If you have trusted in Christ by faith, then you will never lose what He did for you. There are many people who are attempting to convince believers that their salvation is dependent on their own good deeds. If we cannot gain salvation by our works we cannot keep it by our works either. When we trust Christ, He does everything after that, giving us the salvation we desire as well as keeping us in it. Our desire never changes after that, it remains until He takes us home.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
God never breaks a promise and never turns us back into the old creation ever again.
2 Corinthians 5:16-18 "…16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:…"
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Our World is Entertainment on Steroids
If you think we are not living in a fantasy, entertainment oriented world, take a look at the activities of most people today! Count the number of times we entertain ourselves or plan activities that are not work or study of the Word.
Living in a Fantasy World
Narcissists live in a fantasy world, they become angry when someone comes along and tells the truth that interrupts their fantasy.
The devil is deeply involved in the fantasy world, causing people to feel frustrated or bored with their lives.
When we are not content with our lives, busy doing what God wants us to do, then we become agitated without steadiness, even frustrated.
When we are trusting Christ we don't live in a fantasy world constantly, we have no need of adventure or fiction.
When I became a believer I lost all desire for reading novels. I am not saying novels are wrong, but they seemed empty for me because I knew they were not truth.
Truth should be exciting enough without pretending. Pretend and fantasy can be enjoyable once in a while but it never satisfies the born again believer.
Philippians 4:8
"8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
We must know the tactics of the devil in order to stand against him. Our culture is on fiction overload, we have more fantasy and fiction in our lives than we have truth. When this happens truth becomes offensive and avoided by most people.
The Bible is all truth, to pick up the Bible for light reading would send the fantasy junky into a tailspin, since the truth challenges us to place our trust in Christ rather than our fantasies.
Psalm 25:5
"5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day."
It is amazing how truth becomes exciting when we come down from the addiction of fantasy and fiction. And, it is an addiction, all we have to do is look all around us to see the fixation of our world on entertainment.
As a culture we are so fixated on entertainment that it has been brought into our churches to pacify the addicts, the masses of people who cannot sit still for one hour and worship or study without joking, laughing and entertainers on stage.
Sometimes I long for a simpler world in which everyone stays home a lot, they share rocking chair conversations on their front porches with no where to be and nothing that has to be done immediately.
One of the signs of the end times is that people will not have time for one another, they will be flitting too and fro all the time as they follow their own desires, fulfilling their own lusts.
Daniel 12:4
"4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
Knowledge and travel have increased but wisdom has decreased, this is the state of the world at the end of the age, we are there now.
The devil is deeply involved in the fantasy world, causing people to feel frustrated or bored with their lives.
When we are not content with our lives, busy doing what God wants us to do, then we become agitated without steadiness, even frustrated.
When we are trusting Christ we don't live in a fantasy world constantly, we have no need of adventure or fiction.
When I became a believer I lost all desire for reading novels. I am not saying novels are wrong, but they seemed empty for me because I knew they were not truth.
Truth should be exciting enough without pretending. Pretend and fantasy can be enjoyable once in a while but it never satisfies the born again believer.
Philippians 4:8
"8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
We must know the tactics of the devil in order to stand against him. Our culture is on fiction overload, we have more fantasy and fiction in our lives than we have truth. When this happens truth becomes offensive and avoided by most people.
The Bible is all truth, to pick up the Bible for light reading would send the fantasy junky into a tailspin, since the truth challenges us to place our trust in Christ rather than our fantasies.
Psalm 25:5
"5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day."
It is amazing how truth becomes exciting when we come down from the addiction of fantasy and fiction. And, it is an addiction, all we have to do is look all around us to see the fixation of our world on entertainment.
As a culture we are so fixated on entertainment that it has been brought into our churches to pacify the addicts, the masses of people who cannot sit still for one hour and worship or study without joking, laughing and entertainers on stage.
Sometimes I long for a simpler world in which everyone stays home a lot, they share rocking chair conversations on their front porches with no where to be and nothing that has to be done immediately.
One of the signs of the end times is that people will not have time for one another, they will be flitting too and fro all the time as they follow their own desires, fulfilling their own lusts.
Daniel 12:4
"4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
Knowledge and travel have increased but wisdom has decreased, this is the state of the world at the end of the age, we are there now.
What Changed?
I never met anyone as a child that needed meds for "hyper-activity", this control freak mentality for lack of discipline has drugged up half of our population.
I am convinced it is responsible for many of the shootings in schools, because it removes the necessary inhibitions to commit crimes.
The drugs may also be responsible for some anger and rage issues we see in the teens today.
I have met a few people who are in their 40's today who were on the depression drugs beginning at 12 years old, they seem immature, as though they were stunted in the emotional growth.
We really have no idea how far reaching is the damage these drugs have created.
Every few years someone dreams up a new way to make money through the creation of another mental disease that never occurred just 40 years ago.
I am highly suspect when half or more than half the children in the elementary school classroom are on depression or hyper-activity drugs.
Back in the day, even just 40 years ago, children didn't take any drug except cough medicine if they were sick.
Let me ask: "What happened, what changed"? Perhaps the culture became more wicked and less observing of God's principles?
I am convinced it is responsible for many of the shootings in schools, because it removes the necessary inhibitions to commit crimes.
The drugs may also be responsible for some anger and rage issues we see in the teens today.
I have met a few people who are in their 40's today who were on the depression drugs beginning at 12 years old, they seem immature, as though they were stunted in the emotional growth.
We really have no idea how far reaching is the damage these drugs have created.
Every few years someone dreams up a new way to make money through the creation of another mental disease that never occurred just 40 years ago.
I am highly suspect when half or more than half the children in the elementary school classroom are on depression or hyper-activity drugs.
Back in the day, even just 40 years ago, children didn't take any drug except cough medicine if they were sick.
Let me ask: "What happened, what changed"? Perhaps the culture became more wicked and less observing of God's principles?
Faith Leads to Obedience
Our faith leads us to obey God because we believe Him. If we do not believe God we will not obey Him!
The Did According to their Own Desires Always
Hospitality: Something we do in deference to another person.
Back in the day, it was considered rude to neglect to offer guests refreshment. Whatever we had in the house at the time a guest arrived, was offered as a way of showing them our delight at their visit. Even if the guest came unannounced, dropping in unexpectedly they were shown pleasure at their arrival.
Unexpected guests were treated with great kindness and made to feel welcome. The best way to welcome a guest is to offer them drink and a snack.
If we were sitting down to a meal when an unexpected guest arrived, they would be offered a place at the table to share in the meal.
Believe it or not, this was common with everyone. This hospitality seems to have been lost in the younger generation, by younger I mean the 40 somethings and under.
We were taught this by example as well as lessons in Home Economic classes in school.
We were so trained in this practice that we were embarrassed when someone came and it slipped our minds to offer refreshment. We would apologize and immediately get up to get some.
There was an old saying that described the hospitality of the host and also the hospitality of the guest. Yes the guest was expected to appreciate any offer of refreshment and accept it. It was rude to neglect to offer refreshment and rude for the guest to ask for it, it was also rude to refuse it when offered by the hostess.
Has anyone else experienced this loss of hospitality among this new generation?
The more our culture focuses on self, the more we lose the old traditions of hospitality and kindness. In order to be kind and hospitable we must defer to others. Selfish people hate manners and hospitality because it means they are submitting to the needs and desires of others.
I have actually experienced younger people acting embarrassed at manners and hospitality. They seemed to think it something strange.
Can we say: "divorce and remarriage", as an indication of this lack of deference to others. This is only one sin that comes from a self focus, there is abortion, pornography, the women leaving the home to become "their own person", as well as many other popular sins that are seem as normal courses in these last days.
With the acceptance of disrespect and lack of hospitality, comes every other sin imaginable. When deference to others is seen as weak and foolish, so goes the manners and love.
Welcome to the end times in which most people think nearly entirely about themselves and their own desires, there is no room for deference to anyone else.
Genesis 6:5,11,12 ...'And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.'
Judges 21:25 " 25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
Matthew 24:37-39
"37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
The people of the land no longer see themselves under anyone, they defer to no one and value no one. Everything that is done, is in preference to their own desires.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Back in the day, it was considered rude to neglect to offer guests refreshment. Whatever we had in the house at the time a guest arrived, was offered as a way of showing them our delight at their visit. Even if the guest came unannounced, dropping in unexpectedly they were shown pleasure at their arrival.
Unexpected guests were treated with great kindness and made to feel welcome. The best way to welcome a guest is to offer them drink and a snack.
If we were sitting down to a meal when an unexpected guest arrived, they would be offered a place at the table to share in the meal.
Believe it or not, this was common with everyone. This hospitality seems to have been lost in the younger generation, by younger I mean the 40 somethings and under.
We were taught this by example as well as lessons in Home Economic classes in school.
We were so trained in this practice that we were embarrassed when someone came and it slipped our minds to offer refreshment. We would apologize and immediately get up to get some.
There was an old saying that described the hospitality of the host and also the hospitality of the guest. Yes the guest was expected to appreciate any offer of refreshment and accept it. It was rude to neglect to offer refreshment and rude for the guest to ask for it, it was also rude to refuse it when offered by the hostess.
Has anyone else experienced this loss of hospitality among this new generation?
The more our culture focuses on self, the more we lose the old traditions of hospitality and kindness. In order to be kind and hospitable we must defer to others. Selfish people hate manners and hospitality because it means they are submitting to the needs and desires of others.
I have actually experienced younger people acting embarrassed at manners and hospitality. They seemed to think it something strange.
Can we say: "divorce and remarriage", as an indication of this lack of deference to others. This is only one sin that comes from a self focus, there is abortion, pornography, the women leaving the home to become "their own person", as well as many other popular sins that are seem as normal courses in these last days.
With the acceptance of disrespect and lack of hospitality, comes every other sin imaginable. When deference to others is seen as weak and foolish, so goes the manners and love.
Welcome to the end times in which most people think nearly entirely about themselves and their own desires, there is no room for deference to anyone else.
Genesis 6:5,11,12 ...'And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.'
Judges 21:25 " 25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
Matthew 24:37-39
"37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
The people of the land no longer see themselves under anyone, they defer to no one and value no one. Everything that is done, is in preference to their own desires.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
Have You Been Abused, Christ is the Answer
It is sad that we live in a world so fraught with sin that many things that are done commonly are sinful are being treated as normal and acceptable.
Just recently I was discussing the matter of child abuse with someone who had not been abused. This person could not understand or even believe those who claim they were abused. There was a lack of empathy or even concern for those who are abused.
When someone has not experienced these kind of trials themselves, the testimony of others who have been through it seem surreal to them, they cannot wrap their mind around the fact that someone could do these terrible things, especially if the testimony is about someone they believed all their life was a great person.
There are many emotionally, verbally and physically abused people in our world, who have no one to tell because the extended family members refuse to believe the truth.
I am here to tell you that some testimonies are fabricated, but many if not most are not. Emotional abuse is far more common than physical abuse, and of course this abuse is never reported, because there are no witnesses and it is not a crime.
Narcissists hide their verbal and emotional abuse from those they wish to impress. They make sure to only do their dastardly attacks in private when others are not watching. This is why when a little comment is made that others think is a joke, is taken seriously by the target, they know what the narcissist means by it and what they are doing from recent and past abuse.
There is a book by Dorie Stone, that shows how severely parents can treat their children and how horrid the abuse can become. Dorie was a "scapegoat"child. She was given away by her mother while her mother kept the "golden child", her sister. Her sister was the favored one and Dorie was the rejected one.
The name of this book is "Dorie, the Girl Nobody Loved." It is well worth reading for those who have experienced every form of abuse possible. Dorie was a mean child in the beginning because of all she endured, but after finding Christ she was healed from her abuse and her response to life changed, she became a kind and loving child.
Make no mistake, those who are abused, whichever form it takes, can see the tactics clearly, no matter how covert, while the world remains skeptical to believe anything they have no been through or seen for themselves.
But guess what.....God sees it all and God can deliver from all of it. In Dorie's case she was not delivered after she became born again, she remained in situations of abuse, but her testimony will blow your socks off, she says, the abuse continued but God went through with her. She survived, was no longer broken and saw that it was not about her, it was the evil of the abuser that was the problem.
Abused and broken people often think something is wrong with them, after all, how could people treat us so badly unless we deserved it. This is what the abuser attempts to inculcate into our soul, that we are worthless, unworthy of love and helpless to be anything but disgusting refuse.
This mentality that feels entitled to abuse others is coming from the father of lies, the devil himself. He thinks if he can keep people broken and diminished continually, he can motivate these broken people to hate and blame God.
If you are a broken one who has been tormented by evil people all your life, please pray and reject the idea that God did this to you. God allowed you to go through this as learning, it was not his will and all the evil people who do this will be punished at the end of it all.
Everything we go through in this life has value and purpose, if we trust Christ we will see things most others do not see and have the wisdom of Solomon, but only if we trust in Christ.
Those who have gone through horrid things and do not have Christ, respond to life in anger, often destroying their own life as they lean into their feelings of worthlessness.
When we have trusted Christ we know that He loved us so much that He went through terrible abuse in payment of our sin, that we might live for eternity with Him. So you see, His suffering was not less than ours, it was even worse, and He was doing it on purpose for others.
Christ could have come off of that cross, He is God! But He chose to remain for the sake of humanity.
When we see our suffering as having purpose and that it could not measure up to what Christ went through, this makes it a little easier to endure and recover when the abuse is over.
Our flesh never completely recovers from the abuse, but we don't have to cogitate on it continually, it is better to replace those ugly thoughts with the Word of God and on Christ Himself.
Romans 5:3-5
"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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."
When you encounter those who do not believe what you endured, move on to new relationships who will not negate what you know. Those who are focused on Christ should be our continual companions, they only have one agenda and that is to glorify Him, learn from their life experiences and enjoy engaging in yours.
Romans 12:15
"15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."
Hallelujah, remember how much Christ loved us, no person can love us as much as He did and does.
Just recently I was discussing the matter of child abuse with someone who had not been abused. This person could not understand or even believe those who claim they were abused. There was a lack of empathy or even concern for those who are abused.
When someone has not experienced these kind of trials themselves, the testimony of others who have been through it seem surreal to them, they cannot wrap their mind around the fact that someone could do these terrible things, especially if the testimony is about someone they believed all their life was a great person.
There are many emotionally, verbally and physically abused people in our world, who have no one to tell because the extended family members refuse to believe the truth.
I am here to tell you that some testimonies are fabricated, but many if not most are not. Emotional abuse is far more common than physical abuse, and of course this abuse is never reported, because there are no witnesses and it is not a crime.
Narcissists hide their verbal and emotional abuse from those they wish to impress. They make sure to only do their dastardly attacks in private when others are not watching. This is why when a little comment is made that others think is a joke, is taken seriously by the target, they know what the narcissist means by it and what they are doing from recent and past abuse.
There is a book by Dorie Stone, that shows how severely parents can treat their children and how horrid the abuse can become. Dorie was a "scapegoat"child. She was given away by her mother while her mother kept the "golden child", her sister. Her sister was the favored one and Dorie was the rejected one.
The name of this book is "Dorie, the Girl Nobody Loved." It is well worth reading for those who have experienced every form of abuse possible. Dorie was a mean child in the beginning because of all she endured, but after finding Christ she was healed from her abuse and her response to life changed, she became a kind and loving child.
Make no mistake, those who are abused, whichever form it takes, can see the tactics clearly, no matter how covert, while the world remains skeptical to believe anything they have no been through or seen for themselves.
But guess what.....God sees it all and God can deliver from all of it. In Dorie's case she was not delivered after she became born again, she remained in situations of abuse, but her testimony will blow your socks off, she says, the abuse continued but God went through with her. She survived, was no longer broken and saw that it was not about her, it was the evil of the abuser that was the problem.
Abused and broken people often think something is wrong with them, after all, how could people treat us so badly unless we deserved it. This is what the abuser attempts to inculcate into our soul, that we are worthless, unworthy of love and helpless to be anything but disgusting refuse.
This mentality that feels entitled to abuse others is coming from the father of lies, the devil himself. He thinks if he can keep people broken and diminished continually, he can motivate these broken people to hate and blame God.
If you are a broken one who has been tormented by evil people all your life, please pray and reject the idea that God did this to you. God allowed you to go through this as learning, it was not his will and all the evil people who do this will be punished at the end of it all.
Everything we go through in this life has value and purpose, if we trust Christ we will see things most others do not see and have the wisdom of Solomon, but only if we trust in Christ.
Those who have gone through horrid things and do not have Christ, respond to life in anger, often destroying their own life as they lean into their feelings of worthlessness.
When we have trusted Christ we know that He loved us so much that He went through terrible abuse in payment of our sin, that we might live for eternity with Him. So you see, His suffering was not less than ours, it was even worse, and He was doing it on purpose for others.
Christ could have come off of that cross, He is God! But He chose to remain for the sake of humanity.
When we see our suffering as having purpose and that it could not measure up to what Christ went through, this makes it a little easier to endure and recover when the abuse is over.
Our flesh never completely recovers from the abuse, but we don't have to cogitate on it continually, it is better to replace those ugly thoughts with the Word of God and on Christ Himself.
Romans 5:3-5
"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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."
When you encounter those who do not believe what you endured, move on to new relationships who will not negate what you know. Those who are focused on Christ should be our continual companions, they only have one agenda and that is to glorify Him, learn from their life experiences and enjoy engaging in yours.
Romans 12:15
"15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."
Hallelujah, remember how much Christ loved us, no person can love us as much as He did and does.
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