Crossroads to Freedom E-Book

Riaan Engelbrecht

• Herausgeber: Riaan Engelbrecht
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Our walk with God is a journey, and such a journey begins with a step - to follow Jesus. This volume of work explains in simple terms the journey of following, and how this journey is wonderful, glorious and blessed as we seek to embrace the Lord's gift of salvation, redemption and hope. We are all at a crossroads in our lives and we need to decide if we are either following Jesus or following the world. So let us take this journey together to the glory of the Lord, for in Him there is love, salvation, joy and peace.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Crossroads to Freedom

BE VICTORIOUS IN THE LORD

ALL DARK ROADS LEADS TO SAME DESTRUCTION

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD OUTWEIGHS ALL

BE ADDICTED TO GOD!

NO MORE COMPROMISES

CREATED TO RULE THROUGH GOD

THE WAY FORWARD

PURPOSE THROUGH GOD

PURPOSE BORN OUT OF PURPOSE

DISCOVERING PURPOSE

SATAN'S GAIN

IMPORTANT CHOICE

GOD'S GRACE AND MERCY

BLOOD OF JESUS

TURN BACK TO GOD

GRACE AND MERCY THROUGHOUT THE AGES

BREATHE GRACE AND MERCY

KNOWING GOD

EXPERIENCE GOD

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

TALK TO GOD

UNDERSTANDING THROUGH INTIMACY

AWE INSPIRING TIMES

CITY OF REFUGE

WALLS OF COMFORT

ENEMY WITHIN

TEMPTATION AND TESTS

FEAR

PSALM 23

THE JOURNEY WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

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Also By Riaan Engelbrecht

About the Author

Series of work by the same author:

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Perilous Times

In Pursuit of God

The Holy Spirit

The Disciple of God

Deliverance

Crossroads to Freedom

The Kingdom of God

The Prophetic

Apologetics

End-Time Remnant

CROSSROADS TO FREEDOM

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This is a distributed edition from Avishua Ministries.

The author’s intellectual property rights are protected by international Copyright law. You are licensed to use this digital copy strictly for your personal enjoyment only: it must not be redistributed or offered for sale in any form.

Scriptures quotes from the New Kings James Bible, Amplified, and the New International Version.

FOR MORE FREE STUDY material visit www.avishuaministries.wixsite.com/avishua

Table of Contents

Be victorious in the Lord

All dark roads leads to same destruction

Relationship with God outweighs all

Be addicted to God!

No more compromises

Created to rule through God

The way forward

Purpose through God

Purpose born out of purpose

Discovering purpose

Satan's gain

Important choice

God's grace and mercy

Blood of Jesus 

Turn back to God

Grace and mercy throughout the ages

Breathe grace and mercy

Knowing God

Experience God

Relationship with God

Talk to God

Understanding through intimacy

Awe inspiring times

City of refuge

Walls of comfort

Enemy within

Temptation and tests 

Fear

Psalm 23

The journey with the Holy Spirit

BE VICTORIOUS IN THE LORD

I AM BUT A SIMPLE MAN.

But a simple man, who has been reborn in Christ, washed clean by the blood of Jesus, the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins. I'm purified by the anointing fire, guided by the Holy Spirit in all that I do, say, think, and feel.

I come before you as a disciple who has been empowered by Jesus Christ as confirmed in the great commission.

Before we continue on this most blessed journey into the realms of God’s glory and awe-inspiring revelations through the glory of the Lord Almighty, remain always aware that we have been anointed with authority.

It is because Christ lives in us, that we possess the unlimited potential to become all that God has called us for. As the days unfold, we must always walk in the will of God to unlock the treasures and majesty of God.

I want to take you on a journey. Nothing forced, nothing scary, but a journey of excitement and new discoveries. It is a journey that will lead you from the ordinary to the extraordinary, from a world bedraggled by routine to a new life that is centred on a powerful relationship, where change and healing take place.

The path that we will not wander is the Highway of Religion. Even though it also leads to salvation in Christ, the danger is that tradition and regulations could easily entrap one.

I’m not diminishing the role of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, and neither am I speaking against the Word of God. Instead, I desire for you as a reader to discover something unique, which is to boldly take a step of faith by seeking directly God’s presence through an intimate and dynamic relationship with the Lord.

God is accessible and available as God the Father, as God the Son Jesus Christ and Gold the Holy Spirit. He is seeking a relationship with us.

We must not merely follow God within the boundaries of legalistic religious laws. Let us, for the short while that we are together, seek God directly and fellowship with Him evermore!

Let us pause. I call this path Crossroads to Freedom. When Jesus, the Son of God, sets us free, then we are free.

It might, for the time being, be a strange path to follow. It requires perseverance, courage, and commitment. However, the road gets easier and the load lighter. It is a thrilling adventure.

I'm not here to lead you astray with false teachings. I'm rather walking with you to show you an exhilarating way to seek God and how His presence can dwell within you. We can all walk in God's holy presence!

What do you need for this journey, you may wonder? Nothing much, but definitely a Bible (Word of God). Borrow or buy if necessary. Without the Word, we are lost. It is a map to God's inner chamber. It is not my intention to overkill you with the Word but to rather guide you and to use the Word to support my message. The Word is after all God's direct and wise guidelines for all of us.

I'm using the New International Version and the Amplified Bible (specifically for Psalms 23). Please, find the Word of God, for it is a mighty weapon on this journey.

I have mentioned I am but a simple man.

That is simply a way to describe my current status in the eyes of the world (which means nothing), but in the eyes of my Lord, me and you are everything. We are actually children of the King of kings and Lord of lords! As children of God, our true employer becomes the maker of heaven and earth. There is nothing we can do to be in such a privileged position. We all become co-heirs to the kingdom of God as friends of Christ because of God’s grace and mercy. The Blood of Jesus is available to all so that every nation can be set free!

Christ lives in me. I have been created in the image of God, who turned to Himself to create mankind.

I come to you, reader of these words, to speak to you as a humble person, so that God may be exalted, and as your companion, to lead you to an understanding of what an awesome God we serve.

I do not boast about my potential or my accomplishments, for it is only by the grace and mercy of God that we can return to His loving arms. We can only boast of the power of the wooden cross.

Here is now an important point. Never look at others and contemplate what they have done in Christ or in the world. No, rather know this. God has personally made you, created you perfectly, to function to be a success in His eyes!

All who follow Jesus Christ have the same authority in their spirit, soul and body as in the Son of God, for Jesus gave this heavenly authority to us all.

I have the same life force of Christ running in my veins as all believers. In this power lies miracles and healing.

In the eyes of our Lord, we have all been equipped with His power, strength and potential to rise above any problem, addiction, darkness, depression, sin, sickness, temptation, and any difficulty that brings destruction.

As we embark on this journey, the Holy Spirit will be preparing the way. So open your heart and listen to God, as we go deeper into the Almighty’s presence. Remember that I’m but a temporary tour guide.

1 Peter 3:22 says about Jesus Christ: who has gone into heaven and is at God's right - with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to him.

In Christ, we are invested with the same mighty authority as written in 1 Peter. To Christ belongs all the authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

You might still wonder why you want to heed my words.

I was a sinner who believed in God, but I was missing the bigger picture. I had no dynamic relationship with God. Ignorance and the apparent glamour of sin blinded me spiritually. It crushed the truth.

I had also once wandered on the road of darkness and depression. I was comfortable in my ways of religion, yet I was far removed from having a meaningful relationship with the Lord. For years, I had walked this dark road. The more I journeyed through life, the more I stumbled. Life was becoming a burden of life and everything around me became darker. I bled spiritually. I suffered mentally, emotionally, and physically.

This path in the end led to a deep pit of despair. I crawled into it. The darkness fed on loneliness.  I gave myself to the world and was led to an eerie edge of destruction.

Before we continue down the other enlightened road, let me make one simple truth clear. It will hopefully lift your mind onto a new plateau of belief.  Maybe it will unleash the hunger for a new life in Christ.

Despite being in a dark pit of despair, with chaos and confusion clinging feverishly to me, the Lord never turned His back on me.

That is why, no matter who you are or what you have done, there is always a definite choice one could make to be set free from the darkness and desperation. God has always and still does and will always love you. He is daily waiting for a child, whom He has created, to turn from the wicked ways and return to the Father. 

God's love is so awesome. His forgiveness and mercy are incredible. He lifted me out from that pit of sin and placed my feet on the right path.

The darkness around me fled, while my suffocating addictions and strongholds started to crumble.  Today, I’m being more and more empowered to lead a powerful life in Christ. Notice that my journey has not ended. It has but started. Our journey with God in life only ends at death, but then it continues again after the resurrection!

If you are right now on the wrong road but are longing for meaning, then brace yourself.

It is time to turn back to God and let Him lead you again. It is my prayer in faith you shall not leave this lightened road until we have completed our journey. When the time comes that I must depart, and if you are still standing, then I will rejoice with gladness along with the host of heaven. 

Despite all your sins, heartache, the past, addictions, hate and hurt, the Lord has and will always love you unconditionally! That is why we can always find the right path again so that we can discover greater levels of truth.

When I was in the pit, I was trapped by ignorance, thinking my sins and past blocked any means to a renewed and joyous life.

In 1 John 4:7-19, we are reminded that God loved us first, and his love was so great that he sacrificed his only Son for our sins

That is not how God works! He only longs for our commitment and friendship. He has the means to remove that doubt until you realise the truth that sets us all free. It is never too late with God!

The chaos in my head along with my other sins was washed clean and purified. Oh yes, as I would explain, it does require a certain amount of sacrifice, but through God, you do it with a glad heart.

I honestly believe that making a lifestyle without God, such as changing your diet, exercising, or listening to motivational speeches will only provide a temporary answer to happiness.

There is only one way to improve your life. There is only one means to be forever inspired and motivated. There is only one way to feel good about life daily. There is only one way to walk on a cloud of bliss and joy.

The true lasting medicine is not in money, in drugs, in alcohol or in self-gratification through lust, or the need for greater power and status. It is not found in motivational lectures or books based on man's own ideas of how we should be inspired.

Trust me; I've always thought there was something missing with this picture until I understood that the missing ingredient was God!

Continue on this path, and you shall understand that real joy and peace lies with God. He inspires and motivates. It is free and never runs dry!

Fulfilment is found in the Holy Spirit, who will make you so joyous and excited that it feels as if you are high or drunk. Don't believe me? Keep on reading, for as you continue on this journey, opening up your heart, you will begin to experience it.

God is so awesome. To drink in Him is like being showered in a river of love, power, glory, and bliss every day!

Interested yet? None of this of course costs money, but there are other means to pay God out of love. This small sacrifice is nothing compared to what you shall receive in return.

We all know this is a stingy world, and it seems as if prices for everything are going up, and in return, we are receiving less quality. It is a mass-market-powered world, and we are receiving less while we give more.

In God, there is nothing stingy. The more we give and hunger spiritually, the more we shall receive in terms of both quality and quantity. God will always out-give. He does not hold back or is afraid that He shall receive less than we can offer.

God has unlimited riches, and He wants to bless us in abundance daily. We pay but a small price for all that we receive. This makes our relationship with God the greatest free market ever seen or known in the past, now or ever! 

Do you know that all problems, everything that brings tears or rage, will be washed clean by the Lord? He will purify you by the fire (Titus 2:14), if only you would right now give yourself to Him? Once this happens, you will forever walk clean. Your past will be crucified.

I see you shaking your head, laughing in disbelief, convinced that nothing can help you. Please, have faith, at least for a while. Let me help you on this journey of healing so that you can come to the realisation of what an awesome person you are.

I'm not kidding, I'm not mad, I'm but a man who knows of the world's darkness and how foolish through my ignorance I've been.

Keeping then in mind what an abundant God we love, let me then tell you what potential lies within you. It will help you to discover how to defeat darkness and reign supreme as a child of God.

Are you ready to listen, ready for a while to put away all that pain, anger and hurt?

Ready? Good, but be warned, God is going to knock even louder on your door after this blessed journey is finished, so be prepared to answer His call to serve Him.

ALL DARK ROADS LEADS TO SAME DESTRUCTION

BEFORE WE START WALKING together with our Lord on the road to healing and salvation, it is only appropriate that you should know where I come from in terms of the reality of life.

As I have mentioned, I treated Christianity as a religion, not as a relationship, therefore I have always regarded myself as a believer. I was born and bred into a Christian family. I attended Church, attended Sunday school, and was raised in the knowledge of the Lord.

Still, I wandered down the wrong path, which is much easier than most think. Take note, there is no guarantee of fulfilment in merely attending church or growing up in the knowledge of God. It is not the church attendance that saves us, but rather our relationship with the Lord.

The power of darkness is luring when you only know of God, but do not know God (I shall later explain). 

The darkness of this world, doesn't favour any culture, race, social condition, family life or environment under which one is born and raised.

Some are born into poor social conditions, while others are raised in an almost non-existent family life where love is lacking. It is however evident that there are those who have had or have everything, but who have also fallen into the darkness and have been destroyed.