The only viable pass into heaven

“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30, 31 NLT)

Halle...

“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:24, 25, 27, 28 NLT)

Confidence

Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens!
May your glory shine over all the earth. My heart is confident in you, O God;
my heart is confident.
No wonder I can sing your praises! Wake up, my heart!
Wake up, O lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn with my song. I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
May your glory shine over all the earth. (Psalm 57:5, 7-11 NLT)

The soul freedom a relationship with God gives

One of the more touching aspects of God's dealings with us, who by faith have begun a binding relationship with Him, turning from our sin, is that God is as close to us as we wish Him to be.
In our relationship with God He never moves; we, by our selfishness and sin, distance ourselves from Him. A loving Father, He chooses to remain ready to walk and talk with us. Our need is His priority. I'm so glad He does deal with us as children. We don't gain merit with Him for our performance-His concept of us is the same, we're cherished and welcomed. He relates to us on the basis of love. His passion is that we stay on path-inclined to live and breathe in all He has for us. As this is the general direction of our lives, He's pleased to look beyond our intermittent slip ups. Yes, these are violations of His law and love; but even these tend to make us more prone to please Him more consistently. The joy of reaching the secure realization that God deals with us on the basis of love, not our faithfulness to Him is no pass into sin. A truth so stabilizing and freeing is one that should makes us run in the way and worth of His steps; dying to reciprocate His love and not spit in His face by our fallen conduct. Yes, you'll stumble from time to time; but walking In His ways; you'll even start forgiving yourself and forgetting the times you've fallen for that is how He is with you.

But you are always the same;
you will live forever. The children of your people
will live in security.
Their children’s children
will thrive in your presence.” (Psalm 102:27, 28 NLT)

Seeing others changed starts with changing-yourself

Of all the challenges in marriage, being on the same page generally is probably one of the triggers of greatest friction between partners. I am so stocked to speak helpfully after having come together unitedly on a matter with my spouse. There is no better feeling than to feel your spouse experience breakthrough and experience being on the same page with your spouse in matters spiritual, parental, relational or other. Usually the wife tends to be the more spiritual of the two marriage partners. When this is the case, she usually lives waiting for her husband to come to breakthrough on matters important in their relationship. If the opposite is the case, the husband at times will wait for his wife to come to realizations which are important to their maintaining true union as a couple. Whatever the case, life in marriage can tend to tension and strain until one partner experiences a breakthrough realization. Until realized, marital communication between partners seems shallow and forced. While waiting for breakthrough in your partner-assuming you've come to a understanding you know your spouse must come to as well-it's important that you practice a few things. First, be the change that you desire in your spouse. Your example couple with timely, helpful words may be used of the Spirit to draw your spouse into God's better for them. Life is comprised of stages. Each of us are in different places. Your sensitivity to each other's timeline and potential for change in time will have great bearing on your marital relationship. Second, know your spouse doesn't resist change but does resist your changing them. As you live the reality God has morphed your heart with, your spouse may be wooed into living that reality too. Third, pray for grace to be humble and thankful for the change God's brought to you; but commit to embracing the slow, sure change God alone can bring to your spouse's heart. When we realize that God does a much better God of changing our friends than we do; we free God to do something that brings renown to His Name and real time change to them.

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,
we wait for you;
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts. (Isaiah 26:8 NIV)

Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." (Acts 9:40 MSG)

It wasn't just Tabitha singing "You raise me up" to God here but Peter as well. He was denying Jesus no more; now, he was raising others to life by Jesus' great name. God's highest joy is using weak people to man the unimaginable; it's time to rethink impossible.

And I'm an olive tree, growing green in God's house. I trusted in the generous mercy of God then and now. I thank you always that you went into action. And I'll stay right here, your good name my hope, in company with your faithful friends. (Psalm 52:8, 9 MSG)