"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

There seems to be a great many people today that believe watered-down doctrines that deletes the important message of repentance. These folks believe in an all-caring, nonjudgmental God who requires no repentance or a change in their lifestyle. They will say things like, "I believe in Jesus Christ, but my God is not judgmental. My God would never send a person to hell. But I am a Christian."

Ever heard the phrase, you can't have your cake and eat it to? No matter how much people desire it to be so, according to biblical text, we cannot have it both ways. Christianity is not a faith that is made up as we go. Scripture is very clear on this.

Such fondness of watered-down beliefs even resides in the church. Diluted gospel teachings may be the most dangerous plague the church is facing today, because it gives a sense of false assurance to the person who believes it.

The Bible speaks of false prophets who give false assurance. In Jeremiah 6:14, God says, "They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, 'Peace, peace!' when there is no peace."

It would be like going to the doctor when you are having a heart attack, and having the doctor tell you, "Oh, you are fine. You are being so dramatic! You will be OK."

There are ministers today who say, "God loves you and everything is fine. You can do whatever you want and live however you want to live. Let's just love one another and have a great time."

But that is a false gospel. Yes, God loves us. Yes, God receives any person who comes to Him. But He asks us to repent, meaning that we must turn away from our sins. If we are not willing to repent, and instead continue to practice sinfulness habitually and continually, then we are not experiencing biblical faith, nor the grace of Christ's offered salvation. If we do not place our lives in his hands and repent, then in the end we are not going to receive what the Bible describes as genuine salvation.

"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."

The fruit I bear is a concept I struggle with constantly. I know, by the grace of my Lord, that I am not even nearly righteous enough to be in His presence, and no matter how many charities I give to, good deeds I perform, and hoops I jump through, I am not worthy. My sinful nature outweighs my ability to earn my way into heaven, and the penalty each of us may pay is far beyond the depths of our spiritual bank account. In other words, to be in His presence, we are going to need some help.

God provided that help through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ died on a Roman Cross more than two thousand years ago, and as He did He was bombarded with every sin that was ever committed, or any sin that would be committed in the future. He bore it all, and paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we don't have to. But the washing away of those sins is not automatic. It is a gift that must be asked for.

Once such a commitment is made, the battle with sin is not over. In fact, it is then that the battle is just beginning. Our fruits do not earn us placement with our Heavenly Father, but our fruits do reflect our faith and our walk with the Lord. The relationship with the Lord, when in the proper context, will produce good fruit. Does that mean we stop sinning? Absolutely not. And the fiery arrows from the enemy become more intense, because the enemy does not wish us to follow the path to Christ, or to maintain such a path. And even more alarming is that Satan's greatest weapon against God is the lukewarm Christian, or one that claims to be a Christian and is not, meaning that when we fail to stay on the path, we are actually doing the bidding of the enemy.

There are those out there in the world that proclaim, "I am a Christian," but they are out drinking alcohol excessively. They say, "I am a Christian," but they are having premarital sex or are committing adultery by being unfaithful to their husband or wife. There are those out there in the world that ardently shout, "I am a Christian," but in their daily business they lie to people, distort things, take money that is not really theirs. There are a lot of people today who think they are Christians but are not, because they have not really changed in their heart because they have not given their heart completely to Him. They are not living according to what the Bible teaches because they have not surrendered their heart, life, and soul to Christ.

As I stated earlier, I am not saying that a Christian cannot sin. I am not saying that a Christian won't slip up. But I am saying that there is a big difference between a person who slips up, sins, is sorry for it, and wants to change, and a person who lives in continual, willful, habitual sin.

If you live in the way of continual, willful, habitual sin, then the Bible says that you do not know the Lord. And perhaps they don't know God because they have not committed themselves to Him. The minions of darkness believe in God, and that Christ died and rose again, but that does not secure them salvation. Some people think that being a Christian is just having Jesus along for the ride. Jesus just simply is hanging out in the bed of their spiritual truck, waving his hands to stop the storms from reaching the life of the driver. These folks don't realize that it is those storms that build character, and shape your life as a potter shapes a lump of clay, and that the roadway being followed is an avenue in the wrong direction unless He is driving. The Lord wishes to carry you through these moments of tribulation, leading and guiding you through a distinct and unique plan and purpose for your life.

It is difficult. I know this from experience. I struggle daily with my relationships and daily walk. I struggle greatly, anyway, until I remember that He is in control, and no matter what path I take, Jesus Christ is the Lord of every aspect of my life. He wants to be the Lord of your business, your free time, your relationships. He desires to be the Lord of all, for He knows that if He is not Lord of all in our lives, then He is not Lord at all.

Surrender at Gethsemane

Have you ever felt lonely? Have you ever felt as though your friends and family had abandoned you? Have you ever felt like you were misunderstood? Have you ever had a hard time understanding or submitting to the will of God for your life?

If so, then you have an idea of what the Lord Jesus went through as He agonized at Gethsemane.

Hebrews tells us, "This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it" (4:15–16 NLT).

Consider the fact that Jesus, who was God, was omniscient. He was all-knowing. Therefore, He was fully aware of the horrors of the crucifixion that awaited Him.

He knew His disciples would abandon him. He knew Judas Iscariot would betray Him. He knew that Simon Peter would deny Him. He knew they would rip His back open, press a crown of thorns into His head, beat Him, spit in His face, and crucify Him. Worst of all, He knew that all the sins of the world would be placed upon Him.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was "a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3 NLT). But the sorrow He experienced in Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion seemed to be the culmination of all the sorrow He had ever known and would accelerate to a climax the following day. The ultimate triumph that was to take place at Calvary was first accomplished beneath the gnarled old olive trees of Gethsemane.

Jesus told Peter, James, and John, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch" (Mark 14:34). Jesus' sorrow and anguish was so powerful, it threatened His very life.

In the face of this dreadful prospect of bearing God's full fury against sin, Jesus knelt to the ground and began to pray. This was not a quiet whisper of a prayer. Hebrews 5:7 tells us, "While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could deliver him out of death. And God heard his prayers because of his reverence for God" (NLT).

It is interesting that the very word Gethsemane means "olive press." Olives were pressed there to make oil, and truly, Jesus was being pressed from all sides that He might bring life to us. I don't think we can even begin to fathom what He was going through.

Maybe you are at a crisis point in your life right now—a personal Gethsemane, if you will. You have your will; you know what you want. Yet you can sense that God's will is different.

Would you let the Lord choose for you? Would you be willing to say, "Lord, I am submitting my will to Yours. Not my will, but yours be done"? You will not regret making that decision.

Sometimes, we are afraid to do this because we have a false concept that God's will for us is not good. You might be thinking, "How about His plan for Jesus? That didn't seem very good."

No question, it was very difficult for Jesus, to say the least. No question, He faced the full wrath of God against all sin.

But look at what it accomplished. It brought about your salvation and mine. Because of what Jesus went through at Gethsemane and ultimately at the cross, we can call upon His name. Though it was an unfathomably painful, horrific transition, it was necessary for the ultimate goal of what was accomplished.

Maybe you are going through a difficult time. Ultimately, it will be so much better if you allow the Lord to choose His plan for you. One day, you will be able to look back and say, "Lord, thank you for making that choice."

God's plans for you are good. As Jeremiah tells us, the thoughts that God thinks toward you are "thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (29:11).

In our moments of uncertainty, in those times when we think that everyone has let us down, remember that Jesus has been there and is there for us. God's plans for you are so much better than the plans you have for yourself.

Will you let Him choose?

- - - Greg Laurie

There hath not failed one word of all his good promise.

I may not understand why God has decided to say "no" or "wait" to me regarding my prayers. I sometimes worry or perplex over why my prayers may not be being answered. What I may not understand is God may be answering them in a far richer way, giving me a glimpse, occasionally, though not revealing the full revelation until the future. The thing is, He sees the whole picture, of which we recognize only a small portion. In the end, it is all for His Glory.

. . .For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Wonders have graced this earth. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are among the many wonderful things this world has seen. These impressive creations of human genius, except for the Pyramids of Egypt, have all been destroyed. Though mankind marveled at these wonders, the passing of time has shown that these things, and everything else in our world, is temporary. God, however, is eternal. He remains consistent and true. The Earth, and its glories, will pass away. As Christians, however, we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Hebrews 12:28 says: Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

The following is from Greg Laurie, Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, California. www.harvest.org

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

— Philippians 2:5–7


Because Jesus was God, we might ask, did He have full knowledge of God as a little baby in the manger at Bethlehem? Or did this knowledge come to Him over a period of time? When Jesus was born, could He have turned to Mary and said, "I am God Almighty, the Messiah of Israel. I am God in human form. And by the way, Mary, the Earth is round. Some people are going to say that it is flat, but I am telling you it is round. I made it myself."

Jesus didn't do that. Instead, He squealed and giggled and made noises like any other baby. And He had a human mind. The Bible says of Jesus, "And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him" (Luke 2:40). When Jesus was 12 years old, Mary and Joseph found Him in the temple after the Feast of the Passover, "sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions" (verse 46).

Then in Luke 2:52, we read that "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." This would appear to be saying that Jesus went through a learning process like anyone else. Yet at the same time, He did not have the limitations that sin brings on one's life.

Jesus walked the earth in a human body and died like a man, in the sense that His body ceased to function just like ours do when we die. And though He was God, He emptied himself of the privileges of deity and walked among us as a man.

- - - Greg Laurie