I used to think worship of Satan required all types of weird cult materials, animal sacrifices and a desire to serve demons and such. I couldn't have been further from the truth. Actually, worship of Satan is a simple thing to fall into. All we need to do is turn our eyes anywhere but toward God and that's essentially what we're doing. Satan helps us fall into worship of him by feeding our desires to worship ourselves. "You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress." Isaiah 17:10 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I know this will make me seem old and no longer cool, but I like to listen to Christian artists who sing where I can hear and understand their lyrics. Cool or not, it paid off today as I heard a great line in one of Christian artist Bryan Duncan's songs. Honestly, it's a devotional all by itself: The words "Dying to meet you, Jesus!" are still ringing through my ears hours later. I just wonder, am I really dying to meet Him, or am I busy living my life and hoping He's cool with it? "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 16:25) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Many who have committed themselves to follow Jesus have given up material wealth. Probably all have given up friends, and some have even had family relationships splinter because of Him. All, no doubt, have had to look at their sinful lives in the light of who Jesus is, and die to themselves. Those who are unwilling to give up any of these things (and even more) cannot possibly be disciples of Christ. That being said, Jesus himself said that we would be rewarded one day. Some may be surprised to find that one of the rewards we will gain in this life is persecution! James and Peter both echoed the sentiment in their letters to the early churches. As a modern day American, I don't like any type of persecution, and certainly not religious persecution. I feel I have my "rights" and I get really aggravated when they are transgressed. I wonder though, in light of this Scripture, what am I missing when I don't consider my persecution "joy"? "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, PERSECUTIONS) and in the age to come, eternal life." Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 10:29-30) (Emphasis mine) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

There's an interesting thing about sexual sin that puts it in a league with very few others. Only a small number of sins seem to be able to in many instances gain near total control of the sinner. I can't tell you the number of times young people (and old ones, too) have told me that they "just can't stop" when it comes to sins of a sexual nature. It's almost like someone who struggles with being overweight. It's not like you can completely give up eating--you can't stop eating, but you CAN do it God's way. You simply have to bring what you eat and how you eat it under God's control. The same thing is true with sex. It's not like a human with blood still pumping through his veins can stop being a sexual being. It's that those sexual desires MUST be brought under God's control. That is to say, they must be conducted according to God's rules and inside of God's timetable. For those who have been "born again" through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, the blood of Christ gives us the power to defeat sin--BUT its power is available only when we prayerfully allow the Spirit the freedom to work in us. We must submit to His authority. When we don't, we will once again be tantalized by our sinful nature. When this happens, sins we once thought were under control will seemingly be "born again" within the members of our own bodies. Then the "I can't stop" mentality can flourish. For those who claim to know Jesus and who also have the "I can't stop" condition, I must exhort you to realize that the power to win your struggle resides with you. You can, and must put it to death daily (or even "minutely" if necessary). The Holy Spirit is your guide. "But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Romans 8:10-15 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

If you've not genuinely given your life and your heart to Jesus Christ, then you're playing a serious waiting game with God. Many play this game, unknowingly falling into the devil's trap, believing that everything will be okay in the end. All the enemy needs to do is keep you from making a decision, and you'll have made a decision to follow him by accident. Don't believe his lies. Everything is NOT going to be okay! Then I said to the priests and all these people, "This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, 'Very soon now the articles from the Lord's house will be brought back from Babylon.' They are prophesying lies to you. Jeremiah 27:16 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Sometimes I struggle with the fact that some of the best guys (and gals) I know are not Christians. At one level I feel like many of them are probably even better people than I am as they seem to struggling with less of life's pitfalls. How could it be that I am worthy of salvation, and yet they haven't received it? At another level, it just seems like such good people shouldn't be sent anywhere but to heaven! Then, reality sets in because I know God's Word to be absolutely true, and He is very clear that only "perfection" will ever enter heaven. Even good people who haven't been made "perfect" by the blood of His Son will never approach God. Then it hits me. Maybe some of the "good" people I know are just good in their own minds that they will never seek Jesus' forgiveness for their sins. That's where I come in! God has saved my pitiful soul, and the way I approach life will be a testimony to my friends, both good and bad! "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I had a young female friend who recently tearfully confessed she was convinced by a couple of young men to strip for them on camera. She's devastated, now wondering what damage she's done to her relationship with Christ. She is also finding her guilt is hard to deal with on other levels, now wondering if she has any reason to live. I know a few things about this type of sin, and I can tell you with undoubted certainly that a few things are true. 1. The guys who convinced her are in more trouble with God than she is. 2. Her confession that "they said I looked beautiful" was a fleshly lie from the guys, as true beauty always comes from within. Even an idiot knows that God made a woman's body attractive to a sane man! And, 3. She has every reason to live, since even her tearful confession to me shows a heart that is looking for forgiveness and is ready for a stronger relationship with Christ. "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I'll admit I'm no big fan of country music, but I will acknowledge that many of the words I've heard to country songs have a firm grasp on life! Once, I accidentally had my radio on a country station and I heard some words that initially I thought were cool... Until I thought about them that is. The song went, "live your life as if you were dying." I was thinking how much different I would treat my family and other people if I thought I'd never see them again, and how many cool things I would want to do before I went, and how I would... And then I realized everything I was thinking about was all about "me." Even the part about treating people better was so they'd remember me fondly and cry a lot at my funeral! I think the words of the song would be better if they said something like, "live your life as if you were completely dead, and then brought back to life!" Then it could be all about the One who brought you back! But hey, I'm no country song writer! "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate