Do you know Jesus? Can you hear His Voice? Do you obey Him? You should be able to answer “yes” to these questions. If you are not sure you can, watch this video presentation to review principles from the Bible that will help you intensify your relationship with Jesus immediately.
Video Notes are also below.
Everyone who wants to go to Heaven will only do so through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Door to eternal life in Heaven.
John 10:9, New King James Version – “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved…”
Our walk with Jesus determines our eternal life.
John 14:6, New King James Version – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
The Bible prophesied Jesus’ first arrival on earth. And He came just like the Bible said He would. The Bible also tells about Jesus’ Second Coming. Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) will return again just like the Bible tells us He will. So, we all have the opportunity to be prepared for His Second Coming:
Jesus is not interested in…
- our flesh (physical body);
- our culture or race;
- our religious beliefs and traditions;
- our possessions;
- our education;
- our career;
- our savings account; or
- our earthly status
Jesus is interested in our hearts. When Jesus returns, He will examine our hearts for…
One: Did we ever give our heart to the Lord Jesus Christ? This means we believe He paid the price for our salvation and we obey Him.
Romans 10:9-10, New King James Version– “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Two: Is Jesus first in our heart? (This means everything we have is subject to His use and His approval—money, relationships, time, career, behavior, recreation, etc. Don’t worry about letting Him control everything. God is good all the time. Everything the Lord tells us to do is for our good.)
Matthew 22:37-39, New King James Version – 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.
Three: Do we harbor anger or hatred in your heart? This is the same as murder. Any type of racism falls in this category. We are commanded to love one another.
- 1 John 4:20, New King James Version – 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
- Matthew 5:22, New King James Version – 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
Note: “Raca” is a derisive term in Arabic, similar in meaning to “idiot”.
Four: Do we have any bitterness or resentment towards anyone? If we do, then we are refusing to forgive someone. If we do not forgive, then we cannot be forgiven.
Matthew 6:14-15, New King James Version – 14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Five: Do we have a faithful heart? This means we do not participate in adultery, fornication or any kind of sexual sin in “thought” or in “deed”. Fantasizing is the same as doing. The Lord calls us to have a pure thought life. His plan is for us to be faithful in a committed marriage between a man and a woman or abstain from physical intimacy.
Matthew 5:27-28, New King James Version – 27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Six: Are we faithful to our commitments? Another measure of faithfulness is in how we honor our commitments to our family, church, job, friends and even our words. Are we in the habit of breaking promises or commitments in these categories?
Matthew 5:32, New King James Version – 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
Luke 16:10, New King James Version – 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
Will we be perfect in all of these areas? No. But, we should desire to be perfected in every area.
The Lord has created us in His image and in His likeness. He is holy and good. It’s time to stop making excuses for sin and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us into a great and holy people. When Jesus returns, He wants to find us doing (actively trying) His will—not quitting, back-sliding or intentionally sinning.
Matthew 24:45-47 Living Bible – 45 “Are you a wise and faithful servant of the Lord? Have I given you the task of managing my household, to feed my children day by day? 46 Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work. 47 I will put such faithful ones in charge of everything I own!
A good example to consider is the childhood game of “Green Light, Red light–Stop!” In this game, the children all start at one point and try to reach the finish line on the other side. But, they can only move when the person calling out the commands says, “Green Light!” As long as the last command was “Green Light” the child is free to move. However, when the person gives out the command Red Light—Stop, all the children must immediately freeze in place. They must hold whatever position they are in when the command to “Stop” was given. The winners are determined by their position when the command to stop was given.
When the Lord returns, we will be judged based on what we are doing in that moment—not on what we did in the past or what we intend to do in the future. That is why it is important for us to maintain our faith in Christ and obey Him every day. When we sin, the Lord tells us to confess our sins, repent and immediately get back to doing His will. Every person has the ability to repent, so there will no excuses. (Only the proud, refuse to confess their sins to the Lord and repent).
Ezekiel 18:25-28, Living Bible – 25 “Yet you say: ‘The Lord isn’t being fair!’ Listen to me, O people of Israel. Am I the one who is unfair, or is it you? 26 When a good man turns away from being good, begins sinning, and dies in his sins, he dies for the evil he has done. 27 And if a wicked person turns away from his wickedness and obeys the law and does right, he shall save his soul, 28 for he has thought it over and decided to turn from his sins and live a good life. He shall surely live—he shall not die.
How is this possible? Not through our own efforts alone. Transformation happens as we pray and obey. Pray for help and obey the Lord’s instructions.
- Hebrews 4:15-16, New King James Version – 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
- James 4:6-8, New King James Version – 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Our ability to obey increases as we put the Lord’s voice in the forefront of our lives. We all have the ability to multitask. We can do chores, talk to people and listen to music or watch TV all at the same time. But usually when we do this, something is not getting our full attention. Perhaps the music is down real low, so you basically tune it out. Or, the TV show you’re watching has your attention, so you tune the conversation in the room out.
We can “tune out” the Lord’s voice. Everything in our lives can be so loud—the demands of the job, the needs of our family, the fun we want to have, the money we want to make, the relationship we crave, can have most of our attention. While, the Lord’s voice and His desire for our lives is so low, it is virtually unnoticed. It is impossible to have a relationship with someone you never talk to. Doesn’t it make sense that the Lord wants to bring people he “knows” to His home in Heaven?
Matthew 7:21-23, New King James Version – 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
This is a dangerous spiritual state. So refuse to camp out there—your eternal life depends on your relationship with Jesus Christ. Turn up the volume and intensify in your relationship with Jesus by doing the following:
- Read the bible daily. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand it. Take notes on what you read and on any insights God gives you.
- Listen to the bible or good bible-based sermons daily. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God.
- Pray daily and wait to hear the Lord’s response. (To learn more about this – Watch “Jesus Told Me to Tell You How to Get Close to Him, Hear His Voice, & See Him.” Or download the notes for more details.”)
- Obey God. The more you obey, the more you will hear Him speak to you.
Being a Christian is not hard. It is a delight because we have the Creator of the Universe living inside us.
Colossians 2:9-10, Living Bible – 9 For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; 10 so you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power.
