front Of False Humility

Now, being humble is not a matter of talk but it is a real hearts condition (Philippians 2:5-8; Matthew 20:26-28). To be humble requires us to be patience, tolerant, merciful, and forgiving and to be full of abundant love and I know we humans fail this test. What renders this true is that we often consider what others would think of us (our social class) if we serve them in the name of the Lord. Brethren, let me truthfully share with you, the moment we become aware that our work in the Lord is burdensome and we despise those we serving it is no longer for the Lord we doing it for or serving but for our own interest to receive recognition (Matthew 6:1-21).

Additionally, we have observed how the ‘people taking advantage theory’ puffed up some Christians; in fact their ‘humility’ is more a facade or an act than an actual Christ like heart condition of serving others. As it is, such Christians always feel ‘robbed’, they feel they are burdened and doing more than what they are supposed to do. Thus my ever complaining brother or sister ask yourself, are you really doing enough? Or should we not be the carriers of God’s renewed, invigorated and unconditional love that is ready to give and serve to fulfil the longings of a needy person(s) so that they feel the effect of a ‘touched by God’ experience (Lamentations 3:22-23; Matthew 25:31-40).

Furthermore, given to the Lord’s Judgement of the righteous and the wicked in the book of (Matthew 25:31-40), we should not think for a moment that those who will be standing on His right hand side will be there without merit, having heard and experienced the Lord ourselves as a family and ministry, we can tell you the good and Godly deeds of a true Christian is well followed and sealed by the Lord (Hebrews 6:10; Acts 10:31). Moreover, we implore you dear brethren not to just live for the moment and think this day of reckoning and blessing will never come, in fact that DAY is definite and that DAY is earmarked to either shame us or to exalt us in the Presence of the Lord and all those present (Matthew 25:31-40).

We give Either Our All Or Nothing

From our experiences with the Lord, we can add that it greatly displeases Him when a Christian complains to do something for Him. Sometime ago, the Lord assigned somebody in our ministry to do something for Him and at first the individual went about the Lord’s tasks willingly and with great enthusiasm thinking it might end sooner. As the person continued in his tasks and see that this has been going on for a good number of months, the brother concerned started losing interest in his tasks. As a reminder, the Lord rebuked the brother for being disobedient and that his commitment in doing the Lord’s tasks had no specified timeframe.

As it was, the Lord reminded the brother that his service to those he was called to serve was not just for them, but for Him (Matthew 25:40). Like we said, such lack of humility hurt the Lord and this led Him (The Lord Jesus Christ) to tell the brother not to continue in the tasks the Lord gave him. How sad! Now just how many Christians do we know who commits themselves to serve others in ministry, giving or in any other service in the name of the Lord only for them to ‘chicken out’. For the Bible reminds us that, “Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62 GNB). Now brethren, we learned from the Lord that humility should be applied to our commitment to serve (Romans 12:3-8). If we use ‘clever’ reasoning to justify our lack of commitment to the service we were called to do, God knows the real reasons of our heart and He will expose our feeble humility that had no roots in love (1 Corinthians 16:14).

In conclusion, Do you see a brother or sister pursuing his fellow brethren in Christ for his or her own benefit without regard for the Lord? That is reflective of a selfish and unloving Christian who derives pleasure in humiliating others. Do you hear or see a brother or sister having an answer to everything to showcase superiority? Well, they are driven by self-interest and what matter is their gain. Do you see a brother or sister in Christ being impatient and pushy? Hmmm, that is an expression of NO respect for others! Can such dastardly behaviour be equated to humility? Never! Christ our Lord died to free us from sins and self-exaltation and to have His Peace (Colossians 3:15-17).

Have you given up on being humble? Repent and pursue humility, for the Scriptures say only the humble will be exalted (Matthew 23:12). Don't you want that? For those who are not yet born again, please pray this Prayer of Sincere Repentance to get you started. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

With Love

Brother Glenn

Fearing The Hidden World Of Our Hereafter

Why Are We Fearing Death

 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).


For the  past few weeks, the Lord has heavily burdened me to reflect on the spirit of death and our natural fear of it. Please read on as we are sharing that the journey of death need not be feared by any born again Christian, but yes it becomes a dreadful thing to the unsaved (John 8:24; Revelation 21:8).

As human beings, our most common fear and enemy is death (1 Corinthians 15:26). Death is experienced daily, and oftentimes it happens unexpectedly and without warning. It comes upon human life a thief (Luke 12:20). Death is like an accident; though we may expect it to happen any time, it often (if not always) catches people totally unprepared. Readiness for the event of death is best expected and celebrated if we wait for it in Christ (Philippians 1:21). Some people choose to talk about death in preparation and expectation, while many others, out of a superstitious fear of inviting it earlier, avoid any talk of death.

During one of our witnessing rounds some time ago, I shared the gospel while handing out tracts to a few young men. One of them lividly voiced his position telling me that what I talked about could not be true since I never saw Jesus, nor did I know if there was life after death. I explained to him that the message of the Bible is to be taken by faith, and if it is not taken by faith, then we would have no hope (Hebrews 10:23). Furthermore, I also shared with him that I am convinced that Christ is real and that there was life after death, while recalling some of my own experiences with the Lord, and a near death experience I had when I had breathing problems after overdosing on marijuana back in the early 1990’s (I briefly shared my testimony of deliverance from smoking in the article, Deliverance Through Jesus Christ - Part 1). After sharing my testimony with him he could not advance his argument, so he attacked the Bible, and at that point I just blessed him and encouraged him to read the tract.

At the heart of the Christian message and the gift of salvation is God’s gift of eternal life (John 3:16-18). The Lord Jesus Christ came to tell you, and all humanity, that your death is certain:” … I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance”. That is, if we would only believe and accept God’s gift (John 10:10).

Man’s Sin Leading to Death

Brethren, I know this particular subject has been thoroughly dealt with by many fine scholars and ministers of the gospel. Therefore, for the benefit of this article and considering those who never read the accounts of the fall of man from a biblical perspective we briefly relate it here.

In the Bible record of the temptation and fall of man (Genesis 3:1-24), God commanded Adam and Eve, our first ancestors, not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. After eating from the forbidden tree, Adam and Eve lost their innocence before the Lord God as guilt and shame plagued their conscience (Genesis 3:8-11). Prior to them eating from the tree, Adam and Eve enjoyed a perfect life totally with the Lord God: guilt-free, carefree and fearless (Genesis 2:15-25). As it is,after the fall this guilt, shame and fear possessed the entire human race until One from above came who was sinless, guilt free and fearless to take away our guilt and God’s anger (Isaiah 53:4; John 3:31; 1:29). "But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many" (Romans 5:15).

Therefore, man’s violation of God’s law led to death, and God’s solution was peace through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). Through Christ, our fear of death has been absolved (John 11:25); this is the hope of all Christians who walk in fear of God daily.

The Lord Confirmed Life After Death

Last weekend my family and I attended a funeral for one of my beloved aunts. We had a close relationship; she was like a mother to me, as she helped my mother raise my sister and I when my father was in prison. So I was deeply saddened her passing. She died after suffering a stroke along with with many other internal complications. For the approximately three months that she was bed-ridden, she literally wasted away. Even though the stroke robbed her of her speech, we could still understand some of her murmuring, especially when she called names of individuals, and while begging for mercy and even death to be delivered from the suffering.

When we visited her on December 30, 2014, I asked her if I should pray for her healing. She responded by raising her right arm towards the roof while rolling her eyes upwards indicating to me that she preferred to die; she refused healing.  Later on, I sadly learned from the Lord that she did not have faith. At that point, I asked her if she wanted to accept the Lord in her life and she declined, indicating a "no" by shaking her head sideward.  During our various visits to her, I encouraged her to read her stop drinking, start reading her Bible and some of the tracts I would leave with her, forgive those who wronged her, and make her life right with God. The weeks leading to her death were marred with excessive screaming and calling of some dead people's names.

It is important to know that God gives perfect peace to those who trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3), but there is no peace or rest for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22). During my aunt's excessive screaming and calling for deceased, people, she had no peace. You may recall our testimony regarding Aunt Lily. Well, in her state of having no peace, this aunt reminded and pleaded with me to go and pray for Aunt Lily.

Before I proceeded to pray for her, I cautioned her that only the Lord decides on whether she must live or die (Luke 12:20). Since I could not pray for her healing or for her death, I asked the Lord to exercise His will and to have mercy on her. As it is, seven (7) days after praying for her, the Lord gave me a vision on January 7, 2015, that He had granted her request and that she was going to die. I was shown in a prophetic vision people gathering at her house and I heard the Lord say: “My daughter Joyce (not real name) is no longer in this life”.  The Lord confirmed this same thing to one of my daughters that very same evening in a dream.

You may note that the Lord did not say she was dead but "no longer in this life", meaning she has gone to another life. After considering this vision, I called my aunt's granddaughter on the phone and informed her of the Lord’s decision. I asked to speak to my aunt as well, telling her that death was imminent. Since she could not speak properly but murmured words, the granddaughter told me she shook her head saying she was afraid to die, while I heard her crying and sobbing. I comforted her that the Lord was on the other side waiting for her and that she needs not fear death. After praying for her, I further encouraged her to repent of her guilt and forgive those who wronged her (Luke 6:37; Matthew 6:12). Exactly twenty one (21) days after this vision we received word that she went on to the other life.

Brethren, as a family and ministry, we prayed over several weeks and asked the Lord after a three-day fast which side of the afterlife she went to (Heaven or Hell). This morning (February 16, 2015) around 5:00 AM,  I received an answer to this prayer, and this is what the Lord revealed in a short vision. In my desperation for my aunt's salvation, I had prayed every day for her deliverance, healing and salvation. The worst tragedy for any person who dies without Christ, and who never attended church or read the Bible, is that  they find it very hard to love God and to fear Him (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). This is a very dangerous position to be in! We must never underestimate the value of BIBLE READING and obedience to God's commands and instructions. These drive away sin, replacing it with a desire to obey God and do right.

Vision of My Aunt's Eternal Destiny

Given to Brother Glenn on February 16, 2015 around 5:00 AM

"I found myself standing in a very dim and untidy room with clothes and things strewn all around. Suddenly, my deceased aunt entered the room shabbily dressed and called me in Afrikaans, as was her custom, using my nickname and saying, "B...Kom, kom ek wil ook nou Bybel lees" (Come, come I also want to read Bible). When she called me, I was frightened to get closer to her, and as she got closer to me I could smell a very foul stench that I cannot explain emanating from her (Isaiah 3:24). I bent down to reach for a cardboard box in front of me, looking for a Bible to give her. After searching through the various items lying all around, I came across a Bible with a black cover, but I was not able to give it to her. The vision ended at that point."

Brethren, I was hesitant to share some of the details here, knowing that some people would label me insensitive, and some will even mock us and regard this vision as false. However, I have permission from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to share and WARN you all. Everyone who dies without seeking His forgiveness and repenting of their sins, including mockers, unbelievers and worldly Christians, will end up in hell! While the Lord did not show me that she was literally in the flames of Hell, the vision above is confirmation that she did not make it to Heaven.

Right now. while you are still alive and well, is the time to stock up on spiritual oil for your lamps, so that you are not afraid of eternity, but are ready when the Lord Jesus returns or death calls, whichever happens earlier (Matthew 25:1-13):

"For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness" (Psalm 95:7-8; Hebrews 3:7-15).

Jesus Christ, Our Risen Savior, Our Hope

The Lord Jesus Christ is our eternal hope, "...who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10). Even though many people today deny the resurrection of the dead and judgment, this kind of thinking is not new, and indeed even in the days of Paul there were such people (1 Corinthians 15:12). In response, Paul boldly asserted:

"But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable (1 Corinthians 15:13-19).

In Christ, not only will we be alive after death (1 Corinthians 15:22), but death itself will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26), being cast eternally into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). After death has been destroyed forever, the Lord will comfort His chosen people, removing all shame, reproach and disgrace they suffered for His name (Isaiah 25:8)—"The Lord will wipe every tear from (our) eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things (will have) passed away" (Revelation 21:4). We

Avoiding Eternal Death

The Bible message about victory over death through Christ Jesus is not fictional; it is real! (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). Your fear of death could be turned into joy if you believe and accept God’s gift and Christ’s victory over death for your freedom from it. Without the Lord Jesus, whom both the Bible and historical accounts acknowledge as having died and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:6), you would have reason to fear death. In Christ we believe in the hope of receiving eternal life; He took our guilt, and we know guilt stimulates fear, and that fear is death (1 John 4:18). The fear of the Lord and word of God is a well of life, to keep a man from death and save one from the nets of death (Proverbs 13:14; 14:27). As we continue to seek and follow the Lord faithfully, we can look forward to the following:

He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:8-9).

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory ”(1 Corinthians 15:54).

In conclusion, are you still afraid of death? Are you one of the few living your life holy, partaking of the heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1) and walking on the narrow path that leads to everlasting life (Matthew 7:14); or are you among the many who embrace friendship with the world (James 4:4) and are walking on the wide highway that leads to destruction? (Matthew 7:13). Rest assured that "...the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29).

If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and escape the snares of death, please get started by praying this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Blessed grace and peace in Christ,
Brother Glenn and Preparing For the Kingdom Ministry Team.