6. Do you realize that Christ had to be crucified for your sins?
Our sins were so great that you and I de served to be crucified. But Christ took our place and died for our sins
(Rom.5:8). We have done wicked and sinful deeds with our hands, and they deserve to be pierced with nails. We
have used our feet to move with sinful motives, and they deserve to be nailed to the cross. Our whole body has
been defiled with sin and deserves to be beaten with whips. Our faces have been proud and stubborn and we
deserve to be spat upon our faces. Our heads have been full of selfish and unholy thoughts and we deserve a
crown of thorns. But Jesus took your place and mine and suffered everything for you and me. Perhaps you think
that the Roman soldiers crucified Him. But actually because of your sins, you have crucified Him. Have you realized
this fact? (Acts 2:36,37).

7. Have you turned away from all your sins?
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy"
(Prov.28:13). When you truly repent of all your sins, you will be filled with hatred for sin and love for righteousness.
There are seven results, which the Holy Spirit will work in you (See 2 Cor.7:10,11). You will be filled with a desire to
be very careful that you should never fall into your old ways again, like a dog returning to his vomit, and a washed
sow to its wallowing in the mire (2 Peter 2:22). You will have a great desire to set right all your past sins and to clear
yourself of any guilt or blame that had come upon you because of your past sins. You will be filled with hatred,
aversion and indignation against those very same 'sins which you once loved and enjoyed and longed for. You will
also be filled with fear that God may punish you severely if you willfully fall into the same sins after coming to the
knowledge of the truth. You will now have a vehement desire to lead a life of absolute holiness, and live a life which
is well pleasing to the Saviour Who has redeemed you by His own precious blood. You will now have zeal and joyful
longing to do acts of righteousness and service to the Lord. Also you will determine to take revenge (in a holy
sense) on the enemy by not only overcoming your temptations but also by entering into the enemy's territory and
obtaining spoil by working for the salvation of those who are still in his bondage.

Finally, you have to repent also of every idea that you can please God through anything good in you. You are a
leper. You have the leprosy of sin, which is incurable by man. You need the Lord's touch to be healed by Him. Till
now, you are only an unclean thing and all your works of righteousness are only filthy rags before God (lsa.64:6).
Unless and until you are healed, your service to God, such as singing, giving offerings, even preaching and praying,
are all alike entirely useless and unacceptable to God. "To what purpose is the. multitude of your sacrifices unto
me? saith the Lord...When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
...the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn
meeting...yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you
clean" (lsa.1 :11-16).

God wants to give you the gift of everlasting life so that you can become a member of God's family. Unless you
receive that gift you are dead in your sins, and even what you think to be your good
works, are only dead works before God. These dead works cannot give you salvation. Have you turned away from
them to trust in the finished work of salvation which the Lord Jesus accomplished for you upon the Cross of
Calvary? Instead of saying, "I am trusting in my good life, my good works and my good gifts for my salvation", can
you say, "I am trusting only in this that although I deserve the wrath of God and the everlasting punishment, Christ
died for my sins and therefore I am free?"

Dear friend, repent of all your sins sincerely, so that your tender heart may become like good ground where the
seed of God's Word may be sown and bring forth thirty fold, sixty fold and hundred fold fruit.

YE ARE MY WITNESSES -15
BAKHT SINGH

God's Word should be read daily an its promises should be claimed. Phil.4:6 says, "Be careful for nothing". So do
not be worried about! anything, but only pray for everything. One day I lost a bottle cork. It was so small that one
could hardly see. I dropped it in the bathroom. First I thought, it is a small thing and why I should bother about it. I
searched for it for three days but could not find it. Then I remembered that the Lord has told us to pray for
everything. So I prayed saying, "Lord, I don't want to lose that cork. Please show me where it is". Then I looked
down and found it. Even for small things learn to pray.

In 2 kings 6:1-7we read about a man whose axe head fell into the water. It was foolish to look for the axe head in
the water. There was no hope of getting it back, because it, had sunk deep into the
water. But the man knew, if he went to the man of God he would get it back. The man of God cut down a stick and
cast it in the water, and the iron did swim. Something, which was impossible, was made possible. Now we all know
that iron cannot swim. Yet because of that man's faith in God's Word, God made the iron to float on the water. In the
same way, every spiritual loss can be recovered if we pray.

That man was careless. Before cutting the wood he should have made sure that the axe was fixed properly. He lost
the axe head because of his carelessness. But he went to the man of God for help and confessed his fault. God
forgave him and he recovered that which he had lost. Most of us are like him. Through negligence we incur loss.

We fail to find God's will and do things on our own, so we suffer loss. That man held the handle without the axe
head. We would call him foolish. Some God's servants are foolish like him. They have lost their axe heads. There is
no power in their ministry or prayer. They have no joy in their hearts. They only have their handles. The source of
power is gone because of some negligence. Some defilement or some pride, or greed has entered into them. I
Sometimes they lose their faith and peace also. They--become helpless and do not know how to face the situation.
Perhaps that is\your condition today. But there is hope for you. This man knew where to go (2 Kings 6:6). First of all,
he had to go to the place where the axe head had fallen. Similarly, you have to go to the place where you have lost
your axe head because of sin, defilement, and negligence etc. Then claim the power of the cross, because the tree
speaks of the cross. Then he got back the axe head. You also can recover your spiritual loss, by humbling yourself
at the Cross-of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many times we do not confess our failures. We blame others for our loss as
Adam blamed the woman God had given him. Do not blame anyone. Humble yourself before the Lord,
acknowledge your faults and failures, negligence or whatever it may be; then recover the loss.

Many parents are very negligent and careless. They do not spend sufficient time with their children. They do not
have family prayers both morning and evening. They say in their hearts, "We are far too busy with our jobs. How
can we spare time for prayer and Bible study in the morning?" They do not fulfill their first responsibility towards
their children. After some time they find some sin in their children. Parents are responsible for their sin. Their axe
head was lost due to their negligence and carelessness. Do not blame your children. Do your duty faithfully with
love and concern when they are small. Read Heb.12: 6-12. Many parents have lost their axe heads. Their children
are disobedient because of their own negligence. When children needed to be chastened and corrected, they did
not do it. Now that they are grown up, it is too late. They are rebellious now, and no amount of teaching will help
them. Only by confessing their sin and going to the place where the axe head had fallen they can recover. Go to the
same place and say, "Lord, it is due to my failure and negligence, that my children are disobedient. Help me to be
careful in the future and fulfill my duty faithfully towards my children. Help me to recover all". Thus go on asking the
Lord for every small thing. Seek God's face in all things and recover every loss. In Prov.3:5,6 we read, "Trust in the
Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths". Learn to depend upon God for spiritual things. Do not depend upon your cleverness, wisdom or
experience of any kind. We have to claim God's strength, grace, and wisdom for every small thing. It must be a daily
practice. Then you will see God's hand upon you, and recover every loss.

Now Peter was not only told to bind on his sandals but also take his garments (Acts 12:8). Thus we see how God is
interested in everything, in old chappals as well as garments. Then the angel said to Peter, "Follow me". Do not go
by your own experience. You may be a strong man but you do not know the way. For some distance, Peter followed
the angel. Learn to seek God's guidance. Do not think that you know the way. It is safe to say, "Lord, I do not know
the way". Let Him guide you. He knows the way. He knows what is the best way. He knows the end from the
beginning. Our safety is to follow Him as long as He leads us.
Then we are told in Acts 12: 10, when they were past the first and the second ward they came to the iron gate,
which opened to them by itself. The Lord knew how to bring Peter safely through the gates. You also may be facing
many i!:0n gates. As you follow His guidance, He will bring/you out safely. When He shows the way, then we are
safe.

In the beginning the Lord's angel had to open the prison door. But in verse 13 we find Peter himself knocking the
door many times. If God wanted, He could have opened that door also and brought Peter into the house. But for a
purpose, the angel departed from half the way. Then Peter himself found the way and went on knocking the door.
God gives us divine strength when needed. At other times we have to use our own strength to open the door,
nevertheless, God is always with us.
The same Herod who persecuted Peter was dealt with by God Himself without any interference on the part of Peter.

Peter was an ordinary man. He could have cursed Herod and said, "Lord, punish Herod". But he had no hatred for
him. He never said one word of revenge against him. He kept sleeping and left Herod in the hands of God. That is
why God Himself punished Herod. If there are people like Herod in your neighborhood or office, do not worry .God
Himself will judge them. The Lord Himself will solve all your problems. He will take up your case and judge other
people.