Friday, August 21, 2026
Christ Transforms Us, We do not Change Anyone Else
Our enemies teach us things about ourselves. Our response to them shows what might need work in ourselves.
In the times when I left my enemies to God, even if nothing changed the offenders, I learned to act like Christ.
There is no exercise without workouts. Our emotional and mental state must be "boot camp" at times to be able to learn how Christ would act.
Matthew 27:14: "But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed."
When the gossip flies unjustly, ignore it; do not try to fix it. God has our back, and He knows how to reach people better than we do.
My prayer for my enemies is that they will hear God and repent. Anything other than that is up to Him.
Romans 12:19: "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Romans 12:18-20 "…18 If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
We do not do good to heap hot coals; the hot coals may be a result of our kindnesses, but if it is our goal to cause guilt, then we are guilty of subtle revenge.
Leviticus 19:18: "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."
When we attempt to do God's work for Him, we are playing god ourselves.
Our goal, no matter what anyone else is doing, is to remain in the will of Christ. Our goal is not to change others; our goal is to share information that can help others seek Christ for change in themselves.
2 Thessalonians 1:6 "After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you."
1 Thessalonians 4:6 "and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you."
Matthew 5:44 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
Luke 6:27-28 "But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, / bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
The most important thing is that we follow Christ ourselves; we are not in charge of changing the character of others only informing them so they can seek Christ to transform them.
Proverbs 20:22 "Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!” Wait on the LORD, and He will save you."
In the times when I left my enemies to God, even if nothing changed the offenders, I learned to act like Christ.
There is no exercise without workouts. Our emotional and mental state must be "boot camp" at times to be able to learn how Christ would act.
Matthew 27:14: "But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed."
When the gossip flies unjustly, ignore it; do not try to fix it. God has our back, and He knows how to reach people better than we do.
My prayer for my enemies is that they will hear God and repent. Anything other than that is up to Him.
Romans 12:19: "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Romans 12:18-20 "…18 If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
We do not do good to heap hot coals; the hot coals may be a result of our kindnesses, but if it is our goal to cause guilt, then we are guilty of subtle revenge.
Leviticus 19:18: "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."
When we attempt to do God's work for Him, we are playing god ourselves.
Our goal, no matter what anyone else is doing, is to remain in the will of Christ. Our goal is not to change others; our goal is to share information that can help others seek Christ for change in themselves.
2 Thessalonians 1:6 "After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you."
1 Thessalonians 4:6 "and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you."
Matthew 5:44 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
Luke 6:27-28 "But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, / bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
The most important thing is that we follow Christ ourselves; we are not in charge of changing the character of others only informing them so they can seek Christ to transform them.
Proverbs 20:22 "Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!” Wait on the LORD, and He will save you."
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Friends should be those who encourage us to follow Scripture not man's rules God never commanded
I can be friends with someone who thinks differently from me about a Sabbath or not eating certain foods. However, when they start judging someone as unsaved because they do not follow Old Testament dietary laws and special days, we have to part friends.
Colossians 2:16-17 " 16 Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ."
Romans 14:3-4 "The one who eats everything must not belittle the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted him. 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."
Those who make rules about abstaining from marriage are disobeying God. One can choose not to be married to more fully serve the Lord, but no one else can dictate whether or not someone marries. We are speaking about marriage between a man and a woman for the first time. It is sad in our day that we have to even say this because our culture is so distorted and perverted we now have to say it.
1 Timothy 4:3-5 "They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected, because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."
When we are presented with a rule made by men that God never made we are free to ignore it. If those who demand these manmade rules punish you, isolate you and gossip against you for not complying to them, then you are free to leave that group and only join with a group that is following only the Bible.
Matthew 23:1-34 "23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.
11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’
17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’
19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Matthew 23: 20-27
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.
28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Matthew 23:33
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town."
The religious leaders of Jesus' day on earth rejected Him, and the religious leaders of our day will reject us. Those who follow rules God never commanded and pressure others to do the same are not worthy of our attention.
When someone has an expectation of us we must always seek Christ and His Word to see if it is from God. Do not follow what God never commanded.
Colossians 2:16-17 " 16 Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ."
Romans 14:3-4 "The one who eats everything must not belittle the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted him. 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."
Those who make rules about abstaining from marriage are disobeying God. One can choose not to be married to more fully serve the Lord, but no one else can dictate whether or not someone marries. We are speaking about marriage between a man and a woman for the first time. It is sad in our day that we have to even say this because our culture is so distorted and perverted we now have to say it.
1 Timothy 4:3-5 "They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected, because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."
When we are presented with a rule made by men that God never made we are free to ignore it. If those who demand these manmade rules punish you, isolate you and gossip against you for not complying to them, then you are free to leave that group and only join with a group that is following only the Bible.
Matthew 23:1-34 "23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.
11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’
17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’
19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Matthew 23: 20-27
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.
28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Matthew 23:33
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town."
The religious leaders of Jesus' day on earth rejected Him, and the religious leaders of our day will reject us. Those who follow rules God never commanded and pressure others to do the same are not worthy of our attention.
When someone has an expectation of us we must always seek Christ and His Word to see if it is from God. Do not follow what God never commanded.
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Putting Your Best Foot Forward Leaves You on Your Back Foot
Nowhere in Scripture does God say, "mankind must do its part too in order to be saved.
If any part of salvation depended on us, then none of it would have depended on Christ. A man who is desperately wicked cannot change His character; only Christ can do that!
Only the Perfect Lamb of God could pay for the sin of mankind. No person is perfect; therefore, they could have no part in their own salvation.
Luke 5:21 "And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Even the Pharisees recognized that only God could forgive sins. This is why they considered it blasphemy that Christ claimed He could forgive sin because He was the Son of God and one with God the Father.
Anyone who thinks they are saving themselves by being good enough is denying Jesus Christ as the only One Who can save mankind from sin and hell.
Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Mankind cannot lay upon itself the iniquity of itself in payment for its own sin; it is desperately wicked and without remedy, as God clearly states in His Word.
Jeremiah 17:9 "9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
What do "desperately wicked" and "deceitful" mean?
The human mind has the ability to trick itself into believing how wonderful it is, right in the middle of hateful and despicable attitudes and actions, while pretending to be righteous.
Mankind can make seemingly good choices, but choices without God will be self-exalting and self-promoting every time. The propensity to do good deeds to elevate oneself is the ugly plight of mankind. Without Christ, nothing is done selflessly, no matter how good it looks or what someone may say.
All we have to do is watch the response when we correct or chastise someone for bad behavior. Nearly every time, we will not experience humility from the one who has been reprimanded; the response will be arguing to justify or denying the truth in most cases.
There are few people left who appreciate being corrected and want to better themselves. Nearly everyone has a much higher opinion of themselves than is warranted, wishing to impress others with what is not real.
The final verdict in this mess of mankind is that no one has the ability to add to the saving grace of Jesus Christ with their own efforts.
No one is special; no one deserves anything but death. The beauty in knowing this is that we have no good expectations of ourselves; we can fully lean on Jesus Christ, depending on His goodness and His virtue and not our own.
Mankind is without goodness entirely without Christ.
Romans 1:31-32 "…31 They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them."
Why are our churches a mess today? The answer is simply that many people are joining them but have never trusted in Christ to be indwelt by Him. They have never heard the salvation message of repentance and are coddled in their sin, even endorsed in it by lack of correction.
Those who have not trusted in Christ do not realize the burden that is lifted when we know we are not expected to perfect ourselves; Christ must do His work in us or all our efforts to be good enough for heaven are useless and completely unproductive.
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."
Luke 18:10-14
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 32:12 "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
If any part of salvation depended on us, then none of it would have depended on Christ. A man who is desperately wicked cannot change His character; only Christ can do that!
Only the Perfect Lamb of God could pay for the sin of mankind. No person is perfect; therefore, they could have no part in their own salvation.
Luke 5:21 "And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Even the Pharisees recognized that only God could forgive sins. This is why they considered it blasphemy that Christ claimed He could forgive sin because He was the Son of God and one with God the Father.
Anyone who thinks they are saving themselves by being good enough is denying Jesus Christ as the only One Who can save mankind from sin and hell.
Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Mankind cannot lay upon itself the iniquity of itself in payment for its own sin; it is desperately wicked and without remedy, as God clearly states in His Word.
Jeremiah 17:9 "9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
What do "desperately wicked" and "deceitful" mean?
The human mind has the ability to trick itself into believing how wonderful it is, right in the middle of hateful and despicable attitudes and actions, while pretending to be righteous.
Mankind can make seemingly good choices, but choices without God will be self-exalting and self-promoting every time. The propensity to do good deeds to elevate oneself is the ugly plight of mankind. Without Christ, nothing is done selflessly, no matter how good it looks or what someone may say.
All we have to do is watch the response when we correct or chastise someone for bad behavior. Nearly every time, we will not experience humility from the one who has been reprimanded; the response will be arguing to justify or denying the truth in most cases.
There are few people left who appreciate being corrected and want to better themselves. Nearly everyone has a much higher opinion of themselves than is warranted, wishing to impress others with what is not real.
The final verdict in this mess of mankind is that no one has the ability to add to the saving grace of Jesus Christ with their own efforts.
No one is special; no one deserves anything but death. The beauty in knowing this is that we have no good expectations of ourselves; we can fully lean on Jesus Christ, depending on His goodness and His virtue and not our own.
Mankind is without goodness entirely without Christ.
Romans 1:31-32 "…31 They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them."
Why are our churches a mess today? The answer is simply that many people are joining them but have never trusted in Christ to be indwelt by Him. They have never heard the salvation message of repentance and are coddled in their sin, even endorsed in it by lack of correction.
Those who have not trusted in Christ do not realize the burden that is lifted when we know we are not expected to perfect ourselves; Christ must do His work in us or all our efforts to be good enough for heaven are useless and completely unproductive.
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."
Luke 18:10-14
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 32:12 "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
Purpose for the Believer in Christ
We live in a fallen world; it is natural for everyone who exists to experience difficult things and good things.
However, for the believer in Christ, God turns all things into lessons that benefit us, growing us in wisdom, courage, and good character.
Romans 8:28 "28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Nothing is wasted on the born-again believer, and nothing will come upon us that will not have a purpose.
Hallelujah!
However, for the believer in Christ, God turns all things into lessons that benefit us, growing us in wisdom, courage, and good character.
Romans 8:28 "28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Nothing is wasted on the born-again believer, and nothing will come upon us that will not have a purpose.
Hallelujah!
Falling Away is not what Many People Think
Falling away has nothing to do with losing salvation; it has to do with pretending to be a Christian but never having trusted in Christ. No one who has been transformed into a new creation by Christ ever falls away. They may sin and are disciplined by God, but the Holy Spirit never leaves them. The Holy Spirit may go silent in them because they disobey and won't listen, but He never leaves them.
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?"
When I gave birth to my children, they remained my children in their DNA and bloodline; that was never taken from them. However, if they deny me, they do not have the advantages of an inheritance.
When Christ transforms us we gain a new family, one that is spiritual and permanent for eternity.
John 3:16: "Declares that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life." This does not say "until you sin."
When Jesus Christ transforms us into a new creation, we will always be His children, but we may miss blessings, and the Holy Spirit may stop speaking to us because we are stubborn.
Ephesians 4:30: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption"
1 Corinthians 11:32 "But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world."
There are many Facebook users who are deceiving people into believing you must do well and be completely obedient to be saved. They say one can lose the seal of the Holy Spirit. They never tell us which scriptures explain which sins will cause us to lose salvation or at what point the Holy Spirit leaves a born-again believer. They don't explain these things because there are no passages that say such things.
God does describe those who pretend to be Christians but have never been transformed by Christ because they do not love Him and are attempting to gain heaven in their own power through their own good deeds. These people disobey more of the Scriptures than they obey because they have no conviction of their pride that leads to confession of their sinful nature. He says in His word, "I never knew you." This means that someone who says they are a Christian but Christ never knew them, that they declared themselves that rather than trusting in Christ to transform them. They often are very clever, even have all the right words and actions but remain dependent on themselves and not Christ.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
When Christ transforms us, we are completely different people desiring to live for Him. Even though we may falter at times, we hate that we do and confess it to be cleansed of that sin. Our Spiritual growth depends on how frequently we confess our sins and desire to be delivered from them.
Keep looking up, our home going is soon.
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?"
When I gave birth to my children, they remained my children in their DNA and bloodline; that was never taken from them. However, if they deny me, they do not have the advantages of an inheritance.
When Christ transforms us we gain a new family, one that is spiritual and permanent for eternity.
John 3:16: "Declares that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life." This does not say "until you sin."
When Jesus Christ transforms us into a new creation, we will always be His children, but we may miss blessings, and the Holy Spirit may stop speaking to us because we are stubborn.
Ephesians 4:30: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption"
1 Corinthians 11:32 "But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world."
There are many Facebook users who are deceiving people into believing you must do well and be completely obedient to be saved. They say one can lose the seal of the Holy Spirit. They never tell us which scriptures explain which sins will cause us to lose salvation or at what point the Holy Spirit leaves a born-again believer. They don't explain these things because there are no passages that say such things.
God does describe those who pretend to be Christians but have never been transformed by Christ because they do not love Him and are attempting to gain heaven in their own power through their own good deeds. These people disobey more of the Scriptures than they obey because they have no conviction of their pride that leads to confession of their sinful nature. He says in His word, "I never knew you." This means that someone who says they are a Christian but Christ never knew them, that they declared themselves that rather than trusting in Christ to transform them. They often are very clever, even have all the right words and actions but remain dependent on themselves and not Christ.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
When Christ transforms us, we are completely different people desiring to live for Him. Even though we may falter at times, we hate that we do and confess it to be cleansed of that sin. Our Spiritual growth depends on how frequently we confess our sins and desire to be delivered from them.
Keep looking up, our home going is soon.
Growing in Holiness
James 5:16 "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."
No one can grow and change without seeing ourselves in truth. Admitting our flaws and warts with the desire to be different is the only answer to permanent and systemic change.
Christ is the answer for transforming us into His likeness; however, He will only do so if we want Him to cleanse us of our sinful attitudes and actions.
James 5:15-17 "…15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail. 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years."
Proverbs 28:13 "He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy."
1 Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
2 Peter 3:18 "18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
No one can grow and change without seeing ourselves in truth. Admitting our flaws and warts with the desire to be different is the only answer to permanent and systemic change.
Christ is the answer for transforming us into His likeness; however, He will only do so if we want Him to cleanse us of our sinful attitudes and actions.
James 5:15-17 "…15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail. 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years."
Proverbs 28:13 "He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy."
1 Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
2 Peter 3:18 "18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
Monday, August 17, 2026
The Marriage Covenant A Picture of Salvation
A Marriage covenant is based on the one who makes the covenant; it is not human to God; it is God to human. We cannot break a covenant from God to us; we can only violate it, not break it, because it depends on God.
2 Timothy 2:13 "13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—"
Marriage is a covenant between God and man; it cannot be broken by man and is only severed by God at the death of one of the partners.
Romans 3:3-4 "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
1 Corinthians 1:9 "God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."
2 Thessalonians 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one."
The marriage covenant between God and man is a picture of the covenant between Christ and His church. We cannot lose salvation because it does not depend on us.
However, evidence of true salvation is seen in the fruit of the Spirit and a lifestyle that is dedicated to Christ. This is the evidence that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a guarantee of our inheritance.
He gets all the praise because our salvation is all His work when we trust in Him.
Ephesians 1:13-14 "13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."
2 Timothy 2:13 "13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—"
Marriage is a covenant between God and man; it cannot be broken by man and is only severed by God at the death of one of the partners.
Romans 3:3-4 "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
1 Corinthians 1:9 "God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."
2 Thessalonians 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one."
The marriage covenant between God and man is a picture of the covenant between Christ and His church. We cannot lose salvation because it does not depend on us.
However, evidence of true salvation is seen in the fruit of the Spirit and a lifestyle that is dedicated to Christ. This is the evidence that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a guarantee of our inheritance.
He gets all the praise because our salvation is all His work when we trust in Him.
Ephesians 1:13-14 "13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Teaching Children to Enjoy Working in their Play
Play for children should include accomplishing or creating something. It teaches children to enjoy achievements and productivity. Those who learn to enjoy work never have to "play" at useless things that only give them temporary happiness.
Children are apprentice adults. Everything we do with them from birth should be to prepare them for learning how to be responsible adults.
Even small children can learn to work by picking up their toys or helping a parent rake the leaves, each at their own level according to their abilities. Teaching children to enjoy work starts when they are toddlers.
Colossians 3:23 "23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,"
1 Corinthians 10:31 "31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:3 "31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Proverbs 13:4 "4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied."
Ephesians 4:28 "28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need."
Children are apprentice adults. Everything we do with them from birth should be to prepare them for learning how to be responsible adults.
Even small children can learn to work by picking up their toys or helping a parent rake the leaves, each at their own level according to their abilities. Teaching children to enjoy work starts when they are toddlers.
Colossians 3:23 "23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,"
1 Corinthians 10:31 "31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:3 "31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Proverbs 13:4 "4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied."
Ephesians 4:28 "28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need."
The Peacefulness of Obeying Christ
When we declare our allegiance to Jesus Christ by obeying His commands ourselves and refusing to support those who disobey them, we will be rejected by most of the culture in which we live.
Acts 5:29: "But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men.'"
Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."
1 Peter 1:14: "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance."
Galatians 1:10: "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
There is much greater peace in obeying God than ever could be in following the traditions of men that defy God.
Trust in Christ every day for everything and you will be content, peaceful and full of joy!
Acts 5:29: "But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men.'"
Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."
1 Peter 1:14: "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance."
Galatians 1:10: "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
There is much greater peace in obeying God than ever could be in following the traditions of men that defy God.
Trust in Christ every day for everything and you will be content, peaceful and full of joy!
Friday, August 14, 2026
Our Bodies are Living Sacrifices
In these last days before Christ takes His church home, God is exposing us to the truth, a sort of return to proper thinking about the gathering of born-again believers. Perhaps things had to become so extreme in the modern gatherings that those who are seeking Christ would be able to accept the truth and free themselves from organized, man-centered religion.
Follow the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhLTDPL0qfg
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Nephilim were Bullies not Devil Hybrids
The word "nephilim" means bully or tyrant; it has nothing to do with mating practices or devils.
To say that devils can make a baby in the womb the way God the Father did with Jesus Christ in Mary's womb is blasphemy.
Devils have no seed, and they don't even procreate among themselves. God said each thing after its own kind; cows do not mate with horses, cats do not mate with dogs, and spirit beings do not mate with humans.
I am astounded at how many prominent preachers are teaching that spirit beings mated with humans, since this idea is based on Greek mythology and the Book of Enoch, which was not written by Enoch of the Bible.
We see what happens when preachers begin to read unbiblical sources, gleaning from them things that sound interesting but have no basis in Scripture.
Worse yet, well-known preachers feel a need to keep up with other preachers and seminary ideas that are not Biblical but that they think are harmless.
It is vital in these last days that we question all things and hold no man in high regard. We can listen to others but never without evaluating what they are saying according to the Bible.
As we progress in these end times to the very end, we will hear many false doctrines; throw away what does not match with Scripture.
To say that devils can make a baby in the womb the way God the Father did with Jesus Christ in Mary's womb is blasphemy.
Devils have no seed, and they don't even procreate among themselves. God said each thing after its own kind; cows do not mate with horses, cats do not mate with dogs, and spirit beings do not mate with humans.
I am astounded at how many prominent preachers are teaching that spirit beings mated with humans, since this idea is based on Greek mythology and the Book of Enoch, which was not written by Enoch of the Bible.
We see what happens when preachers begin to read unbiblical sources, gleaning from them things that sound interesting but have no basis in Scripture.
Worse yet, well-known preachers feel a need to keep up with other preachers and seminary ideas that are not Biblical but that they think are harmless.
It is vital in these last days that we question all things and hold no man in high regard. We can listen to others but never without evaluating what they are saying according to the Bible.
As we progress in these end times to the very end, we will hear many false doctrines; throw away what does not match with Scripture.
Satan Uses People, Let the Holy Spirit Lead You
Satan most often uses people to attempt to goad us into sinful responses.
The beauty of a life filled with Christ is that they cannot accomplish it, because it is not our character to be rude and mean like those who hate us.
What comes out of us when we are pressed is our real character.
Have you ever thought after being insulted, "I wish I had said something"? Often, I was silenced when insulted because the Holy Spirit did not want me to respond to the rudeness.
Romans 12:17-21 "17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:"
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[b]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
It is our character that drives our spontaneous responses.
Those who manipulate and scheme against us are displaying their inner character of anger. If they had no anger, they could not do and say the things they do to harm us.
We are not harmed when we walk with Christ because our character is that of Christ and cannot be provoked into something that is not a part of our being.
Hebrews 10:23-24 "…23 Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds."
This does not mean that we never address what is done to us, but often there is no need. It does mean we hear from the Holy Spirit and speak when He gives us the words. He knows better than anyone whether or not something should be addressed.
Then, when the Holy Spirit speaks, we should not worry about the response of the one hearing; we can leave that to Christ.
In our culture, people will judge us based on how the other person responded and not on what we actually said or did. We must resist the temptation to feel guilty about what the Holy Spirit told us to do.
Final takeaway: Depend continually on the Holy Spirit for all your answers and responses.
The beauty of a life filled with Christ is that they cannot accomplish it, because it is not our character to be rude and mean like those who hate us.
What comes out of us when we are pressed is our real character.
Have you ever thought after being insulted, "I wish I had said something"? Often, I was silenced when insulted because the Holy Spirit did not want me to respond to the rudeness.
Romans 12:17-21 "17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:"
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[b]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
It is our character that drives our spontaneous responses.
Those who manipulate and scheme against us are displaying their inner character of anger. If they had no anger, they could not do and say the things they do to harm us.
We are not harmed when we walk with Christ because our character is that of Christ and cannot be provoked into something that is not a part of our being.
Hebrews 10:23-24 "…23 Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds."
This does not mean that we never address what is done to us, but often there is no need. It does mean we hear from the Holy Spirit and speak when He gives us the words. He knows better than anyone whether or not something should be addressed.
Then, when the Holy Spirit speaks, we should not worry about the response of the one hearing; we can leave that to Christ.
In our culture, people will judge us based on how the other person responded and not on what we actually said or did. We must resist the temptation to feel guilty about what the Holy Spirit told us to do.
Final takeaway: Depend continually on the Holy Spirit for all your answers and responses.
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Living a Lifestyle of Respect for Others
As believers in Christ, we are called to give respect to everyone no matter how they treat us. We give the respect to bullies that they never gave us.
That's what makes us different from the world. Taking rudeness personally is a weakness in us. Compassion is at the very root of someone who loves Christ.
We may have to call out rudeness when there is a consistent bully, and we may have to remove ourselves but we do not have to act the way they do.
Matthew 5:44: "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.Proverbs 26:4-5
Proverbs 26:4-5 "4 Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes."
My take on this passage is that we are not to answer a fool the way he speaks to us, but we can answer wisely without anger.
When we see they are stubborn and resistant, then we do not give them any feedback; in other words, silence.
Proverbs 23:9: "Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words."
2 Timothy 2:23-24 "But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing."
And finally, if we have constant companions who act foolishly and contentiously, we will begin to act like them. This is the reason our close circle of friends must be those who love Christ the way we love Him.
Proverbs 13:20: "He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Proverbs 29:9 "If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution."
Proverbs 9:7-8 "He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself. Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you."
Sometimes silence is the best answer of all for those who wish to provoke you into sinful responses.
That's what makes us different from the world. Taking rudeness personally is a weakness in us. Compassion is at the very root of someone who loves Christ.
We may have to call out rudeness when there is a consistent bully, and we may have to remove ourselves but we do not have to act the way they do.
Matthew 5:44: "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.Proverbs 26:4-5
Proverbs 26:4-5 "4 Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes."
My take on this passage is that we are not to answer a fool the way he speaks to us, but we can answer wisely without anger.
When we see they are stubborn and resistant, then we do not give them any feedback; in other words, silence.
Proverbs 23:9: "Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words."
2 Timothy 2:23-24 "But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing."
And finally, if we have constant companions who act foolishly and contentiously, we will begin to act like them. This is the reason our close circle of friends must be those who love Christ the way we love Him.
Proverbs 13:20: "He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Proverbs 29:9 "If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution."
Proverbs 9:7-8 "He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself. Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you."
Sometimes silence is the best answer of all for those who wish to provoke you into sinful responses.
Forgiven Means Gone Forever
I do not expose the sins of those who have repented. God doesn't hold them against us, and neither should people.
Anyone who holds past forgiven sins against others must also hold their own against themselves.
Anyone who holds past forgiven sins against others must also hold their own against themselves.
Obeying God is Better than Allowing Wicked People to Manipulate Us
Holding onto anger is a choice and will make those who engage in it physically ill. God told us to be angry but not sin.
Ephesians 4:26: "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger."
There were times when Christ was angry but never allowed that anger to cause Him to sin.
When Christ lives in us, we do become angry at sin, but we should never allow us to act sinfully or use anger as an excuse for a bad attitude or behavior.
When we bless those who curse us, gossip against us we are dispelling any bitterness.
There are times when I feel angry at injustice, especially when I see the damage it does to those who are innocent. This anger is justified but is not a license to be rude, mean, or contentious toward the one who harmed me.
If someone is disrespectful on a regular basis without remorse for it, then I know there is a pattern and will avoid that person so that I do not become bitter. I might call it out or not but we should never retaliate, thinking we will teach them a lesson by doing the same to them that they did to us.
Those who have a pattern of disrespectful behavior do not learn from us acting "in kind", they only use it as an excuse to further harm, feeling justified even though they were the first to act this way.
Romans 12:17-21 "17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Our goal as born-again believers, above everything else, is to refrain from becoming like the world. Satan will use ungodly people to poke and prod at you to cause you to look no better than the world.
When we obey God, we are free from the guilt that comes from disobeying Him. We walk in peace because we are not guilty of allowing others to manipulate us to sin.
When we retaliate, we are demonstrating our emotional weakness and a sense of revenge.
Strength comes when we ignore our fleshly feelings to strike back and do what God has commanded us.
Luke 6:27-28 "27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Obeying God is far more peaceful than being manipulated by wicked people to act like them.
Ephesians 4:26: "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger."
There were times when Christ was angry but never allowed that anger to cause Him to sin.
When Christ lives in us, we do become angry at sin, but we should never allow us to act sinfully or use anger as an excuse for a bad attitude or behavior.
When we bless those who curse us, gossip against us we are dispelling any bitterness.
There are times when I feel angry at injustice, especially when I see the damage it does to those who are innocent. This anger is justified but is not a license to be rude, mean, or contentious toward the one who harmed me.
If someone is disrespectful on a regular basis without remorse for it, then I know there is a pattern and will avoid that person so that I do not become bitter. I might call it out or not but we should never retaliate, thinking we will teach them a lesson by doing the same to them that they did to us.
Those who have a pattern of disrespectful behavior do not learn from us acting "in kind", they only use it as an excuse to further harm, feeling justified even though they were the first to act this way.
Romans 12:17-21 "17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Our goal as born-again believers, above everything else, is to refrain from becoming like the world. Satan will use ungodly people to poke and prod at you to cause you to look no better than the world.
When we obey God, we are free from the guilt that comes from disobeying Him. We walk in peace because we are not guilty of allowing others to manipulate us to sin.
When we retaliate, we are demonstrating our emotional weakness and a sense of revenge.
Strength comes when we ignore our fleshly feelings to strike back and do what God has commanded us.
Luke 6:27-28 "27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Obeying God is far more peaceful than being manipulated by wicked people to act like them.
Trusting in Christ is Different from Trusting in Yourself
The Bible teaches that faith alone saves, but that faith produces a lifestyle transformation and actions.
The actions do not come first; faith comes first and all by itself.
Remember the thief on the cross: he had no deeds, only faith, and Christ told him that he would be in heaven that very day with Him.
James 2:20-24 "20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone."
The problem is when people believe they can save themselves by their actions without faith in Christ. They are attempting to gain heaven by their deeds without trusting in Christ.
Matthew 7:21-23 tells us that many, perhaps most people, will trust in themselves and will be turned away on the day of judgment.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Those who have been transformed by Christ because of their faith in Him are those who are eternally saved.
Those who think they are going to heaven by being a good person but are not trusting in Christ, and have no desire to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, are not saved and will not gain heaven.
The question is not whether you did enough good deeds, but whether you trusted Christ and were transformed by Him.
The actions do not come first; faith comes first and all by itself.
Remember the thief on the cross: he had no deeds, only faith, and Christ told him that he would be in heaven that very day with Him.
James 2:20-24 "20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone."
The problem is when people believe they can save themselves by their actions without faith in Christ. They are attempting to gain heaven by their deeds without trusting in Christ.
Matthew 7:21-23 tells us that many, perhaps most people, will trust in themselves and will be turned away on the day of judgment.
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Those who have been transformed by Christ because of their faith in Him are those who are eternally saved.
Those who think they are going to heaven by being a good person but are not trusting in Christ, and have no desire to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, are not saved and will not gain heaven.
The question is not whether you did enough good deeds, but whether you trusted Christ and were transformed by Him.
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Monday, August 10, 2026
Every Born Again Believer Will Have a Job
Not every born-again believer will lead someone to Christ. There are lots of people who speak the gospel to the unsaved, and others come along and water what they planted.
In fact, many believers will live Christlike lives as influences to those around them, which will be their witness.
John 4:37-38 "For in this case the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the hard work, and now you have taken up their labor.”
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 "…5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. 6 I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."
I am comforted by the fact that God gives each of us jobs to do in our mission on earth and no one else's job will be exactly like someone else's.
Acts 18:24-28 "Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures. / He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. / And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately."
Some of us teach and correct, and others of us focus on evangelism. Some merely serve their families and communities in obedience to Christ, others spend much time in prayer and are available to serve as Christ leads them.
It is never a good idea to pressure another believer to do what we think they should do, their calling comes from Christ alone.
Colossians 2: 6-15 "6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
8 See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ.
9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority;
11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,
12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings,
14 having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him."
To recap:
Colossians 2:6-7 "5 For although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I delight to see your orderly condition and firm faith in Christ. 6 Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
In fact, many believers will live Christlike lives as influences to those around them, which will be their witness.
John 4:37-38 "For in this case the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the hard work, and now you have taken up their labor.”
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 "…5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. 6 I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."
I am comforted by the fact that God gives each of us jobs to do in our mission on earth and no one else's job will be exactly like someone else's.
Acts 18:24-28 "Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures. / He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. / And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately."
Some of us teach and correct, and others of us focus on evangelism. Some merely serve their families and communities in obedience to Christ, others spend much time in prayer and are available to serve as Christ leads them.
It is never a good idea to pressure another believer to do what we think they should do, their calling comes from Christ alone.
Colossians 2: 6-15 "6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
8 See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ.
9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority;
11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,
12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings,
14 having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him."
To recap:
Colossians 2:6-7 "5 For although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I delight to see your orderly condition and firm faith in Christ. 6 Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
Sunday, August 9, 2026
America a Country of Complainers
The people of America are ungrateful, always looking for something to complain about.
They complain about the quality of the food; they complain about doctors and many other things that have been keeping them alive and healthy for their entire lives.
I am weary of all the complaining about food, doctors and the price of things.
If you did not go hungry today, or a doctor gave you medicine or an operation to relieve your suffering, and you have been able to buy what you complain about, then you have no reason to complain.
We are such a country of complaints that we even complain about news that is fake when we run out of other things to complain about.
Philippians 4:11: "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content".
Hebrews 13:5: "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.'"
1 Timothy 6:6: "But godliness with contentment is great gain".
1 Timothy 6:8: "If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that".
They complain about the quality of the food; they complain about doctors and many other things that have been keeping them alive and healthy for their entire lives.
I am weary of all the complaining about food, doctors and the price of things.
If you did not go hungry today, or a doctor gave you medicine or an operation to relieve your suffering, and you have been able to buy what you complain about, then you have no reason to complain.
We are such a country of complaints that we even complain about news that is fake when we run out of other things to complain about.
Philippians 4:11: "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content".
Hebrews 13:5: "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.'"
1 Timothy 6:6: "But godliness with contentment is great gain".
1 Timothy 6:8: "If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that".
Saturday, August 8, 2026
Keeping the Stain of the World off of Us
It is not surprising that if one person in the family is a 2 Timothy 3 narcissist, there will be other family members who think the family dynamic was perfectly normal.
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."
The one or two people in the family who are not narcissists, those who are authentic Christians, are bullied for their honesty and dedication to the Bible.
In these family systems, in those family units where most of the people agree with the bullying and disrespect the Christians, the Christians can do no right. In the eyes of the unit, the scapegoated Christians are completely stupid, dismissed, demoralized, ignored and excluded for their audacity to choose their own path.
This should not be a surprise since this is how the prophets were treated; the apostles and Jesus Christ Himself were treated in this way.
The Pharisees accused Christ of doing His miracles by the power of the devil. Just as these pseudo-Christians will accuse authentic believers of character flaws, words, and actions they never expressed.
This is why God told us in 2 Timothy that these would be difficult times. There is nothing more disturbing than to have family and friends accuse you of things before they even hear your defense.
Not only do they not care to hear your explanations for things, but they make up lies about you through innuendo without evidence to discredit whatever you say.
They will judge your every action without knowing the details of what you are doing. They follow the pattern of the devil, which is to accuse the brethren, placing obstacles in the way of good communication.
Jude 1: 17-19 "17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit."
So what does God say our response to this mess should be?
Jude 1:20-25 "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22 Be merciful to those who doubt;
23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."
The key to our continual Spiritual and emotional maturity is to refrain from engaging with those who enjoy causing drama and division. We will be tested; the more we submit to Christ, the less we will become like those who cause problems.
James 1:26-27 "…26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
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."
The one or two people in the family who are not narcissists, those who are authentic Christians, are bullied for their honesty and dedication to the Bible.
In these family systems, in those family units where most of the people agree with the bullying and disrespect the Christians, the Christians can do no right. In the eyes of the unit, the scapegoated Christians are completely stupid, dismissed, demoralized, ignored and excluded for their audacity to choose their own path.
This should not be a surprise since this is how the prophets were treated; the apostles and Jesus Christ Himself were treated in this way.
The Pharisees accused Christ of doing His miracles by the power of the devil. Just as these pseudo-Christians will accuse authentic believers of character flaws, words, and actions they never expressed.
This is why God told us in 2 Timothy that these would be difficult times. There is nothing more disturbing than to have family and friends accuse you of things before they even hear your defense.
Not only do they not care to hear your explanations for things, but they make up lies about you through innuendo without evidence to discredit whatever you say.
They will judge your every action without knowing the details of what you are doing. They follow the pattern of the devil, which is to accuse the brethren, placing obstacles in the way of good communication.
Jude 1: 17-19 "17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit."
So what does God say our response to this mess should be?
Jude 1:20-25 "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22 Be merciful to those who doubt;
23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."
The key to our continual Spiritual and emotional maturity is to refrain from engaging with those who enjoy causing drama and division. We will be tested; the more we submit to Christ, the less we will become like those who cause problems.
James 1:26-27 "…26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
Know Your Bible First
I am convinced that anyone born again who is in a cultic system, such as the Catholic church, will leave eventually as the Holy Spirit leads them out of error, since God told us not to associate with anyone who brings a false gospel. The Holy Spirit will not leave them there.
Galatians 1:6-9 Distortion of the Gospel
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel,
7 which is not just another account; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
9 As we have said before, even now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
The meaning of "accursed" is doomed to destruction and under God's wrath.
So many Christians are becoming confused, believing the Catholic church is just another denomination. It is not only not a Christian denomination, but it is deeply cultic and misleading.
If you are going to do research to prove this or disprove it, read your Bible first before delving into the doctrines of the Catholic church. Many Catholics today have been trained in what to say to Christians that sound good but are a deception.
Unless you know your Bible well first you might miss the subtle deceptions.
Galatians 1:6-9 Distortion of the Gospel
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel,
7 which is not just another account; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
9 As we have said before, even now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
The meaning of "accursed" is doomed to destruction and under God's wrath.
So many Christians are becoming confused, believing the Catholic church is just another denomination. It is not only not a Christian denomination, but it is deeply cultic and misleading.
If you are going to do research to prove this or disprove it, read your Bible first before delving into the doctrines of the Catholic church. Many Catholics today have been trained in what to say to Christians that sound good but are a deception.
Unless you know your Bible well first you might miss the subtle deceptions.
God is not Finished with the Jews
There are so-called "Christians" who are spreading lies that God is done with the Jews. This could not be farther from the truth.
Romans 11:1-36 "I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace."
Patrick Kelleher gave the following comment on another thread:
"For those of us of Christian faith, we must always be aware that we are a tree that has grown from our Jewish roots.
An attack on the roots of a tree is an attack on the whole organism. We must protect our roots if we are to survive the attack by the Godless hordes."
By no means has God rejected the Jews; He is preparing them now to return to Him.
Romans 11:1-36 "I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace."
Patrick Kelleher gave the following comment on another thread:
"For those of us of Christian faith, we must always be aware that we are a tree that has grown from our Jewish roots.
An attack on the roots of a tree is an attack on the whole organism. We must protect our roots if we are to survive the attack by the Godless hordes."
By no means has God rejected the Jews; He is preparing them now to return to Him.
Friday, August 7, 2026
A World Full of Anger and Disrespect
Meekness is power under control; it is not timid or mousy. When we love people, we tell the truth calmly, and if the person responds with humility and a desire to reconcile, we can learn to understand one another. However, if someone is hostile and does not want to resolve anything, they will argue not to understand but to win.
We live in a world full of wrong ideas, disrespectful attitudes, and actions that people justify to excuse rudeness without guilt. These very attitudes and actions displease and grieve God.
Ephesians 4:29-31 …29 Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice."
This passage in Ephesians speaks about believers who are not walking in the Spirit but who want to appear special and superior.
Since this is the condition of these last days and there is no way to escape it, we must be vigilant to refrain from taking on the same mindset and outlook of the world around us. This will bring us at odds with most family members around us even when we say nothing.
So many people who love Christ are finding themselves more isolated, perhaps more like the prophets of old who did not blend into the cultures around them.
Do not allow this to unsettle you as you find yourself more rejected and excluded. Christ is in us and with us; He will be our companion when there is rarely one.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 "Now it is God who establishes both you and us in Christ. He anointed us, placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come."
The more time we have to spend alone because of the exclusion the more we appreciate it. Christ in us is always peaceful, has all the right answers and gives comfort at times when it is needed.
Keep looking to Christ and keep looking up; our home going is soon!
We live in a world full of wrong ideas, disrespectful attitudes, and actions that people justify to excuse rudeness without guilt. These very attitudes and actions displease and grieve God.
Ephesians 4:29-31 …29 Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice."
This passage in Ephesians speaks about believers who are not walking in the Spirit but who want to appear special and superior.
Since this is the condition of these last days and there is no way to escape it, we must be vigilant to refrain from taking on the same mindset and outlook of the world around us. This will bring us at odds with most family members around us even when we say nothing.
So many people who love Christ are finding themselves more isolated, perhaps more like the prophets of old who did not blend into the cultures around them.
Do not allow this to unsettle you as you find yourself more rejected and excluded. Christ is in us and with us; He will be our companion when there is rarely one.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 "Now it is God who establishes both you and us in Christ. He anointed us, placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come."
The more time we have to spend alone because of the exclusion the more we appreciate it. Christ in us is always peaceful, has all the right answers and gives comfort at times when it is needed.
Keep looking to Christ and keep looking up; our home going is soon!
What is a Real Father
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The truth is that the man is perceived by the children as the protector and leader of the family. It is not dominance or orders; it is care and protection for the family members. Thank you for fostering "manhood" in small boys. No one learns something from years of pampering and then all of a sudden at 12 try to teach them. These things must be taught at a very young age, so they become so accustomed and familiar with what they do that it comes naturally without thinking.
The Real Fruit of the Spirit Creates the Authentic Character of Christ
Matthew 10:28 "28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
Acts 16:31 "And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Do not take this passage in Acts out of context to make a doctrine that if you believe in Christ your whole household will. This was written to a particular household of the jailer when Paul and Silas were released.
Not everything is written to us but everything is written for us. Not everyone who trusts in Christ will have the joy of the entire household following. Often there will only be one or two in a household while the rest are against them.
Matthew 10:34-42 "34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
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.’"
Many people will "say" they believe, but they are only words. Believing means that we are so intent on our belief that it leads to a lifestyle, actions, and attitudes of love for God and others. The actions, attitudes, and desires prove the belief.
Those who say they believe but their heart is not full of the Fruit of the Spirit, they do not have Christ.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Without this fruit a person can only pretend for a short time, because it is not their nature they will not be able to sustain the pretense.
Those who have the real fruit of Christ do not have to think about it or manipulate others; their fruit is the very bone and sinew of their Spirit. They can do nothing else but live in this fruit that they did not concoct or create, it comes from Christ in them.
Acts 16:31 "And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Do not take this passage in Acts out of context to make a doctrine that if you believe in Christ your whole household will. This was written to a particular household of the jailer when Paul and Silas were released.
Not everything is written to us but everything is written for us. Not everyone who trusts in Christ will have the joy of the entire household following. Often there will only be one or two in a household while the rest are against them.
Matthew 10:34-42 "34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
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.’"
Many people will "say" they believe, but they are only words. Believing means that we are so intent on our belief that it leads to a lifestyle, actions, and attitudes of love for God and others. The actions, attitudes, and desires prove the belief.
Those who say they believe but their heart is not full of the Fruit of the Spirit, they do not have Christ.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Without this fruit a person can only pretend for a short time, because it is not their nature they will not be able to sustain the pretense.
Those who have the real fruit of Christ do not have to think about it or manipulate others; their fruit is the very bone and sinew of their Spirit. They can do nothing else but live in this fruit that they did not concoct or create, it comes from Christ in them.
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
God's Beautiful Creation
The Lord's blessing to me this year. I love the animals and the flowers. These plants survived having been made to live in buckets for months while work was being done and then replanted in this spot. We didn't know if they would make it but God made them thrive.
Deuteronomy 28:4 "Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock."
Deuteronomy 28:4 "Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock."
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Obeying God Rather Than Men
There are women who believe they must obey their husbands even if they are told to sin. This could not be further from the truth.
With Ananias and Sapphira, the husband suggested that they lie to keep back money; his wife went along, and they were counted by God as "conspiring together."
The same is true in the garden when Eve picked the fruit; when Adam took what was offered him, he then became a co-conspirator in the sin.
Each person is responsible for their own sin. The one who offers the opportunity to sin is not considered more culpable than the one who takes it; they are equal in the eyes of God.
Sort of like the "working in concert" idea with the law. If one person steals from a jewelry store and the other person stands outside as a lookout but doesn't steal and takes part of the loot, they are both responsible for the crime.
When we obey those who tell us to sin, we are responsible for our own sin, since everyone is accountable. No one will be able to stand before the Lord on judgment day and blame anyone else for their own sinful choices.
One might say, "But they will cause me all kinds of trouble if I don't do what they say." The answer to that is, it is better to suffer loss doing what is right than to protect ourselves temporarily to avoid suffering.
Let's not forget the three Hebrew boys who refused to bow to the idol of Nebuchadnezzar. They were thrown into a fiery furnace for honoring God and disobeying human authority.
Daniel 3:16-28 tells us that the three young men went into the furnace, but the Son of God was in there with them. They came out unharmed without the smell of smoke on them, and their hair wasn't even singed.
In the case of Abigail, her wicked husband told her to ignore King David in his need, but she disobeyed her husband to honor the King. Her husband died, and Abigail married David. Her desire to do what was right in God's eyes despite ignoring her husband's demands was rewarded by God.
There is no authority on earth that we obey when they tell us to sin.
Obey God first and take your lumps, you will not regret it.
With Ananias and Sapphira, the husband suggested that they lie to keep back money; his wife went along, and they were counted by God as "conspiring together."
The same is true in the garden when Eve picked the fruit; when Adam took what was offered him, he then became a co-conspirator in the sin.
Each person is responsible for their own sin. The one who offers the opportunity to sin is not considered more culpable than the one who takes it; they are equal in the eyes of God.
Sort of like the "working in concert" idea with the law. If one person steals from a jewelry store and the other person stands outside as a lookout but doesn't steal and takes part of the loot, they are both responsible for the crime.
When we obey those who tell us to sin, we are responsible for our own sin, since everyone is accountable. No one will be able to stand before the Lord on judgment day and blame anyone else for their own sinful choices.
One might say, "But they will cause me all kinds of trouble if I don't do what they say." The answer to that is, it is better to suffer loss doing what is right than to protect ourselves temporarily to avoid suffering.
Let's not forget the three Hebrew boys who refused to bow to the idol of Nebuchadnezzar. They were thrown into a fiery furnace for honoring God and disobeying human authority.
Daniel 3:16-28 tells us that the three young men went into the furnace, but the Son of God was in there with them. They came out unharmed without the smell of smoke on them, and their hair wasn't even singed.
In the case of Abigail, her wicked husband told her to ignore King David in his need, but she disobeyed her husband to honor the King. Her husband died, and Abigail married David. Her desire to do what was right in God's eyes despite ignoring her husband's demands was rewarded by God.
There is no authority on earth that we obey when they tell us to sin.
Obey God first and take your lumps, you will not regret it.
Meekness Power Under Control
Every principle and teaching of Christ in the bible is fruitful for growing in holiness.
Meekness is power under control; it is not timid or mousy. When we love people, we tell the truth calmly, and if the person responds with humility and a desire to reconcile, we can learn to understand one another. However, if someone is hostile and does not want to resolve anything, they will argue not to understand but to win.
Those who are political in their mindset will always be interested only in power and victory over others. They are not very interested in understanding or resolving things, nor are they interested in learning and growing in holiness.
1 Peter 1:15-17 "…15 But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners."
Matthew 4:4 "But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
1 Corinthians 1:19 "For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Romans 3:4 "Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
Romans 12:1 "Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."
Meekness is power under control; it is not timid or mousy. When we love people, we tell the truth calmly, and if the person responds with humility and a desire to reconcile, we can learn to understand one another. However, if someone is hostile and does not want to resolve anything, they will argue not to understand but to win.
Those who are political in their mindset will always be interested only in power and victory over others. They are not very interested in understanding or resolving things, nor are they interested in learning and growing in holiness.
1 Peter 1:15-17 "…15 But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners."
Matthew 4:4 "But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
1 Corinthians 1:19 "For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Romans 3:4 "Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
Romans 12:1 "Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."
Expressing Love God's Way
When we express concern and dismay at how someone is treating us, and the response is to argue, then we know they meant to do it and don't care about our concern.
When love is present, we are deeply aware of the way we treat others so that they will sense love, even if that love is expressed in correction to help.
Those who refuse to communicate in love without anger are those who only care about winning over and controlling you.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
1 John 4:6-7 "6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. 7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
Those who are walking in the Spirit easily recognize God's love emanating from someone, and they just as easily recognize a lack of love radiating from those who love themselves more than anyone else, including God.
1 Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul."
The desires of the flesh drive out love, leaving room only for self-indulgence and personal aggrandizement.
John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
Hebrews 5:14 "…13 For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil."
Ephesians 4:13-14 "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming."
James 1:22-25 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. …
have trained their senses."
Proverbs 2:1-5 "My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you, if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding, if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,"
Those who seek Christ with the intention of learning and obeying will be those who will develop God's love for others and obedience to Him. These people will be very discerning in ways others cannot notice good from bad.
When love is present, we are deeply aware of the way we treat others so that they will sense love, even if that love is expressed in correction to help.
Those who refuse to communicate in love without anger are those who only care about winning over and controlling you.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
1 John 4:6-7 "6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. 7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
Those who are walking in the Spirit easily recognize God's love emanating from someone, and they just as easily recognize a lack of love radiating from those who love themselves more than anyone else, including God.
1 Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul."
The desires of the flesh drive out love, leaving room only for self-indulgence and personal aggrandizement.
John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
Hebrews 5:14 "…13 For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil."
Ephesians 4:13-14 "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming."
James 1:22-25 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. …
have trained their senses."
Proverbs 2:1-5 "My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you, if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding, if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,"
Those who seek Christ with the intention of learning and obeying will be those who will develop God's love for others and obedience to Him. These people will be very discerning in ways others cannot notice good from bad.
Monday, August 3, 2026
Twisting Scripture to Justify Immodesty
There are those who are attempting to justify women dressing immodestly as self-expression and that God does not have a problem with a bikini on the beach and other forms of exhibitionism.
These are false teachers wanting to remove the principles of God to allow for sin. They use Scripture to say that the word modesty does not have to do with showing skin but only with adorning with jewelry and braiding of hair in 1 Corinthians 6.
Why do women dress in immodest clothing? To show off their wares. This is not an attitude of decency.
1 Timothy 2:9-10: Modest apparel does not only apply to jewelry and hair, it also applies to showing off skin that only a husband should see.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says,
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have within you from God? You are not your own, for you are bought with a price, so glorify God in your body."
The first thing God did after Adam and Eve sinned was to cover up their bodies. They didn't even know they were naked until after the sin of disobedience; then they went and hid from God for their shame.
Men lust, and women entice; that's what happens in a fallen world. Before sin came into the world, lust was not present; therefore, not a problem. After the fall, it became a very big problem.
If God covered Adam and Eve with animal skins after the fall, then we know the nakedness should be covered by us in the way we dress.
The devil is using every form of deceit to cause believers to sin, while enjoying the pleasures of this world without guilt.
Modesty reflects the inner heart. The way we dress demonstrates the way we think. It is important to examine our motives for the way we dress.
It's not just about adorning the hair or jewelry; it is about an inner heart of good grooming to please God.
Immodest clothing is designed to provoke others to peer at the one wearing it. Men lust when too much is showing on the woman, and the woman knows it.
Flaunting anything shows an attitude of lack of humility: clothing, accomplishments, or wealth. To flaunt our bodies to anyone through scanty clothing is pride.
I am convinced every Christian woman knows when she is dressing immodestly; the Spirit makes her uncomfortable.
A good example of this was when I was in the presence of a scantily clad woman at a fair. As I was talking to her, I was being friendly and engaging. I said nothing about clothing, and I know I didn't give any looks that conveyed disapproval; I was used to seeing it. The young woman began to pull her sweater together, covering her top as though embarrassed.
Often the Holy Spirit in someone convicts others; they think it is something about us, but it is the Holy Spirit.
John 16:8 "8 And when he comes (the Holy Spirit), he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:"
We don't have to talk about God or moral issues in the presence of non-believers; they can sense the Holy Spirit before we ever say a word.
John 16:9-11 "9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."
John 16:14 "14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you."
Those who come in contact with a born-again, Spirit-filled believer will feel uncomfortable but think it is something about us that makes them so awkward and uneasy.
Sometimes they will twist what you say and do to make it sound bad to be able to justify why they don't like us, when it is the Holy Spirit they are in rebellion against.
Coming back to immodest clothing, we can say that every woman who is born again should ask God if she is honoring Him in her clothing style. He will tell her if she really wants to know.
Unbelieving women don't know or care about modesty. If they don't dress themselves immodestly, they defend those who do.
Christian women should not be looking for excuses to dress like the world. Remember, if God covered Adam and Eve after the fall, we know He cares how we dress now and the message it sends to the world.
If anyone thinks there is no standard for modesty in covering the body, we might want to ask if they would be comfortable with a woman entering a church gathering stark naked? If they would say they would find that offensive then they have a standard. The next question might be Who sets the standard? The Holy Spirit does and He tells us if we ask Him.
Don't listen to those who are looking for every excuse they can find to disobey God and endorse what God hates.
These are false teachers wanting to remove the principles of God to allow for sin. They use Scripture to say that the word modesty does not have to do with showing skin but only with adorning with jewelry and braiding of hair in 1 Corinthians 6.
Why do women dress in immodest clothing? To show off their wares. This is not an attitude of decency.
1 Timothy 2:9-10: Modest apparel does not only apply to jewelry and hair, it also applies to showing off skin that only a husband should see.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says,
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have within you from God? You are not your own, for you are bought with a price, so glorify God in your body."
The first thing God did after Adam and Eve sinned was to cover up their bodies. They didn't even know they were naked until after the sin of disobedience; then they went and hid from God for their shame.
Men lust, and women entice; that's what happens in a fallen world. Before sin came into the world, lust was not present; therefore, not a problem. After the fall, it became a very big problem.
If God covered Adam and Eve with animal skins after the fall, then we know the nakedness should be covered by us in the way we dress.
The devil is using every form of deceit to cause believers to sin, while enjoying the pleasures of this world without guilt.
Modesty reflects the inner heart. The way we dress demonstrates the way we think. It is important to examine our motives for the way we dress.
It's not just about adorning the hair or jewelry; it is about an inner heart of good grooming to please God.
Immodest clothing is designed to provoke others to peer at the one wearing it. Men lust when too much is showing on the woman, and the woman knows it.
Flaunting anything shows an attitude of lack of humility: clothing, accomplishments, or wealth. To flaunt our bodies to anyone through scanty clothing is pride.
I am convinced every Christian woman knows when she is dressing immodestly; the Spirit makes her uncomfortable.
A good example of this was when I was in the presence of a scantily clad woman at a fair. As I was talking to her, I was being friendly and engaging. I said nothing about clothing, and I know I didn't give any looks that conveyed disapproval; I was used to seeing it. The young woman began to pull her sweater together, covering her top as though embarrassed.
Often the Holy Spirit in someone convicts others; they think it is something about us, but it is the Holy Spirit.
John 16:8 "8 And when he comes (the Holy Spirit), he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:"
We don't have to talk about God or moral issues in the presence of non-believers; they can sense the Holy Spirit before we ever say a word.
John 16:9-11 "9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."
John 16:14 "14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you."
Those who come in contact with a born-again, Spirit-filled believer will feel uncomfortable but think it is something about us that makes them so awkward and uneasy.
Sometimes they will twist what you say and do to make it sound bad to be able to justify why they don't like us, when it is the Holy Spirit they are in rebellion against.
Coming back to immodest clothing, we can say that every woman who is born again should ask God if she is honoring Him in her clothing style. He will tell her if she really wants to know.
Unbelieving women don't know or care about modesty. If they don't dress themselves immodestly, they defend those who do.
Christian women should not be looking for excuses to dress like the world. Remember, if God covered Adam and Eve after the fall, we know He cares how we dress now and the message it sends to the world.
If anyone thinks there is no standard for modesty in covering the body, we might want to ask if they would be comfortable with a woman entering a church gathering stark naked? If they would say they would find that offensive then they have a standard. The next question might be Who sets the standard? The Holy Spirit does and He tells us if we ask Him.
Don't listen to those who are looking for every excuse they can find to disobey God and endorse what God hates.
Saturday, August 1, 2026
David Jeremiah on Betrayal, click on the link
All born-again believers will be betrayed by family and friends because we love Christ. Christ is Perfect and did only good while He was on earth, and yet the Pharisees were threatened by Him because He told the truth.
Friday, July 31, 2026
Coming Out of Catholicism
When I was sixteen, I became Catholic to marry my husband, who was a cradle Catholic. I was raised in a Covenant church where the people believed one could lose their salvation. I expressed salvation in Christ at about 12 years old but had no idea what that really meant.
Both my husband and I were indoctrinated in the notion that we must do certain things to maintain our salvation. Rituals: attending Mass, or in the case of the covenant church, Sunday services every week and being a good person.
After I became Catholic, I was introduced to the confessional, where I would enter a little closet door and sit down. The priest was in another closet on the other side, and between us was a little window that would not reveal the penitent or the face of the priest. A little dark window with hatches would be opened so that the priest and I could hear one another without seeing each other.
Having been raised Protestant, I was not familiar with the mantras that were required to confess my sins, except: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." The other phrases that were required for me to speak, I didn't know.
I said to the priest the required words, "Forgive me father for I have sinned." I was shocked when the priest chastized me for not repeating the other phrases that had to be said before he could absolve me of my sin. He mocked me by saying, "How old are you? You should know this by now."
At this point, I argued with the priest, "You mean you will not forgive me because I didn't say those words? I think God has forgiven me." I explained that I was not raised Cahtolic and didn't know all the rituals. Then the priest reluctantly absolved me, as though I was rebellious.
This is the nature of ritualistic religion based on rules instead of Christ. When I told the story to others, they laughed because I argued with the "man in charge, who had the ability to not forgive me.
I left that little confessional box and never returned. Not because I was offended; I wasn't. I just sensed the foolishness of having to confess to a man when I could go straight to God.
This was the beginning of my quest to read the Bible for myself. After I began reading the Bible, I trusted in Christ and left the Catholic system of religion.
Shortly after that, my husband came out too and trusted in Christ.
Religion is based on man's rules and ideas, not on God's Word. Those in religions such as Catholicism trust in the Pope, not in Christ, and in the rules of the system, not the Bible.
The Catholic church feared losing people to protestantism because of their desire to read the Bible, which in the past they were discouraged from doing. I was one who defied the church and read it anyway.
Now we have "Catholic Bible Studies", sadly teaching to fit with their traditions, even using some Protestant verbiage to confuse people.
When a Catholic says they are saved by grace, they mean they get more graces each time they do a good deed. They never know for sure if they are saved, or how many graces it takes, but the more graces by deeds, the better chance they will earn their salvation.
Of course, we know the Bible teaches we do not earn grace. We accept the grace of God, based on His work, not our own.
Ephesians 2:8-9 "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Now I deal with Protestants, Pentecostals, and others who claim to be Christian who are acting the same way as the priests did. They heap rules on people God never gave, they monitor our every encounter to make sure we are following their doctrine, and isolate us from the herd for not accepting the traditions of their group that God never instituted.
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.”
Isaiah 29:13 "Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men."
Colossians 2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ."
1 Peter 1:18 "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,"
Brothers and Sisters, we must seek the Holy Spirit and read His word for ourselves to avoid becoming in bondage to man's traditions and the cultural pulls we encounter every day.
Both my husband and I were indoctrinated in the notion that we must do certain things to maintain our salvation. Rituals: attending Mass, or in the case of the covenant church, Sunday services every week and being a good person.
After I became Catholic, I was introduced to the confessional, where I would enter a little closet door and sit down. The priest was in another closet on the other side, and between us was a little window that would not reveal the penitent or the face of the priest. A little dark window with hatches would be opened so that the priest and I could hear one another without seeing each other.
Having been raised Protestant, I was not familiar with the mantras that were required to confess my sins, except: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." The other phrases that were required for me to speak, I didn't know.
I said to the priest the required words, "Forgive me father for I have sinned." I was shocked when the priest chastized me for not repeating the other phrases that had to be said before he could absolve me of my sin. He mocked me by saying, "How old are you? You should know this by now."
At this point, I argued with the priest, "You mean you will not forgive me because I didn't say those words? I think God has forgiven me." I explained that I was not raised Cahtolic and didn't know all the rituals. Then the priest reluctantly absolved me, as though I was rebellious.
This is the nature of ritualistic religion based on rules instead of Christ. When I told the story to others, they laughed because I argued with the "man in charge, who had the ability to not forgive me.
I left that little confessional box and never returned. Not because I was offended; I wasn't. I just sensed the foolishness of having to confess to a man when I could go straight to God.
This was the beginning of my quest to read the Bible for myself. After I began reading the Bible, I trusted in Christ and left the Catholic system of religion.
Shortly after that, my husband came out too and trusted in Christ.
Religion is based on man's rules and ideas, not on God's Word. Those in religions such as Catholicism trust in the Pope, not in Christ, and in the rules of the system, not the Bible.
The Catholic church feared losing people to protestantism because of their desire to read the Bible, which in the past they were discouraged from doing. I was one who defied the church and read it anyway.
Now we have "Catholic Bible Studies", sadly teaching to fit with their traditions, even using some Protestant verbiage to confuse people.
When a Catholic says they are saved by grace, they mean they get more graces each time they do a good deed. They never know for sure if they are saved, or how many graces it takes, but the more graces by deeds, the better chance they will earn their salvation.
Of course, we know the Bible teaches we do not earn grace. We accept the grace of God, based on His work, not our own.
Ephesians 2:8-9 "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Now I deal with Protestants, Pentecostals, and others who claim to be Christian who are acting the same way as the priests did. They heap rules on people God never gave, they monitor our every encounter to make sure we are following their doctrine, and isolate us from the herd for not accepting the traditions of their group that God never instituted.
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.”
Isaiah 29:13 "Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men."
Colossians 2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ."
1 Peter 1:18 "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,"
Brothers and Sisters, we must seek the Holy Spirit and read His word for ourselves to avoid becoming in bondage to man's traditions and the cultural pulls we encounter every day.
Difficult Times
2 Timothy 3:1-5 is here now!
"3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
These are difficult times to live in because of the disrespect for God.
When we watch what is happening today, good is called bad and bad is called good; even in church gatherings, the ones being punished are the ones speaking the truth from God's Word. They are gossiped against, minimized, and rejected.
God told us to count it all joy when we are reviled for Christ's sake.
Matthew 5:11-12 "11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
We are not here on this earth to be praised by men or loved by family members; we are here to speak for God, His way from His Word.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
Many "Christians" are pleasure-seeking, desire popularity, and indulge in activities that dishonor God. It is not possible to be like this and love God with all your heart too!!
Matthew 22:37-40 "37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Loving God first and then others is to desire to bring truth and all the fruit of the Spirit of God to every relationship.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
"3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
These are difficult times to live in because of the disrespect for God.
When we watch what is happening today, good is called bad and bad is called good; even in church gatherings, the ones being punished are the ones speaking the truth from God's Word. They are gossiped against, minimized, and rejected.
God told us to count it all joy when we are reviled for Christ's sake.
Matthew 5:11-12 "11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
We are not here on this earth to be praised by men or loved by family members; we are here to speak for God, His way from His Word.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
Many "Christians" are pleasure-seeking, desire popularity, and indulge in activities that dishonor God. It is not possible to be like this and love God with all your heart too!!
Matthew 22:37-40 "37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Loving God first and then others is to desire to bring truth and all the fruit of the Spirit of God to every relationship.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
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