Water Baptism

1 Peter 3:20-22 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“20..In the days of Noah while the ark was being built, in the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water. 21And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.”

 

There are many people today who are teaching the necessity of water baptism for salvation. But water baptism is not what saves us from our sins and which gives us eternal life with God. For one, many people go through the waters of baptism who never turn their hearts over to Jesus Christ to follow him in obedience and to put their sins behind them. For them, it was just a religious ritual they went through, but it did nothing to change their hearts, their minds, and their lifestyles. Therefore, it was just a formality.

 

And here we learn that it isn’t the physical water you go through which saves you, which removes the physical dirt from your body, but it is a pledge of a clear conscience toward God, through the death (wherein he put our sins to death) and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It is by faith in Jesus Christ, via dying with him to sin and now walking (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to God and to his commands, that the Scriptures teach is required of God for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God.

 

An Original Work / July 15, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Not in Cleverness of Speech

 

The apostle Paul speaking: “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:17-18 NASB1995)

 

Water baptism, in and of itself, does not save people from their sins, nor does it give them the hope of eternal life with God. And it is not a prerequisite to salvation from sin nor to being filled with the Holy Spirit. The baptism that we undergo which regenerates is being baptized spiritually into Christ Jesus, and into his death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead, we also might walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as servants of righteousness in walks of obedience to our Lord.

 

[Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 10:11-12; Mark 10:37-39; John 1:29-34; Acts 9:15-18; Acts 10:44-48; Acts 18:7-8; Acts 22:12-16; Romans 6:1-7]

 

And here, it appears that Paul is separating water baptism from the preaching of the gospel, as though they are not one and the same. Yes, water baptism accompanied people’s faith in Jesus Christ. I believe it was an outward testimony of an inward faith. But anyone can go through the waters of baptism and never be saved from their sins. But if one is not baptized in water it does not nullify their salvation nor their eternal life with God. Only habitual sin and disobedience to God will nullify one’s profession of faith.

 

So, what is the gospel message that God called Paul to preach? You can read about it in the New Testament epistles. But here is a 4 part summary of it:

 

Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

 

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

 

The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

 

And we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments, in practice, we are liars. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

 

But for those who are perishing in their sins, they find this gospel message to be nonsense to them. And they want no part of it. But sadly this includes multitudes of people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who are convinced that all their sins are forgiven and that they are on their way to heaven, but who have not died to sin, and who are not walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands because someone convinced them that God does not require that for salvation. But if sin is our practice, and not obedience to our Lord and to his commands, we will indeed not inherit eternal life with God. Believe it!

 

Not in Cleverness of Speech

An Original Work / November 21, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Walking in The Light 

 

Based off 1 John 1-2

An Original Work / November 16, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

When I lift up my voice, and

Sing praise unto God,

I will fellowship with my

Lord and Savior, King.

In Him there is no darkness.

He is in the light of truth.

If we walk in His light,

From sin He purifies.

 

If we repent of our sins,

He’ll forgive us now,

When we humble ourselves, and

Before Jesus bow.

The man who says, “I know Him,”

But does not obey His truth,

There is no truth in him.

In darkness still he’s found.

 

Do not love the world of sin,

For it is hell bound.

If you follow the world, you’ll

Not in Christ be found.

The world and its desires

Will not last; they’ll expire.

The one who does God’s will,

Receives eternal life.

 

See that what you have heard from

Christ remains in you.

Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and

In His Father, too.

This is what He promised us –

His eternal life with God.

So, continue in Him, and

You’ll receive a crown.

 

https://vimeo.com/114160122

Suffering for What is Right

1 Peter 3:14-17 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.” 15But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ. 17For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Facing Opposition

If we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, and if we are sharing the truth of the gospel with the people of the world, in its correct biblical context, and if we are on the internet writing out and posting what the Lord is teaching us from his word each day, or doing whatever God has called us individually to do and to be, we should not be surprised if we begin to face opposition from those who do not hold to the same truths and values as we do. And some of that opposition may come from other Christians and even “church” pastors.

One of the main areas of opposition we are being faced with today is coming from many institutional “churches” which are partnered with the ungodly and with the state, and which are teaching a diluted and altered “gospel” message intended to tickle itching ears and to not offend the ungodly and to pacify the addicted to sin, in their sin. For these gatherings are mostly being run as businesses, being marketed to the people of the world, and so they are catering to the felt needs of the people rather than obeying God.

Standing On The Word

And so, if we are standing on the word of God, and if we are not partnering with the world and with the ungodly in compromising the Scriptures and the gospel message, we may face much opposition from within these gatherings of “the church,” either from the people themselves, or from “the church” staff, or more specifically the main (or only) pastor. For many are being warned about us in their training sessions, i.e. about us with “strong convictions,” that they are to encourage us to go somewhere else.

And if we are on the internet, perhaps called of God to do so, or just because we chose to do that, and if we are posting our daily devotions on the internet, i.e. what we are learning from the Scriptures each day from our times with the Lord in his word, or if we are just sharing our beliefs in a group discussion, we should be prepared to be faced with opposition. We should be prepared that some people will disagree with us or they may verbally attack us, and they may accuse us falsely of what we did not do. 

Giving a Defense

Especially if we are standing against what is wrong, and what are lies, and what is painting a wrong picture of what the Scriptures teach, in truth, and so we are calling out the lies and the deception and the trickery and the false teachings and the false accusations, we should anticipate that some people will come against us, some of them falsely accusing us of what we did not say or do, sometimes just because they didn’t read what we wrote, so they made false assumptions, sometimes accidently and not on purpose.

But we are not to fear them. We are not to let their opinions of us shake us and make us afraid. We should take it to the Lord in prayer, seeking his counsel, testing our own hearts to make certain we are on the right path, and then follow the leading of the Lord in how to proceed. And it is perfectly okay to give a defense for the reason for the hope that is in us, if we are being challenged or falsely accused. But we are not to get nasty. We are not to stoop to name calling. But we should speak the truth in love to them.

Letting it Go

But, once we have made our defense, we should let it go, and walk away, for we are not going to convince everyone. Even if they are still shouting out lies against us, we just have to let it go and walk away unless the Lord says, “speak,” and then we trust him to give us the right words to speak. But not everyone is going to agree with us, even if we show them in the Scriptures where it teaches this or that, in the right context. If their minds are made up, they won’t listen. And so we have to move on and let God have his way.

But we need to make certain that what we are holding on to is from the Scriptures themselves and not something taught us by other humans that have no backing in the Scriptures. So many lies are being spread in the name of truth these days which are attacking the godly on false charges based in human doctrines which are not biblical. So we need to be students of the Scriptures so we can answer them from the Scriptures (in context), and not from our own understanding, which could be false if not checked.

[Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 24:11-24; Luke 6:26; John 10:1-15; Romans 16:17-19; 2 Corinthians 11:3,13-15; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 6:3-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:1-25]

Suffering for What is Right

An Original Work / July 14, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Video Talk on the Same Subject

https://youtu.be/N1OVKyUVXzE

Conduct Yourselves with Honor

1 Peter 2:1-3,9-12 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“1Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

 

“9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

 

“11Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. 12Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

 

Repudiate the Desires of The Flesh

 

Peter was writing to the elect who were sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ. And, in chapter 1, he said, “14As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance. 15But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” Then, in chapter 2 he counseled them that they must rid themselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander, and that they were to abstain from the desires of the flesh which wage war against their souls. And this counsel is for us, too.

 

So, the impression that I get from this is that it is possible for Christians to, at some point, fall back into sin, depending on the circumstances of their lives, or to still be walking in some sins, if they are new to the faith, or if they are children or the immature or those not trained in the Scriptures. For we are still human, and we are still capable of sin. But this is never ever to be taught as an invitation to continue in any sin just because one is new to the faith or they are spiritually immature or due to difficult circumstances.

 

All throughout the New Testament Scriptures we are being taught that, as followers of Christ, that we must abstain from the desires of the flesh, that we must not continue in sin, but that we must walk in obedience to our Lord and to our Lord’s commands. And we are warned that if we continue in habitual and deliberate sin, and if that is where we remain, and if we do not repent and turn from our sins, and turn back to God, that we will not have salvation from sin, and we will not inherit eternal life with God. Believe it!

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

For God’s Own Possession

 

Now, I have shared my testimony multiple times, so I am not going to go into massive detail here. But I believed in Jesus at age 7, and I lived for the Lord. I was not a rebellious child, and I was a rule follower, for the most part, but I was not a perfect child. I was still a child. But as I grew to adulthood I began to mature in my walk of faith in obedience to my Lord and I served the Lord in teaching the Scriptures, first to children, and then to women, and then to youth, and also in music ministry (I was a singer).

 

But difficult circumstances in my life with regard to how I was being treated by other people, in ways which were not good, which were unkind and unloving, eventually began to weigh heavily on me. And eventually I caved to the weight of it all and I yielded to sin, not just once, but multiple times before the Lord turned me back around. But he did turn me back around, and I never went back. All glory to God! He got me back on track and that is where I have remained, by the grace of God, and in the power of God.

 

For God had a plan for my life, even him knowing well in advance how I would fail him, and the sins that I would commit. For he knew that he would get me back on track, and that he would get me to where he could use me in the way in which he intended, I believe, even before I was formed in the womb of my mother. But I had to rid myself of all the ways in which I was sinning against him so that I could serve him in the calling that he had for me to proclaim him and his righteousness to the people of the world.

 

Jesus is Calling

 

So, here’s the thing. It is not enough for us to just profess faith in Jesus Christ or to live for him only for a time, and then to fall back into sin. He is counseling everyone who professes his name to rid their lives of all sinful habits and practices so that they may mature (grow up) in their salvation, so that they can serve the Lord in the areas of ministry to which he is calling them. For we can’t serve the Lord if we are walking in sin. We can’t be used of him to reach others for Jesus if we are not obeying our Lord in practice.

 

So, if you are aware that you are living in any kind of sin, and that you are not obeying the Lord and his commands, as a matter of life practice, I counsel you with the counsel of the Lord to rid yourselves of it all in the strength of the Lord. Choose to now abstain from the desires of the flesh which wage war against your souls, and put on the full armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against you. And now conduct yourselves with honor and follow the Lord in what he has planned for you.

 

Lord, Move Me 

 

An Original Work / October 16, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Be my desire, my heart set on fire,

Lord, move me to worship You only, I pray.

Fill with Your Spirit, my heart overflow.

Lord, may I long for You; Your word to know.

Teach me to walk with You, Lord, in Your power,

And may I serve You, Lord, right now in this hour.

 

Lord, how I want to obey You forever.

Help me to hear You, Lord, so I will not stray.

Teach me to love You; adore You always.

Envelope me, Lord, with Your grace today.

Meet me in my need, and show me Your mercy.

Forgive me for all things, as I humbly pray.

 

Counsel me, lead me, direct me, and guide me,

So I follow You, Lord, where’er You lead now.

I love to hear You speak Your words to me.

I am so grateful that You set me free.

Wash me, and cleanse me, and make me like You, Lord,

And I will live with You for eternity.

 

https://vimeo.com/125966625

 

Conduct Yourselves with Honor

An Original Work / July 14, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Because He is Holy

1 Peter 1:13-20 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

13Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance. 15But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

 

17Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners. 18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot. 20He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake.

 

Be Sober-Minded

 

As those of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ, this is how we are to live, not as a mere suggestion, and not just as a recommendation on how we “ought to live,” but as a command of God as to how we must live, in practice (not necessarily in absolute perfection), if we are to be called children of God, and if we are to have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For faith in Jesus Christ, if it comes from God, will result in us denying self, dying to sin, and obeying our Lord’s commands, in practice.

 

So, we are to be serious-minded Christians who take God and his word seriously, to heart, to obey it. And we should no longer be those who are living in sin, addicted to sin, living in immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, and committing adultery against God and against our spouses. And adultery is not limited to just having sexual relations with someone to whom you are not married, but it has to do with lusting after another to whom you are not married, in your mind and heart only, no physical contact required at all.

 

Sins of all kinds should no longer be what we practice, by habit, but we should now be followers of Christ whose desire it is to obey our Lord in everything. This does not mean we will be perfect in everything all the time, but it does mean that sin must no longer be our practice, our habit. For, as Christ’s followers, we are called to be holy, to be separate, different from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ by God, who is molding us like clay into his image, if we cooperate with him.

 

In Reverent Fear

 

And we are to conduct ourselves in reverent fear during our stay on this earth, living as foreigners in the sense that we do not take pleasure in the sins of the world, and we do not take part in the practices of the ungodly of this world. And “in reverent fear,” is in fear of (honor, respect, reverence, and regard for) God, for who he is, and for what he stands for, and for his commands, and for his warnings against all who refuse him and who continue living in sin and in disobedience to God and to his Word.

 

For Jesus Christ, in his death and resurrection, did for us what no other human being could do. He shed his own blood for us on that cross and he rose victorious over sin, death, Satan, and hell, on our behalf, so that by faith in him we will deny self, die to sin, and walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to his commands. In his death he bought us back for God (he redeemed us) out of our slavery to sin so we will now serve him with our lives, and so we will walk in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

The Spirit Calling

 

An Original Work / November 12, 2019

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Hear the Spirit calling. He’ll keep you from falling.

Tenderly He’s calling, “Come and follow Him.”

Walk with Jesus daily. Don’t give in to lazy.

Folks may call you crazy. Fellowship with Him.

 

Follow where He leads you. Eat what Jesus feeds you.

His love will renew you, if you follow Him.

Do what Jesus tells you. Don’t let your faith fail you.

His love will avail you, if you walk with Him.

 

Jesus, Lord and Savior, reigneth now forever.

He gave us His favor, so we’d live with Him.

Turning now from our sin, Holy Spirit live-in.

Holiness we walk in, purified by Him.

 

https://vimeo.com/373006449

 

Because He is Holy

An Original Work / July 14, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Lord is a Shield Around Me

 Psalm 3:1-6 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

1 O LORD, how my foes have increased!

How many rise up against me!

2Many say of me,

“God will not deliver him.”

Selah

 

3But You, O LORD, are a shield around me,

my glory, and the One who lifts my head.

4To the LORD I cry aloud,

and He answers me from His holy mountain.

Selah

 

5I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.

6I will not fear the myriads

set against me on every side.

 

If we are followers of Christ, who take the Word of God seriously, to obey it, and so we are sharing with others what the Lord is teaching us from his word daily, and so we are sharing the truth of the gospel as Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught it, in the correct biblical context; and if we are doing this publicly, perhaps on the internet, or in the gatherings of the church, or in small group home Bible studies, in the appropriate manner, then depending upon who is listening, we may face some serious opposition.

 

And this reminds me of Jeremiah 1:1-19 (I will not quote the whole thing).

 

4The word of the LORD came to me, saying:

5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I set you apart

and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

 

“7For to everyone I send you,

you must go,

and all that I command you,

you must speak.

8Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.

 

“17Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.

 

The Calling of God

 

It was in the 1970’s when I knew this was God’s calling on my life, not to be a prophet, but just a woman of God listening to the Lord, following his leading, speaking the words he would have me to speak to the people of God and to the world. And he was letting me know that “they would fight against” me, and so I was not to allow myself to be intimidated by them, or he would terrify me before them. Well, sometimes I stood strong, and other times I was intimidated, and he did terrify me before them. But through it all I learned to be strong in the Lord and to stay the course and to not quit.

 

I know I must speak the words of God (from the Scriptures) that the Lord puts on my heart to share, knowing full well that some people will attack me. Some will persecute me. And some will falsely accuse me of what I did not do. I knew some would attack me with hateful remarks. Some would try to goat me into a discussion in order to try to trip me up with my words. And I experienced all those things. But through it all I learned to keep going, to keep speaking, to keep obeying my Lord even if no one supported me or encouraged me, and even if all deserted me and rejected me.

 

Why? Because it is far more important that the truth of God’s Word is getting out to the people than whether or not I am liked or appreciated. For we live in a time when it appears that the lies are abounding, and that they are drowning out the truth, and so we need people of God who are willing to get the truth out to the people, which is the truth that not many want to hear. For so many people are teaching lies today, softening the message of the gospel to make it more acceptable to human flesh. And so many give lip service to God while they continue living in sin and do not obey God.

 

But even when I am persecuted, and I am being falsely accused of what I did not do, and even when I am not encouraged or supported, or by very few, I must stay the course! Far too many people are speaking lies to the people, and far too many people are believing and adopting the lies and are rejecting the truth. So I must persevere in getting out the truth that the people need to hear regardless of how I am treated in return. And I do have some encouragers, which I am very thankful for. But I still face opposition, too. But God is a shield around me and the lifter of my head. Amen!!

 

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; Hebrews 12:3-12; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13] 

 

Shield About Me

 

By Thomas Donn Charles / Williams Charles Henry

 

Thou Oh LORD, are the shield about me

You're my glory, You’re the lifter of my head

Hallelujah

 

Sung by Acapeldridge (might be arranged by him, too)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPCUmT6mj48

 

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

The Lord is a Shield Around Me

An Original Work / July 13, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Though You Have Not Seen Him

1 Peter 1:8-9 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“8Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

 

By His Great Mercy

 

The context here is about Jesus Christ. By the grace of God and by God-persuaded faith in Him we are born anew into the family of God. We are delivered out of our bondage (addiction) to sin so we might now serve God with our lives in obedience to his commands. All this was made possible via Jesus’ death and resurrection. For in his death he put our sins to death with him so that by faith in him we might die to sin. And in his resurrection he conquered death that we might live with him in obedience to his commands.

 

By genuine biblical faith in him, which comes from God, and which is not of our own doing, we receive “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (vv. 4-5). But by “faith,” which comes from God, and which is not of our own doing, if our faith is genuine, we deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, as a matter of life practice, by his grace.

 

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

 

You Love Him

 

What does that look like if truly we love Jesus Christ, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – our God who we are not able to see with our physical eyes? The Greek word for love is agape, which means “to prefer,” and in this context it means to prefer what God prefers which is all that is holy, righteous, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful and obedient to our Lord and to his commands. We prefer to live through Christ while embracing God’s will, which results in obedience to his commands.

 

So, how is that we are able to love someone who we cannot see? How can we believe in him who we cannot see with our physical eyes? How can we be sure that he even exists? God persuades us. He reveals himself to us in his creation (see Romans 1:18-20), and in our minds, hearts, and spirits. And he reveals himself to us through his written Word. But “seeing” is not just physical. Seeing is also perceiving, sensing, and comprehending in our spirits what is of God as it is revealed to us by God, if we are willing to receive what is of God and by faith in him follow him wherever he leads us.

 

The Goal of Our Faith

 

The goal of our faith, in this life, is that we deny self, die to sin, and obey God and his commands; that we follow him wherever he leads us, that we do all that he says to do, that we love God with our whole being, and that we love our fellow humans with the love of God, which comes from God. And the end goal of our faith, which by faith we are now receiving (progressive), is the salvation of our souls. But we must die to sin, obey God, in practice, and we must continue in that until the day we die, for us to have salvation.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Shield About Me

 

By Thomas Donn Charles / Williams Charles Henry

 

Thou Oh LORD, are the shield about me

You're my glory, You’re the lifter of my head

Hallelujah

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPCUmT6mj48

 

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

Though You Have Not Seen Him

An Original Work / July 13, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The KJVO Cult

1 Peter 1:3-7 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

 

“6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials 7so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

 

Beware Religious Cults

 

We who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are regarded as those who are saved from our sins and who have the hope of eternal life with God based on what the Scriptures teach, not on the basis of what any religious cult teaches are God’s requirements for salvation. And there are multiple religious cults which exist today which claim to be Christian but which base their faith off the teachings of humans and not off the teachings of Christ and of the Scriptures. But I will address just one.

 

There is a group of people who believe that the only valid English translation of the Scriptures is the King James Version. And that is their prerogative to believe that way. That is their choice. But many of them don’t stop there. They also teach that anyone who uses an English translation other than the KJV is not a Christian, that they do not know Christ, and that they do not have the Spirit of God (of Christ) living within them. For they teach that all other English translations are of the devil. That is just NOT BIBLICAL!

 

In fact, that is antibiblical. We are not saved from our sins and on our way to heaven based off whether or not we use the KJV of the Bible only. That is a lie from hell! That is a teaching of a religious cult, and nowhere in the Scriptures does it teach that. And the Scriptures are our guide to truth, not the teachings of other humans who are following the teachings of a religious cult which is teaching as truth what the Scriptures do not teach. So if you are being told you are not a Christian because you don’t use the KJV of the Bible, but you prefer to read something in today’s English, don’t buy it!

 

A Lie From Satan

 

So, what’s their beef? Some or all of the more current (in the last 60 years) English translations of the Scriptures do not include a few verses which are in the KJV. The reason for this is that they are using older manuscripts than what the KJV Bible did in translating the Scriptures to English, and those older manuscripts did not include those particular verses, which are few in number. And it appears that they are not critical in nature to have included. And sometimes what was removed is still stated in a different verse.

 

So, what are God’s requirements for salvation and for eternal life with God? They have nothing to do with the KJV of the Bible. We are saved from our sins and we have the hope of eternal life with God because of what Jesus did for us in putting our sins to death with him on that cross, and in being resurrected from the dead, so that by faith in him we can now die to sin and obey God with our lives, in practice, in the power of God, and not of human flesh. So if you are being told you are not a Christian because you don’t read the KJV only, please know that is not of God, but it is a lie of Satan.

 

Why is it a lie from Satan? Because the Scriptures don’t teach it. Not even the KJV of the Bible teaches that the requirement of God for us to be regarded as Christians is that, if we are English speaking people, that we must use the KJV only. That is a man-created theology which is not of God, not of the teachings of the Scriptures, and which is anti-biblical. But should we be discerning about what translations we use? Yes! They are not all good. Some of the bad ones are “The Message” and “The Passion Translation.” For they go against the teachings of the Scriptures in some cases. Be discerning!

 

Only Through Faith

 

So, please know that your salvation from sin and your relationship with Jesus Christ are not dependent on whether or not you prefer the KJV of the Scriptures only. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that any of us are saved and on our way to heaven. And that faith comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of God’s requirement that we deny self, die to sin, and walk in obedience to his commands, in practice, by his grace.

 

And please do not let the opinions of others, which are anti-biblical, make you begin to question your faith or your salvation. But if your faith is not of God, but of human flesh, and if you are believing a lie which says you do not have to die to sin, and you do not have to obey God, and you can still be saved and on your way to heaven, then please listen to the truth of God’s word which teaches we must die to sin and obey God, in practice, or we do not have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. Believe the Bible. Believe God! And test what humans say against God’s word in context.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

My Sheep 

 

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV

An Original Work / June 24, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

 

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

 

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full…

 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

 

https://vimeo.com/114938263

 

The KJVO Cult

An Original Work / July 13, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love