I am reminded recently of the intensely deceptive tactics of the devil in our world.
2 Corinthians 11:14 "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
I was reading an article this morning about the death of Thomas Kinkade, the self proclaimed painter of lights. Many believers were excited about his paintings, not merely because they were beautiful, but because the artist claimed to be a Christian.
I had misgivings about this artist, not because he painted, or because I saw something in him, but because I had a strong sense of uneasiness with his popularity.
Whenever I have seen someone who was loved by the world as well as believers, I have to wonder what this person is compromising to be friendly with the world. I enjoyed very much the paintings that Mr. Kinkade produced and even considered buying one, until I discovered the cost. I could not afford the originals and the prints were even too spendie for me to feel justified purchasing one of them. I did buy a calendar or two over the years and were given some as gifts.
When I discovered more information about the artist, it was confirmed that something was wrong, I guess I will call it discernment, that God allowed me to see something was not right, even though I didn't know what it was, this happens to me frequently with celebrities who claim to be believers. I dismiss the sense I have until the proof comes forward. I am always suspect now when a famous person, loved by the world, declares that they are a Christian.
Thomas Kinkade had the reputation of attending poker parties where he became drunk and on one occasion urinated over a balcany spilling on someone below during one of his drunken stupors.
He was divorced and living with his girlfriend when he died at the age of 54 of an overdose of Valium mixed with alcohol.
Kinkade once stated that his paintings were; "not the world we live in but the world we wished we lived in." Whether or not Kinkade was born again I don't know, what I do know is that he left a terrible taste in the mouth of the non-believer, something the unregenerate world could use as an excuse for hating Christians as hypocrites for generations to come.
Do we not understand that our life example remains even after our death. What we leave behind counts for eternity. Did this "painter of lights" get his idea from the "angel of light." Could it be that the devil used one more person to smudge the name of Christ by claiming to be a Christian while living wickedly?
It is important that we not jump on every band wagon that comes down the road, claiming to be Christian. When it comes to the arts, painters, actors, ball players, stars of the stage and others, we must not elevate them simply because they claim to be "Christians."
I have had this same sense of warning about "Tebo." When I saw him dressed in a bathing suit that would embarrass a true believer while posing with his girl friend in a scanty bikini, my suspicions were answered. Something still feels wrong and more intensely now. All the show of praying in public was a violation of Scripture that tells us to pray privately.
Many have made claims of "Christianity", later having been proven to be social Christians acting as though they were using the name of Christ to gain wealth and popularity. We see the fruits of their efforts in their lifestyle and who likes them. If the world loves them, then they are probably not born again.
Amy Grant went secular in her singing after claiming to be singing for God
Elvis lived a wicked lifestyle while being paid to sing in churches because he had a beautiful voice.
Mel Gibson is a Catholic drunk driver who made a movie about the crucifixion. People were sucked into that movie claiming it changed their life, but months and even just weeks later there was nothing different about their lives. Perhaps that was because the gospel message was not in the movie, it was decidedly Catholic with much false doctrine in it. The only truth about it was that Christ died on a cross. Sadly some evangelical leaders praised the movie as something everyone should see.
Thomas Kinkade died while drinking and committing adultery.
Joyce Landorf ran off with her station manager while married to another man, and is now divorced, having never repented from her sin, she still does women's seminars.
Jimmy Swarart used prostitutes and when commanded by his leaders to step down, refused, even though he repented, one does not get right back in the pulpit after a scandal of this magnitude. Disobeying the discipline of the church is an indication of lack of repentance no matter what he says.
Jim and Tammy Baker fleeced the people with their silly theme parks, he went off to jail, while there, his wife Tammy, divorced him. I have heard that he repented and is broken, I hope that is true, however the taste in the mouths of the unbelievers remains bitter. His wife Tammy remarried in violation of God's Word.
Pat Robertson claimed to be able to lift 2000 pounds even though he is only 79 years old, which was found to be false, in other words he lies. He also advised a man to go ahead and divorce his wife with Alzhiemers, while he was committing adultery, to marry his girlfriend.
Believers need to stop elevating someone because they claim to be believers. We need to examine the fruit, ignore and even reject those who have fallen and will not repent.
Believers do fall as times, those in the public eye are more exposed to disarming flattery, therefore becoming more vulnerable to temptation. As time goes on we can see who are fakers and who are genuine by their brokenness and willingness to be disciplined for their sin. Those who refuse to be accountable and will not even admit they have sinned, reveal their unregenerate hearts.
The Sun Myung Moons and David Koresh's of the world are not nearly as dangerous to the Christians church, those guys are easy to recognize for almost any church goer. It is those who have public notoriety, television exposure endorsed by many because they preach the Bible, while at the same time violating it in part if not entirely.
We must be willing to evaluate all things according to the Word, place no man on a pedestal. When we look at men as icons of virtue simply because they say some things we like and based on their popularity we have crossed the line into idolatry.
* Psalm 12:2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
* Psalm 5:9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
* Psalm 62:4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly.
* Psalm 78:36-37 They did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto Him with their tongues. 37 For their heart was not right with Him, neither were they stedfast in His covenant.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Friday, October 17, 2014
Flattery is of no Use Whatever
Next time someone accuses you of being mean spirited because of warnings from God that you have for them, or accuses you of judging, perhaps they need to read these verses.
Proverbs 26:24-28 "24 He who hates, disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself;
25 When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart;
26 Though his hatred is covered by deceit, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, And a flattering mouth works ruin."
Psalm 12:2-3 "They speak falsehood to one another; With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things;:
Psalm 55:20-21 "He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has violated his covenant. His speech was smoother than butter, But his heart was war; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords."
Psalm 62:4 "They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position; They delight in falsehood; They bless with their mouth, But inwardly they curse. Selah."
Proverbs 27:6 "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy."
Jeremiah 9:8 ""Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him."
Proverbs 26:28 "A lying tongue hates those it crushes, And a flattering mouth works ruin."
Proverbs 29:5 "A man who flatters his neighbor Is spreading a net for his steps."
Job 32:21-22 ""Let me now be partial to no one, Nor flatter any man. "For I do not know how to flatter, Else my Maker would soon take me away."
Galatians 1:10 "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ."
1 Thessalonians 2:5-6 "For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed--God is witness-- nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority."
Proverbs 28:23 "He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue."
Proverbs 27:9 "Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man's counsel is sweet to his friend."
Romans 16:17-18 "Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting."
2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths."
Luke 20:21 "They questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth."
Proverbs 26:24-28 "24 He who hates, disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself;
25 When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart;
26 Though his hatred is covered by deceit, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, And a flattering mouth works ruin."
Psalm 12:2-3 "They speak falsehood to one another; With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things;:
Psalm 55:20-21 "He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has violated his covenant. His speech was smoother than butter, But his heart was war; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords."
Psalm 62:4 "They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position; They delight in falsehood; They bless with their mouth, But inwardly they curse. Selah."
Proverbs 27:6 "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy."
Jeremiah 9:8 ""Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him."
Proverbs 26:28 "A lying tongue hates those it crushes, And a flattering mouth works ruin."
Proverbs 29:5 "A man who flatters his neighbor Is spreading a net for his steps."
Job 32:21-22 ""Let me now be partial to no one, Nor flatter any man. "For I do not know how to flatter, Else my Maker would soon take me away."
Galatians 1:10 "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ."
1 Thessalonians 2:5-6 "For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed--God is witness-- nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority."
Proverbs 28:23 "He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue."
Proverbs 27:9 "Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man's counsel is sweet to his friend."
Romans 16:17-18 "Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting."
2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths."
Luke 20:21 "They questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth."
In His Strength
For those Believers who are still here on this earth, I thought this was a lovely and appropriate British saying to post today.
"KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON."
"KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON."
Let the Past Be the Past
Those of us who are born again, could have made the choice to rebel against God, wreaking havoc everywhere we go. Every one of us could have concocted an excuse for refusing to learn the right path to take.
We could say, "my parents abandoned me" or "my mother loved my brother more than me" or "my father wasn't around enough", or whatever other excuse we want to use to wallow in self pity rather than trust Christ, determining to do things His way.
No parent is perfect and some are pretty awful, however, did we stop to think that God gave us those parents? God knew before we were conceived that we would be in the family we were born to and He knew if we would be given another family to raise us.
A child's attitude is developed very early in life, perhaps as young as two. When a child is not nurtured, trained or protected by the time they are two, they develop an angry heart. We have adopted four children of our six. The four adopted children came at older ages.
When they entered our home, they did not see it as their new family, but as the next foster home. We didn't want to be foster parents, we wanted to adopt to give the children a sense of belonging. We were young and didn't realize that the anger at being taken from their natural parents, was festering in them all their lives to this very day. We thought if we gave them a stable family life with two parents, love and opportunity, they would come out of their anger and bitterness. As we grew in the Lord we realized that we forgot to take into account the choice of a child. The child must want the love and instruction before he can become anything other than how he was trained.
It was not a "generational curse", it was a sense of deep loss that motivated them to rebel against anyone who would be the authority, even if that authority was trying to help. Many adoptive parents have the same story. This is not a curse, it is by lack of love from natural parents and lack of proper training in their early life. It is not an excuse for their behavior though, if we want to think in humanistic terms, everyone has a "reason" for being rebellious and angry, when things don't go the way we want them to. When we reach a certain age, we have a choice to depart from the way we were raised or follow in the foot steps of rebellious parents.
Moses was raised by the Pharaoh, after his mother placed him in the river to spare him death at the hands of the Egyptians. He was nursed by his own mother for the first early years of his life, then his time was spent with his adoptive father, learning to build cities and lead people. The end result was a confident young man who had training and skills to lead his people out of captivity. He suffered persecution when the Lord opened his eyes to who he really was, and later was given the task of freeing God's people from bondage. Notice too that Moses was with his natural mother for the formative years before she went out of the picture.
Then there was Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his own brothers, thrown into a well, later to become a leader in Egypt where his brothers ended up bowing down to him. Joseph could have harbored bitterness and hate toward wicked brothers, but instead he got on with the life God had for him and even forgave when the brothers were repentant.
God was the engineer in all of this, for His purposes, and the misery was not to be compared to the glory that these men saw, the power of God was clear as time went on.
Those who are adopted and have seen miserable times before you entered your new home, I want to encourage you that you do not have to harbor bitterness and anger over your circumstances, you can choose to confess the sin of pride and anger while trusting Christ for salvation and deliverance from the hate that comforted you as young children and through your life.
The devil loves to remind us of our past misery, if he can keep us in a "one down" position he can cause great destruction in our lives. His favorite tactic is to keep us bitter and angry over the past, never allowing us to move beyond that afflicted condition.
Adopted children, this is for you, God tested you for years, in sometimes very difficult circumstances. He did not cause you to engage in the attitudes you chose, He merely did what would cause those attitudes to emerge, they were already there. When someone responds badly to provocation, that attitude did not develop instantaneously, it was already in there waiting for the time when it would be incited by people or circumstances.
Matthew 7:16-18
"16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit"
God allows us testing so that we will see our own hearts. When difficult and even miserable circumstances come, they are to drudge out the inner self, that we might confess that sin, we may not have known was in there.
When a battered child grows up and finds Christ, there is forgiveness in their heart, ready and willing to forgive those who have hurt them. They are no longer bent on self destruction because of hate, they are on the road to healing, ready to live for Christ, setting aside all of their past to go to live the present as if there never was a past.
After all, Christ forgets our past when He forgives us, what right have we to hold onto a painful and destructive past. The past is not here now, why waste any time on it. Our future is dependent on today, right now, not the past.
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
We could say, "my parents abandoned me" or "my mother loved my brother more than me" or "my father wasn't around enough", or whatever other excuse we want to use to wallow in self pity rather than trust Christ, determining to do things His way.
No parent is perfect and some are pretty awful, however, did we stop to think that God gave us those parents? God knew before we were conceived that we would be in the family we were born to and He knew if we would be given another family to raise us.
A child's attitude is developed very early in life, perhaps as young as two. When a child is not nurtured, trained or protected by the time they are two, they develop an angry heart. We have adopted four children of our six. The four adopted children came at older ages.
When they entered our home, they did not see it as their new family, but as the next foster home. We didn't want to be foster parents, we wanted to adopt to give the children a sense of belonging. We were young and didn't realize that the anger at being taken from their natural parents, was festering in them all their lives to this very day. We thought if we gave them a stable family life with two parents, love and opportunity, they would come out of their anger and bitterness. As we grew in the Lord we realized that we forgot to take into account the choice of a child. The child must want the love and instruction before he can become anything other than how he was trained.
It was not a "generational curse", it was a sense of deep loss that motivated them to rebel against anyone who would be the authority, even if that authority was trying to help. Many adoptive parents have the same story. This is not a curse, it is by lack of love from natural parents and lack of proper training in their early life. It is not an excuse for their behavior though, if we want to think in humanistic terms, everyone has a "reason" for being rebellious and angry, when things don't go the way we want them to. When we reach a certain age, we have a choice to depart from the way we were raised or follow in the foot steps of rebellious parents.
Moses was raised by the Pharaoh, after his mother placed him in the river to spare him death at the hands of the Egyptians. He was nursed by his own mother for the first early years of his life, then his time was spent with his adoptive father, learning to build cities and lead people. The end result was a confident young man who had training and skills to lead his people out of captivity. He suffered persecution when the Lord opened his eyes to who he really was, and later was given the task of freeing God's people from bondage. Notice too that Moses was with his natural mother for the formative years before she went out of the picture.
Then there was Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his own brothers, thrown into a well, later to become a leader in Egypt where his brothers ended up bowing down to him. Joseph could have harbored bitterness and hate toward wicked brothers, but instead he got on with the life God had for him and even forgave when the brothers were repentant.
God was the engineer in all of this, for His purposes, and the misery was not to be compared to the glory that these men saw, the power of God was clear as time went on.
Those who are adopted and have seen miserable times before you entered your new home, I want to encourage you that you do not have to harbor bitterness and anger over your circumstances, you can choose to confess the sin of pride and anger while trusting Christ for salvation and deliverance from the hate that comforted you as young children and through your life.
The devil loves to remind us of our past misery, if he can keep us in a "one down" position he can cause great destruction in our lives. His favorite tactic is to keep us bitter and angry over the past, never allowing us to move beyond that afflicted condition.
Adopted children, this is for you, God tested you for years, in sometimes very difficult circumstances. He did not cause you to engage in the attitudes you chose, He merely did what would cause those attitudes to emerge, they were already there. When someone responds badly to provocation, that attitude did not develop instantaneously, it was already in there waiting for the time when it would be incited by people or circumstances.
Matthew 7:16-18
"16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit"
God allows us testing so that we will see our own hearts. When difficult and even miserable circumstances come, they are to drudge out the inner self, that we might confess that sin, we may not have known was in there.
When a battered child grows up and finds Christ, there is forgiveness in their heart, ready and willing to forgive those who have hurt them. They are no longer bent on self destruction because of hate, they are on the road to healing, ready to live for Christ, setting aside all of their past to go to live the present as if there never was a past.
After all, Christ forgets our past when He forgives us, what right have we to hold onto a painful and destructive past. The past is not here now, why waste any time on it. Our future is dependent on today, right now, not the past.
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Thursday, October 16, 2014
No Such Thing As A Generational Curse
In recent years we have been hearing from time to time the concept of "generational curses", on families. This is not a Biblical concept.
The meaning of a curse as a noun is this:
"a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something."
"she'd put a curse on him"
To invoke or use a curse against. "it often seemed as if the family had been cursed"
synonyms: put a curse on, put the evil eye on, anathematize, damn, hex, jinx;
No man has the power to proclaim a curse on another man. All sin is an individual choice. Each person is subject to his own sin nature before becoming a new creation in Christ.
It seems that when the culture began to lose interest in blaming our parents or circumstances for our sin, there are those who developed another form of blaming that has no basis in Scripture, that of the "generational curse."
The very nature of the word "curse" tends to denote someone speaking against a person, calling down evil on them. The idea creates the picture of someone who has the power to control the life experiences of another person simply by their words and invocations.
There is no such thing as a "generational curse." No family is cursed with sin because of another person, or a family. Only individuals are sinful, it's not a curse but a choice brought on by a sinful nature. All people have a sinful nature that must be covered in the blood of Christ to become born again. We have victory over sin through obedience to His principles. Our salvation is completely dependent on trusting Christ to cleanse and heal our spirits.
Ezekiel 18:20 ""The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."
Be careful to evaluate everything new that comes from the latest book or most popular author. Mankind is always looking for ways to blame others for their sin, as though they have no control over themselves.
When we get before the Lord, we will not be saying "but the devil made me do it", or "it was my father, he raised me badly." We will go before the Lord to account for our sins alone without excuse.
The meaning of a curse as a noun is this:
"a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something."
"she'd put a curse on him"
To invoke or use a curse against. "it often seemed as if the family had been cursed"
synonyms: put a curse on, put the evil eye on, anathematize, damn, hex, jinx;
No man has the power to proclaim a curse on another man. All sin is an individual choice. Each person is subject to his own sin nature before becoming a new creation in Christ.
It seems that when the culture began to lose interest in blaming our parents or circumstances for our sin, there are those who developed another form of blaming that has no basis in Scripture, that of the "generational curse."
The very nature of the word "curse" tends to denote someone speaking against a person, calling down evil on them. The idea creates the picture of someone who has the power to control the life experiences of another person simply by their words and invocations.
There is no such thing as a "generational curse." No family is cursed with sin because of another person, or a family. Only individuals are sinful, it's not a curse but a choice brought on by a sinful nature. All people have a sinful nature that must be covered in the blood of Christ to become born again. We have victory over sin through obedience to His principles. Our salvation is completely dependent on trusting Christ to cleanse and heal our spirits.
Ezekiel 18:20 ""The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."
Be careful to evaluate everything new that comes from the latest book or most popular author. Mankind is always looking for ways to blame others for their sin, as though they have no control over themselves.
When we get before the Lord, we will not be saying "but the devil made me do it", or "it was my father, he raised me badly." We will go before the Lord to account for our sins alone without excuse.
Go to the Ant you Sluggard
Notice how they are working together, each one doing their job within the framework of the whole group. Ants are not individualistic as we humans have become. This mentality of individualism has made us isolated and less productive. When we are a narcissistic culture we prefer not to be instructed, corrected or fall in line with any authority. When we honor God then our aim ought to be compliance to the group to make everyone look good, not compromising God's principles, but enhancing them.
Also, I notice that none of the ants has a need to be better than anyone else, their only concern is getting the job done, no one needs to be special or first.
Also, I notice that none of the ants has a need to be better than anyone else, their only concern is getting the job done, no one needs to be special or first.
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Punishment is here and there is more to come!
Sound Familiar?
Ezekiel 12:1
"12 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house"
What was God's response to this "rebellious house?"
Ezekiel 12:25-28
"25 For I the Lord will speak, and whatever word I speak will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it,” declares the Lord God.’”
26 Furthermore, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 27 “Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ 28 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “None of My words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be performed,”’” declares the Lord God"
A nation that spurns the name of the Lord will be disciplined. When all laws of morality are struck down and the leaders follow after wickedness, then is when we can expect the chastisement of the Lord. He will abandon us to ourselves, the most frightening thing that could happen.
Proverbs 1:24-33
"“Because I called and you refused,
I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof;
26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,
29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof.
31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way
And be satiated with their own devices.
32 “For the waywardness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil."
Proverbs 14:34
"Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people."
One of the ways our nation has dishonored God has been the proliferation of false prophets, preaching lies of prosperity and health, rather than a gospel of repentance.
While people are dying and on their way to hell, foolish prosperity preachers are preaching self esteem, clamoring after health and wealth as though it matters for eternity, when it is diverting the attentions of the hearers from eternity, keeping them focused on their own pleasure in this life.
Ezekiel 13:1-8
"13 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying,
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord!
3 Thus says the Lord God, “Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.
4 O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins.
5 You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord.
6 They see falsehood and lying divination who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope for the fulfillment of their word.
7 Did you not see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you said, ‘The Lord declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”
8 Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord God."
The Lord is against our country, we know this because the Lord must be consistent, He hates that we have aborted 55 million babies, their blood cries out from the land,we have taught our children in the schools to embrace sin, such as self esteem, homosexuality, immoral sexual behavior while attempting to remove any sense of gender differences.
The women have left the safety of their home to place themselves in contact with the world while forcing them to rely on ungodly caretakers for their children.
Satan has destroyed the family through divorce and remarriage, with a direct correlation between remarriage and the increase in child abuse of every sort. When half the marriages in our church gatherings are in this state of adultery, we know that the culture as a whole tends to be even worse than that of the organized church. When the church will not uphold the standard of God, the humanistic secular culture sure is not going to.
Shacking up is the new norm, many children who were from broken families, see no reason to bother to get married. They have been taught by example, that our word means nothing, our actions are for self, and our attitude is to fight for what we want, deferring to no one for the good of others.
We have taught "self esteem" in our culture for more than 40 years now and this is where it has led us, a life of misery without the wisdom to even admit that we are miserable and worst of all, we have negated God and His principles, even disdaining them while pursuing our own wicked desires.
God has no choice but to punish us as a nation. Any thought of recovery is futile and silly outside of total repentance nation wide. Even then God must still punish us for our evil.
The only hope we have is for individuals to repent finding their way to the cross. Each one admitting the evil that is in their heart, desiring to be changed into a new creation by Christ. Then that individual will be saved, but the nation will still endure chastisement.
Get ready for a total collapse of the United States as we have known it. God is using evil people to destroy us for our rebellion.
Are you going to repent, (change your mind) allowing God to change you into a new creation? It is your only hope and time is running out.
Ezekiel 12:1
"12 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house"
What was God's response to this "rebellious house?"
Ezekiel 12:25-28
"25 For I the Lord will speak, and whatever word I speak will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it,” declares the Lord God.’”
26 Furthermore, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 27 “Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ 28 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “None of My words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be performed,”’” declares the Lord God"
A nation that spurns the name of the Lord will be disciplined. When all laws of morality are struck down and the leaders follow after wickedness, then is when we can expect the chastisement of the Lord. He will abandon us to ourselves, the most frightening thing that could happen.
Proverbs 1:24-33
"“Because I called and you refused,
I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof;
26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,
29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof.
31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way
And be satiated with their own devices.
32 “For the waywardness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil."
Proverbs 14:34
"Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people."
One of the ways our nation has dishonored God has been the proliferation of false prophets, preaching lies of prosperity and health, rather than a gospel of repentance.
While people are dying and on their way to hell, foolish prosperity preachers are preaching self esteem, clamoring after health and wealth as though it matters for eternity, when it is diverting the attentions of the hearers from eternity, keeping them focused on their own pleasure in this life.
Ezekiel 13:1-8
"13 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying,
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord!
3 Thus says the Lord God, “Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.
4 O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins.
5 You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord.
6 They see falsehood and lying divination who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope for the fulfillment of their word.
7 Did you not see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you said, ‘The Lord declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”
8 Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord God."
The Lord is against our country, we know this because the Lord must be consistent, He hates that we have aborted 55 million babies, their blood cries out from the land,we have taught our children in the schools to embrace sin, such as self esteem, homosexuality, immoral sexual behavior while attempting to remove any sense of gender differences.
The women have left the safety of their home to place themselves in contact with the world while forcing them to rely on ungodly caretakers for their children.
Satan has destroyed the family through divorce and remarriage, with a direct correlation between remarriage and the increase in child abuse of every sort. When half the marriages in our church gatherings are in this state of adultery, we know that the culture as a whole tends to be even worse than that of the organized church. When the church will not uphold the standard of God, the humanistic secular culture sure is not going to.
Shacking up is the new norm, many children who were from broken families, see no reason to bother to get married. They have been taught by example, that our word means nothing, our actions are for self, and our attitude is to fight for what we want, deferring to no one for the good of others.
We have taught "self esteem" in our culture for more than 40 years now and this is where it has led us, a life of misery without the wisdom to even admit that we are miserable and worst of all, we have negated God and His principles, even disdaining them while pursuing our own wicked desires.
God has no choice but to punish us as a nation. Any thought of recovery is futile and silly outside of total repentance nation wide. Even then God must still punish us for our evil.
The only hope we have is for individuals to repent finding their way to the cross. Each one admitting the evil that is in their heart, desiring to be changed into a new creation by Christ. Then that individual will be saved, but the nation will still endure chastisement.
Get ready for a total collapse of the United States as we have known it. God is using evil people to destroy us for our rebellion.
Are you going to repent, (change your mind) allowing God to change you into a new creation? It is your only hope and time is running out.
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