Latina Nichole Smith - Latina Nichole Smith

Luke 13:3 What is REPENTING, and Why Should We?

Latina Nichole Smith / July 23, 2024

What is repenting? Repenting is turning away from sin. Why should we repent? We should repent because sin is destructive by nature…it is designed to destroy you. How so? Sin is destructive by nature because the one who encourages and initiated sin into the world only comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). Sin is inherently designed to kill you, to steal from you, and to destroy you. Sin brings no long-term benefits nor success. Whatever sin gives you, it will also destroy, eventually. God loves you so much. More than anything. That’s why He longs for you (us) to turn away from sin. Why else should we repent? Another reason we should repent is because sin separates us from God. If we are separated from God, we are separated from love, peace, joy, purpose, truth, sanity, self-control, and so much more. This is why we should repent. Realizing the inherent and destructive nature of sin, from experience, is what helped me turn away from it; also, realizing how deeply it grieves the Father. Repentance is not only a display of wisdom, but a display of love…love for God and love for yourself, which leads to love for others. God’s greatest commandment: Love the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul, and love others as you love yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). God’s commandments should be obeyed because God’s commandments teach us how to love God, ourselves, and others. God’s commandments teach us how to live triumphantly, how to function optimally as human beings in this world, and how to live harmoniously together. God is the greatest counselor in existence, He is the greatest leader, He is the best to take advice from, and He is the best to trust and give your heart to. He loves you, more than anything. His sole concern is you, and everything He asks of you is to protect and prosper you (Jeremiah 29:11). That’s why we should repent. We should love God, ourselves, and others. That’s the point of life. There’s nothing more rewarding, more fulfilling, or more liberating ⛓️‍💥 🤍 🕊️ and just imagine if we all did. Repentance is not something we can do on our own, and God doesn’t expect us to. We need His help. We must, and we can, rely on His help. Jesus is the vine, we are the branches (John 15:5). We can do nothing apart from Him, but with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Nothing is impossible or too great for God, and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Repentance: Where to start? The best way to get to know God and what He wants is by reading your Bible, regularly. The Bible is where you will get to know God: who He is, what pleases Him, what displeases Him, and even why. In the Bible, you will find that God is very clear in His answers and guidance. I have found that everything in the Bible may not be easy to understand, but the most important things in the Bible are clear, plainly stated, and easy to understand. For example, the Lord clearly states all throughout the Bible specific things that we should do and specific things we shouldn’t do. If you focus on these things, as well as applying them, it will be easy to know and please God. The rest will come in time as you continue reading the Bible, learning, growing, and spending time with God. If you allow God and His principles to be the moral compass that shapes your core values and directs your life, you will find yourself closer to good decision-making, wisdom, joy, peace, purpose, clarity, and a more fulfilling and satisfying life. Sin is what takes these things away. Repentance brings them.

Bible Study

John 14:15 and John 14:21: God’s Love Language

Latina Nichole Smith / July 15, 2024

In John 14:15, when God says, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments,” this is like saying, if you are hungry you will eat, or…if something is funny, you will laugh. Loving God is God’s number one and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-38). God says we “know” a tree by the “fruit” it bears. People like to say, “God knows my heart.” This statement, not always, but often comes after one has knowingly disobeyed God and, in many cases, after someone has pointed it out to them. Yes, God does know our hearts, and here is proof. Jesus says in Matthew 15:19: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” Our actions show what’s in our hearts. Our actions are “fruit.” Meaning, our willful and repeated actions. So, Lord Jesus is saying, a natural thing that happens when you love me, which is my number one and greatest commandment, is you will keep my commandments. This is a natural thing that happens when you “truly” love me. This is how God, you, and others “know” that you love God. It’s evidence. Obedience to God is “the fruit,” aka evidence that we truly love Him. So, again, Jesus says, “We know a tree by the fruit it bears” (Matthew 7:16-27). The most important “fruit” according to God’s greatest commandment is obedience; and 1 Samuel 15:22 says that God prefers obedience over burnt offerings and sacrifices. I’m sharing this message as a loving reminder for God’s people to examine our own hearts, truthfully, so that on the day we meet our Maker we won’t unexpectedly hear those frightful words that Jesus has promised many will hear, spoken in Matthew 7:21-23, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you who break God’s laws.” (NLT) God loves you so much, and He does not want to see one perish. Not one. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. God is waiting for you. He’s waiting for you to love Him. He already loves you. Though He will not wait forever, if you are still breathing, He’s waiting for you, and nothing you have done matters (Ezekiel 33:13-16). He is ready to forgive and forget (Hebrews 8:12). Repent, out of wisdom and love, because sin is a cancer that only ruins our lives and separates us from God as well as away from peace, joy, purpose, fulfillment, and all the things we need most in life. Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. Scripture doesn’t say seek God’s kingdom when you have time, it says seek ye FIRST (Matthew 6:33). Eliminate the distractions. Jesus said, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it, but if you give up your life for me, you will find it” (Matthew 10:39). If you want to know God, and if you want to be saved, and to be transformed, and to be made whole and new, accept Jesus, today, as Lord and Savior of your life. Ask God to help you know Him, and to love Him. Then…start reading your Bible, praying, and allowing the Lord to change you, and to heal you, and to lead you. This is the day you will go from someone who is merely existing, to someone who is truly living. “Seek me and you will find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). This is a promise. Jesus says in John 10:10 that the thief comes only to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…but I have come that you may have life and that you may have it to the full. As long as you are breathing, it is not too late. We are not waiting on God, He is waiting on us, with arms wide open.

Motivation, Wisdom

Keep God First…Do We?

Latina Nichole Smith / June 13, 2024

Keep God First…Do We? I often hear this phrase or advice given by people, “Keep God First.” I believe this is the best advice one could ever give or receive…but do we? Ever? Do we even know how? Do we know what it really means or what it looks like? What does keeping God first mean to you? In actuality, do we put God first or do we put our jobs first, our family first, our significant others first, our own needs and desires first? I know, I know! That is a lot of questions, but I wanted to get you thinking for a moment. I want you to think about what it really means to keep God first because this is the best and most important thing we will ever do in life. Keeping God first keeps us out of trouble. Keeping God first keeps us protected and leads toward prosperity. How many people in the world are living the life they truly desire? How many people in the world are actually happy? Few. And how many people in the world ACTUALLY keep God first? What does keeping God first look like? Keeping God first means putting God above all. Keeping God first means caring more about what pleases God than pleasing ourselves or other people. Keeping God first means, when I want to lie, I tell the truth instead. Keeping God first means, when I want to give up, I put my trust and faith in God to carry me to the finish line. It means walking away when I want to seek revenge. It means doing the right thing, no matter what everyone else chooses to do. It means caring more about what God wants than what I want. It means caring more about what God says than what anyone else says. Why? Why should we actually keep God first? It’s because God is the one who encourages us to do better and be better every day. When we are better, our lives are better. When we are better, the lives of those around us are better. Hate and negativity are contagious, but so are positivity and love. But love never fails. We need love. God is love, and there is nothing more worthy of having first place in our lives, and in our hearts. God loves us, and He has loved us from the beginning of time. Though He will not wait forever, if you are still breathing, it is not too late. We are not waiting on God, He is waiting on us, with arms wide open.

Author name: Latina Nichole Smith

Luke 13:3 What is REPENTING, and Why Should We?

John 14:15 and John 14:21: God’s Love Language

Keep God First…Do We?

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