Itz Holistically Wholesome

I believe that it is safe to say that we all want to remain young and live longer lives, and if possible we wish that we could live forever. The reality of death scares many of us and we cannot bear the thought of leaving those we love so much behind or them leaving us. It is no wonder that many of us have committed ourselves to find useful ways to enhance our lives whether by using anti-aging products, through lifestyle changes, cosmetic surgery, among many other things. Some have even concocted magical portions or gone in search of that fountain of youth and everlasting life without much success. As for me, I desire to live for a very long time and I want to remain young and healthy while doing so. I would love to be around to watch my children grow as well as spend more time with those I love so dearly. Consequently, I adopted lifestyle practices that encourage me to eat well and exercise and live well.  However, not for a second do I believe that this is achievable without God.

Recently, I came across a video from one of my favorite preachers, Doug Bachelor. What made this video stand out to me, is the fact that he was talking about something that many of us desire and that is eternal life.  His message was entitled “Five Practical Steps that one can take to place the Key of Eternal Life within your Reach.” Before he began, he was sure to let us know that what we choose to do with the information given was entirely up to us.  It is my belief that these steps were indeed practical and applicable and would somehow enhance my life. Hence, I did not hesitate to add them to my daily life. Today, I chose to share them with you and hope that they will be meaningful to you as well.

Pastor Doug Bachelor’s Five Practical Steps that you can take to place the Key of Eternal Life within your Reach

Step 1: We must recognize that there is a problem. God did not create us so that we can endure so much painful and heartbreaking situations such as death, disease, terrorism, pain. This was not God’s plan. There is a spiritual battle that has been raging between Life and death, good and evil, and right and wrong. This he explained started eons ago in heaven when one of God’s highest creations Lucifer known to us as Satan a beautiful and powerful angel devised jealousy within his heart. He was envious of God and wanted to be like him. As a result, he began to pursue his selfish agenda by speaking ill of God and ultimately persuaded a third of the angels. An all-out rebellion was held against the Creator, Satan and his angels were defeated and cast out of heaven Rev 12: 7-9. Next, he deceived the first humans (Adam and Eve) into disobeying God and unintentionally surrendering planet earth over to him and his forces. The result, a world filled with their spirit and selfishness. God had seen our demise and had made plans for our redemption. He sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ as a propitiation for our sin. Whether we want to admit it we have all sin but through Jesus, we all can be forgiven.

Step 2:  Believe that you can be saved. Sir Bachelor as I like to call him refers to this as the “good news of Salvation.” To be saved you must believe in Jesus Christ and who he is which is the Son of God and Savior of the world. He implores us to trust Christ with our lives as he led a perfect and sinless life. By faith, he never broke a commandment of God. He is offering to take our sinful record in exchange for his sinless life by dying in our place so that we can live a peaceful life in a paradise without sin. All we have to do is believe and accept John 3:36.

Step 3: Confess and Repent of your Sin. He encourages us to tell God that we are sorry as the bible says that “he who covers his sins will not prosper but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” Proverbs 28:13. Jesus also says unless you repent you will all likewise perish. When we repent it means that we have made a decision to turn away from sin and trust God to help us do it. See Isaiah 55:7. A person who repents is genuinely sorry for what they have done and is willing to turn their heart towards God. The Lord then promises to give them the transforming power of the Holy Spirit; he will place within us a new heart and a new mind. All we need to do is to humbly come to Him and confess that we have done wrong. When this is done we are promised his forgiveness John 1:9.

Step 4: Willingly Receive Jesus as your Personal Savior. Christ is always at the door of our hearts waiting for our invitation to come in that he can spend time with us to guide and teach us Revelation 3:20. We receive Christ by praying and inviting him into our hearts. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life John 3:16. To receive Christ is to trust him and allow his guidance in our life.  What was more impressive about this step is that Pastor Bachelor also gave a prayer for us to say in our decision to receive Jesus as our personal savior.

Prayer

I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life,

to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward.

 Please send your Holy Spirit to help me to obey you and do your will for the rest of my life. 

And I pray these things in Jesus’ name. 

Amen.

Step 5: Confess Jesus as you Lord. According to Doug Bachelor, eternal life is more than just receiving. It is about giving as well. To keep our faith we need to share it with others by words and by example. Let me say trust how true I have proven this to be. I have discovered that the more I confess and do God’s work the stronger I feel like a Christian. Not only that but in sharing the word of God, I am committing his laws to my heart and I have seen just how much it has shaped my life and made me a better person.  The bible states, If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved Romans 10:9. To confess Jesus Christ means to deny oneself and follow him daily Mark 8:34. He stated that following Jesus is an ongoing walk, a love relationship. He encourages us to not be discouraged if we stumble and fall along the way because God has promised to never leave or forsake us. All we have to do is get up. God loves us so much, he sent Jesus who willingly took on the burden of our sins. He died so that you and I can live and we are to let him free us from our bondage and give us everlasting peace.

Life is not about perfection but it is about capturing the best moments. Got this shot of my son “reading the bible.”