Words seem to be enough in our culture, actions are not very important as long as they impress someone momentarily.
It has been a long time since I have been impressed by words. I have seen far too many people proclaiming themselves as good people while living lives that demonstrate the opposite.
Proverbs 27:2 " 2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth— a stranger, and not your own lips."
We live in a culture that thinks its good to say; "I'm a good person", but little do these people realize that someone who has good character does not have to speak it, their life will be the evidence.
Matthew 5:16
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
If our lives truly are good and godly then it will be Christ Who is glorified and not ourselves.
Romans 13:13
"Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy."
God is no impressed with our own proclamations of our goodness, rather He condemns it.
Philippians 2:1-30
"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ..."
If we are in love with Jesus Christ it will be evident that we obey the first two most important commandments given by Christ.
Matthew 22:36-40
"36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Turning our Cheek
Matthew 5:38-39
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."
In this passage God was not endorsing the allowance for personal abuse from others. He was merely telling us not to take revenge on those who abuse us.
If someone continues in abusive behavior we have the right and permission to remove ourselves from these people.
There is no scripture that commands us to remain with abusive unrepentant individuals.
1 Corinthians 5:13 "13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
Proverbs 14:6-8 "…6 A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning. 7 Stay away from a foolish man; you will gain no knowledge from his speech. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools deceives them.…"
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."
In this passage God was not endorsing the allowance for personal abuse from others. He was merely telling us not to take revenge on those who abuse us.
If someone continues in abusive behavior we have the right and permission to remove ourselves from these people.
There is no scripture that commands us to remain with abusive unrepentant individuals.
1 Corinthians 5:13 "13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”
Proverbs 14:6-8 "…6 A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning. 7 Stay away from a foolish man; you will gain no knowledge from his speech. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools deceives them.…"
False Professions Abound
There are many false professions of faith in our day. Now is the time to ask God if you have been born again or if you are a pretender going through the motions to be able to feel good about yourselves.
Romans 8:9
"9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him."
Mark 1:15
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Romans 8:9
"9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him."
Mark 1:15
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
The Facts Are Not Enough
There are many people who are satisfied with knowing facts about God who do not have a relationship with Him.
You might say: "but I believe in God and know things about Him", and I would say; "so does the devil."
Just knowing facts about God and facts about the history of the Bible does not make a Christian. Unless you have a relationship with Him there can be no salvation.
What is a relationships with God? First we have to confess our sinfulness, then we desire to be changed into a new creation by Him. No one will be changed into a new creation who does not think they need changing.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
"Therefore" is an important word because it qualifies why we become a new creation.
The previous verses in 2 Corinthians 5:14-16 "14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf."
When we love to hear from Him through the reading of His word and prayer desiring that He teach us His own heart, then we have a relationship with Him.
Learning His principles just to be able to feel superior to others is not a relationship with Him. We can know a lot about someone else, where they live, who they know, their job, even their likes and dislikes without knowing their heart.
Those who are focused on their own superiority using religion as a means to elevate self are not able to confess their sinfulness to be born again. Some may even mouth the words but they are hollow words designed to pretend something is true that is not.
Proverbs 30:15 "knives, devouring the oppressed from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, “Enough!”: 16 Sheol, the barren womb, land that is never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, “Enough!”…"
2 Peter 2:18-19
"18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,
19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved."
Psalm 20:4 "4 May He grant you your heart’s desire
And fulfill all your counsel!"
When we have God's desires for us in mind then He will grant us those things that are His will. His will is best for us even if it doesn't feel like it. The more we focus on learning God's heart for our lives the less we will be determined to get our own way. The less we desire the praise of men.
John 12:42-44 "42 Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me."
Psalm 51:10
"10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Jeremiah 29:13
"13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
Proverbs 3:5-6
"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight."
To pray "give me give me" all the time is disrespectful and self willed. It is when we seek God for His will mentioning our desires but willing to let go of them if they do not match with God's will then we are truly wanting to worship and please God.
You might say: "but I believe in God and know things about Him", and I would say; "so does the devil."
Just knowing facts about God and facts about the history of the Bible does not make a Christian. Unless you have a relationship with Him there can be no salvation.
What is a relationships with God? First we have to confess our sinfulness, then we desire to be changed into a new creation by Him. No one will be changed into a new creation who does not think they need changing.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
"Therefore" is an important word because it qualifies why we become a new creation.
The previous verses in 2 Corinthians 5:14-16 "14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf."
When we love to hear from Him through the reading of His word and prayer desiring that He teach us His own heart, then we have a relationship with Him.
Learning His principles just to be able to feel superior to others is not a relationship with Him. We can know a lot about someone else, where they live, who they know, their job, even their likes and dislikes without knowing their heart.
Those who are focused on their own superiority using religion as a means to elevate self are not able to confess their sinfulness to be born again. Some may even mouth the words but they are hollow words designed to pretend something is true that is not.
Proverbs 30:15 "knives, devouring the oppressed from the earth, and the needy from among men. 15 The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, “Enough!”: 16 Sheol, the barren womb, land that is never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, “Enough!”…"
2 Peter 2:18-19
"18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,
19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved."
Psalm 20:4 "4 May He grant you your heart’s desire
And fulfill all your counsel!"
When we have God's desires for us in mind then He will grant us those things that are His will. His will is best for us even if it doesn't feel like it. The more we focus on learning God's heart for our lives the less we will be determined to get our own way. The less we desire the praise of men.
John 12:42-44 "42 Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me."
Psalm 51:10
"10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Jeremiah 29:13
"13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
Proverbs 3:5-6
"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight."
To pray "give me give me" all the time is disrespectful and self willed. It is when we seek God for His will mentioning our desires but willing to let go of them if they do not match with God's will then we are truly wanting to worship and please God.
Our Companions Matter
We are affected deeply by those we spend a lot of time with, this is why it is important to choose our close friends wisely.
Born again believers have a desire to live for Christ, to learn His principles and to follow His commands, therefore they must be diligent to spend a lot of time with those who have the same goals.
It has been my observation that those who are superficial in their walk with God have little interest in discussing the things of the Lord or even interested in seeking Him to be obedient to His principles.
Whether we like to admit it or not we are influenced by those we spend the most time with. If we spend time with unbeleivers more than believers we will tend to quench our desires to speak of the Lord, even doing things the unbelievers does to maintain a relationship with them.
No one is immune to being influenced by those they are with frequently.
1 Corinthians 15:33 "33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Proverbs 13:20-21 "20 He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. 21 Disaster pursues sinners, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous."
If our only choice is to spend time with unbelievers then it is better to be alone with God than to continually be influenced by unbelievers.
Of course we must obey God in witnessing to unbelievers, that's the calling of every born again believer. Witnessing to unbelievers is far different from making them our close and constant companions.
When our goal is to promote and enhance the ways of God in ourselves and others, then we must choose our companions with this in mind.
There is constant conflict when in the company of those who do not share our goals and desires. We do not fight with them but they will attempt to fight with us, causing continual egg shell walking and frustration in our souls.
A non-believer hates righteousness and loves the ways of the world they are not connected to our Spirit so they have nothing to offer us in companionship.
If we love people we will witness Christ to them if they are unsaved and then move on from them if they refuse our message.
Mark 6:11
"If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them."
Matthew 10:40,41
"He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me…"
Born again believers have a desire to live for Christ, to learn His principles and to follow His commands, therefore they must be diligent to spend a lot of time with those who have the same goals.
It has been my observation that those who are superficial in their walk with God have little interest in discussing the things of the Lord or even interested in seeking Him to be obedient to His principles.
Whether we like to admit it or not we are influenced by those we spend the most time with. If we spend time with unbeleivers more than believers we will tend to quench our desires to speak of the Lord, even doing things the unbelievers does to maintain a relationship with them.
No one is immune to being influenced by those they are with frequently.
1 Corinthians 15:33 "33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Proverbs 13:20-21 "20 He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. 21 Disaster pursues sinners, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous."
If our only choice is to spend time with unbelievers then it is better to be alone with God than to continually be influenced by unbelievers.
Of course we must obey God in witnessing to unbelievers, that's the calling of every born again believer. Witnessing to unbelievers is far different from making them our close and constant companions.
When our goal is to promote and enhance the ways of God in ourselves and others, then we must choose our companions with this in mind.
There is constant conflict when in the company of those who do not share our goals and desires. We do not fight with them but they will attempt to fight with us, causing continual egg shell walking and frustration in our souls.
A non-believer hates righteousness and loves the ways of the world they are not connected to our Spirit so they have nothing to offer us in companionship.
If we love people we will witness Christ to them if they are unsaved and then move on from them if they refuse our message.
Mark 6:11
"If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them."
Matthew 10:40,41
"He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me…"
The Blasphemy of the Nephilim Doctrine
Only God who is spirit could make a woman pregnant. To say that demons could do the same thing is blasphemy.
Demons do not have a seed to be able to do this since they do not procreate. They are spirit and we are human,
God made each to procreate after its own kind. An elephant cannot mate with a dog and demons which are spirit cannot mate with man. This ridiculous idea of demons mating with humans comes from the false book of Enoch.
If you believe the book of Enoch then you would read in there that these "Nephilim" would be 450 feet tall, no human woman would be able to produce a baby that grows that big. This pure nonsense.
Nephilim belief is a Distraction to Rob God of His Glory
This really is not an unimportant matter, the disagreement about the Nephilim. It is a distraction to ruin our view of God's power and glory. Devils do not have the same ability to do what God did with Mary.
The devil is a counterfeiter for the purpose of negating God. God is the only One Who can supernaturally impregnate a woman as with Mary and Christ. The devil wants to make people believe that it was not a miracle of God the Father with Mary, that devils can do the same thing. The devil has been attempting to steal God's glory from their beginning.
Matthew 22:30
"Jesus answered and said to them, 'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God."
"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven."
Mark 12:25
"For when they rise from the dead, the neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."
Angels were created by God without the ability to pro-create.
God created man to pro-create Genesis 1:28 "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
The angels were not given this charge to pro-create, isn't it obvious that they would not posses the necessary plumbing to impregnate a human.
"The Sons of God", were those who worshiped God and the "daughters of men" were pagan women.
If we were to believe that angels could impregnate a human woman then why would we assume that their children would be giants? Why couldn't we assume the children of a union like this would be a spirit being or tiny invisible people, or with wings and the ability to disappear at will.
Many people have taken the leap, that because there were giants in the land, then they must have been some weird concoction of human and angel. The Bible just does not support this, there have to be many Scriptures taken out of context in order to come up with this silliness.
There will always be those who love to think of themselves as having special new knowledge that wow's everyone.
Unfortunately there are many who will follow weird teachings to feel as though they know something that others do not know.
We must remember that the devil will come up with more and more strange ideas to take our focus off of Christ and place it on false knowledge.
1 Corinthians 8:1 "Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."
Next time you hear a resurrected forgotten knowledge, please go to prayer and serious Bible study to know the truth. More of these things will be coming down from the father of lies, to distract us from the important matters.
Nephilim!!!! Really?????
One of the lies of the devil, that angels mated with humans, absolute silliness.
Genesis 1:24 "24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures AFTER THEIR KIND: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth AFTER THEIR KIND"; and it was so."
Did we get that; "AFTER THEIR OWN KIND"
The book of Enoch is where the doctrine of the "Nephilim" comes from in which it states that angels had sex with humans. This is patently ridiculous. Angels do not procreate, they are a completely different spirit species from us, they do not have the equipment to mate with man, any more than a bird can mate with a man to create a bird man. Demons are spirit beings they cannot mate with flesh.
When the daughters of men, meaning pagan women mated with the "men of God", which were godly men, they didn't necessarily produce giants. The giants were in the land but they were not necessarily produced by these pagan and godly people, they were just there. NO where in the Bible does it say that the union of these men and women produce giants. The giants were merely a different race of people.
No where in the Word of God does He call demons "men of God."
This doctrine is blasphemy, it goes against the creation of God, each one being created after "it's own kind." Devils cannot mate with humans.
Once again the devil has twisted the minds of people to believe a distraction from truth and a very weird and sex oriented one at that.
One does not have to think very hard when they know the scripture to discern that this doctrine of "Nephilim" being giant babies from angels is utterly ridiculous.
Demons do not have a seed to be able to do this since they do not procreate. They are spirit and we are human,
God made each to procreate after its own kind. An elephant cannot mate with a dog and demons which are spirit cannot mate with man. This ridiculous idea of demons mating with humans comes from the false book of Enoch.
If you believe the book of Enoch then you would read in there that these "Nephilim" would be 450 feet tall, no human woman would be able to produce a baby that grows that big. This pure nonsense.
Nephilim belief is a Distraction to Rob God of His Glory
This really is not an unimportant matter, the disagreement about the Nephilim. It is a distraction to ruin our view of God's power and glory. Devils do not have the same ability to do what God did with Mary.
The devil is a counterfeiter for the purpose of negating God. God is the only One Who can supernaturally impregnate a woman as with Mary and Christ. The devil wants to make people believe that it was not a miracle of God the Father with Mary, that devils can do the same thing. The devil has been attempting to steal God's glory from their beginning.
Matthew 22:30
"Jesus answered and said to them, 'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God."
"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven."
Mark 12:25
"For when they rise from the dead, the neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."
Angels were created by God without the ability to pro-create.
God created man to pro-create Genesis 1:28 "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
The angels were not given this charge to pro-create, isn't it obvious that they would not posses the necessary plumbing to impregnate a human.
"The Sons of God", were those who worshiped God and the "daughters of men" were pagan women.
If we were to believe that angels could impregnate a human woman then why would we assume that their children would be giants? Why couldn't we assume the children of a union like this would be a spirit being or tiny invisible people, or with wings and the ability to disappear at will.
Many people have taken the leap, that because there were giants in the land, then they must have been some weird concoction of human and angel. The Bible just does not support this, there have to be many Scriptures taken out of context in order to come up with this silliness.
There will always be those who love to think of themselves as having special new knowledge that wow's everyone.
Unfortunately there are many who will follow weird teachings to feel as though they know something that others do not know.
We must remember that the devil will come up with more and more strange ideas to take our focus off of Christ and place it on false knowledge.
1 Corinthians 8:1 "Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."
Next time you hear a resurrected forgotten knowledge, please go to prayer and serious Bible study to know the truth. More of these things will be coming down from the father of lies, to distract us from the important matters.
Nephilim!!!! Really?????
One of the lies of the devil, that angels mated with humans, absolute silliness.
Genesis 1:24 "24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures AFTER THEIR KIND: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth AFTER THEIR KIND"; and it was so."
Did we get that; "AFTER THEIR OWN KIND"
The book of Enoch is where the doctrine of the "Nephilim" comes from in which it states that angels had sex with humans. This is patently ridiculous. Angels do not procreate, they are a completely different spirit species from us, they do not have the equipment to mate with man, any more than a bird can mate with a man to create a bird man. Demons are spirit beings they cannot mate with flesh.
When the daughters of men, meaning pagan women mated with the "men of God", which were godly men, they didn't necessarily produce giants. The giants were in the land but they were not necessarily produced by these pagan and godly people, they were just there. NO where in the Bible does it say that the union of these men and women produce giants. The giants were merely a different race of people.
No where in the Word of God does He call demons "men of God."
This doctrine is blasphemy, it goes against the creation of God, each one being created after "it's own kind." Devils cannot mate with humans.
Once again the devil has twisted the minds of people to believe a distraction from truth and a very weird and sex oriented one at that.
One does not have to think very hard when they know the scripture to discern that this doctrine of "Nephilim" being giant babies from angels is utterly ridiculous.
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