Who Do We Celebrate

No where in the Word of God do we see a suggestion to celebrate any other ceremonial observance than the Lord's supper.

All our human traditions, holidays that have been integrated with paganism, are not of God. He never directed us to celebrate His birth, nor did He tell us to set aside a special day for the celebration of His resurrection.

If we love "resurrection day", as a day to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, then don't call it by a pagan name, "Easter." However why would we desire a separate holiday from what God gave us. He gave us the Lord's supper that already celebrates His resurrection and His first century church never celebrated His birth.

No one is condemned because they have stayed with their human traditions, that elevate Christ, however when a human tradition is practiced over a God ordained celebration such as the Lord's supper, that tradition of men always without fail, degenerates. Because it is not based on Christ, rather the name of Christ was attached to the original pagan practices, it is not blessed by God.

Notice that the humanistic celebrations of Easter and Christmas are nearly out of control in terms of celebration and spending on material goods, while the Lord's supper is being neglected and ignored.

When you attend a family gathering on these man made holidays, take notice of whether or not the crowd is focused on Christ. Ask yourself the question, "is Christ elevated here, in more than just the prayer over the meal?" Another question might be "does anyone speak of the Lord, seek prayer and Bible reading at this gathering?"

My personal encounters, suggests to me, that most people experience what I have, the gatherings are not only, not focused on Christ, they even violate His principles in many ways.

The original reason for my disdain for the man made holidays was all the activities that I was raised with. I saw revelry, gift giving, one-up-manship in the giving, money spent on personal pleasure while ministries were neglected and much more that dishonored Christ, and all of this was done by "Christians." Christ was not elevated while sin was tolerated. The music that played throughout the celebration were secular people singing Christmas songs, not necessarily Christian, people like Elvis, Sinatra and other wicked secular performers were the means of edification to the people at the group. Those who were avoided were the Christians who were not comfortable with all of this.

One of the most aggravating things for me is to watch activities at these holidays, "Easter" and "Christmas", being enjoyed by Christians including all the trappings of the pagan holidays such as "Easter Eggs" and "Santa Clause." Can anyone tell me where in the Word of God does He ever tell us to celebrate these holidays, or tell us to be sure to enjoy the easter eggs, bunnies, Santas and Elves? And, yet many believers are doing these things, elevating fantasy above Christ, while in the process teaching the children that Christ, Santa, bunnies and elves are all fairy stories to enjoy.

It is bad enough that we have added man made holidays to our Christianity, but even worse when we dilute the message of the cross, the gospel, by adding fairy tales making all of it equal.

We might ask why the next generation does not take Christ seriously? The answer is that they have been raised and indoctrinated for many years with their yearly holidays of all these pagan entities. The youth take Christ as seriously as they take all these other cartoon characters, with little regard.

So many think these things are innocuous, but we can see where it has led, our youth are only interested in entertainment and personal gratification. Worship has become a dirty word, boring and uninteresting because it does not entertain us, but is designed by God to elevate and bless Him.

Let us consider asking the Lord to remove from our hearts anything that does not bless Him. We never do anything in isolation, all our activities suggest things to others about us and about our God. Nothing is without consequences, we either elevate Christ in our life or we do not. No one will be perfect in this matter of elevating Christ, but may I suggest that the holidays have had a monstrous impact on the children, effecting their view of Christ making it harder to reach them with the gospel.

Something to think about! If you feel you must continue with the holidays, perhaps it can be a time of reflection on Christ alone, dropping all the pagan practices and trappings that have diverted attention away from Christ.

God Works

Prayer doesn't work, it's merely words, God works He is a person and cares about those who are His.


When we pray it matters very much who we pray to. If we pray to a false god then the prayer goes into the air and falls to the ground. Many people are praying to false gods or into the air thinking all they have to do is speak something and it comes to them by their sheer willpower. These are useless new age banterings that mean nothing but make the person speaking feel better.





The same attitude is employed with speaking at grave sites to the person in the ground. People think that the dead person can hear them, when they cannot. The practice of speaking to dead people is pagan, having no value at all except to bring good feelings.


When a born again believer speaks to God, beginning with the statement that we are desiring His will, no matter what it is, then we will hear from God. He will say, either yes or no or wait. Whether or not we accept His will, shows us what our faith is really all about.


Are we praying to get what we want from God while caring little if anything about what He wants for us? Or, are we praying to God to bring our requests and including our desire to be in His will, even if it means not getting what we want?


1 Thessalonians 5:18 -" In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."


1 Thessalonians 4:3 - "For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:"


1 John 2:16-17 - For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."


Romans 12:2 -" And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."


John 6:38-40 - For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."


Christ Who is God obeyed the Father's will and He expects us to seek His will too.


Luke 6:46 - And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?


Romans 12:1 - "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service."


Matthew 28:19 - "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"


Matthew 7:21-23 -"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."


Matthew 6:33 -"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

God Resists the Proud

Repentance does not mean to turn around and go the other way as so many of us used to believe, it means to "change one's mind."

When we realized that Christ does all the work in us, then changing our actions does not save us or help us, it is changing our mind toward sin and toward Christ, desiring to be changed by Christ that is in the heart of someone whom God will change.

When we stop trying to be good of our own effort, is when Christ will begin His work in us. Our futile efforts just lead to the sin of pride. However, confessing to God that we are unable to be good enough, is the first step in humility and submission.

Without humility and submission God will not work in us. He must first remove all pride and self sufficiency from us, then He can do His work in us.

James 4:6 "But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

James 4:7 "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

Which Will You Choose, Christ or an Idol?

I have been encountering, once again, people who love to display pictures of a man depicting Christ. I cannot understand why some people do not get this whole matter of idols.

One person said in disgust of modern Christianity, that we would not know Jesus if He came to our door, while showing a picture of a man who was suppose to represent Christ. It seems reasonable to accept this unless one knows the Word of God. My answer to her was this:

"If a man came to our door claiming to be Christ we would know it was not Him because of the scripture that says this: Luke 17:20-25 "20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’[a] For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

22 Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’[b] Do not go after them or follow them. 24 For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation"

It is important to know the word of God. Far too many people are resting their faith on human thinking because they do not know their Bibles, these are the people who will be fooled into following a man or doctrine that is not of God.

The Word of God is our standard for all our thinking, not emotional desires. I shiver when I looked at that photo because I came out of the Catholic church and left behind all the idols, statues, pictures and rituals that permeated that religion. I am finished with anything fleshly. God is Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. If we need something to see we lack faith.

Hebrews 11:1 "11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT seen."

Those who must see a material idol, lack faith and need to go back to the Word to discern what true faith looks like.

John 4:24
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

The best way to become close to God is to read His Word, pray frequently and obey what He tells us. We can learn to hear the Holy Spirit, when we walk closely with Him we know when He is speaking, and we can discern when we are thinking fleshly, or Spiritually.

Romans 8:1
"8 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Galatians 5:25
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

Matthew 12:39
"39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:"

If we require idols of any kind to help us believe, or to remind us of Christ, then we lack faith. Christ lives in every believer, He is Spirit and we walk in the Spirit, therefore we should have no need for a physical sign, except when we lack the faith that Christ lives in us.

Are we ready to eliminate all idols from our lives in favor of that powerful faith in Christ alone.

John 6:28-29
"28Therefore, they said to Him, "What shall we be doing so that we shall be working the works of God?" 29Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you* be believing [or, trusting] in Him whom that One sent."

Objects have no value in our relationship with Christ or our worship, the are detractors from the work of Christ in our Spirit.

We are His Workmanship

Words do not save us. A desire to be cleansed from our sin by Christ is a show of placing faith in Him. He will only change a person if they want to be changed by Him.

Those who would rather change themselves through their own effort, will only see a humanly temporary change, not the change that Christ can do. God will let us do things our own way, but it will not be lasting because our flesh gets weary from the trying.

Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”


Psalm 46:10
"“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

If anyone just wants His blessings and the safety He has to offer, then He will not change them into a new creation and they will not have His blessings.

Proverbs 23:6
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Psalm 51:17
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

Do we want Christ? OR Do we just want His stuff?

"8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

Too many people are trying to reach God by their own efforts, some even demanding of Him as though He owes them something, when in fact, we owe Him everything.

Christ is not a puppet to demand things from nor someone to be ignored except when we need Him. He is not there to help us be a better person, He is the one to change us into what He wants us to be, an entirely different creation from what we were before we trusted Him.

To many think their character is their own project for God, this is wrong. God works in us He makes us new, we cannot make ourselves new because it is done from the inside out, a matter of spiritual change. When we are spiritually changed, then our flesh will follow.

Ephesians 2:10
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them."

Were You Ever Connected To The Vine?

A very good explanation as to the confusion about the loss of salvation is in the following excerpt from a sermon by John MacAruthur. So many are falling into the trap of works salvation through the belief that we can lose, what God died for us to have, complete salvation through Him alone.

Here is what MacAurthur said:
"The branches that abide in the true Vine represent those who are truly saved.The others are not properly connected to the Vine. You have seen shrubs that have weeds growing in them. The weeds are intertwined with the branches of the shrubs and appear to be part of the same plant, but in reality they are attached to a different root. They are like people who have only a superficial relation to Christ.

Tragically, some people pretend to be Christians but have no real connection to Christ. They might regularly go to church or be involved in a Bible study. They might even talk about having a relationship with Jesus. But they aren't genuine branches in the Vine. Evangelical churches are filled with false branches. Some husbands come to church only because their wives want them to. Some young people come to church to be involved in a youth program, but they are not interested in knowing Christ personally. In fact, many outwardly spiritual people never go beyond mere association with Christians.

Jesus pleads with people who are superficial branches. He says in verse 4, "Abide in Me." He is saying to those who are like Judas, "Be genuine; abide in Me and show that your faith is real; bear fruit and remain on the vine." It is like saying, "You superficial branches: be saved; have a genuine relation to Christ."

Abiding in Christ is a mark of true salvation. Sometimes a person who is active in the church leaves suddenly and never goes back to church again. Or a leader in the church may become apostate. People in the church wonder what happened. The explanation is in 1 John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us."

If a person's relationship to Christ is genuine, he remains. First John 2:24-25 says, "As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life." Those who abide inherit eternal life.

That is not to say that you can be saved by being steadfast. The point is that if you continue in the faith, you are showing that your connection to Christ is real; if you depart, you demonstrate that it never was."
John MacArthur

Are You Vaccinated?

Some people have taken their Christianity the way we take a vaccination for a disease. We get a little of the disease placed in us to prevent the disease from becoming full blown. Have we taken a little of the gospel, just enough to know about it and pretend we belong to God but are vaccinated from the effects of it. John MacAruthur makes a very good point when he used this example.

Many people are full of head knowledge, they have tasted the principles of God and His glory by sitting under preaching about Him, even mouthing words at times that are truth and seen God's power but have never become born again.

Those who belong to God and have been changed into a new creation by God are brand new in their spirit and they grow good fruit. Those who claim to be believers but have not been born again, do not grow, they remain stagnant for a time and then they regress in their walk and will at some point walk away, even if only in their hearts while all the time spending time among the gathering of believers, yet they are not one themselves.

Matthew 7:16-18
"16 By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit."

1 John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

Who Still Does the Lord's Supper?

The Lord's Supper is the only celebration God mandated for the Believer.

I do not observe the holidays because they were not ordained of God, there was only one celebration God mandated and that was the Lord's supper. Notice that very few people observe the celebration God ordained, but are much involved in following the man made holidays.

So often we try to please God our own way instead of searching His Book to find how He wants us to please Him.

The "Christian Holidays" are a misnomer since God never told us to celebrate these man made holidays. They were a concoction of the Catholic church and have slopped over into the denominations over the years. Catholics took much of their tradition with them when they left the church. They became born again by faith but didn't want to give up their holidays so they attempted to Christianize paganism.

Notice that the "death, burial and resurrection" are celebrated in the Lord's supper and very few people want this celebration because it involves worship without the trappings. We do not need a separate man made "Easter" celebration, God already told us how to celebrate the resurrection in the Lord's supper. Notice too that the word used to describe that, so called Christian holiday, is a pagan word used to describe the goddess of fertility.

The man made holidays offer selfish things, entertainment, gifts, self glory and revelry. They are all about self.

God's ordained celebration of the Lord's supper is all about Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:23-34
"23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat;[b] this is My body which is broken[c] for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Examine Yourself
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood[d] of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner[e] eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s[f] body.
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come."

The Heart Determines Actions

There is an old saying: "Your actions speak so loud I can't hear a word you are saying." And, another one: "Actions speak louder than words." Our actions prove what is inside.

When we become born again we are changed, we hate the sin we used to love and want to run from it. If there has not been a drastic change in our desires, then we were never born again.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

No one just happens to fall into sin, it is first fostered day after day in the heart before it can come out in actions.

A thief has bitterness and anger in his heart before he decides that he may take whatever he wants from anyone he desires.

An adulterer fosters attitudes of anger and hate before they decide to cheat on their spouse.

A liar fosters bitterness, anger and selfishness before he decides to deceive others.

That's why God said that the first two commandments were the most important, because if we obey those, if we love those, then we will not commit cheating, left or lying. Let's review those two commandments.

Matthew 22:36-40 "36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

If we love the Lord with all our hearts and our neighbors as much as we already love ourselves, then we will do no harm to others. Our first thought will be to do what is loving, kind and helpful for others first placing ourselves last.

Mark 7:21-23 "21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy , slander, pride and foolishness. 23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

When we become born again, Christ writes His law on our hearts, we don't have to try to follow them, they become a part of us and we love them.

Those who are still trying to obey the ten commandments in their flesh, do not understand the concept that the commandments are inter-woven into every part of any believer. When we stray, we have a sense of shame that we may have disobeyed and disappointed God.

The Challenge of Bullies

Bullies have one goal in mind, to devastate the person they have targeted. Their goal is to alarm and frustrate their victim. When we respond in anger, they have accomplished their goal.

If we love the bully, we will not allow them to see their words or actions as effective. They need to see that their tactics don't work, that they are not able to make us hate them giving them the excuse that we deserved what they did.

Bullies only have power over us if we respond to them. I was once told by a wiser older lady that when I encounter this rudeness, I should just begin praying to the Lord out loud, turning it all over to Him. That was very good advice. The bully will either feel ashamed or if he is hardened he will leave because God becomes the power and not him. God can lead us as to what action or words we need to take.

One thing is for sure, the Holy Spirit in us can give us whatever we need to be Christlike in spite of the attacks of others.

It doesn't matter what the bully does, we are to seek to be Christlike. It would be good to read about the life of Christ and His responses to those who mistreated Him.

There isn't much we can do about the bully, but we can arm ourselves with Scriptures that tell us what we should be and do, here are a few;

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."

Matthew 15:18 "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person."

Proverbs 16:24 "Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body."

Proverbs 13:3 "Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin."

Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

Proverbs 21:23 "Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."

Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

Here is the one that is hardest to submit too, but brings the greatest joy to us and perhaps the bully;

Romans 12:14 "Bless them who persecute you: bless, and curse not."

With God's help, through prayer and meditation on His Words, we can be what we should no matter what the circumstances.

We Are Not Saved By Avoiding A Particular Sin

I have recently read an article by someone who claimed that the test that indicates we are saved or not saved, was whether or not we were in an adulterous marriage. I strongly disagreed with this for the following reasons:

One particular sin is not the test that one should take to determine if someone is saved. The test is whether or not they have the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:21-22 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

IF these things are not present and there is no desire to seek God, then those are the tests, not any particular sin. The lack of desire to please God, the continual rejection of His principles are indicators of someone who is not born again. A believer is ashamed when they are confronted with their sin. A non-believer will fight to defend their sinfulness and refuse to turn from it, even declaring that they are not sinning.

We make a huge mistake when we evaluate a person's salvation based on one sin. The sin may mean that the believer is in sin right now but possibly feeling guilt and may turn from it later. A believer may never leave a particular sin, however, they are still saved and will miss blessings in heaven.

1 Corinthians 3:15 "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

Many unsaved people do not commit adultery, but their avoidance of this sin does not make them born again. We are not saved or lost by our sin.

1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:"

A child of God can and does sin, the sins vary from thoughts of adultery to acting out of adultery, but the sin of the thought and the act are all the same in God's eyes.

Matthew 5:27-28 "27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

In other words the person who lusts after a woman is coveting her in his heart, Christ says that is the same as if we committed adultery because in both cases we are desiring something that belongs to someone else. All sin begins in the heart.

A believer has an advocate because he has been born again by the Holy Spirit of God, but a non-believer has no advocate because he does not belong to God. God chastises those who are His when they sin, they have consequences in this life and if they don't confess it, they will have lost rewards in eternity, but their salvation remains.

Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."

We don't have to make sure who is saved and who is not, we merely have to warn those who claim to be believers of the chastisement of God, remind them that if they live a lifestyle of sin they may not be born again as they think. And, we must exercise discipline with them if they claim to be saved and will not turn.

What do we do with sinful thoughts as believers?

In order to keep from acting out the thoughts we have, we must redirect our thoughts. A temptation is not the same as pondering a sin we entertain in our hearts. When a temptation becomes a continual cogitating on something, as the thoughts build and even become obsessions, then we have entered into sin. A temptation should be rejected in the heart immediately and Philippians 4:8, along with other passages from God's word, should be meditated upon to thwart sinful thoughts. When we reject and fight the sinful thoughts with the Scriptures, we can rid ourselves of them and the acts will not occur.

2 Corinthians 10:5 "5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"

We know that all sin begins in the heart before any actions take place. The action cannot occur without first entertaining the thoughts, over time after much obsession with thoughts, the thoughts no longer satisfy, that is when the urges become actions.

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

We don't have to fear "giving a believer an excuse to sin", as some would say. When we have been changed into a new creation by Christ our salvation is secure. Those who are continually worried about making sure that others stop a particular sin, are operating from a fleshly standpoint, based on a religion of works.

I warn believers of their sin, that they would stop the sin and begin to honor God. I challenge them if there is a lifestyle of sin, that they may not be born again as they thought. But I don't have to make sure for my own information whether or not someone is born again, because God already knows. I don't have to worry that someone may use "grace" as an excuse to sin because God is already looking into their hearts.

Far too many people are obsessed with keeping people from sin to keep them saved, And, keeping someone from sin does not make them saved.

When we understand that Christ changed our spirits into a new creation, but our flesh is still corrupted, our hearts desire to live righteously but our flesh is weak. No sin can come in the presence of God, that's why God gave us Christ to live in us. He looks at Christ in us and sees that we belong to Him, He does not look on our sinful flesh, but on the Spirit of Christ Who lives in us.

Romans 8:1-11
8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous 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 live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

You see, we cannot always know who is saved and who is not, but the Word of God gives us clues, our job is to challenge believers to greater holiness and to warn non-believers of hell and bring them the good news of salvation. Another part of that job is to warn those who think they are saved to ask the Lord if they really are.

2 Corinthians 13:5 "5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you [a]fail the test?"

Many of the people who are saying that salvation is by obeying the commandments, are very likely not born again themselves, if they do not understand salvation through faith by God's grace, then they don't understand what salvation is.

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

If you are born again ask the Lord to reveal sins to be confessed and cleansed from you. If you are not born again, ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you, read the Bible and find the way of salvation!

Fear is a Feeling to be Ignored

We do have feelings of fear sometimes, that is not a sin. The feelings are irrelevant, it is what do we do that makes the difference. I ignore feelings a lot to do what I believe is right. Feelings are fleshly and the "shallowest part of our being", as Adrain Rogers would say, they need to be reigned in, to be able to obey truth.

Gone, Gone, Gone!!!!

LORD HAVE MERCY!!!!

So many people are preaching that God does not love His children enough to take over their being and direct their paths. In the minds of these people He is an unconcerned task master who leave us to our own devices after saving us through His power because we trusted Him. I trusted Him because He said He would take care of my salvation, my growth, my provision and everything else that I needed. I trusted Him for everything .....and I still do!

We are holy in direct proportions to how much time we spend reading the Word and asking for wisdom. I am sorry that some are being led to believe they can lose their salvation by those who look more at outer works than they do at the price Christ paid and His promises to us.

There are many now who are apostate who are attempting to convince believers that God will not keep His promise to us, He will not help us in our walk and He will throw us away at the slightest infraction. That is not the God of the Bible.

When we cannot be saved by our works, what makes us think we can be kept by our works? God said HE would keep us, He cleanses us and He is our protector. I could never worship a God that goes back on His promises, Who leaves us to flounder not knowing if we did enough good or enough bad for Him to come down off that cross for my sins. This is not the God of the Bible.

Perhaps if these people would stop looking at circumstances and works, they might be able to see what Christ actually did! He paid the penalty for all the sins of the world. He will change anyone who wants to be changed, however not all will want it.

When God changes a person they stay changed.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Notice the words "the old has PASSED AWAY." Yep, gone gone gone is our old nature, never to come back again!

God's Provision is Enough!

When I became fearful a couple of weak momemnts in time, I was irritated at all this "Obamacare", nonesense. then I began to speak to God about it and He comforted me.

We have a high deductible, we pay all the bills if they are meds or office visits. I was tempted to complain a couple of times and then God stopped me in my tracks when He said in His still small voice......"I am giving you enough money to pay those bills, it doesn't matter what man does, I am in control."

So often we think we want something our way, and miss the fact that God is doing miracles all the time on our behalf. If all was the way we wanted, then we would miss the miracles. He is faithful to care for us.

Matthew 6:26 "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

Who is our Family

From Dona Tucker's comments: Speaking of unsaved family members:

"Yep and if they only understood that they go through the things they do Gwendolyn because they are separated from God. Scripture tells us, even if we have a brother that is in sin and does not listen to wise counsel to put them out and have nothing to do with them. Not to even eat a meal with them. When Jesus was going to the cross he didn't give his mother to his own earthy brother James, he told John, John here is your Mother, mother here is you son. James didn't believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Our true families are the family of God, those who are Born Again.."

Not of Ourselves but of Christ!

Many years ago I doubted my salvation because of my thought life mostly. I reasoned, "how can I be saved and still have these thoughts?" Then the Lord showed me that my cleansing was an ongoing thing, as a new believer I was under attack of my own flesh and the devil, leaving me to think I might not be saved. I jumped for joy on the day the Lord told me that I was born again but I was in a battle against the flesh and the devil. I have had many victories over the years as I fought the battles in prayer. When I tried to fight the battles in my own mind with shear will power, I would lose every time. But when I prayed and told God I needed Him to remove the thoughts, then I had peace and victory in a very short time.

1 Corinthians 15:57 "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

The Bible does not say that our victory is through our hard work in the flesh, just the opposite. If we think we can effect change in ourselves we may make some progress but eventually we will lose that battle, we become tired of the struggle. God will only give us HIS strength, not our own empowered by Him. He is the strength we need.

One day the Lord said to me, "when you are ready to stop trying so hard to be good in your flesh, then I will begin working in you." The peace flooded me and those "rivers of living water" began to flow.

Ephesians 2:10 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

We must stop thinking that God empowers us, He does not, He is the power that lives in us, He will be all that we need. The more we submit to Him, the greater our growth strides. He ultimately gets all the glory, we become so in step with His Spirit that we hear His voice...a spiritual hearing. Sometimes we allow our flesh to drag us down another road, but if we are in tune with the Spirit of God in us, He will bring us back to where we should be.

2 Corinthians 3:1-6 "3 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart."

The Spirit, Not the Letter
"4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit;[a] for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Do You Want To Be Cleansed?

We are already forgiven of our sins if we are born again! But in order to move forward in holiness we must confess them. 

If we do not confess them, we miss blessings in heaven and have consequences on earth. 

 A person cannot forsake a sin or grow past the bondage of it until they admit the sin to God and if necessary, to others.

Confessing sin shows a willingness and desire to be changed by Christ Who lives in us. Confessing to a sibling in Christ shows them that we value their fellowship and companionship.

James 5:16
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

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."

Proverbs 28:13
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."

When we do not confess our sins, we are in danger of physical illness.  There seems to be a built in mechanism, a connection between sin and the toll it takes on the physical body. Not everyone who has illness is in sin as we see from the story of Job, but sometimes our bitterness, anger and denial cause physical ailments. We think we feel fine in our sin but the stress on the body causes illness.

Psalm 32:2-5
"2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah "

When we do confess, God forgives us and begins cleaning our hearts to free us from the bondage of that sin, creating humility in our hearts and turning us from the sin from which we could not release ourselves.

No one has an excuse that they were in bondage to sin, God will not ignore the cries of the sinful heart to be cleansed by Him.

James 4:7-10
"7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

Our Eyes Are Bigger Than The OT Saints

We are much more blessed as believers than we realize, to live in a time such as this. We have been given insights and wisdom that the old testament saints never had. We watch today as prophesy unfolds.

Luke 10:23-24 "Turning to the disciples, He said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things you hear, and did not hear them."

God Looks At The Heart

It is not good to use our fleshly nature as an excuse for sinful behavior or attitudes.

Even attitudes or sinful thoughts will evolve into behaviors if they are not confessed and turned from while they are still thoughts.

James 5:16 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

What does this verse say we will be healed from? If we read the first part of the sentence it seems to say that we will be healed from our sins.

1 Samuel 16:7 "7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees;[a] for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

America A Christian Nation?

America was never a "Christian nation", there will only be one nation that comes to Christ entirely and that is Israel in the tribulation.

America has only had a "form of religion" but denied all along, the power of God and His Word. If America had been a Christian Nation we would never have had leaders who were "deists." Our founding fathers were not lovers of Christ, they were lovers of traditions and self effort.

Our thrust would not have been "freedom", but rather service to Christ. Our nation is based on the premise that all religions are equal. Everyone is allowed to express their religion, Christianity was just the preferred one for many people, but others were not discouraged.

The god of America is now and always has been "freedom", to do as we please, to prosper materially and to express ourselves as we desired. If a true believer had written the constitution of the United States it would have promoted love for the One God in three persons, it would have encouraged evangelism rather than personal independence.

Christianity never forces anyone, but lovingly and boldly proclaims Christ as the answer to all things. Without direction in the principles of Christ, personal freedom and humanistic morals are opposed to Christianity. As the culture changes so does the worldly Christianity of our nation. We see this happening right now. Things that were disdained, discouraged and socially condemned are now being legalized and embraced, even by those who would not commit the same sins themselves.

Accountability has been rejected as mean spirited while personal freedom has been lifted to new heights.

America has been blessed by God not because the entire nation was "Christian" but because there were many believers here, although far fewer than the entire population. Believing born again Christians have always been a remnant every where they reside. Our National Christianity has been one of superficiality and cultural more's, based on tradition rather than on the Bible.

The point to this matter is, that we need to stop looking to a nation to help us remain moral and focused and begin looking to Christ alone. The nation is so far off track now in terms of our moral compass that we cannot regain any ground that was lost, without complete repentance toward Christ, on the part of individuals.

A nation will not save us, but Christ saves individuals. Christ did not die for the sins of "nations", He died for the sins of people. When we realize that repentance is based on each individual response to the call of Christ, then we will see everything else fall into line as it should be.

The call for the believer was not to save nations, but to bring the gospel to individuals.

Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

1 Corinthians 15:1-11
15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Christ is the Power

Christ does not empower us to live the Christian life, He IS the power within us. The difference between born again and those who are not born again but think they are, is that the pretender thinks he/she has the power imparted to them by God, it becomes their power, but the authentic believer knows that he/she has no power of his own not even imparted to him, but that any power he displays is the person of Christ working in him.

John 1:3 "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."

Colossians 1:17 "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"

Hebrews 7:25 "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

John 5:21 ""For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes."

John 16:33 ""These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

The Holy Spirit becomes one with our spirit when we become born again. We no longer operate on our own power as we obey, but in His power. We can disobey the Lord when He prompts us, but we suffer the consequences of disobedience, God never removes our choice to obey or disobey after our spirit becomes a new creation, He merely redirects us through life experiences to return to a place of obedience.

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;"

Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."

Becoming born again is somewhat like the marriage of a man and woman. The spirits of two people meld together to become one. A spouse can physically walk away from their marriage partner, but their spirits remain all mixed up together with their spouse. The physical body is gone, but the spirit is still entwined with the one who is gone.

Ephesians 5:31 "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh."

Mark 10:8 "8 and the two shall become one flesh’; [a] so then they are no longer two, but one flesh."

Matthew 19:4-6 ""Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

So many people cannot figure out why they are so devastated when there is a divorce, even though a part of them wants to be free. The reason someone has a sense of failure and emotional turmoil over a divorce is because a part of us is missing when the other half of our spirit is no longer present. In the physical realm we might compare the spiritual tearing to the loss of an arm or leg. Something is missing when a marriage partner is removed but still alive. A part of us dwells somewhere else, our soul yearns for the return of that other half of us. When a spouse dies, there is a sense that we are released and can move on to whatever is next for us.

Even in terrible marriages, there is a sense of loss in a divorce. I have seen time and time again a woman who is abused by her husband, continually return to him or remain with him in spite of the abuse. Sometimes the woman is even criticized and looked down upon for remaining with an abusive partner. The reason she remains is because there is a strong connection and bond with the person who is the other half of her, even though things are very rough.

God can remove us for a time from an abusive spouse, because it is a violation of God's law and of the civil law. Until the partner realizes their need for repentance and a change of attitude and actions, they cannot be in contact with their spouse.

1 Corinthians 7:5 "Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control."

When we realize that our life as a believer is not completely in the physical realm but more in the spiritual, we can be more faithful to Christ in our commitments. Everything is for the glory of God rather than our own personal comfort and enjoyment. We have a purpose, an eternal purpose that drives us to love the ways of God.

Ephesians 3:11 "This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,"

When we go back and look into the context of the verses here, we realize that our physical life is only a training ground for the spiritual life and the eternal life to come. It is also a picture of our relationship with Christ, to help us to more fully understand salvation. God made an eternal commitment to us when we became born again. And, when we marry, God joins us together as a permanent union on earth until He releases us through death.

Romans 6

"6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"

6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."

God did not impart grace that we can get away with sin, but instead He imparted grace to give us the ability to live above sin. Cheap grace is no grace at all! Grace with power to obey is what God gave to us.

We Must Ask If We Want To Know

Too many people today are basing their belief system on experiences rather than truth.

We cannot base anything we believe on our experiences. Feelings and experiences lie to us, they build up our emotions and cause us to have myopic vision. 

We need to stand back, take a better look at things and compare them with the Words of God. 

If the Words of God do not match up with the experience, then we throw away the experience and go with the Words!

Psalm 107:20 "He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Ephesians 5:26 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Why would I trust my fleshly feelings when I could seek the Word (Christ) Who lives in me for the answers to all things. The more we do this, the greater discernment we have.  We cannot develop discernment when we are starved of God's Word.

God will give wisdom to all who want it, but He will leave us to flounder and fail if we refuse to ask Him.

James 1:5 "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."

Do you want to be able to discern good from bad, righteousness from unrighteousness? If you do you must read the Word of God, ask the Lord to open your eyes to anything you believe that might not be truth and begin to teach you afresh. God will never deny someone who really wants to know.

Do Not Fear

In three days is the anniversary of a terrible attack on our nation by the Muslims. My prayer for us is that those who are believers will be an example of Christlikeness and steadfastness during this time and that many unsaved people will become born again because of what they have to experience.

Maybe nothing will happen, but the signs are all there that something will. In any case I pray for the believers to be safe and for non-believers to come to know Christ. None of us really know how serious any of this is, until we have to face it, but in Christ we have all we need for whatever comes.

Psalm 28:7 "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him."

Psalm 18:2 "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."

Deuteronomy 31:6 "6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

It's All About The Holy Spirit

Too many people are "having a form of religion but denying the power thereof."

We have a set of rules, "do's" and "don't's", that we peddle to the world as a form of Christianity. When we do this we are missing the point.

The Point.....is not about the do's and don't's, but about the Holy Spirit Who comes to live in us. If we have the Holy Spirit and are led by Him, then all the rest will fall into place.

Acts 2:38

"38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

The Do's and Don't's may show us we are off track, needing to confess to bring us back into line with the will of God, but they do not save us or make us more holy.

1 Corinthians 6:19

"19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?"

When the Holy Spirit is present then the elements of our life should look like this;

Galatians 5:22-23

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

Romans 5:5

"5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Romans 8:9

"9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."

When we need to learn a principle, the Holy Spirit will teach us.

John 14:26

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

The Holy Spirit prays on our behalf when we don't know what to pray and even when we think we pray the right things, we need Him to interpret to God for us.

Romans 8:26

"26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us[a] with groanings which cannot be uttered."

John 16:12-15

"12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

If we claim that the Holy Spirit is leading us to do or say something, then it better not be contrary to the Scriptures. When the Holy Spirit speaks it will always line up with the principles in God's Word.

Romans 15:13

"13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Here is the impact on the world when we are born again by the Holy Spirit of God:

John 16:7-15

"7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;

10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;

11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

The Holy Spirit can make us bold for Christ:

Acts 4:31

"31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness."

All our fleshly efforts to follow rules, even principles of God, in our own power by our own pride, will have no effect in us or others. God may use them in spite of us, but they do not please Him.

God's desire is that all we do and say would be through the power of the Holy Spirit. May our prayer be that we get behind the Holy Spirit as He emerges to motivate us, teach us, direct our path and speak through us as He sees fit.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT FOLKS!!!!