Saturday, August 1, 2026
David Jeremiah on Betrayal, click on the link
All born-again believers will be betrayed by family and friends because we love Christ. Christ is Perfect and did only good while He was on earth, and yet the Pharisees were threatened by Him because He told the truth.
Friday, July 31, 2026
Coming Out of Catholicism
When I was sixteen, I became Catholic to marry my husband, who was a cradle Catholic. I was raised in a Covenant church where the people believed one could lose their salvation. I expressed salvation in Christ at about 12 years old but had no idea what that really meant.
Both my husband and I were indoctrinated in the notion that we must do certain things to maintain our salvation. Rituals: attending Mass, or in the case of the covenant church, Sunday services every week and being a good person.
After I became Catholic, I was introduced to the confessional, where I would enter a little closet door and sit down. The priest was in another closet on the other side, and between us was a little window that would not reveal the penitent or the face of the priest. A little dark window with hatches would be opened so that the priest and I could hear one another without seeing each other.
Having been raised Protestant, I was not familiar with the mantras that were required to confess my sins, except: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." The other phrases that were required for me to speak, I didn't know.
I said to the priest the required words, "Forgive me father for I have sinned." I was shocked when the priest chastized me for not repeating the other phrases that had to be said before he could absolve me of my sin. He mocked me by saying, "How old are you? You should know this by now."
At this point, I argued with the priest, "You mean you will not forgive me because I didn't say those words? I think God has forgiven me." I explained that I was not raised Cahtolic and didn't know all the rituals. Then the priest reluctantly absolved me, as though I was rebellious.
This is the nature of ritualistic religion based on rules instead of Christ. When I told the story to others, they laughed because I argued with the "man in charge, who had the ability to not forgive me.
I left that little confessional box and never returned. Not because I was offended; I wasn't. I just sensed the foolishness of having to confess to a man when I could go straight to God.
This was the beginning of my quest to read the Bible for myself. After I began reading the Bible, I trusted in Christ and left the Catholic system of religion.
Shortly after that, my husband came out too and trusted in Christ.
Religion is based on man's rules and ideas, not on God's Word. Those in religions such as Catholicism trust in the Pope, not in Christ, and in the rules of the system, not the Bible.
The Catholic church feared losing people to protestantism because of their desire to read the Bible, which in the past they were discouraged from doing. I was one who defied the church and read it anyway.
Now we have "Catholic Bible Studies", sadly teaching to fit with their traditions, even using some Protestant verbiage to confuse people.
When a Catholic says they are saved by grace, they mean they get more graces each time they do a good deed. They never know for sure if they are saved, or how many graces it takes, but the more graces by deeds, the better chance they will earn their salvation.
Of course, we know the Bible teaches we do not earn grace. We accept the grace of God, based on His work, not our own.
Ephesians 2:8-9 "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Now I deal with Protestants, Pentecostals, and others who claim to be Christian who are acting the same way as the priests did. They heap rules on people God never gave, they monitor our every encounter to make sure we are following their doctrine, and isolate us from the herd for not accepting the traditions of their group that God never instituted.
Mark 7:13 "13Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”
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."
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."
1 Peter 1:18 "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,"
Brothers and Sisters, we must seek the Holy Spirit and read His word for ourselves to avoid becoming in bondage to man's traditions and the cultural pulls we encounter every day.
Both my husband and I were indoctrinated in the notion that we must do certain things to maintain our salvation. Rituals: attending Mass, or in the case of the covenant church, Sunday services every week and being a good person.
After I became Catholic, I was introduced to the confessional, where I would enter a little closet door and sit down. The priest was in another closet on the other side, and between us was a little window that would not reveal the penitent or the face of the priest. A little dark window with hatches would be opened so that the priest and I could hear one another without seeing each other.
Having been raised Protestant, I was not familiar with the mantras that were required to confess my sins, except: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." The other phrases that were required for me to speak, I didn't know.
I said to the priest the required words, "Forgive me father for I have sinned." I was shocked when the priest chastized me for not repeating the other phrases that had to be said before he could absolve me of my sin. He mocked me by saying, "How old are you? You should know this by now."
At this point, I argued with the priest, "You mean you will not forgive me because I didn't say those words? I think God has forgiven me." I explained that I was not raised Cahtolic and didn't know all the rituals. Then the priest reluctantly absolved me, as though I was rebellious.
This is the nature of ritualistic religion based on rules instead of Christ. When I told the story to others, they laughed because I argued with the "man in charge, who had the ability to not forgive me.
I left that little confessional box and never returned. Not because I was offended; I wasn't. I just sensed the foolishness of having to confess to a man when I could go straight to God.
This was the beginning of my quest to read the Bible for myself. After I began reading the Bible, I trusted in Christ and left the Catholic system of religion.
Shortly after that, my husband came out too and trusted in Christ.
Religion is based on man's rules and ideas, not on God's Word. Those in religions such as Catholicism trust in the Pope, not in Christ, and in the rules of the system, not the Bible.
The Catholic church feared losing people to protestantism because of their desire to read the Bible, which in the past they were discouraged from doing. I was one who defied the church and read it anyway.
Now we have "Catholic Bible Studies", sadly teaching to fit with their traditions, even using some Protestant verbiage to confuse people.
When a Catholic says they are saved by grace, they mean they get more graces each time they do a good deed. They never know for sure if they are saved, or how many graces it takes, but the more graces by deeds, the better chance they will earn their salvation.
Of course, we know the Bible teaches we do not earn grace. We accept the grace of God, based on His work, not our own.
Ephesians 2:8-9 "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Now I deal with Protestants, Pentecostals, and others who claim to be Christian who are acting the same way as the priests did. They heap rules on people God never gave, they monitor our every encounter to make sure we are following their doctrine, and isolate us from the herd for not accepting the traditions of their group that God never instituted.
Mark 7:13 "13Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”
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."
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."
1 Peter 1:18 "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,"
Brothers and Sisters, we must seek the Holy Spirit and read His word for ourselves to avoid becoming in bondage to man's traditions and the cultural pulls we encounter every day.
Difficult Times
2 Timothy 3:1-5 is here now!
"3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
These are difficult times to live in because of the disrespect for God.
When we watch what is happening today, good is called bad and bad is called good; even in church gatherings, the ones being punished are the ones speaking the truth from God's Word. They are gossiped against, minimized, and rejected.
God told us to count it all joy when we are reviled for Christ's sake.
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."
We are not here on this earth to be praised by men or loved by family members; we are here to speak for God, His way from His Word.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
Many "Christians" are pleasure-seeking, desire popularity, and indulge in activities that dishonor God. It is not possible to be like this and love God with all your heart too!!
Matthew 22:37-40 "37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Loving God first and then others is to desire to bring truth and all the fruit of the Spirit of God to every relationship.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
"3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
These are difficult times to live in because of the disrespect for God.
When we watch what is happening today, good is called bad and bad is called good; even in church gatherings, the ones being punished are the ones speaking the truth from God's Word. They are gossiped against, minimized, and rejected.
God told us to count it all joy when we are reviled for Christ's sake.
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."
We are not here on this earth to be praised by men or loved by family members; we are here to speak for God, His way from His Word.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
Many "Christians" are pleasure-seeking, desire popularity, and indulge in activities that dishonor God. It is not possible to be like this and love God with all your heart too!!
Matthew 22:37-40 "37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Loving God first and then others is to desire to bring truth and all the fruit of the Spirit of God to every relationship.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Modesty Demonstrates Humility and Respect
The immodest clothing we see in our day is a reflection of prophecy.
When the first bikini came out, only prostitutes would model it; no self-respecting model would wear it.
We are living in the end times when nearly all respect for self and others is gone. This behavior of lack of self-respect and lack of respect for others is commonplace now. Prophecy told us it would happen in God's Word.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "Difficult Times Will Come
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.""
What is acceptable now would have lost a woman societal respect even just 100 years ago.
The hardest thing to watch is that this immodest clothing is now accepted in the churches. Holes in jeans, tight and short dresses, and much more.
This and many other signs we are living in the last days confront us every day. Our hope is not in the world changing but it is in our homegoing soon when we will leave this world behind.
In the meantime, we can be what God wants us to be in spite of what the world is doing all around us.
Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
It is a lack of humility to dress immodestly, showing off what only a husband should see.
Deuteronomy "“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?"
Proverbs 14:16 "One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless."
Colossians 1:13 "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,"
When the first bikini came out, only prostitutes would model it; no self-respecting model would wear it.
We are living in the end times when nearly all respect for self and others is gone. This behavior of lack of self-respect and lack of respect for others is commonplace now. Prophecy told us it would happen in God's Word.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "Difficult Times Will Come
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.""
What is acceptable now would have lost a woman societal respect even just 100 years ago.
The hardest thing to watch is that this immodest clothing is now accepted in the churches. Holes in jeans, tight and short dresses, and much more.
This and many other signs we are living in the last days confront us every day. Our hope is not in the world changing but it is in our homegoing soon when we will leave this world behind.
In the meantime, we can be what God wants us to be in spite of what the world is doing all around us.
Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
It is a lack of humility to dress immodestly, showing off what only a husband should see.
Deuteronomy "“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?"
Proverbs 14:16 "One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless."
Colossians 1:13 "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,"
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Discrediting What They Don't Want to Hear
I have witnessed this in those who are dedicated to disrespecting us. They can watch you do something perfectly fine and even good and claim it was bad. If someone does not want to believe Christ because they resent being instructed, they will not believe it on purpose to discredit what they don't like.
From Divine Insight:
Don't run from the truth because it exposes your sin. Run to Christ because He is the only One who can forgive it and give you a new heart.
John 3:19–20
"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed."
Amen!
From Divine Insight:
Many people say, "If I had more proof, I would believe."
But Jesus said the greatest problem isn't always a lack of proof. Sometimes it's a heart that doesn't want to leave the darkness.
The gospel calls every one of us to change. It asks us to repent, forgive, humble ourselves, and follow Christ. That's not always easy, but it's always worth it.
But Jesus said the greatest problem isn't always a lack of proof. Sometimes it's a heart that doesn't want to leave the darkness.
The gospel calls every one of us to change. It asks us to repent, forgive, humble ourselves, and follow Christ. That's not always easy, but it's always worth it.
Don't run from the truth because it exposes your sin. Run to Christ because He is the only One who can forgive it and give you a new heart.
John 3:19–20"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed."
Amen!
Do not believe those who make up their own doctrine to fit their own desires.
In my experience, the Pentecostal churches are constantly adding to the Bible and deleting from it to make up their own doctrine.
They often teach that if something works, then it must be from God. If something came to their mind, it must be from God. There is no discernment according to the Bible, and worse, they are hostile when you tell them something is not Biblical that they teach.
Much false doctrine comes from these groups who think the Holy Spirit in them speaks something different from the Bible; in other words, new revelation. I have to question whether those who live like this have ever been born again.
The Holy Spirit in us will never tell us something that is contrary to the Bible. We need no new revelation because everything we need is in the Bible.
The principles in the Bible will address every life experience.
John 16:13 "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
God has told us the things that are coming in His Word. We recognize prophecy as it unfolds because of the Bible. We do not need future telling because we live by the principles and commands of God in every situation.
The specifics of each situation will be guided by the commands and principles of the Bible.
Proverbs 30:4-6 "4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know! 5Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar."
Psalm 18:30 "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him."
Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity."
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work."
They often teach that if something works, then it must be from God. If something came to their mind, it must be from God. There is no discernment according to the Bible, and worse, they are hostile when you tell them something is not Biblical that they teach.
Much false doctrine comes from these groups who think the Holy Spirit in them speaks something different from the Bible; in other words, new revelation. I have to question whether those who live like this have ever been born again.
The Holy Spirit in us will never tell us something that is contrary to the Bible. We need no new revelation because everything we need is in the Bible.
The principles in the Bible will address every life experience.
John 16:13 "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
God has told us the things that are coming in His Word. We recognize prophecy as it unfolds because of the Bible. We do not need future telling because we live by the principles and commands of God in every situation.
The specifics of each situation will be guided by the commands and principles of the Bible.
Proverbs 30:4-6 "4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know! 5Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar."
Psalm 18:30 "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him."
Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity."
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work."
Monday, July 27, 2026
Defending the Home is the Primary Duty of a Godly Woman
Any church gathering that would blame the woman because her husband watches filth must be chastised, and the woman must leave that gathering.
The woman who is enduring this adultery and abuse by a husband who is lusting after porn should take steps to cleanse her house of it. Women are afraid to discipline their husbands by removing the devices that he uses to indulge in sin. She must pray for him while at the same time removing the demonic influences. And, if she has trustworthy godly friends, she should enlist those friends, men who can engage the husband to discipline him.
Women have been trained that they should never counsel their husbands, but that is what a helpmate does. She is to counsel him, and if he will not listen, then she must take steps to protect her household from demonic influence. She is the keeper of the home and must pray for strength to protect it and her children.
Sapphirah obeyed her husband to lie to the Holy Spirit, and God killed both of them. Sapphirah was judged for "conspiring with her husband" when she did the evil her husband wanted her to do.
When a woman does not protest when her husband sins, then she is allowing it and is counted as complicit in it.
Believers are called to discipline and chastise anyone in the church who is sinning in the Spirit of love, helping them to repent and become cleansed by God.
Women are to be "keepers at home", the Greek word oikourgos, meaning a guard or watcher of the house.
A woman cannot obey God when she is obeying a rebellious husband. And, a woman is not a help to the husband when she endorses his sin by ignoring it.
Acts 5:29 "29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."
Titus 2:4-5 "4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."
A woman submits when her husband obeys God but not when he disobeys Christ. It is impossible to train our young women the right way with that demonic influence in the home.
Also remember, "more is caught than taught." When a woman allows it, the children are influenced by the filthy habits of the husband. The children must see the mother protecting them from filth.
Yes, women must pray for their husbands, and if they love them, they will do what they can to influence the husband to do what is right and repent of the sin.
Love does not coddle and enable; it fights (through prayer and a strong stand against) to defend what is true so that everyone involved will be cleansed of what destroys families.
The woman who is enduring this adultery and abuse by a husband who is lusting after porn should take steps to cleanse her house of it. Women are afraid to discipline their husbands by removing the devices that he uses to indulge in sin. She must pray for him while at the same time removing the demonic influences. And, if she has trustworthy godly friends, she should enlist those friends, men who can engage the husband to discipline him.
Women have been trained that they should never counsel their husbands, but that is what a helpmate does. She is to counsel him, and if he will not listen, then she must take steps to protect her household from demonic influence. She is the keeper of the home and must pray for strength to protect it and her children.
Sapphirah obeyed her husband to lie to the Holy Spirit, and God killed both of them. Sapphirah was judged for "conspiring with her husband" when she did the evil her husband wanted her to do.
When a woman does not protest when her husband sins, then she is allowing it and is counted as complicit in it.
Believers are called to discipline and chastise anyone in the church who is sinning in the Spirit of love, helping them to repent and become cleansed by God.
Women are to be "keepers at home", the Greek word oikourgos, meaning a guard or watcher of the house.
A woman cannot obey God when she is obeying a rebellious husband. And, a woman is not a help to the husband when she endorses his sin by ignoring it.
Acts 5:29 "29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."
Titus 2:4-5 "4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."
A woman submits when her husband obeys God but not when he disobeys Christ. It is impossible to train our young women the right way with that demonic influence in the home.
Also remember, "more is caught than taught." When a woman allows it, the children are influenced by the filthy habits of the husband. The children must see the mother protecting them from filth.
Yes, women must pray for their husbands, and if they love them, they will do what they can to influence the husband to do what is right and repent of the sin.
Love does not coddle and enable; it fights (through prayer and a strong stand against) to defend what is true so that everyone involved will be cleansed of what destroys families.
Sunday, July 26, 2026
God is not finished with Israel; soon they will return to Him.
Romans 11: 25-28 "25 For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “This is [e]My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”
28 In relation to the gospel they are enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved on account of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “This is [e]My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”
28 In relation to the gospel they are enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved on account of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
Growing in Christ takes a Spirit of Humility
Have you ever met people who seem to want to know things about you but don't act as though they want to know you?
The world is full of people who want to fill their heads with knowledge about God but have no interest in personally knowing His heart.
Matthew 7:21-23 "I Never Knew You
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.’"
Knowing the Bible stories, prophecy, and the principles of God is not the same as knowing and loving God for Who He is and what He has offered us.
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?"
We are living in the end times in which most people who say they are Christians use God's Word, the Bible, to make themselves feel special through a sort of Gnostic pride.
Gnostic pride is a worship of knowledge, the desire to know things to elevate oneself rather than a desire for self-improvement through God's work in our lives.
When Christianity has become Gnostic, the love of the pleasure we get from having information we have lost, if we ever had, that love for the Lord that makes us want to submit everything to Christ.
Knowledge and wisdom are two very different things. Those who crave knowledge to elevate themselves are all about the pride that motivates them. Those who desire wisdom have a burning desire to please God because of His love for them.
Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Those who genuinely love Christ understand a need to be corrected and instructed by Christ to become more like Him.
1 John 2:17 "The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever. "
James 1:22 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves."
John 14:21 "Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
Hypersensitivity to correction is a sign of one who lives their Christianity to be elevated by man.
Those who love correction want more than anything else to grow in the wisdom of Christ.
Ephesians 4:1-3 "1 As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4:17-25 "17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—
21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and give no opportunity to the devil."
When we love Christ fully and without pretense, we are willing to admit any flaws in ourselves that we might be cleansed by Christ, growing in holiness. He will not work in anyone who believes they are already good enough.
Impressing others is not important to the believer who wants to be continually changed by Christ.
May each born-again believer seek Christ in the Spirit of humility, desiring to improve our hearts, to be better witnesses of the glory of Christ.
The world is full of people who want to fill their heads with knowledge about God but have no interest in personally knowing His heart.
Matthew 7:21-23 "I Never Knew You
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.’"
Knowing the Bible stories, prophecy, and the principles of God is not the same as knowing and loving God for Who He is and what He has offered us.
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?"
We are living in the end times in which most people who say they are Christians use God's Word, the Bible, to make themselves feel special through a sort of Gnostic pride.
Gnostic pride is a worship of knowledge, the desire to know things to elevate oneself rather than a desire for self-improvement through God's work in our lives.
When Christianity has become Gnostic, the love of the pleasure we get from having information we have lost, if we ever had, that love for the Lord that makes us want to submit everything to Christ.
Knowledge and wisdom are two very different things. Those who crave knowledge to elevate themselves are all about the pride that motivates them. Those who desire wisdom have a burning desire to please God because of His love for them.
Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Those who genuinely love Christ understand a need to be corrected and instructed by Christ to become more like Him.
1 John 2:17 "The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever. "
James 1:22 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves."
John 14:21 "Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
Hypersensitivity to correction is a sign of one who lives their Christianity to be elevated by man.
Those who love correction want more than anything else to grow in the wisdom of Christ.
Ephesians 4:1-3 "1 As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4:17-25 "17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—
21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and give no opportunity to the devil."
When we love Christ fully and without pretense, we are willing to admit any flaws in ourselves that we might be cleansed by Christ, growing in holiness. He will not work in anyone who believes they are already good enough.
Impressing others is not important to the believer who wants to be continually changed by Christ.
May each born-again believer seek Christ in the Spirit of humility, desiring to improve our hearts, to be better witnesses of the glory of Christ.
Friday, July 24, 2026
Running from Trials will bring Spiritual and Emotional Stunting
I was saddened by another post that told Christians to avoid trials because they steal our peace. This is the opposite of what God tells us about trials.
Those who avoid trials will not grow or change; they lack maturity and are more self-focused than Christ-focused.
God uses trials and tribulations to make us stronger; there is no spiritual or emotional growth without them. You are right that they are not secret; they are right out in the open and are a witness to others of the power of Christ to carry us through the worst life experiences.
Romans 5:3-5 "3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Romans 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us."
2 Corinthians 4:17 "For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison."
God never told us to "resist" trials; He told us to accept them while praising Him in the midst of them. Job is a very good example of trusting and praising God in the middle of our trials.
Be careful to compare the Bible with everything you hear people saying; some things sound very good but are very wrong.
Those who avoid trials will not grow or change; they lack maturity and are more self-focused than Christ-focused.
God uses trials and tribulations to make us stronger; there is no spiritual or emotional growth without them. You are right that they are not secret; they are right out in the open and are a witness to others of the power of Christ to carry us through the worst life experiences.
Romans 5:3-5 "3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Romans 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us."
2 Corinthians 4:17 "For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison."
God never told us to "resist" trials; He told us to accept them while praising Him in the midst of them. Job is a very good example of trusting and praising God in the middle of our trials.
Be careful to compare the Bible with everything you hear people saying; some things sound very good but are very wrong.
The Error of Binding Satan
Rachel Rice Mercier Quoted Marsha West
Why do some Christians think they can bind the devil? The proof text they often use is Matthew 18:18: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
In context, however, "binding and loosing" refers to the authority Christ gave His church to make judgments regarding sin, repentance, forgiveness, and church discipline. The context begins in Matthew 18:15: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."
This passage is not a promise that Christians can bind demons in order to cast them out of believers (no true believer needs a demon cast out), bind territorial spirits, or command Satan to cease his activity in a particular region or sphere. Nothing in the context has anything to do with spiritual warfare against demons.
If this is what you believe, or what you have been taught, then you have misunderstood the context of Jesus' words. Whoever taught you this is twisting the Word of God, has deceived you, and should cause you to question whatever else they teach.
Borrowed from Marsha West
Why do some Christians think they can bind the devil? The proof text they often use is Matthew 18:18: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
In context, however, "binding and loosing" refers to the authority Christ gave His church to make judgments regarding sin, repentance, forgiveness, and church discipline. The context begins in Matthew 18:15: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."
This passage is not a promise that Christians can bind demons in order to cast them out of believers (no true believer needs a demon cast out), bind territorial spirits, or command Satan to cease his activity in a particular region or sphere. Nothing in the context has anything to do with spiritual warfare against demons.
If this is what you believe, or what you have been taught, then you have misunderstood the context of Jesus' words. Whoever taught you this is twisting the Word of God, has deceived you, and should cause you to question whatever else they teach.
Borrowed from Marsha West
Instructions for the Believers in the Gathering
What does the instruction for the believers in the gathering look like? God said that we gather to edify one another in our worship.
When the gathering of believers is modeled after the first-century church, everyone in the meeting will be led by the Holy Spirit, and all will participate.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."
Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
1 Corinthians 14:22-33 "26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
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 sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people."
Women are disallowed from chattering and disrupting but they are allowed to speak as led by the Holy Spirit.
There is nothing in the Bible that allows for one man paid preachers to dominate everything while disallowing others in the gathering to participate.
The hierarchy system of today, the pulpit above the people, the schedule of activity as created by men, is not at all what God designed for the gathering. It tends to silence all the people in pews facing forward in worship fashion toward the man in the pulpit.
Most attendees in modern churches do not read their Bibles at home, the very reason they have nothing to offer when they come to the gathering.
The modern church has been trained that they should not speak or interject when a paid pastor is speaking.
1 Corinthians 14:30 "…29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30And if a revelation comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop. 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged."
Because of the hierarchical system of the church gatherings today, wise people are prevented from speaking or interjecting while the paid pastor is the center of attention. This usurps the Holy Spirit.
I have witnessed the beauty of gatherings that operate Biblically. Everything is Spirit-led, and no one is treated as "less than" others. Jesus Christ is uplifted. In modern gatherings, people are elevated above the Holy Spirit.
Because people are prone to be lazy, allowing others to tell them what to think, they have lost the ability to discern right from wrong. If the group does not challenge anything the preacher says, then it is taken as truth even when it may be full of errors.
Hebrews 5:14 "14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil."
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 God never tells us to trust in the teachers, trust in any man or trust in ourselves! He tells us to trust in Christ!!!
Romans 12:2 "2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
When we trust in Christ, we will be receiving our instruction from Him. Others may speak, and we may agree with them; this is edification, but our instructions come from Christ, not men.
If a person speaks wrong doctrine, then it is our job to correct them. I they continue to disagree with us, then we should go to prayer and Bible reading to come to an agreement.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one."
I realize that this passage in Thessalonians has to do with earning our own living. Still, I think the principle can also apply to not depending on anyone but God in everything, including our teaching. We listen to others, we evaluate what is said, and we share, but our dependence is totally on Christ.
Christ will lead us into truth, into actions He wants us to perform, in teaching, and much more when our dependence is completely on Him.
Our confidence in Christ is an example for those who are still depending on people to validate them or people to convince them. We are convinced by the leading of the Holy Spirit when we trust in His word.
Our sharing with others and their sharing with us edifies us, challenges us, and motivates us to depend more fully on Christ. The goal is never to make others dependent on any other person; our goal is to edify our brothers and sisters to depend on Christ.
When the gathering of believers is modeled after the first-century church, everyone in the meeting will be led by the Holy Spirit, and all will participate.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."
Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
1 Corinthians 14:22-33 "26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
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 sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people."
Women are disallowed from chattering and disrupting but they are allowed to speak as led by the Holy Spirit.
There is nothing in the Bible that allows for one man paid preachers to dominate everything while disallowing others in the gathering to participate.
The hierarchy system of today, the pulpit above the people, the schedule of activity as created by men, is not at all what God designed for the gathering. It tends to silence all the people in pews facing forward in worship fashion toward the man in the pulpit.
Most attendees in modern churches do not read their Bibles at home, the very reason they have nothing to offer when they come to the gathering.
The modern church has been trained that they should not speak or interject when a paid pastor is speaking.
1 Corinthians 14:30 "…29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30And if a revelation comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop. 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged."
Because of the hierarchical system of the church gatherings today, wise people are prevented from speaking or interjecting while the paid pastor is the center of attention. This usurps the Holy Spirit.
I have witnessed the beauty of gatherings that operate Biblically. Everything is Spirit-led, and no one is treated as "less than" others. Jesus Christ is uplifted. In modern gatherings, people are elevated above the Holy Spirit.
Because people are prone to be lazy, allowing others to tell them what to think, they have lost the ability to discern right from wrong. If the group does not challenge anything the preacher says, then it is taken as truth even when it may be full of errors.
Hebrews 5:14 "14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil."
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 God never tells us to trust in the teachers, trust in any man or trust in ourselves! He tells us to trust in Christ!!!
Romans 12:2 "2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
When we trust in Christ, we will be receiving our instruction from Him. Others may speak, and we may agree with them; this is edification, but our instructions come from Christ, not men.
If a person speaks wrong doctrine, then it is our job to correct them. I they continue to disagree with us, then we should go to prayer and Bible reading to come to an agreement.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one."
I realize that this passage in Thessalonians has to do with earning our own living. Still, I think the principle can also apply to not depending on anyone but God in everything, including our teaching. We listen to others, we evaluate what is said, and we share, but our dependence is totally on Christ.
Christ will lead us into truth, into actions He wants us to perform, in teaching, and much more when our dependence is completely on Him.
Our confidence in Christ is an example for those who are still depending on people to validate them or people to convince them. We are convinced by the leading of the Holy Spirit when we trust in His word.
Our sharing with others and their sharing with us edifies us, challenges us, and motivates us to depend more fully on Christ. The goal is never to make others dependent on any other person; our goal is to edify our brothers and sisters to depend on Christ.
Thursday, July 23, 2026
The Meaning of Leader From the Bible
Husbands and wives submit to one another as they submit to God. If either husband or wife wants their spouse to sin, then they must be corrected and not submit to that.
The Real Meaning of Leadership
Husbands and wives submit to one another as they submit to God. If either husband or wife wants their spouse to sin, then they must be corrected and not submit to that disobedience.
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