Did you know that a little white lie can send one to hell as well as murder or adultery.
Many who hold past forgiven sins against fellow believers, misunderstand that their attitudes of superiority is as big a sin as all those other sins they do not commit.
Isaiah 59:1-4 "1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.…"
It is sinfulness in our spirit that causes ALL demonstrations of sin in anyone. Our God cannot be in the presence of any sin at all, this is why Christ had to cover our sinfulness with His blood for us to be acceptable to the Father.
Those who are attempting to reach heaven by their own good works or lack of bad works will not reach it because of the "self righteousness" in their soul that keeps them separated from God.
Isaiah 59:1-2
"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear."
God counts hate as murder, it is the heart condition that determines our standing with God. When we have become born again our standing changes from the lost state to the state of justification because of Christ.
One way I have heard "justification" defined is in this way; "just as if we never sinned." When Christ changed us into a new creation, our heart is changed, our desires have changed. Before we were born again we loved sin and justified it. After we became born again we hate the sin we used to love. We are completely different people, the spirit of sin in us was changed into the Spirit of God.
Those that think they can attempt to be good without a changed spirit, will not be able to sustain the goodness they seek, because it is fleshly, self righteous and flawed, based on personal aggrandizement. Without Christ and His covering, the blood, no one will be anything but lost no matter how many good works they do.
The good deeds that emerge after the born again experience are based on the righteousness of Christ and His work in us, therefore they are not temporary but eternal.
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Ephesians 2:8-13
"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.
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, 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 have been brought near by the blood of Christ. "
I fear that there are many "self" righteous people who believe they are going to heaven, but have never been changed into a new creation by Christ. These people do good deeds, love themselves for their good deeds, but lack the Holy Spirit as their seal and guarantee of heaven.
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."
Also, there are those who believe adamantly that they are headed for heaven at the end of their life, but will arrive only to find out they will not be allowed in, because their trust was in their own goodness instead of in the righteousness of Christ.
Matthew 7:21-23
I Never Knew You
"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.’"
Those who will be turned away from heaven did many good works, they looked wonderful to everyone around them, but they were not born again in Christ, so they will not gain entrance into heaven.
It is only trusting Christ for His payment of shed blood that anyone can become born again and guaranteed of heaven. When Christ saves us, we are saved forever. Christ continues His work in us all the rest of our life as we are being cleansed until the very end of our life.
2 Timothy 2:5-6 "5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.…"
Monday, September 11, 2017
Secretiveness is not of God
Proverbs 28:13
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."
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."
Philippians 4:6-8
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
Ephesians 4:25
"Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another."
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."
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."
Philippians 4:6-8
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
Ephesians 4:25
"Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another."
The Attacks of the Devil
Once again satan is on the attack. Several years ago my husband was lying in bed when a huge frightening "shadow" type being, loomed over him as if in attack mode. It frightened my husband, he sat up in bed and asked me if I saw it. I had not seen it but I believed him.
Last night my husband thought he was having a dream, but he was awake. I heard a whimper thinking he was just dreaming, ignoring it I was going to try to go back to sleep. However a few seconds later I heard the words "help me."
Worried that he was having a heart attack or something I shook him to wake him up and he began to rouse, frightened he told me he had a vision while awake, but tried to cry out to me for help but could not get the words out. First he cried out to God, then to me for prayer support. I only heard the faint words, "help me."
I asked him what had happened, he told me that there were demons on him, crawling all over him while biting him on the arm. He said he could not come out of the vision, he was trapped in it until the second time he cried out, when I heard him.
I began to pray for him, casting away any demons in the room, while reading the Scriptures. His peace returned to him and from that point on we both slept peacefully.
It is clear that demons can supplant memories and events in ones brain that are not happening at all, this is the reason I believe our families are under demonic attack, causing weaker people to believe things about others that are not true and never have been true.
The vision my husband had was vivid and real, he knew it was a demonic attack to frighten him, perhaps even undermine his peace. Unfortunately when the lies of the devil are planted in the minds of those who have no defense against the devil, they are deeply convinced of those lies, even passing them on as truth to destroy relationships and joy of the believers.
Jesus Christ was lied against in this way often while on earth and even still today. The Pharisees really believed He was doing His miracles by the works of the devil.
One of the evidences of demonic activity in someone's life, is the impossible nature of the conflicts. Those who are controlled, not possessed but controlled by the devil, really believe the things they accuse others of doing.
Those who have claimed to be abducted by aliens from outer space, really believe they were spirited away and experimented on then returned, their memories are real to them.
In the case of my husband, he said the vision was as real as life itself, even though the demons were frightening him, he saw them biting him but there was no pain in the bites.
The devil has the ability to cause physical illness too as well as emotional distress.
Many years ago while attending a Christian conference, by the way, where my husband became born again, there were demonic attacks during the lunch break in the massive stadium where the conference was being held. Most of the people had gone out of the stadium for lunch, but we brought our own and ate in the chair.
I watched a group of men rushing across the stadium to a man who was flailing wildly while screaming out loudly, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus", in a mocking way. It took four men to hold him down while praying over him, they got him calmed down enough to walk him out, we never knew what happened to him.
Immediately after the man was being walked out, I was attacked by a demon or possibly more than one. I sat calmly eating my sack lunch when something like a fist hit me in the chest so much that I was pushed back in my chair. I began to pray "in the name of Jesus get away from me", several times and the thing left me. I was not fearful anymore but was still shaking from the shock. Rodger asked me if I was alright, then I explained to him that a demon or demons had attacked me, but were not able to enter into me.
I am here to say that demon activity is real and on the march in these last days of apostasy. It is unlikely that many Christians would believe this, but there are those who understand.
One sign of demon activity is the "word salad" that occurs when the oppressed person is arguing to win without reasonable statements. The words are jumbled, they are incoherent and irrational, merely words strung together that have no coherent meaning and making no sense at all.
Another sign is the refusal to dialogue in a reasonable manner, desiring to know the thoughts and feelings of others while demanding that others listen to them. There is a point at which the irrational talk and raging is beyond reason on any level. It is time to exit these people if they will not listen. It is highly likely that they will not admit there is demon activity and will not be willing to cast away the demons.
False testimonies based on the supplanted lies of the devil, are real to those who tell the lies. They have been convinced they saw something or believed what they were told, even though there is no evidence to support their claims, only gossip and often times misinterpreted events, usually snippets of views rather than the whole picture of an event. Always these people are not interested in hearing the side of those for which they wish to show contempt.
I am convinced in our day, in this country, we deal more with demonic oppression than possession, but both are just as damaging.
Marriages and relationships within families are being ruined because the devil has managed to deceive an entire generation of people that their feelings are always right and that whatever they want to believe is their measure of truth.
James 3:16
"For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice."
James 4:2-3
"You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."
The good news is this:
1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
We don't have to give into the wiles of the devil, we can learn his tactics, seek the Lord through His Word and remain innocent no matter what the devil throws at us.
Romans 12:21
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Psalm 25:4-5
"Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."
The devil does not have to overtake the believer, the power that is in us, the Lord Jesus Christ, is greater than the power in the world that wants to destroy us.
1 John 4:3-5 "…3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is already in the world at this time. 4 You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them.…"
Last night my husband thought he was having a dream, but he was awake. I heard a whimper thinking he was just dreaming, ignoring it I was going to try to go back to sleep. However a few seconds later I heard the words "help me."
Worried that he was having a heart attack or something I shook him to wake him up and he began to rouse, frightened he told me he had a vision while awake, but tried to cry out to me for help but could not get the words out. First he cried out to God, then to me for prayer support. I only heard the faint words, "help me."
I asked him what had happened, he told me that there were demons on him, crawling all over him while biting him on the arm. He said he could not come out of the vision, he was trapped in it until the second time he cried out, when I heard him.
I began to pray for him, casting away any demons in the room, while reading the Scriptures. His peace returned to him and from that point on we both slept peacefully.
It is clear that demons can supplant memories and events in ones brain that are not happening at all, this is the reason I believe our families are under demonic attack, causing weaker people to believe things about others that are not true and never have been true.
The vision my husband had was vivid and real, he knew it was a demonic attack to frighten him, perhaps even undermine his peace. Unfortunately when the lies of the devil are planted in the minds of those who have no defense against the devil, they are deeply convinced of those lies, even passing them on as truth to destroy relationships and joy of the believers.
Jesus Christ was lied against in this way often while on earth and even still today. The Pharisees really believed He was doing His miracles by the works of the devil.
One of the evidences of demonic activity in someone's life, is the impossible nature of the conflicts. Those who are controlled, not possessed but controlled by the devil, really believe the things they accuse others of doing.
Those who have claimed to be abducted by aliens from outer space, really believe they were spirited away and experimented on then returned, their memories are real to them.
In the case of my husband, he said the vision was as real as life itself, even though the demons were frightening him, he saw them biting him but there was no pain in the bites.
The devil has the ability to cause physical illness too as well as emotional distress.
Many years ago while attending a Christian conference, by the way, where my husband became born again, there were demonic attacks during the lunch break in the massive stadium where the conference was being held. Most of the people had gone out of the stadium for lunch, but we brought our own and ate in the chair.
I watched a group of men rushing across the stadium to a man who was flailing wildly while screaming out loudly, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus", in a mocking way. It took four men to hold him down while praying over him, they got him calmed down enough to walk him out, we never knew what happened to him.
Immediately after the man was being walked out, I was attacked by a demon or possibly more than one. I sat calmly eating my sack lunch when something like a fist hit me in the chest so much that I was pushed back in my chair. I began to pray "in the name of Jesus get away from me", several times and the thing left me. I was not fearful anymore but was still shaking from the shock. Rodger asked me if I was alright, then I explained to him that a demon or demons had attacked me, but were not able to enter into me.
I am here to say that demon activity is real and on the march in these last days of apostasy. It is unlikely that many Christians would believe this, but there are those who understand.
One sign of demon activity is the "word salad" that occurs when the oppressed person is arguing to win without reasonable statements. The words are jumbled, they are incoherent and irrational, merely words strung together that have no coherent meaning and making no sense at all.
Another sign is the refusal to dialogue in a reasonable manner, desiring to know the thoughts and feelings of others while demanding that others listen to them. There is a point at which the irrational talk and raging is beyond reason on any level. It is time to exit these people if they will not listen. It is highly likely that they will not admit there is demon activity and will not be willing to cast away the demons.
False testimonies based on the supplanted lies of the devil, are real to those who tell the lies. They have been convinced they saw something or believed what they were told, even though there is no evidence to support their claims, only gossip and often times misinterpreted events, usually snippets of views rather than the whole picture of an event. Always these people are not interested in hearing the side of those for which they wish to show contempt.
I am convinced in our day, in this country, we deal more with demonic oppression than possession, but both are just as damaging.
Marriages and relationships within families are being ruined because the devil has managed to deceive an entire generation of people that their feelings are always right and that whatever they want to believe is their measure of truth.
James 3:16
"For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice."
James 4:2-3
"You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."
The good news is this:
1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
We don't have to give into the wiles of the devil, we can learn his tactics, seek the Lord through His Word and remain innocent no matter what the devil throws at us.
Romans 12:21
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Psalm 25:4-5
"Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."
The devil does not have to overtake the believer, the power that is in us, the Lord Jesus Christ, is greater than the power in the world that wants to destroy us.
1 John 4:3-5 "…3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is already in the world at this time. 4 You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them.…"
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