I have written in the past about sin, repentance and forgiveness, but not about confession. So, why is confession a part of the equation? Why is confession so important?
On sin http://www.paulsgospel.org/motd/on-sin
On repentance ​http://www.paulsgospel.org/motd/on-repentance
​On forgiveness www.paulsgospel.org/motd/on-forgiveness

Why did scripture say "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

So, why is confession so important? Does God not know about all our sins? Absolutely He does. He knows about all our sins, and each one of us has sinned. "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"  Romans 3:23 and if we state that we are without sin, we are lying: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8 So, why does God want us to confess our sin? Of course He knows our sin. However, He wants us to agree with Him that we have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God, and that we need His Mercy and Forgiveness ALL THE TIME. 

So, to confess your sin, pray thus:
"Dear God, 
I confess that I am a sinner and have fallen short of your perfect Holiness.
I repent of all my sin and beg for your forgiveness and mercy. 
I want you to come into my heart and change me from the inside-out. 
I acknowledge Jesus as my Lord, Savior and Master and that He died on the Cross for my sins. 
Please forgive my sin so I bear it no more and purify me from all unrighteousness. 
In Jesus' Holy name I pray,
Amen."

I have stated previously that God gives us Rest ( http://www.paulsgospel.org/motd/god-gives-us-rest ) In the Old Testament, the LORD Commands us to observe the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy. In the New Testament Jesus says “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 Yet we find that in this world, this side of Heaven, hard work is definitely required in order to achieve results, however, the rewards of the hard work can vary, depending upon your reliance upon God. Here are two narratives from the New Testament about this:

"Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little distance from the land. And He sat down and continued teaching the crowds from the boat. Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon responded and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking." Luke 5:1-7

"After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead." John 21:1-14

So, how do you ask Jesus to summon the fish on your behalf? How can you make sure that Jesus is "on the shore working the miracle" on your behalf while you are "in the boat" fishing?

By inviting Him of course! How do you invite Jesus into your endeavors? 

By prayer of course! How do you pray to invite Jesus into your endeavors?
 
1. Always work hard at whatever you do, at God-Honoring endeavors, leaving the results to God, and giving all the Glory to God if you are successful. 
2. Preferably pray BEFORE you begin the endeavor, asking God if this is what you should be working at.
3. When you pray, pray specifically for help with what you are working on, but leaving the results to God, closing your prayer with "But Thy Will, Not Mine Be Done."
4. Always Pray in Jesus' Name. Conclude with "In Jesus' Mighty Name I Pray, Amen."


​

Beloved, I want to talk about a topic I have not discussed before...education, and the importance of education. Education is perhaps as important or more important than almost any other factor in your life. God is a potter who can take the clay you give him (your life) and mold it into a fine pot free from any imperfections, but in this world (which unfortunately belongs to Satan, not to God) your upward mobility will not be determined by how pure, how true, how close to God, or how many Bible Studies you attend every week. It will not be determined by how many tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars you give to the Church (and believe me, I do) every year. It will ultimately be determined by the degrees, diplomas and certifications you hold, and your work experience. I am not saying this to boast but I have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Churches thus far yet I am at the very bottom of the rung when it comes to climbing the Corporate ladder whereas idol-worshipping Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and other non-believers with advanced degrees have become CEOs and CIOs of Fortune 500 companies on the strength of their educational backgrounds alone. I am not saying this to discourage anyone from giving to the Church, quite the opposite. Giving to the Church must go along with educational advancement otherwise it is a completely futile effort. In this world owned by Satan, you cannot get there by Grace alone, and any Church which tells you otherwise is just misleading you. I am living proof of this.  

Beloved, I know of many non-Christians in the Information Technology field who are Managers, Managing Directors, Executive Directors and even CIOs and lately, even CEOs of companies who don't know the living God, yet all these people are promoted to positions of authority and influence because they have credentials under their belt such as MS, MBA, and PhD. all the while I know of devout Christians who sweep the kitchen floors and struggle to make ends meet because they did not clear high school and did not even get a GED or equivalent. Yes, it is true that the non-believers will die at the end of their life while the Jew and Christian will see their names written in the Book of Life and spend eternity in Heaven with the LORD, but that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the here and now in this world. Beloved, if you are a believer, it is your responsibility to get educated and do whatever it takes to get as good an education as you are able to, because at the end of the day, no matter how close you get to God, it will make little difference unless you have that piece of paper stating that you are qualified for the job. This is one area where I fully endorse taking on College student loans. It is definitely worth it. When I got out of College in the early 90's I was fortunate enough to not have any college debt, but if I go back to school for an advanced degree or further education, I will not hesitate to either fund it myself or to take on student loans. When I got my Mini-MBA from a German University, I funded it myself. I am now taking some other graduate-level classes which I am paying for out of my own pocket. I fully intend to go on to get an MBA and possibly an MDiv, and I will have absolutely no hesitation to take on student loan debt for that endeavor, or fund it myself. Education is always worth it...it helps God put you in places of power, influence and wealth so you can do more for His Kingdom right here on earth. #HisKingdomCome #HisWillBeDone

There is some controversy within Christian circles on whether Christians can, could, or should own a gun. In the United States, this divide generally splits down political lines. Republicans and Republican Pastors are generally pro-second amendment rights to own a gun, whereas Democrats and Democratic Pastors generally oppose it. Inner-City Pastors generally oppose it whereas Suburban and Rural Pastors embrace it. There are at least five Pastors in my own Inner Circle of Pastors who own guns and are avid deer-hunters. So, is it wrong for Christians to own guns, and what does scripture say about this?

Liberal Pastors, when asked about gun ownership, generally turn to these words of Jesus:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” Matthew 5:38-39

And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him (Judas) gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he: take him. And straightway he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Rabbi; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, do that for which thou art come. Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And behold, one of them (Peter) that were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest (Malchus) and struck off his ear. Then saith Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? How then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a robber with swords and staves to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and ye took me not. But all this is come to pass, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him, and fled. Matthew 26:47-56

​It would appear that Jesus is telling his followers not to defend themselves. 

Conservative Pastors, on the other hand, argue:

​"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.  He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." Luke 10:32-42. 

"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of Lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful." Revelation 17:14

There are numerous arguments for and against gun ownership, all of which are sound and legitimate. I leave you to decide for yourself if gun ownership is a good thing or a bad thing. Regardless, there is nothing concrete in the scripture indicating one way or another.