When an evil spirit punched me in the chest.
I was attending a Christian conference many years ago when I was punched by an unseen force in the chest.
I felt the evil and began to pray "in the name of Jesus Christ get away from me." Then right after that a man began screaming across the auditorium and thrashing about, so much so that four men had to carry him out.
I knew I had been punched by a devil, who perhaps even tried to get inside of me like he did the man, but he could not because I was a believer in Christ.
Since the devil had not been able to possess me I believe the devils have attempted to turn family members against me. The devil is literally hell bent on ruining anyone who loves God.
If the devil cannot ruin you through fear and sickness he will use others to come against us any way he can. He knows for most people family pressure and abandonment will cause many to give up trying to live for Christ. They may be saved but they are rendered useless because they are no longer strong.
It is true that born again believers who do not continually pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance can be weakened and silenced through their need to be loved by their families.
My suggestion to those in this condition is to remove the idols from your life and your heart. When Christ is first in everything family will come against us using all kinds of manipulation and accusations in an attempt to keep us down and useless.
Choose Christ over family every time. We love our families that's why the devil uses them. For many there is nothing more painful than losing a child or spouse through rejection. It might be easier to lose a family member through death when they loved us than it is to lose a family member through rejection because they hated you, the devil knows all this very well.
Remember Christ loves us so much He died to save us, no human being loved us that much. We owe Christ everything all the time. How could we count any love of a person more valuable than the love of Christ.
Pray for unsaved family members but never capitulate to their manipulations and machinations to be accepted by them.
Luke 14:26 "26“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters— yes, even his own life— he cannot be My disciple."
The meaning of this verse is pretty clear, we are to value so highly Christ that all other relationships are disregarded to follow Him.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Low Hanging Fruit
"Low hanging fruit" definition:
People who can be persuaded with little or no effort.
May we not be "low hanging fruit", the way to avoid it is to:
Question all things, do not believe everything we hear.
1 John 4:1-5
"4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them."
1 Thessalonians 5:21
"21 Test all things; hold fast what is good."
Reject the teaching of false preachers:
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds."
People who can be persuaded with little or no effort.
May we not be "low hanging fruit", the way to avoid it is to:
Question all things, do not believe everything we hear.
1 John 4:1-5
"4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them."
1 Thessalonians 5:21
"21 Test all things; hold fast what is good."
Reject the teaching of false preachers:
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds."
Whom Will You Choose?
Christ was very clear that if we have a living spouse and we are divorced then we are bound to that spouse until one of us dies.
In other words divorce is a practice allowed by the state. It dissolves the legal binding concerning finances and living arrangements but it does not dissolve God's miracle of two people becoming one. God used a spiritual glue to bind two people into one, no man can undo that union, it is only in death that it is released.
Mark 10:8-9 "8 and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”"
The rendering here is not "let no man separate", but rather it is "no man can separate." What God has done no man can undo.
In the old English the word "let" meant "not possible." It also has the meaning to "refrain from interference with."
When God created a man and a woman, the man will always be a man and the woman will always be a woman. No operation or disfigurement will change their gender. God did it and it cannot be undone.
There are those who would say God made them a homosexual. God never did that, He would never make a person something that defies His own principles.
We are born with a disposition toward particular sins. We have urges to do those particular sins, that does not mean that we must remain as we are, that is in bondage to those sins.
Every one of us must ask the Lord to cleanse us of our sin, to make us a new creation that no longer desires those sins. Sometimes the sins we desire before we are born again are culturally influenced and others are genetics. The truth is that without Christ we are unlikely to be able to over come those sins. Someone might become weary of the consequences of their sin and stop for that reason, but that does not mean their heart has been changed to despise those sins. These are people who often approve of others while enabling through acceptance of things that they no longer do but wished they could.
I have met entire families who demonstrated a great deal of pride and a know-it-all attitude. They were predisposed by genetics to indulge their feelings of superiority, but it was enhanced too by the culture of the family unit. In other words the family accepted and endorsed the sin in the heart of that family.
When sin is indulged or ignored it grows and morphs into something worse and more monstrous that it would have been had it been dealt with in its fledgling state.
Once sin has grown into a monster surrounded by those who enable and indulge it, it becomes so entrenched just as a tall tree with roots that go deep, it takes a lot of work to over come. But sin can only be overcome through the mercy and grace of God and only if we want to be delivered and cleansed.
Sadly in our culture today there are more supporters of sin than helpers to encourage us to overcome through Christ. There are few who would help someone to turn from their sin and far more who will indulge them in it, even praising them for it.
We see this in the news clips of the abortion rights liberals celebrating the murdering of babies in the name of women's rights. These people are monsters encouraging and pressuring women to kill their babies.
When the women are at their most emotional lowest of all, then the wicked demonically controlled libers rush in to whisper lies in their ears. There is nothing more monstrous than kicking a woman when she is down. These pro-abort liberals hate women, they hate babies and they hate families. They just hate everyone and everything that is good and precious. This can be nothing less than demonically inspired.
The devil roams around like a roaring lion looking for those who are weak and without defense to ruin and destroy.
The devil does not have to ruin you, he does not have to have control over you. The devil has no power unless we give it to him. We can choose to trust Christ who fights our battles for us against the devil, or we can choose to hear the whispers and lies of the devil. YES, it is our choice. Choose wisely because one day God is going to judge the world and the devil will be defeated completely.
You get to choose to go to hell with the devil or to heaven with Christ.
Joshua 24:14-15
14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
In other words divorce is a practice allowed by the state. It dissolves the legal binding concerning finances and living arrangements but it does not dissolve God's miracle of two people becoming one. God used a spiritual glue to bind two people into one, no man can undo that union, it is only in death that it is released.
Mark 10:8-9 "8 and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”"
The rendering here is not "let no man separate", but rather it is "no man can separate." What God has done no man can undo.
In the old English the word "let" meant "not possible." It also has the meaning to "refrain from interference with."
When God created a man and a woman, the man will always be a man and the woman will always be a woman. No operation or disfigurement will change their gender. God did it and it cannot be undone.
There are those who would say God made them a homosexual. God never did that, He would never make a person something that defies His own principles.
We are born with a disposition toward particular sins. We have urges to do those particular sins, that does not mean that we must remain as we are, that is in bondage to those sins.
Every one of us must ask the Lord to cleanse us of our sin, to make us a new creation that no longer desires those sins. Sometimes the sins we desire before we are born again are culturally influenced and others are genetics. The truth is that without Christ we are unlikely to be able to over come those sins. Someone might become weary of the consequences of their sin and stop for that reason, but that does not mean their heart has been changed to despise those sins. These are people who often approve of others while enabling through acceptance of things that they no longer do but wished they could.
I have met entire families who demonstrated a great deal of pride and a know-it-all attitude. They were predisposed by genetics to indulge their feelings of superiority, but it was enhanced too by the culture of the family unit. In other words the family accepted and endorsed the sin in the heart of that family.
When sin is indulged or ignored it grows and morphs into something worse and more monstrous that it would have been had it been dealt with in its fledgling state.
Once sin has grown into a monster surrounded by those who enable and indulge it, it becomes so entrenched just as a tall tree with roots that go deep, it takes a lot of work to over come. But sin can only be overcome through the mercy and grace of God and only if we want to be delivered and cleansed.
Sadly in our culture today there are more supporters of sin than helpers to encourage us to overcome through Christ. There are few who would help someone to turn from their sin and far more who will indulge them in it, even praising them for it.
We see this in the news clips of the abortion rights liberals celebrating the murdering of babies in the name of women's rights. These people are monsters encouraging and pressuring women to kill their babies.
When the women are at their most emotional lowest of all, then the wicked demonically controlled libers rush in to whisper lies in their ears. There is nothing more monstrous than kicking a woman when she is down. These pro-abort liberals hate women, they hate babies and they hate families. They just hate everyone and everything that is good and precious. This can be nothing less than demonically inspired.
The devil roams around like a roaring lion looking for those who are weak and without defense to ruin and destroy.
The devil does not have to ruin you, he does not have to have control over you. The devil has no power unless we give it to him. We can choose to trust Christ who fights our battles for us against the devil, or we can choose to hear the whispers and lies of the devil. YES, it is our choice. Choose wisely because one day God is going to judge the world and the devil will be defeated completely.
You get to choose to go to hell with the devil or to heaven with Christ.
Joshua 24:14-15
14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Being Alone With Christ is a Blessing
A Response to those who have difficulty with the idea that they might be alone the rest of their lives after divorce, is as follows:
We can do whatever we like, but if we want to obey Christ then we might want to pray and ask Him, while studying His principles in the Word of God to find His heart.
God has a reason for His commandments, all we have to do is desire His heart.
Its not a matter of whether we can or we cannot, its a matter of how much we want to please God.
I have known several women who remained unmarried their entire lives, some never married, some were married and their husbands died and others were divorced. They all chose to remain unmarried and were happy and fulfilled.
One does not have to have a spouse to be full of the joy of the Lord. In fact marriage always brings with it trials.
1 Corinthians 7:8 " 8 Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am."
The better way is to remain unmarried, one is freer to pursue the life they wish to live in Christ when they are the only ones making the decision.
Often spouses prevent their mates from doing things for the Lord they wish they could do. They also dictate other things. Being alone gives one the freedom to choose all their activities, their prayer time and even companions.
When we are married we must allow for the desires of a spouse, that may not even be what we think should be done. Singleness is not a curse its a blessing when we are sold out to Christ.
Paul said that marriage is good as long as it is within God's principles, that being a lawful marriage between two people who have never been married before or who have been married but their spouse has died.
1 Corinthians 7:10 "10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband 11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife."
1 Corinthians 7:27-28 "27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you. "
These verses are words from God, not my words.
Christ was very clear that if we have a living spouse and we are divorced then we are bound to that spouse until one of us dies. God used a spiritual glue to bind two people into one, no man can undo that union, it is only in death that it is released.
Mark 10:8-9 "8 and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”"
The rendering here is not "let no man separate", but rather it is "no man can separate." What God has done no man can undo.
We can do whatever we like, but if we want to obey Christ then we might want to pray and ask Him, while studying His principles in the Word of God to find His heart.
God has a reason for His commandments, all we have to do is desire His heart.
Its not a matter of whether we can or we cannot, its a matter of how much we want to please God.
I have known several women who remained unmarried their entire lives, some never married, some were married and their husbands died and others were divorced. They all chose to remain unmarried and were happy and fulfilled.
One does not have to have a spouse to be full of the joy of the Lord. In fact marriage always brings with it trials.
1 Corinthians 7:8 " 8 Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am."
The better way is to remain unmarried, one is freer to pursue the life they wish to live in Christ when they are the only ones making the decision.
Often spouses prevent their mates from doing things for the Lord they wish they could do. They also dictate other things. Being alone gives one the freedom to choose all their activities, their prayer time and even companions.
When we are married we must allow for the desires of a spouse, that may not even be what we think should be done. Singleness is not a curse its a blessing when we are sold out to Christ.
Paul said that marriage is good as long as it is within God's principles, that being a lawful marriage between two people who have never been married before or who have been married but their spouse has died.
1 Corinthians 7:10 "10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband 11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife."
1 Corinthians 7:27-28 "27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you. "
These verses are words from God, not my words.
Christ was very clear that if we have a living spouse and we are divorced then we are bound to that spouse until one of us dies. God used a spiritual glue to bind two people into one, no man can undo that union, it is only in death that it is released.
Mark 10:8-9 "8 and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”"
The rendering here is not "let no man separate", but rather it is "no man can separate." What God has done no man can undo.
Do Not Fear the Culture
Most people cannot step out of the box the culture has fashioned for them. As a born again believer I try to stay out of the cultural box entirely.
Its not that I wish to be different for difference sake, its just that when we follow Christ we will be a "peculiar" people, meaning strange, not fitting in and separate.
Sometimes we separate ourselves but often the culture separates us from them because they hate the things of God. When we are free in Christ to follow His principles and directions we are in far less bondage than those who feel pressured to do the things the culture mandates for them.
Its surprising to me that those who are continually whipped around by cultural pressure think we are the ones who are in bondage, when the opposite is true.
I have never been more free than I am right now. I am free to choose which path I want while ignoring the intimidation of the culture to do things their way.
It isn't "them or us" in our thinking as born again believers, its "them or Christ." When we follow the dictates of our heart that is full of Christ we will love the path we have decided, that is a path directed by Christ. We are not forced to do this out of ritual, we love Him knowing His love has fashioned the best for us.
The culture does not make their rules based on what is best for anyone. Their rules are based on compliance to be one of them.
Once you have been targeted as the scapegoat, choosing your own path because you love Christ, there will be no returning to the culture. We don't want what the culture wants but even more interesting, once you are a scapegoat to the culture you will never be anything else even if you began to do everything their way.
I remember in elementary school there were those who were treated disrespectfully because they were poor or didn't dress in style. If one of these people would show up one day uncharacteristically dressed in style they would be mocked for "trying to fit in." Once a person has been scapepgoated, there is no recovery from that with those who bullied.
The only solution was to remove ourselves from the bullies and get on with our lives with those who didn't bully.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 "…16 What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 17 “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”"
Let me encourage all those scapegoats that the freest people in the world are those who do not have to walk according to the culture or the bully. And, believe me, the culture as a whole are bullies. All we have to do is look at what happens when we do not adhere to the cultural group think, this will give us a clear picture of the mentality of those who are in bondage to the culture.
If you like some cultural things, great enjoy them, but never feel compelled to do anything because others think you should. We are allowed to say no, or disengage with anyone or anything that does not meet our personal desires.
As a born again believers our desires will be in line with the mind of Christ. We will love and enjoy what He loves and enjoys. When we have a weak fleshly moment we hate it and return to fellowship with Him. No one is bullied into following Christ, it is a choice and we love Him.
Remember: Weak people follow other people. Strong people follow Christ.
Psalm 46:1-3
"God the Refuge of His People.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth. A Song.
46 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
Those who are culturally bound should fear what is coming, those who love Christ have no fear of anything. Hallelujah!!!
Its not that I wish to be different for difference sake, its just that when we follow Christ we will be a "peculiar" people, meaning strange, not fitting in and separate.
Sometimes we separate ourselves but often the culture separates us from them because they hate the things of God. When we are free in Christ to follow His principles and directions we are in far less bondage than those who feel pressured to do the things the culture mandates for them.
Its surprising to me that those who are continually whipped around by cultural pressure think we are the ones who are in bondage, when the opposite is true.
I have never been more free than I am right now. I am free to choose which path I want while ignoring the intimidation of the culture to do things their way.
It isn't "them or us" in our thinking as born again believers, its "them or Christ." When we follow the dictates of our heart that is full of Christ we will love the path we have decided, that is a path directed by Christ. We are not forced to do this out of ritual, we love Him knowing His love has fashioned the best for us.
The culture does not make their rules based on what is best for anyone. Their rules are based on compliance to be one of them.
Once you have been targeted as the scapegoat, choosing your own path because you love Christ, there will be no returning to the culture. We don't want what the culture wants but even more interesting, once you are a scapegoat to the culture you will never be anything else even if you began to do everything their way.
I remember in elementary school there were those who were treated disrespectfully because they were poor or didn't dress in style. If one of these people would show up one day uncharacteristically dressed in style they would be mocked for "trying to fit in." Once a person has been scapepgoated, there is no recovery from that with those who bullied.
The only solution was to remove ourselves from the bullies and get on with our lives with those who didn't bully.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 "…16 What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 17 “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”"
Let me encourage all those scapegoats that the freest people in the world are those who do not have to walk according to the culture or the bully. And, believe me, the culture as a whole are bullies. All we have to do is look at what happens when we do not adhere to the cultural group think, this will give us a clear picture of the mentality of those who are in bondage to the culture.
If you like some cultural things, great enjoy them, but never feel compelled to do anything because others think you should. We are allowed to say no, or disengage with anyone or anything that does not meet our personal desires.
As a born again believers our desires will be in line with the mind of Christ. We will love and enjoy what He loves and enjoys. When we have a weak fleshly moment we hate it and return to fellowship with Him. No one is bullied into following Christ, it is a choice and we love Him.
Remember: Weak people follow other people. Strong people follow Christ.
Psalm 46:1-3
"God the Refuge of His People.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth. A Song.
46 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
Those who are culturally bound should fear what is coming, those who love Christ have no fear of anything. Hallelujah!!!
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