Encountering Rebellious Unregenerate Hearts

When someone is unkind to you but kind to everyone else we know this person is in their character a mean person.

 
A kind person is kind all the time to everyone. If a kind person is having a rough time and rarely shows rudeness they will feel bad, admit it and convey that to the person they were unkind to.

 
Unkind people make excuses for their rudeness and blame the one they treated disrespectfully as though they had a good reason.

Proverbs 9:7-8 "…6Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.” 7He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself. 8 Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

Matthew 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

It is possible to discern a rude person from a kind person by which trait dominates their life.

 
It is better to avoid a consistently rude person who mocks the ways of God by their attitude. It is not possible to reason with those who have no conscience about harming others to elevate themselves.

 
Arrogant, rude people cannot tolerate a correction, even in the mildest terms. They will accuse the one who corrects them of saying it the wrong way or having unkind motives.

 
A wise person who is corrected considers what is said and discusses it to reach an understanding. This person will grow in character, but the arrogant one cannot grow, remaining ignorant and snarky into old age.

 
Matthew 15:14 "Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Luke 10:10-11 "But if you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go into the streets and declare, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’"
2 Peter 2:12 "These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed."

We have to remember that those who live in a state of selfishness and rudeness toward those they do not respect do not understand the ways of God because Christ does not live in them.

 
1 Corinthians 2:14 "The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."

May we become equipped to deal with these people in a godly manner when we have to encounter them. Let us not become like them by becoming like them. "Answer not a fool according to his folly", resist responding or explaining yourself to anyone who is fighting to win.

Praying for Individuals not Nations

It also seems like the time to pray for individuals, not entire nations, since prophecy clearly says all nations will be against Christ, Christians, and against Israel.

We are to pray for souls, not the preservation of nations. It is the demise of nations that will cause many to see their need for God when things become deeply frightening.

It is rare that anyone comes to Christ because everything is going their own way. The more prosperity in a nation the more it drifts away from the need for God and the more it becomes hostile to Christ.

My prayer is for the souls of individuals, not for this nation. Perhaps great trials and impossible situations would be the vehicle through which many come to the end of themselves and seek Christ.

Much prosperity breeds pride and self-reliance! It is a fearful thing to think we might endure tragedy in our country, we would rather believe people will come to Christ "just because" things are so good. We have seen this is not the case in our own country. The more prosperous we have become the more sin and arrogance grows.

Malachi 4:5-6 "5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."

Galatians 6:7 "7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap."

May we turn away our hearts from this world and toward Jesus Christ, the only answer to the problem of sin and the broken hearts of the rebellious who have no remedy except Him.

Proverbs 29:1 "He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."

Biblical Repentance

Biblically, repentance (confession of wrong) and forgiveness are two sides of the same coin for the purpose of reconciling a relationship.

If neither or only one of these things happens, then there is no reconciling of the relationship. We do not hate those who have wronged us, and when having to be in their presence, we show the respect that was not shown to us, but this is not reconciliation; it is just Christian graciousness. However, we cannot be friends with those who cannot be trusted because they thought it was alright ot offend.

Modern Christianity is burdening those who were innocent to forgive when the offender is not sorry. But I don't see them chastising the offender to repent. This is the opposite of what God teaches in His Word.

Luke 17:3-4 "3Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Notice the words "if he comes and says I repent." Why is this always left out of the admonishment to forgive offenders?

God has a reason for His commands on how and when to forgive. When we follow humanistic psychology, we enable people, and even encourage them to sin for lack of chastisement. The innocent one gets pressured to forgive while the perp is let off the hook for his sin. This is backward from God's order and purpose.

Let's be diligent to do things God's way so that people learn to be repentant.

Divorce and Remarriage Childish Response to Adult Problems

As I was pondering the mess of divorce and remarriage, God brought to mind relationships between little girls in elementary school. Grade school children are emotional and basically have no filter when it comes to actions and responses to one another.

Little girls will declare they won't be our friend anymore because we didn't give them what they wanted. They will take their toys and go home if they can't win.

Little girls will ignore you in the halls to show you that you are not worthy of kindness and respect because you didn't validate what they wanted to do.

Little girls will friend a new person and flaunt them past you at recess and in the halls to show you they have found someone better than you. And, worse they will gossip about you to the new friend and turn that person against you.

Little girls will treat the new friend better than they did you so you can see their love is only for the new friend and you are irrelevant and unimportant to them.

Little girls will take innocent comments and actions, spinning them to the new source as bad things even if there was nothing at all unacceptable in your activities or verbal exchanges.

In short, little girls can be very petty and mean merely because they were not praised or their perception was that they were not validated in some way. And, often their perceptions are entirely wrong based on their own selfish mindset.

Why do I equate little elementary school girls to divorce and remarriage, you might ask? Divorce and remarriage is elementary school immaturity at best and devastating to families at worst.

I don't think it is that complicated, really. The excuses I have heard for divorce have been on the level of spoiled little girls who refuse to work through anything, because they have no sense of a deep love for the one they harm.

I knew of one woman who divorced her husband back in the day because he didn't want her to buy a car; he felt a one-car family was enough. While this would be very irritating to some, it is not a reason to throw away a husband.

I laughed at this because we were a one-car family for the first 18 years of our marriage. We worked things out as needed, and we didn't fight over it. We have been married for almost 54 years now and over the years, many things have changed as the finances have improved.

I have heard of situations in which husbands and wives were into some very bad lifestyles. Their spouses divorced them and married someone else and years later their original spouse repented, cleaned up their lives and they were able to reconcile. Keep in mind it takes faith in God to obey Him when things are very hard.

Divorce and remarriage are acts of defiance against God and hatred for the spouse. Not to mention they are as childish as the little girls in elementary school who want harm to come to their former friend.

Christ died for us while we were still sinners. He experienced a brutal and hateful persecution so that we could become saved from our sin and hell.

When Christ makes two people one in marriage, our treatment of our spouse cannot be based on feelings; it must be based on God's truth and faith in His ways. We do not love for what we get out of it, we love because Christ loved us, and we should practice love as a choice with the person who is our other half.

Matthew 19:6 "6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.”

Many times I have heard people proclaim they love the one they are dating because they make them feel good or make them laugh. Notice the focus here: "they make me", "they give me", nothing about that love interest being a good companion because they make them a better person or they love God. It's all about how they feel when they are around the one they are thinking of marrying.

Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves."

No one can separate what God has joined. It is a picture of salvation for the born-again believer; no one can be separated from Christ when He lives in us, has transformed us, and keeps us.

When He died to reconcile us to Him, we trusted in what He did, and that He can keep us, we know that our oneness with Him cannot be undone because it was not something we did; it was His work. Nor can the oneness He did in a married couple be undone by any piece of paper or decree of a human judge.

Because the modern Christian who accepts and defends divorce and remarriage views human relationships as expendable rather than a melding of souls. They continue to treat one another as separate individuals rather than half of a whole. And, worse they use one another until they lose their usefulness.

Malachi 2:16 16 “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with violence,” says the Lord of armies. “So be careful about your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

God says that if we so much as hate our brethren, we are committing murder. Divorce is an act of hatred, the deisre that the spouse were dead.

1 John 3:14-16 "…14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer. 16 By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.

Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander."

Divorce is hatred and a desire that the spouse never existed. And remarriage is an act of sexual immorality since the first spouse remains alive and God's command was that the oneness union is not severed until death.

John 8:44 "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies."

Mark 10:11-12 "So He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

Luke 16:18 "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

The mentality of the modern Christian is that if they can find a good reason to defy God's commands, they are free to do what displeases Him. They cherry-pick the things they like to follow and pride themselves in it, but ignore the things they don't like while disrespectfully treating anyone who speaks the truth that exposes their rebellion against God.

These are the end times, truth telling Chrsitians are despised, excluded, and rejected.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"

We are living in apostate times in which very few people attending the institutional church gatherings will endure sound doctrine. Don't let it discourage you, keep obeying Christ, speaking truth as led by the Holy Spirit, and ignore those who are hell-bent on rejecting God's word.

Keep Looking Up!!!!!

Living in Prophetic Times

Amen, we are living in prophetic times right now! Watching events and the attitudes of people match with what the Scriptures say will happen is a blessing to us, it builds our faith as we navigate through all of it.

Cory Buchanan

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There is a verse that becomes clearer the longer you watch conversations about Scripture.

2 Timothy 4:3

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”

Notice what Paul actually said.

He did not say people would stop talking about the Bible.

He said they would stop enduring sound doctrine.

In other words, people will still quote verses. They will still say “the Bible says.” They will still claim to be teaching Scripture. Yet the moment the text confronts their beliefs, they reject it.

Instead of adjusting their beliefs to match the Scripture, they begin searching for teachers who will tell them what they prefer to hear.

That is what itching ears means.

Truth becomes uncomfortable.

Correction becomes offensive.

Context becomes optional.

So what happens next?

Verses get lifted out of context.

Assumptions get attached to the text.

Doctrines get built around what people want the Bible to say instead of what it actually says.

Then when someone slows the conversation down and asks people to look at the full passage, or asks them to compare Scripture with Scripture, suddenly that person becomes the problem.

Paul warned this would happen.

Not outside discussions about God.

Inside them.

That is why Scripture repeatedly tells believers to examine what they hear.

Acts 17:11

“They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

The Bereans did not reject teaching.

They verified it.

They listened carefully, then they went to the Scriptures themselves to see if what was being taught actually matched the text.

Truth can withstand examination.

False doctrine cannot. False doctrine survives by avoiding context, ignoring passages that challenge it, and repeating conclusions that the text itself never actually says.

Eventually every believer has to answer a simple question.

Are we willing to let Scripture speak for itself?

Or are we only willing to accept interpretations that agree with what we already believe?

Because Paul warned us that a time would come when many people would no longer endure sound doctrine.

If we are honest, we are watching that happen right in front of us.

Dead Rituals that Produce Pride in Men Who Follow Them

Answers I have heard when a woman was asked why she attends church.

"I get to dress up."
"Church makes me feel safe."
"Because it is the decent thing to do."
"I want to be a better person."
"I like the music and get to sing."
"Its family time and the relatives will be there."
"I enjoy the holidays with a group of people who sing Christmas songs."
"It's what we have always done and seems like the right thing to do."

When asked what the real deep spiritual reason for going to church was, the woman had no answer; there was total silence. The word God was not used, nor was the name of Jesus Christ uttered.

Sadly, the husband was asked why he attends church and his answer was, "because my wife goes."

It is sad how few "church attendees" utter the name of Jesus Christ or even discuss His principles. Mostly, they repeat what they are commanded by the pastor to say without deeper conversations after the "service."

Often you will hear cultural standards repeated but never connected to the Bible.

Church attendance is treated like a "holy day of obligation" rather than a love for Christ and the edification of one another.

Our instructions in God's word for gathering together have nothing to do with pews all facing forward toward an elevated pulpit dominated by paid men who have special degrees.

Our instructions were for us to gather to edify one another in the Word. Every person in attendance shared from the word, praying or calling for a song, completely led by the Holy Spirit. There are no pre-organized programs that everyone should follow. There are no instructions as to the day to meet, the hour to meet or even that we should attend in the same place every week.

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.

Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

God's heart, according to His word, was not that we meet together to follow the instructions of others in a ritualistic form to obey men. God wanted us to come together in small groups, each one speaking, singing, and teaching as led by the Spirit of Christ, not by man's mandates but through Christ.

If you were wondering why the church has entered the apostate age full of terrible doctrine and harsh man-made rules, the answer is that many hundreds of years ago, men full of pride developed their own ways to do things. They decided on their own, without the Holy Spirit, to follow rituals they think will please God.

However, in so doing, they neglected consulting the Bible and the Holy Spirit in favor of developing their own religion and ruling system to keep the people under their control.

The leaders in these false systems were more concerned about controlling the congregants than they were about the Holy Spirit leading in the hearts of each person who was filled with the Holy Spirit.
born-again
They oppress born again believers with their rules while silencing the Holy Spirit. Modern churches find it strange when someone is led by the Holy Spirit because they do not fit into the edicts of the men who love their control.

Those who have been led by the Holy Spirit think very differently from those who are accustomed to following men.


1 Corinthians 2:14 "But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Because the gospel of Christ has been so watered down and distorted, many of the people in those pews for hundreds of years were not born again. They were following a religion not indwelt by Christ.

This is why we are now living in the times of "religion" rather than the power of Jesus Christ.

Religion; a manmade system of rituals and practices largely based on culture more than a god.

When someone becomes born again, they are transformed by a Person, that is the Person of Jesus Christ Who is also God. He communicates with us, directs us, and convicts us of sin to cleanse us as we move through this life. It is a living relationship Who is with us all the time, no matter where we are and no matter what circumstances in which we find ourselves.

Dead rituals destroy any relationship with God. Mankind tends to become proud of the things they do for God. Instead of inquiring of God what He wants for us, mankind determines to God what he will do for God. Religion promotes arrogance and reduces dependence on the One True God.

If there are any rituals you think you are doing for God, ask Him if it's His idea or just your own or worse the idea of others who tell you what you should do. Then be willing to discard anything that God never commanded to follow Him.

His Word, the Bible will give you everything you need with the counsel of the Holy Spirit. You will be amazed at how many things will fall away from your thinking and your life followed by a great sense of relief and peace that comes from having the dross fall off that was weighing you down and bringing false guilt over things that God never commanded.

Always Obey God First

There is a false doctrine moving through the church that a woman should obey her husband even if he commands her to do evil. This is a monstrous doctrine and not at all Biblical.

Ezekiel 3:18-20 "18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his blood I will require from your hand.
19 However, if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have saved yourself.
20 Again, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require from your hand."

Remember Ananias and Sapphirah? When the wife agreed with her husband to lie, God said that they "conspired together." This means that if Sapphirah agreed to obey her husband, she too was at fault. God killed them both. God would not have killed the wife if she refused to sin with her husband; the husband alone would have taken the penalty. We know this from the story of Abigail.
Acts 5:1-11 and 1 Samuel 25

Abigail did not obey her husband to do what was wrong, she defied her husband to do what was right. and not only did God bless her, but He also killed her husband, and she became the wife of David for her protection of him.

Any time we take passages out of context in short sentences or phrases to make them say what we think works for us, it is called sin.

A woman who wants to use her husband as an excuse to avoid conflict, to obey a husband who will give her grief if she does not sin with him, is a very weak woman. She does not understand the principle of enduring hardship to remain faithful to God.

In our world, there comes a time when husbands are going to sin, but this does not mean we support it or go with him. We must support a husband whenever he does not disobey God, but not when he refuses to obey God.

Ezekiel 33:8-9 "If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life."

Acts 20:26-27 "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole will of God."

God also said that wives may win their husbands by their quiet and respectul lifestyle. This is not only respectful toward the husband but also toward God.


1 Peter 3:1 "In the same way, you wives, be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the behavior of their wives,"

A simple ""no, I cannot disobey God", spoken respectfully, will be what may win your husband. We will not win our husbands to God's way of thinking about Him by obeying our husbands' wickedness.

"Obeying our husband's in all things" must be measured in light of the rest of the scriptures not merely one phrase taken out of context.

Ephesians 5:22-24 "Wives and Husbands
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."

Notice we are to submit to our husbands "as to the Lord", our Lord would never tell us to submit to sin to please any person not even our husbands.

Our Leaders do not Represent My Values

Our leaders do not represent my "values"; they only give a few things conservatives like that make them feel safer, that's it, total dedication to self-preservation.
It is entirely possible that more people would come to Christ under persecution than when they feel safe.

This continual banter about saving America or bringing it back to God is an illusion. "Make America Great Again" has only to do with making everyone feel prosperous and safe.

 
Our president chose a "prosperity preacher," a woman and a violator of most of the Bible, to appoint as the spiritual leader of our nation. She was the worst example of Christianity anyone could name, and yet was chosen because she represents his values of wealth, health, and prosperity.

 
I never hear this president, who claims to be a Christian, mention anything about holiness or repentance, nothing about submitting to Christ or turning from our selfish ways. Everything he says is based on pleas to God to do things our way, blessing us, but never any talk of blessing God to please Him.

When is the last time you heard a legislator or our president agree to outlaw gambling, make drunkenness illegal, disallow divorce and remarriage, or outlaw shacking up with someone outside of marriage? How about making it illegal for women to wear bathing suits that reveal nearly everything? I see no laws proposed to promote morality or decency, only safety and finances, so that everyone is free to be as immoral as they please without challenge and in perfect protection to sin. 

Just saying!

Escalating Times

Everything evil is escalating in our time as we march toward the rapture and the tribulation. We cannot stop it, but we can warn others of its deception.

Families are being torn asunder over foolish and useless gossip filled with disinformation and false opinions.

Proverbs "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape."

Exodus 23:1 "You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness."

Proverbs 6:16-19 "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."

Mark 10:19 "You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”

May authentic believers and followers of Christ continue to grow in holiness even while the world is growing in wickedness.

Cain and Abel's Siblings

On another thread, the question was asked about Cain and Abel's other sibling because the Bible does not tell us in the account of the jealousy of Cain and the murder of Abel.

This comes down to realizing we do not have all the information.

Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

God knows how all this occurred, and no man can have the knowledge God does. Trying to understand every nuance of the Bible is like an ant trying to understand all the ways of humans; their brains are just not able to figure out what God knows.

Might we remember that trusting in Christ is knowing He has the information and will only give us what we need to know.

The account of Cain and Abel is not about who the siblings are, its about the jealousy and the lazy sacrifice in disobedience to God by one of the brothers. And the faithfulness of the other brother.

Focus on what God did give us and realize God's information to us is on a need-to-know basis, and we do not need to know the details, but we do need to understand the lesson and principles.

Those who attempt to trap us into having an answer for every question in the Bible think they are equal to God, and if they cannot figure out what God meant, then it is God who is foolish.

This is typical of rebellious people who hate the truth; they think they have all the answers, and often they do not, making themselves look foolish to those who are wise.

When we love Christ, and He lives in us, we are satisfied with what He has given us to know and excited when He decides to give us more wisdom.

It is neither wise nor smart to think we can figure out every question. If we love Christ, we are satisfied with the answers He gave us and the wisdom that comes from them.

I am satisfied with what God gave us and ask for more when He is ready to give it.

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."

Notice the last sentence of this passage: "and HE will make your paths straight."

2 Timothy 3: traits of the end times mentality in people.

"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

Lovers of self, lacking concern for anyone but themselves, all kind acts done are to elevate self not out of any real concern for others.

Lovers of money, everything is done to preserve what they have and obtain more if they can, even if it means walking on others to get it.

Boastful, the greatest desire of this generation is to make sure others admire and elevate them as special.

Arrogant; possessing a higher opinion of themselves than is warranted. Diminishing others to appear superior.

Slanderers; willing to destroy someone else's reputation to build up their own. Slander; making false statements to damage another's reputation.

Disobedient to parents; this not only includes rebellion against parents by minor children but also rejecting the values of their parents when the children are grown. Disrespecting their parents' wisdom.

Ungrateful; Adult children diminishing the contributions to the children's lives in raising them. Remembering only what the children didn't like without acknowledging the good the parents did.

Unholy; blasphemous against the things of God to justify their own desires.

Unloving; feeling no remorse over rudeness, while lacking in empathy for others.

Irrectonsilable; an inability to see the viewpoints of others, fighting to preserve their status even if it means pretending things that are not true.

Malicious gossips; deliberately undermining the integrity of others to seem better in the eyes of others.

Without self-control, easily angered over minor, silly things. Even inventing a reason to be angry when there is none.

Brutal, savage, and cruel to dominate and harm others.

Haters of good; hating others who want to live for God, or anyone who lives a kinder, more loving life than themselves.

Treacherous; disloyal to those who have been good to them.

Reckless; without good sense about consequences.

Conceited; excessively proud of oneself.

Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; defending their pleasures even when it offends God.

Lastly and most importantly, these same people have a form of religion that pleases and elevates them but denies God in its practice.

Sadly, these traits are common now! If you think you are living in a friendly world, meeting people with happy smiles, tell them about Jesus Christ and their need for salvation through faith in Him and watch what comes out. Their response will tell you about their authentic heart and not the persona they display when everything is going their way without challenge.

The Last Days are Here

2 Peter 3:3 " 3 Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires."

Jude 1:18 "when they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly desires.”

1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."

Jude 1:18 "when they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly desires.”

1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."

Romans 1:18-22 "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse."

1 John 2:18 "Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour."

1 Corinthians 1:18-21 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?"

Avoid the Knowledge of Evil

Many people have lost the ability to be shocked at wickedness because they have become accustomed to it. Do not look at evil to know about it; it only desensitizes those who bathe their mind in it.

 
Philippians 4:7-9 "7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think on these things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Why do people hate God?

The majority of people, even many who say they are Christians, hate God because their souls are desperately wicked and rebellious against Him. They want to follow their fleshly ways without any sense of guilt.

Proverbs 29:1-2 "1 A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery. 2 When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan."

Romans 2:5 "But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed."

Mankind likes to believe they are good people, so they pretend they have good reasons for their actions and attitudes that are against God. These same people become enraged when someone exposes their unrighteous and atrocious ways.

There is also an inner heart of jealousy and tantrums toward those who live righteously. Those who have been transformed by Christ are not good; it is only Christ in them Who is good. When an unbeliever sees the goodness of Christ in believers, they are convicted and offended, causing fear and anger while believing the believer is the problem.

They will say things like, "You think you're better than me." But the truth is, they believe you are better than them because of the righteousness of Christ, not because we are demonstrating arrogance. It is common for the arrogant ones to accuse others of what they are doing and what others are not. Modern psychology calls it projection, when someone accuses another of the very things they themselves are exhibiting.

Romans 3:10–12 “There is no one righteous, not even one; "

The way of salvation is not that we have become good; the way of salvation is that we trusted the One Who is good that is, Jesus Christ Who came to live in us, teaching, guiding, discipling, and cleansing us of sin for our lifetime.

Those who say they can sin all they want after salvation because of Christ are ignorant of the way of salvation; these people remain in their lost state. Born again believer remain convicted and without joy when they have sinned. They must confess to be cleansed and free from guilt.

1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother."

The one who claims to be a Christian and has no conviction of sin does not have the ability to sense the presence of Christ because He does not dwell in them.

1 Corinthians 2:14 "1…13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment."

It is not easy these days to discern who is saved and who is not because many believers walk in disobedience while ignoring the promptings of the Holy Spirit. They are saved, but they lack wisdom and remain without joy because they do not obey. Yes, it is possible for a born-again believer to be saved but lack Spiritual and emotional growth because of their stubbornness.

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?"

1 Corinthians 3:15 …14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?"

Pretenders who have not been transformed by the Spirit of Christ are not saved and continue to fight against those who correct them while justifying their sin. They want the protection of the Lord but they do not want Him, so they decieve themselves into believing they can enjoy their sin without ever submitting to Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:13-14 "his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. / If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward."

Hebrews 10:39 "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."

Faith preserves our souls, not works. Works cannot be the indicator because even unsaved people do good works. Faith produces good works, but the same works that believers do, some unsaved people also do. The unsaved do good works to glorify themselves, and the saved people do good works to glorify God.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies."

God looks at the heart; we ought never to judge a person as good because they do good works any more than we should judge the heart of those who have sinned, who are saved. One does good to profit themselves and is unsaved, and the other fails in their flesh but has been transformed by God in their Spirit.

We are to keep our distance from saved people who are sinning, except to tell them they need to confess to be cleansed so they no longer do that sin. For the unsaved, we bring the gospel, explaining that their good works do not save them; they must trust in Christ by faith.

1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The unsaved must admit their sinful nature and trust in Christ Who paid for their sin. The saved must confess to be cleansed to walk more fully in righteousness as a witness for Christ.