Survival Skills

When you are in the wilderness there are many things that could go wrong; from your vehicle breaking down to having a lion resting in the toilet when you are trying to enter - this happened in the Kgalagadi and that is why they have now fitted doors to the toilets that close automatically!

There is much information on survival skills for the wilderness – what plants provide food, where to look for water, how to make a fire and so forth.

But what about surviving our physical death? There is only one certainty in life - there is a 100% chance that you will die.

Humans are fascinated by eternity and living forever – hence movies like the Highlander.

According to the Bible we will all live in eternity in one of two places – heaven or hell.

So, if you did die tonight, are you 100-percent sure that you would go to Heaven?

Most people say ‘yes’ - because they think they are ‘good’ people.

Check out this video clip from one of the Moment of Truth TV shows – this woman is a self-confessed liar, thief, blasphemer and adulterer (her husband has subsequently left her) yet she still thinks she is a ‘good’ person!

As humans we try to justify our sins as ‘trivial’.

Check out this video clip of a professor at MIT who wants to find out why some of his students cheat and what would make the students cheat less or more...

The bottom line is that the majority of students would cheat ‘just a little’ so that they could still look at themselves in a mirror and feel good about themselves!

We all tend to do that; we compare ourselves to Hitler as an example – so compared to him we are ‘good’, yet God will not be comparing us to anyone – we stand on our own on judgment day!

Yes I know, in your lifetime you have told only a few lies and they were what the world considers ‘small white lies’. Well, how many lies does a person have to tell before they can be called a liar?

How many people does a person have to murder before they are considered a murderer? God’s word says that “ALL liars will have their part in the lake of fire”. In God's eyes a liar is just as bad as a murderer.

God gave us a standard to determine whether we are good - it’s called the Ten Commandments.

Let’s see how you would do with just three of the commandments…

Have you ever told a lie? If you said “Yes” that make you a liar.

Have you ever stolen anything? If you said “Yes” that makes you a thief.

Have you ever lusted in your heart for someone? If you said “Of course, who hasn’t!” – Well, Jesus said that is the same as committing adultery.

So, by your own admission – if you have been honest with your answers - you have confirmed to yourself that you are a liar, a thief, and an adulterer at heart. You are not sounding half as good as you thought you were a few minutes ago.

If God judged you by the Ten Commandments on Judgment Day, would you be: Innocent or Guilty?

Where do you think you would go? Heaven or Hell?

Do you know it’s not God’s desire to see anyone go to Hell? (Ezekiel 18:23, First Timothy 2:3-4, Second Peter 3:9, John 3:16-17)

If you would like to hear how God has made a way for us to be forgiven and delivered from our sins so we can go to Heaven, read on…

Some people at this stage have said to us ‘we’ll get right with God when we are in our 60s; there is still plenty of time’. Well we don’t know when we will die do we! Our final breath could be in 30 years time or in 30-minutes time.

Other people say that God is kind and he will not punish them. If you are a parent you love your children but you also punish them when they misbehave, not so? God loves us but, by his very nature, He must also punish sin. If we repent he will be merciful - but without repentance how can we expect mercy?

Now, after looking in your mirror, you may be upset because you’re not feeling too good about yourself. No, I’m not judging you - God is the only judge. If anything I am the worst sinner as I know my hateful thoughts, my hurtful words and my ugly deeds.

The Ten Commandments were my ‘mirror’ that enabled me to see have depraved I am and that I needed a savior and, after my quest to find the truth, the only logical savior is Jesus Christ.

I’m trying to save you some pain and provide you with my experience that will hopefully encourage you to make an informed decision on Your life.

Why the urgency?

Here’s a question for you...

What are the three basic items found on a tombstone?

Answer...

• the deceased person’s name,

• date of birth, and

• date of death.

Remember that you will be dead a whole lot longer than you will be alive!

Since that’s true, you should be searching out what is on the other side instead of searching out things down here on earth that are temporary, because you will be ‘there’ a whole lot longer than you will be here on earth.

Here’s another question for you...

150 years from now, will it matter if you made a million dollars, drove a convertible BMW, graduated from college, or played first-team rugby/soccer/baseball/basketball/cricket?

NO! The only thing that will be important then is whether you know the God who created you, because you will be in one of two destinations forever - and ever - and ever.

What should be your next step?

1. Admit you are a sinner. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)

2. Be willing to turn from sin (repent). Jesus said: "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:5)

3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for YOU, was buried, and rose from the dead. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

4. Through prayer, invite Jesus to become your personal Saviour. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

The Ultimate Survival Skills

Surviving until we are 60, 70 or even 100 is very short-term thinking. Why settle for so little when God offers us survival skills for eternity!

For those of you that are still struggling to answer man’s three big questions that were listed on the wilderness page, here are my answers as a Christian:

• Origin of life. Where did we come from? God created us for His pleasure.

• Meaning of life. Why are we here? We have an opportunity to ‘get right’ with God, to know Him, to love Him and obey Him. We can waste our lives chasing material possessions, taking drugs, lusting and so forth or we can decide to repent and obey our Creator.

• Destiny. Where are we going to after death? – Heaven or hell are the only two options that the Bible gives us.

If you would like more information on survival skills for eternity these are some excellent websites that have books, DVDs, CDs, MP3s, self-evaluation questionnaires, and free downloads for your edification:

Proof that God Exists

Mark Cahill

Wretched Radio

Ray Comfort

John MacArthur

(I was motivated to create this page after I read Mark Cahill's two books, 'One Heartbeat Away' and 'One Thing You Can't do in Heaven').

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