What real advantages do we have as Christians? Over the years I have been saddened by the number of Christians who hope they are going to Heaven. It is so easy to determine whether you are or are not. I suppose the true problem is they cannot overcome the need to work their way to heaven. Ask a good number of Christians if they are going to heaven and a probable answer will be: “I sure hope so”.
Let us all accept the fact that none of us, on our own, are worthy. Next we must get over our ”feelings” of are we living good enough lives to qualify. Over thousands of years people could not live without breaking God’s laws and neither can we. As a result, prior to the New Covenant they could not go to heaven and enter into God’s presence because their sins had not been forgiven. It wasn’t until Christ became the sacrifice for our sins that those who were held in Sheol or Paradise were forgiven by Christ and released to heaven.
The following Scriptures are God’s promises:
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Hebrews 4:5 – The Holy Spirit was given to testify that Christ came to give us a New Covenant and told us God would put His laws in our hearts and write them on our minds and our sins and lawless acts would be remembered no more.
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Luke 11:13 – God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
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1 Thessalonians 4:7 – 8 – Those who will not live a holy life rejects God and the Holy Spirit will not be given to him. (God knows who will be serious and who will not.)
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Ephesians 1:13 – The Holy Spirit will mark you with a seal to guarantee your redemption and salvation.
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Hebrews 2:4 – The Holy Spirit will give us signs, wonders, various miracles and gifts. If we have seriously surrendered our lives to Christ the Holy Spirit will make us aware that He is with us.
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II Timothy 1:13 & 14 – The Holy Spirit will help you live a holy life by giving you faith and love in Christ Jesus.
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Luke 12:12 – The Holy Spirit will tell us what to say.
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Acts 1:8 – We shall receive power from the Holy Spirit.
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John 14:26 – The counselor, the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and will remind us of what Jesus taught.
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Acts 13:12 – The Holy Spirit will speak to our spirit and give us directions and where to go.
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Acts 20:23 – The Holy Spirit will warn us of potential problems.
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Galatians 5:23 & 23 – The Holy Spirit will give us joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
God promises eternal life if the Holy Spirit is in our lives. The Holy Spirit will convict us by dealing with our conscience. Once we accept the Holy Spirit, He will give us a new spirit and a new life. He tells us the Holy Spirit will warn us, encourage us and energize us. He is there to change us because in most cases we cannot change ourselves. At least history has proven that.
What is it that God wants us to do? He wants to lead us and accept His ways. His way is that we love Him with everything we have and He wants us to love others. On these two commands we will be judged. Surely a believer must know whether or not they have received the Holy Spirit into their lives. Then stop being concerned about how you feel. Trust what God says in Scripture and what He promises is true. If we know that the Holy Spirit is in our lives that is our guarantee that we will be with God throughout eternity.
Don Boyd Blog 
feetxxxl
/ June 18, 2010for 2000 years believers have tenaciously sought to be led by the law(” the shadow of things to come not the realities themselves”) in spite of gal 3, rather than to be led by the spirit directly(” the sons of god will be led by the spirit of god”), directly by the one who lives in each believer, christ(who has been given all authority and all judgement), taking the same postion that the isrealites took at sinai with moses”go speak to god and tell us what he says, because if we have listen to god(christ), directly, we will die.”