Kirk Cameron Reveals His Heart

I have just lost all respect for Kirk Cameron, I now think he may be a deceiver, since his language endorsing Halloween is the same language I use to hear when I was in the Catholic church. Is he a Catholic or has he been hanging out with Catholics? OR worse, has he been involved in satanism?

One of the statements in the Bible makes me wonder about many of these people who have much influence over far too many people to be benign in their ability to sway Christian opinion, that statement is in Matthew 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

The phrase in this verse that impresses me is "they shall deceive the very elect."

Kirk Cameron has recently made a film called "Saving Christmas." I realize it is his feeble attempt to bring "Christ back into Christmas", as many believers like to do. However, Christ was never in Christmas, and He definitely never in Halloween.

Taking a pagan holiday and attempting to "Christianize" it, never works. Christ never celebrated these things, nor did the apostles ever encourage anyone to partake in the pagan celebrations.

Jeremiah 10:2 "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them."

God told us to remain separate from the ways of the world.

2 Corinthians 6:17 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,"

There were no celebrations of "Christmas" or "Halloween" in the accounts of the New Testament saints. All these silly human concoctions came much later when the pagans were doing it and believers didn't want to be left out of the fun so they made an attempt to "Christianize" that which was unholy, so they could feel better about partaking.

Now, we are so used to these holidays, they have become such a part of our "bone and marrow", that we cannot think any other way. When we suggest to a modern believer that they should leave these holidays alone, they look at us as though we have two heads.

There was a time in this country that the church elders would condemn these holidays, even Christmas was banned among the Puritans for it's revelry and pagan practices. Then as the next generations began to accept a little of it at a time, the snow ball grew while the mind of believers became confused and enticed by it all. Now we have believes who will fight over the right to indulge in that which dishonors God.

I am saddened at how many believers still have a serious connection to tradition based on nothing more than the good feelings they get from it.

I admit, it is pleasing to the senses to go to a mall and see all the beautiful decorations, the pretty sounding music and many happy smiling faces. These things appeal deeply to our sense of well being. Unfortunately many things in this life are appealing to the senses but in fact are deadly to the soul. Satan always comes as an angel of light bringing pretty happy and festive things to distract us from what really matters.

When you are with extended family and neighbors this holiday season, bring up the name of Christ in the gathering and watch what happens. You will make everyone in the room uncomfortable and you will be subtly shunned for the rest of the evening, even in Christian gatherings.

The people you encounter will smile, laugh and tear open their candy or presents, with great glee. As soon as Christ is mentioned, the faces fall, the laughter stops and the room becomes as cold as ice.

I have been there and done that, this is not about Christ, we only like to say so, it makes us feel better. The same reason we do this is the same reason homosexuals start churches, they feel a need to be validated in their sin.

If Christmas were about Christ, we would drop all the decorations and gifts and meet for prayer and hymns. In most gatherings there are no prayer and hymns, only gifts, candy and huge meals.

Let's each of us evaluate our traditions, asking God what pleases Him. He does give us a clue when He says this:

Hosea 6:6 "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings"

When we say Christ is in Christmas or Halloween, and then indulge in the candy,gift giving, tree decorating and santa clause worship, we are lying. It is not about worshiping Christ but about our personal desire for revelry, if we are to be honest.

Doctrine of Demons Number 3

"No one needs to evangelize Israel"

But God says this:

Jeremiah 31:3 (about Israel)
"The LORD has appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you."

Romans 1:16
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

Romans 11:11
"I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy."

Romans 11:26
"and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."

Doctrines of Demons Number 1

Doctrine of Demons Number 1

"Self Esteem is important to the well being of every human being."

Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."

James 4:6 "6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."

There is an old saying that goes like this; "One of the elements of holiness is the absence of self awareness." (Don't know the author)

Doctrines of Demons Number 2

Doctine of Demons Number 2

"No one has a choice whether or not to trust Christ, it was decided before we were born whether or not we go to heaven or hell."

But God Says this:

Joshua 24:15
""If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Revelation 22:17
"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost."

For all (1st Timothy 2:6; Isaiah 53:6).
1 Timothy 2:6 "Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."

Isaiah 53:6 "6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

For every man (Heb. 2:9).
"9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."

For the world (John 3:16).
"16 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 the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

For the ungodly (Rom. 5:6).
"6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

For many (Matthew 20:28).
"28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

For Israel (John 11:50-51).
"50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us[a] that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,"

For the Church (Eph. 5:25).
"25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,"

For "me" (Gal. 2:20).
"20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Sin Causes Division

It is those who continue in sin unabashed, that cause division in the church. Those who point out the sin that it might be dealt with, for the purpose of cleansing the body, are those who love unity and holiness.


It was actually said to me once, in a church we attended, that we should compromise the principles of God for the sake of unity.


God's word tells us the opposite, to have true unity we are to adhere to the principles of God and all those who come against this are divisive.


1 Corinthians 5:13 "But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES."


It is sin to compromise God's principles for the sake of unity. That is the superficial unity that is a house built on sand, ready to collapse at the next wave of sin that enters the church.


True unity seeks God for His righteousness and works to bring the body in line with this.


Evangelistic minded people are more concerned about souls being saved than they are about the hearers response to their message. They know that we are merely the messengers of God, that He will take care of the response in the hearts of men.


1 Corinthians 3:7 "So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth."


The day we realize that we cannot make someone want God by our friendliness, we must be loving enough to tell the truth, and trust that God can use His Word in someone's life, is the day we will be free from the bondage of the fear of man.


Proverbs 29:25 "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe."


Matthew 10:28 ""Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."


John 12:43 "For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."


Galatians 1:10 "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."


Focus on Christ alone, evaluate everything in light of Him and His Word, then we will not be afraid of those we minister to, nor those who seek to offend us.

Judging is a Necessity

There are two forms of judging, the judgment over appearances when we don't know the details of the circumstances we think we see.

Judge 7:24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

The second form of judging is proper in the sight of God and even commanded.

1 Corinthians 2:15 "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no one."

Sometimes it is necessary to confront a brother or sister who is in sin. We have a responsibility to them as a member of the family of God. We need to care more about our brothers and sisters than we do about ourselves.

1 Timothy 5:22 "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure."

We are not to endorse a sin by our acceptance of it or silence about it. When we refuse to speak out of fear of losing friends or family, then we have endorsed and even participated in the sin. When self is the motivation for our actions, then we walk in sin, the sin of elevating ourselves above God, becoming our own god.

If a person has been truly born again, they will not argue and fight when corrected, they will be humbled and desire to know truth, even weeping over their sin ready to repent. I have not had the privilege of meeting anyone in many years who will take correction humbly and graciously. I have come to the conclusion that most who claim to be "Christians" have never been born again in the first place. They never learned from the beginning to weep over their sinfulness, so they are unconcerned about sin after they said they became a "Christian."

The region "of the world" has hardened the hearts of the rebellious, they will defend others in sin, with the "don't judge" mantra, even if the judgement is over something they themselves wouldn't do. They are so steeped in self esteem that they can not endure any form of instruction or correction, unless it will elevate them in some way. Because these superficial believers don't like to be corrected themselves, they cannot tolerate anyone else being corrected, perhaps they would be next.

Those who love the Lord with all their hearts don't fear correction for two reasons, first, they are not walking in guilt because they keep close accounts of thought sins, they abhor sin as God commands us to do, so they do not fight against correction but rather lean into it.

Those who cannot tolerate any form of confrontation or conflict, do everything in their power to avoid needed confrontation. We do not want conflict, but it is not those who confront sin who create conflict, it is those who are in sin and refuse to admit their sin, who generate conflict.

Sadly the rebellious person brings with them onlookers who lack discernment, these people come along side them, defending them with avengence . Helping to maintain their position of sinfulness, the onlooker is a willing partner in their sin.

These onlookers defy God when they defend the sinning brother or sister while bludgeoning the righteous one who honors God in speaking truth.

We cannot be intimidated by those who defend sin in the body. If our focus is God completely, then we will ignore the promptings of the flesh and the devil to avoid the necessary conflicts of life and proceed as the Holy Spirit leads.

2 Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word; be diligent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."

Proverbs 27:5 "Better is open rebuke than hidden love."

Matthew 8:15-17 "“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."

1 Timothy 5:20
20 "Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear."

Titus 2:15 "15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."

2 Timothy 4:2 2 "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."

James 5:20 "20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul[a] from death and cover a multitude of sins."

Proverbs 27:6 "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

Proverbs 29:15 "15 The rod and rebuke give wisdom,
But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother."

God often refers to us as His "little children", when we discipline our children it is for their good. Although not always pleasant to have to do it we know that it will produce something better even making them safer.

James 3:18 "And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

We sow peace by promoting righteousness, superficial peace brought on by ignoring sin creates conflict and war, there is no peace deep down in the soul of a person who is at enmity with God.

James 4:4 "You adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

When we ignore sin in the body we grow more sin, when we deal with it according to the Word, then we create an atmosphere of holiness and God's kind of peace that reaches to the depth of the soul. Nothing can harm that kind of peace, those who live in this peace become very strong in their walk with God.

Sin is likened to leaven, in the Word of God, the more we allow, the bigger it gets.Galatians 5:9 "A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough." Those who are in sin unchecked, and those who support them are making way for the devil to overtake the church, and this is the condition of most churches today in this age of apostasy.

Let us remember, God's way is always best and man's way always destroys what is holy.

How Should It Really Be?

Pastors of churches are beginning to be pressured to perform same sex marriages while being persecuted if they will not.

There is an easy solution to this growing problem.

If believers would follow the model of the first century church, meeting in homes rather than owning expensive building with mortgages, they would be spared the stress of debt, upkeep, heating and water bills, while their funds would go to the needy believers and missionaries in total.

Then there is the added burden of those silly unproductive meetings over the 501c3 status granted by the government, with all their intricate rules that waste a believers time.

If God's church met in homes, lets say 20 or fewer families per home, there would be homes all over the cities singing praises to God every worship day. Ungodly people would be less likely to infiltrate demanding same sex marriage and other evil practices to be performed among the believers.

There would be no advertising to the public to come, the believers would be going out to the non-believers in their work places, their neighborhoods and any other place they happen to frequent. They would not be invited to the services unless they became born again. The worship would be maintained only for believers, as the non-believers become born again, then they would be brought in as full brothers and sisters in the Lord.

We have followed many traditions that are not of God to make it easier for us to avoid witnessing, letting the leaders do it all, when we are all called to share the gospel. And, many leaders are not sharing the gospel regularly except with scant messages from the pulpit, entirely generic so no one has to be confronted.

We put on lavish programs hoping the non-believer will like us, thinking that if they like us they will like Christ. That could not be farther from the truth. When we entertain people, they will come for the entertainment, feel loved no matter how they act or who they harm, and continue on in their sin on their way to hell. I have seen this time and time again.

Christ never called us to entertain people or find ways to get them to like us. He called us to preach the gospel, share what Christ did for us and do it in plain language, verbally with conviction enthusiastically.

Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

No where in the Scripture do we see any instruction to bring non-believers into the worship. If they show up of their own accord, then they should hear a strong message of repentance, hope if they trust Christ and hell if they refuse. If they leave offended, then they never wanted God to begin with and will either come back to find the way of salvation, or avoid coming because their heart does not desire God.

All this phony play acting as though we love them through silly programs without a strong gospel message has inoculated non-believers. They hear the message week after week and never make a decision because their egos and feelings are being massaged to enjoy the gathering.

Non-believers who come for the entertainment should not like it, they should be convicted of sin, so that they will have to make the choice to either repent and follow Christ or leave.

The non-believers have become comfortable in the church gathering, engaging in the activities, learning Christian lingo, just enough to make us think they are true Christians and then bringing wrong doctrine and attitudes into the body without challenge. This is why the organized church has become apostate.

It is time for the true church of God to begin praying while studying the word to discern the way the church should function. If we are willing to leave behind all our human traditions to do things God's way, we may see amazing blessings in our spiritual growth and the physical growth of the church, and I don't mean bigger and better buildings, I mean new converts who are on fire for the Lord. The buildings are no only not necessary they have become a monstrous detriment to the spiritual health of the believers.

John 21:17 "He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."

To sum things up, the modern traditions of a one man pastor, church buildings, inviting non-believers to the gathering of the believers, celebrating pagan holidays and many other traditions have ruined the witness of the church of God.

If each one will seek the Lord for their part in the gospel, I think we would find we no longer have a desire for these meaningless and useless traditions that weigh us down severely.

A Kosher Refrigerator

My husband was changing the filter in our ice maker on our refrigerator. We had never read the directions on it before today. We found out that we have a Kosher Frig.

One of the directions says this;

"The Sabbath Mode is a feature that disables portions of the refrigerator and its controls for both "Wave-Touch" and "IQ Touch", in accordance with observance of the weekly Sabbath and religious holidays within the Orthodox Jewish community."

How is that for legalism, concerning working on the Sabbath? The refrigerator is only allowed to work what is needed, any luxuries can be turned off on the Sabbath.

Can anyone tell me what a refrigerator has to do with the Sabbath? If part of the refrigerator is allowed to run to keep the food cold, then why not the luxury parts of the refrigerator such as the ice maker?

I thought the command to rest on the Sabbath is a command for people not to work, I didn't know it mandated inanimate objects to shut down.

I figured it out, the lights can not be pushed on the Sabbath because it is work to push buttons. I never considered it work to push a button or walk across the room to pick up a toy.

I believe that God made His commandments about the Sabbath to give a person rest from the labor that earned him money and the everyday tasks that made us tired from the hard work.

It is interesting that man always tries to go beyond the commands of God, adding extra burdens to that were not there. If the Jews just obeyed the command to rest from their work, not doing their own pleasure, that would have been enough to give them a very good rest. There was no need to add all these extraneous burdensome rules that makes us all crazy trying to remember them.

This is also the reason man tries to make salvation so complicated when it is as simple as it can be. Christ did it all on the cross, no need to add anything to it, it is a done deal and from that point on, He does all the work. Did we get this.......He does all the work in us.

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

No need to wring our hands worrying if we are doing all the right things or enough of the right things. We can trust Christ Who lives in us to redirect us when we become off track and we can trust Him to grow us which ever way is needed through to the end of our lives.

Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

Christ is Lord of the Sabbath

The Sabbath was a covenant between God and the Jews, which ended when Christ had fulfilled His mission on earth.

Ezekiel 20:12
"Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them."

When Christ had fulfilled His sacrifice on the earth He moved into a new covenant with mankind.

Jeremiah 31:31-34
"“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Hebrews 8:7-13
"“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

We are living in the times of the New Covenant, God has extended salvation to the Gentiles as well as the Jew. The sabbath rest lives in us, the Holy Spirit is that rest. We can now worship in the Spirit and in truth every day. We are brothers and sisters in Christ whether we are Gentiles or Jews.

Mark 2:27
"And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath."

I am not here to convince anyone which day they should observe, but rather to show each one that we should not judge another person by which day they set aside for God or what kind of food they eat.

There are those who feel a prideful need to determine that someone is not born again if the do not worship on the Jewish Sabbath, or observe certain rules about food. These people cause division everywhere they go and lean heavily on the law to justify them rather than on grace.

Romans 6:14
"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."

Notice in Romans 14, that God calls those who feel a need to place themselves under that law, "weaker brothers." I understand the sense that the Jews may have to continue practices they have always done, before they were born again, however if they obey God, they will enjoy those practices without judging others as sinful for not doing them.

Romans 14:1-23
"14:1 "Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.
2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.
3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.
7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;
8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
11 For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall [e]give praise to God.”
12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.
14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.
16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be [g]spoken of as evil;
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then [h]we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.
21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.
22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin"

The essence of the matter is simply this; let the Lord speak to your heart about the observance of days and foods, but never judge another believer on the basis of his personal practices on these things. It is a violation of God's Word to impose days or rules about foods on any other believer and a wrong judgement to proclaim someone as not born again on the basis of these things.

Matthew 12:8 "8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”"

Hospitality Matters More Than You Realize

My husband and I were discussing the concept of hospitality this morning. I recalled how it was when we were growing up.

Once in a while extended family members would drop in for a visit after church and the afternoon meal. When we saw their car drive up in the yard, we immediately put on our shoes, turned off the television if it was on and put on the coffee pot. It was considered rude to greet someone at the door in stocking or bare feet and doubly rude to leave the television playing while guests were in the house.

The television was only for times when there wasn't something better to do and no people to visit with.

If the visitors stayed longer than an hour then we broke out the deserts to serve them. No one would think of entertaining guests without feeding them or a drink to refresh them.

We were taught never to eat or drink anything in front of someone else without offering them some too. If we only had one candy bar, then we should break it in half to give to our friend. If we had only one bottle of pop, then we would give it to our visitor while we had none, explaining that we had one earlier or we didn't care for any right now, to make the guest feel alright about having refreshment while we had none.

My husband and I began to laugh a little as we recalled some of the antics we have seen by the younger people who have lost that sense of loving hospitality that we were so accustomed to as children.

I went to visit a young woman a few years ago, she sent her child to come to the door to meet me. He opened the door and without saying anything, he ran away leaving me standing at the door while his mother yelled from the other room, "Son tell them to come in", but the son was no where to be seen, so I entered while shouting the young woman's name to find out where she was. She heard, and yelled at me from the kitchen where she was reclining while paging through a magazine.

No refreshment was offered, after about 15 minutes I violated my own principle of "don't ask and don't refuse", when visiting at someone else's house and asked her if I could have some of the coffee in the pot, that I saw on the counter.

She said sure, I'll get you some. She went to the china cabinet and took out an expensive china cup and then to the regular cupboard to get an every day cup. I thought, what a sweet thing to do, she was going to give me the best cup and use an everyday cup for herself, after all that's what I was raised with, the company get the best cup. But she didn't do that, she kept the expensive china cup for herself and gave me the everyday cup.

I didn't care which cup I used, it wasn't about that, for me it was about an attitude of hospitality. Making someone who comes to visit feel welcome and important to the host is important to God.

I assessed the situation later realizing that there was no special message being sent that this young woman didn't like me necessarily, it was a matter of narcissistic behavior. To the narcissist no one else exists, except to glorify them. It didn't occur to her that someone might feel strange at her behavior, not coming to the door to greet me with enthusiasm, or giving me the same kind of cup she had.

The principle behind Christian hospitality is that others always come first. We should never do anything that makes others feel less than loved and appreciated.

God even tells us to bless our enemies, that's just how important it is to practice hospitality.

Hebrews 13:2 "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

1 Peter 4:9 "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."

Romans 12:13 "Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."

Titus 1:8 "But hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined."

Laziness in hospitality is a blight on the name of Christ.

Mark 9:41 "For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward."

Matthew 10:40-42 "“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
(God often refers to believers as "little ones.")

Let's not neglect hospitality and let's not use others by demanding things from them.

As I mentioned above, a good host makes refreshing provision for visitors and a good visitor accepts the hospitality with gratitude.

If everyone does as they should, there can be loving relationships established and the gospel elevated because of our due diligence toward others.

Silence is Approval

When we don't speak boldly about the things that are wrong in our culture, we are sending the message that we approve.

Everyone knows what will happen when they speak openly about anything that may be controversial, they know that they will probably lose friends and family over it and their enjoyment of these people is more important to them than true.

When truth is more important to us than personal relationships, we will lose some people, but gain others. We must be willing to go through the rejection for the sake of truth and righteousness. We may lose more than we gain, but it's not about us, it's about informing those who may be open to truth, no matter how few they may be.


John 8:32 "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 16:13 "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."

Ephesians 6:14 "Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,"

We are either sold out to Christ or we are ruled and intimidated by the whims of mankind. We get to choose. Personally, I prefer to live in the truth rather than loved by the masses, there is emptiness in a life that is superficially controlled by those that have no interest in Christ. There is great joy in knowing truth and following Him.

We are Decimating the English Language?

Let me set the record straight please? LOL
To "decimate" means to "reduce by one tenth."

Nearly everyone who is using this word "decimate" now is using it wrongly. They are replacing the word "destroy" with the word "decimate."


The word decimate does not mean to destroy, it means to ruin by a tenth, that means that nine tenth of the matter is not destroyed.

There are two other words that are being misused, to such a degree I am convinced that language has changed now, never to return to proper usage. The word "less" has replaced the word "fewer."

In the last few months I have heard the word less being used many times, all improperly except for one time. I got so excited I thought I had heard the gentleman wrong who was correct.

Here are the proper uses of the words "less" and "fewer";

There are fewer eggs in the basket than there was last week.

There is less flour in the bin than yesterday.

"Fewer" is used when we are speaking of individual quantities that can be counted, while "less" is used when we are speaking of things that are measured, but cannot be counted.

Someone please tell the media, they haven't opened their English book since high school, unfortunately most people are picking up their misuse of language.

His Righteousness Alone

Matthew chapter 22 is a picture of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Most who are invited do not want to come.

Christ invited everyone to be at the feast, most did not come, and one came who was not dressed in wedding cloths, (was not clothed in the righteousness of Christ), who was thrown into outer darkeness. That man was the description we see in Matthew 7:21-23.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"


Matthew 22:1-14
"22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,
2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
3 And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
4 Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’
5 But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, 6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
7 But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
8 Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
9 Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’
10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.
11 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,
12 and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.
13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

If we are to be allowed to come to the marriage supper of the Lamb, we must be clothed in the righteousness of Christ, we cannot come in our own righteousness, for we have none. It is the righteousness of Christ alone that will gain us entrance into His kingdom and the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Romans 13:14 "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts."

Trusting the Holy Spirit after Salvation

When we plant seeds in our garden, we can carefully place them in the little trench, cover them with dirt and water them. However, we cannot make them grow, so we pray over them and leave the results and blessings of a crop to the Lord.

This is what we have to do with our children. We must plant the seeds, while others water them leaving all the results and growth to God.

Too often we think we can do a better job than God can. He promised that His Word does not go out void, that does not mean that we will get all that we want, it means that God will use them which ever way is needed.

This is what faith is all about, it is a matter of obeying God and trusting Him, not only for salvation but for everything after that.

Proverbs 3:5-8

"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

8 It will be healing to your body

And refreshment to your bones."

Isaiah 55:11 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."

When we speak as led by the Holy Spirit, we know God did it and it has purpose.

Matthew 10:20 ""For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

God can and does speak through those who are born again, He is not only responsible for the results but for the words we speak through the Holy Spirit.

Hallelujah, we don't have to wring our hands in worry, we can rest in Him completely.

Remembering "SOS"

Remember the distress code "SOS"? As a child I was taught that these were the initials for "Save Our Souls."

When the titanic was on its way down, S.O.S. was the signal that went out over the radio waves, a distress warning that would send helpers to the rescue of the sinking titanic, although nearly too late, they rushed to help as soon as they could.

Many souls were lost on that fateful day, very few survived. One thing that impressed me over the years, watching the old movies about the sinking of the Titanic, was the chivalry of the men on board. The band continued to play while the women and children were being lowered into life boats as the ship was disappearing into the deep cold waters.

The men were helping the women to escape the carnage, while knowing they were going to a watery death. Their training in the protection of the women from small children, mandated that only a cad or wicked man would save his own life while a woman was struggling and drowning. It was unthinkable that any man would safe himself while a woman or child perished.

This training of the boys and men to care deeply about the welfare of a woman was so much ingrained in the men that they had no choice within their own heart, but to choose to die while saving a woman or a child.

I wonder how many men realized that this was a Christian principle that fell on the entire culture, even the unsaved knew what was right in those days. Christ placed the care of the women and children in the hands of the men, they were stronger in every way than the woman, physically and emotionally, they had the responsibility of protecting the weaker vessels of the culture.

Let us not confuse "weaker" with "inferior." When one looks at a delicate expensive porcelain china cup, there is more care taken in washing it and putting it away, than there is for a heavy duty cup made from tin or pottery.

When we see how God tells the men to treat the women in the Word, we see why the men of the Titanic were so staunch in their resolve to let the women and children board the life boats to safety, while they sacrificed their own life.

1 Peter 3:7 "You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered."

Women's lib has destroyed this beautiful concept of the protection of the women. Of course women have been mistreated and disrespected because of their weakness in certain areas, but the response to this mistreatment brought more anger and bitterness from men.

Many men have responded to the assertive demands of women's lib by removing protection from the women. It is natural for a man to protect a woman, when women's lib came along, the weaker men fell in line and began to treat the women the same as a man, removing her protection and choosing disrespect for even those of us who never wanted the foolishness of women's lib.

It is time for all Christian men to step up to the plate, be what God told them to be while at the same time the women also seek the Lord for their role as a woman and live that, rather than buying into the wickedness and foolishness of the women's lib mandates.

The Women's Lib movement DOES NOT SPEAK FOR ME!!!!!!

As believers we are not subject to the whims and whining’s of the worldly disobedient women's libbers. We can ignore them to obey God. We must allow our husbands to protect us, and they must be willing to protect God's way.

Ephesians 5:23 " 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body."

Ephesians 5:25-30 "
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
30 because we are members of His body.
31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh"

Proverbs 12:4 " 4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones"

Women's Lib shames men, they are wicked, selfish and thoughtless!

Acts 16:14-15 "14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.
15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us"

A godly woman is a praying woman. She trust in the Lord deeply, never needing to fight for her rights or desires, she can take them to the Lord and trust that He will manage them for her. A godly husband does not respond to injustice with anger, rather he takes it to the Lord in prayer, seeking the will of God for his part in any matter.

We can obey God even if our spouse does not. We do not have to respond to emotion or the flesh, we can obey God's word, while depending on Him for the results.

Far too many relationships are being destroyed over "rights" and "desires" without seeking the Lord. Marriages today are ruined by this independent attitude of self-fulfillment and personal rights.

Christ gave up all His rights for the sake of sinful man, can we not give up our rights for the sake of a spouse, no matter what they put us through.

Galatians 2:20 ""I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Can we not set aside our personal life for the sake of a spouse? Christ was our example, He gave up all rights to His "Godhood", to come and die for mankind that was so far beneath Him it cannot be compared to anything we know.

When we fail in this matter of giving up our rights, we need to get before the Lord, confess it and begin again to obey Christ.

Health and Wealth? NOT!

Over the years many liberals have been claiming things about the constitution that were not true. The proper interpretation of the constitution depends on the mindset of the founders, not current culture.

Many people do the same thing with the Bible, they change the meaning of things to fit the culture, rather than going to the Author to find His meanings.

Unless we are reading the Word, desiring to learn His truth, we will not be able to understand or discern wisdom.

James 1:5 "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

Matthew 7:7 ""Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:8 ""For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

Notice in verse 6 of Matthew 7, we see that God will not give wisdom to those who do not want it.

Matthew 7:6 "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."

When God says He will give whatever we ask, He is not referring to material goods or financial advancement, He was referring to His wisdom. Remember when Solomon asked for wisdom? Because he asked for wisdom and desired that above all else, God also blessed him with material wealth.

Notice what it did to Solomon, he began being proud of himself for all his knowledge about this life. He disobediently piled up for himself many wives of pagan religions. He allowed these wives to bring in their idols and even he indulged in the bowing to these dead statues along with his wives.

God's intention throughout the word was not to heap worldly wealth upon His people, but to add to their wisdom. Wisdom and truth are much greater blessings than wealth or even health. Wealth and health can build pride and reliance on those things rather than on Christ.

When we meet someone who is constantly speaking about obeying God to get wealthy, we can honestly say we have met someone who is preoccupied with becoming rich.

Remember at the end of Solomon's life, he finally came to his senses and realized the futility of all that he had pursued, referring to it as "vanity."

Ecclesiastes 1:2 ""Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity." (vanity: Meaninglessness).

It is my considered opinion that God answered Solomon's request for wisdom, however He also gave him great wealth to show us what happens to someone who obtains it. Even the godliest of men have temptations to use that wealth in ways that dishonor God.

Great wealth more often than not, distracts the user from God, more willing to accept worldly things because of what the money can buy, they weer off the narrow road. Great wealth can buy everything our worldly hearts desire, even friendship with people who do not love our God.

Solomon's story proves all this, if all we had was his life story all by itself, we would have enough to see that God's purpose for His people was not to be wealthy, but to be spiritually healthy and holy.

1 Peter 1:16 "because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM "

No where in the Word do we see God commanding anyone to become wealthy, but there are many that command us to be holy and grow in wisdom. And, there are warnings about those who are wealthy having a harder time getting into heaven.

Next time you encounter someone who claims God meant for Christians to be wealthy, remind them of Solomon. Then remind them that Christ Himself was poor and insignificant financially in His time. Then there were the apostles who walked everywhere depending on the kindness of believers to house them as they went on from place to place to bring the gospel to the unsaved and encourage the saints.

Wealth is neither here nor there in terms of salvation, however it can be an indication of where our heart is, if we strive to have money and possessions. There will be those who are godly and wealthy, but few, most believers have enough, and many have barely enough to survive. This life is not about our financial condition but about our spiritual one.

Those Who Love God Hate Evil

Those who use words like "relevant" in terms of the gospel or the Bible, are engaging in manipulation. They are not saying we need to read the Bible because it is relevant to all periods in time. They are attempting to intimidate others into complacency about sin, that if we properly understand our culture then we will change the meaning in the Word to fit the life of believers in the year 2014 and beyond.

What does the word "relevance" really mean? Relevance according to the Websters New World dictionary means, "relating to the matter under consideration."

In other words everything must be re-evaluated to fit into the modern world. The Bible is not relevant in our modern world, so we have to twist it to maintain continuity with what is going on in the world today. This word "relevance" is nothing more than an red herring to shame those who would use the Bible as their standard. It leaves a weak believer feeling that they may be too harsh or too strict by their insistence in obedience to the Word of God.

Watch out for these deceptive and manipulative words. We are called to consider everything in light of the Bible, not what is going on in the world. The Bible states very clearly that love of the world angers God.

1 John 2:15-16 "15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever"

When the apostate church reaches out in "worldly love" to the sinner, enticing them into the church, removing the shame of their sin through glad happy slaps on the back, while minimizing their sin through excuses, are enabling them, rather than helping them to see the need to repent (change their mind) and trust Christ for their cleansing.

The modern church treats those in sin with such kid gloves that they feel comfortable and validated by those in the church. Those who are on their way to hell, should feel uncomfortable around believers, after all, the Holy Spirit lives in us and convicts the world of sin.

Perhaps one of the reason many unsaved people are comfortable in the apostate church, is because most "Christians" in these gatherings have never been born again. Their spirit does not convict sinner of their sinfulness, they are one with these evil doers.

I once heard it said by a "Christian" that she was happy that she had all kinds of friends, not just Bible believers, but homosexuals and those in many different religions. I was shocked and irritated by this, mainly because of the acceptance of evil that loomed over her.

We should be as miserable around wickedness as we are in the presence of satan himself. Our spirit should stir in unrest at the presence of evil. When we think it is good to be able to brag that we are very diverse in our relationships, then we love the world and sin, more than we care anything about Christ.

IF the Spirit of Christ does not stir within us at the presence of evil, then perhaps we do not have the Spirit of Christ, but more likely we have the spirit of the anti-christ.

Anyone who had sensed the presence of evil and wants to run from it, will know what I am talking about. There is an ugly unsettledness that comes over our being when we are faced with wickedness.

Romans 12:9 "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good."

We are to hate evil and run to what is good. If we say we enjoy the company of the evil doer, then we are contrary to God and are hypocritical in claiming we are believers in love with Christ.

Those who would be angered by this message may need to go to God and ask Him if they were ever born again. The more we love Christ the greater is our hatred for sin.

There is a Barrier, it is called Sin!

There is a modern pastor who claims that he doesn't want to "place a barrier between the world and the church?" When referring to friendship with homosexuals in the church. Are you kidding!

There is a barrier between the world and the church. There can be no fellowship for the believer with the world. Those who are lost are not reconciled to Christ, our job is to warn them that they need to be. Why are they lost? That's simple because of their sin. What sin? All the sins Godspeaks about in the Word of God.


It is our sinful nature that separates us from God and from believers, however, through faith in Christ we can be reconciled to God and to other believers, only if we confess our sinfulness and trust Christ, Who paid the penalty for our sin, after which He changes us into a new creation.

Shame on those who bring evil into the worship with God's people. The worship gathering is not for unbelievers, evangelism is for the streets, since our worldly apostate churches are too embarrassed and lazy to go to the masses to preach, they encourage the congregations to bring the unholy masses to the worship gathering, this is offensive to God. "Light has no fellowship with darkness" and God said "come out from among them and be separated."

Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

I see no mandate in the Word to bring non-believers into our worship services.

When we welcome non-believer to the worship we are disobeying God. When we water down our sermons to be careful with the unsaved wicked , we disobey God. When we act happy and friendly no matter how vile the sinfulness of an unsaved person, we offend and mock God.

Our worship services should be kept only for believers, and only for those believers who are not in open sin themselves.

1 Corinthians 5:13 "But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG "

Many unsaved people have learned the lingo, putting on a pretense to rival Broadway performers, fooling those in the apostate church. They have worked their way into leadership positions, watered down the gospel and even changing the meaning of truth to fit with those who would be offended at a strong sermon against evil.

Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

Many leaders in pulpits today have never been born again. They teach lies that tickle the ears of those who want a superficial helpless and impotent gospel of works and happiness. They encourage others to try real hard to be good, negating the power of the Holy Spirit, relegating Him to a genie in a bottle to do the bidding of it's host.

If we are going to trust Christ, then we must trust Him with our salvation, our cleansing and our keeping.....all of it, or it is not trust in Him at all.

Self-Righteousness Will Not Save You

We have to make a decision whether to confess our sin and trust Christ, when we do place our trust in what He did on the cross on our behalf, He sends the Holy Spirit to come and live in us.

Ephesians 2:8-13 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and[h]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, [i]excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off [j]have been brought near [k]by the blood of Christ.”

The Holy Spirit is our seal and guarantee of our inheritance. WE are positionaly seated in the heavenlies with Christ.

Ephesians 1:13-14 “13 In [a]Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also [b]believed, you were sealed in [c]Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is [d]given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Ephesians 2:1-10 “2 And you [a]were dead [b]in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the [c]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, [d]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the[e]mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead [f]in our transgressions, made us alive together [g]with Christ (by grace you have been saved),6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and[h]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”



The Holy Spirit continually cleanses us until the day we die. We are a NEW Creation, no longer what we used to be, the old us is gone. We cannot bring back the old creation, any more than a butter fly can crawl back into the cocoon and be a worm again.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Those who get confused have been taught that there are scriptures that prove one can walk away, basing this presumption on what they see in others rather than what the Bible says. They see people who seem to have been godly, but over time, they walked away from the Lord.

1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

We also must remember if you cannot earn your salvation by your works, there is no way you would be able to keep that salvation by your works. Works have no effect on our salvation. It is a free gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and[h]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”

The old testament saints were saved the same way we are, their blood sacrifice of animals did not take away their sin, it was a picture of the sacrifice of Christ to come later, nor did their adherence to the ten commandments. Now that sacrifice has occurred, the true sacrifice that did take away our sin. The death of Christ and the resurrection proving that He is God. It covered the sin in our bodies, while the sin in our spirit was taken away. The Father in heaven cannot look at sin, in any degree, so He made a way for us to be sealed with the Holy Spirit in Christ so that the Father can look at us and see His Son, instead of us.

I find it interesting that when we die, our spirit goes to God, but our body is left behind, until it is raised in its’ new form, changed and uncorrupted.

Our faith should not be in our own ability to keep from sinning, or in our own ability to obey, it should be in the faithfulness of Christ alone.

John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

It is Christ in us Who is righteous, not us. He covered our sin in His blood. Only the shedding of blood can take away sin. An attempt to not sin, does not remove our sinful nature, only the blood of Christ accounted to us, covered that sinful nature, it is covered in the blood until Christ takes us out of this world.

God does not want us to sin, He has provided a way for us to keep from sinning and that is through Christ. However, we do disobey as children because our flesh is weak even though our spirit is born again.

Romans 8:3 “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,”

Christ had to die to atone for our sins, it makes no sense that we would have to continually work to keep what Christ had to die for. Can anyone die for their own sins? Those who think you can lose their salvation must think that a blood sacrifice was not necessary for the atonement of their sins, or they would realize, that to think one could lose their salvation, someone would have to die all over again for those new sins. It is only through the blood atonement of Christ that can save anyone.

Do those who think they can lose their salvation, believe that Christ’s blood sacrifice was not enough, we have to keep doing good deeds to add a little more to this bloody sacrifice? Do they think that we can die for our own sins? If we cannot atone for our own sins through the shedding of our blood, then what makes us think that our silly lifeless obedience sacrifices could atone?

Do not be proud of yourself because you obeyed, or think that it secured your salvation for you. If anyone think that each new obedience is one more cog in the wheel of securing their salvation, then they walk in pride, which is sin, and they are practicing a form of Catholicism which says that the more we obey or do good works the greater chance of heaven. It is still a works based religion to think one can keep the salvation they never earned to begin with and obtained it without a bloody sacrifice.

Let me ask those who think they can lose their salvation a few questions:

· How many sins do you have to do to lose what you did not earn in the first place?

· How big does a sin have to be for you to lose the salvation you did not earn?

· How do you get back your salvation if you have lost it?

· Which sins will lose you the salvation that you did not earn?

· Do you sin in thought word or deed regularly?

· Is it sin to have a lustful thought and if so, then does this lose one their salvation?

· Is someone who is born again by the Holy Spirit of Promise, sinless?

· Did you receive your salvation by living in obedience to Christ?

· Who paid the penalty for our sin?

· Do we keep ourselves or does God keep us after He changes us into a new creation?

· Do your little ones sin, do you disregard them as your children because they have sinned?

· What do you do when your little ones sin?

· If you believe we do not sin after we have become born again, then how would we ever sin to lose that salvation?

Matthew 5:28 “but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

No one can say that they no longer sin after being born again. Anyone who says this, is lying and therefore sinning by such a claim.

1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” This was written to believers, not the unsaved.

God knows that we have a sinful nature, that lives in our flesh continually, we have to battle it and we have the free will not to battle it, even though we walk in conviction and shame when we sin, we sometimes give into the flesh. The old nature is gone from the spirit, but the flesh is weak, while the spirit is strong.

Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

This life is a battle, but not a physical one a spiritual one. The more we battle the flesh in the Spirit the less we will sin. If we are born again and do not battle the flesh, the more we will give into the flesh. We are still born again, but the flesh will overpower the spirit until we confess that sin and begin to obey again.

The battle is in the heart, not the flesh. When we sin in the flesh, it is because we have given into the temptations of the heart before anyone can see it, it was a problem of the heart first. Anyone can pretend while obeying on the outside for everyone to see, but that does not mean they are born again. Those who are pretenders seeking to earn their own salvation by their works, will eventually be exposed for what they are, they will become too tired of the pretense and begin to live on the outside what was in their heart all along.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

If we never sinned then we would not have to battle. The battle is continual until the day we are taken out of this world.

God will discipline His little children. Hebrews 12:4-11 “4 You have not yet resisted [d]to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had [e]earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of [f]spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

God does not throw away His children by removing their salvation, He disciplines them, because of His great love for them.

Those who think one can lose their salvation based on their deeds, are not looking at Christ, discerning His character, but they are focused on works, entirely on human works, rather than the work that Christ did on the cross.

When Christ told us to trust Him, He meant for us to trust Him not only for salvation, but for cleansing us and keeping us until He comes for us.

I Believe Christ!!!!! When He said “ I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

For those who teach that He does not walk away but we can, are lying. God said that it is upon His faithfulness that we are saved and kept, not on ours.

2 Timothy 3:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”

Did you trust Christ, or are you continuing to trust in your self-righteousness.

Do Not Place Your Trust In Any Man

I am reminded recently of the intensely deceptive tactics of the devil in our world.

2 Corinthians 11:14 "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."

I was reading an article this morning about the death of Thomas Kinkade, the self proclaimed painter of lights. Many believers were excited about his paintings, not merely because they were beautiful, but because the artist claimed to be a Christian.

I had misgivings about this artist, not because he painted, or because I saw something in him, but because I had a strong sense of uneasiness with his popularity.

Whenever I have seen someone who was loved by the world as well as believers, I have to wonder what this person is compromising to be friendly with the world. I enjoyed very much the paintings that Mr. Kinkade produced and even considered buying one, until I discovered the cost. I could not afford the originals and the prints were even too spendie for me to feel justified purchasing one of them. I did buy a calendar or two over the years and were given some as gifts.

When I discovered more information about the artist, it was confirmed that something was wrong, I guess I will call it discernment, that God allowed me to see something was not right, even though I didn't know what it was, this happens to me frequently with celebrities who claim to be believers. I dismiss the sense I have until the proof comes forward. I am always suspect now when a famous person, loved by the world, declares that they are a Christian.

Thomas Kinkade had the reputation of attending poker parties where he became drunk and on one occasion urinated over a balcany spilling on someone below during one of his drunken stupors.

He was divorced and living with his girlfriend when he died at the age of 54 of an overdose of Valium mixed with alcohol.

Kinkade once stated that his paintings were; "not the world we live in but the world we wished we lived in." Whether or not Kinkade was born again I don't know, what I do know is that he left a terrible taste in the mouth of the non-believer, something the unregenerate world could use as an excuse for hating Christians as hypocrites for generations to come.

Do we not understand that our life example remains even after our death. What we leave behind counts for eternity. Did this "painter of lights" get his idea from the "angel of light." Could it be that the devil used one more person to smudge the name of Christ by claiming to be a Christian while living wickedly?

It is important that we not jump on every band wagon that comes down the road, claiming to be Christian. When it comes to the arts, painters, actors, ball players, stars of the stage and others, we must not elevate them simply because they claim to be "Christians."

I have had this same sense of warning about "Tebo." When I saw him dressed in a bathing suit that would embarrass a true believer while posing with his girl friend in a scanty bikini, my suspicions were answered. Something still feels wrong and more intensely now. All the show of praying in public was a violation of Scripture that tells us to pray privately.

Many have made claims of "Christianity", later having been proven to be social Christians acting as though they were using the name of Christ to gain wealth and popularity. We see the fruits of their efforts in their lifestyle and who likes them. If the world loves them, then they are probably not born again.

Amy Grant went secular in her singing after claiming to be singing for God

Elvis lived a wicked lifestyle while being paid to sing in churches because he had a beautiful voice.
Mel Gibson is a Catholic drunk driver who made a movie about the crucifixion. People were sucked into that movie claiming it changed their life, but months and even just weeks later there was nothing different about their lives. Perhaps that was because the gospel message was not in the movie, it was decidedly Catholic with much false doctrine in it. The only truth about it was that Christ died on a cross. Sadly some evangelical leaders praised the movie as something everyone should see.

Thomas Kinkade died while drinking and committing adultery.

Joyce Landorf ran off with her station manager while married to another man, and is now divorced, having never repented from her sin, she still does women's seminars.

Jimmy Swarart used prostitutes and when commanded by his leaders to step down, refused, even though he repented, one does not get right back in the pulpit after a scandal of this magnitude. Disobeying the discipline of the church is an indication of lack of repentance no matter what he says.

Jim and Tammy Baker fleeced the people with their silly theme parks, he went off to jail, while there, his wife Tammy, divorced him. I have heard that he repented and is broken, I hope that is true, however the taste in the mouths of the unbelievers remains bitter. His wife Tammy remarried in violation of God's Word.

Pat Robertson claimed to be able to lift 2000 pounds even though he is only 79 years old, which was found to be false, in other words he lies. He also advised a man to go ahead and divorce his wife with Alzhiemers, while he was committing adultery, to marry his girlfriend.

Believers need to stop elevating someone because they claim to be believers. We need to examine the fruit, ignore and even reject those who have fallen and will not repent.

Believers do fall as times, those in the public eye are more exposed to disarming flattery, therefore becoming more vulnerable to temptation. As time goes on we can see who are fakers and who are genuine by their brokenness and willingness to be disciplined for their sin. Those who refuse to be accountable and will not even admit they have sinned, reveal their unregenerate hearts.

The Sun Myung Moons and David Koresh's of the world are not nearly as dangerous to the Christians church, those guys are easy to recognize for almost any church goer. It is those who have public notoriety, television exposure endorsed by many because they preach the Bible, while at the same time violating it in part if not entirely.

We must be willing to evaluate all things according to the Word, place no man on a pedestal. When we look at men as icons of virtue simply because they say some things we like and based on their popularity we have crossed the line into idolatry.

* Psalm 12:2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

* Psalm 5:9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

* Psalm 62:4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly.

* Psalm 78:36-37 They did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues. 37 For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they stedfast in His covenant.