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Can Be Yours
Chapter One
Happiness
True Ha ours.......
ppiness CAN Be Your s.......
4 Chapter One
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. All was
good. The earth was a wonderful paradise where He placed the first
man and woman after creating them in His own image and likeness.
The Garden of Eden, which was their home, was a paradise. The
word Eden actually means pleasure and delight. They had con-
stant fellowship and communion with their Creator and harmony with
His creation. There was no sin, no violence, no sickness or disease,
no lack or want of any kind, and no death. This was Gods plan for
all people and still is today!
Adam, the first man, and Eve, his wife, had the most wonderful life
that anyone has ever had on earth, and this was also Gods plan for
the entire human race -- all who would be born of Adam and Eve.
They had an abundance of everything to make them truly happy, but
to protect their happiness, God placed one restriction on them.
You ar
You aree fr ee to ea
free eatt from an
from anyy tr ee in the ggar
tree ar den; b
arden; ut yyou
but ou m ust
must
not ea
eatt from the tr
from ee of the kno
tree wledg
wledgee of ggood
knowledg ood and eevil,
vil, ffor
or when
when
you ea
eatt of it yyou
ou will sur el
surel
elyy die
die..
God gave Adam and Eve the ability to choose. He did not create
them as puppets or robots. He desired a relationship with them based
on mutual trust and respect. God did not want them to die and told
them to not eat from that one tree. They didnt trust God and were
deceived as follows:
No
Noww the ser pent w
serpent wasas mor
moree cr afty than an
crafty anyy of the wild animals the
LORD God had made made.. He said to the w oman, Did God rreall
woman, eall
eallyy sa
sayy,
You m
You ust not ea
must eatt from an
from anyy tr ee in the ggar
tree arden? The w
arden? oman said
woman
to the serpent, W
serpent, Wee mamayy ea
eatt fruit fr
fruit om the tr
from ees in the ggar
trees ar den, b
arden, ut
but
God did sa y, Y
say ou m
You ust not ea
must eatt fruit fr
fruit om the tr
from ee tha
tree thatt is in the
mid dle of the ggar
middle ar den, and yyou
arden, ou m ust not touc
must touchh it, or yyou
ou will die
die..
True Happiness Can Be Yours 5
He ans
answwer ed
ed,, I hear
ered heardd yyou
ou in the ggararden, and I w
arden, as afr
was aid be-
afraid
cause I w as nak
was ed; so I hid
naked; hid.. And He saidsaid,, W
Whoho told yyou
ou tha
thatt
you w er
eree nak
wer ed? Ha
naked? Havve yyou
ou ea ten fr
eaten om the tr
from ee tha
tree thatt I commanded
you not to ea
eatt from? The man said
from? said,, T he w
The oman yyou
woman ou put her
heree
with meshe gga ave me some fr uit fr
fruit om the tr
from ee
ee,, and I aate
tree te it.
it.
Then the LORD God said to the w oman, W
woman, Whaha
hatt is this yyou
ou ha
hav ve
done? The w oman said
woman said,, T he ser
The pent decei
serpent deceiv ved me
me,, and I aate
te
te..
The consequences of Adam and Eves choice to not trust their Cre-
ator, to not take Him at His Word, were devastating to the entire
human race, both then and now. Adam and Eves unbelief and dis-
obedience brought sin into the world and alienated mankind from
their Creator. All forms of evil and selfishness, along with sickness,
disease, and even death, followed their disbelief and sin.
Adam and Eve, the parents of the human race, chose to believe the
serpent, the devil, Satan, instead of believing their Creator God. Not
only was mankind alienated from God by sin, but Satan now had
dominion on earth among the human race. Adam and Eve had been
given authority by God over all earthly creatures including the ser-
pent, but by obeying the devil instead of asserting their authority
over him, they became slaves to sin and Satan instead of ruling and
reigning with God, their Creator.
6 Chapter One
Life on earth for them and for all mankind was no longer what God
had originally intended. Living became an existence rather than a
life filled with Gods blessings and abundance. The entry of sin into
the world, resulting in mans separation from God and the rise in
Satanic activity on earth today, help us to understand why the human
race is in such a state of chaos, confusion, and turmoil and why people
are experiencing such a low standard of life, with all the selfishness,
sickness and disease, poverty, suicide, murder, sexual sin and per-
version, rebellion against authority, divorce, drug and alcohol abuse,
and all the other evils of society.
Out of ignorance, and by the devils own design, most people blame
God, or the gods for the chaotic condition of the world today and
for the problems they face in their own life, family, and country. Not
understanding what the real problem is, and without any real solu-
tions that work, mankind fights to survive and get ahead and even
succeeds at life, only to find that in the end, they face death, the
judgment, and eternity without God.
All of this had been predicted for centuries before His birth, as was
Jesuss purpose for coming to earth and the other events that would
take place in His life. All prophecies about Him were fulfilled down
to even the smallest detail. He grew in favor with God and man,
living thirty-three years here on earth and fulfilling His purpose for
coming, after which He returned to His Father in Heaven.
Jesus was different than any other man. He had no earthly father.
He was not of Adams bloodline. God was His Father, and although
He was tempted by Satan, as Adam and Eve were in the beginning,
Jesus never sinned. He overcame every scheme and every tempta-
tion of the devil. He always did the will of God and lived in com-
plete obedience to His Heavenly Father.
Therefore, Jesus Christ was able to fulfill Gods plan for redeeming
mankind. He was Gods solution to our problem. Instead of punish-
ing us for our sins, God punished His Son, Jesus, in our place. Jesus
8 Chapter One
Christ, the only perfect, sinless human being to ever walk this earth,
sacrificed His life for you, me, and the entire human race. Jesus
Christ was nailed to a cross, died almost 2,000 years ago and shed
His precious blood in payment for our sins, to redeem us from sin
and its effects, and from Satans control over our lives.
Jesus Christ has conquered sin, sickness, disease, death, and all the
works of the devil. He is alive and reigns victorious now and for-
ever. He did this all for you, me, and the entire human race; and for
whoever comes to Him and trusts Him, and puts his or her faith in
His shed blood and receive Him as their own personal Savior and
Lord. Whosoe
hosoevver calls upon the Name of the Lor d will be sa
Lord ved
saved..
You have now read the Good News about Jesus Christ, that He died
on that Cross almost two thousand years ago in your place, and for
your sins as your substitute to bring you back to God. He suffered
your punishment and torment, so that you would not have to go to
hell when you die and suffer everlasting punishment. Your sin caused
a debt that you could not repay. He paid that debt for you in full. It
cost Him His very life to redeem you, and He did it all to prove His
love for you. You are loved by God!
How will you respond to Gods love as you consider the fact that He
gave His one and only Son to die in your place so He could bring you
back to Himself? And how will you respond to Jesuss love for you,
that He was willing to die in your place and suffer your punishment
so you could have Eternal Life? And how will you respond to the
Holy Spirit, Who is revealing Jesus to you right now? How will you
respond? You have two choices!
You can respond in faith and believe the Gospel, or you can respond
with disbelief, rejecting the Good News about Jesus. You can accept
the precious gift of Gods Son He paid for with His very life, or you
can do nothing and thereby reject Him and all that He offers you.
You can receive Gods forgiveness and be reconciled to your Cre-
ator, or you can remain dead in your sins forever. You can call on the
Name of the Lord and be saved, or you can continue to be lost with-
out God and without hope.
God wants you to trust Him and to receive His Son Jesus and all the
resulting benefits, but Satan wants you to doubt God like Adam and
Eve did in the beginning and remain as you are under his control.
God wants you to be blessed. Satan wants you to be cursed. God
wants to help you. Satan wants to hurt you. God wants you to live
free from the effects of sin. Satan wants you to live in bondage to
sin. God wants you to live in abundance and divine health. Satan
wants you to live in lack and sickness. God is the author of life.
Satan is the author of death. God wants you to enjoy Heaven forever
with Him. Satan wants you to be tortured in Hell forever with him.
the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. He cast out evil spirits, He
raised the dead, healed the lepers, and made the lame to walk. He
healed everyone that came to him in faith, no matter how serious
their sickness or disease. He forgave the sins of everyone that put
their trust in Him. Jesus Chr ist came into this w
Christ or
wor ld to sa
orld ve sin-
sav
ner s, and He w
ners, as manif
was ested to destr
manifested oy the w
destro or
wor ks of the de
orks vil.
devil.
The Bib le sa
Bible ys, But as man
says, many y as rrecei
eceived Him (J
eceiv esus), to them
(Jesus),
gave He po wer to become the cchildr
pow hildr en of God
hildren God,, eev
ven to them thathatt
believe on His Name. The Bib
believ Biblele also sa ys, T
says, ha
hatt if yyou
Tha ou conf ess
confess
with yyour
our mouth, "J esus is Lor
"Jesus Lord d," and belie
believve in yyour
our hear
heartt tha
thatt
God rraised
aised Him fr om the dead
from dead,, yyou
ou will be sasavved
ed.. It is also
written, "Ev
written, er
"Ever yone w
ery ho calls on the name of the Lor
who Lord d will be saved
sav ."
ed."
Now it is time for you to make a choice, the most important decision
you will ever make in your life. You did not arrive at this place and
time by accident. Gods love has brought you to this point. His Holy
Spirit is drawing you to Him so that you can be saved and have a
whole new life -- a life of peace, joy, security, happiness, and abun-
dance -- and the promise of life everlasting in Heaven.
If your choice is to remain as you are under the control of Satan, you
should go back and reread this chapter and prayerfully consider your
choice. If you want to be restored to your Creator and live the life
He originally intended for you with all its benefits, you can say the
following prayer right now:
True Happiness Can Be Yours 11
Dear God,
Thank you for creating me in Your Image and Likeness and for not
giving up on me, for valuing me and loving me so much that you
gave your Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die in my place to buy
me back from the bondage of sin, and out from under the control of
Satan, all through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
I, here and now, choose to believe in the Name of Jesus Christ, and I
open the door of my heart and receive Jesus into my life, as my Sav-
ior, my Healer, my Deliverer, my Redeemer and my Provider. With
my mouth, I confess Jesus Christ as Lord and believe in my heart
that You have raised Him from the dead. I believe that Jesus is alive
and that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I call on the
Name of the Lord to be saved right now!
Thank you for saving me and for forgiving and forgetting all my sins.
I am changing how I think and feel, and because of Your love for me,
I purpose in my heart to live a life of love towards You and others. I
believe You are the only True God. You are now Number One in my
life. From this moment forward, I want to know You and do Your
Will, instead of living my life apart from You as I have in the past. I
renounce Satan and everything and anything that exalts itself against
the knowledge of You and Your Word.
Thank you for accepting me just as I am, for making me your child,
and for giving me an entirely new and abundant life full of all your
blessings, just as if I had never sinned. Thank you for being my
Heavenly Father and for the gift of Eternal Life. Your love, forgive-
ness, and acceptance are beyond my comprehension, but I receive
them all with a very grateful and humble heart, and I look forward to
growing in my relationship with You and discovering who I am as
Your child.
am who You say that I am, and that I have what You say that I now
have, and I believe that I now can do everything that You say I can.
Jesus, thank You for bearing my sins, sicknesses, and pains in Your
body on the cross, and for taking the punishment that I deserved for
my sins. The shedding of Your blood and your other acts of love for
me make me want to live for You and honor You with my life. I am
thankful that You now live in me, that You are here to stay, and that
You will never go away. I believe in You, Jesus. AMEN!
Record Of My Decision
Let it be known to all in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth,
that I have received Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord of my
life. In my heart I believe that God has raised Him from the
dead, and with my mouth I confess Him as Lord.
Name:
Date:
Time:
Place:
Chapter Two of this book will provide you with the informa-
tion you need to begin your new life with Jesus. Your thinking
and your reason for living will totally change. You will dis-
cover that you are an entirely new person, that the old is gone
and the new has come, and this is all from God.
You will also learn how to live in victory over your defeated
foe, Satan. Jesus Christ lived victoriously over the devil when
He lived on earth, and then totally defeated him through His
death, burial, and resurrection. Jesuss victory and author-
ity over the devil now belong to you.
Happiness
True Ha Now
ppiness Is No ours.....
w Yours.....
14 Chapter Two
Please dont forget to record the date, time, and place of your deci-
sion to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior when you called upon the
Name of the Lord to be saved. This will be a meaningful keepsake
and a reminder for you, and for Satan and his demons.
Your relationship with God is now restored as if you had never sinned.
You now have Christs authority over Satan, the same as Adam and
Eve had before they sinned, but that does not mean that Satan will
stop trying to influence your thoughts and put doubts in your mind
about your decision to return to God through Jesus Christ.
No matter how much you change and grow in your relationship with
Jesus, the devil will never change. He has come to kill, steal, and
destroy, and some of the tactics that he uses are fear, lying, accusa-
tions, deception, oppression, and condemnation. In the Bible, he is
called the father of lies. His power over you has been broken, but
he will try to convince you that it isnt. Remember, he is a liar.
However, there is Someone else Who will never change, and that is
God, His Word and His Son, Jesus, Who is the Living Word. You
have no reason to fear the devil. You are now a child of God, and
greater is He, Jesus, Who lives in you, than your enemy, the devil.
The first area in which the devil will try to attack and deceive you
will be in the decision that you just made to receive Christ as your
Lord and Savior. The battlefield will be your mind. He will place all
kinds of thoughts in your mind, attempting to cause you to doubt
your new relationship with God. Hes afraid of you now.
He caused Adam and Eve to doubt their relationship with God, which
led to their disobedience to God, which then led to separation from
God. They should have exercised the authority and dominion that
God had given them and answered Satans temptation to doubt, with
Gods Word alone, as Jesus Christ did when He was tempted by the
devil in the wilderness. Jesus is your example, not Adam and Eve.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 15
We have already discussed Adam and Eves temptation, but now lets
examine the details of the temptation of Jesus Christ by the devil:
Jesus ans
answ wered
ed,, "It is wr
ered itten: 'Man does not li
written: ve on br
liv ead alone
bread alone,,
but by eev
by very Wor
ery ordd tha
thatt comes fr om the mouth of God
from .'"
God.'"
Jesus answer
answ ed
ed,, "It is wr
ered itten: 'W
written: or
'Worship the Lor
orship d yyour
Lord our God and
serve Him onl
serv y.'"
only
Jesus rreeplied
plied,, "It is written: 'Don
written: 'Dontt put the Lord yyour
Lord our God to the test.'"
The devil even attempted to cause Jesus Christ to doubt His relation-
ship with God. He said, If You araree the Son of God? Jesus an-
swered with the Word of God, by saying It is wr itten.
written.
16 Chapter Two
The devil is a liar and he hates the Truth. He hates God Who cannot
lie, and he hates faith in God and anyone who has faith in Him. He is
Gods enemy and also the enemy of Truth and anyone who believes
in God and lives by the Truth.
Adam and Eve did not trust God and His Word when they were
tempted by Satan. Rather, they listened to, believed, and acted upon
his words and the thoughts he inspired rather than upon Gods Word.
In Chapter One of this book, you were presented with many Truths
from Gods Word, the Bible, concerning how you could return to
God, your Creator, and be saved from your sins and restored to Gods
original plan and purpose for your life, so you could experience peace,
joy, and True Happiness in this life and for Eternity.
These Truths are what your faith in God must be based upon. You
cannot trust in your emotions or feelings or in your intellect. You
must know that you are saved and restored to God, because you be-
lieved His Word and you did what He asked you to do, period!
Keep in mind that Satan is going to bombard your mind with doubts
about your salvation and new relationship with God. Your emotions
and intellect will try to make you doubt, and so will other people.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 17
However, the Holy Spirit Who now lives in you will help remind you
of Gods Word, and as you believe God and His Promises, Gods
Spirit will bear witness with your spirit that you are now His child.
As you choose to believe Gods Word above what you feel or think,
and above what others tell you, the God of peace will be with you.
Learning how to use the authority that God has given you is very
important. You want to live victoriously as a Christian, not defeated,
but you must use the spiritual weapons that God has given you. Jesus
Christ has won the victory for you. Therefore, you are now able to
defeat Satan every time that he tempts you to doubt Gods Word.
1. You are not really saved. You must do good works to be saved.
You cant just call upon Jesus and have only faith to be saved.
It is written, F
For by
or it is b y ggrrace yyou
ou hahavve been sa saved,, thr
ved through
ough
faith, and this not fr om yyour
from our selv
ourselv es, it is the ggift
selves, ift of God
God,, not b
byy
wor ks, so tha
orks, thatt no one can boast,
boast, and I believe Gods Word.
It is written, W
Whoehoev
hoe ver calls on the Name of the LorLord
d shall be
sav
sa ved
ed,, and I called on the Name of the Lord, and I am now saved.
It is written, If yyou
ou conf ess with yyour
confess our mouth the Lord JJesus,
Lord esus, and
believ
belie ve in yyour
our hear
heartt tha
thatt God has rraised
aised Him from the dead
from dead,, yyou
ou
shall be sa ved
sav ed.. I did confess Jesus as Lord with my mouth, and I do
believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, so Im saved.
2. You are not really Gods child. You are still a child of the devil,
and he still has power over your life.
It is written, F or He has rrescued
For escued us fr om the dominion of dar
from k-
dark-
ness and br ought us into the kingdom of the Son He lo
brought lovves, in
Whom w wee ha
havve rredemption,
edemption, the ffor
orgiveness of sins,
org and I believe
sins,
Gods Word.
It is written, Yet to all w
Yet ho rrecei
who eceived Him, to those w
eceiv ho belie
who believved
in His Name
Name,, He gga ave the rright
ight to become cchildr
hildren of God
hildren God.. I
18 Chapter Two
3. You are not really forgiven for your sins. You have done so much
wrong that God could never forgive you.
It is written, T
Therher
herefefor
oree, ther
efor theree is now no condemna
now condemnation tion ffor
or those
who araree in Chr
Christist JJesus,
esus, because thr ough Chr
through ist JJesus
Christ esus the la w of
law
the Spir it of lif
Spirit lifee set me fr ee fr
free om the la
from w of sin and dea
law th.
death. I am
th.
now in Christ Jesus and am set free from the law of sin and death.
It is written, I wr ite to yyou,
write ou, dear cchildr
hildren, because yyour
hildren, our sins have
hav
been ffor
or
org given on account of His Name
Name.. Thank you, Lord, that my
sins are forgiven on account of Your Name.
emember no
It is written, And their sins and iniquities will I rremember
moree. Thank you Lord that you dont even remember my sins.
mor
4. You cant know for sure that you are saved and have Eternal Life.
It is written, F
For
or God so lolov
ved the wwor
orld
or thatt he gga
ld tha ave His one
and onl y Son, tha
only thatt Whoe ver belie
hoev ves in Him shall not per
believ ish b
perish ut
but
ha
havve Eter nal Lif
Eternal Lifee. Thank you, Lord, for giving Your Son, Jesus, in
my place so that I can have Eternal Life.
It is written, I ggiive them Eter nal Lif
Eternal Lifee, and the
theyy shall never per
nev per--
ish; no one can sna tc
snatc h them out of My hand
tch hand.. Thank you, Jesus,
that Your Words are true and thank you for your Gift of Eternal Life.
It is written, F wa
For the w th; b
death;
ages of sin is dea ut the ggift
but ift of God is
nal Lif
Eternal
Eter Lifee through JJesus
through esus Chr ist our Lor
Christ d. I believe Gods Word.
Lord
It is written, In hope of Eter nal Lif
Eternal Lifee, w hic
whic
hichh God
God,, tha
thatt cannot lie
lie,,
omised bef
promised
pr or
oree the w
befor or
wor ld be
orld beggan. I believe that God cannot lie.
an.
It is written, And this is the pr omise tha
promise thatt He has pr omised us,
promised
even Eter nal Lif
Eternal Lifee. Thank you for Your promise of Eternal Life.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 19
5. Nothing has changed in your life. You are the same person you
have always been, and you cant expect anything to change now.
Ther
It is written, T heref
her efor
ef oree, if an
or any Christ,
yone is in Chr new
ist, he is a ne w cre-
cre-
one
one,, the ne
ation; the old has ggone w has come! All this is fr
new om God
from God..
I am now in Christ Jesus and therefore, I am a new creation. I thank
You, God that my old life is gone, and Your new life has come. Most
of all, I thank You that my new life is a free gift from You.
It is written, Because b y one sacr
by if
sacrif ice He has made perf
ifice ect ffor
perfect or
or--
ever those w ho ar
who aree being made hol
holyy. I thank you, God, that you
see me as perfect while you are making me holy. I believe it, Lord!
It is written, and ha
hav new
ve put on the ne self,, w
w self hic
whic
hichh is being rre-
e-
new
ne wed in kno wledg
wledgee in the ima
knowledg imagge of its Cr
Crea ea tor
tor.. Thank you,
eator
God, that You are renewing me in Your Image.
We believe that these portions of Gods Word will empower and en-
able you to defeat the enemy of your soul when he or anyone else
attempts to cause you to doubt your new relationship with God.
Anytime you begin to have doubts, respond by speaking Gods Word
in faith, and the devil and his doubts will flee from you.
The Word of God must be the controlling factor in your life, now that
you have been saved and are Gods child. You cannot allow your
thoughts, your feelings, what you hear or see, to control your life any
longer. Gods Word is Truth and Truth is now your standard.
You are saved because Gods Word says you are. You are Gods
child now because Gods Word says you are His child now. You
have Eternal Life because Gods Word says you have it. Your sins
are forgiven because Gods Word says your sins are forgiven.
20 Chapter Two
Here are words that will assist you in giving thanks to God through
prayer for the Truth you have just learned in Chapter Two:
Thank you, Jesus, for all that You have done for me. Your demonstra-
tion of love towards me is beyond my comprehension and under-
standing, but not beyond my faith. I believe that You loved me so
much that You took my place on the Cross, and I am grateful.
I also believe that You overcame Satan through your shed blood when
You died on the Cross, as well as with the Word of God when You
were tempted by him in the wilderness for forty days.
Thank you, Jesus, for defeating Satan on my behalf, and for demon-
strating to me how I can overcome his schemes and temptations by
using the Word of God, just as You did.
Cha pter T hr
Chapter ee
hree
This chapter will help you know what God is really like,
not what the world, the devil, and religion tell us He is like.
As the Spirit of God reveals Him to you, your love and trust
for Him will grow stronger, and you will experience His
Blessings and Presence in your life each day.
Happiness
True Ha Godss Will F
ppiness Is God For
or You.....
22 Chapter Three
Living by the Truth will become exciting to you and bring you many
blessings from God, along with True Happiness, every day of your
life. You have already received the greatest blessing, the Truth that
you now have a living relationship with God, your Creator, through
His Son, Jesus Christ. You will never be punished for your sins, but
rather will spend all Eternity in Heaven with Jesus.
You are a babe in Christ, having just been Born Again, but you will
grow everyday as you feed on Gods Word. The Holy Spirit, Who
now lives in you, will reveal Gods Word to you. He will teach you
and guide you into all Truth, and you will begin discovering and
exploring everything that God has done for you.
For example, Gods Word teaches that you are now Gods child, and
therefore you are heirs with God and joint heirs with Christ. This
means that the Creator of the Universe is your Heavenly Father, and
that everything He has also belongs to you.
You are no longer the person you used to be. The old is gone, the
new has come, and it is all from God. You may think that you are not
worthy or that you dont deserve all this, but you cannot think in the
old way about yourself any longer. You must realize that you are
valuable to God. Your worth is based on the price that He paid to buy
you back from Satans slave market of sin.
You are valuable to God. He created you and has a plan and purpose
for your life that fits into His Big Love Plan for the entire human
race. He proved that you are valuable to Him by paying such a great
price to redeem you. He paid with the life and the shed blood of His
one and only Son. He punished the perfect Son of God in your place.
He allowed Him, Jesus, to die for you and to bear your sins, sick-
nesses and pains so that you could be brought back to Him.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 23
That is love beyond our comprehension. Dont ever let the devil or
anyone else look down on you as someone that is worthless or of
little value. Your Creator has established your value, and that settles
it forever. Whenever you begin to doubt your value or worth to God,
just think of Jesus dying on a Cross in your place, being beaten for
your healing, and shedding His precious Blood for your sins. God
loves you with an everlasting love, and you are of Infinite value and
worth to Him. You are now His child forever. Thats the Truth!
You are now a follower of Jesus. Your entire life is all about Jesus.
Your faith must be in Jesus. Jesus Christ is the express image of
God. The Bible says, T he Wor
The d became fflesh
ord lesh and made His d well-
dw
ing among us. We ha ve seen His glor
hav gloryy, the glor y of the One and
glory
Onl
Onlyy, Who came fr om the F
from ather
Father,, full of ggrrace and tr uth.
truth. Jesus
uth.
Christ is the Living Word of God. You must identify with Jesus.
Jesus Christ had no reason to come to earth, except for us. He had
nothing to prove and no one to impress. He had no sins of His own
to die for, and when He died on a Cross, He gave His life; it was not
taken from Him. His death was a voluntary act of Divine Love.
In other words, when Jesus Christ was punished and died on that
Cross, you were punished and died on that Cross. When Jesus Christ
was buried, you were buried. When Jesus Christ went to Hell, you
went to Hell. When Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, you were
raised from the dead. When Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, you
ascended into Heaven.
Everything Jesus did was for you and me. Jesus did not come to be
ed to, b
ministered
minister ut rra
but ather to minister and to ggiive His lif
lifee as a rran-
an-
som ffor
or man
many y. He said, No one tak es My Lif
takes Lifee from Me
from Me.. I lalayy it
do wn on My oown
down wn accor
accordd. When Jesus Christ died on the Cross in
our place, it was a deliberate act of love by the Father and the Son.
Jesus Christ also came to earth to show God, our Heavenly Father,
the Creator of the Universe, to the world. Satan had deceived man-
kind as to what God was really like. His lies have portrayed God
much differently than He really is, a loving Heavenly Father Who
wants only good for His children.
People have been running away from God for centuries, because of
deception by our enemy and because of ignorance of what God is
really like and how great His Love is for us all. He demonstrated His
character so clearly through His Son, Jesus, Who not only is the Way
for us to return to God, but Who also shows us how we, His children,
should relate to our Heavenly Father in our everyday lives.
The picture of God, as your Heavenly Father, should not come from
how your earthly father has treated you. You must form your image
of your Heavenly Father from the Bible, the written Word of God,
and from Jesus, the Living Word of God.
You will then be able to relate to Him as you should, and be able to
receive the benefits and the inheritance of being a child of God.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 25
Isnt this a beautiful image of our Heavenly Father? And this is only
a glimpse into the love, goodness, grace, and mercy of God. This
description of God was recorded many years before Jesus Christ was
born, but now Jesus Himself is our best image of God.
The Spirit of God Who now lives in you will reveal the Father and
the Son to you so that you can know Him personally and intimately
as you should. As it is written: "No eeyye has seen, no ear has hearheardd,
no mind has concei
conceivved w ha
hatt God has pr
wha preepar
pareded ffor
or those w ho
who
lo
lovve Him -- b ut God has rreevealed it to us b
but y His Spir
by it. The Spir
Spirit. it
Spirit
sear
searcches all things, eevven the dee p things of God
deep God.. We ha ve not
hav
recei
eceivved the spir it of the w
spirit or
wor ld b
orld ut the Spir
but it Who is fr
Spirit om God
from God,,
tha
thatt w
wee ma
mayy under stand w
understand ha
hatt God has fr
wha eel
freel
eelyy ggiiven us.
us.
It is written, He w ho spar
who spareded not His oown
wn Son, b ut deli
but delivver ed Him
ered
up ffor
or us all, how shall He not with Him also fr
how eel
freel
eelyy ggiive us all
things? It is also wr itten, No ggood
written, ood thing will He withhold fr om
from
them tha t w alk upr ightl
that walk uprightl y,
ightly and EverEv er y g ood
ery good and perf
perfect gift is
ect g ift
fr om aabo
from bove, coming do
bov downwn fr om the F
from Faather of the hea
heavvenl
enly y lights,
who does not cchang
hang
hangee lik
likee shifting shado
shadows.ws.
ws.
So we see that God always wants only good for us. Jesus Christ was
beaten, suffered, and died in our place to deliver us from sin, sick-
ness, disease, and pain, and from all the works of the devil. God now
wants us to possess and experience all the good gifts and blessings
that Jesus Christ faithfully purchased for us when He redeemed us
from sin and its curse with His precious shed blood.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 27
You must be convinced that it is Gods will for you to now pr osper
prosper
and be in health, eevven as yyour
our soul pr osper
prosper s. This is what the
ospers.
Bible clearly teaches and what Jesus Christ demonstrated to every-
one, when He walked and lived here on earth. The Bible tells us,
Ho
Howw God anointed JJesus
esus of Nazar eth with the Hol
Nazareth Holyy Spirit and
Spirit
po
powwer
er,, and how He w
how ent ar
went ound doing ggood
around ood and healing all w ho
who
wer
eree under the po wer of the de
pow vil, because God w
devil, as with Him.
was Him.
Jesus healed the sick, made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the
dumb to speak. He cast out evil spirits, raised the dead, healed the
lepers, and made the lame to walk. He healed everyone who came to
him in faith, no matter how serious their sickness or disease. He
forgave the sins of everyone that put their trust in Him. Jesus Chr ist
Christ
came into this w or
wor ld to sa
orld ve sinner
sav sinners,s, and He w as manif
was ested to
manifested
destroy the w
destro or
wor ks of the de
orks vil.
devil.
Dont allow the devil or anyone else to tell you differently than whats
in Gods Word. Your mind will be renewed as you fix yyour our eey
yes on
Jesus Who always did only good for everyone who trusted in Him.
Jesus always did the will of His Father in Heaven.
So now you know that Gods will is that you be blessed, truly happy,
in good heath, prosperous in every way, forgiven, and free from all
the works of the devil. The reason you know is because Gods Word
says so, and Jesus demonstrated the will of God on earth.
28 Chapter Three
Now is a good time to recap the things you have learned in Chapter
Three through the following prayer of thanksgiving to God:
Thank You so much for being Who You are, and how You are, and that
I can count on You to never change or ever lie. I am so thankful that
True Happiness Is Your Will For Me, and that You always want only
good for me, because thats just how You are. You are wonderful!
Thank You, Lord, for the Holy Spirit, Who is guiding me into all Truth
and Who is revealing Jesus to me, along with all that You have pre-
pared for me. Thank You, God, that You want me to know all about
You and that you dont keep any secrets from me.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that everything You came to earth to accom-
plish was for me and others like me. You didnt come to be minis-
tered to, but to minister and give Yourself for me. Thanks for show-
ing me the Father as You healed, saved, and delivered people. Thank
You that I can know that You will do the same for me. I Love You!
Cha pter F
Chapter our
Four
You have come to trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord. Now
you will learn how to trust Him in all areas of your life.
You will discover that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells
bodily in Jesus and that in Him, you are complete. In other
words you lack nothing; everything you will ever need is
found in Christ Who lives in you.
This is an awesome Truth from Gods Word. Imagine that
Everything and Everyone you will ever need is living inside
of you every day.
Happiness
True Happiness Is JJesus
esus In You.....
30 Chapter Four
Jesus Christ now lives in you and you live in Him. The Bible says,
or in Him d
For
F dwwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodil y, and
bodily
you ar
aree complete in Him.
Him. In other words, you lack nothing. You
are now everything that God originally created you to be.
Read and meditate upon the following verses of Scripture from the
Bible, and they will help you understand how blessed you are:
Jesus is revealed here as the Shepherd and you are one of His sheep.
In previous chapters, we referred to you as Gods child, and that you
are. However, in this chapter, we will also discuss your relationship
with Jesus Christ in other ways.
Read this portion of Gods Word over and over and allow the Holy
Spirit to make this real to you. God wants to touch your innermost
being through His Word. He wants to make Himself real to you so
that He can love you and bless you more than you can imagine.
and mar
marrrow; it judg es the thoughts and aattitudes
judges ttitudes of the hear t.
heart.
Nothing in all cr ea
crea tion is hid
eation den fr
hidden om God's sight. As you ponder
from
the Word of God and His Goodness and Love revealed therein, the
Spirit of God will touch you deeply, change you, and enlarge your
heart and soul, enabling you to experience Christs love even more.
Jesus is your Shepherd. He will guide you and provide for you, and
comfort and bless you. You will not want. He is the Good Shepherd
that leads you along the path of life and keeps you from all harm.
You have no reason to fear or worry. Your Shepherd meets all your
needs and protects you and blesses you with peace and joy.
You are secure in Jesus. Read and meditate upon the following por-
tion of Gods Word from the Bible:
He w ho d
who wells in the shelter of the Most High will rrest
dw est in the
shado
shadoww of the Almighty
Almighty.. I will sa
sayy of the LORD
LORD,, "He is m
myy rref-
ef-
ug
ugee and m y for
my for tr
ortress, m y God, in w hom
tress, my God, whom trust."I tr ust."
Surel
Surel y He will sa
ely ve yyou
sav ou fr om the ffo
from owler's snar
snaree and from the deadl
from y
deadly
pestilence
pestilence.. He will co
covver yyou
ou with his ffea
eather
eather s, and under His wings
thers,
you will ffind
ind rrefug
efuge; His ffaithfulness
efuge; aithfulness will be yyour
our shield and rram-
am-
part.
tha
thatt destroys aatt mid
destro da
midda
dayy.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in
troub
troub le
le,, I will deli
ouble delivver him and honor him. With long lif
lifee will I
sa tisfy him and sho
satisfy show w him My Salv ation."
Salva
No one has ever loved you like Jesus. For this rreason
eason I kneel be-
for
oree the F
Faather
ther,, from w
from hom His w
whom hole ffamil
whole amil
amilyy in heaven and on
heav
ear th der
earth deriives its name
name..
I pr
pra ay tha
thatt out of His glor ious rric
glorious iches He ma
iches may y strengthen yyou
strengthen ou with
po
pow wer thr ough his Spir
through it in yyour
Spirit our inner being
being,, so tha
thatt Chr ist ma
Christ mayy
dwell in yyour
our hear
heartt thr ough ffaith.
through aith. And I pr praay tha
thatt yyou,
ou, being rrooted
ooted
and esta blished in lo
estab ve, ma
lov may y have po
hav wer
pow er,, together with all the saints,
tog
to ggrrasp ho
howw wide and long and high and dee p is the lo
deep lovve of Chr ist,
Christ,
and to knoknow w this lo
lovve tha
thatt sur passes kno
surpasses wledg
knowledg e--tha
e--thatt yyou
wledge--tha ou ma
may y be
filled to the measur
measuree of all the fullness of God God..
No
Noww to Him Who is aab ble to do immeasur
immeasura ably mor moree than all w wee
ask or ima
imaggine
ine,, according to His po
according powwer tha
thatt is aatt w or
wor
orkk within us,
True Happiness Can Be Yours 33
to Him be glor
glory y in the cchur
hur
hurcch and in Chr ist JJesus
Christ esus throughout all
throughout
gener
eneraations, ffor
or eev
ver and eev
ver! Amen.
You can never exhaust the Love of God, nor His riches, nor His mercy,
nor His goodness, nor His grace, nor His forgiveness, nor His power,
nor His peace, which are beyond your understanding. All that God
has is yours, and His resources are endless.
Everything that God has and Everything that God is are wrapped up
in Jesus Who lives in you, and you in Him. Jesus Chr ist is the same
Christ
yester da
esterda
dayy, today and ffor
today or
oreever
er.. He is alive and will do for you what
He did for those who believed when He walked the earth almost two
thousand years ago.
Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He came to seek and to
save that which was lost. Jesus w ent aabout
went bout doing ggood
ood and heal-
ing all tha
thatt wer
eree oppr
wer essed b
oppressed byy the de vil. He came to reverse the
devil.
curse placed on mankind because of sin and bring restoration and
reconciliation between God and us. He came to give us Eternal Life.
Eternal Life is not only forever, but it also is a quality of life here and
now. God does not want us to remain in bondage to any of the ef-
fects of sin or to any of the schemes of Satan. Jesus Christ made that
very clear when He healed the sick, forgave the sinner, cast out de-
mons, fed the hungry, and met the needs of all those who believed in
Him. Thats what He will do for you and me today.
On one occasion, when JJesus esus came into P eter's house
Peter's house,, He sawP
saw eter's
Peter's
-in-la
mother-in-la
mother w llying
-in-law ying in bed with a ffeever
er.. He touc hed her hand and
touched
the ffeever left her
her,, and she ggot
ot up and be
beg gan to w ait on Him.
wait
When eev
vening came
came,, manyw
many ho w
who er
eree demon-possessed w
wer er
eree br
wer ought
brought
to Him, and He drove out the spir
dro its with a Wor
spirits d and healed all the
ord
sick.
This was to fulf
was ill w
fulfill ha
hatt w
wha as spok
was en thr
spoken ough the pr
through ophet Isaiah:
prophet
"He bor
boree our sicknesses and car
sicknesses carrried our diseases."
Centuries before Jesus was born, it was written:
Surel
Surel y He bor
ely boree our sic knesses and car
sicknesses carrried our diseases, yyet
et w
wee
consider ed Him pla
considered gued
gued,, smitten b
plagued byy God
God,, and af
affflicted
licted..
34 Chapter Four
But He w as pier
was ced ffor
pierced or our tr ansg
ansgrressions, He w
transg as cr
was ushed ffor
crushed or
our iniquities; the punishment tha thatt brought us peace w
brought as upon
was
Him, and bbyy His w ounds w
wounds wee ar
aree healed
healed..
We all, lik
likee sheep, ha
sheep, ve ggone
hav one astray, eac
astra h of us has tur
each ned to his oown
turned wn
way; and the LORD has laid on Him the punishment of us all.
Years after Jesus died on the Cross, it was written in Gods Word:
He Himself bor
boree our sins in His bod bodyy on the tr ee
ee,, so tha
tree thatt w
wee might
die to sins and li ve ffor
liv or rrighteousness;
ighteousness; b y His w
by ounds yyou
wounds ou ha
havve
been healed
healed.. For yyou
For ou wwerer
eree lik
likee shee
sheepp ggoing
oing astr
astra ay, but no
but now w yyou
ou
have rretur
hav eturned to the She
eturned pher
Shepher
pherd d and OvOver erseer of yyour
erseer our souls.
It is so important for you to understand and believe that when Jesus
Christ died in your place, He suffered and died for your sins, sick-
nesses, diseases, and pains so you could be forgiven and healed.
It is also written, Belo
Beloved,, I wish aabo
ved bov
bo thatt yyou
ve all things tha ou will
osper and be in health, eev
prosper
pr ven as yyour
our soul pr osper
prosper s.
ospers.
s.
God has forgiven your sins, and He has provided for the healing of
your body through the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. It is your privilege, purchased and provided by Jesus,
to live in health, free from oppression by sin and Satan, just as you
have the right to be forgiven for your sins.
Jesus came that you might have life and that life more abundantly.
Your Heavenly Father wants you to live a full and complete life. His
will is for you to live in victory, in holiness, in divine health, in pros-
perity, and in His love and peace that passes all understanding.
Satan came to steal, kill, and destroy, and he wants you to remain
bound in sin, addictions, immorality, sickness, pain, disease, pov-
erty, lack, turmoil, hatred, greed, lies, and all kinds of mental, physi-
cal, and emotional agony and turmoil that will rob you of Gods will
for your life.
You must settle in your heart and mind that you want only what God
wants for your life, and that His will is always good for you. You
must desire for yourself what God desires for you, and desire it for
the same reason that God desires it for you, and then cooperate with
the Holy Spirit so that God can bring it all to pass in your life.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 35
You must also settle in your heart that you are going to resist Satan
and all of his schemes and desires for your life by using the Word of
God to defeat Him, and to know the difference between his will for
your life and Gods will for your life.
It is written, Submit yyour
our self to God
ourself God.. Resist the de
devil
vil and he will
flee fr om yyou.
from ou. Draw near to God and He will dr
Dra draaw near to yyou.
ou.
ou.
You must want what God wants for you in every area of your life,
and you must believe that God will do everything that He says He
will do for you, His child. Your body and your spirit were bought
with a price. Therefore, you should expect Gods health in body and
spirit and settle for nothing less.
It is written, Do yyou
ou not kno
knoww tha
thatt yyour
our bod
body y is a temple of the
Holy
Hol y Spir it, Who is in yyou,
Spirit, ou, Whom yyou ou ha
havve rrecei
ecei
eceivved fr om God?
from
You araree not yyour
our oown;
wn; yyou
ou w er
eree bought aatt a pr
wer ice
ice.. Glor
price ify God
Glorify
in yyour
our bod
body y, and in yyour
our spir it, w
spirit, hic
whic
hichh ar
aree God's.
God's.
When Gods forgiveness and healing power are manifested in your
body and spirit, God is glorified. When Jesus forgives the sinner and
heals the sick, God is glorified. Satan wants to rob God of His Glory
by keeping people in bondage to sin, sickness, and disease, but Satan
is defeated, and Gods healing power and forgiveness are still avail-
able to all who will believe and take God at His Word.
To receive healing you must know that God wants you to be healed,
the same as you knew that God wanted you to be forgiven and saved.
God cares about the whole person that He created. He wants to meet
all your needs. Jesus never ignored anyone who believed Him and
asked Him to heal them, and He never will! He always healed and
forgave all who believed in Him for forgiveness and healing, and He
still does today.
Lets read a few accounts of Jesuss ministry when He walked the
earth, almost 2,000 years ago, as they are recorded in the Bible:
While JJesus
esus w
wasas in one of the to wns, a man came along w
towns, ho w
who as
was
ver
cov
co ed with le
ered pr
lepr osy
osy.. When he sa
prosy saww JJesus,
esus, he ffell
ell with his fface
ace to the
ground and bebeggged him, "Lor
"Lordd, if yyou
ou ar
aree willing
willing,, yyou
ou can mak
makee me
clean." JJesus
esus rreac
eac hed out His hand and touc
eached hed the man. "I am
touched
willing," He said
willing," said.. "Be cclean!"
lean!" And immedia
immediateltely the le
tely pr
leprosy left him.
prosy
36 Chapter Four
This man questioned whether or not it was the will of God for Jesus
to heal him. Jesus answered clearly, I am willing! This is the
same answer Jesus will give today. It is always Gods will to heal.
Jesus went to a to
went wn called Nain, and his disciples and a lar
town largge cr owd
cro
went along with Him. As He aappr pproac
pproac hed the to
oached wn gga
town ate
te,, a dead
person w
person as being car
was carrried out--the only son of his mother
only mother,, and she
was a wido
widoww. And a lar
largge crowd fr
cro om the to
from wn w
town as with her
was her..
When the LorLordd saw her
saw her,, His hear
heartt went out to her and He said
went said,, "Don't
cr
cryy." Then He w ent up and touc
went hed the cof
touched cofffin, and those car
carrrying
it stood still. He said
said,, "Young man, I sa
"Young sayy to yyou,
ou, gget
et up!" The dead
man sasatt up and be
beggan to talk, and JJesus
esus gga
ave him bac
backk to his mother
mother..
Jesus is so loving and compassionate that He even raises the dead.
One dadayy JJesus
esus said to his disciples, "Let's ggo o oovver to the other
side of the laklakee." So the
theyy ggot
ot into a boa
boatt and set out. As the theyy
sailed
sailed,, he ffell
ell asleep. A squall came do
asleep. downwn on the lak lakee, so tha
thatt the
boa
boatt w
wasas being ssw wamped
amped,, and thetheyyw er
eree in ggrrea
wer eatt dang
dangerer
er.. The
disciples w ent and w
went ok
okee Him, sa
wok ying
ying,, "Master
saying "Master,, Master
Master,, w e'r
e'ree ggo-
we'r o-
ing to dr
droo wn!" He g ot
got up and re buk
re uked ed the wind and the r
raag ing
waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.
Yes, even the wind and the waters obey Jesus.
As JJesus
esus aappr
ppr oac
pproac hed JJer
oached er ic
eric ho, a b
icho, lind man w
blind as sitting b
was byy the rroad-
oad-
side be
beggging
ing.. When He hearheard d the cr owd ggoing
cro oing bbyy, he ask ed w
asked ha
hatt
wha
was ha ppening
ppening.. The
happening heyy told him, "J esus of Nazar
"Jesus Nazaretheth is passing
by." He called out, "J esus, Son of Da
"Jesus, vid
vid,, ha
David ve mer
hav merccy on me!"
Those w ho led the w
who ay rreebuk
wa ed him and told him to be quiet, b
uked ut
but
he shouted all the mor
moree, "Son of Da vid
Davidvid,, have mer
hav merccy on me!" JJesus
esus
stopped and or der
order ed the man to be br
dered ought to Him. When he
brought
came near
near,, JJesus
esus ask ed him, "W
asked "Wha ha
hatt do yyou
ou w ant Me to do ffor
want or
you?" "Lor
"Lord d, I w ant to see
want ," he rreeplied
see," plied..
Jesus said to him, "Recei ve yyour
"Receiv our sight; yyour
our ffaith
aith has healed yyou."
ou."
Immedia tel
Immediatel
telyy he rrecei
eceived his sight and ffollo
eceiv ollo
ollow wed JJesus,
esus, pr aising
praising
God
God.. When all the people sasaww it, they also pr
they aised God
praised God..
Jesus acknowledged this mans faith. He believed and was healed.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 37
The next chapter of this book will teach you how to receive all the
benefits that God has freely provided for you through Jesus. You
will discover how to appropriate the promises of God, and experi-
ence all the benefits of knowing Him personally. This is a good
place to close Chapter Four. Lets offer a prayer of thanksgiving to
God for what you have just learned:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You that all Your fullness dwells bodily in Jesus. In Him, I am
complete. I now have True Happiness because I have Jesus. I never
again need to want for anything or anyone. I am in Jesus, and He is
in me. I have Jesus, and He has me. We are now one with You.
Thank You, Lord, that you are my Shepherd and I will not want. Thank
You that You are with me always and that You will never leave me.
Thank You for guiding me and for protecting me and for caring for
my every need. Thank You for leading me into paths of righteousness
and that I no longer need to fear or worry or doubt.
Thank You, Lord, that nothing in all creation can separate me from
Your love. Thank You that I now dwell under Your shadow, that no
harm can come to me, and that You satisfy me with long life.
Thank You, Lord, that sickness and disease no longer have power
over me. I will resist them, as I resist the devil, and I will always
draw near to You for healing as I have for forgiveness, knowing that
you will draw near to me and keep me according to Your Word. Thank
You that your Word is alive and active in my life.
I am so thankful to know that when I see Jesus, I see You, God, and
that I can always count on You to do for me, through Jesus, what You
did through Jesus for those who believed when He was on earth.
Dear Lord, I will not limit You in my life. I want to know You as You
really are. I will take You at Your Word and believe what You say, no
matter what I see or hear or feel or think. I know that your Word is
Truth and that You will never lie or deceive me in any way. I know
You love me as I have never been loved before, and I love You, too.
In Jesus Name, I pray,
Amen!
True Happiness
Is Praying With Success
Cha pter F
Chapter Fiiv e
Happiness
True Ha Pra
ppiness Is Pr aying With Success.....
40 Chapter Five
God loves for His children to communicate with Him, and, unlike
many earthly fathers, He is never too busy to listen. Prayer can be as
simple as a child talking to his father and can be about any subject
matter and include praise, thanksgiving, and requests for yourself
and others.
The prayers at the end of each chapter have contained mostly thanks-
giving and praise. You have expressed your gratitude for Who God
is and what He has done for you and for the entire human race. Praise
is saying back to God what He reveals to you about Himself, and
then thanking Him for being Who He is.
Praise and thanksgiving come from your heart and overflow to the
Lord to express your love and gratitude for Him. There is no one
certain way to praise God, and there are no certain words. Praise and
thanksgiving are as diverse as His children, and He loves to hear and
watch you express your love and gratitude to Him.
You already have so much to praise and thank God for. Make your
attitude one of praise and thanksgiving. Have an attitude of grati-
tude. You will not only give God the glory that He deserves, but you
will find joy and happiness flooding your own mind and spirit. God
will do special things in your life as you praise and thank Him.
True prayer is also the means of receiving from God. We have al-
ready discussed so many of the blessings that He has promised to
His children. However, just like the forgiveness of sin, all His bless-
ings must be appropriated or received by believing prayer.
For example, Jesus Christ died to pay for every persons sin, but
every person isnt saved. Why? Because they dont call on the Name
of the Lord in faith, as you did, asking God to save them. Although
Eternal Life is a free gift, already paid for by God, everyone must
receive it by faith, but not all do.
In the same way, although Jesus suffered and bore the sickness, dis-
ease, and pain of all humankind in His Body, many are not healed
because they dont call upon Jesus the Healer in faith to deliver them.
When we ask according to the will of God, which is the Word of God,
we can be assured that God will answer according to His Word. This is
why we know that our prayers will be answered and that we will receive
what we asked for. God loves to answer the prayers of His children.
Jesus said, "Ask and it will be ggiiven to yyou; ou; seek and yyou ou will ffind;
ind;
knock
knoc k and the door will be opened to yyou. ou. F or eev
For ver
eryyone w ho asks rre-
who e-
ceives; he w
ceiv ho seeks ffinds;
who inds; and to him w ho knoc
who ks, the door will be
knocks,
opened
opened.. Whic hichh of yyou,
ou, if his son asks ffor or br ead
ead,, will ggiive him a stone?
bread
Or if he asks ffor
or a ffish,
ish, will ggiive him a snak
snake?e? If yyou,
ou, then, though yyou ou
ar
aree eevil,
vil, kno
knoww ho
howw to ggiive ggood
ood ggifts
ifts to yyour
our cchildr
hildr en, ho
hildren, how wm uc
muc
uchh mor
moree
will yyour
our F ather in Hea
Fa Heav ven ggiive ggood
ood ggifts
ifts to those w ho ask Him!
who
You can and must approach your Heavenly Father with confidence as
His child. He loves you and wants only what is good for you. Remem-
ber that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die in your place, so that He could
have this relationship with you. Its also important to know that God has
everything that you need, unlimited resources of every kind. Nothing is
too difficult for the Lord. Trust Him and draw near to Him in prayer.
On one occasion, years ago, followers of Jesus Christ asked Him to teach
them how to pray. He responded: Y our F
Your Faather kno
knows ws w ha
hatt things
wha
you ha
hav ve need of
of,, befor
oree yyou
befor ou ask Him. Ther ef
heref or
oree pr
efor pra ay in this man-
ner: Our F ather in Hea
Fa Heav ven, hallo wed be Your Name
hallow Name.. Your Kingdom
come
come.. Your will be done in ear th, as it is in Hea
earth, Heav ven. Gi Givve us this da
dayy
our dail
daily y br ead
ead.. And ffor
bread or
orggive us our sins, as w wee ffor
orgive those w
org ho sin
who
against us. And lead us not into tempta tion, b
temptation, ut deli
but delivver us fr om eevil.
from vil.
ourss is the Kingdom, and the P
Your Po er,, and the Glor
ower Glory oreever
y, ffor
or er.. Amen.
Amen.
We learn from Jesus that God knows what we need, even before we
ask Him, and that we address Him as our Father in Heaven. We are
to hallow, reverence, and honor Gods Name. Although God is our
Father and Friend and loves us deeply, we still must show Him the
honor, reverence, and respect He deserves.
We are also taught by Jesus to pray for His Kingdom and His will to
come and be done on earth, just as it is in Heaven. His Kingdom is
His rule and His reign and His Lordship over our lives. In other
words, we pray for our Heavenly Fathers rule and reign and Lord-
ship to exist in our lives on earth, just as it is in Heaven. We pray that
whatever would be happening in Heaven for us would be ours now
on this earth.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 43
For example, if you are sad or discouraged today, you would know
to pray to your Heavenly Father for joy and encouragement and know
this is His will for you, because this is what it would be like for you
in Heaven. Sadness and discouragement dont exist in Heaven.
Also, if you are sick or in pain, you would know it is Gods will for
you to be well and free from pain here and now, since there is no
sickness or pain in Heaven. Therefore, you can pray in confidence
that God will heal you of sickness and pain.
Jesus teaches us to expect our needs to be met every day and to pray
that way, believing that God will meet our needs according to His
riches in glory by Christ Jesus. No matter what we need, we can
pray and expect God to supply for us each and every day. Remem-
ber, the Lor
Lordd is our She pher
Shepher
pherdd and w
wee shall not be in w ant.
want.
We are taught by Jesus that when we sin, we should pray for forgive-
ness, knowing that God is ffaithful
aithful and just to ffor
orgive our sins and
org
to ccleanse
leanse us from all unr
from ighteousness. Even though we are re-
unrighteousness.
deemed and are now Gods children, we still sin at times.
We are also taught that we should pray for, and forgive, others when
they sin against us. We do so, because God has forgiven us for our
sins against Him.
Jesus teaches us to pray for deliverance from evil and not be led into
temptation. We are all tempted to sin. Satan is the tempter, and we
are also often tempted to sin by the desires in our own heart, but
temptation is not sin. We must resist sin when we are tempted, and
we can pray for deliverance from evil.
Jesus ends His teaching on prayer with the Truth that we are trusting
in our Heavenly Fathers kingdom and power and glory forever. Gods
rule and reign and power and glory are available forever to answer
our prayers. God has made the resources of Heaven available to
meet our needs here on earth when we pray in faith, believing that
God will do what He has promised to do for His children.
I tell yyou
ou the tr uth, w
truth, whaha te
hate ver yyou
tev ou bind on ear th will be bound in
earth
Hea
Heavven, and w ha
wha te
hate
tevver yyou
ou loose on ear th will be loosed in Hea
earth Heavven.
Ag ain, I tell yyou
Again, ou tha
thatt if tw
twoo of yyou
ou on ear th aag
earth gree aabout
bout an ything yyou
anything ou
ask ffor
or
or,, it will be done fforor yyou
ou b y My F
by Faather in Hea
Heavven. F or w
For her
heree
wher
two or thr
two ee come to
three toggether in My NameName,, ther
theree am I with them.
them.
I tell yyou
ou the truth, an
truth, anyyone w ho has ffaith
who aith in Me will do w ha
hatt I ha
wha ve been
hav
doing
doing.. He will do eev
ven ggrrea ter things than these
eater these,, because I am ggoing
oing to the
Father
ther.. And I will do w ha
wha
hatetever yyou
tev ou ask in My Name
Name,, so tha
thatt the Son ma
may y
bring glor
bring gloryy to the Father
Fa ther.. You ma
may y ask Me ffor
or an ything
ything,, and I will do it.
anything
it.
If yyou
ou aabide
bide in Me
Me,, and My Worordsds aabide
bide in yyou,
ou, yyou
ou can ask w ha
hatt
wha
you will, and it shall be done ffor
or yyou.
ou.
ou.
In tha
thatt day yyou
day ou will no long er ask Me an
longer ything
ything.. I tell yyou
anything ou the truth,
truth,
My F Faather will ggiive yyou
ou w ha
wha te
hate ver yyou
tev ou ask in My Name
Name.. Until no noww
you ha
havve not ask ed ffor
asked or an ything in My Name
anything Name.. Ask and yyou ou will rre-
e-
cei
ceivve, and yyour
our jo
joyy will be complete
complete..
As you can see from the Words of Jesus above, we can approach our
Heavenly Father in absolute confidence in Jesuss Name, and God
will answer our prayers. When you ask in Jesuss Name, expect to
receive what you ask for and more. Remember Who you are asking
to help you, the Creator of the entire Universe Who created every-
thing that you see out of nothing. He spoke, and it was!
It is written, No w to Him w
Now ho is aab
who ble to do immeasur
immeasura ably mor
moree than
all w
wee ask or imagine
imagine,, according to His po
according powwer tha
thatt is aatt w or
wor k within us.
ork
us.
46 Chapter Five
There will be times in your Christian life when you dont know what
to do and you need wisdom from God. It is written, If an anyy of yyou
ou
lacks wisdom, he should ask God
lacks God,, Who ggiives ggener
ener ousl
enerousl
ouslyy to all with-
out ffinding
inding ffault,
ault, and it will be ggiiven to him. But w hen he asks, he
when
must belie ve and not doubt, because he w
believ ho doubts is lik
who likee a wave of
wa
the sea, b lo
blo wn and tossed b
lown y the wind
by wind.. Tha
hatt per son should not
person
think he will rrecei
ecei
eceivve anything fr
anything om the Lor
from d; he is a doub
Lord; le-minded
double-minded
per son, unsta
person, unstab ble in all he does.
does. You can always ask God for wis-
dom, but you must expect Him to answer with the wisdom you need.
Prayer is your lifeline to God. The Bible says, De Dev vote yyour
ourselv
our es to
selves
selv
ayer
pra
pr er,, being w
waatchful and thankful.
tchful thankful. F or the eey
For yes of the Lor
Lord d ar
aree
on the rrighteous
ighteous and His ear
earss ar ttenti
aree aattentive to their pr
ttentiv pra er.. De-
ayer
velop a practice of praying daily, even several times a day. Find a
quiet place where you can spend time with the Lord each day.
The following verses from Gods Word speak of Jesuss time in prayer:
After JJesus
esus had dismissed the crowd
crowd,, He went up on a mountainside
went
by Himself to pr ay. When eev
pra vening came
came,, He w as ther
was theree alone
alone..
Chapter Six
You are able to soar high above your natural instincts and
understanding of life because the Holy Spirit now lives in
you. You have been quickened and made alive in Christ,
and your possibilities are endless.
The Holy Spirit can now lead and guide you in every area
of your life in ways that you never dreamed. Gods Spirit
has borne witness with your spirit that you are His child,
and now you can be led by His Spirit in everything you do
as you cooperate with Him and follow His lead.
Happiness
True Ha Lifee In The Spir
ppiness Is Lif Spirit.....
it.....
True Happiness Can Be Yours 49
Jesus Christ, knowing that He would soon lay down His Life for all
mankind and return to His Father in Heaven, said this to those who
had been with Him and believed in Him:
When the Counselor comes, Whom I will send to yyou ou from the F
from Fa ather
ther,,
the Spirit of Truth Who ggoes
Spirit oes out fr om the F
from ather
Fa ther,, He will testify aabout
bout
Me
Me.. And yyouou also m ust testify
must testify,, ffor
or yyou
ou ha
hav ve been with Me fr om the
from
beginning
beg inning.. All this I have told yyou
hav ou so thathatt yyou
ou will not ggo
o astr
astraay.
I tell yyou
ou the Truth: It is ffor
or yyour
our ggood
ood tha
thatt I am ggoing
oing aawway. Unless I ggo
o
away, the Counselor will not come to yyou; ou; b ut if I ggo,
but o, I will send Him to
you. When He He,, the Spir
Spiritit of Truth, comes, He will guide yyou ou into all
Truth. He will not speak on His oown; wn; He will speak onl onlyyw ha
hatt He hear
wha s,
hears,
and He will tell yyouou w ha
hatt is yyet
wha et to come
come..
Jesus Christ was present in His earthly body with His disciples on a
daily basis for over three years. They learned first hand from Him,
and He met all their needs. Therefore, He wanted to comfort, en-
courage, and assure them that as He returned to His Father in Heaven;
God would still be with them, even as He was.
The Bible, Gods Word, teaches us that there is One True God, mani-
fested in Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is
important that we recognize each Person of the Godhead and de-
velop a proper relationship with each as the Word teaches us.
50 Chapter Six
Your first encounter with the Holy Spirit was when He began show-
ing you your need to have a relationship with your Creator. He opened
your eyes to spiritual things, quickening you while you were still
dead in your sins. He revealed Jesus Christ to you as Savior, the only
way to return to God.
You were Born Again, or Born of the Spirit, when you prayed to
receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You inherited a Divine or
spiritual nature from God, and could begin relating to Him. You are
now alive to spiritual Truth and to an entirely new realm of life.
This new unseen Kingdom is spiritual and Heavenly, not natural and
earthly, and is only revealed by the Holy Spirit to those who are born
of the Spirit of God. On one occasion, when Jesus was speaking to a
very religious man, He said,
Jesus ans
answ wer ed
ed,, "I tell yyou
ered ou the tr uth, no one can enter the king-
truth,
dom of God unless he is bor bornn of wwaater and the Spir it. Flesh ggiives
Spirit.
bir th to fflesh,
birth lesh, b ut the Spir
but Spiritit ggiives birth to spir
birth it. You should not
spirit.
be sur pr
surpr ised aatt My sa
prised ying
ying,, 'Y
saying 'Youou m ust be bor
must bornn aaggain.'
The wind b lo
blo ws w
lows her
hereever it pleases. You hear its sound
wher sound,, b ut yyou
but ou
cannot tell w her
heree it comes fr
wher om or w
from her
heree it is ggoing
wher oing
oing.. So it is with
everyone bor
ery bornn of the Spir it."
Spirit."
Even today, the world is full of religious people who dont under-
stand spiritual Truth. They cannot perceive or enter the Kingdom of
God. All their religious acts, traditions, and good works are futile.
They must be born of the Spirit of God by receiving Jesus Christ as
their personal Savior and Lord.
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Lif Lifee. No one comes to the
Father
ther,, eexce
xce pt b
xcept byy Me
Me.. Jesus Christ is the only way to God!
True Happiness Can Be Yours 51
Religious people will also have difficulty understanding you and your
new life and lifestyle, and you should not expect anything different.
The Bible says:
Therefore, dont expect anyone, who has not been born of the Spirit
of God by receiving Jesus Christ into their life as their personal Sav-
ior and Lord, to think the way you do or have the same priorities, or
act the same way. Your entire way of life and thinking will probably
seem foolish to them.
Just as Jesus said, the Hol Holyy Spir it will guide yyou
Spirit ou into all Truth
uth.
It is also written, No one kno ws the thoughts of God
knows God,, eexce
xce pt the
xcept
Spir
Spiritit of God
God.. And W Wee ha ve not rrecei
hav ecei
eceivved the spir it of the w
spirit or
wor ld
orld
but the Spir it Who is fr
Spirit om God
from God,, tha
thatt w
wee ma
mayy under stand w
understand ha
hatt
wha
God has fr eel
freel
eelyy ggiiven us.
us.
The Holy Spirit will always teach you the Truth and how to discern
between the Truth and the lies of our enemy, Satan. You must rely on
the Spirit of God and not on your own understanding or that of oth-
ers who dont have the Spirit of God.
52 Chapter Six
The Holy Spirit directed the writing of Gods Word, the Bible, and
He knows the thoughts of God. He will always direct our minds to
the Truth as we acknowledge Him and trust Him completely with the
direction and guidance of every aspect of our lives, in the same way
that we trusted Jesus Christ with our Eternal Destiny.
Remember that your enemy, Satan, is the deceiver, and he often op-
erates as a counterfeiter. He makes his lies look like the Truth, and
the only way to recognize the lies is to know the Truth. When we
know Gods Word, the Truth that the Holy Spirit has inspired, we can
then discern lies from the devil as we compare them with the Truth.
For
It is written, F ord
or the Wor d of God is liliving activ
ving and acti Sharper
ve. Sharper than
any
an y doub le-edg
double-edg ed ssw
le-edged word, It penetr
ord penetraates eev
ven to dividing soul and spir
dividing it,
spirit,
joints and mar
marrrow; It judg es the thoughts and aattitudes
judges ttitudes of the heart.
heart.
t.
However, to receive Gods direction and the leading of the Holy Spirit
in our lives each day, we must completely surrender our will to His.
We must want that which God wants for our lives. We must desire
for ourselves that which God desires for us, and we must desire it for
the same reason that God desires it for us. The Holy Spirit will then
be able to communicate to us and carry out within us Gods good,
perfect, and pleasing will for us.
Nothing is more exciting and fulfilling than living the life that God
has prepared for us. Living in perfect harmony with your Creator
and Redeemer is the most peaceful and joyful experience that you
can have, and this is Gods desire for you. As you follow the leading
of the Holy Spirit, moment by moment, you will sense Gods pres-
ence and peace in your life, as well as His Fatherhood.
It is written, T hose w
Those ho li
who ve accor
liv ding to the sinful na
according tur
turee ha
natur ve
hav
their minds set on w ha
hatt tha
wha thatt na tur
turee desir
natur es; b
desires; ut those w
but whoho live in
liv
accor dance with the Spir
accordance Spiritit ha
havve their minds set on w ha
hatt the Spir
wha it
Spirit
desir es. The mind of sinful man is dea
desires. th, b
death, ut the mind contr
but olled
controlled
by the Spir it is lif
Spirit lifee and peace
peace.. And T hose w
Those ho ar
who aree led b
byy the
Spir
Spiritit of God ar
aree sons of God God..
We must set our minds on what the Spirit desires and allow the Holy
Spirit to dominate and control our minds. Then we will be able to be
led by the Holy Spirit in everything. We cannot dictate to God what
His will for our lives should be. We must get rid of our preconceived
plans and ideas and surrender our will to His.
Next, we must be a ready to obey. God will not give us direction and
light unless we mean to follow it. To do so would only add to our
disobedience to God. We must truly desire to know Gods will for
the purpose of obeying, no matter what His will is.
T
Trrust in the Lor
Lord d with all yyour heart.
our hear t. Lean not on yyour wn
our oown
standing.. Ac
standing
understanding
under kno wledg
wledgee Him in all yyour
knowledg
Ackno our w waays, and He will
direct yyour
direct our pa th.
path.
th. It is also written, Blessed is the one w ho tr
who usts
trusts
in the Lor
Lordd and w hose tr
whose trust ust is in Him. He will be lik
like tr
e a ee
tree
planted b y the w
by waater tha
thatt sends out its rroots
oots b byy the str eam. It
stream.
does not ffear
ear w hen hea
when heatt comes; its lea ves ar
leav aree al
alwways ggrreen. It has
no w or
orrries in a yyear
wor ear of dr ought and ne
drought nev ver ffails
ails to bear fr uit."
fruit."
We may stumble from time to time in our walk with the Lord, but He
will not let us fall, especially when He knows that we want to know
His will and His ways, and that we want to follow Him and bring
glory to His Name. God will help us learn from our mistakes so that
we can discern His Voice and His leading in future situations.
We were slaves to sin, but now we are free to live the way God al-
ways intended for us to live. We can now live like Jesus lived, and
the Holy Spirit will help us know how to live like Him, and empower
and enable us to live as Jesus lived.
Walking in the Spirit and keeping in step with the Spirit are both
moment-by-moment decisions that we make each day. The Holy
Spirit is always trying to live the life of Jesus through us. The life of
Jesus is a life of love. God is love, and there is no other word that
can describe the life of Jesus Christ better than the word love.
T he fr
The uit of the Spir
fruit it is lo
Spirit ve, jo
lov joyy, peace
peace,, pa tience
tience,, kindness,
patience
goodness, ffaith,
aith, ggentleness
entleness and self-contr ol.
self-control. The Holy Spirit will
ol.
produce the fruit of love in your life as you yield to, and obey, Him.
Lo
Lov ve is pa tient, lo
patient, ve is kind
lov kind.. It does not en vy
vy,, it does not boast, it
envy
is not pr oud.. It is not rrude
oud
proud ude
ude,, it is not self-seeking
self-seeking,, it is not easil y
easily
ang er
anger ed,, it k
ed
ered ee
kee ps no rrecor
eeps ecor
ecordd of wr ongs. Lo
wrongs. Lovve does not delight in
evil but rrejoices
but ejoices with the tr uth. It al
truth. ways pr
alw otects, al
protects, alwways tr usts,
trusts,
al
alwways hopes, al ways per
alw se
perse
sevver es. Lo
eres. Lovve ne
nevver ffails.
ails.
ails.
56 Chapter Six
The lo
lovve of God has been shed aabr
broad in our hear
broad ts b
hearts y the Hol
by Holyy
Spir it
Spirit
it, and therefore we can now love God supremely and people as
we love ourselves. In other words, we obey the Holy Spirit in every-
thing, considering what Jesus would do in every situation, and then
we do that ourselves, no matter what our flesh or emotions want.
If yyou
ou ha
havve an
any y encour
encouraagement fr om being united with Chr
from ist, if
Christ,
an
any y comfor
ortt fr
comfor om His lo
from ve, if an
lov anyy ffello
ellowship with the Spir
ellowship it, if an
Spirit, anyy
tender ness and compassion, then mak
tenderness makee mmyy joy complete b
joy y being
by
lik e-minded
e-minded,, ha
like-minded ving the same lo
having ve, being one in spir
lov it and pur
spirit pose
pose..
purpose
Ther
herefefor
oree God eexalted
efor xalted Him to the highest place and gga ave Him the Name
tha
thatt is aabo
bo
bovve eevvery Name
ery Name,, tha
thatt aatt the Name of JJesus
esus eev
very knee should
ery
bo
boww, in heaheavven and on ear th and under the ear
earth th, and eev
earth, very tongue
ery
conf ess tha
confess thatt JJesus
esus Chr ist is Lor
Christ Lord d, to the glor y of God the F
glory Faather
ther..
Read and obey the following Words of Jesus, and you will be blessed:
If someone str ik
strikes yyou
ikes ou on one ccheek,
heek, tur n to him the other also. If some-
turn
one tak es yyour
takes our shir t, do not stop him fr
shirt, om taking yyour
from our coa
coat.t. Gi
Givve to
ever yone w
ery whoho asks yyou,
ou, and if anyone tak
any es w
takes ha
hatt belongs to yyou,
wha ou, do not
demand it bac k. Do to other
back. otherss as yyou
ou would ha
would ve them do to yyou.
hav ou.
"If yyou
ou lo ve those w
lov whoho love yyou,
lov ou, w ha
hatt cr
wha edit is tha
credit ou? Ev
thatt to yyou? en 'sin-
Even
ners' lo
ners' ve those w
lov whoho lo ve them. And if yyou
lov ou do ggood
ood to those w ho ar
who aree
good to yyou,
ou, w ha
hatt cr
wha edit is tha
credit thatt to yyou?
ou? Ev Evenen 'sinner s' do tha
'sinners' t. And if yyou
that. ou
lend to those fr om w hom y ou expect r
from whom you expect repayment, whae payment, w ha
hat credit that to
t credit is tha t
you? Ev en 'sinner
Even 'sinners's' lend to 'sinner
'sinners,'s,' eexpecting
xpecting to be rreepaid in full.
But lo ve yyour
lov our enemies, do ggood
ood to them, and lend to them without
expecting to gget
et anything bac
anything k. Then yyour
back. our rreewar d will be ggrrea
ard t, and
eat,
you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ung ungrrate-
ful and wic
wickked
ed.. Be merciful, just as yyour
merciful, our F
Fa ather is mer ciful.
merciful.
The Holy Spirit will always lead us and prompt us to imitate Jesus
Christ in our lives each day and to obey His teachings. Obey the
Holy Spirit, and you will sense His Presence and direction in your
life more and more until you develop a truly intimate relationship
with your Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Remember that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Being, a Person that you
cannot see, but Who is more real than anyone you can touch or see.
He will not force Himself on you. You must be sensitive to His Pres-
ence in your life and allow Him to make Jesus known to you.
Do not let an
anyy unw holesome talk come out of yyour
unwholesome our mouths, b ut
but
onl
onlyyw ha
hatt is helpful ffor
wha or b uilding other
building otherss up accor ding to their
according
needs, tha
thatt it may benef
may it those w
benefit ho listen.
who
58 Chapter Six
Be imita
imitatortorss of God
tor God,, ther ef
theref or
oree, as dear
efor dearlly loved cchildr
lov hildren and li
hildren livve
a lif
lifee of love, just as Chr
lov ist lo
Christ lovved us and ggaave Himself up ffor
or us as
a fr
fraagrant of offfer ing and sacr
ering sacrififice to God
ifice God..
For yyou
ou wer
eree once dar
wer kness, b
darkness, ut no
but w yyou
now ou ar
aree light in the Lor d. Li
Lord Livve as
children of light (f
hildren or the fr
(for uit of the light consists in all ggoodness,
fruit oodness, rrigh-
igh-
teousness and tr uth) and ffind
truth) ind out w ha
hatt pleases the Lor
wha Lord d. Ha
Havve nothing
to do with the fruitless deeds of dar
fruitless kness, b
darkness, ut rra
but ather eexpose
xpose them.
In this chapter you have begun to learn Who the Holy Spirit is and
how to develop an intimate relationship with Him, and thereby expe-
rience True Happiness. In the next chapter, you will learn of other
aspects of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life. Before you
pray, please read the following words of Jesus Christ:
The following prayer can assist you in the growth of your relation-
ship with the Holy Spirit:
Thank You for always keeping your promise, and thank You that the
Holy Spirit is now in my life making Jesus more and more real to me.
Help me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to not grieve Him in
any way. I hereby acknowledge His Presence in my life. I trust You
Holy Spirit to lead me and guide me into all Truth, and to reveal
Jesus in and through my life each day.
I thank You, God, for the Spirit of Truth and that I now have the mind
of Christ, and therefore can discern and judge between the Truth and
a lie. I thank You, God, that I can always test a spirit by the Word of
God to know whether it is You leading me, or another spirit attempt-
ing to mislead me. I want to always know Your will and do it.
Thank You, Father, that Your love has been shed abroad in my heart
by the Holy Spirit, and that I can now live a life of love towards You,
and other people. I know that I am complete in Jesus, and therefore
I can put You first and others before me.
I choose to yield myself to the Holy Spirit and desire to see the fruit
of the Spirit manifested in my life, so that You will be glorified in and
through me so that others can benefit from my life.
Cha pter Se
Chapter Sevven
Happiness
True Ha Par
ppiness Is Partner
ar tnership
tner God.....
ship With God.....
True Happiness Can Be Yours 61
This is how life was always meant to be between God and people:
God working with people to accomplish His purposes on earth. Re-
member in Chapter One:
Adam and Eve had wonderfully blessed lives as they reigned to-
gether with their Creator. God gave them dominion over all living
creatures on the earth and told them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the
earth, and subdue it. God basically placed them in charge of every-
thing, even down to the naming of the animals.
It would not be right for you to receive all these blessings from God
and then not share them with others that you come in contact with.
Jesus Christ died for everyones sins. Therefore everyone must know
this Good News. You cannot allow anyone to die in sin and go to
Hell forever without having the same chance to receive Jesus Christ
that you had.
The greatest act of love that one human being can perform for an-
other is to tell them the Good News about Jesus Christ, so that they
also can believe in, receive, and call on the Name of the Lord to be
saved. But they cannot call upon Jesus if they have not heard that He
died in their place in payment for all their sins, and that He is the one
and only way to return to their Creator, God.
Gods primary reason for leaving you here on earth and not taking
you to Heaven right now is so that you can make Jesus known to
others. God used someone to bring the Gospel to you and now wants
to use you to do the same for others whom He will reach with the
Good News through you.
Lets study the following portion of Gods Word, which will reveal
much to you about Gods plan to reach others through you:
Ther ef
heref or
oree, if an
efor anyyone is in Chr ist, he is a ne
Christ, neww cr ea
crea tion; the old has
eation;
gone
one,, the ne
neww has come! All this is fr
from God, who rreconciled
om God , w ho econciled us
to Himself thr ough Chr
through ist and gga
Christ ave us the ministr
ministry y of rreconcili-
econcili-
ation: tha
thatt God w wasas rreconciling
econciling the w or
wor ld to Himself in Chr
orld ist,
Christ,
not counting men's sins aag gainst them. And He has committed to
us the messa
messag ge of rreconcilia
econcilia tion. We ar
econciliation. aree ther
therefefor
oree Chr
efor ist's am-
Christ's
bassador
bassadors, s, as though God w er
eree making His aappeal
wer ppeal thr ough us.
through
We implor
imploree yyou ou on Chr ist's behalf: Be rreconciled
Christ's econciled to GodGod.. God
made Him Who had no sin to be sin ffor or us, so thathatt in Him w wee
might become the righteousness of God.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 63
Not only has God reconciled you to Him, but He has then given you
the ministry of reconciliation, along with the rest of us believers.
This is a service that you can now perform for others, for their good,
on behalf of Jesus Christ and for His Glory.
He has not only given you the ministry of reconciliation, but God has
also committed the message of reconciliation to you: that God was
reconciling the w or
wor ld to Himself in Chr
orld ist, not counting men's
Christ,
sins aag
gainst them.
them. This message is what you tell others so that
they can also hear of the goodness of God and the gift of His Son,
Jesus, on their behalf. It is only when they hear this Good News that
they will know they can now be restored to their Creator.
Most people know about their sins, and they are running from God
because of it. They havent yet heard that God has reconciled them
to Him through Christ and that He is no longer counting their sins
against them. As people hear this wonderful news, they will want to
return to God and take their rightful place as His child.
But they must hear, and God has chosen you to tell them, the Good
News about Jesus Who died on the Cross in their place and suffered
their punishment so that they wouldnt have to suffer. They must
hear from you about the precious Blood that Jesus shed to pay for
their sins, and to buy them back from the slave market of sin. They
cannot believe in Someone of Whom they have not heard.
64 Chapter Seven
They must hear from you that, God made Him Who had no sin to be
sin ffor
or us, so tha
thatt in Him w
wee might become the rrighteousness God..
ighteousness of God
God is no rrespecter
especter of per sons. What He has done for you, He wants
persons.
to do for others through you. Gods primary reason for leaving you
on earth, after saving you, is to allow you to participate with Him in
sharing the Good News about Jesus with others you come in contact
with. F
Frreel
eelyy yyou
ou have rrecei
hav eceived
eceived,, theref
therefor
oree fr
efor eel
freel y ggiive.
eely
The grace, mercy, peace, comfort, and forgiveness that you have re-
ceived from God is now yours to pass on to others. This is Gods
plan and His purpose for your life; pass on to others all that God has
given you. True Happiness will become most evident in your life
when you become the instrument to bring True Happiness to others.
In the beginning, God b lessed them, and God said unto them, Be
blessed
uitful, and m
fruitful,
fr ultipl
multipl y. And Jesus Christ said, Y
ultiply ou did not cchoose
You hoose
me
me,, b ut I cchose
but hose yyou
ou and aappointed
ppointed yyou ou to ggo
o and bear fr uit--fr
fruit--fruit tha
uit--fruit thatt
will last. Then the F ather will ggiive yyou
Fa ou wha
wha
hatetever yyou
tev ou ask in My Name
Name..
Gods plan has always been for His children to receive His blessings
and then pass them on to others. God wants to live His life through
you, doing through you what He did through Jesus. As you proclaim
to others the same Good News that you believe, then they can also
believe in, and receive, Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
All of the power, love, and boldness that we need come to us from
the Holy Spirit, as we remain in Christ and trust the Holy Spirit to
empower us and live the life of Jesus Christ through us. We cannot
do the works that Jesus did in our own strength or power. Without
Him, w nothing.. We must remain in Him.
wee can do nothing
One of the last commands that Jesus gave His followers was:
The first followers of Jesus Christ did exactly what He told them to
do. They waited and they prayed, and God did exactly what He
promised. Heres the record in Gods Word of how this happened:
True Happiness Can Be Yours 67
W
Whenhen the dadayy of P entecost came
Pentecost came,, the
theyyw werer
eree all together in one
tog
place.. Sud
place denl
Suddenl
denly y a sound lik
likee the blo
blo wing of a violent wind came
lowing
from Hea
from Heav ven and ffilled
illed the w hole house w
whole her
heree the
wher yw
they er
eree sitting
wer sitting..
The
heyy sa
sawww ha
hatt seemed to be tongues of ffir
wha ir
iree tha
thatt separ
separ
paraated and came
to rrest
est on eac
eachh of them. All of them w werer
eree ffilled
illed with the Hol
Holyy Spir it
Spirit
and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
No
Noww ther
theree w er
eree sta
wer ying in JJer
staying erusalem God-f
erusalem ear
God-fear ing JJeews fr
earing om eev
from very
ery
na tion
nation under Hea
Heav ven. W hen they heard
they heard this sound ,
sound, croa crowd came
together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking
in his oown
wn langua
languag ge.
Utter
Utterlly amaz
amazeded
ed,, the
theyy ask ed: "Ar
asked: "Aree not all these men w ho ar
who aree speak-
ing Galileans? Then ho howw is it tha
thatt eac
each h of us hear
hearss them in his oown
wn
na ti
nati ve langua
tiv languag ge? P ar
Par thians, Medes and Elamites; rresidents
arthians, esidents of
Mesopotamia, JJudeaudea and Ca ppadocia, P
Cappadocia, ontus and Asia, Phr
Pontus Phrygygia
ygia
and P amph
Pamph ylia, Eg
amphylia, ypt and the par
Egypt partsts of Lib
Liby ya near Cyr ene; visitor
Cyrene; visitorss
from Rome (both JJeews and con
from convver
ertsts to JJudaism);
udaism); Cr etans and Ar
Cretans Ar--
abs--w
bs--wee hear them dec lar
declar ing the w
laring onder
onderss of God in our oown
wonder wn tongues!"
With man
many y other w or
wor ds he w
ords ar
war ned them; and he pleaded with
arned
them, "Sa
"Sav ve yyour
our selv
ourselv es fr
selves om this cor
from corrrupt ggener
ener
eneraation." Those
who acce pted his messa
accepted messag ge w er
eree ba
wer ptiz
baptiz ed
ed,, and aabout
ptized bout three thou-
three
sand w er
eree ad
wer ded to their n
added umber tha
number thatt da
dayy.
The
heyy devoted themselv
dev themselves es to the aapostles'
postles' teac hing and to the ffello
teaching ellowship,
ellowship,
to the br eaking of br
breaking ead and to pr
bread ayer
pra er.. Ev
Ever er
eryyone w
wasas ffilled
illed with aawwe,
and man
many yw onder
onderss and mir
wonder aculous signs w
miraculous werer
eree done b
byy the aapostles.
postles. All
the believer
believ erss w er
eree to
wer gether and had eev
tog ver ything in common. Selling their
erything
possessions and ggoods,
oods, the y gga
they ave to an
anyyone as he had need need.. Ev er
Ever y da
ery dayy
the
theyy contin ued to meet to
continued gether in the temple cour
tog ts. The
courts. hey y br ok
okee br
brok ead
bread
in their homes and aate te together with glad and sincer
tog sinceree hear
hearts,ts, pr aising
praising
God and enjo ying the ffa
enjoying avor of all the people
people.. And the Lor Lord d ad ded to the
added
Chur
Churcch dail
dailyy those w ho w
who er
eree being sa
wer ved
sav ed..
When P eter sa
Peter saww this, he said to them: "W "Wh hy does this sur pr
surpr ise yyou?
prise ou?
Why do yyou
ou star
staree aatt us as if by our oown
by wn po wer or ggodliness
pow odliness w wee had made
this man w alk? God has glor
walk? if
glorif ied His ser
ified servvant JJesus.
esus. You handed Him
over to be killed
killed,, and yyouou diso wned Him bef
disowned or
oree Pila
befor te
te,, though he had
Pilate
decided to let him ggo. o. You diso wned the Hol
disowned Holy y and Righteous One and
ask ed tha
asked thatt a m
murur der
urder
dererer be rreleased
eleased to yyou.
ou. You killed the author of lif lifee,
but God rraised
aised Him fr om the dead
from dead.. We ar
aree witnesses of this.
By ffaith
aith in the Name of JJesus, esus, this man w hom yyou
whom ou see and kno w
know
was made str ong
ong.. It is JJesus's
strong esus's Name and the ffaithaith tha
thatt comes thr ough
through
Him thathatt has ggiiven this complete healing to him, as yyou ou can all see
see..
"No
"Now w, br other
brother s, I kno
others, know w tha
thatt yyou
ou acted in ignor ance
ance,, as did yyour
ignorance our
leader
leaders.s. But this is hohow w God fulf illed w
fulfilled ha
hatt He had ffor
wha or etold thr
oretold ough
through
all the pr ophets, sa
prophets, ying tha
saying thatt His Chr ist w
Christ ould suf
would sufffer
er.. Re pent, then,
Repent,
and tur
turnn to God
God,, so tha
thatt yyour
our sins ma mayy be wiped out, tha thatt times of
refr eshing ma
efreshing may y come fr om the Lor
from Lordd, and thathatt He ma mayy send the
Chr ist, Who has been aappointed
Christ, ppointed fforor yyou--e
ou--e
ou--evven JJesus.
esus.
Then Peter and John were arrested by the religious leaders of that
day. But man
manyyw ho hear
who heard d the messa
messagge believed
believed,, and the n umber
number
of men ggrrew to aabout
bout ffiive thousand
thousand.. The number of believers con-
tinued to grow despite persecution and opposition.
The ne xt da
next y the rruler
day uler
ulerss had P eter and JJohn
Peter ohn br ought bef
brought or
oree them
befor
and be
beggan to question them: "By w ha
hatt po
wha powwer or w ha
hatt name did
wha
you do this?" Then P eter
eter,, ffilled
Peter illed with the Hol
Holyy Spirit, said to them:
Spirit,
"Ruler
"Rulers s and elders
elders of the people! If we ar
we aree being called to account
today ffor
today or an act of kindness sho wn to a cr
shown ipple and ar
cripple aree ask ed ho
asked w
how
70 Chapter Seven
he w as healed
was healed,, then kno
knoww this, yyou
ou and all the people of Isr ael: It is b
Israel: y
by
the Name of JJesus
esus Chr ist of Nazar
Christ eth, Whom yyou
Nazareth, ou crucif
crucif ied b
ucified ut Whom
but
God rraised
aised from the dead
from dead,, tha
thatt this man stands bef or
oree yyou
befor ou healed
healed..
Salvation is ffound
Salva else,, ffor
ound in no one else or ther
theree is no other name under Hea Heavven
given to men b byyw hic
whic hw
hich wee m ust be sa
must savved ." When the
ed." theyy saw the cour
saw age
coura
of Peter and JJohn
Peter ohn and rrealiz
ealized tha
ealized thatt the
theyyw er
eree unsc
wer hooled
hooled,, or
unschooled dinar
ordinary
dinary
men, the yw
they wer er
eree astonished and the theyy took note thathatt these men had been
with JJesus.
esus. But since the y could see the man w
they whoho had been healed
standing ther
theree with them, ther
theree w as nothing the
was theyy could sa y.
say
The rulers and the authorities finally released the believers, com-
manding them not to speak in Jesuss Name any longer, but Peter and
John returned to the other believers and joined them in this prayer:
No
Noww, Lor
Lordd, consider their thr ea
threats and ena
eats ble yyour
enab our servants to speak
serv
Your Worordd with ggrrea
eatt boldness. Str etc
Stretch out Your hand to heal and
etch
perfor
perform mir
orm aculous signs and w
miraculous onder
onderss thr
wonder ough the Name of yyour
through our Hol y
Holy
Servant JJesus.
Serv esus.
esus.
After they pr
they praayed
ed,, the place w her
heree the
wher theyyw er
eree meeting w
wer as shak
was en.
shaken.
And the
theyyw er
eree all ffilled
wer illed with the Hol
Holy y Spir it and spok
Spirit spokee the Wor d
ord
of God boldl
boldlyy. All the belie ver
believ erss w er
eree one in hear
wer heartt and mind
mind.. No
one cclaimed
laimed tha
thatt an
any y of his possessions w as his oown,
was wn, but the
but theyy
shared eev
shared ver ything the
erything theyy had
had..
With ggrrea
eatt po
powwer the aapostles
postles contin ued to testify to the rresur
continued esur
esurrrection of
the Lor
Lordd JJesus,
esus, and m uc
muc
uchh ggrrace w as upon them all. Ther
was heree w er
eree no
wer
need
needyy per sons among them. F
persons or fr
For om time to time those w
from ho oowned
who wned
lands or houses sold them, br ought the mone
brought moneyy fr om the sales and put it
from
at the aapostles'
postles' ffeet,
eet, and it w as distr
was ib
distributed to an
ibuted anyyone as he had needneed..
The same Holy Spirit that revealed God and His mighty power to the
world in the days when Jesus was on earth now did the same things,
in and through the lives of believers after Jesus returned to Heaven.
The boldness, love, and power of the believers in the early days of
Christianity were supplied by the Holy Spirit, and are also available
to you and me today so that we can also be the witnesses that God
wants us to be in our generation, among our families, our friends,
and all those with whom we come in contact each day.
As you allow God to fulfill His purposes for you in your lifetime,
you will be filled with an indescribable joy that will bring you more
True Happiness than you ever knew was possible. Yet this True Hap-
piness will not even begin to compare with the Glory you will expe-
rience on that day when you arrive in Heaven with Jesus, and you
see Him face to face and He says to you:
W ell done m
Well myy ggood
ood and ffaithful
aithful ser
servvant. You have been ffaithful
hav aithful
with a ffeew things; I will put yyou
ou in cchar
harge of man
harg manyy things. Come
and shar
sharee yyour
our Master's Ha ppiness!
Happiness!
You may have started out reading this book just to fill a void in your
life, but you have now discovered that life is so much more than you
ever dreamed it could or would be, all because of Jesus. Dont let
this opportunity slip away, and dont let Satan deceive you anymore.
Take hold of that for which God has taken hold of you. Make the
most of all that God has now caused you to be. Live Eternal Life to
Its fullest. Dr
Draaw near to God and He will dr
draaw near to yyou.
ou.
Heres a prayer that will now help you consecrate yourself to God
for a life of service in partnership with Him:
Thank You so much for giving your Son, Jesus, to die in my place so
that I could return to You and become your child. I am so grateful
for Your love and for Your provision for my life in every way. Thank
You for taking care of me and for abundantly meeting all my needs.
But now, Lord, I understand that You didnt just save me for myself
but have saved me so that You can live through me by the Holy Spirit
and so that others can also have all that You have given me.
Therefore, I ask You now to fill me with Your Holy Spirit, imparting
to me all that I need from You, to be all that You have called me to be.
I open my life to You right now, Holy Spirit, and I invite You to come
into my life and fill, control, and empower me so that Jesus Christ
will be glorified in and through my life, as I proclaim Him to others.
Thank you, Jesus, for baptizing me with the Holy Spirit as You prom-
ised to do. I receive the Holy Spirit by faith in Your Word right now,
and I believe that I am now empowered by God to serve others in
Jesuss Name and that as I tell others the Good News about Jesus,
lay hands on the sick, and cast out demons in Jesuss Name, You will
work with me, confirming Your Word with signs following.
I believe that the fruit of the Spirit will be manifested in and through
my life, as I walk in the Spirit and keep in step with the Holy Spirit. I
commit myself to loving God supremely and my neighbor as myself.
Holy Spirit, use my life anyway, anytime, and anywhere you desire.
Manifest Your gifts and the life of Jesus through my life, as I seek to
follow Your direction and be all that God has called me to be.
Appendix
Then JJesus
esus came to them and said said,, "All author ity in hea
authority heavven and on
earth has been ggiiven to Me
earth Me.. Ther ef
heref or
oree ggo
efor o and makmakee disciples of all
nations, ba
nations, ptizing them in the Name of the F
baptizing Faather and of the Son and of
the Holy Spir
Holy it, and teac
Spirit, hing them to obe
teaching obey y eev
ver ything I ha
erything ve commanded
hav
you. And sur el
surel
elyy I am with you alw
you alw a ys, to the ver
very
ery end of the aag
ge."
Peter rreeplied
plied,, "Re pent and be ba
"Repent ptiz
baptiz ed
ed,, eev
ptized very one of yyou,
ery ou, in the Name of
Jesus Chr
Christist ffor
or the ffor
orgiveness of yyour
org our sins. And yyou ou will rrecei
eceive the
eceiv
Gift of the Hol
Holy y Spir it. Those w
Spirit. ho acce
who pted his messa
accepted messag ge w er
eree ba
wer ptiz
baptized
ed,,
ptized
and aabout
bout 3,000 w er
eree ad
wer ded to their n
added umber tha
number thatt da
dayy.
"Can ananyyone k ee
kee
eepp these people fr om being ba
from ptiz
baptiz ed with w
ptized waater?
The
heyy ha
havve rrecei
eceived the Hol
eceiv Holy y Spir it just as w
Spirit wee have." So he or
hav or--
der ed tha
dered thatt the
theyy be ba ptiz
baptiz ed in the name of JJesus
ptized esus Chr ist. Then
Christ.
the
theyy ask ed P
asked eter to sta
Peter stayy with them fforor a ffeew da ys.
days.
As you have read in Chapter Seven, the new believers would meet
together daily for fellowship and prayer, to eat together, to listen to,
and learn, Gods Word, to sing praises to God, to meet one anothers
material and spiritual needs, and to go out and share the Good News
about Jesus with others who had not yet heard it.
Pr aising God
Praising God,, and ha
having
ving ffa people.. And the
avor with all the people
Lor
Lordd ad ded to the Chur
added Churcch dail
dailyy such as should be sa
such ved
saved..
Peter ther
Peter ef
theref or
oree w
efor as k
was keept in prison: b
prison: ut pr
but praayer w as made with-
was
out ceasing of the Chur
Churcch unto God fforor him.
him.
"T he God w
"The ho made the w
who or
wor ld and eev
orld verything in it is the Lor
erything Lordd
of heaven and ear
heav th and does not li
earth ve in temples b
liv uilt b
built byy hands.
hands.
It is also important to remember that you are the temple of the Holy
Spirit. God lives and resides in you by His Spirit. He is such a
loving and personal God. Be very sensitive to the Spirit of God
within you, not only when you are alone, but also when you meet
together with other believers. Honor God with your body.
Do yyou
ou not kno
know w tha
thatt yyour
our bod
bodyy is a temple of the Hol y Spir
Holy it, Who is
Spirit,
in yyou,
ou, Whom yyou ou ha
havve rrecei
eceived fr
eceiv om God? You ar
from aree not yyour
our oown;
wn; yyou
ou
wer
eree bought aatt a price
ice.. Ther
price ef
herefor
oree honor God with yyour
efor our bod
body y.
76 Appendix
In Chapter Seven, you read how the Holy Spirit worked through the
early followers of Jesus, revealing Him to unbelievers everywhere
they went. This went on daily. They fellowshipped together, meet-
ing the needs of one another, encouraging each other, and then they
went out and proclaimed the Good News about Jesus to others.
This is what your life is now all about: making Jesus known to others
in both Word and deed. You are Gods chosen vessel, not only to live
in, but to live through. The Jesus Who lives in you is now the hope
for those you come in contact with each day. You are special and
God needs you to carry out His plan and will on earth.
Give yourself entirely to living for God. It wont always be easy, but
it will always be worth it. You may be persecuted by others as many
Christians have been, but the glory that will be revealed in you far
surpasses any light and momentary troubles you may experience.
Read the recorded words of one great servant of God:
F or w
For wee do not pr eac
preac
eachh our selv
ourselv es, b
selves, ut JJesus
but esus Chr ist as Lor
Christ Lordd, and ourour--
selves as yyour
selves our ser vants ffor
serv or JJesus'
esus' sak
sakee. F or God
For God,, w ho said
who said,, "Let light
shine out of dar kness," made His light shine in our hear
darkness," ts to ggiive us the
hearts
light of the kno wledg
wledgee of the glor
knowledg y of God in the fface
glory ace of Chr ist. But w
Christ. wee
ha
havve this treasur
easuree in jar
treasur jarss of ccla
lay to sho
lay w tha
show thatt this all-surpassing po
all-surpassing powwer is
from God and not fr
from om us.
from
We ar
aree har
hard d pr essed on eev
pressed ver y side
ery side,, but not cr
but ushed; per
crushed; ple
perple
plex xed
ed,, but not
but
in despair; per secuted
secuted,, b
persecuted ut not aabandoned;
but bandoned; str uc
struc
uckk down, b
down, ut not de-
but
stroyed
stro ed.. We al ways car
alw carrry around in our bod
around bodyy the dea th of JJesus,
death esus, so tha
thatt
the lif
lifee of JJesus
esus ma
may y also be rreevealed in our bod
bodyy.
Let us ffix
ix our eeyyes on JJesus,
esus, the Author and P erf
Perf ecter of our
erfecter
faith, Who ffor
or the jo y set bef
joy or
oree Him endur
befor ed the cr
endured oss, scor
cross, ning
scorning
its shame
shame,, and sa
satt do wn aatt the rright
down ight hand of the thr one of God
throne God..
Consider it pur
puree jo
joyy, m
myy br other
brother
others,s, w hene
whene
henev ver yyou
ou fface
ace tr ials of
trials
many
man y kinds, because yyou ou kno
knoww tha
thatt the testing of yyour
our ffaith
aith de-
velops perse
perse ver
sev ance
ance.. P
erance er
Per se
erse ver
sev ance m
erance ust ffinish
must inish its w
woror
orkk so tha
thatt
you ma
mayy be ma tur
matur
turee and complete
complete, , not lac king an ything
lacking anything
ything. .
So do not thr
throow aawway yyour
our conf idence; it will be rric
confidence; ic hl
ichl y rreewar
hly ded
ded..
arded
You need to per se
perse ver
sev eree so tha
thatt w hen yyou
when ou ha
havve done the will of
God
God,, yyou
ou will rrecei
ecei
eceivve w
whaha
hatt He has pr omised
omised..
promised
The bottom line of your daily walk with Jesus is f aith eexpr
faith xpressing
xpressing
itself in love. No matter how difficult the circumstances seem, you
lov
must not stop believing Gods Word, and you must not stop living a
life of love. You must not be moved away from the promises of God.
There will be times when your faith in Gods Word does not seem to
be working, but that is the time to persevere rather than quit. When
you are mistreated by others, dont stop loving them and dont pa y
pay
back eevil
back vil ffor
or eevil,
vil, but rra
but ather oov
vercome eevil
ercome vil with ggood
ood
ood..
F inall
Finall y, be str
inally ong in the Lor
strong Lordd and in His mighty po powwer
er.. Put on the
full armor of God so tha
armor thatt yyou
ou can tak
takee yyour
our stand aag
gainst the de vil's
devil's
schemes. F
schemes. or our str
For ug
strug gle is not aag
uggle gainst fflesh
lesh and b lood
lood,, b
blood ut aag
but gainst
78 Appendix
the rruler
ulers, aag
ulers, gainst the author ities, aag
authorities, gainst the po wer
pow erss of this dark
dark
wor ld and aag
orld gainst the spiritual ffor
spiritual orces of eevil
orces vil in the hea
heavvenl y rrealms.
enly ealms.
Ther ef
heref or
oree put on the full ar
efor mor of God
armor God,, so tha
thatt when the da
when dayy of eevil
vil
comes, yyouou ma
mayy be aab ble to stand yyour ound,, and after yyou
our ggrround ou ha
hav ve
done eevver ything
erything stand.. Stand ffir
ything,, to stand ir
irmm then, with the belt of tr uth
truth
buc kled ar
uckled ound yyour
around our w aist, with the br
waist, eastpla
breastpla
eastplate te of rrighteousness
ighteousness in
place
place,, and with yyourour ffeet
eet ffitted
itted with the rreadiness
eadiness tha
thatt comes fr om
from
the ggospel
ospel of peace . In ad
peace. addition dition to all this, tak
takee up the shield of f aith,
faith,
with w hic
whic
hichh yyou
ou can eextinguish
xtinguish all the fflaming
laming ar arrrows of the eevil
vil one
one..
Tak
akee the helmet of salv salvaation and the ssw worordd of the Spir it, w
Spirit, hic
whic
hichh is
the Worordd of God
God.. And pr pra ay in the Spir it on all occasions with all
Spirit
kinds of prpraayer
erss and rrequests.
equests. With this in mind mind,, be aler
alertt and al-
ways k ee
kee p on pr
eep pra aying ffor
or all the saints.
saints.
Remember y ou ar
you aree no
noww Chr ist
istss Ambassador to a lost and d
Christ ying
dying
wor ld
ld.. You ar
orld aree also a soldier in God
Godss ar armmy. F ight the ggood
Fight ood ffight
ight of
faith. If God be ffor or yyou,
ou, w ho can be aag
who gainst yyou.
ou. Gr ea
Grea ter is He tha
eater thatt
is in yyou,
ou, than he thathatt is in the w wororld
ld.. You ar
orld aree mor
moree than a con-
quer
queroror thr ough Him w
through ho lo
who ved yyou.
lov ou. Tak akee hold of tha
thatt ffor
or w hic
whic
hichh
Chr ist JJesus
Christ esus has tak en hold of yyou.
taken ou. LoLov ve yyour
our enemies, b less those
bless
who per secute yyou,
persecute ou, and prpraay ffor
or those w ho despitefull
who y use yyou.
despitefully ou.
ou.
Be a giver. Whatever God has given to you, share it with others who
are less fortunate than you. Freeleelyy yyou
ou have rrecei
hav eceived
eceived,, theref
therefor
oree fr
efor eel
freely
eely
give. It is mor
moree blessed to ggiive than to rrecei
blessed ecei
eceivve. When you see some-
one in need, dont hold back; meet their need in the Name of Jesus.
Since
Since,, then, yyou ou ha
hav ve been rraised
aised with Chr ist, set yyour
Christ, hearts
our hear ts on
things aabo
bo
bov ve, w her
heree Chr
wher ist is sea
Christ ted aatt the rright
seated ight hand of God
God.. Set
your minds on things aabo bo
bovve, not on ear thl
earthl y things. F
thly or yyou
For ou died
died,,
and yyour
our lif
lifee is now hid
now den with Chr
hidden ist in God
Christ God.. When Chr ist, Who
Christ,
is yyour
our lif
lifee, aappear
ppear
ppears,s, then yyou
ou also will aappear
ppear with Him in glor glory y.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 79
T he Wor
ordd Of God
Gods Written Word, the Bible, is the basis and foundation for this
entire book. Everything written in this book is based on Truth as
recorded in Gods Word. The Bible is Gods written record, account,
and revelation to mankind of Himself.
There are many portions of Scripture from the Bible used in this
book. They appear in bold ffaced
aced type throughout this book. As you
reread it, pay special attention to the Words from the Bible, Gods
Word. Here are some things the Bible says about itself:
Abo
Abovve all, yyou
ou m ust under
must stand tha
understand thatt no pr ophec
prophec
ophecyy of Scr iptur
ipturee
Scriptur
came aabout
bout b byy the pr ophet's oown
prophet's wn inter pr
interpr eta
preta tion. F
etation. or pr
For ophec
prophec
ophecyy
never had its or
nev ig
orig in in the will of man, b
igin ut men spok
but spokee from God
from
as theyw
they er
eree car
wer carrried along bbyy the Hol
Holy y Spir it.
Spirit.
it.
F
Frrom inf anc
infanc
ancyy yyou
ou ha
havve kno wn the Hol
known Holyy Scr iptur
Scriptur es, w
iptures, hic
whic
hichh ar
aree
able to mak
makee yyou
ou wise ffor
or salvation thr
salva ough ffaith
through aith in Chr ist JJesus.
Christ esus.
All Scr iptur
ipturee is God-br
Scriptur God-breaea thed and is useful ffor
eathed or teac hing
hing,, rreebuk-
teaching
ing
ing,, cor
corrrecting and tr aining in rrighteousness,
training ighteousness, so thathatt the man of
God ma mayy be thor oughl
thoroughl
oughlyy equipped ffor
or eev
ver
eryy ggood
ood w or
wor
ork.k.
k.
The men whom God chose to write and speak the Word of God, were
actually carried along by the Holy Spirit, and He breathed His Words
right into them. The Bible is the Word of God, not the word of man,
and even though God used human instruments to record His Word, It
will never pass away. It is Eternal, just as God is Eternal.
Your Wor
Your d, O LORD
ord LORD,, is Eternal; It stands ffir
Eternal; irm in the Hea
irm vens.
Heav
ens.
"Ev er
"Ever
eryy Wor d of God is ffla
ord lawless; He is a shield to those w
lawless; ho tak
who takee
refug
efugee in Him.
Him.
For eev
For ver ything tha
erything thatt was wr
was itten in the past w
written as wr
was itten to teac
written h us,
teach
so tha
thatt through endur
through ance and the encour
endurance encouraagement of the Scr ip-
Scrip-
tures w
tures wee might ha
havve hope
hope..
The Word of God is the most important thing you can ever read. As
you read and study this book, over and over, you will begin building
a foundation of Truth from the Scriptures, which are in Bold te xt
text
throughout this book, but we also want to get a copy of the New
Testament to you, which is the portion of the Bible that records Gods
Written Word, beginning with the Birth of Jesus Christ.
This book, True Happiness Can Be Yours, is not Gods Word, even
though it contains many quotations from the Bible. We strongly en-
courage you to write to us for your own copy of the New Testament,
which we will send to you free of charge.
You will find an Order Form on the next page. Please complete it
and mail it to us. We will mail you a free New Testament, along with
instructions of how to make the most of reading and studying it so
that you will greatly benefit from it.
Also on the Order Form, you will find a place to order more copies
of this book, free of charge, to give away to family, friends, and people
you meet each day. If this book has helped you, it will also help
others. This is a tool that you can use to help others know Christ.
The last two pages of this book contains a condensed version of Gods
Plan of Salvation. This is placed here for you to use to help someone
else be reconciled to God by receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior. The most meaningful times of your Christian life will be
when you help other people be restored to a right relationship with
their Creator through His Son, Jesus Christ. May you be truly blessed
by God as you help others find the True Happiness you have found.
True Happiness Can Be Yours 81
Or der F
Order or
For
ormm
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82 Order Form
True Happiness Can Be Yours 83
God
Godss Plan Of Salv
Salvaa tion
God, the Creator of the Universe, created you with the capacity to be
truly happy through an intimate trust relationship with Him. How-
ever, you and all mankind went your own way, breaking that trust
with God and choosing to live life apart from your Creator.
The devil, Satan, tempted mankind, lying about the character of God,
and enticing mankind to distrust God and sin against Him. Sin, un-
belief, and disobedience have robbed the human race from the joy,
peace, and True Happiness that God intended for every person.
The separation of man from God caused by sin has left people empty,
incomplete, and with a void that nothing but God Himself can fill.
For centuries, people have tried filling that void with everything the
world has to offer, good things and bad things, even religion itself,
but they remain empty, fearful, lonely, burdened, and confused.
God never stopped loving mankind who had been created in His own
image, but rather made a way, through His Son Jesus Christ, for all
mankind to return to Him and His original plan for them.
"F or God so lo
"For ved the w
lov or
wor ld tha
orld thatt He gga
ave His one and onl y Son,
only
tha
thatt w hoe
whoe
hoev ver believes in Him shall not per
believ ish b
perish ut ha
but ve Eter
hav nal
Eternal
Lif
Lifee. F or God did not send his Son into the w
For or
wor ld to condemn
orld
the w or
wor ld
ld,, b
orld ut to sa
but ve the w
sav or
wor ld thr
orld ough Him.
through Him.
Jesus ans
answwered
ed,, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Lif
ered Lifee. No
one comes to the FFaather eexce
xce pt thr
xcept ough Me
through Me..
F or Chr
For ist died ffor
Christ or sins once ffor
or all, the rrighteous
ighteous fforor the un-
righteous, to br ing yyou
bring ou to God
God.. F or w
For ha
hatt I rrecei
wha ecei
eceivved I passed
on to yyou
ou as of ffir
ir st impor
irst tance: tha
importance: thatt Chr ist died ffor
Christ or our sins
accor ding to the Scr
according iptur
Scriptur es, tha
iptures, thatt He w as b
was ur
bur ied
ied,, tha
uried thatt He w as
was
raised on the thir d da
third dayy accor ding to the Scr
according iptur
Scriptur es.
iptures.
es.
84 Gods Plan Of Salvation
Jesus Christ died for you so that you can be forgiven for your sins,
have a right relationship with God, your Creator, and experience True
Happiness, now and forever, through Jesus.
You can call on the Name of the Lord right now and receive Jesus
Christ as your personal Savior and Lord by praying the following:
Dear God,
I believe that Jesus died for my sins and that You raised Him from the
dead. Thank You for giving Your Son for me. Right now, I call upon
the Name of Jesus and receive Him into my heart as my Savior and
as the Lord of my life.
Thank you, God, for saving me from my sins and for restoring me to
a right relationship with You. Help me know You better each day and
live a life that is pleasing to You in every way. I want to trust You with
every area of my life and obey You. I Love You!
In Jesuss Name, Amen!