“Back in 1911 a stuntman named Bobby Leach went over Niagara Falls in a specially designed steel drum—and lived to tell about it.

“Although he suffered minor injuries, he survived because he recognized the tremendous dangers involved in the feat, and he had done everything he could to protect himself from harm. Several years later, while walking down a street in New Zealand, Bobby slipped on an orange peel, fell, and badly fractured his leg. He was taken to a hospital where he died of complications from that fall. He received a greater injury walking down the street than he sustained in going over Niagara Falls. He was not prepared for danger in what he assumed to be a safe situation.”²

I’ve visited Niagara Falls several times and have never ceased to marvel at the breath-taking beauty and the incredible power of the millions of gallons of water rushing over the falls every second. I’ve been extremely careful to view the falls from a very secure position. If you stood in an unsafe place, one slip and you’d be gone.

When it comes to life’s temptations, we’re very much aware of and are careful to avoid the ones that “roar around us like the rushing waters of Niagara.” But like Bobby slipped on an orange peel, it is extremely easy for us to ignore the seemingly “little” temptations that slip up on us silently but don’t appear to carry any threat. However, a little drink here, a tiny taste of a drug there, a small gamble now and then, a tiny indulgence in lust, a quick look at a pornographic website … can lure us and ever so slowly, little by little, draw us closer to the edge … and we wake up and discover to our dismay that we have slipped over the line into an addiction that has us hopelessly trapped.

No wonder the Scriptures warn us to be on our guard … and “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”³

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me realize just how vulnerable I am and susceptible to life’s ‘little’ temptations, and that daily I need to commit and trust my life and way to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV).

2. KneEmail, Mike Benson, Editor.

3. 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV).

“The unofficial creed in the American homeland war on terrorism, Paul Gunther writes, is this: ‘Be vigilant, be watchful, be prepared.’ Be vigilant in matters of security, whether at an airport, a government institution or in the back sorting room of your office. Be watchful for signs of terrorism: a back-pack left unattended, a strange request for chemicals at a fertilizer plant, a white powder in the mail or unusual behavior by a neighbor down the street. Be prepared to call the police or FBI. Be prepared to evacuate a building. Be prepared to take defensive measures when your life or the lives of others is threatened. ‘Be vigilant, be watchful, and be prepared.’”² This motto should apply to every country in this day and age.

To be prepared, of course, is nothing new. As a kid I learned the same lesson in the Boy Scouts whose motto was, “Be Prepared.” But it goes back at least two thousand years earlier when Jesus promised his followers that he would return to earth to take his true followers home to heaven to be with him. He advised them to be prepared for his coming because he will come when people least expect it.

However, Jesus did say that there would be certain signs that would precede his return to earth—such as an increase of earthquakes, pestilences, wars and rumors of war, etc., etc.

Howard Sugden used to say, “All the signs that Jesus said would precede his second coming have been happening since his first coming 2,000 years ago, but today they are all standing up at once!”

Only God knows the exact day and the hour of Jesus’ return. It may or may not be in our lifetime. But of one thing we can be certain, as Jesus’ first coming to earth is an indisputable fact of history, so will be his second coming. The important thing for us is to be vigilant, be watchful, and be prepared!

NOTE: If you are not absolutely certain that you are prepared for Jesus’ return, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have made it perfectly clear both in person when Jesus was on Earth 2,000 years ago and in your Word, the Bible, that Jesus is coming again for all his true followers. Please help me to know for certain that I am prepared for his coming and know that I won’t be left behind. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 24:4, 44 (NLT).

2. Dr. William H. Morley, sermon. http://www.stthomasreidsville.org/sermons/11102002.htm

A few minutes later the same trumpet call sounded again. Three times it sounded. I felt like it was coming from my office. The second time, Joy felt like it was coming from her office. The third time, we were standing in the hall and we both thought it was coming from somewhere in the hall. It felt like we were in the middle of surround-sound without the vaguest idea from where the trumpet call was coming.

We live “next door” to Camp Pendleton Marine Base and wondered if it came from there. We noticed through our window that our neighbor across the street was in his front yard at this time, so we asked if he heard the trumpet call. He didn’t, so we concluded that the calls didn’t come from Camp Pendleton. Had they done so, it wouldn’t have been in mid-morning! Half joking and half serious, I said to Joy, “This isn’t God’s trumpet call announcing the return of Jesus, is it?” We waited … but nothing more happened.

Interesting, too, that Joy and I both heard these three trumpet calls. Had only one of us heard them, we may have been tempted to think the other one was losing it! But it was very distinct to both of us. Furthermore, we were equally puzzled—and still are.

Regardless from where they originated, they are a graphic reminder that sooner or later, just as suddenly, God’s promised clear-as-crystal trumpet will sound with the call: “It’s time to get up; it’s time to get up; Jesus has come; it’s time to get up and go with him to Heaven!”

As God’s Word promised, in writing about Christ’s return the Apostle Paul stated, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead [believers in Jesus] shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.¹

Furthermore, Jesus Himself promised his followers: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house [Heaven] are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”² See also What God’s Word has to say about Christians who have already died at the time of God’s trumpet call.³

Of this we can be absolutely certain—like the trumpet call Joy and I heard—when it is least expected, God’s trumpet call will sound. If it were today, would you hear it? Would you be ready to get up and go with Jesus? We will either go with Jesus, or we will be left behind—the latter of which is an extremely sobering thought.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your promise, and that of Jesus, that Jesus will return to earth to take all his true followers to be with him in Heaven forever. I look forward to your great trumpet call to announce that Jesus has come. Please help me to be ready for this day and this moment. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If Jesus should come today and you are not absolutely sure you would be ready to be caught up with him, I urge you to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (KJV).

2. John 14:1-3 (NKJV).

3. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Yesterday I wrote about missing our Caribbean vacation cruise because I left my “Green Card” (my immigration papers) at home. Consequently, we flew home early. On board the airplane soon after we left Florida en route to California, a doctor or nurse was called for, as a lady with diabetes took very ill and was in serious condition. Apparently there weren’t any doctors on board, so Joy, being a nurse, answered the call. She knew exactly what to do, held the lady all the way home, helped to keep her from going into a diabetic coma and quite possibly helped save her life. The crew had called ahead and an ambulance was waiting on the runway to whisk the lady to the hospital as soon as we arrived at our destination.

When we daily commit and trust our life and way to God, we make ourselves available for him to use and never know what circumstances we will face each day. Sometimes circumstances happen for no obvious reason. Other times it’s because of our (or somebody else’s) poor planning or unwise decisions. And sometimes they happen, not so much as a coincidence, but rather because they are a “Godincidence”—that is, a God thing! At least we do know that God can, and often does, use our mistakes to be a blessing either to ourselves or to another.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that ‘all things do work together for good to those who love you, to those who are called according to your purpose.’ Help me always to see this, and always be available to be used by you to help others when they are in need. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: By the way Southwest Airlines sent us two freebie airline tickets to anywhere in the U.S. in appreciation for what Joy did to help this sick lady on their flight from Florida! Even more exciting is that we received 33 salvation responses as a result of yesterday’s Daily Encounter message when we sent this same message seven years ago!

1. Romans 8:28 (NKJV).

Some time back I was treated to a wonderful seven-day Caribbean Cruise. Joy and I were really looking forward to this break. We were to visit three ports in Mexico and visit some very interesting historic places. We flew to Florida where the ship was berthed and were ready to board when I ran into a problem—a big problem. I, being a Permanent Resident of the U.S., had my Australian passport with me but forgot my Green Card (my U.S. Permanent Resident identification card).

Big mistake.

A well-meaning airline staff member had assured me that all I needed was my passport. Wrong. I was not allowed to even board the ship. I was assured that if I left the U.S., I would never be allowed to re-enter the country without my Green Card and would be sent back to Australia even though I have been a legal resident in the U.S. for many years. A half-hour before the ship sailed our luggage was unloaded and Joy and I, feeling extremely disappointed and let down, flew home to California.

You can rest assured that I will never do anything like that again. I will make absolutely certain that all my travel documents are in order.

This to me was a graphic reminder that we all need to make absolutely certain that all our “documents” (preparations) are in order for when we leave planet earth for eternity. Many a well-meaning friend will seek to assure us that as long as we live a good life, do more good things than bad things, or follow the religion of our choice and are sincere, we will be allowed entrance into God’s heaven. Not so. As the U.S. government made the rules that governed my entrance into the U.S., so God makes the rules that govern the entrance into his Heaven.

As God instructed the ancient Israelites to prepare to meet him face to face—the same principle applies to you and me. Thus, it is imperative that we prepare now, while we have the opportunity, to meet God for our turn will come.

Eternity is forever. So be absolutely certain to obtain your “passport” for heaven today. Whatever you do, don’t leave earth without it. For help see the article, “Passport for Heaven” at http://tinyurl.com/dm472.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that your Word makes it very clear what is required to enter your heaven, and thank you for providing that way through your Son, Jesus Christ. Please help me to make sure that all my ‘documentation’ is in order. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Amos 4:12 (NKJV).

Lest we forget. Today we are graphically reminded how, on September 11, 2001, the world was shocked beyond belief when Muslim fanatical terrorists attacked the U.S.A. bringing down the two World Trade Towers and crashing into the Pentagon—and some 3,000 innocent victims were killed by these fanatical religious terrorists.

Then we recall how on April 20, 1999, one of the teenage killers at the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado, pointed his gun at Cassie Bernall and asked her his life-or-death question: “Do you believe in God?”

She paused. The gun was still there. “Yes, I believe in God,” she said. Those were the last words that this 17-year-old Christian teenager would ever speak. The gunman asked her “Why?” She had no time to answer before she was shot to death. Terribly difficult to understand. Two youths, in cold blood, murdered twelve students and one teacher.

But has the violence in our society abated since these and many other senseless killings and inhumane acts of terrorism? Sadly no. Nightly on the news we are fed a continuous diet of violence; gang shootings and murders; sexual predators abusing and raping children, women being raped, etc., etc.—right here in the U.S.A.

Sadly no. “On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza, 20, fatally shot twenty children and six adult staff members in a mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the village of Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut. Before driving to the school, Lanza had shot and killed his mother, Nancy, at their Newtown home. As first responders arrived, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.”²

For a short while after September 11, 2001, it appeared this might trigger a spiritual awakening at least here in the U.S.A. But sadly, no, it didn’t. It wasn’t long before we were back to business as usual.

And will the ever-increasing violent acts of terrorism around the world trigger a wake-up call, first, among us, who claim to be Christians? Would we, like Cassie, still name the name of Jesus with a gun pointed at our head? This is happening today in other parts of the world where numerous Christians are being raped and murdered. It could happen in Western countries, too, if radical Islam continues to spread and take hold as it is doing throughout other lands. Fanatical Muslims are on the attack in various parts of the world in the name of Allah! They hate Jews, Christians, and the West and do not hesitate to kill us on our own soil.

Think of 9-11 for example! And with the president of Iran very likely to acquire nuclear weapon capability with the determination to wipe Israel off the map, the world could be heading for a holocaust far greater than that of Hitler’s Germany. Or could it be Armageddon we’re speeding towards?

Here in the U.S. an anti-God and anti-Christian sentiment has permeated at least the public arena, and when we exclude God from our sphere of influence, we create a spiritual and moral vacuum; and what rushes in to fill it? Godlessness and evil—with an acceleration of violence and moral decline. It is no surprise that more and more we are accepting and approving of the homosexual lifestyle and gay marriage, and continuing to allow abortion for almost any reason, not to mention the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion which is murder. Period. Can you imagine how God must feel about what our society is allowing and doing? Have we forgotten that “blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD?”³

We Christians at least need to hear God’s “wake-up call” and unite to create a spiritual force throughout our society, because without a spiritual awakening society is not likely to hear God’s wake-up call.

Spiritual awakenings don’t come from governments, political leaders, universities, or scientists. They start at a grass roots level when God’s people get honest with themselves, each other and with God, and when they get serious about their spiritual commitment. One of the great hindrances to a spiritual awakening at least in the West is that we haven’t suffered enough. Yet. We can pretty much get along quite well without God—or so we think.

As God said to the ancient Israelites when they turned from Him, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”⁴

Suggested Prayer: “Dear God, in light of the ever-increasing moral decline and the accelerating terrorism around the world, please help us Christians, leaders, and the nation as a whole to hear your wake-up call and turn our hearts back to the God whom so many of us have forgotten in our everyday living and actions. Please send a revival and start your work in me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV).

2. Wikipedia, http://tinyurl.com/school-tragedy.

3. Psalm 33:12.

4. 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 (NIV).

Yesterday and Monday we explained what God’s Good News—that is, the gospel, is all about. It is a message about God, a message about sin, a message about Jesus Christ, and a summons to faith and commitment.

Sad to say, some churches give a good presentation of God’s gospel message but never give listeners the opportunity to make a commitment to accept Jesus as their Savior. I believe there are many church members who understand the gospel and are ready to accept Jesus, but have never been invited to do so. I say this because it is my understanding that so many of the people who made their commitment to Jesus at a Billy Graham crusade were church members.

It isn’t enough just to believe in our head that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for our sins. The devil knows and believes that. True, we need to believe this, but we also need to accept God’s offer of forgiveness and gift of eternal salvation to come into our heart and life as Savior and Lord. It also involves making a commitment of our will to follow Jesus.

Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door [of his/her heart and life], I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”¹¹

Again, if you have not yet opened the door of your heart and invited Jesus to come in and asked for God’s forgiveness, and made a commitment of your life to Jesus, I would like to give you that opportunity again today. The following prayer will help you to do this:

“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin for which I am truly thankful. Please forgive me for all my sins, and I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life and will to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer and truly meant it, please let us know by filling in the form at: https://learning.actsweb.org/decision.php. (Be assured that we have a strict privacy policy and will never give any of your information to anyone.)

If you need further help read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

11. Revelation 3:20 (NIV).

Yesterday we had noted that the Gospel is a message about God and, second, it is a message about sin.

Third, the gospel is a message about Jesus Christ. God is not only a God of absolute holiness, but also a God of perfect justice. Because of this, all sin has to be judged, the just sentence of which is spiritual and eternal death, which is not the cessation of one’s existence but eternal separation from a holy God⁵—the creator and author of all love and life—in the place the Bible calls hell.

However, the gospel is also about how God is not only a God of absolute holiness and perfect justice but also a God of infinite love. Because of God’s infinite love for us, he gave his own Son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth in the form of a man and willingly died in our place on the cross of Calvary to pay the just penalty for all our sins. Because Jesus was without sin, he was the only one qualified to die in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. Had there been any other way to save mankind, Jesus wouldn’t have had to die for us.

Fourth, and finally, the gospel is a summons to faith and repentance. The really good news is that God’s gift of forgiveness and eternal life is available to all who will accept it. Here’s how to do this:

1. We need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”⁶ states the Word of God.

2. We need to confess our sins to God and ask for his forgiveness. God’s Word also says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”⁷

3. We need to repent. That is, we need to turn from sinful and selfish ways to follow God and his ways. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.”⁸ That is, we need to turn from sinful and selfish ways and make a commitment of our will, with God’s help, to follow God and his ways.

4. We need to receive Jesus as our Savior. God’s Word says, “To all who received him [Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”⁹ God’s Word also said, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”¹⁰

Admitting and confessing our sins, believing that Jesus died to pay the just penalty for all our sins, inviting him into our lives as Lord and Savior, accepting God’s forgiveness and turning from our sinful ways to live God’s way is what makes us a real Christian. This is what godspell—God’s good news is all about!

To be continued …

If you have never received Jesus Christ as your Savior and would like to do this today, the following prayer will help you to do this:

“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and have fallen far short of your standard of holiness, and thank you for loving me so much that you gave your Son, Jesus Christ, to die in my place to pay the penalty and punishment for all my sin. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me for all my sins, and grant to me your gift of eternal life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you prayed this prayer and truly meant it, be sure to let us know and we will send you, without any charge, additional online articles to help you in your Christian life. You can do this online at: https://learning.actsweb.org/decision.php

Note: If you need further help, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

5. Romans 6:23 (NKJV). 6. Acts 16:31 (NIV). 7. 1 John 1:9 (NIV). 8. Mark 1:15 (NIV). 9. John 1:12 (NIV). 10. Romans 10:9-10 (NIV).

In the first century AD, in a time of severe persecution of the early church and Christians, the Apostle Paul, being anything but politically correct, stated unequivocally that he was not ashamed of the gospel.

But what is the gospel that Paul was not ashamed of, and was so convinced of its reality that he was prepared to face persecution and death? As Webster’s Dictionary explains, the meaning of “gospel” is “godspell, God story, or good news.” It is the good news about God’s story of his salvation plan for mankind. Specifically, as another has said: “The gospel is a message about God, a message about sin, a message about Jesus Christ, and a summons to faith and repentance.”

First, the gospel is a message about God. The gospel is not a message about religion. It’s about having a right relationship with God. Religion tends to want to fix us from the outside in. God wants to fix us from the inside out. The first can become an impossible, legalistic burden. The latter is what brings freedom. Neither is the gospel a set of rules and regulations. It is experiencing God’s divine love, divine acceptance and divine forgiveness—and learning to communicate these to every life we touch.

It helps to realize that God isn’t out to zap us for the wrongs we’ve done. In fact, no matter what we have ever done or have failed to do, God loves us with an everlasting love and has a wonderful purpose for our lives—for this life as well as the next! As Jesus said, “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.”² And again, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.”³

Second, the gospel is a message about sin. Many people understandably ask, “If there is a God and if he is a God of love, why does he allow so much suffering, sickness, and sadness in today’s world? Without sounding too simplistic, this is because we have all sinned and separated ourselves from an infinitely holy God.⁴ It’s not that God left us, but rather, we left God and separated ourselves from him—and, in so doing, we separated ourselves from his protection. Furthermore sin has its own natural consequences that, as a human race, we have brought upon ourselves.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for loving me so much that you gave your Son, Jesus Christ, to die in my place on the cruel Roman cross, to pay the penalty and punishment for all my sin, so that when I receive Jesus as my Savior, I will be freely forgiven and receive your gift of eternal life, knowing that when my life on earth is finished, I will spend eternity with you in Heaven forever. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If you have never received Jesus as your Savior or received God’s forgiveness, I encourage you to do that today. To do so see “God’s Invitation” at: www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or for further help read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. Romans 1:16 (NIV). 2. John 3:16 (NIV). 3. John 10:10 (TLB)(NLT). 4. Romans 3:23.

Napoleon Bonaparte was the greatest general of his day and one of the greatest of all time. He was also an astute politician with an unconquerable will to win. His goal was to rule the world and he seemed well on his way to achieving that goal.

History records how he boasted, “Russia next, then Britain, and Napoleon shall rule the world.”

When leading his army en route to conquer Russia, one tiny snowflake fell on Napoleon, “Then another, and another, and another, and they kept on falling until Napoleon’s proud army was reeling back, broken and defeated” not by an enemy’s army nor even a single shot, but by a mass of tiny snowflakes. Napoleon’s response? “God almighty was too much for me.”

It’s comforting to know that God is in control no matter what, and that this world and the life of each of us who put our trust in him are in his hands.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, again today I commit and trust my life and way to you as I do that of my (name your loved ones). ‘O that you would bless us wonderfully. Please be with us in everything we do. Greatly expand our borders, and keep us from all evil and disaster.’² Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 17:7-9 (NIV).

2. Prayer from 1 Chronicles 4:10.