Greetings!
Peace be with you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who have led me to write and send this letter to you — a message of love and truth. I write because the return of Christ is imminent (Revelation 22:12). God is calling all to repent (Acts 17:30) and to seek His mercy and grace while there is still time (Isaiah 55:6).
I humbly ask that you read this letter as I bear witness to Christ's truth and saving grace. All the Scriptures I've quoted in this letter are from the English Standard Version (translation) of the Bible for consistency and clarity.
God has performed profound heart, mind, and soul work in me over the past two and one-half years through His “living and active” Word, which “is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.” (Hebrews 4:12). It was a terrifying and heart-wrenching process at first because of where I was spiritually. I didn't know if I would survive. But God is faithful and just (1 John 1:9). His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 107:1). He continues to work in me and will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
I was a sinner and was living a life of sin for decades. The desires of my flesh had overtaken me. My thoughts were sinful; my actions were evil; my soul was grieving. In response to my grief, I spent my life chasing (and achieving, according to the world) success, education, riches, wealth, indulgences, a same-sex relationship, early retirement, and doing seemingly "good" deeds. I was an anxious, depressed mess who was on medication to treat these symptoms. I manifested behaviors of pride, impatience, judgment, and anger. I drank and overate to soothe my unrest. But, most gravely, my eternity with the Lord was in peril. I was living in error.
But God rescued me; He called me out of the darkness. He opened my eyes to my sin of homosexuality. God removed the scales from my eyes by diligently reading and studying His Holy Word. As a result, I have been delivered from the lies, deception, and twisted thinking that once entrapped me, believing I was gay and a gay Christian at that. He has created for good what the enemy meant for evil (Genesis 50:20). I have true peace for the first time in sixty years (Philippians 4:7). The Spirit's fruits now replace the flesh's fruits (Galatians 5:19-23). Humbly and joyfully, and according to Romans 8:17, I am now God's heir.
God has uniquely designed each of us with a desire for an authentic, intimate, and honest relationship with Him. Not a ritualistic, superficial, feel-good, self-serving, or Sunday-only one. Ecclesiastes 3:11 refers to God's placing "eternity in man's heart." God made humanity for His eternal purpose; only God can fulfill this innate desire for eternity. The Holy Spirit will guide you in understanding God's purpose for your life through His Word — if you will let him. According to 2 Timothy 2:15, we are to "Study to show ourselves approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
So, you might be thinking, I am good with God; why are you writing me? That’s a dramatic change you are addressing.
1 John 1:6-7 reads, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
The Bible is clear in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “…do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Romans 1:18-19 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness for men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. What can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them.”
Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.” We cannot serve God and our flesh. Our flesh is at war with our spirit (Galatians 5:17).
In 1 John 3:8-10, the Apostle John continues, “Whoever continues to sin belongs to the devil because the devil has sinned from the very beginning. The Son of God appeared for this very reason: to destroy what the devil had done. Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them, and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin. Here is the clear difference between God's children and the devil's children: those who do not do what is right or do not love others are not God's children.”
In Matthew 11:15, Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Friend, please continue to hear…
The account of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis was not about inhospitality, as some claim. Let there be no mistake: It was about the sexual immorality of its people, specifically homosexual behavior.
In Genesis 19:1-38, it is written:
"The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, bowed himself with his face to the earth, and said, ‘My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.’ They said, ‘No, we will spend the night in the town square.’ But he pressed them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.’ Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, ‘I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.”
“…Then they [the men of Sodom] pressed hard against the man Lot and drew near to break the door down. But the men [the two angels] reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men {Sodomites] who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.”
“...Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And, he overthrew those cities, and what grew on the ground.”
In the New Testament, Jude authenticates that the account of Sodom and Gomorrah was indeed about the sin of same-sex immorality, writing in Jude 1:7, "Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire."
Jesus cited Sodom and Gomorrah in Matthew 10:14-15, as He said what would happen to a city that would not receive the Word from those He sent.
In the Old Testament, God provides a second narrative to reinforce the gravity of Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin. This additional account, found in the Book of Judges 19:22-30, unfolds in Gibeah, a town inhabited by "worthless fellows" who shared the same desires and motives as the men of Sodom. In this incident, some men of Gibeah sought to engage in sexual relations with a visiting Levite male. The master of the house unwaveringly denied their persistent requests. The men eventually resorted to a night of brutal sexual abuse with the Levite’s concubine, resulting in her horrific death.
As we delve into the subsequent chapter (Judges 20), we discover that the other tribes of Israel were outraged by the heinous crime. When the tribe of Benjamin refused to surrender the sexual offenders, the Israelites, so profoundly disturbed by the atrocity, decimated the Benjamites.
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 state in unambiguous terms that lying with a person of the same sex is an abomination.
Based on the above unified set of Scriptures, you might wish to contend that Paul didn’t understand homosexuality; the word ‘homosexual’ was added to the Bible at a later time; or that homosexuality, lesbianism, and other sexuality referred to in the Old Testament was about non-consensual sex, pederasty, cult prostitution, or sex between two people without love.
First, Jesus, as both God and man, unquestionably understood sexuality and sexual immorality. Homosexuality was not limited to Paul’s writings. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John capture Jesus’ bold preaching against the sin of sexual immorality (Matthew 5:27-28; Mark 7:21; Luke 16:18; John 8:34). Peter, James, and Jude wrote against sexual immorality too (1 Peter 2:10; James 1:14; Jude 1:7).
God set Paul apart to be the apostle for the Gentiles (Galatians 1:1). Paul was trained in the law (Acts 22:3); spent three years preparing for ministry (Galatians 1:15-20); was caught up in the third heaven, receiving visions and revelations from the Lord (2 Corinthians 12:1-3); and was anointed by the Holy Spirit to write more than half of the New Testament. Jesus boldly said in John 13:20, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
The Scriptures unequivocally state that all forms of sexual immorality, encompassing any intimate act outside the sacred union of a man and a woman in marriage, constitute a transgression against God. This includes but is not confined to pornography, masturbation, voyeurism, exhibitionism, lust, fornication, adultery, incest, rape, bestiality, prostitution, pedophilia, sodomy, polygamy, polyamory, and orgies, as well as same-sex sexual acts. (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:7–23, 20:10–21; Deuteronomy 5:18; Matthew 5:27–30, 15:19, 19:9; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–13; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 4:17–19; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 13:4.) These referenced Scriptures, spanning both the Old and New Testaments, underscore the seriousness of maintaining sexual purity as a divine mandate. Understanding the biblical perspective on sexual morality guides believers towards a life aligned with God's design for human relationships. “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16).
Thirdly, Jesus does not accept any life of perpetual sinning (1 John 3:6-7; Romans 6:22). For reference, look at the times He called others to come to Him and to sin no more (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; John 5:14, 8:11).
Fourthly, it is written in John 1:1-5, “In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness has not overcome it.” John further states, in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
Jesus always was, is, and is to come (Revelation 1:4). Jesus is the Word spoken from all eternity and is the author and finisher of our faith (1 Corinthians 1: 24; Hebrews 12:2). Every word of the Bible is about and from Jesus. He taught his apostles directly, and they, in turn, spoke The Word, which is His Word, which is The Way, The Truth, and The Life (John 14:6).
But you might wish to maintain that you believe God created you LGBTQIA+.
I, too, believed that, in part. The truth is that we are all cursed by the sin of Adam. As it is written in 1 Corinthians 15:21, “For as by man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.”
Jesus said in Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within; they defile a person.”
In Jeremiah 17:9, the writer says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
I was not created gay, and no one is. I was cursed by an acquired same-sex attraction, deceived by my heart, and influenced by worldly ways and ideologies to pursue my same-sex desires, which further blinded and distorted my mind while living a lie.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Word of God is clear and consistent about any sexual relations outside of marriage, as I outlined above. We read in Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
Jesus said in Matthew 19:4-5, “He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female,’ and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’”
God, in his immense mercy, showed me through the Scriptures I have carefully included in this letter that my same-sex relationship, thinking, and lifestyle were in direct opposition to the Word of God. I was convicted to the core of my very being. I needed to change through Christ, or I would reap the consequences and spend eternity separated from Him (Matthew 7:21-23).
While grappling with God’s revelations from His Word, I bore my heart to an “affirming” pastor from my past who responded — in grave error — that God would honor my 30-year commitment to my then-partner. The Holy Spirit reacted strongly within me, as those words were not of God but from the father of lies (John 8:44).
The Bible is clear: God hates sin because it is the very antithesis of His nature. The Psalmist, King David, describes God’s hatred of sin this way, “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, no evil dwells in You.” Psalm 5:4. God hates sin because He is holy; holiness is one of His most exalted attributes (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8).
Sin separates us from God (Genesis 3:8) and blinds us from the truth (1 John 2:11). God’s immense love desires reconciliation. God loved us so much that He sent Christ into the world (John 3:16) to provide reconciliation through Christ’s death and resurrection.
During the sanctification of my heart, mind, and soul, which remains ongoing, the Holy Spirit gave me wisdom about how homosexuality came into my life. Let me reiterate it: I was not born gay; that is a lie from the pit of hell. What I’ve discovered, by God’s mercy and grace, is that I harbored and nurtured the sin of homosexuality in my heart that started at a very young age, which was due to many factors that shaped my emotions, thoughts, and heart.
In the first five years of my life, my dad struggled with alcoholism. My parents divorced when I was five and my mother moved my three older siblings and me into a home on the south end of our small town.
Shortly after my parents' divorce, I was sexually molested. It occurred while I was in second grade by a boy who was in Jr. High. It was at this time, too, that my mother became ill with tuberculosis and was hospitalized. During the hospitalization period, my eldest sister (who was 18 at the time) and an aunt attended to us. Neither of them wanted those duties. I so desperately wanted parents and needed love.
Strangely, additional molestations and sexual abuse happened to me up and through 10th grade by both male and female perpetrators in my community. All of these encounters confused me and made me believe people secretly do this.
My father died from alcoholism when I was 11, and I felt many emotions. In the end, I was sad that I didn’t have a strong relationship with him like my older brother did.
During my elementary and middle school years, there were many verbal and physical altercations by my siblings that I now understand were a result of unresolved family trauma. My mother had many great qualities and attributes, but in fits of frustration, she also exhibited great rage and spewed mouthfuls of horrific verbal assaults on my brother, sister, and me. She could also be physically abusive in moments of fury.
The resulting wounds from my childhood were significant; my brokenness was real. I didn’t understand many of my feelings, and my thinking became distorted. All I knew was that I felt profoundly unloved, unworthy, insecure, and undesirable.
High School was my saving grace. I found great solace in my musical and academic achievements. On the one hand, they gave me purpose, but on the other, a false sense of love, acceptance, and success, which I pursued with passion. I also secretly entertained sexual sin in my life.
I became liked, popular, and successful in my endeavors. I learned to keep my secrets and hurts buried deep within me. That’s how I operated through college, a 10-year heterosexual marriage that ended in divorce, and a same-sex relationship that ended as well. I was immensely focused on professional successes for validation, to the detriment of anything and anyone around me. That success, according to the world, gave me a false sense of self, security, and safety, which I now know can only be found in Jesus Christ.
I now know, too, from all I’ve been through, that the enemy has three objectives, according to John 10:10, “…to steal and kill and destroy.” But, because God knew me and had plans for me before I was born (Jeremiah 1:5), the enemy tried to thwart them in as many wicked ways as he and his demons could, with the end goal of taking me with him to eternal hell. However, God is greater; God wins in the end, just as will happen on this earth.
I need to note that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I have forgiven all who have trespassed against me as I have been forgiven of all of my trespasses. Thank you, Lord.
You might be saying that the world views LGBTQIA+ individuals with greater acceptance today, even with rights and laws to protect them.
While that may be true, the Bible says that the world’s laws are not God’s. (Acts 5:29).
There is unmistakably no affirmation of homosexual activity, provision for same-sex marriage, or proclamation for changes in sexual identity found anywhere in the Scriptures. Male and female genders are carefully defined and unconfused.
In the Bible, a consistent and unwavering plan is outlined for sexual experiences: 1) Practicing chastity for those outside a monogamous, heterosexual marriage or 2) Upholding fidelity for those within such a marital union. The Scriptures provide abundant evidence that both homosexual and illicit heterosexual behaviors are deemed immoral and fall under the judgment of God. Do not be deceived, my friend.
The Old and New Testaments present a harmonious, singular, authoritative stance on homosexuality. Moral prohibitions against homosexual behavior, as articulated in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 23:18; Leviticus 18:22, 20:13), find explicit reaffirmation in the New Testament.
In Romans 1:25–27, Paul, an eyewitness to the unrestrained sexual culture of imperial Rome, vividly illustrated the consequences for those who rejected God and turned to "worship and serve created things rather than the Creator." This rejection led to God giving them over to "shameful lusts." Paul describes a departure from natural relations, where women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones, and men abandoned natural relations with women, engaging in lustful acts with one another, incurring the due penalty for their actions.
Furthermore, Paul's counsel to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:9-10 underscores the biblical perspective on homosexuality. He upholds that the law is not intended for the righteous but for the lawless, rebellious, ungodly, sinners, unholy, profane, murderers, immoral men, and homosexuals. This reaffirms the scriptural consistency across both the Old and New Testaments regarding the moral standing of homosexual behavior.
So, you may be saying, but my church stands with me in my identity as a Gay Christian.
My dear one, you are being led astray by false doctrines, myths, or lack of solid Bible teaching. There is no such thing as a gay Christian. Just like there is no such thing as a murderer Christian, a drunkard Christian, a gossiper Christian, or a greedy Christian, you can’t modify Christ. Christ changes us — IF we allow him to do so. Jesus says in John 10:10, “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:2, “Be not conformed to this world; be transformed by a renewal of your mind.” In 2 Corinthians 5:17, he says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
In its prophetical accuracy and inerrancy, the Bible predicted that in our time, there would be churches that would compromise the Word. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 reads, “For the time will come when men do not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
This deviation from God’s truth is also written about in the Old Testament. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
In Romans 1:22-23, Paul tells us, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”
Jesus says in Revelation 2:20, “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching, she misleads my servants into sexual immorality…”
I yearned for intimate fellowship with the Lord in my many years of struggle, and I did not find it because I sought Him from my perspective, wants, and desires. I sought comfort in books, sermons, teachings, gatherings, rituals, and music crafted by men, but were void of the total and saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that, I stayed in the darkness of inner turmoil. You, my friend, will be free only by committing to diligently studying the true, unadulterated Word of God and by attending a church that preaches the Bible in its fullness and glory. Put aside your social media, your work, your earthly pursuits, your riches, your glory, and your fame. Put your eyes, heart, and mind fully on Jesus.
I pray, my friend, that you will hear and heed God’s word before it’s too late.
Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John writes in John 8:47, “He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore, you do not hear because you are not of God.”
But isn’t God love, you ask? Isn’t love what we are commanded to do and to be about?
God is presented in many churches today as an all-loving God, without revelations of his righteousness, holiness, and justice. That’s both a lopsided view and a dangerous doctrine.
We cannot ignore that, according to Hebrews 10:31, "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” God can never accept sin. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (Psalm 89:14).
Yes, God is full of love, mercy, and grace. However, this does not give us a license to sin, as Paul says in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”
We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). But according to our current culture, there is this belief that love is love. Many churches are adopting this umbrella of “love” and giving people the false notion that as long as it’s done in love, it’s okay. Let’s not confuse lust with love, friend. The fulfilling of our flesh’s desires is sin.
1 Corinthians 10:5 describes the Israelites who trekked in the wilderness, “Most of them did not obey God, and he destroyed them.”
2 Peter chapter 2 paints a dramatic picture of God as judge and ruler in righteousness against false teachers and their followers, saying:
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them, the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. (My underline.)
Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them, the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.
My friend, God has burdened me to tell you, before it’s too late, that there is unequivocally no provision in the Bible to act on your same-sex desires or to pursue a same-sex relationship. Jesus loves you, but you can’t live a sinful life and be a Christ follower, as defined by the Bible. The way of the cross is not all-inclusive and polite, as many wish to portray. Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. (John 14:6).
This is a letter of love.
In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard, leading to life, and those who find it are few.”
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.” (Hebrews 4:11-13).
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15).
So, what do I do, you might be asking?
God is a God of holiness, righteousness, and truth. God cannot lie. God will not tolerate sin (James 1:13-16).
Jesus said in Matthew 22:38, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
The Holy Scriptures are clear that homosexual behavior is sexual immorality. It comes under the judgment of God; it also indicates that those who are guilty of homosexual behavior, or any other sin, can be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:17–21).
1 Corinthians 6:11 says, “And such were some of you: but you are washed, you are sanctified, you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
To follow Christ means to acknowledge that sexual immorality will keep you from eternal life in heaven (Romans 1) and to give up homosexuality fully and completely (Matthew 16:24-26). Either you are for God or against Him. As James 4 states, “Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 7:21-23, “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. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
We must be born again (John 3: 1-21).
God wants you to hear this call for repentance today and not wait for you to hear that you lived lawlessly as you stand before Him, as it will then be too late to repent (Matthew 7:23).
1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
My prayer: God’s desire.
My friend, is there anything more important than your eternity? The Bible says life is but a mist (James 4:14).
I want to see you in heaven. God wants you there, too (2 Peter 3:1).
As John writes in 1 John 2:15-16, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Matthew writes in Matthew 24:37-39, “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20.
Full commitment to Christ: Total surrender.
Turning to God for authentic, genuine salvation through Jesus Christ includes repentance and faith. Jesus is both Savior and Lord. He is the one who forgives our sins as we believe in Him and repent (1 John 1:9). Repentance represents a change of heart and mind in which we turn away from sin in attitude and behavior, and completely turn to Christ to justify, sanctify, and ultimately, glorify us. We can’t do it ourselves. The Holy Spirit will be your guide (John 14 and 16).
As Paul said, “To live is Christ; to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21.
Jesus is also the one whose Lordship we affirm as we seek to live holy lives. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God.”
In Matthew 16:24, we read, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’”
And in Mark. 8: 34-38, we read, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
And in John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’
And, in John 8:31-32, Jesus says, “If you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Joshua 1:8 states, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth; but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Dear friend, I pray you will take to heart the Holy Scriptures that I’ve presented. I pray you seek God’s face, read the Bible, and turn your life entirely to God before it is too late.
Choose today whom you will serve (Joshua 24:14-15).
I close with words from the Psalmist David in Psalm 51:1-13. This, too, is my unceasing prayer and covenant with God:
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.”
Christ’s abundant life awaits you (John 10:10).
In His Love,
Mark Richard
A Living Epistle
MarkRichardMinistry.com
“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16).