Romans 11: 25-28 "25 For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “This is [e]My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”
28 In relation to the gospel they are enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved on account of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Growing in Christ takes a Spirit of Humility
Have you ever met people who seem to want to know things about you but don't act as though they want to know you?
The world is full of people who want to fill their heads with knowledge about God but have no interest in personally knowing His heart.
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.’"
Knowing the Bible stories, prophecy, and the principles of God is not the same as knowing and loving God for Who He is and what He has offered us.
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?"
We are living in the end times in which most people who say they are Christians use God's Word, the Bible, to make themselves feel special through a sort of Gnostic pride.
Gnostic pride is a worship of knowledge, the desire to know things to elevate oneself rather than a desire for self-improvement through God's work in our lives.
When Christianity has become Gnostic, the love of the pleasure we get from having information we have lost, if we ever had, that love for the Lord that makes us want to submit everything to Christ.
Knowledge and wisdom are two very different things. Those who crave knowledge to elevate themselves are all about the pride that motivates them. Those who desire wisdom have a burning desire to please God because of His love for them.
Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Those who genuinely love Christ understand a need to be corrected and instructed by Christ to become more like Him.
1 John 2:17 "The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever. "
James 1:22 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves."
John 14:21 "Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
Hypersensitivity to correction is a sign of one who lives their Christianity to be elevated by man.
Those who love correction want more than anything else to grow in the wisdom of Christ.
Ephesians 4:1-3 "1 As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4:17-25 "17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—
21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and give no opportunity to the devil."
When we love Christ fully and without pretense, we are willing to admit any flaws in ourselves that we might be cleansed by Christ, growing in holiness. He will not work in anyone who believes they are already good enough.
Impressing others is not important to the believer who wants to be continually changed by Christ.
May each born-again believer seek Christ in the Spirit of humility, desiring to improve our hearts, to be better witnesses of the glory of Christ.
The world is full of people who want to fill their heads with knowledge about God but have no interest in personally knowing His heart.
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.’"
Knowing the Bible stories, prophecy, and the principles of God is not the same as knowing and loving God for Who He is and what He has offered us.
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?"
We are living in the end times in which most people who say they are Christians use God's Word, the Bible, to make themselves feel special through a sort of Gnostic pride.
Gnostic pride is a worship of knowledge, the desire to know things to elevate oneself rather than a desire for self-improvement through God's work in our lives.
When Christianity has become Gnostic, the love of the pleasure we get from having information we have lost, if we ever had, that love for the Lord that makes us want to submit everything to Christ.
Knowledge and wisdom are two very different things. Those who crave knowledge to elevate themselves are all about the pride that motivates them. Those who desire wisdom have a burning desire to please God because of His love for them.
Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Those who genuinely love Christ understand a need to be corrected and instructed by Christ to become more like Him.
1 John 2:17 "The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever. "
James 1:22 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves."
John 14:21 "Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
Hypersensitivity to correction is a sign of one who lives their Christianity to be elevated by man.
Those who love correction want more than anything else to grow in the wisdom of Christ.
Ephesians 4:1-3 "1 As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4:17-25 "17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—
21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and give no opportunity to the devil."
When we love Christ fully and without pretense, we are willing to admit any flaws in ourselves that we might be cleansed by Christ, growing in holiness. He will not work in anyone who believes they are already good enough.
Impressing others is not important to the believer who wants to be continually changed by Christ.
May each born-again believer seek Christ in the Spirit of humility, desiring to improve our hearts, to be better witnesses of the glory of Christ.
Friday, July 24, 2026
Running from Trials will bring Spiritual and Emotional Stunting
I was saddened by another post that told Christians to avoid trials because they steal our peace. This is the opposite of what God tells us about trials.
Those who avoid trials will not grow or change; they lack maturity and are more self-focused than Christ-focused.
God uses trials and tribulations to make us stronger; there is no spiritual or emotional growth without them. You are right that they are not secret; they are right out in the open and are a witness to others of the power of Christ to carry us through the worst life experiences.
Romans 5:3-5 "3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Romans 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us."
2 Corinthians 4:17 "For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison."
God never told us to "resist" trials; He told us to accept them while praising Him in the midst of them. Job is a very good example of trusting and praising God in the middle of our trials.
Be careful to compare the Bible with everything you hear people saying; some things sound very good but are very wrong.
Those who avoid trials will not grow or change; they lack maturity and are more self-focused than Christ-focused.
God uses trials and tribulations to make us stronger; there is no spiritual or emotional growth without them. You are right that they are not secret; they are right out in the open and are a witness to others of the power of Christ to carry us through the worst life experiences.
Romans 5:3-5 "3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Romans 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us."
2 Corinthians 4:17 "For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison."
God never told us to "resist" trials; He told us to accept them while praising Him in the midst of them. Job is a very good example of trusting and praising God in the middle of our trials.
Be careful to compare the Bible with everything you hear people saying; some things sound very good but are very wrong.
The Error of Binding Satan
Rachel Rice Mercier Quoted Marsha West
Why do some Christians think they can bind the devil? The proof text they often use is Matthew 18:18: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
In context, however, "binding and loosing" refers to the authority Christ gave His church to make judgments regarding sin, repentance, forgiveness, and church discipline. The context begins in Matthew 18:15: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."
This passage is not a promise that Christians can bind demons in order to cast them out of believers (no true believer needs a demon cast out), bind territorial spirits, or command Satan to cease his activity in a particular region or sphere. Nothing in the context has anything to do with spiritual warfare against demons.
If this is what you believe, or what you have been taught, then you have misunderstood the context of Jesus' words. Whoever taught you this is twisting the Word of God, has deceived you, and should cause you to question whatever else they teach.
Borrowed from Marsha West
Why do some Christians think they can bind the devil? The proof text they often use is Matthew 18:18: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
In context, however, "binding and loosing" refers to the authority Christ gave His church to make judgments regarding sin, repentance, forgiveness, and church discipline. The context begins in Matthew 18:15: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."
This passage is not a promise that Christians can bind demons in order to cast them out of believers (no true believer needs a demon cast out), bind territorial spirits, or command Satan to cease his activity in a particular region or sphere. Nothing in the context has anything to do with spiritual warfare against demons.
If this is what you believe, or what you have been taught, then you have misunderstood the context of Jesus' words. Whoever taught you this is twisting the Word of God, has deceived you, and should cause you to question whatever else they teach.
Borrowed from Marsha West
Instructions for the Believers in the Gathering
What does the instruction for the believers in the gathering look like? God said that we gather to edify one another in our worship.
When the gathering of believers is modeled after the first-century church, everyone in the meeting will be led by the Holy Spirit, and all will participate.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."
Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
1 Corinthians 14:22-33 "26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people."
Women are disallowed from chattering and disrupting but they are allowed to speak as led by the Holy Spirit.
There is nothing in the Bible that allows for one man paid preachers to dominate everything while disallowing others in the gathering to participate.
The hierarchy system of today, the pulpit above the people, the schedule of activity as created by men, is not at all what God designed for the gathering. It tends to silence all the people in pews facing forward in worship fashion toward the man in the pulpit.
Most attendees in modern churches do not read their Bibles at home, the very reason they have nothing to offer when they come to the gathering.
The modern church has been trained that they should not speak or interject when a paid pastor is speaking.
1 Corinthians 14:30 "…29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30And if a revelation comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop. 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged."
Because of the hierarchical system of the church gatherings today, wise people are prevented from speaking or interjecting while the paid pastor is the center of attention. This usurps the Holy Spirit.
I have witnessed the beauty of gatherings that operate Biblically. Everything is Spirit-led, and no one is treated as "less than" others. Jesus Christ is uplifted. In modern gatherings, people are elevated above the Holy Spirit.
Because people are prone to be lazy, allowing others to tell them what to think, they have lost the ability to discern right from wrong. If the group does not challenge anything the preacher says, then it is taken as truth even when it may be full of errors.
Hebrews 5:14 "14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil."
Proverbs 3:5-6"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight."
Notice God never tells us to trust in the teachers, trust in any man or trust in ourselves! He tells us to trust in Christ!!!
Romans 12:2 "2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
When we trust in Christ, we will be receiving our instruction from Him. Others may speak, and we may agree with them; this is edification, but our instructions come from Christ, not men.
If a person speaks wrong doctrine, then it is our job to correct them. I they continue to disagree with us, then we should go to prayer and Bible reading to come to an agreement.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one."
I realize that this passage in Thessalonians has to do with earning our own living. Still, I think the principle can also apply to not depending on anyone but God in everything, including our teaching. We listen to others, we evaluate what is said, and we share, but our dependence is totally on Christ.
Christ will lead us into truth, into actions He wants us to perform, in teaching, and much more when our dependence is completely on Him.
Our confidence in Christ is an example for those who are still depending on people to validate them or people to convince them. We are convinced by the leading of the Holy Spirit when we trust in His word.
Our sharing with others and their sharing with us edifies us, challenges us, and motivates us to depend more fully on Christ. The goal is never to make others dependent on any other person; our goal is to edify our brothers and sisters to depend on Christ.
When the gathering of believers is modeled after the first-century church, everyone in the meeting will be led by the Holy Spirit, and all will participate.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."
Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
1 Corinthians 14:22-33 "26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people."
Women are disallowed from chattering and disrupting but they are allowed to speak as led by the Holy Spirit.
There is nothing in the Bible that allows for one man paid preachers to dominate everything while disallowing others in the gathering to participate.
The hierarchy system of today, the pulpit above the people, the schedule of activity as created by men, is not at all what God designed for the gathering. It tends to silence all the people in pews facing forward in worship fashion toward the man in the pulpit.
Most attendees in modern churches do not read their Bibles at home, the very reason they have nothing to offer when they come to the gathering.
The modern church has been trained that they should not speak or interject when a paid pastor is speaking.
1 Corinthians 14:30 "…29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30And if a revelation comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop. 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged."
Because of the hierarchical system of the church gatherings today, wise people are prevented from speaking or interjecting while the paid pastor is the center of attention. This usurps the Holy Spirit.
I have witnessed the beauty of gatherings that operate Biblically. Everything is Spirit-led, and no one is treated as "less than" others. Jesus Christ is uplifted. In modern gatherings, people are elevated above the Holy Spirit.
Because people are prone to be lazy, allowing others to tell them what to think, they have lost the ability to discern right from wrong. If the group does not challenge anything the preacher says, then it is taken as truth even when it may be full of errors.
Hebrews 5:14 "14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil."
Proverbs 3:5-6"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight."
Notice God never tells us to trust in the teachers, trust in any man or trust in ourselves! He tells us to trust in Christ!!!
Romans 12:2 "2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
When we trust in Christ, we will be receiving our instruction from Him. Others may speak, and we may agree with them; this is edification, but our instructions come from Christ, not men.
If a person speaks wrong doctrine, then it is our job to correct them. I they continue to disagree with us, then we should go to prayer and Bible reading to come to an agreement.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one."
I realize that this passage in Thessalonians has to do with earning our own living. Still, I think the principle can also apply to not depending on anyone but God in everything, including our teaching. We listen to others, we evaluate what is said, and we share, but our dependence is totally on Christ.
Christ will lead us into truth, into actions He wants us to perform, in teaching, and much more when our dependence is completely on Him.
Our confidence in Christ is an example for those who are still depending on people to validate them or people to convince them. We are convinced by the leading of the Holy Spirit when we trust in His word.
Our sharing with others and their sharing with us edifies us, challenges us, and motivates us to depend more fully on Christ. The goal is never to make others dependent on any other person; our goal is to edify our brothers and sisters to depend on Christ.
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