No Excuses on Judgment Day

There is no question that "O" and his minions have attempted and is succeeding in ruining our economy, making our militarily weak on the world stage, perverting our children, fostering rebellion in them and on the streets to promote anarchy, while removing the constitution and freedom of speech for conservatives and Christians, while facilitating freedom for the ideas and actions of wicked people.

Oppression is coming rapidly. When a segment of our culture is living under a gag order, we know we have lost our freedom and our country as we have known it.

The opposite is in place now from just 40 years ago. Those who walked in rebellion were encouraged to keep their dastardly deeds secret in the fear that society would punish them for what they do in the dark and rightly so. Now it is the righteous that are shamed and mocked for what should be the standard of the entire nation and was at one time.

Our children were encouraged to embrace the gender they were born with, while celebrating it, even taught the roles of each to enhance and help the family.

Everyone was valued for standing up for what was right and good, even preachers were revered for "fire and brimstone" preaching.

Everyone seemed to know it was right and good to become mature and responsible, with the exception of the minority of fringe rebels that avoided society as a whole.

And to think, this happened in only one short generation. All it took was a few crazed radicals to ruin it all, but why? My contention is that most people who walked righteously kept their mouths shut in order to be accepted by family members and neighbors. They valued man more than Christ.

I probably couldn't count the number of times I was told not to judge a matter because someone might be going through something difficult. We all go through difficult things, that is not an excuse to sin against God or man.

God will never say when we come before Him at the judgement any of these things:

*That's alright that you acted wickedly since your husband told you to do it.

*You will not be judged for that murder, someone else treated you badly causing you to lose control.

*Rejecting Christ is no big deal, after all you have a mind of your own, you need to be true to yourself.

*It's alright that you neglected others, at least you loved yourself.

*You are forgiven for stealing, you wanted that thing, no repentance needed.

*Don't worry, you manipulated to get something you wanted.

Most everything we are being told today in the modern churches are lies against God. We are told to honor and obey Christ no matter how we are treated or how badly we want something.

We are never told to stop honoring our father and mothers just because we grew up. We are never told to justify any sin that we choose to indulge in, nor are we told that any sin is "not so bad."

Since all sin no matter how small will keep us out of heaven, the good news is that Christ died on the cross to shed His blood on our behalf, since the shedding of someone's blood is necessary, someone had to die for it, since we are not perfect, only a perfect sacrifice was required, that was Jesus Christ.

However, we will not be saved without confession of sin while desiring to be cleansed by Christ. Christ will not forgive an unrepentant heart, nor will His blood cover those who don't want to be cleansed.

HEBREWS 9, THE WHOLE CHAPTER

Fear of God Brings Humility

The Mayor of Casterbridge a Picture of Life

In the last few days Rodger and I have been watching a mini-series from 1978 depicting life in the 1800's that brought an interesting ending showing that repentance must happen continually. The series in 7 parts an hour each, is on the link below and can be seen for free on the internet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch…

It is about a man who messed up regularly , after which he was grieved about himself every time he did so.

It was a picture of our lives as human beings, continually messing up, confessing and desiring to be different, even though we never really reach perfection as we wish, it is in our hearts as believers.

We cannot always judge a man who messes up a lot, as being unsaved. We may not find ourselves doing "the big sins", but our hearts are continually battling sinfulness within them. Those who do not battle sin, thinking they do not have any, are the ones who may possibly not be born again, or a born again believer who walks in pride elevating self to such a degree that they cannot grow or change, they only learn to hide the real them from others.

Those who think they live holy and righteously are depending on their version of works for salvation, unable to confess and turn from what is going on in their heart, often denying that which God sees as in need of repentance.

Romans 7:14-25 "14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold [m]into bondage to sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.
17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."

The Heart of a Teacher

At a visit to the Museum dedicated to Laura Engels Wilder we saw this on the wall in the little school house replica: Early 20th century.

I want to teach my students how--
To live this life on earth,
To face its struggles and its strife
And to improve their worth.

Not just the lesson in a book,
Or how the rivers flow,
But to choose the proper path,
Wherever they may go.

To understand eternal truth,
And know right from wrong,
And gather all the beauty of
A flower and a song,

For if I help the world to grow
In wisdom and grace,
Then I feel that I have won
And I have filled my place.

And so I ask your guidance, God
That I may do my part,
For character and confidence
And happiness of heart.
James Metcalf

Excellence Used to be a Virtue

During our visit to Minnesota we stopped in at the museum dedicated to Laura Engels Wilder, the writer of the Little House on the Prairie books.

My, how things have changed!

While wandering through we saw this framed poster on the wall:

Rules for Teachers 1915
1. You will not marry during the term of your contract.
2. You are not to keep company with men.
3. You must be home between the hours of 8pm and 6am unless attending a school function.
4. You may not loiter downtown in ice cream stores.
5. You may not travel beyond the city limits unless you have the permission of the chairman of the board.
6. You may not ride in a carriage with any man unless he is a father or brother.
7. You may not smoke cigarettes.
8. You may not dress in bright colors.
9. You may under no circumstances die your hair.
10. You must wear at least two petticoats.
11. Your dresses may not be any shorter than two inches above the ankle.
12. To keep the school room neat and clean, you must: sweep the floor at least once daily, scrub the floor at least once a week with hot soapy water, clean the blackboards at least once a day, start the fire at 7 am so the room will be warm by 8 am.

Obstacles to Godliness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjE4KplWjn0&feature=youtu.be

Fruit of the Spirit: Who Has Them!

Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

The fruit are character qualities not works, but the character qualities produce right works.

Manipulators Come; Ignore Them

Anyone afraid to tell the truth because someone will accuse you of judging?

Remember that judging the matters of life is good and normal. Any attempt to foster guilt in someone because they have taken a stand for righteousness is merely intimidation to manipulate someone into silence.

DON'T FALL FOR IT!

One of the devil's favorite tactic is to make us doubt our convictions or right to express them.

Notice that nearly all liberals say whatever they want, but are enraged when we the redeemed of God say anything they don't want to hear.

Ignore their tactics, continue to speak and remove yourselves from them when they refuse truth.

Matthew 10:13-15 "…13 If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.…"

Judging Abortion!

A facebook brother made a comment that others were accusing him of judging, here was my answer to that thread;

"God commanded us to judge righteously. When I am accused of judging I simply say, not I, but I am telling you God's judgment.

To answer your question, no I do not believe a Christian walking with Christ could vote for someone who thinks that babies are non-persons and worthy of torturous dismembering of an innocent child while still alive in it's mother's womb.

Hillary is the kind of person who would have voted for the Dred Scott decision in the 1800's that declared "negros" as non-persons, leaving owners to do whatever they wanted to them because they had no rights.

Accusing someone of judging is a judgment of it's own. It is not possible to go through life without making choices about actions and beliefs. I am never ashamed of calling something what it is and no one will use the manipulation that declares me bad, mean or evil for deciding if something is right or wrong."

When Women Rule

Think about it!!!!!

Isaiah 3:11-13
…11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, For what he deserves will be done to him. 12 O My people! Their oppressors are children, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray And confuse the direction of your paths. 13 The LORD arises to contend, And stands to judge the people.…

Tears of Repentance

This is exactly why I question the salvation of so many people who say they are Christians. They have no testimony of having been broken over their sinfulness, even fighting to argue how good they think they are or becoming enraged when challenged to greater holiness.

"Either sin must drown in the tears of repentance or the soul must burn in hell." Thomas Watson

Sealed for Eternity

When we trusted Christ, He came to dwell in us, from then on He continues to train us, help us and discipline us when needed, but He never leaves us.

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

Judge Righteously Not Flippantly

Leviticus 19:15 'You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.

Isaiah 11:3 “And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

When we judge by what we hear or see rather than by God's Word, we are going to be led astray, often working against the Lord in worldly wisdom rather than righteousness.

Do not evaluate a speech based on words alone, or what we think we see. Dig deeper, evaluate the entire matter through research and prayer.

Anything that does not match up with God's Word we are to discard. Far too many people are predisposed to accepting men and circumstances on words alone or a witness of snippet of actions, rather than the whole matter.

Forgiveness God's Way

The modern church teaches many things that were spawned from psychological teaching not from the Word of God.

We have been told to forgive offenders when they are not repentant. This is the opposite of what Christ taught.

Luke 17:3 "3 Take heed to yourselves. IF your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and IF he repents, forgive him."

When we remove the step of requiring sorrow for sin, we validate and facilitate an attitude of entitlement without need for change in the offenders behavior or attitude. This is the reason so many preachers exclude the step of conviction of sin in their preaching while promoting a Jesus that winks at and overlooks sin.

God says this: Isaiah 26:10-11 "10 Though the wicked is shown favor, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of the LORD. 11 O LORD, Your hand is lifted up yet they do not see it."

Satan knows the effectiveness of making an unscriptural act look compassionate to thwart God's ways and principles. Short cutting God's ways destroys the chances of a hardened heart to become softened toward God.

When we have faith we don't have to soft peddle the hard truths that sin cannot be forgiven without repentance, either toward God or in personal relationships. God's ways are the right ways, psychology follows after human desires while orchestrated by the devil to remove all guilt, all conviction and all real restoration.

Psychology's claim is that we will become bitter and angry if we don't forgive the unrepentant. There is no scripture that indicates this, we hate that the unrepentant will not humble themselves, because our desire to restore the relationship is strong. God commands us to forgive, but to forgive His way.

Simply "letting go", whatever that means, when someone will not repent, does nothing. It does not restore the relationship, it merely promotes superficial friendliness that keeps a wall between those who were harmed and the unrepentant heart. Nothing is fixed, nothing is resolved. It is tantamount to sweeping the dirt under the rug or throwing a sheet over it, rather than eliminating the problem entirely. It is similar to placing a bandaide over a gaping wound that requires surgery.

An unrepentant heart WILL repeat their behavior, having to confess to be forgiven is a deterrent to repeat offenses. The more we confess the greater possibility that the sin will be forsaken.

To not require confession is to disobey God's Word which does require it.

James 5:16 "16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail."

1 Corinthians 11:29-31 "…29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment.…"

We do no one any favors by forgiving before they have been broken over their sin. We help them to remain comfortable with what should change. Change only comes when conviction makes the heart heavy until one desires a change.

1 John 1:9 "9 IF we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

God does not forgive us when we do not repent and we should not forgive the unrepentant either. When a believer walks in pride and will not confess, then we are to remove ourselves from them until they choose to confess and forsake that which has ruined the relationship.

I have met many people who never change their ways because no one holds them to account for their behavior. They go through life believing God forgives no matter what they do or how many times they offend Him. These people count on everyone around them just "letting go" of their anger over offenses. We give them this sad view of Christ by incorporating psychology into our thinking. Doing things God's way is harder work with greater life long results.

When we forgive without repentance we do it so we will "feel" better. It is a grievous thing to have to distance ourselves from those who will not repent, but it is for the greater good. When temporary feelings are the focus of how we operate, we thwart that greater good in favor of superficial and ineffective means for our own personal comfort.

When our focus is Christ, we see things in terms of the eventual outcome rather than temporary superficial feelings, we see the possibility of a changed heart toward God, perhaps even salvation because of the burden of guilt that is God ordained for those who are in sin.

The greatest love toward anyone is to promote confession as God does. Forgiving when there is repentance and remaining open and honest, working out problems rather than sweeping dirt under the rug, only to surface later.

An Election Will Not Save Us

It is important that all Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ remember that in this election cycle we will not be saved by "President Whoever."

As a nation we are going down for the count as a free nation because of our open rebellion against Christ and righteousness.

We have acted the way Israel acted when God said;

Matthew 15:7-9"…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”…

Divorce and remarriage accepted nearly completely.

Abortions: babies murdered at the rate of 4000 a day, now over 56 million killed since 1973.

Gender confusion, the newest craze of America.

More babies born out of wedlock than in marriage.

Movies that depict evil as good, while pornography is rampant. America is the largest distributor of filth than any other country.

Homosexuality rampant, while 10,000 people ride through the streets naked with children watching.

Ball games taking over church services, while rock bands dominate the attention at "worship" in the modern gathering.

The list is very long, all the sins that America enjoys and defends as "freedom to do evil" has become her god.

We have added Christ to our man made celebrations as though they were ordained by Him, when in fact He hates them.

Amos 5:20-22 "…20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it? 21"I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. 22"Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.…"

The violations of the principles of God as described in the Word of God are so many it is impossible to count. Almost every believer I know is practicing rituals and holidays that would anger God. They fight to argue their validity while ignoring the scripture with which we warn, to justify their sin under the misguided manipulative language of love and "do not judge."

We have ignored the warnings about violating nearly every command of God, while claiming to follow them.

One way the devil has worked, has been to add Christian words out of context to pagan and rebellious man concocted ideas, causing people to feel justified in their defiance.

So many superficial believers think as long as a "god word" comes out of someone's mouth, that means they are saved. There is no sense of "questioning all things" as God tells us to do, discerning good from evil.

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.’"

The church as a whole has so little discernment they cannot even tell if something is in the Scripture or not, because they are not reading it, praying over it and seeking God to enlighten them. Is it any wonder why our culture that calls itself Christian is a stench in God's nostrils or that the blessings of God are methodically being removed.

The family in America is nearly destroyed. Most people have so much chaos in their genealogy they don't know how many grandparents they have. Now the children are being raised to believe they can choose which gender they want to be.

When we have stopped listening to God, He will stop blessing and has! We have not yet seen the devastation, we still have our money, places to live and are fat with enough food.

I am convinced that until those things are hard to come by, we are not going to see the folly of our own defiance. By the time we do, it will be too late to recover, and I believe that time is now.

However, there is hope beyond this country in the next existence if only those who have lived by their contempt and revolt, will repent (change their mind toward God), confess their sin of rebellion against Him, asking to be changed by Him, then will they be saved for eternity, the life that far surpasses anything we think we have on this earth.

This life, no matter how wonderful for some, is dung compared to the love of Christ and the place He has prepared for those who love Him. When our eyes are opened to His love, His ways and our sin, we see clearly how ugly our way was and how lovely His way is.

Romans 11:33 "33O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways! "

When my eyes were opened to truth, all the sin I loved became ugly to me. My new desires were for those of the Lord's, I began to think like He thinks, desiring what He desires. He changed me, it was not my doing, but all His.

Ephesians 2:10 "10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life."

Do you want to be born again, changed into a new creation by Christ? Just ask Him to do it in you, save you from your sin and hell. Then your eyes will see with new eyes.

Your circumstances may not change, but you will perceive them differently. Your life will begin new challenges to grow and develop that desire within you. Often it means having to lose the old friends, the family who will be against your choice and a loss of many things we used to want, but no longer.

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 "…16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:…"

Conformed to Whom?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBpO_1e5L_I

Never Let Discouragement Control You

For those who feel discouraged about all you have been through and what is going on in the world I have this to say;

If we see things the way Christ sees them, we will know that everything that is happening has purpose, even our very difficult times.

We are in training to be rulers in the Millennium. If we had no difficulties to work through, toughness to endure and planning to resolve issues, then how could we ever rule over anyone.

We must know what the mind of the rebellious looks like, how it operates and actions it takes to be able to handle it in wisdom effectively. We must also know the impact of attitudes and actions on victims, their needs must be taken into account.

Yes, Christ will give us all we need, one way He does that is to take us through challenges that have to be endured and solved, while trusting in His ability to show us all we need to know.

Romans 8:27-29 "27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.…"

After the crying is passed, the sorrow diminishes, then we can stand back and look objectively at the lesson we were to learn that makes us stronger than we were before. Crying releases stress, making us ready at the end of it, to continue on in obedience to our Lord.

Philippians 4:12-14 "…12 I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. I am accustomed to any and every situation—to being filled and being hungry, to having plenty and having need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. 14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share in my affliction.…"

Follow Christ Not The Group

I cannot tell you the number of times I spoke truth in a group of family members who reviled me for it, then later a person would approach me to agree, but never agreeing in the gathering as a means of support.

Perhaps there were others, but the bombastic rebellious ones intimidated the group, so much so, that even those who knew I spoke truth would not engage to come alongside.

There are surely others like this who are reading this post. Don't become discouraged by it when it happens. Every encounter where I had to stand alone was another growth spurt.

The joy from having defended God's principles is far greater than the acceptance of the ungodly.

Psalm 1:1-2 "1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.…"

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

Proverbs 24:1 "1 Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; 2 For their minds devise violence, And their lips talk of trouble.…"

1 John 2:15-17
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

Hows That Self Esteem Working Out For Us?

Even the seculars had more sense many years ago than many Christians today. Believers have fallen into the trap of "self esteem", not only accepting it as truth but defending it adamantly as though it were from the Bible. Sadly it is antithetical to the Bible, no Scripture commands or even condones the teaching of self esteem, in actuality God's Word condemns it.

We are now seeing all the consequences of indulging children in self esteem.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 describes the mentality that occurs from teaching people to be selfish.

"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, [a]haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [b]godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."

Judy Rominger said:
"In 1947, forward-looking Harvard sociologist & historian, Dr. Carle C. Zimmerman wrote a book called "Family & Civilization." He identified 11 "symptoms of final decay" that he observed in the fall of both the Roman and Greek civilizations. It's important to note that Dr. Zimmerman was not a religious man, but he contended that the heart of the problem was the loss of the pro-family, biblical religious faith which enabled a society to flourish."

1. No fault divorce.

2. "Birth Dearth" - increased disrespect for parenthood & parents.

3. Meaningless marriage rites/ceremonies.

4. Defamation of past national heroes.

5. Acceptance of alternative marriage forms.

6. Widespread attitudes of feminism, narcissism, & hedonism.

7. Propagation of anti-family sentiment.

8. Acceptance of most forms of adultery.

9. Rebellious children.

10. Increased juvenile delinquency.

11. Common acceptance of all forms of sexual perversion.

And people wonder why there is so much unrest, pain, and heart ache today?

Idolizing Ourselves

Serial Appeasers always harm the righteous while facilitating evil.

Serial Appeasers are more about being accepted and successful than they are about truth and righteousness.

Truth divides but not purposefully, the intent of truth is to help those who don't know it yet and to correct those who think they know but are in error.

Stubborn people hate to be corrected, they hate to admit they might be wrong and they are all about being elevated by others. Sadly because of this mentality the stubborn people can not grow past infancy in their actions or reactions.

In order to grow we must be able to admit our error, confess our sins and seek truth. Truth must always trump our feelings and desires. When we seek truth our feelings and desires change, no longer focused on being special, but rather moving forward in knowledge and wisdom.

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

Proverbs 8:11-12
"For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion."

Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."

When we are stubborn we do not love Christ, we love ourselves more than Christ, thus becoming an idol to ourselves.

The Trumps are Sounding

Believers are soon to be going home!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkTjtT-u0Ew&feature=youtu.be

Are You A Square Peg?

How many, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, feel like we are a square peg living in a round hole, without a good fit, without validation and with few friends if any?

If you feel this way, then you are blessed to have been born again, chasing hard after Christ while the world all around you races to destruction.

Psalm 34:17-20
"When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken."

Even though we are alone often, we are deeply comforted and confident because of Jesus Christ Who lives in us.

Luke 6:26 "26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way."

Trust in Christ not Food and Exercise

There is no where in the Scriptures that say eating right and exercising will gain us long life, however God says this;

1 Peter 3:10
"For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;"

Jeremiah 17:7-8 "7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. 8 "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.…"

Psalm 146:3-5
"Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,"

Deuteronomy 5:33
"You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess."

A President Can't Fix Us

Our culture will not be changed by a better president, the hearts of the people must change toward Christ.

No political figure will change the hearts of a nation.

Until there is repentance and the hearts of people are cleansed by Christ, no one will be able to bring us out of the mire we are in, we will continue to sink deeper and deeper into sin.

You see.....If every individual would resolve to follow Christ, there would be no abortions, no matter what the law allows.

If every individual would resolve to follow Christ, pornographic companies would fold because no one would buy their product.

If every individual would resolve to follow Christ, the movie industry would have to clean up their act because no one would pay money to see their movies.

If every individual would resolve to follow Christ, divorce lawyers would go out of business because no one would avail themselves to their services.

If every individual would resolve to follow Christ, there would be no hirelings in the churches, because all the men would participate in serving the Lord through teaching and preaching.

If every individual would resolve to follow Christ, we wouldn't need a state welfare system, the body of Christ would see to individual needs of those in their neighborhoods and communities.

If every individual would resolve to follow Christ there would be no robberies, no murder, no greed and no rebellion.

The law is for the law breaker, not for the righteous. The more the lawless control the country the more chaos and evil reigns.

1 Timothy 1:9-10 "9 We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching…"

Proverbs 29:2 "“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”

God gives us the leaders we deserve, right now that should frighten many.

Believer have nothing to fear, but unbelievers, those who have not trusted Christ, do not have the hope that we have.

A Religionist

"A religionist is more intent on keeping step with other Christians than with Christ." Larry Jones

Are you seeking to please Christians or are you seeking to please Christ?

A heart transformed by Christ is one that is no longer dependent on man but desires more of Christ and Him alone.

A Call For Repentance

The people running for office need to call for repentance and confession of sin. God will not hear the prayers of a nation that does not respect or honor Him. He will not heal the land of a people who hang tightly to their sin while claiming to be Christians.

Matthew 15:8 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”…"

Jeremiah 14:10-12 "…10 Thus says the LORD to this people, "Even so they have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check. Therefore the LORD does not accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account." 11 So the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for the welfare of this people. 12 "When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine and pestilence."…

There is no indication whatever that this nation is getting ready to repent, just the opposite. The nation continues hard after sin, increasing in wickedness every day. Babies are still being murdered in the womb, pornography is rampant, children are in rebellion, arrogance abounds as though self is the god we worship.

No, there is no movement toward repentance and will not be unless a terrible disaster occurs to wake up a sleeping people. Even then the hearts of the people have become so hardened, that admitting sin and confessing it is unthinkable to most.

The hearts of this country have turned to stone, it is evidenced in the manifestation of 2 Timothy 3:1-5 as God describes the end of the end of the church age.

Looking to go home soon!!!! Who wants to come? The only way to become born again is to trust Christ Jesus, confess sinfulness and a desire to be changed into a new creation by Him. He will then come to live in you, cleanse you until He comes for you. No one can trust in any good work, no matter how good or how many, nothing of ourselves will be able to get us into heaven.

Ephesians 2:8-9
"8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

The Hypocrites Do It

A person without God can do good deeds on the outside but they cannot be good on the inside. Those who do good deeds on the outside without God, are doing them to self glorify. God wants the glory for our behavior and that can only happen if Christ is working in us.

Matthew 6:1-2 "1 Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be praised by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their reward.…"

It is the hypocrites who do their good deeds to be seen by others. Verse 2

Only One Hope For America

We don't see the public at large imitate the Lord's Supper as we do so many other holidays that were implemented and orchestrated by human institutions.

The Lord's Supper is completely Christ centered, ordained of God to recognize Christ as our propitiation for sin as well as our helper and mentor after we have become born again. This is the very reason the apostate church and the unsaved public have no interest in it. In fact, most churches today either ignore the Lord's Supper or do it so infrequently that it is hardly noticed.

Celebrating life is the focus of Christ, celebrating death is the focal point of Halloween. Every man made holiday is designed to foster pleasure seeking, the opposite of holiness, the antithesis of blessings for others. Pleasure seeking is always associated with personal fulfillment even to the exclusion and mocking of those who do not indulge in it.

Holidays in our culture concentrate on self and pleasure. Christ is concerned about holiness and blessing to others. Those who do not know Christ lack the understanding that brings great joy from obedience to the principles of Christ in His Word. Superficial fun is the desire of those who need these man made holidays, they have little tolerance for an expectation of selflessness.

Happiness that comes from self seeking pleasure is superficial, does not last and is somewhat like a sugar high. The temporary uplift from a sweet and tasty candy only lasts until the sugar is quickly absorbed, after which there is a let down, only to be satisfied with another dose of sugar.

Those who derive enjoyment from the use of cultic practices such as Halloween, horoscopes and necromancy, are only as thrilled as the duration of each event, in the same way hard drugs control the bodies of those that use them. There must be a continual supply to perpetuate the feeling of ecstasy during the use of external stimuli such as drugs and the occult.

Has anyone else noticed that the holidays have become increasingly intense and bizarre? From Christmas trees hanging upside down in the window to a tree that can double for both Christmas and Halloween depending on which topper is placed on the tree, either an angel or a witch.

If anyone really thinks that this country can come back from the brink of disaster, perhaps they are not thinking about all the practices that are prevalent in the culture as a whole, from ungodly holidays to the murder of the unborn and everything in between, pornography, couples living together without the benefit of marriage, children born out of wedlock at an astounding rate. Let's not forget the encouragement of the young people to treat their elders as equals without respect for them.

Anything that is holy and Christ centered in our culture is either ignored or disdained continually. Those that attend "Christian" gatherings are hardly indistinguishable from an unsaved heathen.

The only hope for this country is mass brokenness and confession of sin. The shame that comes from knowing we have offended the Holy God is what is necessary to take us to the place of brokenness and confession of sin.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. "For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you.

Revelation 21:8

"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

1 John 1:9

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

James 5:16

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Acts 19:18

"Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices."

James 4:17

"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."