Following Jesus

“God Is Strategically Bringing You Into: Divine Alignment”: Bernice Scheidler

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From Elijah List

 

While in Israel over the summer, I noticed I needed help getting into my hotel rooms, but my keycards were not working.

In one hotel, it became amusing after the 6th trip from my room on the 10th floor back down to the lobby, trying to get my key card to work. At that point, a manager took notice and insisted someone come up with me to my room to make sure I could get in. I was accompanied to my room and asked if I had the right room. I assured them I did.

The manager was able to open my room using a key fob he had, allowing me to wait in my room as he tried to fix the problem. After many more trips up and down (on his part), he RESET the entire system on my door, allowing my key to work.

It became apparent the Lord was trying to get my attention. I also couldn’t help but notice my interactions with people in the elevator during the process. I understood the elevator was symbolically speaking of a place of transition (going from one place to the next). As I sat in my room, #1029, I began to ask the Lord what He was trying to show me.

Alignment and Blessing

I felt there was something significant about my room number and was prompted to look up the numbers in Scripture. As I read Numbers 10:29, the Lord began to speak.

“Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, ‘We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, “I will give it to you.” Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.'” (Numbers 10:29) (Photo via PickPik)

God is strategically aligning you with His plans and aligning you relationally.

Moses’ brother-in-law was a skilled man. He understood the desert, where to camp, and what to look out for. Moses recognized that Hobab would be an asset to them as they set out to the place the Lord promised to give them. He asked Hobab to go with them, but Hobab was from a different tribe and wanted to return to his family. As you read the story, Moses tells his brother-in-law that the Lord will be good to the Israelites and that they will share with him the blessing they receive, if he chooses to go with them.

Many of you have been in transition and God is shifting you and bringing alignment in your assignments and relationships, and it will cause blessings to come upon you and those you are aligned with.

What God Is Saying about Relational Alignment for September through the Fall

Here is what the Lord has been showing me in connection to relational alignment for September through the fall.

1. The Lord is bringing new and necessary relationships into your life that will be a tremendous blessing to you for what He is calling you into. The Lord is bringing people into your life who are skilled, qualified and anointed, and who will propel you into the Lord’s promises. Understanding that the ones whom the Lord brings to you in this season may look different than you are used to will be necessary. Just like Moses’ brother-in-law, they may come from another “tribe” (stream or denomination), but they will be the ones who will help unlock the door for you.

2. The Lord is bringing peace to your heart in connection with relationships that will no longer be a part of your next season. The Lord will heal your heart from the relational hurts from the past and bring peace and closure to you as you move forward.

3. The Lord is doing a work with existing relationships as they take on new meaning! Some people are already in your life who love you and are for you; they have been there all along but not necessarily fulfilling certain functions in your life. You will notice God doing a work in these relationships as they assume a new role and take on new meaning for you. These relationships will begin to blossom and bless you immensely.

4. The Lord is renewing your value for relationships. As you move into the fall, dealing with any relational unforgiveness that might be holding you captive is imperative. The Lord wants you free. Those of you who have felt the pain of relational hurt, those who have been in isolation and reluctant to trust and step into new relationships, the Lord will heal you as you come to Him. His healing power will carry such restorative power that it will instill in you a renewed value for relationships. (Photo via StockSnap)

5. It is important not to force connections; God already has those relationships for you, and as you seek Him, He will make it clear to you. Be faithful to step into what He shows you, because these alignments will unlock the door of abundant blessing!

Entering the Door to Promise

I shared the following word while in Israel:

You can’t understand why the door is not opening for you! It’s not because you are trying to open the wrong door; it’s not because you don’t have the key to open the door. God has already given that to you! It is because a divine reset is required before you can access the promises you are about to enter into. It is happening in the transition.

What feels like ups and downs, what feels like a lot of backwards and forwards, what feels like inconvenience, and what appears to be delay is actually a sequence of moments bringing you the divine reset! Pay attention to what the Lord is saying in these moments. He is revealing your next assignments and bringing new and unexpected connections into your life that are vital for your next season! You will enter the door to the promises God has for you!

God’s plans for you are so good!

I decree and declare that you will see every plan He has for you fulfilled. I bless your relationships, I bless your assignments, I bless you to prosper, and I speak divine alignment over you, in the mighty name of Jesus! YOU ARE BLESSED!

 

Bernice Scheidler was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, and moved to America with her husband Josh in 2010. They currently reside in Redmond, Oregon, along with their three children, where together they planted Ignite Faith Church in 2016. She is a revivalist and is passionate about the call of God on her life. She places great emphasis on the importance of prayer in her life and the life of the Believer. If she could choose any title in the world it would be “friend of God”! She is called to release the Kingdom of God here on Earth through sharing the Gospel, releasing God’s heart to others through dreams, visions, the prophetic, the creative arts, and acts of service that will propel and champion others in their callings. Her heart’s desire is for people to encounter God in a very powerful way, bringing them the salvation, healing, deliverance, breakthrough and freedom they desire. She longs to see people turn their hearts fully to God. She believes in signs, wonders and miracles, and all the gifts of the Spirit, and that the Body of Christ should operate in them today!

Babylon Bee: Feeling Bad About Yourself?

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From the Babylon Bee:

Feeling Bad About Yourself? Check Out These 10 People From The Bible Who Did Way Stupider Stuff Than You
SPONSORED·Sep 6, 2023 · BabylonBee.com
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Brought to you by the Hope Together Conference:

 

 

 

Feeling a little down? Think you’ve really screwed the pooch this time? Come with the Babylon Bee as we crack open the Scriptures and check out some Bible heroes who have done way, way stupider stuff than you!

  1. Adam: You may be feeling a little blue today, but did sin and death enter the world through you? See, it’s not so bad.
  2. Samson: His girlfriend betrayed him to be tortured by enemies – TWICE – and the third time, he STILL FELL FOR IT! Come on.
  3. Jonah: This guy legit tried to run away from the Creator of the universe on a boat. Way dumber than you!
  4. Abraham: You may have messed up today, but did you lie about your wife being your sister? TWICE?
  5. Balaam: This prophet of God beat the heck out of his own donkey, who was only trying to save Balaam from getting killed by an angel with a flaming sword. Ouch.
  6. Aaron: First he helps lead the miraculous Exodus, then he leads millions of people into idolatrous demon worship. That’s pretty bad!
  7. David: He failed to install a Covenant Eyes filter on his rooftop, leading to adultery, murder and ultimately his kingdom’s destruction. Puts your mistakes in perspective.
  8. Paul: Before encountering Jesus, he literally went from town-to-town murdering Christians. Probably worse than what you did today.
  9. Cain: This guy thought offering someone vegetables was a good idea. VEGETABLES!
  10. Peter: The rock upon which Christ would build the church once rebuked Jesus Christ over His plan to die for our sins. So, yeah, pretty stupid in hindsight!

Yikes! Feel better now? Sure you do!

 

Casey Chalk: Texting With AI Jesus

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From firstthings.com

 

Logo for print screen

Want to talk to the Son of God? There’s an app for that. Text With Jesus, a Los Angeles–based product that launched in July, replicates an instant messaging platform and features biblical figures impersonated by the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT.

Among the characters available on the app are the Holy Family, the apostles, various prophets, Ruth, Job, and Abraham’s nephew Lot. Mary Magdalene is also available, but only to premium subscribers for $2.99 a month. You can even chat with Satan, who signs his texts with a “smiling face with horns” emoji.

Perhaps such an app provokes fears of blasphemy. Not to worry: Stéphane Peter, the app’s developer and the company’s CEO, ensured that character responses always include a Bible verse. “Our AI always generates responses that are in line with the teachings of the Bible,” explains the website. He also invited unnamed “church leaders” to try the beta version of the app. Though some pastors had reservations at the beginning, the app’s final version received “pretty good feedback.” 

Text With Jesus’s characters typically avoid any stance that might be perceived as offensive, instead maintaining a line of inclusivity and tolerance. If asked about gay marriage, for instance, the app will respond that it is “up to each individual to seek guidance from their own faith tradition and personal convictions,” and that users should “prioritize love and respect for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity” (followed by a rainbow and red heart emoji). If queried about feminism, app Jesus will explain the importance of “empowering women and breaking societal barriers that limited their opportunities.”

So far, so “healthy.” The app aligns with our clinical culture, which emphasizes personal affirmation and physical and mental wellness. Text With Jesus offers a moral, therapeutic god for a moral, therapeutic age, as sociologist Christian Smith calls it in his 2005 book Soul Searching. It replaces the arcane “second person of the Trinity” with Jesus the therapist and social worker. 

This Jesus is not here to condemn (obviating less “warm and fuzzy” Gospel episodes such as the improperly dressed wedding guest of Matthew 22:1–14, or Jesus’s statements about the “Sign of Jonah” in Luke 11:29–32). He is here to affirm us and our behaviors and opinions. He certainly wouldn’t want you to feel bad about yourself and repent (unless you are repenting of “bigoted,” “patriarchal,” or “fascist” opinions on race, sex, or gender). 

Text With Jesus represents the age-old human vice of pride. Through our creativity and brilliance, we seek to ascend to God’s level, to be like him, and even to dictate terms to the divine. Or rather, the app is a diabolical inversion of this: Instead of being transformed into God’s image, we aim to make him into our own. Is seeking to communicate with and control God through a handheld device really all that different from the ancient metalworkers who fashioned little totems to whom they could offer supplication for their own health and prosperity?

The app’s insistence that its content is “Bible-based” is curious, given that the biblical characters sidestep Scripture’s more controversial and provocative claims. It does then seem to reflect the embarrassing biblical illiteracy even of those claiming to be Christians, and that people, even the pious, tend to prefer a religion that avoids uncomfortable truths in favor of what we want to hear.

Yet perhaps most sadly, that Text With Jesus would even be conceived and consumed reveals how deeply wedded we have become to our smartphones. Prayer is such a remarkable human experience because of its universality, both in terms of who can do it (everyone) and where it can be done (anywhere). I pray in my bedroom, on my commute, waiting in line, and while exercising. I can pray the divine liturgy, a rosary, or simply talk and listen. 

Indeed, one of the most beautiful things about Christian prayer is the quality of the access. “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. . . . If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:9–10, 13) What has happened to us, that anyone would contemplate inserting a gimmicky Silicon Valley tool into something so profoundly human and liberating? (I should note that I do not intend to “throw shade” on apps such as Magnificat or Hallow that help facilitate prayer through Scripture readings, meditations, or the divine liturgy.)

To be a people formed by prayer, we Christians need to protect and cultivate our little spiritual gardens, where we can let Jesus be himself, in all his terrifying glory. Because it is in “practicing in the presence” that we can appreciate the reality of an omnipotent, omniscient God who deigns to care about us and our problems. But in order to walk with him, and talk with him, and share that joy, I wager we’ll need to put our phones on silent.

Casey Chalk is a contributing editor at the New Oxford Review. 

The Bride

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This week, my wife and I celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary. We are past the cards and flowers stage, but we did go out together for lunch the following day. I am looking forward now to the next “milestone”, the 50th.

When we were married, in our 20’s, we could not imagine that length of time. But looking back, we can see some things as if they happened just yesterday- our wedding, the births of our children, places we lived and friends we have made.

Our marriage has been 99% joyful because we share the same goals and we each put the interests of the other above our own desires. The other 1% was when one or other wanted their own way; that’s where forgiveness and unconditional love get to be practised.

The Bible tells us that when a man and a woman marry, they become “one flesh.” Two people bring their individual personalities and talents into a relationship, and over time they become so close and so knowledgeable of one another that they become almost one person.

In an individualistic society like ours that is the ultimate horror story- losing your individuality, your own sense of self-direction to another. It works out to be the opposite, because we gain far more than we give up. Less a horror story than a romantic comedy!

The Bible describes the relationship of God’s people to Christ as being like a marriage. The book of Revelation describes a big party in heaven where the church, made up of all the believers throughout history, is described as a bride being united with Jesus Christ her bridegroom.

That relationship, we are told, will last not just 43 or 50 years but for all eternity.

The good news is that the wedding is open to everyone, not just invited guests. In a funny way, Jesus’ death on the cross was like a proposal. He is asking you to join Him in the wedding of the ages, to spend eternity with Him.

Will you say “Yes”?

Brian Houston Exnerated Over Father’s Paedophilia

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From the ABC, some excellent news after all the mud slinging

Hillsong founder Brian Houston found not guilty of concealing his father’s sexual abuse of a child

Jamie McKinnell, Heath Parkes-Hupton — 4 minutes

Hillsong founder Brian Houston has been found not guilty of concealing his father’s sexual abuse of a child.

Key points:

  • Brian Houston pleaded not guilty to concealing a serious indictable offence
  • A Magistrate concluded Brian Houston had a “reasonable excuse” for not reporting the matter
  • Magistrate Christophi said it was ‘the opposite of a cover-up’ 

The 69-year-old has previously told a Sydney court he was left “speechless” in 1999 when he first learned of Frank Houston’s abuse of a seven-year-old boy decades earlier.

But Brian Houston insisted he did not go to the police because he was respecting the wishes of the victim, Brett Sengstock, who by that time was aged in his 30s.

He pleaded not guilty to concealing a serious indictable offence.

Magistrate Gareth Christofi on Thursday found Brian Houston not guilty, after concluding he had a “reasonable excuse” for not reporting the matter.

In his judgement, Magistrate Christofi found Mr Houston knew or reasonably believed that Mr Sengstock did not want the matter reported to police.

a man wearing glasses with his hand up
Frank Houston was stripped of his credentials as a pastor for the Assemblies of God and died in 2004.(ABC News)

The court heard Mr Sengstock gave evidence that his abuse at the hands of Frank Houston was a “hideous secret”, and one he did not wish for others to know.

At a hearing last year, he gave evidence of feeling “betrayed” by his mother when she raised the allegations with a member of their local church in Sydney’s west.

Magistrate Christofi found it would have been consistent with all the evidence that Mr Sengstock would have expressed that sentiment to Brian Houston during a phone call about the abuse in 1999.

“There is little doubt in my view that the accused knew or believed on reasonable grounds that Brett Sengstock did not want the matter reported to police,” the magistrate said.

A man wearing a
The Magistrate found the Hillsong founder spoke openly about his father’s crimes.(AAP: Bianca De Marchi)

He also found that a $10,000 payment arranged by Frank Houston to Mr Sengstock could not be proven to be “hush money”, or that Brian Houston had intended it to be so.

The court heard Mr Sengstock, then in his 30s, met with Frank Houston and another member of the Hills Christian Life Centre — the precursor to Hillsong — at Thornleigh McDonalds in 1999.

He signed a napkin and told the court Frank Houston said: “You’ll get your money we can keep this between ourselves.”

Mr Sengstock told the court he believed the money was to “buy his silence”, and that he did not see the money until he chased up the deal with Brian Houston.

Magistrate Christofi found, however, that the terms of the agreement were “entirely unclear” and there was insufficient evidence that it was intended to stop Mr Sengstock from going to the police.

The Crown’s case was also contradicted by Mr Sengstock’s own evidence that he had not considered going to authorities, he found.

“[Mr Sengstock] did not need to be silenced.”

‘The very opposite of a cover-up’

Magistrate Christophi rejected the Crown’s case that Brian Houston facilitated a “cover up” to protect the church’s reputation, saying the Hillsong founder spoke openly about his father’s crimes.

During the special fixture hearing last year, Brian Houston described his father as a “serial paedophile”.

He said that in 1999 and 2000, more victims had come forward from his father’s time in New Zealand and steps were taken to remove Frank Houston from the ministry.

The court heard Brian Houston told “many people at various levels” of the church about Frank Houston’s predatory behaviour and referenced it in sermons delivered to churchgoers.

Brian Houston also discussed it during an interview with a reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald in 2002, Magistrate Christofi noted.

“That is the very opposite of a cover up,” the magistrate found.

“He spoke widely and freely about the matter in public settings.”

A man in a black suit and white top standing besides a woman in a denim jacket on stage with bright lights
Brian and Bobbie Houston established Hillsong in 1983 in Sydney’s north-west. (Facebook: Hillsong )

Speaking outside court, Mr Sengstock said regardless of today’s outcome he had been handed a “life sentence” having endured a 45-year battle.

“Today I’ve received some recognition for a seven-year-old child who was brutally abused at the hands of a self-confessed child rapist and coward, Frank Houston,” he said.

“Frank Houston was no pioneer for Christianity, his legacy remains a faded memory of a paedophile.”

He thanked prosecutors, police and his family for their support, and all those who worked to give survivors of clergy child sexual abuse “a voice in this country”.

“Blaming the victim is as repulsive as the assaults themselves,” Mr Sengstock said.

“It should not be this hard.”

During last year’s hearing, he gave evidence that in one of their 1999 phone calls an “angry” Brian Houston claimed his father had been “tempted” by a young Mr Sengstock.

Mr Houston denied this while being cross-examined, saying it was “absurd” to suggest he would blame someone who was abused as a child.

“It’s nonsense. I mean, who would say that about a seven-year-old boy, or a 10-year-old boy … it’s just an absurd notion.”

Behaviour Chains

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Have you ever thought about why you do the things you do?

A lot of the things we do every day are habits that have built up over the years. Some habits are good, some not so good.

Psychologists call the unconscious process behind a habit the behaviour chain. The behaviour chain goes like this: A trigger causes a thought, leading to an action that leads to a consequence.

So, for example, as the time approached 10.30 at night, my body tells me to get ready for bed. That is an environmental trigger caused by the time. After that a whole train of actions follow: turn the TV off, fill the dishwasher, go to the toilet, brush my teeth, go to the bedroom, get undressed, pull back the blankets, lie in bed, close my eyes. Finally, the long-awaited consequence is going to sleep.

That’s a great behaviour chain, because I don’t have to remember all the things I need to do to go to bed.

A bad behaviour chain for me involves the arrival of 8.30 pm, when my brain tells me to go to the fridge and get chocolate, regardless of whether I am hungry or not. Then the thought is “Eat chocolate” and the consequence is an ever-expanding waistline.

Remember when you started to drive? You had to be told everything. But after a few months, the complex processes of driving become habits, and you can drive without any conscious thought.

Sometimes people tell me they can’t find time to pray or read the Bible, which are two of the most important daily habits christians need to develop. The way to start this process is to set up a behaviour chain. Program an alarm into your phone to go off at, say breakfast time. The alarm goes off and reminds you to read the Bible at breakfast time. After a while, you don’t need to be reminded that it’s time, because the smell of toast or the boiling of the kettle will be the trigger.

God has given us awesome brains, and we should use things like behaviour chains to replace bad or harmful habits with habits that draw us closer to Him.

Satan’s Mind Games

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Last Sunday, I was hit hard by a massive, full on attack of evil.

While the musicians were doing their music practice ad other people were getting things ready for church, I found a big stream of negative thoughts going through my head. I was making judgements against other people, being resentful of the least important things. Everywhere I looked, I found a reason to be frustrated. It was like this volcano of violence was stirring in my head, and it was about to erupt.

Not a nice scenario for just before church!

I closed myself in my office and began to repent of my wrong thinking. Then I rebuked satan and told him to get out of my head and out of our building. I claimed it all for Jesus and everything calmed down. The peace of God began to reign.

When we are walking with the Lord, satan is always working to trip us up. He puts thoughts into our minds that sound like our thoughts but really are not. Satan knows our weaknesses, so he will always press the buttons that get the maximum effect. It might be lust, jealousy, accusations, greed… the list is endless.

The key to overcoming these things is to keep our attention on Jesus.

In our daily activities, our busy-ness or stresses, we can find our eyes diverted from Jesus and onto other things. That is when satan will slip in the wrong thoughts, the destructive mind space.

The cure is simple.

First;y recognise that these thoughts are not yours but from the enemy.

Secondly repent of letting satan get into your thinking.

Thirdly, dedicate yourself again to the Lord.

After that, it is just a matter of staying vigilant. When those thoughts start to come into your head, quickly turn to prayer and worship.

The funny thing is that when we do that, the devil finds his tactics are not working any more, and he will leave us alone, until another source of temptation can be found.

Stay close to the Lord!

Desperate For A Rescuer

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As I write this, the world is captivated by the fate of five people in a submersible craft that seems to have gone missing in near the wreck of the Titanic. It seems there has been some kind of mechanical failure. Even if they are on the surface, the passengers are locked inside an air tight container with limited oxygen.

To make matters worse, they are in a very remote part of the ocean, with no communications and could be up to 4 kilometres beneath the surface.

The situation is similar to the underground mining disasters that occur from time to time, where a collapse prevents people from returning to the surface unless the blockage can be removed.

It must be a terrifying situation to be aware that unless somebody intervenes, you will die in a matter of days.

Of course all of us are in a similar position, whether we realise it or not. When you are young, it feels like you will live for ever. As you grow older, you become aware that you are mortal, but t is still a theoretical knowledge.

For everyone of us there is a date set when we leave this life. It might be a few hours away or another 50 years. You will die.

For christians there is a wonderful assurance that our last breath here will be our first breath in eternity. Heaven will be a place of great joy and unmarked by any of the things that make life bitter here.

The Bible tells us that God has launched a rescue plan and everyone who wants to can be redeemed. One of the most famous sentences in the Bible is John 3:16. “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Reach out to God and receive His promise.

Muslim set out to disprove Bible, but a funny thing happened after he read it

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From God Reports:Muslim set out to disprove Bible, but a funny thing happened after he read it

By Alexia Hess –

Mubashir’s consecration to Islam was perfect.

“I was honoured to be a teacher at Koran school in India,” he told International Christian Response. “I felt so full of satisfaction in both my role and my dedication to my path.

“My dedication to Koran was all-encompassing, all-consuming.”

In his zeal to strengthen the Muslim population in India (which registers at 14%, well behind the Hindu majority of 80%), he threw himself into studying comparative religion.

Cracking open a Bible to better expose its errors (he thought), he began reading the New Testament. It was a strange sensation. What he had been told about the Bible didn’t line up with what was written in the Bible.

Muslims in India

“I was amazed by the love and acceptance and forgiveness that I found in the pages of the Christian scriptures,” he recalls. “Jesus as God-become-man captured my attention. He became one of us in order to save us.”

Inevitably, he turned his life over to Jesus and became a Christian. He lost his job at the Koran school.

“My parents didn’t want to have anything to do with me,” he adds. “I quickly went with my friends and neighbors to share the good news, but they rejected me too.”

The rejection turned violent.

“The next thing I knew, I was being dragged out of my house and beaten so severely that I had to be hospitalized for some time,” he recounts. “With no job, I had no way to pay my medical bills and was frightened for my future.”

Thankfully, International Christian Response intervened and helped him start a new, independent life.

If you want to know more about a personal relationship with God, go here

Amish man burdened by rules, discovered grace | God Reports

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From God Reports

By Alexia Hess –

When a Kentucky-born Amish leader dared to listen to a gospel preacher on the radio (in violation of Amish rules), he was astounded by the simple message of grace and forgiveness by faith that conflicted with his ideas that “God love you, but he loved you so much he would punish you.”

“I never knew that you could know that you are going to Heaven,” Vern Yoder says on a 700 Club video. “I couldn’t wrap my head around a warm, hug-type love.”

Vern was born to a well-respected deacon of the Amish, an American East Coast religious group that have strict rules for dress and behavior, which includes not using automobiles. The Amish are considered Christian, but their application of scriptures can be seen as legalistic.

Vern struggled through his teen years to maintain the standards of his church.

His constant thought: What can I do to be a better person? What can I do to have a better shot to make it into Heaven? “It would drive me down into this pit of despair.”

The overemphasis on rules and laws weighed on his soul.

“I was so miserable,” Vern says. “I didn’t know (if I would make it to Heaven), so I would work and work and work at trying to be the best Amish.”

He married and had children, but carried the pharisaical spirit into his roles as husband and father. He went overboard as a disciplinarian and his marriage was strained, he says.

Reflecting on the frustration of his brand of Christianity, Vern pleaded with God: “God, I can’t do this any longer. You’re going to have to help me with this.”

One day he got a job as a tractor driver. That day he listened to a radio preacher expound the doctrines of the simple gospel. It challenged everything he knew about God.

“He was going through a series about faith, about grace, about mercy,” Vern says. “He was telling me things I had never heard in my life. I heard that you can know now that you’re going to Heaven. You don’t have to wait until you die and live in fear.”

He prayed a sinner’s prayer at the end of the broadcast and was flooded by the grace and love of God.

With the Holy Spirit now guiding him as he read the Bible, Vern understood what had been shrouded for years by legalistic interpretations: “The Word of God just leaped out of the pages,” he says. “I would be so excited, I couldn’t contain it.”

Vern felt obliged to leave the Amish community. He shaved his Amish beard and began to dress in contemporary clothing. It was all about Jesus now, not about pleasing the religious folks who stood by and judged everything that was not right, he says.

“I knew that I would follow Jesus, come whatever,” Vern says. “I would follow Jesus (even) if it meant death.”

He’s no longer the stern disciplinarian who criticizes every slipup of his kids. He’s no longer the disapproving husband who was critical of his wife.

“The love of Jesus really softened me,” Vern says. “I don’t have to work to get to Heaven. I work because I know I’m going there and I love pleasing my Master.”

If you want to know more about a personal relationship with God, go here