The Way We Think Determines Our Attitudes and Actions

The way we think and what we think determines our attitudes and actions toward others.

When someone dislikes another person, they will interpret everything that person does as inferior, second-class, or unacceptable in some way.

To come to conclusions about a person who is disliked, one must make judgments without all the information. Often, these judgements are based on snippets of information and gossip without regard to facts and authenticity. They will assume the person is bad because they dislike them.

The same is true for someone who is loved and elevated above others. Those who love the elevated person will interpret everything that person does as always good without regard to the nuances surrounding their life. They will assume the person is good because they like them.

In both instances of favoritism or disfavor, the one who evaluates another based on their personal bias will not see things in truth but rather what they wish to believe about the person who is their target, either the favored one or the disfavored one.
When we love others, we do not base our relationship on whether or not we dislike them. We treat all people with respect, always operating from discernment to be able to see things in truth. Some people we will avoid because they are evil, and others we will embrace because they walk with Christ.

Our close friends will be those who think in the same way we do, for the most part. Those who cannot be our close friends are those who think entirely differently from us on important Spiritual matters.

Those who are destructive to us and others cannot be considered friends; they may be acquaintances we keep at arm's length, but not friends we can trust.

Romans 16:17
"17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them."

We must not act as the rebellious man does, that is, treat others disrespectfully, but we can ignore those who cause trouble, keep personal confidences to ourselves, and only trusted friends who have been proven to be godly and respectful of our privacy will be in our inner circle. Most of all, those who are respectful of our faith and our walk with Christ must be our close friends.

Those who do not walk with Christ as a lifestyle will influence us to walk in the manner they walk. The pressure to be like them is enormous, even if subtle.

Proverbs 13:14
"14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn aside from the snares of death."

Those who love ritualistic religion more than Christ will pressure us to follow their ways over the ways of Christ. They will judge things about us and things we do that are not accurate because they think with the mind of someone who evaluates all things based on their feelings and false teachings, not on the Word of God.

Galatians 6:12
"12 All who want to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ."

Proverbs 16:17
"17 The highway of the upright is to turn away from evil;
One who watches his way protects his life."

1 Peter 4:10–11
"10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Only friends who are walking with Christ will serve to the glory of God; those who are not born again serve their own glory.

Our friends must be those who love Christ as much as we do, walk in humility, and encourage and endorse what God loves.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Pray for discernment to be able to walk with Christ without the hindrance of evil companions who will attempt to drag you away from God's Word through manipulation, even the manipulation of twisted Scripture to make their argument sound good.

The devil's favorite tactic is to cause believers to feel ashamed of doing what is right. He will even use scripture out of context and add what is not in context to bring about doubt, humiliation, and embarrassment for obeying God.

1 John 4:1
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Romans 12:2
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."

May each one reading this pray for discernment and the strength to walk away from those who keep them debased and devalued, discouraging righteousness while promoting willfulness.

Generational Curses are a Myth Based on Paganism

There is no such thing as "generational curses" described in the Bible. There are only the influences of families, with those in the family choosing to follow what they were taught or choosing not to follow what was taught.

 
Ezekiel 18:20 "The person who sins will die. A son will not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt, nor will a father suffer the punishment for the son’s guilt; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."

Humans are not animals who follow their instincts, nor are they dominated and controlled by curses placed upon them by outside forces.

 
No one will be punished for the sins of their ancestors. Just as in racial disputes, there ought not to be reparations against the ancestors of those who did not commit the crimes.

 
Never apologize for the sins of others simply because you were related to those who chose to sin. Feuds are of this nonsense, families against families, when it was the grandfathers or great-grandfathers who did the evil against one another.

 
I have always believed that a feud cannot continue with only one party acting with evil intent. Just as a couple in marriage cannot fight if only one person is fighting.

 
Matthew 5:43-45 …43 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Romans 12:14
"Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse."

Romans 12:20-21
"On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.” / Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

1 Peter 3:9
"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

Those who are entitled, expecting to be compensated for what someone else's father did to their father, are acting foolishly without regard for individual accountability.

 
Here is God's instruction to those who are born again:

1 Thessalonians 5:15
"Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people."

 
The only ones who must be accountable for their sin and carry out restitution are those who committed the crime themselves.

 
This principle is not rocket science; it is easy to understand, unless those who want to gain something for themselves that they did not earn wish to rob others, pretending they have a reason.

 
By the way, if everyone were to hold everyone else accountable for the sins of ancestors, then every single person alive on earth today would owe someone something, since we have all sinned against someone else at one time or another. Do you hold yourself accountable for your own sins, or do you blame others for your sins?

 
When we get to heaven, God will not ask us about what others did to us; He will ask only what we did to others that dishonored God. We will not be allowed to blame anyone else for our own behavior, just as no one else will get the credit for our good behavior but us.

 
No woman will be able to use the excuse, "my husband wanted me to do it", nor will a woman be able to take the credit for what her husband did. And, so with the husband, he will not be allowed to blame the wife or take her credit.

 
We will stand alone before Christ!!!!!

THE BEATITUDES: Jesus’ Words That Will Leave You SPEECHLESS

An important thing to remember in this video about Christ and the Sermon on the Mount is that He is addressing believers. This message is not for unbelievers, but for believers who are growing in righteousness.

 
It is also for each one to evaluate themselves and seek Christ about themselves. This is not a video to evaluate others. When we focus on being what God wants, we will be growing. We cannot make anyone else grow and especially anyone who does not want to become like Christ. Each one must desire to grow in holiness and become more useful for God's Kingdom.

Church Is Not For Worship?

The Marriage Covenant is a Picture of Christ and His Church

Marriage is a Covenant likened to the relationship between Christ and the church.

A couple must believe the same things and agree on politics and faith to remain together without division. This means seeking Christ through His Word and prayer for His truth.

Amos 3:3
"3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"

The answer is "no," two people cannot be as close as a marriage should be if they do not agree on the big issues. There still will not be perfect agreement on the small things, which will help in spiritual and emotional growth as the two walk together in solidarity.

This takes each party in the marriage listening to learn, not listening to respond or win. Each spouse must be seeking truth, not superiority over the other.

This takes deep concern for the other's walk with Christ more than personal pleasure.

What we have in our day is marriage based on personal pleasure, fun, and happiness, the very reason more than half the marriages in America end up in divorce courts.

When things become difficult instead of having a lengthy conversation to resolve things, the couple refuses to listen to each other and keeps on doing what is ruining the marriage, seeking self while angered at the other for not agreeing with them.

If both spouses are seeking Christ, they will listen and pray more than they talk, and they will talk about everything when the time is right.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "love as patient, kind, and selfless, stating that it does not envy, boast, act rudely, or seek its own way. It's not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, and rejoices in truth, not evil. Love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres through all things."

Ephesians 5:25 "husbands to love their wives with a sacrificial and selfless love, mirroring how Christ loved the church and gave himself for it."

Ephesians 5:22-33
Marriage is like Christ and the Church
"22 Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything."

If each spouse loves one another the way Christ loved the church, there will be no sense of individualism, there will be a oneness of Spirit and a desire to please one another for the good of the family.

Both spouses must model the command in Scripture according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to love one another, putting the spouse above themselves. Neither one is placing the other above Christ.

Christ always comes first, then the spouse, in response to God's mandate to love and serve one another.

If everyone would love the way Christ loved, there would be no arguments in anger; there would only be meaningful loving discussions to determine God's Will.

Stop Ignoring Parts of God's Word!

Our society likes to leave out key and crucial passages of the Bible to fit their culture based on Darwinistic psychology.

A person is not bitter or mean when they obey God in forgiving when someone is repentant, or withholding forgiveness from someone who doesn't even care if they have it.

 
We are not bitter or angry because we say no to someone who is demanding something from us unreasonably. Assigning ill-will to those who rationally and reasonably assert their option to do things God's way, just because the culture doesn't understand it, is manipulation to shame those who hold people accountable for their actions and remove them from their lives because they are destructive to ourselves and others.

 
We have moved into the mentality as a culture that coddles the perpetrator while pressuring and judging the one who follows God's directions for our conduct.
Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

 
Notice, "if they come and say I repent", then forgive him. And, "if your brother sins, rebuke him", why do so many people ignore these words right in the text?
First rebuke your brother, he repents, and then we forgive. This is the proper order. There is a purpose in this, and it is to keep people accountable and give them incentives to change their behavior.

 
Because the culture has left out the step that requires someone to be sorry and confess what they did, the culture has become callous toward the victim, claiming they are the mean ones when they don't want to have anything to do with those who harm others and refuse to be sorry or stop their evil behavior.

 
This mentality of perp coddling has permeated our culture to such a degree that it is rampantly common without rational thinking. Satan loves this; the culture beats up on the innocent victim while pampering the wicked one who does the evil deed.
I can't think of anything more insidious and demonic than this, turning upside down and opposite the principles of God to indulge the arrogance of the one who causes trouble and creates mayhem.

 
May born-again believers stop listening to those who are steeped in cultural thinking and begin reading every word in the Scriptures within their context. And, deliberately reject any thinking that does not match God's Word.

Obedience or Self-Will

Most Christians today do not have peace, or the other fruit of the Spirit of Christ; they are depending on themselves to be and do right to please God. They seldom, if ever, seek the Holy Spirit for guidance or protection. We know this because they act as if the world is beneath them and think they are superior to it. But in reality, they are not much different because the pride in them still remains.

Many people make up their own traditions God never commanded or follow the traditions of the culture that God never commanded. Either way, they are following man instead of Christ.

 
Those who do this remain proud of themselves for how much they do for God while ignoring His many other commands!

1 John 2:4
"If anyone says, 'I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

1 John 1:6
"If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."

Galatians 5:16-17
"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. / For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want."

The Devil's Attacks Continue

We are experiencing more attacks of the devil than ever before because He knows his time is short. 

The Root Reveals the Fruit

Was The Early Church High Church or Low Church?

You Will See The Day Approaching!!! Jesus Is Coming!!!

Bullies and Group-Thinkers

Why do the group-thinkers in the room not protest when a bully demeans another person in the room?

 
Because it didn't affect them.

 
The group-thinkers only care if an injustice is done if it is personally against them. This is an indictment against them of a lack of justice in their hearts.

 
They will justify their silence with the excuse that they might start an argument, but in reality, they are worried that they will be attacked too, as the one who is mean or rude for calling out the offender.

 
When justice is paramount, supremely important, above self-preservation, we care more about the individual who has been unjustly shamed than we do about what the group will think of us.

 
Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
It is more important to defend the innocent than to be loved by a group that cares only to support the bully to spare their own discomfort.

 
When someone does not correct the bully, they are a bully themselves. There is a saying, "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

 
It is not love to ignore the antics of the bully; it is not love for the victim of the bully, it is not love for the bully, it only increases his path to destruction because of the empowerment he feels when the group-thinkers are silenced, causing an increase in his wickedness.

 
Psalm 82:3
"3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute."

When we love the victim, we comfort them!
If we love the bully, we discipline them to learn their sin so they will repent.

Convincing Someone of the Truth After Years of Indoctrination

It is challenging to convince someone of the truth when they have lived their entire life with a false doctrine that everyone else around them follows.

 
We cannot fix the wrong things people believe, even those things in ourselves. Each of us needs to want to know the truth above all else. Above relationships, above traditions, and above cultural mandates God never made. In other words, God needs to be so first in our lives that we are willing to be set aside by others to follow Him.

 
Until we want the truth more than anything or anyone else, we will be stuck in a merry-go-round of false traditions and assumptions that make us feel safe and connected to the rest of the culture.

Those who seek Christ with their whole heart, willing to discard every false belief in favor of God's meaning in His Word, will be rejected, dismissed, and even disrespected by those who love their traditions.

Matthew 10:21-22 "…21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. "

For most people, safety in friends and family is more important than the truth of God's Word.

We cannot fix people who love their traditions; they choose what they want based on how they think, that is, with the mind of the world instead of the mind of Christ.

 
I really hate the saying, "God gave us a brain", as though our brain is as good as God's heart. I answered someone with this once when I heard that phrase: "Yes, and look what we did with our own brain, we became prideful and dismissed God in favor of our own thoughts."

That phrase, "God gave us a brain," is an excuse to think the way we want to think without God's help. It is born out of arrogance and self-will.

 
When people show us who they are through their reactions to the truth, believe them and move on to others who love the Word of God enough to reject all wrong teaching they received from those who love traditions of men.

 
We can love and be tolerant of those who have not yet discovered the truth, but if they refuse it or disrespect us because of what we have learned, then it is time to move along and become friends with those who are interested more in the truth than they are in maintaining their cultural connections.

Mark 7:13 "13 Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”

 
We are living in the apostate age of the church, in which there is a form of religion, but with more man-made rules and expectations than there are the principles of God being taught.

 
Psychology is firmly planted in the thinking of the church attendees, so much so that they have twisted the Bible to fit their ideas rather than believing what God said.

 
Much of our teaching today is based on the Western mindset, not what God said with a Jewish mindset. And worse, now in our day many people are interpreting what they read in the Bible the way they think rather than the way God thinks. There is a lot of Scripture twisting occurring because it fits with what people want to believe, but it is not what God said.

 
And, I have to add this to make this thought complete: much of what people believe is based on ignoring some scriptures while using others out of context, providing them with the desired choice of beliefs. The sort of cut-and-paste mentality has caused much wrong teaching to enter the church system that forbids the person in the pew from challenging anything said by the paid leader.

 
If you find it difficult to attend those gatherings based on human traditions, it is understandable, as you are watching many errors in the teaching and the formula for the gathering.

 
There is a sense of discontent, a frustration that you are silenced, and a disregard for the move of the Holy Spirit so that men may rule over the people.

 
John 14:26 " 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you. "

John 16:13
"However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come."

John 15:26
"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me."

1 John 2:27
"And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught."

Luke 12:12
"For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”

I have to ask, how often do we consult with the Holy Spirit for our answers? How often do people go to other men instead of the Holy Spirit? These are good questions to ask if we want to walk with Christ in fullness!!!!

Knowing and Understanding are Two Different Things

Just knowing something doesn't make us wise; it is understanding what we know that makes us wise!

Only a Fool Inheritates Another Person's Enemies

Church Disrupted: Tom Wadsworth on Early Church Assemblies

The Holy Spirit is the Leader of the Gathering

I see the Holy Spirit as the leader in the gathering of believers, not men. Men monitor what people are saying and doing, as all people in the gathering judge, as led by the Holy Spirit.

 
Sadly, the modern church sees the "elders" as having authority over the pew sitters, dictating things.

 
But it is the Holy Spirit only who has Authority over believers. Elders are to lead by example and teach, not exercise authority over anyone. A man could never lead better than the Holy Spirit.

 
1 Peter 5:3 "Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."

1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."

1 Peter 5:1-5 "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

We obey the elders as they obey God, and we correct them when they are in error and support them when they speak the truth. In other words, we are to hear and evaluate what everyone says.

 
1 Corinthians 14:29-30 " 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop."

Acts 17:11
"Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true."

Evangelical or Christian?

I have noticed over the years that "evangelicals" disobey more of the Bible than they obey and think they are obeying all of it merely by knowing some things about it.

 
However, they tend to add to the scriptures with traditions of men and ignore other scriptures based on the traditions of men.

 
They have a spiritual glaucoma; in other words, they have tunnel vision, unable to see the whole truth based on context. Instead of asking God to clarify things for them, they depend on "educated men" who are educated by men, rather than the Holy Spirit.

 
Mark 7:13 "13 Thus, you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”

 
Colossians 2:8
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ."

Isaiah 29:13
"Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men."

We have been in the end times for centuries now, but the stubbornness against God's word is growing worse, and the world is on the fast track to the development of the antichrist system.

 
Prophecy is being fulfilled as the churches grow more apostate and willful every day. Those who seek Christ in truth are leaving institutional churches in favor of the peace and joy of edifying one another in their homes on the days and times they choose, without man-made traditions that only serve to distract and bring false doctrines.

 
An immense blessing comes from doing things God's way according to His word. All the traditions of men that are burdensome to those who love Christ are removed, and the freedom to express our faith grows.

2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Galatians 5:1
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery."

STOP SINGING THIS SONG BEFORE IT DESTROYS YOUR FAITH! | "JOHN MACARTHUR

The Natural Man Without Jesus Christ Turns to Sin for their Comfort

The natural man without Jesus Christ turns to sin for their comfort. Sin takes away the sting of loneliness and sadness that life brings around every turn.

When someone sees that sin is not working for them, the deeper into it they fall, the worse the emotional pain gets, and they begin to realize their need for God. Unless those who love their sin and are addicted to it refuse to see the damage it does, will become hardened over time, actually believing their life is good when it is nothing of the sort and their destination is hell.

When someone confesses their sinful nature and inability to save themselves, they can see that Christ paid the price for the sin that they owed, and that in trusting in Him, they can be free from the bondage of sin.

Matthew 5:45 "so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Sin is pleasurable for a season, but eventually it ravages the soul and brings greater sadness that one cannot climb out of without Jesus Christ. And worse yet, it leads one into hell.

 
When we have trusted in Christ, He changes us into a new creation we are no longer the same person. He comes to live in us as our advocate with the Father and our protector, teacher, encourager, and disciplinarian to return us to obedience when we stray from His principles.

 
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new [a]creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

 
1 Corinthians 6:10-11 "…10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

1 John 2:1 "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;"

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?…"

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

We are never alone when we have the Holy Spirit. We do desire the fellowship of other born-again believers, but we do not become devastated when we are without friendship for a time. There is no better friend than Christ Who understands everything about us all the time. No human friend can be this for us.

 
1 John 2:27 "But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him."

Ephesians 1:13 "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,"
Jesus Christ never leaves those He has changed into a new creation. They are sealed with the Holy Spirit and are positionally seated with Christ in the heavenlies.

 
1 John 5:6 "This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth."

1 Corinthians 3:16 "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?"

There are many who have joined the Christian club deciding they will be a Christian to have a better life. This will not save them, because they remain trusting in themselves to be good.

 
It is in humbling oneself, confessing their sinfulness, and desiring to be changed by Christ that one is saved from hell. It is the easiest thing in the world to do because it requires nothing of us except to trust in Christ. It is only pride and self-will that prevent people from doing what is required to gain heaven.

 
Those who have humbled themselves, admitted their sinful nature, and asked God to change them have learned how wonderful and freeing it is when Christ does His work in us.

 
John 8:36
"36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free."
Sin is the bondage; Christ sets us free from it!

Then We'll Be Glad | Official Music Video | Redeemed Quartet

We do not need the respect of others!

https://youtube.com/shorts/DWkBjXNKJEI?si=zktY-IVGdwO6YoGo

In Search of Truth LIVE ... About the Christian Assembly

The Nature of the Olive Tree

In looking up the nature of the olive tree today, I discovered it lives to be anywhere from 200 to 2000 years old. And in a rare case, there is an olive tree in Crete estimated to be around 4000 years old.

The olive tree is a picture of the nation of Israel as described in the Bible. And it seems a good example of a tree that is hearty and lives thousands of years, just like the nation of Israel.

Romans 11:17-18 " 17 Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you."

Romans 11:1-6 "1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?
3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life."
4 But what is God's reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."
5 So too at the present time, there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise, grace would no longer be grace."

This is written to the people of the time of the Romans, but is still true today. Not all Scripture was written to us, but all Scripture was written for us so that we can see prophecy as it confronts us and the wisdom of God's plan for the future.

God has not forgotten the Jewish people or Israel. He has brought His people back into the land He gave her and is preparing a time of trials to bring her back to Him.


Israel is the only nation in the world that will ever completely turn to Christ during Jacob's trouble, called the tribulation. No other nation has ever done this, nor will any other nation do this.

Jesus Christ is referred to as the "Root of Jesse", that is, the cultivated olive tree of God in whom the world has salvation if they trust in Him.

Accusations of Those Who Walk Disobediently

Have you ever felt calm and joyful while relaying a message to someone else who doesn't want to hear it, one who accused us of rude and unkind behavior?

 
People will accuse us of rudeness, self-righteousness, and many other things because they are uncomfortable, not because we were actually the way they describe.

I had one woman accuse me of yelling when I was speaking calmly and normally. Thankfully, another woman in the room witnessed it and knew I was not yelling.
People will interpret us in a way that suits their feelings, rather than what is true. And, they will attempt to make us feel ashamed when they were the ones acting shamefully; it's called projection.

 
Psalms 35:20 "20 For they do not speak peace,but against those who are quiet in the landthey devise words of deceit."

Matthew 5:11-12 "11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

The people accused Christ, the Son of God of things that were not true, just as they will do it to us too.

Isaiah 53:7 "7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth."

Psalm 27:12 “Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations”

False accusations and deliberate misinterpretations of what we say and do are a continual occurrence for those who love Christ. Often, the misinterpretations are deliberate twisting of what was said and adding words that were not said.

 
When gossip is revealed, it is best not to answer it, explain things or retaliate in any way. If someone asks out of love with concern for us, then we can share, but never just to have our say to someone who will further use against us what we tell them. The Holy Spirit can give us discernment as to when we share and with whom.

 
When someone comes with malice in their heart to accuse us of what we heard, we can calmly and lovingly say, "That was none of your business." Anyone who becomes angry at this answer is showing you their evil intent to add to the gossip and will probably report back to those who started the gossip.

 
When we learn who loves us and who does not we can remove ourselves and it is alright to distrust them until they repent in shame over what they have done.

 
Ephesians 5:11-13 "Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself.

Remember, we need not expose everything to everyone, we can leave room for God to do His work His way.

 
2 Corinthians 4:2
"Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God."

You’ve Been MISLEAD: 7 Quotes The Bible Never Said

One Anothering in the Ekklesia, a new presentation by Dr. Tom Wadsworth

One Anothering in the Ekklesia, a new presentation by Dr. Tom Wadsworth

Born-again believers are no longer under the Law

Those who have Christ living in them are Spiritually inclined to love the Law, there is no need to "follow" what we now do naturally.

 
Following the Law never saved anyone. It was given to convict sinners of their sinfulness and draw them to Christ for cleansing.

Galatians 5:22-24 "…22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.…"

Those who obey Christ no longer need the Law; they have the Lawgiver living in them. Now our lives convict the unsaved because they are still under the curse of the Law.

Galatians 3:13 '13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"
Those who are still trying to follow the Law for salvation are still under the curse, attempting to effect their salvation their own way instead of trusting in Christ Who fulfilled the Law through His death and resurrection.

 
Those who think they are doing God a favor by doing their own sacrificing to appease Him are still living under the condemnation of the Law. They do not understand salvation in Christ and remain willful and unchanged by Christ. These people are prideful about what they think they do for God, humility is not present, and all the friut of the Spirit is absent.

 
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law."

God will not change anyone who wants to be their own master of their own life. He will only change those who know they are unable to save themselves and have trusted in Christ.

Christ did away with rituals when He died and rose from the dead. We who have trusted in Him worship in Spirit and in Truth, not through dead rituals.

Jesus Christ was and is Our Sacrifice

The word Worship is not in the New Testament in the original language. In the Old Testament, worship was associated with physical prostration before God. It also involved the sacrifice of animals which we no longer do because Christ was our sacrifice for sin when He came and rose from the dead.

God said that there will come a time, which is now, when we worship in Spirit and Truth, not in physical expressions. The sacrificial Lamb of God lives in every believer; we worship with our lives because He lives in us.

We do not do outward physical things as sacrifices, we worshp in our Spirit and in Truth.

John 4:24
"24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

God said when we come together, we do it to edify one another in the faith, meaning build up through teaching, in songs, and through the Lord's supper when we do as He commanded. We do not make up our own physical ways of "worshiping" Chris,t we speak of Him, extole His principles, and honor Him; this is Spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1-2 "calls for spiritual worship by presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, and by transforming our minds through the renewing of our thoughts to understand and follow God's will, rather than conforming to the world's patterns. This is not just an emotional experience but a continuous, transformed way of living that involves the entirety of one's life."

In the Old Testament, designated priests offered sacrifices to God on behalf of mankind, but when Christ came, He offered the sacrifice, and we chose to follow Him. It is no longer about outward physical rituals on the part of mankind, but it is an inner heart attitude that is seen in our lives daily.

No Confession of Sin No Forgiveness or Cleansing

Psalm 32:5
Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin.

 
Proverbs 28:13
He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.

 
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Avoiding Groupthink

Beware of groupthink; it is so easy to become enticed by good-sounding totally wrong things, even in Christianity.

The First-Century Church: No Buildings and No Worship Services?

Womanhood and the Married Life

https://youtube.com/shorts/HFUQyHGKpJs?si=hhLkTqIFL0PWUbKO

The First-Century Church: No Buildings and No Worship Services?

Co-Dependency to a Culture is Bondage

It's called co-dependency when we feel a need to fit into a culture. Those who cannot feel validated and whole unless someone else is fawning over them are showing their weakness.

 
When we rely on Christ, we do not need the approval of people. We love people, but we don't need them to validate us.

Acts 4:12: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved".

No one else in the world can know us as Christ knows us, knowing our need and our personality. He knows it all and human beings know almost nothing about us, all they have to go on is what they think they see outwardly.

1 Corinthians 2:11 "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no man knows the things of God except the Spirit of God".

 
Believers can discern the spirit of a person because we have the Spirit of Christ, but only God can know our most intimate needs that even we are not aware of within ourselves.

Eternal Security of the Believer by Neil Ramirez

Neil Ramirez

Eternal Security Challenges Answered: Misunderstood Verses That Do Not Teach Loss of Salvation

Some verses in the Bible appear, at first glance, to suggest that salvation can be lost. But when we rightly divide the word of truth and read in context, we see these passages do not contradict the doctrine of eternal security. Below is a collection of commonly misunderstood verses, followed by a correction and explanation to support the eternal security of the believer.

1. Matthew 24:13 "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
Misunderstanding: Salvation must be earned or preserved by endurance.
Correct view: This refers to physical deliverance during the Tribulation period, not eternal salvation.

2. Matthew 7:21-23 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven... And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Misunderstanding: Even those who call Jesus "Lord" can lose salvation by disobedience.

Correct view: These people were never saved. Jesus said, "I never knew you," not "I used to know you." They trusted their own works, not Christ.

3. John 15:6 "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."

Misunderstanding: A believer can be cast into hell if they stop abiding.

Correct view: This is about fruitfulness and fellowship, not salvation. The fire symbolizes judgment and loss of reward—not eternal damnation.

4. Romans 11:22 "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God..."

Misunderstanding: Individual believers can be cut off from salvation.

Correct view: Paul is speaking about Gentile nations receiving the gospel blessings, not individual salvation. The cutting off is national, not personal.

5. 1 Corinthians 9:27 "...lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

Misunderstanding: Paul feared losing his salvation.

Correct view: "Castaway" means disqualified from reward or ministry usefulness—not from eternal life.

6. Galatians 5:4 "Ye are fallen from grace."

Misunderstanding: Falling from grace means losing salvation.

Correct view: This refers to believers who turned to legalism. It means they stepped out of grace-based living—not out of salvation.

7. Hebrews 6:4–6 "...if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance..."
Misunderstanding: If you fall away from faith, you can never return.

Correct view: This is a hypothetical warning: if salvation could be lost, it could never be regained—but true believers are eternally secure (see verse 9).

8. Hebrews 10:26-29 "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth..."

Misunderstanding: Willful sin after salvation cancels salvation.

Correct view: This is a warning to Jews who rejected Christ and returned to the law. It is not about saved individuals losing salvation.

9. 2 Peter 2:20-22 "...the latter end is worse with them than the beginning."
Misunderstanding: A believer can return to sin and be worse off than before.
Correct view: These were false converts or apostates. Peter calls them dogs and pigs—not sheep, indicating they were never truly saved.

10. Revelation 3:5 "I will not blot out his name out of the book of life..."

Misunderstanding: Names can be removed from the book of life.

Correct view: This is a promise of security, not a threat. The overcomer (a true believer) is assured of eternal life (1 John 5:4-5).

11. Revelation 22:19 "God shall take away his part out of the book of life..."

 
Misunderstanding: A saved person can be erased from the book of life.

Correct view: The warning refers to tampering with Scripture. It’s not about losing salvation, but about losing blessings or inheritance.

12. James 5:19-20 "...shall save a soul from death..."

Misunderstanding: A Christian can become a sinner again and lose salvation.

Correct view: This concerns saving someone from physical death or spiritual ruin—not from hell.

13. Philippians 2:12 "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

Misunderstanding: Salvation is maintained through works and fear.

Correct view: Paul says "work out," not "work for." This is about living out your salvation, not earning or keeping it.

14. Ezekiel 18:24 "...his righteousness shall not be remembered..."

Misunderstanding: A righteous man can lose salvation by sinning.

Correct view: This refers to national and physical judgment under Old Testament law—not New Testament eternal security.

15. 1 Timothy 4:1 "...some shall depart from the faith..."

Misunderstanding: Departing from the faith means losing salvation.

Correct view: Departing from "the faith" means apostasy or false doctrine. It doesn’t mean a believer lost salvation.

16. 1 John 3:9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin..."

Misunderstanding: A real Christian will never sin again.

Correct view: The verse refers to continuous habitual sin. A believer may sin, but will not live in it without conviction.

17. Colossians 1:23 "If ye continue in the faith..."

Misunderstanding: Salvation is conditional on staying in the faith.

Correct view: This is a test of genuine faith. True believers will continue—not because they must to stay saved, but because they are saved.

18. 2 Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith..."

Misunderstanding: Christians must examine themselves to ensure they haven’t lost salvation.

Correct view: Paul urges self-examination to prove genuine faith—not out of fear of salvation loss.

19. Luke 8:13 "...which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away."
Misunderstanding: True believers can fall away and perish.

Correct view: These are shallow believers who had no root. They were never truly saved.

20. Hebrews 3:12-14 "Take heed...lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief..."

Misunderstanding: Believers can develop unbelief and lose salvation.
Correct view: This warns those who had heard the truth but had not yet believed. It’s not about saved people falling away.

21. 1 Timothy 1:19-20 "...concerning faith have made shipwreck."

Misunderstanding: Faith can be shipwrecked and lost.

Correct view: Shipwreck refers to failure in ministry or testimony—not the loss of salvation.

22. Hebrews 4:1 "...any of you should seem to come short of it."

Misunderstanding: We must fear losing salvation.

Correct view: The "rest" in Hebrews speaks of spiritual victory and peace—not heaven. It is about trusting Christ daily, not salvation status.

23. Luke 9:62 "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back..."
Misunderstanding: Looking back in sin disqualifies you from heaven.

Correct view: This verse speaks of discipleship and service—not salvation.

24. 2 John 1:8 "...lose not those things which we have wrought, but...a full reward."
Misunderstanding: Believers can lose salvation by not continuing.

Correct view: This is about rewards—not salvation. Believers can lose rewards but not eternal life.

25. Revelation 2:5 "...remove thy candlestick out of his place..."

Misunderstanding: God will remove salvation.

Correct view: The "candlestick" symbolizes a church’s testimony. God removes the church’s influence—not the believer’s salvation.

26. 1 Corinthians 3:15 "...he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

Misunderstanding: A Christian who sins will be saved only barely.

Correct view: The verse teaches eternal security. Even if all rewards are lost, the soul is saved.

Final Thought:
"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." — 

John 10:28 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." —

Philippians 1:6 If salvation could be lost, then it was never eternal to begin with. Eternal security is not a license to sin, but a reason to rejoice. It magnifies God's faithfulness, not our performance. Those who are truly saved are kept by the power of God, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and held firmly in the hand of Christ.

Let no confusing verse rob you of the joy and peace Christ has secured for you. Rest in His finished work. Trust in His promise. And live with confidence, knowing that eternal life really means eternal.

The Gift of Absence

Interpretation Makes all the Difference

It is interesting how people will interpret what we say according to what they thought they heard.

One believer was offended when another believer said this:
"Marriage before sex is not a sin."

 
Why was the first believer offended? Because when someone does not listen closely to what is said, they will interpret the words in terms of how they think and not what was said.

The one who was offended thought the first believer was saying; "sex before marriage is not a sin." But that was not what was said; Read the sentence again and see that it is right!

Here it is again: "Marriage before sex is not a sin."

 
We have all been programmed to interpret things when the same words are in a sentence, to see what we are familiar with. Even though all the words are there in both sentences, they are out of order, but the mind interprets what is said according to what it is familiar with, not what was actually said.

 
This is why it is important to hold our tongues, think with our minds, and ask questions to clarify things. So many misunderstandings come because people refuse to have a conversation. They think just letting the misunderstanding go unchallenged will keep people happy, but ultimately it creates anger and gossip that could be avoided if there is dialogue to shed light on what is expressed.
I am a big fan of rational, reasonable, loving, and kind questions and challenges. I am not a fan of rude, terse responses to make people feel foolish; this does nothing but elevate the rude person in their own mind. It has nothing to do with connecting with someone to learn their heart or understand them.

 
There is nothing more satisfying for two loving people to speak what's on their heart and listen to their friend to gain wisdom about them.

 
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

The one who loves seeks to know their friend, to understand them, and to edify them in the Word. There is no competition present when there is love.

Loving Tradition more than God

The leaders of the modern church atherings can only exist because people in general are more worried about how the group sees them than what God thinks. It is easier to do what people expect than to evaluate and stand alone.

They love their traditions of men that comfort them, and they love the people who prop them up. They would rather be told what to believe than to do the work of prayer and study. The hierarchy system is popular for a reason: it allows people to become lazy and complacent.

It has always been true that the majority of people follow traditions because it makes their life easier if they "go along to get along."

 
We who have seen the carnage of the modern church thinking are rejected by someone and sometimes many people for daring to evaluate what people say and do to discern truth from error concerning scripture.

 
I have been disliked and even hated more for correcting believers with scripture than I have from unbelievers who know they don't know the scripture.

 
Since there are so many Matthew 7:21-23 people in the pews these days, we will notice more unbiblical stances than those which adhere to the Word of God.

 
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.’"