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."
Friday, June 5, 2020
Want to Grow Spiritually, Let Christ Do it in You
The person who tries real hard to grow spiritually will not grow until he stops that nonsense and seeks Christ to work in him.
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 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Dread Scott and Roe V Wade, Two Sides of the Same Coin
Just like the Dread Scott decision in the 1800s that said blacks were "non-persons" the unborn baby has been deemed a "non-person."
Since 1973 it has been legal to kill babies all the way through the ninth-month as long as they were not yet partially out of the womb. However, in recent years there has been a move for partial-birth abortion, in which the child can be partly out of the womb when they kill it. The next step is making it legal to kill a child already out of the womb entirely. The steps keep marching forward.
In the 1970's I spoke in classrooms against abortion. When I told the students it was legal all the way through the 9th month they wouldn't believe me. I had to show them the Roe v Wade decision, then they were appalled.
Planned Parenthood did not allow real information about abortion to come out because they knew it would cause problems. Most people at that time would have been against it. We have now murdered almost 70 million babies, real people who could not speak for themselves, killed by evil doctors and their own mothers who were deceived, possibly willful ignorance on the part of the mother, but for sure full knowledge on the part of the doctors.
So please a show of hands; how many of you think America should be blessed by God?
We owe a great debt for the blood of babies on the land. NO amount of repentance will pay that debt now. God must punish America and even the world for their murder of the babies.
Romans 1:18
"18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."
Romans 11:7–8
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
Ezekiel 5:15
"15 You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations all around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury, and with furious rebukes—I am the Lord; I have spoken—"
God disciplined and punished His own people how much more He will punish wicked nations that claim to be Christian!!!!
Since 1973 it has been legal to kill babies all the way through the ninth-month as long as they were not yet partially out of the womb. However, in recent years there has been a move for partial-birth abortion, in which the child can be partly out of the womb when they kill it. The next step is making it legal to kill a child already out of the womb entirely. The steps keep marching forward.
In the 1970's I spoke in classrooms against abortion. When I told the students it was legal all the way through the 9th month they wouldn't believe me. I had to show them the Roe v Wade decision, then they were appalled.
Planned Parenthood did not allow real information about abortion to come out because they knew it would cause problems. Most people at that time would have been against it. We have now murdered almost 70 million babies, real people who could not speak for themselves, killed by evil doctors and their own mothers who were deceived, possibly willful ignorance on the part of the mother, but for sure full knowledge on the part of the doctors.
So please a show of hands; how many of you think America should be blessed by God?
We owe a great debt for the blood of babies on the land. NO amount of repentance will pay that debt now. God must punish America and even the world for their murder of the babies.
Romans 1:18
"18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."
Romans 11:7–8
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
Ezekiel 5:15
"15 You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations all around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury, and with furious rebukes—I am the Lord; I have spoken—"
God disciplined and punished His own people how much more He will punish wicked nations that claim to be Christian!!!!
To Mask or not to Mask
I don't wear masks except in places where it is required to enter, such as the doctors office.
However, I do not believe it is right for Christians to make a fuss when they are asked to wear one in a store or an office.
I heard a story, I have changed it up a little because it doesn't matter who it was but it is an important lesson for believers.
There was an account of someone refusing to wear a mask where he worked. He had no medical issues he just didn't like it. The boss told him to leave the store for refusing to wear one.
If I were working there I would obey the boss. Since it is not a sin to wear one, then I believe God would want me to obey the law coming from my boss.
The masks are a little uncomfortable but I don't see anyone passing out on the streets or in the stores from wearing them. I was required to wear one to the clinic for some tests. I smiled happily to the nurse who asked me to put it on and took it out of the box.
You see, I don't agree with the masks either, but my Christian witness of joy and compliance means more to me that a rule about a mask. I have more important messages for others, that is the message of the gospel, I don't ever want a meaningless rant to spoil my testimony.
Sometimes we can take stands for things that don't matter just because we feel foolish doing it when we don't believe its necessary.
There is a measure of rebellion to refuse to honor the wishes of others merely because we disagree.
We don't take our shoes off when we come into our house and we don't require anyone else to do it. However, when we go to the home of others who do it, we stop to do it too.
Life is full of rules and lost choices. We do not have the freedom to speed on the freeway, park our car on the sidewalk, walk down the middle of the street, and many other things, we have accepted these laws because they are not sinful nor do they harm us and in most cases, they are for our own safety. The mask thing is up for debate but that is not the issue here. The issue is protecting our Christian witness by complying with things that are not sin and not against our God so that our witness will not distract from the gospel.
Those who work in the fast-food industry are required to wash their hands and I am so glad they do. This is a loss of freedom to act like a pig. We do it because it is the right thing to do to protect others from disease.
A mask for the born again believer is nothing worthy of argument or fighting. Let's allow the unbelieving community to see us caring more about them than we do about the little loss of freedom.
Sometimes I think there is pride involved in making sure everyone knows that we don't let anyone push us around. Let go of pride and just focus on the witness.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;
21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may, by all means, save some.
23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."
However, I do not believe it is right for Christians to make a fuss when they are asked to wear one in a store or an office.
I heard a story, I have changed it up a little because it doesn't matter who it was but it is an important lesson for believers.
There was an account of someone refusing to wear a mask where he worked. He had no medical issues he just didn't like it. The boss told him to leave the store for refusing to wear one.
If I were working there I would obey the boss. Since it is not a sin to wear one, then I believe God would want me to obey the law coming from my boss.
The masks are a little uncomfortable but I don't see anyone passing out on the streets or in the stores from wearing them. I was required to wear one to the clinic for some tests. I smiled happily to the nurse who asked me to put it on and took it out of the box.
You see, I don't agree with the masks either, but my Christian witness of joy and compliance means more to me that a rule about a mask. I have more important messages for others, that is the message of the gospel, I don't ever want a meaningless rant to spoil my testimony.
Sometimes we can take stands for things that don't matter just because we feel foolish doing it when we don't believe its necessary.
There is a measure of rebellion to refuse to honor the wishes of others merely because we disagree.
We don't take our shoes off when we come into our house and we don't require anyone else to do it. However, when we go to the home of others who do it, we stop to do it too.
Life is full of rules and lost choices. We do not have the freedom to speed on the freeway, park our car on the sidewalk, walk down the middle of the street, and many other things, we have accepted these laws because they are not sinful nor do they harm us and in most cases, they are for our own safety. The mask thing is up for debate but that is not the issue here. The issue is protecting our Christian witness by complying with things that are not sin and not against our God so that our witness will not distract from the gospel.
Those who work in the fast-food industry are required to wash their hands and I am so glad they do. This is a loss of freedom to act like a pig. We do it because it is the right thing to do to protect others from disease.
A mask for the born again believer is nothing worthy of argument or fighting. Let's allow the unbelieving community to see us caring more about them than we do about the little loss of freedom.
Sometimes I think there is pride involved in making sure everyone knows that we don't let anyone push us around. Let go of pride and just focus on the witness.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;
21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may, by all means, save some.
23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."
Compliance or Defiance?
We are to be compliant with the world's system as long as it doesn't tell us to sin against our God. Just defying it because it is the world's system is not Biblical.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;
21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may, by all means, save some.
23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."
Romans 13
Be Subject to Government
13 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
You may not agree with the rules for practical reasons but it does not give you permission to defy them every time you do not like a rule.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;
21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may, by all means, save some.
23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."
Romans 13
Be Subject to Government
13 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
You may not agree with the rules for practical reasons but it does not give you permission to defy them every time you do not like a rule.
Idolizing Human Beings is Forbidden by God
I see so many Christians idolizing people for worldly reasons as well as pretending they are saved because they say some things they like to hear.
In these end times, the devil will use lots of "Christian" verbiage to fool people. Only his meaning will be completely different from God's meaning.
The devil is in the business of scripture twisting to confuse those who read the Bible but do not seek God for the understanding.
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."
Proverbs 2:6-8
"6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 Guarding the paths of justice,
And He preserves the way of His godly ones."
All wisdom comes from God so why waste time asking people when you can seek Christ for yourself. Can a man be a greater teacher than Jesus Christ Who lives in you?
Luke 6:40
"A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher."
Who is the disciple's teacher? Jesus Christ is the teacher.
John 13:16
"Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."
John 15:20
"Remember the word that I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well."
Those who walk with Christ will keep the words of the teacher not because of the teacher but because the teacher's teacher is Christ. The teacher repeats the words of Christ, not his own words or ideas.
In these end times, the devil will use lots of "Christian" verbiage to fool people. Only his meaning will be completely different from God's meaning.
The devil is in the business of scripture twisting to confuse those who read the Bible but do not seek God for the understanding.
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."
Proverbs 2:6-8
"6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 Guarding the paths of justice,
And He preserves the way of His godly ones."
All wisdom comes from God so why waste time asking people when you can seek Christ for yourself. Can a man be a greater teacher than Jesus Christ Who lives in you?
Luke 6:40
"A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher."
Who is the disciple's teacher? Jesus Christ is the teacher.
John 13:16
"Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."
John 15:20
"Remember the word that I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well."
Those who walk with Christ will keep the words of the teacher not because of the teacher but because the teacher's teacher is Christ. The teacher repeats the words of Christ, not his own words or ideas.
Praying for Adult Wayward Children
God said if a person hates someone it is the same as if they had murdered them. The murder is in their heart even if they never carry out the act of murder.
Matthew 5:21-22
Personal Relationships
21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
1 John 3:15
"15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
Many adult children murder their parents through their contempt for them. They don't pick up a weapon to kill them, they kill them over and over again with their toxic mouth and eyes that roll upward in contempt.
Notice that God says that anyone who has hatred in his heart does not have eternal life. In other words, those who have not been cleansed of their anger and the murder in their hearts was never born again. God removes from our hearts the evils of the flesh when He changes us into a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
1 John 5:18
"We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him."
If you have adult children who are consistently treating you disrespectfully it is best to pray for their salvation because they couldn't be this way if the Holy Spirit were living in them.
"Praying for the unsaved with the right perspective
Start with our own hearts. ...
Bring down spiritual blindness. ...
Ask for more opportunities to hear God's message of love. ...
Ask for time and mercy. ...
Praise God." How to pray for the salvation of your children, (taken from "Teaching Humble Hearts")
Matthew 5:21-22
Personal Relationships
21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
1 John 3:15
"15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
Many adult children murder their parents through their contempt for them. They don't pick up a weapon to kill them, they kill them over and over again with their toxic mouth and eyes that roll upward in contempt.
Notice that God says that anyone who has hatred in his heart does not have eternal life. In other words, those who have not been cleansed of their anger and the murder in their hearts was never born again. God removes from our hearts the evils of the flesh when He changes us into a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
1 John 5:18
"We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him."
If you have adult children who are consistently treating you disrespectfully it is best to pray for their salvation because they couldn't be this way if the Holy Spirit were living in them.
"Praying for the unsaved with the right perspective
Start with our own hearts. ...
Bring down spiritual blindness. ...
Ask for more opportunities to hear God's message of love. ...
Ask for time and mercy. ...
Praise God." How to pray for the salvation of your children, (taken from "Teaching Humble Hearts")
The Lost Respect in our Age
I am meeting so many people who are being rejected by their adult children.
The parents are wondering why they are being rejected even though they provided everything for their child and tried to be a good parent.
Of course, no one is the perfect parent, those that think they were could not have been because it would take a perfect person to do that. No one is perfect.
God never said to "honor your parents only if they were perfect." He wouldn't have done that because the arrogant children who expected perfection from their parents are not perfect themselves. One is a hypocrite when they judge their parents as not good enough when that hypocrite couldn't be good enough themselves.
Romans 3:9-11 "9 What then? Are we any better? Not at all. We have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.…"
God's command was for children to honor and love their parents no matter what! There was no command to parents to honor their children. Isn't that interesting!
We are living in times of rampant disrespect for everyone. Children do not honor parents any more than they honor anyone else. Children have been trained by the culture to honor themselves above everyone else. They become enraged when someone doesn't treat them "special. "
Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than himself."
We are living in the times of 2 Timothy 3 in which there is constant and rampant love of self and hatred toward anyone else.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
“Difficult (ragingly insane) Times Will Come”
"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, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Respect for authorities of any kind and for parents is nearly gone. There are a few exceptions but mostly its gone. There was a day when it was the exception that children were disrespectful to their parents or other adults, now it has become the norm while the respect for elders is the fringe, the few.
Even those who think they are respectful are not at all compared to generations past. The adult children show arrogance and stubbornness toward parents and other elders.
Even worse is the rebellion and disrespect of small children toward their parents who are frightened to punish them to quell the tide of rebellion in their hearts.
The fear of parents to discipline properly has been largely driven by the cultural thinking of the time.
The following Jewish law required by God was an indication of what God thinks about rebellious stubborn children who will not obey their parents.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21
18 “If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them,
19 then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown.
20 They shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’
21 Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it and fear."
Notice this child who was taken to the elders to be stoned was an adult child. God did not totally remove the authority of the parents from their children's lives just because they were adults.
We live in a culture now in which the adult children are angry if the parents attempt to interject wisdom into their lives. They mock their parents when they do speak and they even withhold love from them for daring to correct them.
Those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ will be disdained by their own children for daring to believe in the principles of God.
Matthew 10:21
"Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,"
God said if a person hates someone it is the same as if they had murdered them. The murder is in their heart even if they never carry out the act of murder.
Many adult children murder their parents through their contempt for them. They don't pick up a weapon to kill them, they kill them over and over again with their toxic mouth and eyes that roll upward in contempt.
This I have to say to the adult children, if you think that you are respectful, please ask God if you truly are, because today's idea of respect is not God's kind of respect.
Ask God and desire to know!!!!
The parents are wondering why they are being rejected even though they provided everything for their child and tried to be a good parent.
Of course, no one is the perfect parent, those that think they were could not have been because it would take a perfect person to do that. No one is perfect.
God never said to "honor your parents only if they were perfect." He wouldn't have done that because the arrogant children who expected perfection from their parents are not perfect themselves. One is a hypocrite when they judge their parents as not good enough when that hypocrite couldn't be good enough themselves.
Romans 3:9-11 "9 What then? Are we any better? Not at all. We have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.…"
God's command was for children to honor and love their parents no matter what! There was no command to parents to honor their children. Isn't that interesting!
We are living in times of rampant disrespect for everyone. Children do not honor parents any more than they honor anyone else. Children have been trained by the culture to honor themselves above everyone else. They become enraged when someone doesn't treat them "special. "
Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than himself."
We are living in the times of 2 Timothy 3 in which there is constant and rampant love of self and hatred toward anyone else.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
“Difficult (ragingly insane) Times Will Come”
"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, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Respect for authorities of any kind and for parents is nearly gone. There are a few exceptions but mostly its gone. There was a day when it was the exception that children were disrespectful to their parents or other adults, now it has become the norm while the respect for elders is the fringe, the few.
Even those who think they are respectful are not at all compared to generations past. The adult children show arrogance and stubbornness toward parents and other elders.
Even worse is the rebellion and disrespect of small children toward their parents who are frightened to punish them to quell the tide of rebellion in their hearts.
The fear of parents to discipline properly has been largely driven by the cultural thinking of the time.
The following Jewish law required by God was an indication of what God thinks about rebellious stubborn children who will not obey their parents.
Deuteronomy 21:18-21
18 “If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them,
19 then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown.
20 They shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’
21 Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it and fear."
Notice this child who was taken to the elders to be stoned was an adult child. God did not totally remove the authority of the parents from their children's lives just because they were adults.
We live in a culture now in which the adult children are angry if the parents attempt to interject wisdom into their lives. They mock their parents when they do speak and they even withhold love from them for daring to correct them.
Those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ will be disdained by their own children for daring to believe in the principles of God.
Matthew 10:21
"Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,"
God said if a person hates someone it is the same as if they had murdered them. The murder is in their heart even if they never carry out the act of murder.
Many adult children murder their parents through their contempt for them. They don't pick up a weapon to kill them, they kill them over and over again with their toxic mouth and eyes that roll upward in contempt.
This I have to say to the adult children, if you think that you are respectful, please ask God if you truly are, because today's idea of respect is not God's kind of respect.
Ask God and desire to know!!!!
Atheists Don't Exist
When we have professing atheists we encounter, here are possible answers:
Maybe your friend needs to realize that what he thinks is good is done for self-glory, therefore it is not good. No one without God can do anything unselfishly. Also, it might be good to show him from the word that no one is good even if they think they are. Everyone has a high opinion of themselves. Just ask the criminals in jail. some of them would do good deeds for people and describe themselves as "basically good." It is not goodness that saves anyone, because no one is good.
Also, there is no such thing as a true atheist, they will be the first one to ask a Christian to pray for them when they get into trouble they can't get themselves out of. I had this happen to me, a professed atheist asked me to pray when a terrible thing happened to him.
The atheist isn't saying " I don't believe in God", even if they use those words. They are saying "I choose not to acknowledge Him as having any power over my life."
If I were to talk to your friend I would tell him that he says he doesn't believe in God, but he is lying, he knows he does. He can see the evidence of a creator all around him, he has no excuse. To deny God is not a belief, its a choice. God put it in all people that He exists, we know this by so many false religions in the world. They are choosing false gods made in their own image because inside they must explain they know there is a God.
Maybe your friend needs to realize that what he thinks is good is done for self-glory, therefore it is not good. No one without God can do anything unselfishly. Also, it might be good to show him from the word that no one is good even if they think they are. Everyone has a high opinion of themselves. Just ask the criminals in jail. some of them would do good deeds for people and describe themselves as "basically good." It is not goodness that saves anyone, because no one is good.
Also, there is no such thing as a true atheist, they will be the first one to ask a Christian to pray for them when they get into trouble they can't get themselves out of. I had this happen to me, a professed atheist asked me to pray when a terrible thing happened to him.
The atheist isn't saying " I don't believe in God", even if they use those words. They are saying "I choose not to acknowledge Him as having any power over my life."
If I were to talk to your friend I would tell him that he says he doesn't believe in God, but he is lying, he knows he does. He can see the evidence of a creator all around him, he has no excuse. To deny God is not a belief, its a choice. God put it in all people that He exists, we know this by so many false religions in the world. They are choosing false gods made in their own image because inside they must explain they know there is a God.
If the Media Controls your Thinking then you are Weak
Only a foolish non-thinking person can be dumbed down by the media, their schooling, or the traditions of their churches.
Those who think with their brains and the mind of Christ are not controlled by those who use manipulative tactics to cause people to follow whatever they say.
This is frightening because it shows that most people are easily manipulated by what they hear the most. Even in the conservative movement, it is not just the liberals who can be fooled. Continually I notice conservatives blaming the media and other things for the way a person thinks.
No one can influence a person unless that person wants to be influenced. Have you ever tried to explain truth to a stubborn person, they cannot be convinced no matter how much good evidence from God's word you give them? People believe what they wish to believe.
We see this in churches all the time. People sit in the pews listening to bad doctrine and mindlessly bobble their heads in approval without contemplating whether or not it is true. They do not do their own research about the things they wish to believe. When you challenge them to pray about and research their false beliefs they balk and kick against it.
The false holidays have all been accepted by most Christians. The ones who try to explain they are not Biblical are the ones who are mocked and ignored. Its everywhere all the time, these non-thinking followers of whatever is the traditions of men.
Mark 7:13 "13Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”"
Matthew 15:3 " 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? "
Mark 7:6-8,13
"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me…"
Many Christians think their practices, holidays, and bad doctrine are alright as long as they add Christ's name to it. In other words, they validate their own ideas by lying that Christ endorsed them. Then they mock and demean anyone who attempts to get them to think or study.
They twist the scriptures to validate their own doctrines of men as though as long as they "say" or "believe" something comes from God it must be so. They do not ask God for His truth, their opinion and traditions are all that matter to them.
I am not telling anyone to just believe me, I am asking that every one who names the name of Christ ask Him to show them the truth even if it means they will have to let go of their life long traditions. Or even harder they will endure the rejection of family and friends for their quest for God's truth.
When I did this, I asked God to show me the truth, many things I used to believe fell off. I did not have to give them up, they were just not pleasing to me anymore. The Lord removed from my heart those things that I was taught that were not in line with His Word. I completely understood why they were not in line and where they came from. I did not give in to anyone else's explanations, I asked God alone and He alone showed me. Then I went to the Bible and researched origins to find out why these things were not pleasing to God.
Christ in me warned me first, then He led me to the truth, the origins of traditions and practices that displeased Him. It all made perfect sense. Holidays went bad into total paganism because that was their origin, they merely returned to their roots! Unfortunately, the Christians became so indoctrinated that they were of God that they would not let go, even after being warned about them.
Have you ever wondered why the world loves the same traditions of the Christians? Its because they never were from God in the first place. For years the Catholic church incorporated pagan ideas into the church to entice pagans to become Catholic. They added Christ's name to many ungodly practices to make them acceptable to Christians.
Sadly the Protestants came against the Catholics over some doctrine but retained many of their ungodly practices. They didn't make a clean and complete break with the Catholic church.
When a culture spends more time discussing their own ideas than they do the Word of God, or when they interpret the word of God according to their own culture, they will come up short, very short of the truth.
2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but having itching ears, they shall heap to themselves teachers in accordance with their own lusts.
When the Christian culture does not repent from their past sins of the traditions of men it will continue to heap more and more ungodly and even wicked doctrines in their belief system. It makes perfect sense that once people are bent on making up their own rules and doctrines apart from God and according to their culture, they will end up doing it in all areas.
If you are willing to take everything you believe to God asking to be shown the truth, you will find out that most of what you have been taught in your culture was not based on the Word of God.
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."
Matthew 7:7
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
James 1:4-6 "…4 Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.…"
Once we find the truth we see how freeing it is from human traditions. While many people are racing around frantically attempting to be acceptable to their culture by giving in to traditions, the man or woman of God is free from all those traditions and the burdens they bring. And yes, they are a burden, even if you think you enjoy them, try giving them up without the conviction of God and you will see the emotional turmoil you experience for it.
The expectations of others are all over these traditions. If you don't believe me just give them up and when the relatives ask you why you don't do it, watch their dismay and even rejection of you for not doing anymore what they do. A narcissistic culture feels threatened by those that live differently from them, even if you never talk about it, they will wrongly judge you for your commitment to God.
When God works in our heart removing the desire for human traditions we see the immense burden that is lifted. God's burden is light because we are not required to do what the culture mandates, we are joyful and free to obey Christ alone.
Matthew 11:29-30 "…29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”"
When we are sold out to Christ we no longer have a burning need to fit into a culture, be accepted by others, or pressed to do anything that is not led by the Holy Spirit. If God didn't tell me to do something I can ignore it without guilt or shame.
When Christ comes first in everything the persecution feels like joy.
James 1:2-18
"2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
When we are born again and walking in the truth we are free to let go of those who mock and demean us. And, we are free to embrace those who want what we want, that is the truth in all things.
Hallelujah!!!!
Those who think with their brains and the mind of Christ are not controlled by those who use manipulative tactics to cause people to follow whatever they say.
This is frightening because it shows that most people are easily manipulated by what they hear the most. Even in the conservative movement, it is not just the liberals who can be fooled. Continually I notice conservatives blaming the media and other things for the way a person thinks.
No one can influence a person unless that person wants to be influenced. Have you ever tried to explain truth to a stubborn person, they cannot be convinced no matter how much good evidence from God's word you give them? People believe what they wish to believe.
We see this in churches all the time. People sit in the pews listening to bad doctrine and mindlessly bobble their heads in approval without contemplating whether or not it is true. They do not do their own research about the things they wish to believe. When you challenge them to pray about and research their false beliefs they balk and kick against it.
The false holidays have all been accepted by most Christians. The ones who try to explain they are not Biblical are the ones who are mocked and ignored. Its everywhere all the time, these non-thinking followers of whatever is the traditions of men.
Mark 7:13 "13Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”"
Matthew 15:3 " 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? "
Mark 7:6-8,13
"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me…"
Many Christians think their practices, holidays, and bad doctrine are alright as long as they add Christ's name to it. In other words, they validate their own ideas by lying that Christ endorsed them. Then they mock and demean anyone who attempts to get them to think or study.
They twist the scriptures to validate their own doctrines of men as though as long as they "say" or "believe" something comes from God it must be so. They do not ask God for His truth, their opinion and traditions are all that matter to them.
I am not telling anyone to just believe me, I am asking that every one who names the name of Christ ask Him to show them the truth even if it means they will have to let go of their life long traditions. Or even harder they will endure the rejection of family and friends for their quest for God's truth.
When I did this, I asked God to show me the truth, many things I used to believe fell off. I did not have to give them up, they were just not pleasing to me anymore. The Lord removed from my heart those things that I was taught that were not in line with His Word. I completely understood why they were not in line and where they came from. I did not give in to anyone else's explanations, I asked God alone and He alone showed me. Then I went to the Bible and researched origins to find out why these things were not pleasing to God.
Christ in me warned me first, then He led me to the truth, the origins of traditions and practices that displeased Him. It all made perfect sense. Holidays went bad into total paganism because that was their origin, they merely returned to their roots! Unfortunately, the Christians became so indoctrinated that they were of God that they would not let go, even after being warned about them.
Have you ever wondered why the world loves the same traditions of the Christians? Its because they never were from God in the first place. For years the Catholic church incorporated pagan ideas into the church to entice pagans to become Catholic. They added Christ's name to many ungodly practices to make them acceptable to Christians.
Sadly the Protestants came against the Catholics over some doctrine but retained many of their ungodly practices. They didn't make a clean and complete break with the Catholic church.
When a culture spends more time discussing their own ideas than they do the Word of God, or when they interpret the word of God according to their own culture, they will come up short, very short of the truth.
2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but having itching ears, they shall heap to themselves teachers in accordance with their own lusts.
When the Christian culture does not repent from their past sins of the traditions of men it will continue to heap more and more ungodly and even wicked doctrines in their belief system. It makes perfect sense that once people are bent on making up their own rules and doctrines apart from God and according to their culture, they will end up doing it in all areas.
If you are willing to take everything you believe to God asking to be shown the truth, you will find out that most of what you have been taught in your culture was not based on the Word of God.
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."
Matthew 7:7
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
James 1:4-6 "…4 Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.…"
Once we find the truth we see how freeing it is from human traditions. While many people are racing around frantically attempting to be acceptable to their culture by giving in to traditions, the man or woman of God is free from all those traditions and the burdens they bring. And yes, they are a burden, even if you think you enjoy them, try giving them up without the conviction of God and you will see the emotional turmoil you experience for it.
The expectations of others are all over these traditions. If you don't believe me just give them up and when the relatives ask you why you don't do it, watch their dismay and even rejection of you for not doing anymore what they do. A narcissistic culture feels threatened by those that live differently from them, even if you never talk about it, they will wrongly judge you for your commitment to God.
When God works in our heart removing the desire for human traditions we see the immense burden that is lifted. God's burden is light because we are not required to do what the culture mandates, we are joyful and free to obey Christ alone.
Matthew 11:29-30 "…29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”"
When we are sold out to Christ we no longer have a burning need to fit into a culture, be accepted by others, or pressed to do anything that is not led by the Holy Spirit. If God didn't tell me to do something I can ignore it without guilt or shame.
When Christ comes first in everything the persecution feels like joy.
James 1:2-18
"2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
When we are born again and walking in the truth we are free to let go of those who mock and demean us. And, we are free to embrace those who want what we want, that is the truth in all things.
Hallelujah!!!!
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