Category: Scripture (Page 2 of 3)

The Crux of God’s Forgiveness is our Repentance

January 28, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

In my writing, I’ve been known to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of my life at times. I do this in hopes of encouraging others to seek their answers where I found mine, in the knowledge of Scripture. This knowledge helps us realize that if we follow Jesus according to His will, not ours, we will come to experience peace far beyond our own understanding. Our lives have many Satan-crafted pitfalls designed to inch us away from our Creator and towards a valley of eternal death.

As a young man, I was baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of my sins and lived faithfully for many years. Faithfulness does not mean being without sin; rather, it means making every effort to pursue righteousness by following Jesus’ teachings and keeping His commandments. Sometimes we fail; however, if we know Scripture, it helps us recognize our failures, return to our creator, repent of our sins, and ask for forgiveness. Since we know from scripture that baptized believers are in Christ, God will forgive us when we repent.

The crux of God’s forgiveness is our repentance.

To truly repent of sin is to turn away from those sins as we experience Godly Sorrow, dedicating ourselves from that point to the correction of our lives using the Word of God as our foundation. Scripture defines Godly Sorrow this way: “For Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

With Godly grief, we repent of sinful ways; this means we change direction and stop indulging in those temptations that go against God’s Holy Word. Scripture lets us know that baptized believers who choose to indulge and continue doing what we know to be wrong are crucifying Christ once again.

“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.” 2 Peter 2:20-21

also see: Hebrews 6:4-6, James 5:19-20, Hebrews 10:26-27

Although a baptized believer, I ended up spending 20 years with my soul in a lost condition as I had succumbed to a series of temptations and pitfalls designed by Satan.

I thought my faith was strong, but my decisions after a failed marriage proved my knowledge was weak, and my commitment shaken. I allowed myself, inch by inch, to pursue worldly desires over following Jesus. These infractions stacked and built to the point that during those 20 years, I feared correction could jeopardize my adopted lifestyle and possibly put my relationship at risk.

I was, however, acutely aware that my choices had me living in sin. This bothered me. Satan had successfully painted me into a corner, forcing me to choose between following Jesus according to His will or losing my soul.

Indeed, as scripture states, I was crucifying Christ to myself. Years I can’t get back, a bad example to family and friends that can’t be unset, where soul-risking damage was done. Today, I draw on those years as fuel for my efforts to never give up on encouraging others to grow in Christ, and I often pray that, if they won’t listen to me, God will put people in their lives they might. I cannot imagine ever allowing Satan to turn me away from God again.

I pray that if you’re reading this and reflecting on your own life, you find yourself right with God; but if not, I pray you will experience godly grief that produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, rather than worldly grief that produces death.

God First, forever and ever, Amen!

If you’re not yet in Christ as a baptized believer:

God’s Grace: Ephesians 2:8, Romans 3:24, Titus 2:11, Acts 15:11
Hearing the Gospel:– Romans 10:17, John 8:32
Belief/Faith: – Hebrews 11:1, John 8:24, Romans 10:17, Acts 3:19
Repentance of sin: – 2 Cor. 7:9-10, Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30
Confess Christ: – Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 10:32-33, Luke 12:8-9
Baptism by immersion for forgiveness of sin: – Matthew 16:15-16, 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12, Acts 8:36-39, Mark 1:9-10, John 3:23

Does God love some more than others?

January 6, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

As I contemplated this question, I concluded God loves the “response” of some more than others.

Like parents and children, one child might do as directed most of the time while the other doesn’t. Parents do not love the obedient child more than the other; however, they do love the obedient child’s response more than the disobedient response. The obedient response shows a desire to please the parents by doing as told. (its a response of love)

In Scripture, we learn that Jesus died for everyone in the world and that God shows no partiality. Scripture also tells us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and Jesus said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.

David was considered a man after God’s Own Heart; why? God tells us: “He will do my will.” Saul, on the other hand, lost his kingdom for doing “his own” will, not God’s.

King David made many huge mistakes and, unlike Christ, was far from perfect, yet David constantly turned to and relied on God; David pursued righteousness. (Respecting God and doing His will mattered to David)

We all have the same choice!

We can choose to follow God’s will by study, learning, and following the commands and examples of Scripture, to the best of our ability, or we can choose to follow our feelings, our ideas, or those adopted from others, then woefully expecting that if we are wrong, God will be ok with us because we had good intent. However, that is not what Scripture tells us, and when we do this, we set examples that mislead others from following Christ according to the directions God gave us in His Holy Word.

When we follow God according to His will, we spend our lives pursuing righteousness. In James chapter 5, we find the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. To have our prayers accomplish much, pursuing righteousness should be our goal so that our hearts may be where King David’s was in devotion to God.

John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

“So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.” Act 10:34-35

“And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom He testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’” Acts 13:22 ESV

“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over His people because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” Samuel 13:14

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16 NASB

God First!

Wiping the dust off our feet

December 23, 2025 / Wayne Johnson / 1 Comment

In sharing Jesus, we must sometimes wipe the dust off our feet and move onward. This does not mean we suddenly stop caring, as we never stop, but it may mean the soil we are working with is not ready for the seeds of truth. I’ve had to do this many times with family, friends, and strangers when my efforts to share scriptural truth were rejected, ignored, or dismissed either kindly or with disdain.

Sometimes people read God’s Word for themselves, understand the context, but on some subjects refuse to believe what they’ve just read because it flies in the face of what they’ve been told, so they dismiss the discussion with words like: “That’s your opinion or interpretation!”

They will state they believe in God and that Scripture is God’s word, yet when confronted with the truth of God’s own words, the soil is not ready to accept the seeds, or maybe it just takes a different approach to get their full attention. Whatever the reason, when truth is rejected, we are in good company; Jesus was rejected, yet died for everyone, including those who rejected him, and even after His resurrection, some of the same rejected Jesus again.

When rejected, I respect their wishes and pray that my efforts will help condition the soil of their mind and heart. Maybe someone else’s approach will plant seeds that take root; perhaps mine or someone’s example will spark a conversation down the road that leads to better understanding. Wiping the dust off my feet doesn’t mean giving up or that we will never speak of the subject again.

In the meantime, I continue to plant seeds of truth, hoping to find those with fertile soil, those seeking to do all they can to follow Christ – even if it means change.

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15

“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? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” Matt 16:24-28

God First!

Our Forever Home

August 11, 2023 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

In the last few days, I’ve seen several memories once shared on social media of past celebrations, as today would’ve been Dad’s birthday. But in November 2019, Dad went to his forever home. Thankfully, because of Dad’s (and Mom’s) commitment to doing God’s will according to God’s will, our family gets to celebrate with much confidence the hope of eternal salvation that is now no longer a hope but a reality to our Dad and Mom.

Every person on earth has the same offer today.

The Son of God lived the perfect life; in His innocence, Christ was sacrificed on the Cross (The perfect lamb) and was resurrected to what Jesus referred to as His Father’s house, a place with many mansions where He would prepare a place for us.

Jesus tells us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me”; “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.”; “For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

We miss our parents’ presence today but look forward to being with them again in that heavenly home prepared for those who love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and will strive to keep Jesus’s commandments found in God’s Holy Word.

John 14:1-31 (the way, keep commands…)
Matthew 11:30 (burden is light)
Matthew 24:36-51 (No one Knows the Day or Hour)
1 Corinthians 15:52 (twinkling of an eye)

Grace:

Ephesians 2:8
Romans 3:24
Titus 2:11
Acts 15:11

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:

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

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (Fight the good fight)
2 Corinthians 1:3-11 (God of all Comfort)
Philippians 4:4-7 (The Peace of God)

God First!

The Power is in the Gospel

January 3, 2023 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Preachers and teachers are needed to share the gospel. But, be cautious; don’t put your faith in what you are told or who shared it. Ultimately, we are each responsible for our own salvation.

When we each stand before judgment, it won’t matter what someone tells us. We have God’s word at our fingertips. We must each study for ourselves so that we may learn and be able to discern the truth found in God’s Word.

“For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:8-11 (NASB)

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-8 (ESV)

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12 (ESV)

God First!

It’s been over a year!

January 29, 2022 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Well, It has now been slightly over a year since I decided to purchase and create a website called “AdvocateforChrist.com,“ along with the supporting aids needed to help me write and secure the site. I now have 165 posts to date.

I did this for two reasons:

First and foremost, as a means of sharing God’s Word and the beautiful blessings derived from following Jesus. To follow Christ according to His Word is by far the best life one can choose to live and the best advice one can give. However, It is a choice!
- In my writings, I often present my thoughts with supporting Scripture to persuade readers to pursue God’s Word independently. I don’t want readers to simply adopt my thoughts but rather encourage them to go to God’s Word and check them out. God’s Word is where all truth originates.
- The Bible is where one may learn the Truth of God’s Word more fully. Self-Study and self evaluation is essential! Satan has spent thousands of years twisting the truth with partial truths starting with Eve, persuading people to adopt manufactured ideas of God’s Truth. Our best defense to being misled in what God’s Word says is to have personal knowledge of God’s Word.

Secondly, I began this effort as a result of the encouragement I received. So many reading my post on Facebook kept suggesting I do more. I am grateful for all those uplifting and encouraging words. To all who have motivated me to do more, Thank you! I pray and hope my efforts are fruitful to someone, somewhere.

Last year, many of the advocateforChrist.com posts were a combination of new efforts and works I had written in years past. I would review, modify, and use grammar software to improve the previous post. I quickly realized that formulating, writing, and running my thoughts through grammar-checking software takes time, whether new or old ideas. At this point, I have now posted most of my previous social media posts onto the Advocate for Christ site. Going forward, it is my hope to post at least two or three times a week in 2022.

How can you help if you find these posts thought-provoking and beneficial? I’m glad you asked! 🙂

Go to https://AdvocateforChrist.com and sign up to receive the post via email. Reading them on the website is easier than reading them on Facebook, plus; The scriptures link to an online bible for quick review.
Like them, Love them, comment, and share them. (Once in a while, I write one worthy of sharing). With social media algorithms, Your likes, love, comments, and shares help others see them.
If you have accounts with MEWE, Parlor, Aggos, or Instagram, I also post many writings or memes on those sites and welcome your likes and shares.
Reach out in the comments section on Advocate for Christ or social media. Extend your thoughts, questions, and applicable humor.
By all means, If you feel I am in an error of Scripture, contact me. Let’s have a private discussion.

God First!

Wayne R. Johnson

Encourage and build-up

January 12, 2022 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

“_{Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil}.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:11-22‬ (‭NASb)

God First!

The prayer that changed my life

November 18, 2021 / Wayne Johnson / 1 Comment

Life can be tough sometimes, and when we live by our own standards, we are ill-equipped to deal with all the hardships. I lived by my own standards for many years. Yes, as a baptized believer, my standards had been influenced by the teachings of God, but instead of submitting to God’s standards, I strayed and created my own, which DID NOT include putting God first.

Instead, I was wise in my own eyes, putting worldly desires, goals, satisfactions, family fun, sports, TV, etc., before God and His will. Eventually, I found myself in several situations where my standards were inadequate. I had no real answers; my solutions were Band-Aids, not fixes. I found the foundation of “my standards” was rooted in sand, leaving me feeling like a leaf floating in the wind. Fortunately, I knew where to turn as I was introduced to God and his standards when I was younger.

Not only could I pray for God’s help, but I could choose to “CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF MY LIFE” (repent) and follow the standards of life God set before us through Jesus and in His perfect and complete Holy Word. (The Bible) 1 Cor. 13:8-10

I found myself humbled through turmoil beyond my control. Turmoil, I wanted to control, I had to realize that God was the only answer; That ONLY GOD can help in all situations, so I asked myself, if I were gone, who would want to help more than me, and there was only one answer.

So that night, I prayed, I started my change with probably the deepest, heartfelt, and tearful prayer of my life, and as tears flowed, I turned my troubles over to the Lord. I wanted to be a true disciple of Christ. I wanted to pursue righteousness beyond” My Standards.”

I had read in the book of James that: “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” And I wanted my prayers to have great power. I wanted God’s help like never before.

That night, I did not give up on any of my concerns; instead, I sought the most powerful help available to mankind by turning to our Creator.

The changes I have made in my life since that night have helped me grow healthy, strong roots in the nutritious soil of God’s Word. As my understanding of God’s intent for all of us has increased, God’s standards have become my standards, and I have found that the best life is a God First life!

Hardships are indeed like rain that falls on the just and the unjust; having God in the forefront of our lives gives us reason and strength to face it all and count it all joy!

There really is a peace beyond understanding that is attainable when we decide to deny ourselves and follow Christ.

I now use “God First” to end many of my writings and wear them on clothing as “Spirit-wear” because I realize that living a God First life is the most crucial decision one can make, and I want to encourage others to do the same.

There’s a reason why loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is The Greatest Commandment.

James 5:16
Isaiah 41:10
Psalm 34:17
2 Corinthians 12:9
Proverbs 3:5-6
Psalm 55:22
1 Peter 5-7
Philippian’s 4:6-7
Hebrews 11:6
Romans 12:2

God First!

Doing our part – takes work!

November 10, 2021 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Believers in God don’t sit around waiting on God to provide everything for them!

No, that would be sluggishness (laziness) and is not the role we find endorsed by God in Scripture; God expects us to work! It would be misrepresentative of scripture to believe it’s all about what God can do for us when so much is about what we can; Go and Do!

God expects us to do our part in providing physical and spiritual nourishment. God has given mankind a working role since the beginning. (Gen.2:15) Throughout Scripture, we find being a sluggard has been condemned while effort has been rewarded. (Matt.25:24-30)

Working towards righteous goals may take much patience; on our part, and we should be mindful of that fact that seeing the full results of our efforts may never happen; even so, in our ongoing, consistent unrelenting effort, we can know that working for good; will reap good in time if we don’t quit.

How can we know this? Because God tells us so.

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for, in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9

If we do our part, God will always do His!

Proverbs 18:9
2 Thessalonians 3:10
Proverbs 26:14
Proverbs 26:16
Proverbs 24:30–31
Mark 16:15-16

(Several proverbs address sluggards)

God First!

Missing the mark so closely can have dramatic results.

October 20, 2021 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

One day while cutting down a tree on our property, I ”missed the mark” by a couple of inches and dropped a large dead tree in the opposite direction of my intention. My cut was slightly below the wedge I’d removed. I didn’t realize it until the tree clamped down on my chainsaw and became stuck in the tree. I shut it off and walked away with my brother. As we contemplated the next step, a branch fell from the tree. Shortly after, we watched as the whole tree slowly leaned and fell. The bar on my chainsaw now looks like a twisted metal pretzel.

It’s amazing to think about how “missing the mark” so closely changed the results so dramatically.

Thankfully, the result of that day’s mistake didn’t matter much, and nobody got hurt, but it sure reinforces the importance of “hitting the mark” when missing so closely can result in disaster.

It’s also important that we “hit the mark” in doing the will of God; being careless as I was today can have dire consequences.

In Matthew 7:21, Jesus said:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

We really have no excuses for not doing the will of God according to God’s will as we have the complete word of God (The Bible) readily available. However, we can only know scripture through study. It’s so important that we really can’t allow others to do it for us. We all need understanding as we are each responsible for working out our own salvation.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12 ESV.

God First!

Category: Scripture (Page 2 of 3)

The Crux of God’s Forgiveness is our Repentance

Does God love some more than others?

Wiping the dust off our feet