Advocate for Christ

The best life is a God First life

Category: Accountability (Page 1 of 3)

No Excuses before Our Eternal Judge The Greatest Opportunity - Eternal Life

No Excuses Before the Eternal Judge

August 1, 2026 / / 0 Comments

We will all stand before God, and when we do, is there any excuse we can give to justify our rejection of God’s Grace and His Son’s Sacrifice? Is there any acceptable reason we can offer our eternal Judge as to why we followed our own ideas and desires rather than His intent for us?

—NOT, from anything I’ve read.

I once thought I could claim ignorance; however, God knows our hearts and would know if my actions were willful or truly ignorant. He knows if I study or just accept what I’ve been told. How stupid to think I could claim ignorance at judgment?

Knowing our Hearts means God knows the real reason behind every decision we make. Nothing is hidden from God! We will be judged according to God’s Word, so shouldn’t we get to know God through His Word? (John 12:48)

Every moment in this world, we choose to follow God or evil; there is no in-between. God wants us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and others as Christ loved us. (Mark 12:30, John 13:34-35) Why? Because this is not only our pathway to eternal life, it’s also how we obtain peace in our hearts that surpasses understanding in this life. Yes, God has extended His Grace to all who will take up the cross and follow Jesus. This means keeping His commandments, not our ideas, but what does His word say. (John 14:15, 1 John 2:3-5)

This is the Greatest Opportunity ever offered to mankind—“Eternal Life in Heaven.” Forever in God’s presence.

What an honor!

It’s hard to understand why so many of us trample on rather than respond with gratitude to all of God’s Love by giving God all of ours, but at one time, I was guilty of this very response. 🙁

God Breathed Scripture tells us exactly how to accept God’s Grace, how to follow Jesus and keep His commandments; it gives us our pathway to heaven, but none of it happens by osmosis; we must hear God’s Word, Believe, Repent (turn away), from our sins, Confess Jesus as God’s Son, and be Baptized (immersed in water), for the purpose of having our sins forgiven as stated in Scripture. (I provide these Scriptures in the hope that you will not just take my word but rather study for yourselves. Open your Bible and read the scriptures God gave us).

References

  • John 14:1-31 (the way, keep commands)
  • Philippians 4:7 (peace)
  • Revelation 3:16–17 (lukewarm)
  • Hebrews 4:13; 1 Samuel 16:7; Jeremiah 17:10, Matthew 6:24; Revelation 3:15-16

Hear the Gospel: Romans 10:17, John 8:32

Belief/Faith: Hebrews 11:1, John 8:24, Romans 10:17, Acts 3:19

Repentance: 2 Cor. 7:9-10, Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30

Confess Christ as God’s Son: Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 10:32-33, Luke 12:8-9

Baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sin: Matthew 16:15-16, 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Matt 28:18-20, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12, Acts 8:36-39, Mark 1:9-10, John 3:23

God’s Word has the answers!

God First!

Our Lives But a pencil dot on the timeline of Eternity

Life’s Pencil Dot: Our Choice to Follow Christ into Eternity

July 25, 2026 / / 0 Comments
  • – God is real
  • – Jesus is real
  • – The Holy Spirit is real
  • – Heaven is real
  • – Our souls are real
  • – Eternity is real
  • – Satan is real
  • – Hell is real
  • – Your Soul’s place for eternity is real.

Our lives are but a pencil dot on the timeline of eternity, yet a pencil dot so essential that God gave His only Son so that each of us might have eternal life in heaven. Many things are unseen by our eyes, yet real. The evidence surrounds us; hundreds of fulfilled prophecies over centuries appeal to our logical minds as proof. God-breathed Scripture shares all God wants us to know. It is written with God’s inspiration through the Holy Spirit by many authors and is uncontradictory because it is all from God.

“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” James 4:14

Psalm 39:4-5, Psalm 90:4-10, John 3:16

  • “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” John 3:36
  • “So those who received His word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” Acts 2:41
  • …the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10
  • “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
  • “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15
  • “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6.

God First!

To Tolerate Everything Is To Stand for Nothing: Why We Must Teach Our Children to Care and Stand for Righteousness — God First!

July 20, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Pursuing “the right things” only matters to those who care. We need to teach our children to care so they will want to stand up for what is right. When we fail to take a stand and do nothing, we teach our children apathy, which is the same as teaching them that wrong is okay; look the other way. IT’S NOT!

Doing wrong doesn’t matter to the unconscientious, so we must train our children to be conscientious, to care. We need to teach righteousness in our homes and by our examples. The best source for lessons in righteousness, love for others, and selflessness is God’s Word.

Training Children in Righteousness

  • Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.“
  • Deuteronomy 6:6-7 – “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”
  • Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.“
  • 2 Timothy 3:15-17- “and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (emphasis added)

Rejecting Apathy

  • James 4:17 – “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
  • Proverbs 24:11-12 – “Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?

Not Tolerating Evil

  • Ephesians 5:11 – “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;” (emphasis added)
  • Revelation 3:15-16 –‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.’

Caring for Others & Christ’s Attitude

  • Philippians 2:3-5 – Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,“

Putting God First

  • Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

God First!

With God's help, today's challenges are tomorrow's victories!

Do not be confused, be wise instead

July 11, 2026 / / 0 Comments

With God’s help, today’s challenges are tomorrow’s victories!

Do not be confused, be wise instead; study and pursue the will of God as if your soul’s future depends on it because it does. You cannot follow Jesus if you don’t understand the conditions. “Then Jesus told his disciples, 

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?“”

You cannot do God’s will if you don’t know His will.

Satan wants us to believe that good is evil and evil is good.

Through the study of God’s Word, we gain understanding, and with understanding, faith, and discernment and how to obtain eternal salvation and help our loved ones to do the same.

  • Matthew 16:24-26
  • Romans 12:2 
  • Ephesians 5:17
  • Psalm 119:105
  • Proverbs 3:5-6
  • Isaiah 5:20
  • Proverbs 13:20
  • Proverbs 15:21
  • Philippians 1:9–10
  • Hosea 14:9
  • Romans 10:17

God First!

It is better to be closed minded to the words of mankind than to be close minded to the Word of God God's Word is Eternal

Be closed-minded to Mankind, not God

July 5, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Are we willing to unlearn to learn more? Sometimes, this is precisely what we need to do because sometimes, we derive conclusions without realizing we don’t have all the facts. Those very conclusions can keep us from accepting and recognizing that there is more to consider. We may think of ourselves as open-minded, but are we really?

When it comes to God’s Word, we owe it to ourselves and those we influence to always seek the truth in our studies and be willing to unlearn and let go when we find evidence in scripture (not our feelings) that shows us there’s more.

Are we able to embrace and replace incomplete thinking at the expense of admitting we were wrong? We need to be.

Is it not crucial that we stand firm on the evidence of scripture, not be swayed by our own wisdom or the ideas of others, but instead rely on God’s Word as our standard for discernment? (Philip 1:9-11, Matt 10:22) God and” God’s Word” are unchanging. The destiny of souls is at stake, not to mention the power of our influence, which can lead others to truth or misinformed, dangerous ideas.

If our beliefs or practices contradict or can’t be found in Scripture, who are we following?

  • Romans 16:17-20
  • Isaiah 40:8
  • 2 Timothy 2:15
  • James 1
  • Psalms 119:89
  • Malachi 3:15
  • Genesis 13:15
  • Hebrews 12:7-8

God First!

Alcohol Will Never

Alcohol Will Never

July 2, 2026 / / 0 Comments
  • Alcohol will never: Slow your responses.
  • Give you loose lips.
  • Impair your driving.
  • Be the reason you hurt someone.
  • Impair your ability to respond quickly in an emergency.
  • Make you depressed, add to depression.
  • Make you drunk.
  • Land you in jail
  • Be your excuse

………………. IF ………………

You never drink Alcohol or STOP and NEVER start again!

If there are more reasons not to do something than to do it.

Why do it? ~ Wayne Johnson

  • Philippians 2:3-4
  • Matthew 22:39
  • John 13:34-35

God First!

SEE TO IT - "SEE TO IT that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8 ESV

SEE TO IT

June 24, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Colossians 2:8 seems to stress we have a personal responsibility to study and know God’s Word so that we are not swayed.

It reads… “SEE TO IT that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8 ESV (Emphasis added)

In short, IT’S ON US! The only way to “SEE TO IT” is to read and study so we can know the words and intent of our Creator for ourselves, God’s Holy Word.

God gave us what He wanted us to know and follow in writing for a reason, didn’t He?

  • 2 Timothy 2:15
  • Philippians 2:12-30
  • Hebrews 5:14

God First!

Jesus Completes Me

GOD -FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY?

June 20, 2026 / / 0 Comments

As a young adult, I remember thinking and touting that no matter what my plight, I can make the best of any situation. Now, as an aged Adult, my thoughts and words have been severely tested. What I should have been thinking and saying is that with Christ, no matter what my plight, we can make the best of any situation.  Virginia and I lived many of our early years together, treating God as if He were in a drawer labeled ” FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY.”  Looking back, I now recognize many lifelong repercussions from those years. Without Christ and His Church at the forefront and center of our lives, we were broken wrecks, unintentionally causing trickle-down harm through our choices by our examples.

Like us in these early days, many who are not baptized into Christ, who do not put God First in their lives, and who are not an active part of the Church Christ established, may not understand what I am saying here, but I can tell you our lives and relationship became significantly better after we chose to include and live for Christ daily.

Only through understanding, belief, and doing God’s will according to His will, in other words, through our faith in Christ, did we have the strength and comfort needed to endure some of the most difficult times—unexpected losses, financial struggles, and, currently, my wife’s Alzheimer’s. Without Jesus, we are broken; with Jesus, we are whole.

In the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire, a now-famous line is: “You complete me!”

This is what Jesus really does for those who pick up the cross and follow Him. Jesus completes us!

The Apostle Paul had it right…

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11)

We Can Do All Things Through Him who strengthens us.

Matthew 16:24-26, Luke 9:23-26, 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Philippians 4:7, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 2:38-41, James 1:2-4

God First!

Judgement Day

Judgment Day

June 11, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Hope Ends – Faith Ends – Belief Ends – All False teachings End

Our Eternal Reality Begins

Are you ready?

On Judgment Day, in a twinkling of an eye, all our Hope, faith, and belief disappear as we face the reality of the choices we face today.

Every Truth we shared that brought someone to Christ or every false teaching we adopted, repeated, or promoted leading us and others away from Christ will become part of our fate, part of our judgment. It is so important that we don’t accept others’ words but rather question and study God’s word. God gave us Truth, Example, Inferences, and References to follow in His Word. If we find a contradiction, it shows our understanding is wrong – seek the truth in God’s word, believing false teaching has serious consequences.

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 ESV

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV

  • John 5:39
  • 1 Corinthians 15:52
  • 2 Corinthians 6:2
  • Acts 17:11
  • 2 Timothy 2:15
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:21
  • 1 John 4:1
  • Hebrews 5:14
  • 2 Timothy 3:16-17
  • 2 Peter 2:1-3
  • Galatians 1:8-9
  • Matthew 7:15-20
  • Jude 1:3-4
  • James 3:1
  • Matthew 18:6
  • Matthew 5:19
  • Revelation 20:12-13
  • Romans 2:6
  • Ecclesiastes 12:14
  • 1 Corinthians 3:11-15
  • 1 Corinthians 13:12
  • Hebrews 4:12-13

God First!

How often must God say something in Scripture for it to be true?

How often must God say something for it to be True?

April 24, 2026 / / 0 Comments

From the beginning of creation, God’s Word has been Truth and nothing but Truth, and it will continue to be so to the end of time as we know it. God is Unchanging, God is Love, God is Good, God does not Lie! When someone discounts the importance of Scripture or flat-out dismisses it, they dismiss God, effectively deciding they know better than God. According to God’s Word, all of scripture is God-breathed. In other words, all of Scripture is inspired by God, giving us what God wants us to know and follow (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

If someone says they don’t believe “ALL” scripture is from God, or that it really means something other than what is stated, are they not calling God a liar or implying God goofed? If scripture tells you something is wrong one time, yet society, someone, or a culture tells you it’s ok or meant differently than what you can read, who’s right? — My answer is God!

When Scripture is pointed out, many respond: “Well, that’s your interpretation.” However, scripture tells us: “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.” (2 Peter 1:20) In other words, Scripture is from God.

In 1 Corinthians 14:33, scripture states: “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

God did not provide us with a book of confusion.

Some try to reinterpret the Greek to force an interpretation that yields their desired result; however, in this effort, the problem is not with God’s Word.  No, the problem is with the individual seeking an answer different from what’s in God’s Word. God’s Word is true, as written for our understanding, not our confusion.

We don’t need to be Greek scholars to understand God’s face value meaning. So, if one believes in God and that the Bible is God’s Word, they should also understand that Scripture has only one correct answer, the one that God intended, and that answer will not contradict any other scriptures.

“The unfolding of the words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple” Psalms 119:30

Scripture also gives us a STARK WARNING:

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19

  • Hebrews 6:17-18
  • Titus 1:1-2
  • 1st John 4:16
  • Psalm 136:1

God First!

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