The gospel of Grace.

I was in prison for a couple weeks earlier this year for reckless alcohol related charges. I became an alcoholic at age 14, 21 years ago.

I was born again and saved at age 13 and have had faith ever since. So while I was locked up I was extremely grateful to find a book called the power of right believing or (or 100 days of right believing)

I read the book which had a profound effect on my understanding of what it means to be made righteous through the blood of Christ.

For most of my life I had the idea that God does answer prayers and Jesus does love me but at the same time I was afraid of God and that I angered him every time I sinned in some way.

I had a heavy feeling of condemnation which now that I look back I see that condemnation was messing with my mind and filling me with fear which actually caused me to be even more sinful. I really went through the ringer these past 21 years and suffered through problems of my own making...

Sometimes my faith was challenged but im proud to say I always kept my faith...

One thought that really helped me and put me on the path to grace was imagining my own children and how I would treat them for making mistakes which would be total forgiveness and love and patience...

If God loves us with agape love which is the highest form of love then he is not up there stern and angry with us...

There is a verse in the scriptures that goes something like "which of you if your son asked for bread, would give them a stone, if you being evil know how to give your children good gifts, how much more will the father bless you"

(Sorry I know I butchered it but don't want to open a new screen and risk losing everything I've written cause that has happened to me before and it is awful)

Jesus and the Father love you and they are not counting your sins against you......past and future.....all we have to do is believe Jesus died for our sins and rose again on the third day....after that when God looks at you he sees his Son. Though our sins are like crimson red we are made to be white as snow....

The only way you can not be saved is blaspheming the Holy Spirt which is knowingly rejecting Jesus...

Once you are saved your saved, after that we should just strive for spiritual growth and a deeper understanding of what the finished work of Christ on the cross really means....

Some may say that's crazy and people will use this beautiful reality as a license to sin....

In fact, condemnation and trying to live under the law will cause more sin....

Understanding the love and grace of Christ causes you to love Jesus back and have far less temptation or inclination to sin.

When you believe you are the righteousness of God in Christ you naturally become happier and blessed with much less inclination to sin....

God will not punish the same sin twice otherwise it would be double jeopardy.....Christ took the punishment for all of our sins past and future and the finished work was satisfactory to the Lord.....Jesus took on your sin so that you may be saved.....and it was God who sent him because of his love for the people in this world.

It is so very wonderful and my life and well being have gotten better as I continue to learn....

What truly amazed me and put me even further on this path was after reading the book and praying earnestly I woke up the day before my release with the desire to drink completely removed from my mind....this was so profound to me because I was planning on drinking when I got out and I would have if something very powerful didn't click in my mind....something did click in a supernatural way...


This feeling is still with me and I am still sober and didn't drink after my release....

God blessed me by removing my alcoholism of 21 years...

And addiction that really cause a lot of damage to myself and others....

I pray differently and feel much better with this feeling of grace and my love and relationship with him has grown much stronger....

I'll post a couple of YouTube videos of the man who wrote the book if anyone is interested....I watch or listen nearly every day and he steadily puts out sermons and messages...

This has been profoundly life changing for me the hopeless drug addict alcoholic.....

This post really touched my heart, because I too got lost in alcohol for a few years and felt the same self-condemnation that you talk about. I would pray many times to God about the matter and wonder how I would ever break free. But it worked out and I saw God's gentle and loving hand guide me.

Once I asked Jehovah if he would ever forgive me for falling short of his glory, and he lead me to this scripture:

"We will assure our hearts before him regarding whatever our hearts may condemn us in, because God is greater than our hearts and knows all things."-1 John 3:19, 20.

God can see all that we are going through, he takes in the big picture. He knows why we are the way we are, he even knows our genetic makeup, and all the flaws that come with it, our background, the way we were raised, he knows the very thoughts and meditations of our heart. He sees all these things, and he is kind and generous, and merciful and full of love. He is greater than our hearts and knows all these things. And he isn't as harsh to us as we are to ourselves. He is a tender and merciful God ready to forgive.

And when I asked God in prayer if he remembered me he showed me this scripture:

"Can a woman forget her nursing child Or have no compassion for the son of her womb? Even if these women forget, I would never forget you."-Isaiah 49:15.

Just as we cherish the companionship of a close and dear friend, God cherishes those who love him. And just as a loving father freely forgives the errors of his children, so God freely forgives us, even if we fall a thousand times but we keep asking for his forgiveness and help and continue to strive to get back up. God can never forget those who make their way into his heart by reading his word, by loving his statues and reminders and by drawing close to him in prayer.

The way we make friends is by spending time with a person and getting to know them and their getting to know us. We appreciate their good qualities, and see their flaws but love covers them over and freely forgives them. When we read the Bible and pray to God we draw close to him, and he draws close to us, and just as a human shows fondness and love toward a true friend, so God does toward those who draw close to him. And his love is an everlasting love, and his friendship one that endures forever. And even when one goes astray he remembers us. How could he ever forget us? Even if a mother would forget the son of her womb, God could never forget those whom he has chosen.

One last thought. I wanted to share this thought with you, and perhaps it may be that just as God's holy spirit moved me to understand it was God who was speaking to me, it may move your heart as well, it is not I speaking but Jehovah, to you, a very precious person, when he says:

"For I well know the thoughts that I am thinking toward you,’ declares Jehovah, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of calamity, to give you a future and a hope. And you will call me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you"- Jeremiah 29:11, 12.

a reply to: GoShredAK

Have I got a testimony for you.

a reply to: QFlux

beautiful post and words thank you very much...

I appreciate you taking the time and enjoyed the scriptures

May God bless you🙏

Here is one of many examples of Joseph Prince teaching the gospel of grace for anyone who is interested....

I do believe blessings will follow those who take in this information

originally posted by: Randyvine2
a reply to: GoShredAK

Have I got a testimony for you.

Thank you.

Im actually going to watch it right now since I'm chilling after a day off work, full of skateboarding...

Eta: oh yeah! I know this song, it's one of my favorites ❤

Its a beautiful worship song for sure...

John 10

…27My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.…



Notice that Daniel is not looking at the Lions. He is looking to the Lord

originally posted by: visitedbythem
John 10

…27My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.…

🙏 amen

I always enjoy reading your posts

a reply to: GoShredAK

Thank you.

Not even! Thank you for the thread and the chance to shed
some light on what's happening to people every where right
now. Obviously something happened to you. And what I had
happen to me about two weeks ago? Has made the hair stand
up on peoples arms when conveyed.

Joseph Prince is great. But Ravi Zacharias rest in peace and Gene Kim.
Both on you tube deserve a lot of attention for in depth understanding.

We will ALL be called to judgement but not ALL will be condemned.

The difference is Jesus Christ

Our Lord is quite friendly and gracious and merciful. I have experienced that grace and mercy without ever deserving any of it. The Lord even spoke to me before. I certainly didn't ever deserve that and still don't, but that is how loving and kind he is.
That is my testimony and it is true.

Now all I care about is doing good because the Lord deserves that I do that. Now I live life hoping and working towards not doing anything that would make the Lord unhappy. Signed: Just a sinner that the Lord has forgiven.

originally posted by: Randyvine2
a reply to: GoShredAK

Thank you.

Not even! Thank you for the thread and the chance to shed
some light on what's happening to people every where right
now. Obviously something happened to you. And what I had
happen to me about two weeks ago? Has made the hair stand
up on peoples arms when conveyed.

Joseph Prince is great. But Ravi Zacharias rest in peace and Gene Kim.
Both on you tube deserve a lot of attention for in depth understanding.

We will ALL be called to judgement but not ALL will be condemned.

The difference is Jesus Christ

I'll have to check them out....

I used to listen to Joe dispenza or Wayne dyer and other people like that it amazes me how deceived I was by their new age beliefs......like the law of attraction, and self healing, and "the source"

All giving credit to man and saying we can be our own gods and Jesus was "a great teacher" but there are multiple paths to heaven.

I now consider those kinds of teaching the false prophecy from wolves in sheep's clothing.....a great deception....that the Bible warned of very clearly..

When I reached out for Jesus I saw clearly how wrong those beliefs were and found an explanation for everything they claim but in Jesus....not our own understanding.

Whats really cool is I was starting to feel torn by starting to believe in all that stuff so I prayed for Jesus to show me where he stands on the law of attraction and if there is truth to it......my prayer was answered through a book that showed me how it really works and that is simply through leaning on Christ and prayer and giving.

Same results as Joe dispenza law of attraction and "the source "

But its blessing and healings from Christ.....not our own mind powers lol....

I said all that just to say it'll be nice to have more material to learn from

originally posted by: GoShredAK

Once you are saved your saved, after that we should just strive for spiritual growth and a deeper understanding of what the finished work of Christ on the cross really means....

And the only way to spiritual growth is by loving other people the way Jesus loved us, it’s in the bible
It’s not just about loving Jesus, it’s also loving others
That’s the bit most people miss

Otherwise, nice

originally posted by: Raggedyman

originally posted by: GoShredAK

Once you are saved your saved, after that we should just strive for spiritual growth and a deeper understanding of what the finished work of Christ on the cross really means....

And the only way to spiritual growth is by loving other people the way Jesus loved us, it’s in the bible
It’s not just about loving Jesus, it’s also loving others
That’s the bit most people miss

Otherwise, nice

Absolutely...I did fail to mention that...

I love how Jesus sums up all the commandments to loving God and Loving each other as he loves us....

a reply to: GoShredAK

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed said Jesus.

I think your post will have planted mustard seeds in many hearts today.

Thank you and God Bless

a reply to: GoShredAK

I said all that just to say it'll be nice to have more material to learn from

Dr. Gene Kim is a theological Einstein I kid you not.

a reply to: GoShredAK

The ransom sacrifice of Jesus blood covers every sin with the exception of blasphemy against the holy spirit which is actually pretty hard to do; you have to be a true Christian from God's perspective first, to even qualify to commit that unforgivable crime.

originally posted by: Doxanoxa
a reply to: GoShredAK

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed said Jesus.

I think your post will have planted mustard seeds in many hearts today.

Thank you and God Bless

Thank you for the kind encouraging words

May God bless you as well friend