Christ Said it and I Believe It

Amen, Amen!!!! We can meet any day, at any time in any place with anyone. We don't even have to meet with the same people every time, we can meet with different people at different times. God does not want us to neglect one another and it is the Holy Spirit Who guides as to when, where and with whom.

Romans 14:4-6 "…4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.…"

Trials Strengthen the Believer in Christ

As a believer, our faith is stronger during trials. Those who lack trials are proud that they must have a good amount of faith. Just the opposite may be true.

Hebrews 12:7-11 "7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

11 For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

All children of God must endure trials to grow in holiness and in wisdom. Those who have had few trials and an easy life often lack wisdom.

James 1:5

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

Many Church attendees today are not asking for wisdom or they would leave those houses of apostasy. They prefer to think pleasant thoughts that stroke their egos rather than humble themselves and ask God.

When we ask God for His wisdom we see things that most do not see and notice things that are only Spiritually discnerened.

Because of this, we are hated and rejected by those who love their traditions more than they love God.

Handling Accusations of Lacking Faith Because of Our Trials

Prosperity preachers use manipulation in every gathering. They "guilt" people and claim they have little faith if they don't do what the preachers say.

This is a scam used by ALL prosperity preachers to line their own pockets with currency. Never trust someone who is getting wealthy off of others in the matter of "church gatherings." Something is wrong with those who are living a lifestyle of opulence because of their preaching.

Remember Pauls's experiences?

The next time someone accuses you of lacking faith because you are sick or because others have rejected you, remind them of Paul the apostle and his life of service to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:23-33

"23 Are they servants of Christ?—I am speaking as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.

24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea.

26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers;

27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?

30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

32 In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me,

33 and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands."

Our trials are not evidence that something is wrong, just the opposite, they may be evidence that something is right.

James 1:2-4

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Matthew 10:21-23 "…21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. "

Luke 21:15-17 "…15 For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. 17 And you will be hated by everyone because of My name.…"

Matthew 10:21

"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death."

Jeremiah 9:4

4 “Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor,

And do not trust any brother;

Because every brother utterly betrays,

And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer."

We love people and share the gospel with whomever the Holy Spirit leads but we place our trust only in Christ, not in any human being.

Paul was once a murderer of believers before Christ saved him.

"Acts 26:10,11

Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them…"

This ought to give us hope that anyone can be saved no matter what they have done in their lives. Paul went from a killer of God's people to a preacher of the word.

When God tells us to walk away from someone we walk away, however, when the Holy Spirit tells us to speak we should speak even if it means the loss of love from our families or even a loss of life.

Revelation 12:11

"… and they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death."

When we are tempted to cry and whine that someone doesn't like us perhaps remembering what God said will dry those tears and give us joy and peace. Weeping over the loss of a loved one because we love Christ is the same as putting them first before Christ. Yes, feelings are real, weep for a short time but never allow it to control us or divert us from the mission God has given to us which is His Word to the lost and instruction to believers.

Hallelujah!!!!

Do not be Derailed by Man

Manipulation can be very subtle. For instance, a salesman who is selling vacuum cleaners door to door may tell you this is the last day of the sale and this is the last vacuum available.

We had this happen to us when I was 19 years old and married with a baby on the way. My husband and I were in need of a vacuum. A salesman came to our door full of manipulative smiles and fake concern about our predicament, which really wasn't a predicament at all, but when he was through with us we felt pressured to get that machine right now before we missed out.

Then there was the time not long after that an encyclopedia salesman came to the door. We had no furniture in the house to sit on, we ate our food sitting on the floor.

When the salesman entered the room we invited him to sit on the floor and show us his books. My husband is an avid reader and could not resist a brand-new shiny set of books.

After we signed the papers, gave a little down payment and the salesman left we sat there on the floor with a contract to pay big bucks over a years time for these books, we realized that money could have been spent to purchase furniture to sit on instead of books to read on the floor. We canceled the contract, paid the penalty for canceling and went out and purchased a couch.

We were manipulated both times and learned good lessons about the tactics of the salesmen. They made the purchases look important and that we would miss out if we didn't have these things.

Did you know the devil is using these very same tactics today among Christians only in a slightly different form, more cunning ways with guilt attached if we do not do as others do.

He leads the believer to think that to be a good Christian we must do all the things within church gatherings that everyone else is doing or we will miss out on something. And, possibly not be seen as good Christians by those in the gathering. Perhaps the most enticing thing he uses is the loss of the love and respect of the others in the group if we do not do as they say and do.

God commands us to be unified but always unified in His Word. We are never required to follow the dictates of others when they violate God's principles or when the rules are man-made and not commanded by God. Our freedom is immense within the principles of Christ. It is man who makes things complicated, difficult and oppressive.

A good example of this is when the apostles were not required to ritualistically wash their hands as was the custom of the religious leaders.

Matthew 15:1-3 "1Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.” 3Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?…"

If is acceptable to follow man's rules if you want to when they do not violate God's Word. However, it is also acceptable to ignore a man-made rule if God never commanded it.

Colossians 2:8,20-23

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

The biggest problem with Christians today is the tendency to evaluate our walk according to how others view us more than we seek Christ for His truth. More actions and words are done to preserve our image within the church gatherings than resemble anything Biblical.

It was the religious Pharisees who burdened others with rules God never commanded and judged them if they didn't do it.

Matthew 23:4-5 " 4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.…"

I am alright with people making man-made rules for themselves if it makes them sense a closer walk with Christ, but I am not supportive of those who make these rules for themselves and pressure others to follow their rules. And worse, judge others who do not do what they do.

We are to judge righteous judgment, that is judging the things God has already stated as judgment in His Word. We can repeat God's judgement and encourage others to follow Christ, but we are not free to intimidate and manipulate others into obeying man's dictates that God never gave.

When we realize our allegiance is to Christ Who lives in us and not man we are free to hear from God and obey Him. Those who are following man's rules that God never made are in bondage to unnecessary pressure and guilt, the guilt is from man and the devil not from God.

Luke 11:46

"Woe to you as well, experts in the law!" He replied. "You weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load."

Bottom line; evaluate everything according to the Bible and follow what Christ tells you to follow. And, do not allow any person to derail you from the path God has for you.

Amir Tsarfati: What's Next for Israel?

I’ll Keep You From the Hour of Testing – Mondo Gonzales

Confession of Sin and Forgiveness from God the Greatest Blessing a Believer Has in this Life

Asking for forgiveness is a blessing from God. Too many people don't realize this amazing provision for cleansing from guilt and spiritual and emotional growth. There is no greater blessing than this.

Those who cannot allow themselves the strength to confess their sin and become cleansed by Christ live in constant condemnation without even realizing it.

Those who will not confess live a life of continual need to justify themselves, staving off guilt through blaming others and even denial of their sin. This is a sort of hell on earth they place themselves in without even realizing it is a hell.

It is a tremendous blessing to be allowed by God to confess our sin and become cleansed by Him, never having to remember that sin again.

We can discern those who keep close accounts of their sin and can openly admit to them, they are those who live in freedom with a clear conscience lacking any fear of being discovered. They do not fear God nor do they fear people.

Those who have not been forgiven by God live in a state of fear and condemnation even if they don't realize it. They lack hope and struggle daily to elevate themselves thinking this diminishes the guilt that lives inside of them.

They will say things like "I am basically a good person" only because they are attempting to convince themselves of something they know is not true.

Becoming born again through confession of sinfulness frees the repentant from this life of struggle and guiltiness. Jesus Christ provided this freedom by dying on the cross for our sinful hearts but in order to have it we must believe Him, confess our sinfulness and trust that He will cleanse us from that sin.

When we sin after becoming born again Christ in us teaches us, reminds us of our sin and cleanses us when we confess it to Him desiring that He change our hearts. When our heart is changed our behavior and attitudes also change.

We cannot change ourselves it is only Christ Who can change us from our old sinful nature into a new person.

2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

If we slip into sin after being born again our Spirit hates it and eventually will confess to be cleansed.

Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"

1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.…"

May all those who do not practice confession of sin regularly be reminded of the blessing of cleansing and deliverance from sin that comes from Christ Who lives in us.

Walking in Holiness

It is interesting how our modern culture thinks. Often I hear words like "think positively" as though a happy mindset will make everything right.

It has been my experience that facing the demons in our society that cause problems, calling them what they are, and resolving to ask God for cleansing is the real fix. Our hope is to destroy the sin so that it does not return.

Thinking positively is a way of fantasizing about how we wish things were without any resolution to the wrong things within our soul that need expunging. Even worse we hide things so that others will think we are special. Impressing others is always pretense that eventually erodes until the problem is exposed.

Let's take the analogy of "sweeping the dirt under the carpet." The first thing that happens after sweeping the dirt, which is out in the open, under the carpet only hides the dirt is doesn't remove it.

Every time we walk on the carpet a little more of that dirt under it sneaks out and eventually the floor not only has the first pile from under the carpet but it also has the dirt that piles up after other dirt came later. Nothing gets clean but the dirt piles up more under that carpet with every sweeping. Pretty soon the carpet is ruined as the dust seeps up through the fibers and wears out the carpet.

It never works to hide things or pretend fantasies to make ourselves feel better or to impress others. Eventually, we become too weary of constantly pushing the dirt under something to hide it. It will sneak out and destroy whatever it touches.

God is the Author of wisdom, He knows that confession of sin is the only way to scrub the sin from our souls so that it does not return. The more we confess and ask to be cleansed the more we grow in holiness. The pile of sin does not grow into a filthy mountain of dirt because each wrong attitude and each misstep is corrected to make the path clean and swept regularly.

1 John 1:9

"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Romans 6:19

I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification.

Definition of Sanctification: Being set apart for the Father's use. We have been cleansed and continue to be cleansed as we confess our individual sins to walk in holiness.

1 John 1:10

"10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

Those who will not confess sins and believe they are too good to have any, will not grow in holiness nor will they be useful to God.

1 Peter 1:15

"15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,"

Hebrews 12:14

"14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."

Remind Yourself the Tactics of the Devil and You will not be Controlled by Him

Covert narcissists can turn even good news into a problem or a threat.

I have discovered that a narcissist sees our actions and comments according to their own mindset.

If they are rude and angry people they will assume even our kind words and actions are coming from rudeness and contempt because it is how they would react to us.

The jealousy runs so deep and the anger so constant that everything that does not make them the center of attention will be seen as a personal attack.

There is only one way to deal with these kind of people and that is to avoid them whenever possible.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Difficult Times Will Come

3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, 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 people as these."

Since narcissists hate goodness and kindness they will attempt to make our good deeds and kind acts and words appear foolish. We might ask why would narcissists be like this?

The answer is simple, they are being manipulated by the master of hatred, lies and deciet, the devil and his demons. Those who cannot think rationally for themselves, calling things what they really are, will be those who are controlled by the devil and his minions.

When we know we are living in the last days of deep deception we will recognize those who are attempting to dominate and demean anyone who brings goodness and light to a relationship. They will ruin whatever they can in all the relationships of the born-again believer just as the devil has been doing since he was created.

Since the devil knows his doom is near he will work even harder to destroy those who love Christ. He is too arrogant and foolish to realize he cannot win over God so he works at ruining as many people who love God as he can before he is thrown into hell. And, he will use people to do this.

1 John 3:8

"Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."

Do not be unnerved by those who are controlled by the devil. Stand up to them boldly and with kindness but do not allow them to convince you that what God is leading you to do is wrong and worthless.

Proverbs 3:5

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."

Romans 8:1

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Those who are in love with themselves will hate truth-tellers accusing them of the very thing the narcissist is doing and the truth tellers are not. It is the devil's favorite tactic, to mock, demean and intimidate anyone who tells the truth.

Don't fall for the devil's lies or tactics, he can only ruin those who do not belong to Christ.

Pride is the Beginning of Destruction

Proverbs 16:18

"18 Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

There is tremendous pride in our country, so much so that no matter how wicked it becomes the people still cry out to God to "bless America", as though this country deserves it. A mentality of entitlement reigns in this nation.

I remember when I was attending high school we would go to the ball games and shout things like; "we're number one, we're number one", full of arrogance thinking we deserve to be seen as better than others.

I see America this way poking their giant index finger into the air shouting "we're number one", so very proud of who they think we are because we live in America.

What do we place this pride in? It is in our prosperity, our freedom, our personal desires persued no matter how wicked they may be, as long the people have these things they count themselves as superior and special.

Sadly this same mentality has entered each family, parents aborting their children to avoid accountability for their actions. Adult children disregarding their elderly parents as if they had nothing to offer and small children disrespectfully shouting at their parents to gain an advantage over them.

But we're number one!!! Right!!!! America is number one in everything that is evil, to the point of mocking God and persecuting those who preach repentance and righteousness.

If you don't believe me, try this experiment at the next family gathering and see the response. Begin to speak boldly the gospel message, calling on the name of Jesus Christ to work in the hearts of those in the room and watch what happens. Most of you know what will happen, which is the reason you remain silent. The mocking and anger that ensues prevents believers from speaking the saving truth of the Gospel of Christ.

When cards and letters are sent proclaiming the gospel they are ignored and most avoid the person who sent them. It is considered fanatical in our day to express openly the gospel message. Our culture expects the name of Christ only to be mentioned in church by the pastor who is the designated mediator between them and Christ.

Most Christians expect that preaching Christ is for missionaries and ordained pastors, they cannot wrap their minds around the idea that all born-again believers are called to share the good news of salvation to whomever God leads them.

To mention Christ outside the church gathering is "over stepping" in our cultural Christianity. Many people want to be seen as attending a gathering but they never want to have to speak of Christ themselves. They fear losing family and friends because they know they probably would if they were bold and open about their faith in Christ.

Proverbs 29:24-26 "…24 A partner to a thief hates his own soul; he receives the oath, but does not testify. 25 The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high. 26 Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the LORD.…"

When "issues" of the culture take priority over Christ and His principles we have lost our first love.

It is pride that drives this mentality of "cultural correctness" and "nationalism", more than Christ and even instead of Christ.

I was once demeaned and mocked when I said there is no commandment in the Bible to vote for our leaders. Those who were born in this country have been so indoctrinated from a young age that freedom and choosing our leaders takes precedence above even Christ. I could not understand when I was dismissed for saying I was weary of voting for the lesser of two evils.

This world is not my home, it is a mission field where God planted me to be useful to Him. I am not here to help build a kingdom, I am here to speak of Christ and live according to His principles.

Christ's Kingdom is soon to come, He will set it all up and He will rule it.

Revelation 2:27 "AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE SHATTERED, as I also have received authority from My Father;"

Ephesians 1:20-22

"20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church,"

If Christ leads you to vote for a leader then do it, if Christ leads you not to vote for a leader then do that. Allow no human being to pressure you to do what they want. Christ knows what should happen and in the case of America it may not be what we want but it will be what we deserve.

Don't Walk on Eggshells, Walk in Christ

When a narcissist says they have to walk around on eggshells around you they are telling you what you have to do around them.

Narcissists always accuse others of what the narcissist is doing and the others are not, they accept only total agreement with them for you to be seen as smart and of value to them.

As I was growing up I always hated that the narcissists in my life were completely unreasonable in any discussion with them. In fact, there was never a discussion, there was only their raging and demanding and my attempt to get them to listen but they never would.

Because of my experience with unreasonable narcissists, I wanted my life to be different when I left that system of controlling narcissists. I wanted to be able to discuss things with others in calm ways expecting both parties to be able to engage lovingly without anger. This was never possible in my family of origin. If there was disagreement even on the smallest level there would always be blunt and snarky responses to demean the one who differed from them, having their own ideas.

Never was there a discussion in which both parties were treated with respect and valued as being someone who might have some points the narcissist never thought of.

It was this way because the narcissist was hell-bent on appearing perfectly right all the time. Any challenge to their assertions was met with total contempt. Any attempt on the part of the one who disagreed was met with cannon fire, never with contemplative allowance for differences.

A narcissist is a deeply insecure person who cannot feel of value unless they are being elevated above others. They are not able to feel secure without the complete validation of those in their sphere. Sadly they interpret their insecurity as confidence but it is just the opposite, it is self-effacing, since it reveals their insecurity with every occurrence of anger and rage.

These narcissistic traits of insecurity and self-devaluing used to aggravate me but as I grew in knowledge and wisdom I realized what it was and feel pity for those who think the only way to be of value is to demean, mock and dismiss others they wish to feel superior toward.

Remember too, the narcissist knows what they are doing because they only do it to those they wish to believe are inferior to them. They never treat those they elevate as superior to them in these ways. They hide their real selves from those they wish to impress.

If the narcissist knows their target understands them and is not intimidated by them they will avoid them and turn their attention toward gossiping about them in order to cause others to treat the target the same way the narcissist treated them.

We know this is not entirely the narcississt but rather the devil working in the narcissist to believe the target deserves it for a reason no one could discover or calculate.

The devil did this in the garden with Eve. Eve had no reason to distrust or dislike God but she was easily convinced by the snake that God was withholding something from her that she would like to have. He convinced her that God was doing something wrong or unkind and this was reason enough to completely disregard Him.

The devil has been doing the same things the narcissist does from the beginning of the existence of mankind. He couldn't find a reason to hate man but was so jealous of them that he had to convince those God loved to hate God.

This is also why when we do kind acts for narcissists they find a reason why it was foolish or there was an ulterior motive to do the kind act allowing them to hate their target without good reason.

If you are a target of the narcissist it won't matter what you say or do that is good, the narcissist will find a reason to negate it, diminish its meaning or gossip to make others believe you were foolish for it.

What a blessing to know that we can walk with God realizing that we are targets of the devil but unaffected by his tactics. The most satisfying thing for the devil and his minion the narcissist is to cause us to react in frustration to what they do to us. This is why God told us not to respond to their capers.

He said to respond the opposite of what they expect, with calmness, unfettered confidence and godly resolve to remain kind and loving even if they do not. We can show them the respect they did not show us, however, this does not mean we will remain their friend or companion. God also tells us to remove ourselves from angry people who cause trouble.

Luke 6:27-28 "27But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

Proverbs 22:24 "

"Do not make friends with a person given to anger, Or go with a hot-tempered person,"

God has given us good guidelines for dealing with those who will not obey the word of God concerning love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. Those who spurn all these godly traits cannot be our companions in life.

May the Holy Spirit and God's Word guide us all in the decisions we must make to remain faithful to Christ. Let's not become like those who hate God by using their same schemes that are motivated by the wicked heart of the devil.

What they do is on them, what we do is on us!!!