This session is our typical one for either recurring appointments or even just once in a while ones for you. This may not seem like enough time, but sometimes little snippets of meetings can move things along for you, too.

This session is our typical one for either recurring appointments or even just once in a while ones for you.

A free 30-minute session for us to get to know each other and discuss high-level concerns.

You ask, " Is it possible that the devil made me do it? " Yes: When you do not know Jesus and have not surrendered your life to Him, the devil has a lot more freedom and control over your life. No: When you do know Jesus (and He knows you), He may allow the devil to trip-you-up through your words and deeds but he (the devil) cannot 'make' you do anything  (thank you Jesus). Do Not Know Jesus When we are living our lives without Jesus, our own will (thoughts and desires) are exposed to both sides of the spirituality in life (good and evil).  The devil (Satan and evil forces) have a much easier time of leading you through challenges you face, anxieties, and even life-changing decisions.  Jesus always 'knows about us' but since we have not surrendered our lives, hearts, and will to His leading we are like a ship on the ocean without a rudder (being tossed to-and-fro, as the scripture reads) as Ephesians 4:14 points out, "... that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive . " Now, whether the devil makes you do something or not touches on demon possession.  That context is quite a bit more involved, but several times in Jesus' ministry on earth He was approached by demon possessed people. Matthew 8:28-29 reads; " And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? ".  At another time, Jesus rebuked a demon possessed man (in the Synagogue, even).   Mark 1:23-24 Reads; " And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. "  So 'Yes, the devil can make you do things you do not want to do'. Remember though, that our sinful flesh is already contrary to the ways of the Lord and His teaching.  Paul reminds us that our flesh and spirits are at war with each other.   Galatians 5:17 reads, " For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. ".  More times than not, the things of the Spirit will not make sense or 'resonate' with people because we are not in Jesus' fellowship, we are not connected, we are not surrendered to His leading.  We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 2:14 , " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. " Knowing Jesus or knowing 'about' Jesus is not enough.  It is critical that He knows us! Jesus Knows You At one point in Jesus' time on earth, he rebuke 'religious' people and even tells them, " depart from me, I never knew you ". Matthew 7:21-23 reads, " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity ." Frankly, this seems very contrary to the " come all ye that are thirsty and heaven laden " message that Jesus has been communicating through the ages.  But, we are reminded by this passage that even though you 'do' the good things, and sacrifices, and religious characteristics, it is critical that Jesus knows you, too.  Jesus helps clarify this in John 10:25-28 , which reads, " Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. " Repentance or Regret Please understand, whether you are committed to following Jesus' will for your life or not, you are still walking around this planet with fallibility, selfishness, and certainly built-in flaws (our sin-nature).  You will still do things you regret, things for which you are ashamed, things for which you are sorry and may even reach out to Jesus and the people asking for forgiveness.  James 3:5 reads, " Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire." Something wells up within our lives that causes our whole body to get involved!  We seem to do things we do not want to do (may not even remember doing) and cannot seem to stay on track and do the things Jesus wants us to do.  This struggle haunted Paul the Apostle, too and in Romans 7:19 he shared, " For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. " The key point though is whether you regret it and repent.  After a tirade of yours, you may say, " I was so upset the entire next day about what everyone must be thinking ".  Please bear in your mind and your heart what Jesus was thinking (not just the people), and check with Him for forgiveness and the strength and patience to reach out to them, too (those you feel you offended).  Going back to apologize 'of your own guilt' is much different than being led and nurtured by the Holy Spirit to do so.   1 Corinthians 13:11 reminds us, " When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things ", which is Paul's way of telling us that we 'do' say and 'do' things that are regrettable, childish, or at least immature.   But, God's grace in our lives grows us into a more mature and 'model Christian' type place in our lives, and makes us over-comers.  Too often, we are ready to blame the devil, or blame our children/parents, or blame the politicians.  It always boils down to the individual (it is not a 'them' thing) and how 'you' react to a situation.  The reason (trigger) that caused you to react is external and a circumstance, but what is core in your life is where Jesus wants to meet you and fellowship with you. This means, " ...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. ", which is what Jesus was pointing out the religious people in Matthew 12:34 .  These 'dark spots in our lives' are the very thing that Jesus can cleanse from us...  if only we can surrender to Him and allow Him to lead us through. Regret is a good thing (indicates sorrow and remorse for your actions), but Repentance means a 180-degree change and learning to control yourself from doing it again (repeating it). Only by His grace, mercy and love can we be 'cleansed from all unrighteousness'. But, we have to surrender to His leading, His Will, and His Spirit for our lives.

Many years ago, my father gently jabbed at me about only calling him when I need his guidance and expertise about car troubles I was having. He was a professional mechanic through all my childhood years and then some, so who better to call... right? But, when I heard his tone, I realized how selfish it is of me to reach out to him if/when I needed him (because I had to), not just "because I can". Our devotional today is a nudging reminder to make some quality time with the Lord, because you can... not because you have to. Now, Psalms 119:105 says; " Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. ", so we understand that His word guides us. You may already be spending time reading, studying, praying about His Word... but I'm talking about time with Jesus solely for the sake of His companionship, for the pleasure of His fellowship, and certainly for the sheer peace of His Spirit in and around your life. After-all, as we go through the routines of life, things get monotonous, they get commonplace and too easily we find ourselves bustling through events rather 'second nature' and not needing to give them much thought, much attention, much of our mind and/or heart, really... kind of like automated machines... grinding through a programmed sequence of steps, while thinking of other things. And THAT is why we should regain that focus on Him, refresh an awareness of His presence, savor the presence of His company in your life. Then, even the most mundane tasks will take on a sort of 'enlightened' sheen... You will probably even notice keener details in the nuances you previously glossed right over... rushed right past. Psalms 63:7-8 declares; " Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. (8) My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. " Once you make it a habit of spending exclusive time with the Lord (because you can), the trials, the struggles, the tumult of life will no longer 'force' you to spend time with Him (because you have to). Take time to make time to enjoy time with Him!

Please understand that everyone, every last one of us , IS going to hell (we'll be apart from Jesus) unless we repent and are saved (Ephesians 2:1-10). By the very nature of our sin (from birth), we are all 'not going to heaven' and only those who repent and are baptized will experience eternal life (not the eternal Second Death). Remember, John 3:16-18 informs us about this when Jesus said, " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. " It is that 'everlasting life' part we want to keep in mind. The oddly worded 'Second Death' is a piece of humanity that is easily overlooked. Second Death The first death seems tough enough. Our physical bodies cease to walk around on this planet, those left behind are sad, empty and even scared. The bible tells us ( Revelation 20:14 ), " And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. " Anything to do with "not everlasting life" is thrown into the lake of fire. Look back up at the John 3:16 reference and notice that Jesus tells us, ". ..that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. " Anyone who believes on Jesus will have everlasting life (life goes on in eternity). Remember, we are actually IN eternity now, just on this side of the First Death (the physical death). It is the Second Death that should wake us all up while we are alive on this planet. Once we physically die (the first death), our 'path' is established. In Revelation 2:11 , we are reminded, " He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. " Death Everlasting : Who experiences the second death? As Revelation 21:8 spells out, " But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. " Simply stated, people who continually (or partially) get drunk, people who continually (or partially) break laws/rules, people who continually (or partially) lie... ALL people are going to experience this Second Death, regardless of how much or how little they 'sin'... except that they are born-again, or saved by their confession of Jesus in their life (see below) Life Everlasting: Who experiences everlasting life? John 6:47 : Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life . Matthew 25:46 : And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. 2 Peter 1:11 : ...for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

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The ABOUT page is for Bill Elliott; his counseling, his photography, his devotionals, and his writings. G.W. Bill Elliott, Jr VocalBill ity Bill Elliott is the voice, writings, and thoughts behind the VocalBillity efforts. He IS “The voice of one crying in the Bewilderness® “, not at all because he is bewildered about his place in the Lord, his place in this world, or even his place among you and yours. It is due to the utter bewilderment of the people that moves his soul into action and causes him to bend-a-knee in prayer for you, for yours, and certainly for himself. He is a devoted Christian, an Ordained and Licensed minister, and most especially, a wholly committed and born-again soul. These writings, tweets, and photography snippets are many of the ways he expresses his perspectives on life, love, and certainly the hope of eternal salvation. Contact Me Sermon Central - Contributor Faith Writers - Contributor eZine Articles - Contributor (site now defunct) GoodReads - Author Got Questions Ministry - Author/Contributor Writer There are many writings on this site, and in various categories, too; Devotionals Stories / Sermons Quotes & Snippets Counselor Bill has been rpoviding counseling since around 2015, and you can book a phone/video sesion with him by clicking the buton below. Check Availability Photographer Bill has a very odd eye for photography and there are many categories to review his captures! See Gallery Writer Sermon Central – Contributor Faith Writers – Contributor eZine Articles – Contributor (now defunct site) GoodReads - Author Got Questions Ministry - Author/Contributor

Bill Elliott is the voice, writings, and thoughts behind the VocalBillity efforts. He IS “The voice of one crying in the Bewilderness®“, not at all because he is bewildered about his place in the Lord, his place in this world, or even his place among you and yours. It is due to the utter bewilderment of the people that moves his soul into action and causes him to bend-a-knee in prayer for you, for yours, and certainly for himself. Send a Note! Please provide some contact information of yours below, and a simpl-ish message. I'll strive to get an answer back to you within 36 hours of recieving your submission. Email cknufnd AT G-Mail VocalBillity First Name Your Email Address Last Name Phone OK Receive Text? Message (2000 max characters)) Thank you for submitting! Send Wix 'Advisors': Phishing is reported! Play