We are living in the last days filled with ragingly insane people influenced by demonic forces to say and do everything against God.
When we experience someone who mocks us as we resolve to obey Christ, we can count it all joy that we are not of the world.
John 17:14-16
14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 15:19
"If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
1 John 2:15
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.:"
James 1:2-18
Testing of Your Faith
"2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
Romans 5:3-5 "…3 Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.…"
Those who glory in how good they think they are, need salvation. No one who is born again considers themselves any better than anyone else. They know that God changed them, they are no longer the same person they used to be and can never return to the old person again. Born again believers want the unsaved to find Christ and be changed too.
Luke 7:47-48 "47 Therefore I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven."
Those who believe they have never done something evil enough to be condemned do not understand salvation.
Even the slightest bad attitude is worthy of hell fire. God said that it is our nature that is wicked through and through and only being changed by Christ will remove this evil nature. God is looking at the heart more than actions. The actions prove what was in the heart before the actions took place.
We cannot be good enough to change ourselves, it is only Christ's goodness given to us by Him that can count us as worthy in the eyes of the Father.
I am always disturbed when someone says: "That was a nice lady", whom they have only met one time, simply because she was friendly to them. I don't say things like that anymore, I say things more like; "that was fun she was friendly to me." Everyone has a life we do not see, they could be an ax murderer in private. It is not a good idea to judge someone's character based on little evidence. We ought not to judge a person as bad for one thing, and we ought not to judge someone as good because of one encounter. We can know someone's character by the fruit or lack of it, but one nice act does not make a good person.
We do not declare anything about people we meet that we really don't know personally. We can be respectful, friendly, kind, and helpful, but we cannot know a person by one happy encounter.
When we become born again Christ changes us and comes to live in us. We continue to battle the flesh but the Spirit is now His, the very reason we battle the flesh. Before we were born again we did not battle the flesh, we enjoyed it and justified it. After we are born again when we give into the flesh we have a sense of shame that comes from the Holy Spirit to help us confess to be cleansed and move on to become more obedient.
We grow in holiness in direct proportions to how often we confess and become cleansed. Those who remain stubborn and will not confess are either not born again or are children of God who will suffer His discipline to bring them to obedience. The consequences of sin help us learn to obey.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Those who do not belong to God will experience the consequences of life without God's help through discipline. And, they often blame others or pretend it wasn't so bad, something they could fix on their own.
Hebrews 12:7-8 "…7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. "
You shall know them by their fruit, they are character qualities of Christ that permeate one's life.
Matthew 7:16-20 "16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits."
