From the Bleachers to the Team

Scripture actually says Jesus is in heaven right now preparing a place for those who will receive Him. It even says He’s building mansions for us and the streets are paved with gold! (See John 14:2 and Revelation 21:21.) He knows all of the desires in your heart, so whatever you like, He will make sure you get it in your home up there! If you prefer a log cabin style, I’m guessing He’s got amazing cabin mansions up there. If you like beach homes, you’ll have the most stunning one you’ve ever seen. God desires to lavish His love on you for eternity! You are his heart’s desire!

If you have never asked Jesus into your heart, all you do is ask Him to forgive your sins, and invite Him into your life. He will help you to love yourself and love others. Romans 10:13 says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” You can even pray this right now:

 

Dear God, I believe in my heart that Jesus is Your Son. He died on the cross for me, and You raised Him from the dead. Jesus, please forgive me. I invite You into my heart to be my Lord and Savior. Please make Yourself real to me and help me live for You. Amen.

 

If you prayed this from your heart, your name has now been written as a citizen of heaven according to the Bible. Scripture says angels are rejoicing over your soul. When you pass on from this earth someday, you now have the promise of eternity in Heaven with Jesus and all of God’s family!

It’s up to us to make the choice to receive Jesus and to be a vessel of God’s honor. According to 2 Timothy 2:20-22,

 

In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

 

God’s holiness comes to live in us when we invite Jesus into our heart. (See 1 Corinthians 6:19.) Since we as believers have been made a temple (a house) for God’s Holy Spirit, we can now live through His strength. Instead of conforming to the way everyone else acts, we can transform our heart and mind each day through His Word.

 

We have a friend who is a great example of this! We will call her Jane. She grew up in a home where she and her siblings were continually devalued through deep criticism from their father. Then her mother passed on when she was eighteen.
 
Jane told us she used to suffer from depression and anxiety so intense that she would get huge welts all over her body. Doctors prescribed medications, and psychiatrists tried to help her resolve her pain, but nothing helped.
 
Then one day a friend gave her a magazine which talked about the love and power of Jesus like nothing she had ever heard before. She committed to make Jesus the leader of her life, rather than just an acquaintance on Sunday mornings. Or you could say, she moved from the bleachers to actually being on the team. She dug into His Word and began applying what it said. She chose to stop believing the lies she had been told all of her life, saying she wasn’t good enough. Instead, she came to believe in who God says she is.
 

When she chose to believe God’s love, she started having breakthroughs! She stopped believing she was a failure and started believing she had a new life in Christ. The depression left when she refused to entertain those old thoughts, the welts on her body disappeared, and her relationships improved immensely!

 

Jane has become the woman God called her to be and is now fulfilling her God-given destiny. She is a great wife, mother, and friend who is uplifting, confident, and trustworthy. Through the help of God, she changed what she believed about herself in her heart. King Solomon stated it perfectly when he said, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). When we allow God to heal our own heart, we can then be a minister of His healing to those around us.

 


^