This is a very common term that we use in our Christian circles, and in our Christian life. We know that our prayers should end with “In the Name of Jesus.” 

We can become so used to using that phrase that we stop thinking about what it means. It can become like a sign off on a letter or a text similar to “sincerely” or “talk to you later.”

But what are we really saying when we pray “In the Name of Jesus?” …

So, man will never have the ability to totally throw aside the will of God. There's so much Scripture on this, but let me just give you a couple. In Psalm 115, verse 3, we're told that our God is in heaven and he does whatever he pleases. Ephesians 1, 4 6 tells us that for He chooses us and Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love. He predestined us to be adopted into Sonship through Jesus Christ and in accordance with His pleasure and will, to praise His glorious grace. Which he has given us freely in the one, talking about Christ, that he loves. So we see that God, before the creation of the world, he put in place this plan of Jesus Christ to redeem all mankind.

His desire is for each one of us to step into that adoption, that sonship. That intimacy with him and with Christ and with the Holy Spirit, that is God's will. Now, some of that will not change the timeframe God has, the way God wants it to happen with us, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and submitting our lives to his Lordship.

Those are unchangeable things. So how does our will come into it? …

This interview was about me coming through treatment for stage four cancer and how God gave me the victory over it.

This week, I celebrated my fourth year of being cancer-free, and so I felt it was appropriate to give another shout out to the Lord and give Him testimony for His goodness.

But also, I believe that you're going to find it extremely encouraging if you are going through something and you just need to hold on to God's faithfulness.

We are eternal already. We have eternal life already. We're either going to spend eternity in heaven or we're going to spend eternity in hell.

The question is: How does the Word of God define “eternal life?”

We’re going to look at not just God's love for us, but the question of what do we do with that love?

Obviously, we're told to abide in his love, but how do we step into a maturity in being a child of God?

There is a need for everyone of us to EXPERIENCE God’s love on a personal level. It's a “game-changer” in our relationship with the Lord!

So join me in carefully pondering this message that is personal for every believer.

Together we will dig into the word so that we all can have a shared foundational understanding of what the scripture says about deliverance.

Some may not know, but one third of Jesus's public ministry involved deliverance and healing.

What does the Bible say regarding a Christian having a demonic torment or demonic bondage in their life?

Shelly feels like the Lord is saying that is just isn't her ...  this is part of every Believer's life as like it's not just me—this is part of walking out our RELATIONSHIP with the Lord.

This podcast will challenge listeners to become better doers of the word, not just hearers.

Raw Faith is hosted by  Shelly McWilliams of SOZO Restoration Ministries, which helps people to transform their lives through the healing, wholeness, and equipping of Jesus Christ.

As I was praying over what the Lord would have me share on this podcast, He put on my heart that many people say the salvation prayer in a service or because there's an altar call, but they don't necessarily know what all that entails for them other than going to heaven. So we will spend the next several episodes talking about who we are and how we become a new creation in Christ.

Today, I want to start by emphasizing the importance of understanding what Jesus did at the cross and in the resurrection. What was the completed work? Because it goes so much beyond salvation.

Salvation is just like fire insurance, guaranteeing us a place in heaven. However, it doesn't mean that we're walking in the fruit of Jesus in our life on this earth. Take a look at 2 Corinthians 5—specifically verses 17-21.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.2 Corinthians 5:17-21, NKJV

This is a passage that many believers are familiar with if they have been in the church for some time. Let me read it first, and then I want to highlight a few points and discuss them to lay the foundation for our future podcasts.

I want you to take a journey with me today — let's go back in time to the beginning when God created creation and He created us.

In Genesis 1: 25 and 28, the Word tells us that God had made wild animals according to their kind and livestock according to their kinds.

And then God said, “let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in His own image, and in the image of God, He created him. Male and female, He created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in your number. Fill the earth and subdue and rule over the fishes of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the ground.’”

So in the beginning, we see that Father created all of creation. Then Father said, “Let us make man in our image and in our likeness.”

What I want to take a look at is: what did God create mankind to be?

So the first thing that's obvious is what I just said: God created us in His image.

God is a triune being. We see that in the Trinity. It's God the Fatherhead, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit of God. When God created us in His image, He also created us to be a triune being.

And so we were created as a spirit, and then God gave us a soul, which is our mind, our will, and emotions, or what some people will call our character. And then God put us in a body.

So we see that we are also a triune being.

Also, God has emotions and God gave us every emotion.

Genesis 3:6

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food, and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable to gain wisdom, she took some and ate it. And she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it."

Notice here that all three parts of Eve were being tempted.

Remember, God is a triune being, and he created us to be a triune being.

And so, he created us with a spirit, a soul (which is our mind, will, and emotions), and a body.

This passage of scripture tells us that she saw that the fruit was good.

In this, her physical body was tempted, and its appetites were stirred because of the tree looking like it was good and pleasing to the eye.

This was something that pleased her as she felt the desire of it looking really good. Thus, her body's nourishment was being tempted. Furthermore, “it was pleasing to the eye,” which appealed to her emotions.

“This is pleasing to me.”

“This is stirring a desire in me.”

It is stated that it was desirable for gaining wisdom. So her emotions persisted in engaging with the idea.

“This is a good thing.”

“This is something that I want.”

As a result, her emotions and mind were thinking about these temptations, leading her to make a choice.

Consequently, she took some and ate it. From this, we can see that the body is enticed by what is good for food. The serpent targeted Eve and he successfully tempted all three aspects of her being. He tempted her, and she succumbed to that temptation.

Let's proceed to understanding what happens when sin enters the world.

It is worth noting that Adam's eyes were not opened until after he—not Eve—ate the fruit.

This point is significant, as it reveals something hidden if we don't pause and consider it. If Eve had eaten from the fruit alone, she may have encountered some trouble, but it would not have introduced sin into the world.

“I'm sweating right now. I'm in a 71 degree house, and I'm sweating!”

That’s a good list.

But it is not enough.

In fact, you can being doing all those things, but still be lulled into a slumber.

There’s something more that you need!

In this episode, we’re going to narrow in on some specifics—including what forgiveness is and is not.

And at the end, I'm going to give you a practical tool that will empower you to walk toward forgiving anyone more effectively. Don’t miss it.

Forgiveness is a key that will open the door to our own healing and our own freedom. 

Forgiveness is a critical component of our Christian lives. You can't forgo forgiveness. It's not an option: forgiveness is a commandment.