God is always at work helping those He loves to grow. One of the ways He does that is to present us opportunities to deny ourselves and sacrifice for either Him or others. What often happens is we see these God-given opportunities as drudgery or as too costly. We are selfish and prideful, often taking the easy way out. Either we ignore the problem or we help, but we do it grudgingly. Friends, not sacrificing for the Lord when He prompts us is a sin. It's what's called a "sin of omission." And, just like sins we commit (sins of commission), they immediately stop our growth in God and give the devil a foothold in our lives. "Our fathers were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord's dwelling place and turned their backs on him. They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes." 2 Chronicles 29:6-8 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

There's an interesting bit of errant theology I repeatedly get questioned about by young people. They'll tell me they believe they are "saved" or "born again," then they ask me if I believe God will forgive them for the stuff they did last night! The answer is "yes," but the stuff you did last night might be giving evidence you never were "saved" or maybe that you've not grown enough in Christ to be self-disciplined like He commands. At any rate, if you are "in Christ," then you are forgiven for ALL of your sins. Forgiveness like that doesn't come cheap though and it doesn't give us a license to sin. Those who've been so forgiven should act like it and humbly share the miracle with others. "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Romans 5:9-10 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I get stacks of mail from young people who are struggling with sins of the flesh. Recently, one was so bold as to suggest to me that God either didn't exist or didn't care about sins like masturbation since He (God) wouldn't help him win the battle. This is a lie. Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have all the power they need to defeat sin. They also still have the incredibly strong desires of the flesh. And so the battle rages. The only question remaining is who wins the battle for your mind, and for your body? Are you calling Jesus "Lord" and still allowing your flesh to call the shots in your life? The Spirit of God is a Spirit of "power" of "love" and of "self-discipline." If you're not receiving each of these in dramatic fashion, you're still listening to the flesh. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

When you hear a Biblical truth that really attacks who you know you are inside, is your response a spirit of conformity with God's desires or a spirit of resistance? Do you immediately begin to pray to God to help you make the appropriate change or do you do your best to forget what you heard as soon as you can? Although these may seem like questions that are fairly simply, the truth is that the one who wants to conform is allowing Jesus Lordship in his/her life. The other is denying Jesus access, essentially removing any ability for God to grow him into something useable for His kingdom. What's more, a "crucified" attitude is one sign of the presence of God's Spirit in his heart. The other can be a sign of the absence of the Holy Spirit--someone destined to never conform in this life and to be eternally separated from God in hell. Today if you hear God knocking, don't turn away. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

"We love you Jesus. Now leave us alone!" While that phrase may seem harsh in it's treatment of Jesus, I believe it is a good representation of what many (if not most) of those who call Him "Lord" say with the way they live their lives. We cry His name in times of trouble, and quickly push Him away when we feel we don't need Him. All the while, we cry that we feel "so far away" from God. If you find the same thread in all of my writings, I pray it is this: As Christians, what we do and say should mirror each other, and WE should each do our best to mirror Jesus to a lost world. If one of my children was to tell me he loved me, give me a goodnight kiss, and then promptly sneak out the window and rob a bank after I fell asleep, his actions would deny his words. Loving the authorities over you means obeying them relentlessly. Loving Jesus means exactly the same thing. Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching." These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. Jesus of Nazareth (John 14:23-24) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I used to think that God only wanted to hear me praising His name and praying for people in my circle of influence. It took a while, but I eventually learned that God is capable of handling anything I can throw at Him. He wants to hear the tough things we're dealing with, the sins we're continuing to struggle with, and even our desperation at not hearing from Him as clearly as we may like. God is a Father that cares deeply for us and never acts harshly or judgmentally like our earthly fathers may do. Honestly, can we really call what we have with Him a "relationship" if we only talk with Him about the weather? Psalm 13 1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? 3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; 4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Although the word "narcissism" may be unfamiliar to many, the concept it stands for is alive and well today. Basically, narcissism is love of oneself. It is practiced best by those who can focus almost entirely on their own needs, in spite of the condition of those around them. A "narcissist" has no problem taking care of number one! Unfortunately there's far too much narcissism in Christian circles today. There are even throngs of preachers who preach nothing else! Jesus calls us to just the opposite type of focus and thinking. Honestly, is there any of this type of thinking in your heart that God needs to root out? "Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." Philippians 3:19 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

It doesn't take much channel surfing to realize that Hollywood has a growing fascination with mediums, spiritists and the like. Some people claim to talk to the dead, others to see into the future. They are ALL fakes, liars, demon-driven, or all three! The Bible says as much in many places. But what's probably worse is that many people who calls themselves Christians follow these crazy notions. Honestly, if Jesus died to give us direct access to the God of the Universe, why on earth would we seek out demons and sinners for advice and council? "When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead [lost] on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! [the Holy Bible] If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness." Isaiah 8:19-22 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate