{"id":6549,"date":"2012-09-30T16:11:15","date_gmt":"2012-09-30T16:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/?p=6549"},"modified":"2012-09-30T22:29:46","modified_gmt":"2012-09-30T22:29:46","slug":"is-your-heart-locked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/?p=6549","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Heart Locked?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I got an interesting email when I got homelast night from Florida, it said:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I read your blog and find it \u00a0fantastic. \u00a0I would love to go on one of your workshops. \u00a0However, I \u00a0have a serious question. \u00a0I am Jewish but really a very unreligious \u00a0person. \u00a0I think I live my life following the basic principles of all \u00a0religions. Would \u00a0you have a problem \u00a0with me in the workshops \u00a0and\/or would I have a problem \u00a0with you?
\nI look forward to your \u00a0reply.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I answered;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I cannot answer the question of if you would \u00a0have a problem, I can only describe what we do. \u00a0We pray each morning \u00a0before shoots, \u00a0we play Christian music during classroom and editing time, \u00a0and show film clips from faith based movies sometimes in late evening, \u00a0It \u00a0is a very evangelical experience, and you would certainly be welcome to join \u00a0us!<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The final response was;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thanks
\nI guess based on that, that I will take a pass.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now I do not know this person, and I wish they had decided to give us a try, and this entry is not aimed at them, at all, \u00a0but to anyone to which these words apply. \u00a0It does however bring me to a much larger issue, that of why do some people lock up their hearts to God? \u00a0Why do some people turn their backs on the greatest gift they could ever receive? \u00a0I believe it is for one of the following reasons:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Pride.<\/span><\/strong> \u00a0Some could never admit that they need His love and help. \u00a0They would rather fail alone than acknowledge they need Him!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Fear<\/strong>.<\/span> \u00a0Some believe becoming His would strip their lives of the enjoyment they get doing things they know they shouldn’t be doing! \u00a0They also fear that others who are not believers would reject them if they got “religious”.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Unbelief.<\/span> \u00a0<\/strong>Some people believe that no one , not even God, could ever forgive them for their sins and wrong doings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Other gods.<\/span><\/strong> \u00a0Many have already accepted another god for their lives, materialism, fame, fortune, solutions to all man’s problems through science. They believe we can defeat, death, heal our earth, and solve all our own problems in our own strength.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sadly, they’re all wrong. \u00a0PRIDE goes before a fall. \u00a0 FEAR is not from God. \u00a0UNBELIEF blocks our path to God. And we are to have no other gods before us,. \u00a0Some simply don’t get it! \u00a0Acceptiong Christ brings the following incredible results;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Total Forgiveness.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Complete Peace and Joy.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Real Hope in a world with little hope.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Faith to face anything life can hand out.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I am challanging anyone reading these words to ask yourself four important questions:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Are \u00a0you perfect? \u00a0Do you want forgiveness?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Do you want to have the hope of eternal life?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Do you want the greatest Hope, \u00a0joy and, \u00a0love in this life?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Do you have the kind of Faith that can get you through any of life’s worst circumstances?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The answer is simple, come in out of the cold.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

the pilgrim<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I got an interesting email when I got homelast night from Florida, it said:   I read your blog and find it \u00a0fantastic. \u00a0I would love to go on one of your workshops. \u00a0However, I \u00a0have a serious question. \u00a0I am Jewish but really a very unreligious \u00a0person. \u00a0I think I live my life following […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chronicles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6549"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6555,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6549\/revisions\/6555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}