Radical Evangelism and Rock the River» Singer, songwriter, producer and arranger Canton Jones is making waves in the music world, with two Grammy Award nominations, a Stellar Award nomination, two Gospel Choice Awards and most recently a Dove Award nomination for urban album of the year. During March, Jones served as emcee for BGEA's Rock the River launch events, and he will be performing his music when the Rock the River tour debuts July 18 in Baton Rouge. Check out the interview » The Billy Graham Library: A Sanctuary in All Seasons While many people respond to the call of God on their hearts in large stadium events such as the recent Festival in Uruguay, others feel the tug in a quiet place of solitude-something that happens every week at the Billy Graham Library. See what recent visitors had to say about their experiences. Read more » FM419 Prepares Teens to Share Their Faith During April and May, young believers along the Mississippi will get down to the basics of what they believe, find the power to live what they say, and learn how to share their faith with their peers. FM419 is training designed to provide evangelism tools to today's youth. Read the article » New Billy Graham Daily Program Launched on Familynet Radio Building on nearly six decades of quality, biblical radio programming, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) has begun running a new daily, 60-minute program featuring world-renowned Bible teachers on FamilyNet Radio, heard on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 161. Learn more » My Answer by Billy Graham» Q: Does God keep punishing us for our sins even after we've confessed them and asked Him to forgive us? I truly believe Jesus has forgiven me, but my life is still messed up because of some things I did in the past. — J.H.
A: Dear J.H., When we confess our sins and put our faith and trust in Christ alone for our salvation, God takes away all our guilt - absolutely and completely. The psalmist declared, "I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord' - and you forgave the guilt of my sin" (Psalm 32:5). Think of it: We are forgiven!
But this doesn't mean that all the sins of the past will suddenly vanish, and we'll no longer have to deal with their consequences. Sin always has consequences - always. The devil tries to convince us that this isn't so, and that we can ignore God's laws and get by with it - but that's a lie (like everything else he tells us). The guilt for our sins is gone when we come to Christ - but the consequences often remain.
Don't let this discourage you, however, because something is different about your life now: God is with you! You no longer have to face your problems and temptations alone. God has come to live within you by His Holy Spirit, and He will help you as you turn to Him. The Bible says, "The Spirit helps us in our weakness" (Romans 8:26).
Each day, turn your problems over to Christ, and ask Him to give you the strength and the wisdom to deal with them. He can even use them to draw you closer to Himself, and to learn to trust Him more fully. Remember: We're never alone when we know Christ!
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