Keep Your Eyes on the Prize!!!!!

I do not lament what is happening now because I believe God when He said it would be like this. We are living in prophetic times, experiencing what the prophets wrote and did not understand, but we do understand now.

Many years ago in my young years, I worked to support our country but now God has clearly told me there is nothing we can do or should do to bring back a country He is disciplining. Our focus now should be on the gospel and helping other believers to walk in the light of Christ no matter what is going on around us.

Our freedoms are being eroded, get used to it, don't try to stop it, and look up as Christ commanded as the last days' progress toward the antichrist rule.

We ought to stop our mourning over the loss of our earthly freedoms and display joy and peace because of our homegoing. We must trust in Christ and the world around us must see us trusting Him for something bigger than this world.

We must not come against what God promised would happen. The only reason to work to revive this dead horse is because we want our own way without hardship or suffering.

If we believe God we will see the signs of this end of times period, accept it, and rejoice that He knows what He is doing and will take care of us. If we die or are incarcerated unjustly, it will be only if it is God's will and He will have a purpose. We can do all things He has for us to do. Do not worry about anything, He will give us strength at the time we need it and not before.

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."

Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ, do better than Peter did, He began to sink, we do not have to sink because Christ lives in us.

Divorce and Remarriage: Is the Bible Just a Book of Good Suggestions, or is it the Holy Word of God?

I am continually confronted with Christians who have no problem with divorce and remarriage. They have been taught in all the churches that marriage is not completely secure and that if things get too rough we can just bail out and all family members will come alongside and support the bail-out.

This morning I was confronted with the age-old, "divorce for abuse" argument. While there is provision for separation for abuse we cannot claim that most divorces today have anything to do with real abuse.

We have also heard the excuse that "I was too young", therefore the inference was that they were not mature enough to handle marriage. This argument does not hold water because I was sixteen when I became engaged to my husband and married him when I was eighteen, we are still together after 51 years, all of which were growing years that matured us.

When there is a commitment to remain married and to choose to love your spouse you will work harder at becoming the spouse you should be to keep the marriage together. And, no only one person has to learn from Scripture how to act for the marriage to be decent and even good.

The following paragraphs were my response to the person who was counseling others that divorce was allowed:

Quote:

I agree that divorce may be necessary for serious abuse, however God forbids anyone to remarry. There is a provision in some states where one can get a permanent separation with provision for finances like a divorce but no remarriage.

I have seen the devastation from remarriage too, to the children and the new spouse. The children do not recognize the authority of the new spouse and even resent the divorce of the father even if he is a bad person.

1 Corinthians 7:10-12 "…10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. 12To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.…"

Luke 16:18

“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery."

The clause in Matthew about "for sexual immorality" is referring to the betrothal before marriage. The Jewish law considered betrothal, that is engagement, to be almost as binding as marriage. They even called one another husband and wife before they lived together. Matthew was written to Jews with the custom of having to divorce from an engagement for unfaithfulness. This is why we don't see this same provision in the other gospels. The other gospels were written to gentiles who didn't have the custom of divorcing from engagement.

Also, When God makes two people one in marriage it is a spiritual glue that cannot be dissolved by any human being or government. This is why God considers it adultery for someone to remarry while having a living spouse. Only death dissolves a marriage covenant.

Marriage is a picture of salvation, when God makes us a new creation no one can undo what He did. These are Spiritual matters that no one can undo by any law of the land.

Romans 7:3

"Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress."

Many pastors today are not preaching from the words of Christ but from their own minds and desired understanding. I have seen divorced women who lived full happy lives as a single adult, even those with children because they had the power to be independent and raise the children in the Lord without the opposition of a man who did not respect her faith.

I think we need to help young people choose wisely to be able to avoid the pitfalls of marriage with a person who does not show good character. Often unsaved people are both guilty of bad character and need to repent and choose to live unselfishly.

Marriage is a serious relationship that is bound by God when we say our vows. Also, I have been married 51 years and it was a struggle in the beginning but God worked on us and we are completely different people today. Had we divorced we would have missed the great blessings we have today in solidarity with one another.

Marriage changes people for the better if they will let the hard times teach them.

Just a few thoughts that I am sure most Christians have not been taught. Do we obey God by following the Bible and seeing blessings or do we choose the easy way of the culture that leads to hell? Do we believe the Bible is the Word and that, Christ is the Word, the very essence of His own word, or do we dismiss Him as having given us a book of unimportant suggestions?

Most Christians today see the Bible more like an amulet, they feel safe carrying it around but have little if any interest in actually seeking Christ within its pages to become holy.

We are Only the Messengers

One of the tactics of all narcissists is to accuse others of what the narcissist is doing and the others are not. Satan is the inventor of narcissism, all his tactics will be seen in those who do not love Christ.

Satan loves secrecy and tolerance of sin more than anything else. We see what all of this "tolerance" has caused. When we love people we try to help them, indulging their sin by acceptance is no help to them at all.

Remember we do not fight against the flesh, it is the devil who wants us to fight with people. We merely, calmly speak the truth and walk away if someone hearing it wants to fight.

Ephesians 6:12

"12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Don't fight with wicked people, in fact when you discover they are wicked and will not listen get away from them. The more we engage with an evil person the more likely they are to be able to goad us into sinful responses.

Thinking that we can change a mind or influence someone who rages is an exercise in foolishness.

Proverbs 29:8-10 "…8 Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger. 9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution. 10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life.…"

Proverbs 26:4

"Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him."

Ecclesiastes 10:13

"The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness."

It is arrogant to think we can influence someone else who has acted foolishly, God does not need us to brow-beat someone into submission, we are only His messengers, we deliver the message once and leave the other person in God's hands. He can do a better job than we can and most of all He already knows the heart of that person.

Have faith that God will take care of it and dust off your feet and walk away.

These Days of Raging Insanity

We are living in the days of "raging insanity" when right is called wrong and wrong is called right. Get used to it and rejoice that Christ is taking us home soon.

The most ridiculous things are being proposed and implemented to justify wickedness.

2 Timothy 3:1-8 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult (ragingly insane) 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.

6 For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,

7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, worthless in regard to the faith.

9 But they will not make further progress; for their foolishness will be obvious to all, just as was that also of Jannes and Jambres."

God not only told us what we will see in most people in these end times but He also named them boldly so that others would be warned not to follow them.

When you are ever challenged to do things privately when the false preachers did their dastardly preaching publically, you are observing someone who is hiding something about themselves. Those who do not appreciate openness are those who have something to hide. Those who are more worried about someone's embarrassing feelings have a worldly focus. When we love Christ our greatest aim is to turn people from sin and evil and toward Christ. Secrecy is the enemy of God.

Openness and honesty are healing balms for those who have been injured by liars and tricksters.

Those who do not have anything to hide do not fear being exposed. Their sin has been forgiven, they are walking with Christ and they are keeping close accounts as they self-reflect to make sure they are pleasing the One Who lives in them, that is Jesus Christ.

We must not allow the weaker believers to intimidate us into silence as we expose public sin.

Ephesians 5:11

"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them."

Matthew 23:4-6 "…4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6 They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,…"

John 3:20

"For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed."

Isaiah 5:20

"Darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Most importantly we must remember this;

Ephesians 6:12

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

Romans 12:9

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good."

Ephesians 6:11

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil."

Trials of this Life

Often I hear of another brother or sister who is encountering trials bigger than their ability to solve them. They are suffering but have no solution except to turn to Christ.

Those who love the Lord weep as well as are comforted by the knowledge that Christ works all things together for our good, even the tough stuff.

We hurt along with our brothers and sisters when they cannot pull together the fleshly and emotional strength to climb out. What we cannot see is that Christ in them is busy working them through in His timing and His way, we can trust Him.

Never think for one moment that someone lacks a relationship with Christ because they weep and grieve. Christ Himself grieved over Jerusalem and its rejection of Him. He wept in the garden before going to the cross, knowing full well the misery and torture He was about to endure for our sakes.

There can be no greater love than to take the sins of others on Himself to allow us the blessing of being cleansed from our sinfulness and secure a home in heaven with Him.

Ephesians 1:13-14

"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."

Colossians 3:1-2 "1 Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.…"

We grieve because we are still in our flesh and our body operates according to the flesh, but our Spirit is of Christ and controls our flesh so that we do not become completely discouraged or damaged.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)

“There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance”

God gave us many experiences in this life to build our faith and strength. We cannot become strong without trials.

Psalm 30:5B

"Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning."

Look to the future, to our inheritance, to the joy we will have when we look into the face of Christ and gaze upon His scars that are there because of us. We will then weep that we put them there with our sin and because of them we have gained eternity with Christ.

Romans 8:17-18 "17 And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us."

Hallelujah! Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ will carry us through anything.

Storm Warning: Extreme Weather and Spiritual Signs

Churchianity or Born-Again

I recall those family members who lived their lives in church every week but seemed to lack all the fruit of the Spirit. They invested deeply in appearances but behind closed doors, they were mean regularly and didn't think anything was wrong with them.

Matthew 23:5 "5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6 They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,…"

Matthew 6:1 "Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."

Luke 16:15

"And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God."

When confronted with their mean attitudes the self-righteous person will fight to defend what God calls evil. They feel justified in their mean deeds because in their minds you are worse than them, even if the "worse" was based on their idea of you rather than anything they saw for themselves.

When we notice people acting superior as though they are worthy of great prizes for who they think they are, we are observing someone who has never confronted their own sins to be cleansed.

Anyone who has been crushed under the weight of their own sin, confessing it to God to become born-again could never enjoy holding the past sins of others against them. It is only the unsaved who think they have always been good and worthy of praise who have the audacity to feel superior.

The word "contrite" in the following passage means to be completely crushed, so much so that we are on our knees before God desiring to be cleansed by Him because we know we cannot cleanse ourselves and we know how filthy our inner being is before God.

Psalm 51:16-17 "…16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

Those who have never been crushed under the weight of their own sin asking God to make them a new creation, can not be born-again. Until this happens to everyone who comes to Christ, there is no salvation, they remain in their sin-sick state and are on their way to hell.

Hell awaits the self-righteous person. Heaven awaits those who have been crushed, repented, and trusted in Christ. Why would anyone choose hell? It is a choice and a permanent one!

Matthew 5:4-5 " 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.…"