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Shaun,

 DS>     I John 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin,
 DS>     because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning,
 DS>     because he has been born of God.

 SB> And this is where I fail, as a Christian. I continue to commit sins,
 SB> even after recieving His Gift. Perhaps this is why I no longer feel His
 SB> presence?

  The thing is, if you've done the one thing God requires...to believe on
The One He Has Sent, repented (changed your mind about sin), and asked
Christ to save you (and you're not just "going through the motions"), He
sees you as righteous as He is.

  We STILL have the sin nature, even after we're saved. As Christian singer
Amy Grant-Gill (she's married to Vince Gill now...and I understand she has
a heart condition), noted years ago..."we still wake up in the morning with 
body odor, bad breath, and the call of nature".

  Now, God's Grace is a "License To Serve", and NOT a "License To Sin".
All Christians have at least one area where they are particularly vulnerable.
Satan is known as "The Accuser Of The Brethren", basically "the prosecuting 
attorney" to show why "these phony Christians belong in Hell". There are a 
lot going through the motions...but Christianity is not a religion...it's a 
relationship with Jesus Christ. There are a large number of folks "playing 
church", but they've never asked Christ to save them. You can fool the 
preacher and everyone else, but The Lord sees and knows everything you're 
doing.

  Hal Lindsey, author of "The Late Great Planet Earth", "Satan Is Alive
And Well On Planet Earth", and "There's A New World Coming", noted in
one of his books, that in The Supreme Court Of The Universe, Satan
comes in with huge dossiers on everyone...especially the Christians.

  I will use myself as the "defendant here". For the Christian, Jesus
is "The Believers Defense Attorney". When Satan comes to testify
against me (and I'm a sinner, but a sinner saved by the Grace of God),
Jesus says to God The Father "Daryl believed on me in 1978. The 
forgiveness I purchased for him was applied to him at that time. This 
is our only plea". And, God The Father bangs the gavel down, and says
"Case Dismissed".

  I'll also note two songs:

1) What Sins Are You Talking About?? I Don't Remember Them Anymore.
2) What Can Wash Away My Sin?? Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus.

  Sadly, many churches won't preach on The Blood Of Jesus, The Old
Rugged Cross, Sin, and Repentance, because they're afraid it'll
offend their congregations. So, they just preach a "feel good,
prosperity gospel message", with no mention of the topics I just
noted. They're afraid the offering plates will dry up if they do.

  These are the ones who instead of being at The Bema Judgment Seat
Of Christ, will be at The Judgment Of The Great White Throne...and
pleading "Lord!! We prophesied, cast out demons, and did many
wonderful works in Your Name". And, The Lord will say to them "Who
Are You?? I Never Knew You At Any Time. Depart from Me, you workers
of evil".

  The Apostle Paul even noted "the things I know I should be doing,
and want to do...and the things I know I shouldn't be doing, I do.
Oh, wretched man that I am!! Who shall save me from the body of this
death??".

  Now, continuous unbroken tolerance of sins left and right, should
lead a person to question whether they have actually been born again,
spiritually. All of us have at least one skelton in our closets (some
have more), and God already knows all about them. But the Blood Of 
Jesus washed our sins away, into the sea of forgetfulness...and as 
the late missionary Corrie Ten Boom noted, "NO FISHING!!". Even one
sin NOT paid for would mean that Christ had not risen from the dead";
and as the Apostle Paul noted "we would be the most miserable of all
creatures". The Resurrection is God's Seal Of Approval on the Work
that Christ did on The Cross.

  Now, if a Christian continues in sin, the Holy Sprit will convict
them, and they will be "spiritually miserable". God will also do like 
a loving parent...and discipline His Children. 

  My church is doing a Bible Study in the book of Job right now, and 
his three friends (more like "frenemies" -- they seem like friends, 
but they are enemies) basically said "it's the sin you and your family 
has done, and you're getting what you deserve". What his friends didn't
see what that God asked Satan twice "Have you considered my servant
Job?? There is none like him on the Earth, that fears God, and shuns
evil". God permitted Satan to take everything Job had, but not to
kill him. In the end, God restored Job, and gave him twice as much
as he had before.

  1 John 1:9-10 notes "If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just 
to forgive us our sin, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we 
say we have no sin, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us".

  Romans 3:23 notes "For all have sinned, and fallen short of God's
Glory", and Romans 3:10 notes "There is none righteous, not one".
But, Romans 8:1 declares "There is NO CONDEMNATION to those in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit".

  Until we die, or are raptured, ALL Christians are going to have
to deal with their sin nature daily...there's no getting around it. 
But, when we sin (as we will), and we go to God, and humbly confess 
it, and ask for His Forgiveness, He will grant it. Besides, when 
Jesus died on The Cross, every sin that mankind would ever commit 
was paid for. Just before He died, He shouted "Tetelestai!", which 
translates to "It Is Finished". Basically, all of mankind's sins 
(except the sin of a person rejecting His Free Love Gift) were 
paid for. 

  Now, the carnal Christians may not have many (if any) rewards at 
the Bema Judgment Seat Of Christ, but they'll still be in Heaven;
even though they'll have nothing to present to The Lord. But, for 
the believer, the issue of sin, having been settled at The Cross, 
will NOT even be considered at the Judgment Seat Of Christ. This 
judgment, after the rapture of the church, ONLY examines the WORKS 
of the believers...and NOT the believers themselves. If it did, 
Heaven would be empty.

  I even saw a commentary recently, where this preacher "yelled at God"...
and I confess I've done that. The Scripture says that "God won't give 
us more than we can handle"...but after a car wreck and plumbing 
incident within 2 months of each other a year ago, I was beginning to 
wonder. I was literally in tears for a week, and when my cousin called 
on my birthday, I nearly hung up on her. It was the closest I ever got 
to considering suicide.

  It is OK for a Christian to be depressed...and Satan wants Christians
to feel like there are still "no good worms before God". John 3:18 notes
"He that believes on Jesus is NOT condemned...but he that doesn't believe 
on Jesus is condemned ALREADY". The thing is, Jesus lived the life we 
could not, and "He who knew no sin at all, became sin for us, so that we 
might become the righteousness of God in Him".

  Contempoary Christian Music artist Don Francisco, who did the great 
song "He's Alive", did one called "No Condemnation". Basically, he's 
sitting by his window on a rainy afternoon, thinking of all the sins he 
had done the night before...and he feels like "a useless no good worm 
before The Lord" Then, Jesus said to him "Satan the accuser has been 
whispering in your ear. You just tell him 'You're Forgiven', he has 
got no business here. Because it doesn't matter what you've done...it 
matters what you'll be. There is no condemnation, when The Son has set
you free". When I think of this, it brings tears to my eyes, and I think
of the chorus "How Marvelous! How Wonderful! And my song shall ever be!! 
How Marvelous! How Wonderful! Is My Saviour's Love For Me!!".

  He has given me many talents, including a Gospel Poetry Collection, 
with over 560 poems to His Glory. There are some secular ones on my 
hobbies, like the BBS (of course ), ham radio, and square dancing, 
and some tribute poetry for certain individuals in my life. The entire 
collection is on the web at http://www.wx4qz.net/swj.htm -- designed 
as a Ministry To The Saved, and a Witness To The Lost. 

  I used to do mini concerts when I sang in choirs years ago, but my 
declining health has put an end to that. After one concert, they wanted
to pay me, and I declined...saying they should use that money for the 
church. If someone is won to Christ through the poetry, that is more 
than enough pay for me. That is treasure I can lay up in Heaven...where
moth and rust don't destroy, and where thieves can't break through and 
steal. And, after one concert, they said "We didn't know you were going 
to preach to us". I replied "Well, it is right out of The Word Of God. 
You can't do any better than that!!".

  I can't write poetry...it's truly a gift from God...and I give Him all 
the Glory for it.

  Now, a person can choose to have The Lord Jesus pay their sin debt...or 
they can pay it themselves forever in The Lake Of Fire, where there is no 
escape. God is a Gentleman, and He will NOT force anyone to accept His Son. 
In short, if the believers ON Jesus, and NOT just IN Him are wrong...we 
won't lose much when we die. And, one day, we'll KNOW who is right.

  Also, I will note a lapel I saw on a church choir director years ago...
it was 2 question marks. I asked him about it, and this was his reply.

  "There are two questions I have to ask you. First, if you were to die 
within the next 60 seconds, would you know beyond the shadow of a doubt, 
that Heaven would be your home?? And, second, if you were standing before 
Almighty God right now, and He said 'Give me one reason WHY I should let 
you into My Heaven', what would you tell Him??".

  My answers would be "Yes", and "Because of what Jesus Christ did for me 
on The Old Rugged Cross Of Calvary".

  To me, if that's not good enough to get me into Heaven, nothing is. It's 
the least that I can do in gratitude and service to Him...as I could never 
repay Him for what He did for me. And, I'm sure other "true believers" would
echo what I said. Yet, you can NOT pray someone else into Heaven, or out of 
Hell. If they don't ask Christ to save them before they die, they're going 
to Hell by default. Plus, tomorrow...let alone the next 15 seconds...is
promised to no one.

  As 1 Corinthians 1:18 notes, "The Preaching Of The Cross is to those who 
die in their sins, foolishness. But, to the saved, it's the Power of 
Almighty God". In short, it's God's Creation, and His Rules. He made the 
Plan Of Salvation so simple, but many will reject it because of its 
simplicity. 

  When the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas "What must I do to be 
saved??", Paul replied "Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 16:31). 
Romans 10:9-10, 13 note "If you will confess with your mouth The Lord 
Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, 
you'll be saved. For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness, 
and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever 
shall call upon The Name Of The Lord shall be saved".

Daryl Stout == Isaiah 40:28-31 ==

... Life is fragile...handle with prayer.
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