Most of us have wondered what happens to us when we die. It’s a big question and can cause a lot of fear…but we know that God is good and has great plans for us now and always. Learn more about the subject of what happens when we die in this deep and insightful episode of Candid Conversations with Joyce.

Well, Joyce, we did something kind of fun and we went on social media and we asked all of our friends if you could sit here in this chair and have a candid conversation with Joyce, what would you like to talk about? And we got so many responses, a lot of good things. But surprisingly enough, one of the top things that they want to talk to you about is what we’re going to do today in our candid conversation, and that is this question, what happens after you die? I think many people right now are just, there’s some fear and there are a lot of questions. So I think it’s a great conversation to have. Well, I thought I’d start out by saying, I can’t tell you by experience because I haven’t died yet, but that’s the problem. Nobody can write, I went back to the bible, which, I mean, I’ve studied this before, but there’s a lot of really great scriptures that tell us that we have nothing to fear unless of course we’re not living for God. And the bible does tell us that we have two choices heaven or hell. And uh I know there are people that like to say they don’t believe in hell, but it’s in the bible, you’re either gonna believe the bible or your not going to believe the bible. You can’t just pick and choose what you right, you know what you want. And then there’s people who say, well, I just don’t believe that a good God would send somebody to hell. Well God doesn’t send anybody to hell. People make their own choices and that doesn’t mean that we have to live perfect lives to go to heaven? The bible says in order to be saved. You must believe that jesus died for your sins and that he rose from the dead and confess it with your mouth. And obviously if you truly believe in jesus, I mean truly believe in jesus, not just like some kind of a mental Yes, I believe there’s a God out there somewhere, but if you truly believe in jesus and then you’re gonna want to serve him, you’re gonna want to know his word and you’re gonna want to serve him. And the more revelation you get on how much God loves you and how good you are and how good he is. Uh the more you want to do the right thing, But even in wanting to do the right thing, we still never live perfect lives. And so the bible promises us that if our name is written in the lamb’s book of life, which it’s in there, if you’re truly saved, then you’re never gonna come up for judgment concerning your salvation. But there’s a lot of scriptures that still talk about that after we die, there will be a judgment, we will face God and give an account of our lives and let me ask you a question just to clarify that because I think that’s one of the things that a lot of people have fear about is will will I make it or not, you know, have have I done enough good or how do I know that my name is in the book. So we will all face judgment. But there is that question of what happens when I get to that gate, you know what is, we don’t know what it’s like, we don’t know what it’s like, I just you know, I know it’s gonna be good, I know heaven is going to be beautiful beyond anything that we could even possibly Imagine. You know, there’s 12 gates going into the city and each one is made out of one single pearl and the streets are made of translucent gold. So I just said, you know anybody who has a problem with sparkle is gonna have a heart done in heaven, but a story that I want to tell that I think just is amazing, doesn’t give direct answers, but it’s it’s still says a lot in itself. A friend of mine, her mother was sick for quite a while and her and her husband and other brothers and sisters took turns staying with the mom and she got to the point where she couldn’t really raise herself up in bed. They were just kind of biding their time, you know, waiting for her to come to the end and all of a sudden one day she raised straight up in bed, got a smile on her face and said yes and she died. And so she obviously saw something that was exciting and beautiful. But one of my favorite scriptures. And we talk about this judgment romans 14 12 says that we will all come before God and give an account of our lives. So I don’t I won’t give an account for somebody else. I’ll give an account for me. But I know I’m born again. I know that my name is written in the lamb’s Book of Life. I’m doing the best and I know how to to serve God. I repent when I make mistakes. Uh not perfect, not perfect. You know, I make mistakes all the time, but but our right standing with God is not based on our perfection. It’s based on our faith in jesus. He that knew no sin became sin, that we might be made right with God through jesus christ. But nonetheless we will have this judgment. But it’s not we’re not being judged there for our salvation, not people that are that are born again. People that aren’t are gonna have a different experience, but we are going to be judged for our works. And I think that’s interesting that we’re going to have rewards for our works that we’ve done in the body here on earth or we’re gonna lose those rewards. But first Corinthians 3 10 through 15 in the amplified classic edition. I love this scripture. It says according to the grace, the special endowment for my task of God bestowed on me like a skillful architect and master builder, I laid the foundation and now another man is building up on it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon that foundation for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is already laid, which is jesus christ, the messiah, the anointed one. So let’s just say we’re born again and jesus becomes the foundation of our lives. But if anybody builds on that foundation, rather it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, so we all build some kind of life. But what kind of life are we building? You know? There’s many people who say they believe in God, they believe they’ve accepted christ as their savior, but they still live very selfish self centered lives where they’re really not doing anybody else any good or trying to help anybody else in any way The work of each one will become plainly and openly known shown for what it is for the day of christ will disclose and declare it because it will be revealed with fire. Now I don’t know this for a fact, but there’s a place in revelations where jesus is depicted as having eyes like fire. And so I think that this could represent that when we when we stand before God on that judgment day, that that will be him looking at us and our works and the fire will trust and test and critically appraise the character and the worth of the work that each person has done now this to me is good. If the work which anybody has built on this foundation, any product of his effort, whatever survives this test, he will get his reward. But if any person’s work is burned up under the test, he will suffer the loss of all of it, losing his reward. Though, he himself will be saved, but only as one who has passed through the fire. So basically this is telling me that, you know, if I’m born again, I’m born again. I mean if I’m truly born again, believe in christ trust him for the forgiveness of my sins, I’m going to go to heaven, but who in their right mind wouldn’t want all the rewards that God could give him. And I have no idea what they are, but I’m sure they’re probably pretty awesome and this is so much to take in. So the the what you’re talking about is not a yes or no to get into heaven based on our works. It is not that that is not how we get into heaven. No, but it is a judgment of our life that will talk about the rewards that we receive once we’re in heaven, right? And I don’t you rarely ever hear this. Yeah talked about, but um, I think that these works that are gonna be judged, I think they’re gonna be judged based on motives, in other words, people, they live too much on the surface and don’t think very much about why they’re doing what they’re doing. You know, we just think, well, you know, I’ve done this and I’ve done that like, you know, there’s a lot of people you can say, do you believe you’ll go to heaven when you die? Well, you know, I try to live a good life, you know, I try to do this, I try to do that and that that tells me they don’t really understand, you know, you you can’t really love God and appreciate what jesus has done in your life and not want to do anything back for him. We don’t do good works to get God to love us, we do them because we’re so amazed at how much he does love us. And I wish that this was taught more in all churches, we have to know who we are in christ before we can ever really you have to be made right with God before you can do anything, right, Right. I mean, how many people live their whole life and never really they think about impressing people and I do this to impress people and you know, the bible talks about don’t pray to, you know, to be heard of people and don’t pray to be admired and don’t give in order for people to, you know admire you, but do what you do, even if you have to do it in secret, do it unto God. And because you believe that, that’s really what he wants you to do. And so, you know, we can fool a lot of people, but we can’t fool him. And so, you know, God knows why I’m in this ministry and why I do the work I do and why you do the work that you do. And and it can’t be to get attention to be well thought of. It’s like motives are very important to God. And motives are very simply the why behind the what? So God’s not as interested in what I’m doing, you know, because there’s a place in the bible that says many will say, well, you know, Lord Lord, we did this, we did that, we did this, we did that. And he’ll say, I never knew you. You know, God wanted us because he wanted somebody to have a relationship with. So there’s just so many scriptures. Hebrews 9 27 says, just as people are destined to die once and after that, to face the judgment. Well, that pretty much does away with the thought of reincarnation. We’re gonna die once and then we’re gonna face the judgment. So we must all appear second Corinthians 5 10, we must all appear before the judgment, seat of christ so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, rather good or bad. But here again, that’s not, that’s not to buy your salvation. That has to already be a settled fact before you ever even if if you’ve not received christ as your savior and you don’t understand the grace of God and how good he is and how little you deserve what he’s done for you, then you can’t really do good works with the right motive because you’re always going to be doing them to get something and then um now what’s heaven gonna be like? He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There’ll be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away. So we know it’s gonna be a very happy place. Imagine being in a place where there’s no hatred, no strife, no arguing, no disunity, where it’s total peace, an atmosphere of total and complete love where worship is going on all the time and I, you know, I don’t know beyond that. Maybe it’s going to be so amazing that God couldn’t even tell us. You know, I mean paul said that he went to the Third heavens and saw things that he couldn’t even find words to explain. People do not be afraid, do not need to be afraid of death, as long as they know in their heart that they’ve received christ as their Lord and savior. You don’t even have to feel like you have to do everything just right. I just always say get up every day, give it your all do the best you can and God will take care of the rest. I mean, yeah. Well what I love about all all of these things that you’re sharing is it builds a greater picture. It builds a continuation of life rather than an end to it. In other words, our life here on earth is finished but in that moment we go on into something so much greater and completely different and that relationship that we’re building with christ here is the foundation of that. But it it gives you such a different piece and even a different feeling about death that it is more of the next step than the end. Yeah, I mean people say it’s like going through a revolving door like I said I haven’t died. So I don’t know what it’s like and I don’t know that everybody’s experience is exactly the same. Yeah. But there are enough people that have had these near death experiences and everybody talks about seeing a light. Everybody talks about the feeling of complete peace and happiness and joy. I mean I understand what paul meant when he said to live as christ to die is gain. I mean my purpose here now is to serve God and finish the work that he’s called me to do and I love my life but I’m looking forward to heaven. I mean I think it’s gonna be amazing beyond anything that we can possibly imagine and I really hate to see people be so afraid of what it’s gonna be like, we know that God is good and so as good as he is to us sometimes here, you know, we can’t even imagine how good it’s gonna be when we have it will blow the doors off that when we go to heaven. And so I think it’s harder here for people because they miss those people who have gone on, you know, death is so much harder for those who are left behind. Well, and when we grieve for people that have died were not really grieving for them, were grieving for us. You know, we’ve lost them, but they’re better off. I mean paul said at one point he said, I’m hard pressed to decide between the two. He said I would rather leave and go on and go to heaven. That would be better for me. But it would be better for you if I stay here and continue to teach you the word. And that’s pretty much the way I feel, you know, I’m so grateful that I don’t have to be afraid of that and I don’t want other people to be afraid and I don’t I don’t want them to misunderstand anything that I’m saying today, you just let me say again, you don’t have to be perfect. We make mistakes. If we could be perfect and never make mistakes, then we wouldn’t need jesus. The reason why God sent him is because we can’t be perfect and you know there’s just so many scriptures. I mean if people would just study the scriptures even for themselves in the bible, just get on, get online and look up uh scriptures about heaven, Earth are scriptures about what happened to what happens to us when we die. I mean that’s all I did, you know, to get all these and uh I mean, you know, there’s just like Daniel 12 2 says multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. And you know, if we just wanna stretch ourselves a minute and talk about people who are not believers in christ, you know, we’ve got a phone number on our screen and we’d be happy for them. The call if they doubt their salvation or they know they haven’t given their life to christ yet. We’d love to have one of our operators talk with them and and lead them into a relationship with christ through prayer. I mean really being born again is the simplest thing in the world. You just have to be willing to turn away from sin and turn toward God and be sorry for the way you’ve lived and asked him to help you live the way that he wants you to live. Being a christian is an exciting life because there is always something to learn always something to learn. Well, it’s a great conversation. I mean, you know, it’s it’s the real stuff of life. It’s what’s on people’s minds. It’s a deep dive into God’s word. So thank you very much. And I want to say to you, don’t I don’t want anybody to get off onto. Well now I better try to do a lot of good work. So I get rewards. You don’t even do the good works to get the reward. That’s the thing. Because if you do then your motives wrong again. So it’s all because I love Lord and I want to make him happy. I want to do things for other people because it blesses him when we do that. Thanks Joyce, you’re welcome.