Any attempt to be righteous in our own effort, is destined to fail. It is only the Holy Spirit working in us that makes us strong, if we obey Him as He speaks, then we will grow in grace strengthening our walk and resolve.
When we depend on ourselves, we weaken our walk, becoming vulnerable to the forces around us. The more we depend on Christ, the greater our ability to obey.
Luke 11:22-28
22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
An Unclean Spirit Returns
24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Monday, October 6, 2014
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Embellishing a Story for Ratings is a Sin
Lying, comes in many forms. Some of those forms are simple embellishments that make the story more exciting but in fact also lead one to believe something that is not truth at all.
Those who are masters of lying tweek their story just a little, by the time they have finished, their audience thinks everything they said was absolutely true, when none of it was true. I have seen this in the media more times than I can count.
Talk shows of every sort engage in this lying, just to get ratings. We must be careful not to judge a matter before the defense is in. When the media tries a matter before the court hearing they are engaging in "gossip."Never trust the ramblings of media hype and gossip mongering, allow all the evidence to be in first before making any judgments.
Proverbs 18:13
"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Satan has a tactic that is very cleaver and frustrating, he accuses those of the very thing he is doing and those he accuse, are not. Unfortunately too many people believe his lies and the tactics work with most.
Thankfully we as believer do not have to engage with the master liars. We can refuse to believe a matter without proper evidence.
Those who are masters of lying tweek their story just a little, by the time they have finished, their audience thinks everything they said was absolutely true, when none of it was true. I have seen this in the media more times than I can count.
Talk shows of every sort engage in this lying, just to get ratings. We must be careful not to judge a matter before the defense is in. When the media tries a matter before the court hearing they are engaging in "gossip."Never trust the ramblings of media hype and gossip mongering, allow all the evidence to be in first before making any judgments.
Proverbs 18:13
"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Satan has a tactic that is very cleaver and frustrating, he accuses those of the very thing he is doing and those he accuse, are not. Unfortunately too many people believe his lies and the tactics work with most.
Thankfully we as believer do not have to engage with the master liars. We can refuse to believe a matter without proper evidence.
Debt is not Good for the Soul
Individually and Nationally!
"It is about time we stop going into debt, spending money we don't have on things we don't need to impress people we don't like." Adrian Rogers
"It is about time we stop going into debt, spending money we don't have on things we don't need to impress people we don't like." Adrian Rogers
Friday, October 3, 2014
When We Seek God
Philippians 4:5-7 King James Version (KJV)
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Verse 6 strikes me in this passage. "be careful for nothing." The reason it does is because, we are not to "be careful" to figure things out with our own minds, but rather to trust Christ and let Him speak through us. When we are "careful" we are operating in the flesh.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Verse 6 strikes me in this passage. "be careful for nothing." The reason it does is because, we are not to "be careful" to figure things out with our own minds, but rather to trust Christ and let Him speak through us. When we are "careful" we are operating in the flesh.
The Holy Spirit Speaks Through Us
God has commanded us to warn the unbeliever and even the believer who is not walking as they should. Those who say that we should just let the Holy Spirit convict of sin, do not know their Bibles. We are responsible before God when we do not warn others when the Holy Spirit leads us to do so.
The Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us direction as to when to warn, no other person can tell us when or when not to do it. The results are in God's hands. The response of the person being warned is not a measure of whether or not we did the right thing.
Many will not listen, many will even hate what the Holy Spirit gave us to say or do, but that is between the hearer and God, our responsibility is to obey God no matter what the response.
Titus 3:10 "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;"
Ezekiel 3: 18-21
"18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
19 Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself.
20 Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.
21 However, if you have warned [a]the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”
Ezekiel 3:19-27
"19 If you warn them and they keep on sinning and refuse to repent, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved your life because you did what you were told to do. 20 If good people turn bad and don't listen to my warning, they will die. If you did not warn them of the consequences, then they will die in their sins. Their previous good deeds won't help them, and I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. 21 But if you warn them and they repent, they will live, and you will have saved your own life, too." 22 Then the LORD took hold of me, and he said to me, "Go out into the valley, and I will talk to you there." 23 So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the LORD, just as I had seen it in my first vision by the Kebar River. And I fell face down in the dust. 24 Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He talked to me and said, "Go, shut yourself up in your house. 25 There you will be bound with ropes so you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so you won't be able to pray for them, for they are rebellious. 27 But whenever I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says!' Some of them will listen, but some will ignore you, for they are rebels."
Notice God tells us to warn, and then says "whenever I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak."
Next time someone says we are to let the Holy Spirit tell or convict them, share this passage with them. God gives us what to say and we are to say it, ultimately it is the Holy Spirit Who speaks we are only the messengers.
The Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us direction as to when to warn, no other person can tell us when or when not to do it. The results are in God's hands. The response of the person being warned is not a measure of whether or not we did the right thing.
Many will not listen, many will even hate what the Holy Spirit gave us to say or do, but that is between the hearer and God, our responsibility is to obey God no matter what the response.
Titus 3:10 "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;"
Ezekiel 3: 18-21
"18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
19 Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself.
20 Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.
21 However, if you have warned [a]the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”
Ezekiel 3:19-27
"19 If you warn them and they keep on sinning and refuse to repent, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved your life because you did what you were told to do. 20 If good people turn bad and don't listen to my warning, they will die. If you did not warn them of the consequences, then they will die in their sins. Their previous good deeds won't help them, and I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. 21 But if you warn them and they repent, they will live, and you will have saved your own life, too." 22 Then the LORD took hold of me, and he said to me, "Go out into the valley, and I will talk to you there." 23 So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the LORD, just as I had seen it in my first vision by the Kebar River. And I fell face down in the dust. 24 Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He talked to me and said, "Go, shut yourself up in your house. 25 There you will be bound with ropes so you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so you won't be able to pray for them, for they are rebellious. 27 But whenever I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says!' Some of them will listen, but some will ignore you, for they are rebels."
Notice God tells us to warn, and then says "whenever I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak."
Next time someone says we are to let the Holy Spirit tell or convict them, share this passage with them. God gives us what to say and we are to say it, ultimately it is the Holy Spirit Who speaks we are only the messengers.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
It Is A Free Gift
God made it clear that we do sin after salvation and that the provision for that sin is Christ in heaven as our advocate.
1 John 2:1
"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;"
Christ testifies on our behalf that we belong to Him. The Father looks at us and sees His Son in us.
John 10:28
"and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."
Romans 8:1-11
"8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
8. and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you"
God cannot look upon sin, that's why Christ came to live in us, to be for us what we cannot be for ourselves and that is sinless. Christ is our sinlessness in our spirit, but we still dwell in this body of death. Our flesh is still sinful.
When we go to heaven to be with the Father after we die, our body is left behind because it is corrupted by sin. When our body is resurrected at the rapture, it will be changed into a new body so that it can be with our uncorrupted Christlike spirit.
God cannot look upon sin, the reason that He turned away when Christ was on the cross bearing our sins for us. He could not look upon His own Son. How much less could the Father look at us in our sin.
Nothing corrupted can go in the presence of God, that's why Christ is our propitiation. He is our righteousness in our spirit. Too many people are more focused on the physical trappings of actions that they miss that our righteousness is not in our body but in our spirit.
When we focus on Christ our actions come more in line with our spirit. Sometimes we take our eyes off Christ like Peter did when he was walking on water, then is when we fall, but Christ reaches out to lift us up and remind us Who we belong to.
Christ also disciplines those that belong to Him. There would be no need for discipline if we did not sin.
Hebrews 12:4-8
"4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;
5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons."
Those who deny that they sin after they have been saved are denying the Word of God that proclaims the truths in the mentioned verses. They are also lying themselves while calling God a liar.
1 John 1:10
"If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
God was speaking to believers when He wrote these words. We do not avoid sin to gain heaven, because salvation is not dependent on our lack of sin, it is dependent on what Christ did on that cross.
When we were changed into a new creation our heart was changed, we hate sin, even when we find ourselves in it, even in the slightest thought or word, we hate sin. When we sin we feel ashamed and desire for the Lord to cleanse us from that sin.
Our cleansing, the Bible calls "sanctification", is life long. We are being directed by the Holy Spirit, when we obey, we have joy and peace, when we disobey we experience lack of peace and God's discipline to be able to grow in holiness.
For the non-believer, they are on their way to hell, not because of their sin, but because they have not trusted Christ for the payment of their sin, after which God changes us into a new creation.
For the believer our sin leads us to spiritual turmoil and discipline for the purpose of bringing us back into fellowship with Christ and for our spiritual growth.
We grow in direct proportions to how much we seek the Lord, pray and obey what He tells us.
I am running into people who are accusing believers of being unsaved because they believe that Christ paid it all on the cross and that we cannot keep our salvation by good works any more than we can earn it by good works.
Christ works in us sort of like the bit in a donkeys mouth. When we go the wrong way He pulls the reigns to bring us back to the path. Some people are more stubborn than others, needing many consequences to show them their need to confess their sin and return to the narrow path. Others have such a strong desire to please the Lord that they are easily turned by circumstances and consequences.
I fear for those who believe there is no sin in their lives, if they never confess their sin then there will be little growth and perhaps they have never been born again, thinking that they effected their own salvation by good works, which is no salvation at all.
1 John 2:1
"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;"
Christ testifies on our behalf that we belong to Him. The Father looks at us and sees His Son in us.
John 10:28
"and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."
Romans 8:1-11
"8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
8. and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you"
God cannot look upon sin, that's why Christ came to live in us, to be for us what we cannot be for ourselves and that is sinless. Christ is our sinlessness in our spirit, but we still dwell in this body of death. Our flesh is still sinful.
When we go to heaven to be with the Father after we die, our body is left behind because it is corrupted by sin. When our body is resurrected at the rapture, it will be changed into a new body so that it can be with our uncorrupted Christlike spirit.
God cannot look upon sin, the reason that He turned away when Christ was on the cross bearing our sins for us. He could not look upon His own Son. How much less could the Father look at us in our sin.
Nothing corrupted can go in the presence of God, that's why Christ is our propitiation. He is our righteousness in our spirit. Too many people are more focused on the physical trappings of actions that they miss that our righteousness is not in our body but in our spirit.
When we focus on Christ our actions come more in line with our spirit. Sometimes we take our eyes off Christ like Peter did when he was walking on water, then is when we fall, but Christ reaches out to lift us up and remind us Who we belong to.
Christ also disciplines those that belong to Him. There would be no need for discipline if we did not sin.
Hebrews 12:4-8
"4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;
5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons."
Those who deny that they sin after they have been saved are denying the Word of God that proclaims the truths in the mentioned verses. They are also lying themselves while calling God a liar.
1 John 1:10
"If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
God was speaking to believers when He wrote these words. We do not avoid sin to gain heaven, because salvation is not dependent on our lack of sin, it is dependent on what Christ did on that cross.
When we were changed into a new creation our heart was changed, we hate sin, even when we find ourselves in it, even in the slightest thought or word, we hate sin. When we sin we feel ashamed and desire for the Lord to cleanse us from that sin.
Our cleansing, the Bible calls "sanctification", is life long. We are being directed by the Holy Spirit, when we obey, we have joy and peace, when we disobey we experience lack of peace and God's discipline to be able to grow in holiness.
For the non-believer, they are on their way to hell, not because of their sin, but because they have not trusted Christ for the payment of their sin, after which God changes us into a new creation.
For the believer our sin leads us to spiritual turmoil and discipline for the purpose of bringing us back into fellowship with Christ and for our spiritual growth.
We grow in direct proportions to how much we seek the Lord, pray and obey what He tells us.
I am running into people who are accusing believers of being unsaved because they believe that Christ paid it all on the cross and that we cannot keep our salvation by good works any more than we can earn it by good works.
Christ works in us sort of like the bit in a donkeys mouth. When we go the wrong way He pulls the reigns to bring us back to the path. Some people are more stubborn than others, needing many consequences to show them their need to confess their sin and return to the narrow path. Others have such a strong desire to please the Lord that they are easily turned by circumstances and consequences.
I fear for those who believe there is no sin in their lives, if they never confess their sin then there will be little growth and perhaps they have never been born again, thinking that they effected their own salvation by good works, which is no salvation at all.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Emotions or Reason?
Our emotions get in the way or our reason. I find myself "emoting" sometimes when it is not necessary. During those times I pray and read the Word until the emotion leaves and the reason returns.
When reason returns I am reminded how much Christ suffered for me and that I too would suffer because of my love for Him.
Because He suffered my sins have been no longer accounted to me, and with that comes many forms of persecution.
Isaiah 1:18
"18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
John 15:18
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."
Matthew 10:22
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."
When reason returns I am reminded how much Christ suffered for me and that I too would suffer because of my love for Him.
Because He suffered my sins have been no longer accounted to me, and with that comes many forms of persecution.
Isaiah 1:18
"18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
John 15:18
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."
Matthew 10:22
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."
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