Even with all our toys and prosperity the people of America lack joy because they are so self absorbed. The more we have the more we want, we become picky. dissatisfied and ungrateful, not to mention petty over the silliest things. All this love of self is causing divorce and remarriage, angry lonely children and disrespectful attitudes on the part of everyone.
We are a prosperous nation, but increasingly miserable. Our "stuff" has not brought us the peace that we thought it would, it only made us more selfish. Teen suicide is up, something that was almost unheard of when I was a teen. Why are young people who have everything killing themselves? This ought to be a clue that getting our way does not satisfy, it only makes us dull and unsure of what is right and what is wrong.
Locked into our cell phones, slaves to its rings, we have no real friends, only words on a device that we can turn on and off at will. Our families are disintegrating while our level of education is dumbing us down. We are getting ready for third world status.
The solution to all this mess, is for individuals to turn from their sin to Christ, desiring to be changed into a new creation by Him, cleansing us from the indoctrination with which the culture has brain washed us. Only then will we be able to change anything, we start with ourselves.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Does the Law Condemn Us or Bless Us?
There is so much confusion about the Law of God, arguing abounds. One side says we have to obey the Law to be born again and the other extreme says we don't need the Law any more and can sin all we want.
The truth is the Law never goes away, either for convicting the unsaved or blessing the saved.
There is a difference in the way the Law is applied before salvation than after salvation. Before salvation the Law was there to convict us of our sin to lead us to Christ and repentance.
After salvation the Law Giver lives in us, we don't have to "follow" the Law, it abides in us as a very real part of our being, we love it.
Before we had to try to obey and could not, even with fear in our hearts. After salvation we don't have to try to follow it, we enjoy obeying it, we don't want to violate God's Laws.
After we become born again, the Law in us convicts others who are not born again.
Before salvation we feared the Law and its' condemnation, after salvation we are grateful for where it brought us.
Romans 8:3 "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,"
Psalm 119:97 "If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well."
James 2:8 "If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well."
Seems impossible that someone would dwell on God's Law day and night and still defy it. The more time we spend contemplating His Principles, the less we will violate them. We terry a long time on the things we love, whether it be the world or the things of God.
1 Timothy 4:15 "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all."
Want to know God intimately, read His word often, remember His principles and speak them to others, let Him permeate our being in every thing all the time.
The truth is the Law never goes away, either for convicting the unsaved or blessing the saved.
There is a difference in the way the Law is applied before salvation than after salvation. Before salvation the Law was there to convict us of our sin to lead us to Christ and repentance.
After salvation the Law Giver lives in us, we don't have to "follow" the Law, it abides in us as a very real part of our being, we love it.
Before we had to try to obey and could not, even with fear in our hearts. After salvation we don't have to try to follow it, we enjoy obeying it, we don't want to violate God's Laws.
After we become born again, the Law in us convicts others who are not born again.
Before salvation we feared the Law and its' condemnation, after salvation we are grateful for where it brought us.
Romans 8:3 "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,"
Psalm 119:97 "If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well."
James 2:8 "If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well."
Seems impossible that someone would dwell on God's Law day and night and still defy it. The more time we spend contemplating His Principles, the less we will violate them. We terry a long time on the things we love, whether it be the world or the things of God.
1 Timothy 4:15 "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all."
Want to know God intimately, read His word often, remember His principles and speak them to others, let Him permeate our being in every thing all the time.
Words Are Not Enough
Our culture places far too much emphasis on words. We tend to think if we say something that makes it true. Or if we say something, our words will make things happen. This could not be farther from the truth. Our "WORDS" have no power. They are easier than action. It is actually a cultic concept to believe words have power. Only God's Words have power.
Action takes effort, words can be said while we rest or sleep, but action must be done with effort, time and sacrifice.
James 2:14-26
"14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also"
Action takes effort, words can be said while we rest or sleep, but action must be done with effort, time and sacrifice.
James 2:14-26
"14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also"
We Are Not Accepted "As We Are."
I was once told that I "should accept people for who
they are", whatever that means.
I asked the person are you accepting me for who I am, a
person who does not accept someone else for who they are?"
Christ does not accept us as we are, He takes us and cleans
us up. We don't come to Christ to be ourselves, we come to Christ to become a
new creation, completely changed.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
Titus 3:5 "He saved us, not because of works done by us
in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of
regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,"
Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what
is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Galatians 5:24 "And those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
1 Corinthians 6:9 "Or do you not know that the
unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom
of God
So all that you have heard over the years about God
accepting you as you are is not only false but dangerous.
God cannot accept any sin in His presence, the only way that
we can be acceptable to God is by the sacrifice of Christ. That is just how
wicked we are, God cannot even look upon us unless we have the Holy Spirit for
Him to see in us.
Israel is the Proof
Look what God did in 1948!!!!!! We have been watching
prophesy fulfilled blatantly since 1948. Israel has been continually
bombarded by Islam all this time and has remained a country, protected by God.
This is a miracle folks, they are surrounded every day for the past, nearly 60
years and they still remain a country while growing every day.
Jeremiah 32:37
""Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands
to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in great indignation;
and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety."
There are those who are superficially looking for miracles
performed by men encouraging wild and phony worship services to get their
miracles, while God's Word is being fulfilled before their very eyes. All we
have to do is watch Israel
and the middle east to know that God is working and has been for those 60 years
in preparation for the tribulation.
Why can so many people focus on fraudulent miracles to get a
temporary earthly high, while all around them God is working real miracles. Why
is this? I believe it is because those looking for the superficial miracles for
personal high without thought of glorifying God are earthly focused and not with
eternity in mind. When God is glorified, then we see only His working, not our
wild flagellation each week in front of crowds of people to be elevated by
others.
The rapture and the tribulation are in view now, not much
more time shall pass before these things come about. We can see the signs in
many ways, but most of all we see Israel our time piece.
May many become born again before it is too late.
Judas Was With Christ But Was Never Of Him
Judas was with Christ, he tasted of the gifts and love of Christ, even professed to be for Him, but Christ called him a devil. He was never born again because his heart wanted the perks of what Christ had to offer, but he did not want Christ. He was a pretender as many are today in the gatherings.
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."
It would be good for all those who claim to be born again to ask the Lord if they are truly born again. Just because someone attends church, performs certain good deeds does not make them a child of God. Not all who think they are saved and going to heaven, will make it there.
Matthew 7:21-23
"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.’"
Notice how good these people will look to others? They will even do miracles in Christ's name, but they are not of Him. When I ponder this I am reminded of people like Benny Hinn and many others who seem to have miracles, even real ones at times mixed in with their phony ones. They are pretenders, we know this because much of what they do and believe violates the Bible.
A true believer will set his entire life on the principles of the Bible, he or she will base all they do and say on God's Word, unless they are stubborn, in which case the Lord will deal with them as with sons and daughters, disciplining them until they confess and turn from their sin.
Hebrews 12:6 "FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
Do we want to be sons and daughters of the King of Kings? If so, then we must stop thinking with our own mind, ask God and search His Word for the answers.
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."
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."
It would be good for all those who claim to be born again to ask the Lord if they are truly born again. Just because someone attends church, performs certain good deeds does not make them a child of God. Not all who think they are saved and going to heaven, will make it there.
Matthew 7:21-23
"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.’"
Notice how good these people will look to others? They will even do miracles in Christ's name, but they are not of Him. When I ponder this I am reminded of people like Benny Hinn and many others who seem to have miracles, even real ones at times mixed in with their phony ones. They are pretenders, we know this because much of what they do and believe violates the Bible.
A true believer will set his entire life on the principles of the Bible, he or she will base all they do and say on God's Word, unless they are stubborn, in which case the Lord will deal with them as with sons and daughters, disciplining them until they confess and turn from their sin.
Hebrews 12:6 "FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
Do we want to be sons and daughters of the King of Kings? If so, then we must stop thinking with our own mind, ask God and search His Word for the answers.
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."
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