Each One Must Trust in Christ Alone

We are living in the end times; there is no fixing the problem of government or the idea of what church is now.

This country was based on freedom and "government by the people and for the people." It was not based on "For God and by God.

Man wanted to be in control without the input of God, while pretending it was about God by tacking Him onto the end of everything instead of making Him the center of everything.

This is why our culture in the churches is still pretending; everything is based on the culture and not on Christ.

If you doubt what I say, then test it with Scripture. Ask several people in the church what they know about divorce and remarriage, what they know about forgiveness, and what they know about the way of salvation. In most cases, they will give you a cultural answer based on psychology and based on the culture that is not Biblical.

If you correct them with Scripture, you will be met with anger and rejection. Even asking the questions will anger some people because they do not like thinking Biblically; it makes them very uncomfortable.

I have met with less opposition from unbelievers in the community than I have from church attendees because they know they don't know what the Bible says.

Many people attending churches today are not born again so they tend to develop an attitude of pride in how good they think they are for attending those buildings called churches. They want to feel safe for having a "religion" but have no desire for Christ.

Many have god-speak, even knowledgeable about the Bible, while twisting what it says to fit their culture. Denying Christ's principles is the same as denying Him.

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.’"

Matthew 15:8-9 "8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Matthew 25:1-13 "25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.
3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take extra oil with them;
4 but the prudent ones took oil in flasks with their lamps.
5 Now while the groom was delaying, they all became drowsy and began to sleep.
6 But at midnight there finally was a shout: ‘Behold, the groom! Come out to meet him.’
7 Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
8 But the foolish virgins said to the prudent ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’
9 However, the prudent ones answered, ‘No, there most certainly would not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
10 But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the groom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.
11 Yet later, the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’
12 But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour."

The five virgins who did not have enough oil, were those who knew of Christ but did not have the Holy Spirit, they had tasted the good fruit but did not possess it.

There are those who are pretenders, thinking they will get into heaven on the coattails of other believers. They think association with authentic Christians will get them in, but they are mistaken; no one else gets another person into heaven. Each person must make their own choice to trust in Christ; then He sends the "oil", the Holy Spirit to live in them. He is the seal that guarantees heaven. And He will only dwell in those who have repented and trusted Christ.

No woman will get into heaven who is trusting in her husband to get her there. All a woman's sins are on her alone; she can never use her husband as an excuse to sin to please him.

God will always ask, "But did you obey Me?" The Lord Jesus Christ always comes before anyone or anything else.

No one inherits the Holy Spirit from someone else; each one must trust in Christ alone.

Gossips and Liars will not Inherit the Kingdom of Heaven

Why do people who never communicate with us, don't live near us, or rarely interact with us seem to act as if they hate us?

They hate the version of you they created in their own minds that was not true, but satisfied how they wished to see you.

Jealousy develops because of the competition to be superior. Those who desire to be superior work to ruin our relationships with others.

Those who gossip hate that we are content and joyful in our lives. They concoct stories in their heads that they want to believe and pass them on to others to divide and destroy any possibility of others appreciating and loving us.

These people are dedicated to misunderstanding everything we say and do, without ever speaking to us. They choose to take out of context what we say, while interpreting all our actions as wrong or foolish.

This phenomenon is growing in the end-times culture in which competitiveness and self-exaltation dwell deeply in the hearts of those who desire worship from others.

Satan hated that God loved Adam and Eve so much that He created them and then gave them a paradise in which to live out their lives.

Because of his pride and jealousy, he sought to turn the couple against God, making them question His commands. Satan enticed the couple to not only question God but ignore all the love He showed them.

After they disobeyed God, they no longer felt love and joy walking with Him in the garden; they ran from Him, hid from Him, and blamed others for their own rebellion against Him.

The sad thing is that Adam and Eve didn't realize what an amazing existence God gave them and believed the lies of the devil.

Often, the person who is being maligned by the devil is a kind person who has done nothing wrong to those he deceives. The only way the haters can justify their anger toward their target is to make up more lies to believe.

They must also gossip their lies to others so that they have a sense of allies who will fall in with them; it removes their guilt and diminishes any chance of repentance for making up things that are not true.

The gossipers rarely admit what they have done and never return to all the people they lied to for setting the record straight.

Some of these gossips think all they have to do is be friendlier to their target to make themselves feel better after ruining relationships. They expect the one they harmed to feel close again, even though they left a flood of lies to a number of people who will never find out the gossip was lies.

We cannot forgive unrepentant people but we can show them the love and respect they never gave us. Forgiveness requires both confession of sin and then the relationship can be truly reconciled.

This is rarely done in our culture. Reconciliation is not sought; confession does not happen, so relationships remain broken. We act as we should when in company with gossips, but we avoid them if we can.

It is impossible to trust someone who doesn't think they did anything wrong in their lies. They want to be absolved of their sin without confession or admitting anything was wrong.

It is impossible to trust someone who still believes their lies and who is not sorry they destroyed our relationships.

Christ never remained with those who lied against Him. He rebuked them and moved on when they were not repentant.

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."

Pray for those who have harmed you, pray for their salvation and pray that you do not become like them through our responses. Silence is a good tool when dealing with wicked people; use it often.

It Matters What We Celebrate

The devil loves it when God's people diminish their witness to the world by celebrating things the world loves and God hates.

Scripture Out of Context

Satan enticed Eve in the garden, just as he is doing now with everyone. He causes people to misinterpret God's Word, even lying and claiming things are in Scripture when they are not; they add to God's Word to sow doubt in the minds of those who want to obey God.

Satan causes people to distrust what God said by making them believe it is alright to interpret God's word any way they choose to win an argument or to justify sin.

He works to cause doubt about God's Word, so they will defy the word of God and claim it is the right thing to do. We must resist the devil when he causes trouble and tries to make us think we are wrong in obeying Him.

I am encountering many more Christians than ever before who are using Scripture out of context to justify what they want to believe. They are defensive about their desired false doctrine and refuse to ask God.

Instead of asking God what is true, dishonest Christians defend vehemently wrong doctrine and, worse, vilify those who defend God's Word.

Scripture taken out of context that does not pertain to the question at hand is lying and it is coming from the devil, working on minds to cause them to practice and enjoy what God hates.

Revelation 22:12-15 "12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work [h]deserves. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying."

Those Christians who are honest and seek Christ about things people think are questionable will have an answer from God. They will not immediately come back with an unreasonable and silly response using Scripture out of context.

Matthew 15:8-9 8 “‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

It is dishonest to take Scripture out of context without praying or studying to show oneself approved. Those who want to know the truth will ask God.

II Timothy 2:15 "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Scripture Out of Context is Deceptive

Many "Christians" use scripture out of context to justify so many things that displease God.

 
Isaiah 29:13 "
Then the Lord said, “Because this people approaches Me with their words And honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of the commandment of men that is taught;"

3 Signs That Prove Your Faith Is Real Not Just Religion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyjYsXLAnpk

Freeing Yourself from the Institutional Church Gatherings

For the past few hundred years, Christians have been indoctrinated to believe that "church" was the place and the planned proceedings with a paid man trained in a seminary. NONE of this is true according to the Bible.

The church is the people, and they meet when and where they choose, while their interaction is led by the Holy Spirit.

This is the reason the church system has gone bad, it was never God's will in the first place.

1 Corinthians 14:26 ""What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church."

God commanded us to come together to edify one another in the Word so that when we leave we will be enthused to live for Christ and carry out His calling for each of us.

This instruction in 1 Corinthians was given to both men and women.

Hebrews 10:25: "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."

The problem is not that we don't meet together; the problem is the way the culture has demanded that we meet. Some people are leaving the institutional churches to remain at home with those who agree with God's Word.

The institutional churches are teaching many things against the Bible, using Scripture out of context to justify what they want to believe.

The people in those institutional gatherings have become lumps in pews, all facing forward, never questioning the truth of their paid hirelings. They place their trust in education by men rather than wisdom from the Holy Spirit. It is lazy and simple just to believe what others say; studying the word takes time and work.

Our culture has become pleasure-oriented; to make themselves feel safe, and to impress others as though this attendance is evidence we are good people. The culture tacks God onto the beginning of the week and ignores Him the rest of the week.

Following the rules has become more important than love and obeying Christ.

Matthew 15:8-9 " 8 “‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Matthew 23:1-17 1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat,
3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?

Matthew 23:23-28
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,
35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."

Many have placed their trust in mere attendance as a sign they are alright with God. They have placed their trust in knowing things in the Bible, as well as those who preach sermons, but they have not placed their trust in Christ.

May many in the modern church gatherings repent and become born again. Then they will leave these traditional institutions that have led so many astray.

Manmade Holidays God Never Commanded

The apostles never celebrated any of the holidays that our culture thinks is so important today, nor did the prophets!

Fools Don't LIsten and They Don't Change

Agreed!!!!! Fools love to argue, and God told us not to answer a fool according to his folly, but to answer him with wisdom or not at all. Fools don't listen and they don't change.

Proverbs 26:4-5
"4 Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness,
Or you will also be like him.
5 Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves,
So that he will not be wise in his own eyes."

The story says a lot: I do not know who the author is, but the story makes a good point.

Fable: DON'T ARGUE WITH DONKEYS
The donkey said to the tiger:
- "The grass is blue".
The tiger replied:
- "No, the grass is green."
The discussion heated up, and the two decided to submit him to arbitration, and for this they went before the lion, the King of the Jungle.
Already before reaching the forest clearing, where the lion was sitting on his throne, the donkey began to shout:
- "His Highness, is it true that the grass is blue?".
The lion replied:
- "True, the grass is blue."
The donkey hurried and continued:
- "The tiger disagrees with me and contradicts and annoys me, please punish him."
The king then declared:
- "The tiger will be punished with 5 years of silence."
The donkey jumped cheerfully and went on his way, content and repeating:
- "The Grass Is Blue"...
The tiger accepted his punishment, but before he asked the lion:
- "Your Majesty, why have you punished me?, After all, the grass is green."
The lion replied:
- "In fact, the grass is green."
The tiger asked:
- "So why are you punishing me?".
The lion replied:
- "That has nothing to do with the question of whether the grass is blue or green.
The punishment is because it is not possible for a brave and intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with a donkey, and on top of that come and bother me with that question."
The worst waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who does not care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions. Never waste time on arguments that don't make sense...
There are people who, no matter how much evidence we present to them, are not in the capacity to understand, and others are blinded by ego, hatred, and resentment, and all they want is to be right even if they are not.
When ignorance screams, intelligence is silent. Your peace and quiet are worth more. ❤️

Seeking Christ is Different From Knowing About Him

If we really love Christ, we will seek His commands in the Bible to obey Him, not just know of them.

Do You Really Love Christ or are they just Words You Say

The big question most people don't ask who are in churches today is this: "Is it rejecting Jesus Christ to reject any part of His Words?

John 14:15 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

Matthew 22:37 "Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
you will keep."

John 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love."

James 1:22 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves."

1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,"

1 John 2:3-5 "By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments. / If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. / But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him:"

John 15:14 "You are My friends if you do what I command you."

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

Wow, it seems clear to me that those who say they are Christians but refuse to obey His Word are pretending and cannot love Christ with all their heart, soul and mind.

Both Parties Must Love One Another to Resolve Problems in a Relationship

There is nothing we can do when someone refuses to listen, refuses to honestly discuss a matter, and begins gossiping about you instead of speaking with you. If the first thing out of someone's mouth is to defend themselves when you bring a concern, you know you are not dealing with someone who wants to reconcile. Those who do this want only to be seen as right and do not care how they may have harmed you, and they care even less what you think.

When we see this happening, there is no longer anything we can do to resolve the relationship. It is entirely in God's hands when we have been blocked, ignored, and resisted at every turn.

People who love you want to find out what they did to hurt you. They want to resolve any conflict, even if they have to admit they were mean or rude.

God told His disciples to walk away when they brought the gospel, and someone refused to hear it. The same is true of any other problem to be resolved; if someone will not listen, further pressure to listen will not help them understand. They will share what you said to others, only a twisted version that makes them appear to be the victim.

Matthew 10:14 "And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town."

2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions."

Mark 6:11 "And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”

John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours."

We are not responsible for making someone work to resolve a problem. We are only responsible to tell the truth and leave everything else to God.

It is comforting to know that when someone is not open to truth and does not care about us, we have God's permission to move on with our lives with those who are loving and reasonable.

It may seem uncomfortable to lose someone we love, but it is far more uncomfortable to have people in our lives who care nothing about us and hate that we care about them.

The Word of God is True and God Expects Obedience

We are living in times when "Christians" are taking lightly all the instructions and commands of God and think those who expect obedience to the word are the crazy ones.

It is very difficult in our time to find those who believe God's Word is Jesus Christ, the Author of the Bible Who expects obedience.

John 14:15 "Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

So what must we surmise then? Those who do not care about God's commands and principles do not love Him.

Deuteronomy 30:16 "For I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and increase, and the LORD your God may bless you in the land that you are entering to possess."

Matthew 22:37: "Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’"

How can someone claim to love God with all their heart and still think God's Word is a book of suggestions they can ignore?

Jesus Christ is the very essence of the Word of God, He is not only the Author but He is the Word.

1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."

Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?"

Romans 13:8-10 "Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law."

Those who revile us for telling them the truth of God's Word do not love Him or us. When we are immersed in the Word of God and Christ dwells in us, we can recognize those who do not love Christ; their claim that they do is dissolved by their resistance to His Word.

May the eyes of many be opened to their duplicity, convicted by their life so they will repent.

The Problem of Mental Illness is not Recognized for what it really is in Our World Today

I find it interesting that "mental illness" is always negative and destructive. Why do we not see people who are mentally ill acting more kindly and lovingly than before? I think it's a good question.

The reason medication often does not help, or only helps for a short time, in cases of mental illness is because the problem is not physical.

The medications don't help because it is not physical or "mental"; it is demonic.

This is the case with mental illness; many people on meds keep changing meds because they only work for a short time.

When someone is demonically possessed, they listen to the voices instead of their own good sense. I am grieved that our culture does not recognize demonic activity because they don't believe in the Bible or in God.

Demonic influence is clearly stated in the Bible; if we would recognize it, we would be casting out demons instead of putting people on meds that do not work.

Matthew 12:43–45
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

In these last days there is increased demonic influence and less ability of the culture to recognize it for what it is.

Notice recently a jury of 12 people in which only one person had the good sense to make the right decision while the other 11 were demonically inspired to protect the murderer while completely ignoring the victims. This is irrational and unreasonable even for unbelievers in Christ. Human nature recoils at murdering innocent children. Even the animals protect their young.

Human nature without Christ can be more easily influenced by demons to go against their God-given sense of right and wrong. However, there are non-believers who have a good sense of right and wrong even if they do not know Christ.

Matthew 7:21-23 shows us that unsaved human beings can know the right things to do even if they are not yet saved.

Matthew 7:21-23 "21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

There are things that go beyond human sinfulness into the realm of the demonic, spiritual, deep wickedness. All the wicked rulers of the world who did horrific things to their people were demonically inspired.

Matthew 7:11: "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

Jesus Christ is the answer to this problem of human sin; He saves us from it and cleanses us when we trust in Him.

Obedience to the Scriptures is the Clue Someone has been Transformed

Most Christians do not understand the transformation that happens when we trust in Christ because that transformation never happened to them; they chose to pretend to be Christians without ever desiring to be cleansed of their sin and changed by Christ.

God said: "If you love me, you will follow my commands."

So the question is: "Why do so many people who say they are Christians refuse to obey the Scriptures", often picking and choosing only those things they like and ignoring what they don't like. And worse, angry at those who correct them with the Word.

It is a lie to say you are "a Bible believer", if you only choose what you like and disregard what Christ said in His Word- those things you don't like.

You are not trusting in Christ if you negate any of His Word. Also, anyone who hates a believer for using God's Word to bring someone to the truth is negating what God said in the following verses.

John 13:34-35 "…34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”

We will bear much fruit if we belong to Christ!

John 15:8 "This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples."

Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-26 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, we will also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."

Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

1 Peter 2:12 "Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us."

1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death."

When we are loving with Christlike love, we will be loving and kind all the time to everyone. We will not treat people differently based on our own expectations of them. Love is full of truth and the desire to be an asset and encouragement to others. We tell the truth because of our love to help others grow in wisdom; we never use the truth to pound others over the head to make ourselves look special or superior.

1 John 4:12 "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us."

Harsh rebukes are for those who claim to be Christians but act in rebellion against God's Word.

1 Timothy 5:20-21 "20 But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin. 21 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality."

Never hold a friend more important than Christ, but love the friend so much you are willing to risk his hatred for telling the truth.

1 John 3:6-8 "No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. 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."

May we love Christ more than any person, and may we love a person so much that we tell the truth to restore them to righteousness.

Sending Hugs to All My Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Sending hugs to each of my Facebook friends here whom I have never met in person and those I have met! I yearn to meet you in person, but I know it is not possible, so I will wait until the Marriage Supper of the Lamb to hug each one of you.

It was a great blessing when I was able to meet a few of you in person. The fellowship was sweet; it was hard when it was time to go back home.

I have been mocked for thinking of my Facebook friends as real people and true friends. I know where this is coming from; those who mock do not understand the moving of the Holy Spirit in every believer and the ability to connect Spiritually because of Christ in each one of us.

Paul the apostle wrote letters to those he never met and felt a sense of missing them. Our connection is not physical proximity; it is Spiritual and transcends miles across the world. We are one in Spirit even while we are many miles away from one another.

Romans 1:8-17 "8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you
10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—
12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.
13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

I am eager to meet you all one day at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, I think about it all the time with great excitement!!!!

Hallelujah, Maranatha!!!!

Isaiah 5:20-25
"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight!
22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine,
And valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who declare the wicked innocent for a bribe,
And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!
24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble,
And dry grass collapses in the flame,
So their root will become like rot, and their blossom blow away like dust;
For they have rejected the Law of the Lord of armies,
And discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 For this reason the anger of the Lord has burned against His people,
And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them.
And the mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.
Despite all this, His anger is not spent,
But His hand is still stretched out."

We are living in the days just like those of Noah and Lot. In the days of Lot, God destroyed several cities of the plain, He saved one family of Sodom because of the evil in them. In the days of Noah, God destroyed everyone in the world except one family.

In the end times, before the second coming of Christ to the earth, He will remove one family, His family, the family of Christ, and destroy the wicked upon the earth one more time. Only this time, there will be left only those who have trusted in Christ during the tribulation. These are the saints who will enter the Millennium.

Those who were raptured out in safety from His wrath will come back with Christ at the end of the tribulation while Christ destroys evil.

While the tribulation is occurring, the raptured believers will be celebrating the marriage supper of the Lamb. We will ride with HIm on horses as He destroys evil and sets up His kingdom on earth.

It is aggravating to us to watch all the injustice on the earth occurring with no way to stop it. Our words are nothing to those who live in rebellion against Christ, and many who call themselves Christians enjoy their traditions of men more than they love Christ. We are abandoned by fellow believers, if they are true believers, as well as hated by the world, which hates Christ.

Our great hope is the strength of Christ Who lives in us and the rapture to come, when we will be taken out, spending those seven years celebrating our marriage to Christ, and after seven years we will come back with Christ to destroy wickedness and set up His Kingdom.

Some of you are my brothers and sisters; we are family because of Christ Who lives in each of us. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance and the promise that we will go to the marriage supper together. We are our family!!!!

Hallelujah, Maranatha!!!!

When Evil is Called Good and Good Called Evil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BtTtGCTo3A

Look to the Light of the World

How many people see God shining the light of Truth (Jesus Christ) through believers who want to snatch people from the jaws of hell and bring them to a place where they can have eternity with Christ in paradise, and yet are met with anger, hatred, and hostility for their efforts?

In our day, often believers are reviled for their love of warning to help someone see their need for Christ. Those who respond in anger at correction within the church system of today do not consider that love as love; they see it as a personal attack to be rejected and punished.

The world will interpret kindness as allowing each person to make destructive choices without admonishment. Imagine Christ, our God, dying to pay the penalty for our sin because of His great love and being hated by mankind for it.

An event that gave this example to my husband when he was out hunting many years ago. He was with his father and brothers in the woods. They each took their stand in the forest, not far from one another but out of sight of each other.

The night was beginning to fall, the clouds were moving in, and a light mist was enveloping the forest where they were. The brothers and his father were already on the road below while my husband was still disoriented in the woods.

Anyone who knows our region knows that when the light begins to fade and the mist is coming down, there is no visibility at all out there.

My husband realized he should go to the road. He walked in the forest a few feet, saw a large stump and began walking in the direction of the road.

After several minutes of walking, he came upon another stump that looked exactly like the stump he passed earlier. He began to walk again, and again another identical stump appeared in the fog. He realized then that he was walking in circles, and panic began to set in.

In our woods out here, people become lost all the time amongst the 300-foot-tall trees; it is very easy, in the dark with misting rain, to lose one's sense of direction.

He sat down for a moment to ponder what to do next, realizing he may have to spend the night in the woods until morning to find his way out.

Then out of the mist came a light rolling back and forth across the forest ceiling. He realized then that his father knew he was lost and began to shine his flashlight into the forest to give my husband a sense of direction. My husband followed that light and was able to find his way to the road where his family was waiting for him.

He never forgot what happened and has told many people about it because it was an example of Christ and His light. He knew if he had not followed that light, he might have been in danger of being lost in the cold without protection until morning or he might have wandered so far he would never find his way out.

Some people die in the forest in this region because of the vast forest. One can wander many miles and never find their way out. Some people are never found, and others are found having lost their lives.

This account in the woods left my husband with a profound sense of what it is like for believers when Christ shines the light of HIs love on mankind.

Some follow the light, trust in Christ, and are saved for an eternity from the terrible death of hell. And, sadly, others ignore the light, wander around until the end of their lives refusing it, and end up in the terrible fires of hell because they were going to live their own life their own way without regard to where it leads.

Many people see the light of Truth in believers and resent them for warnings of what is to come if they do not trust in Christ.

Would it have made any sense for my husband to be angry with his father for shining the light into the forest to help him find his way out? Of course not, just as it makes no sense for people to be angry with born-again Christians for their warnings that Christ is coming soon and they must trust in Him if they are to be transformed and saved from hell.

Stubbornness against warning is immature and irrational. Only a child would throw a fit, a tantrum, when he was not allowed to do something that will harm them.

Matthew 10:22 "22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."

Matthew 10:21-23 "…21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next."

I have encountered many people in my life who act like spoiled children when they are corrected about something that will help them improve and grow into mature adults. They are focused on the correction and completely ignore the message, as though how they feel is far more important than the lesson that is needful.

We are living in an irrational world now, one almost entirely focused on self-exaltation without regard for the consequences of disregarding the truth, and worse reviling Christ Who died for them so they could one day be walking with Him in paradise.

May those we have spoken to and prayed for who have not yet trusted in Christ see their need for Christ and repent to be saved.

Acts 16:31 "And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-a7fn_aq5E

Bonhoeffer Had It Right

Yes, people are getting dummer by their own choice.

 
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."

Follow the Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT3AipiG_v0

Christ Who Died for Us

Psalms 34:19-22 "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned."

If You Need to Control Others You are Insecure in Need of a Savior

Anyone who treats people differently based on their popularity is playing a role for those they manipulate with kindness; it isn't kindness at all; it's maneuvering.

The real them is the one who is mean to those they don't care about impressing. Anyone who is kind and loving in their basic character is that way all the time with everyone. They don't change based on who they are with and they do not flatter to gain advantage.

If someone is kind to everyone else and rude to you when no one is looking, you have just experienced their true character. There is no kindness in the character of those who love those who can provide something for them, even if it is only flattering them to gain their approval.

Matthew 5:44: "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you".

1 Peter 3:9: "Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called".

Our basic character is revealed during hardship or difficulties. Those who respond in rudeness at the slightest challenge have bitterness in their hearts.

Those who follow Christ have no need to manipulate or exert power over others because they are secure in Christ. Insecure people know they have no power so they pretend to have it over those they think are weaker than they.

Psalm 91 shows us that when we are secure in Christ, we have no need to have power over others through intimidation, manipulation, and mockery.

Psalm 91 "1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

The New Covenant Replaced the Old

Those Biblical traditions in the Old Testament were given to the Jews as signs of the Messiah to come.

As a Gentile, I am not commanded to follow them, but to follow the Messiah Who has died and risen from the dead for the sake of paying for our sins.

I do not celebrate any of the man-made holidays: Christmas (which was Catholic, based on their "mass"), Halloween, which is clearly pagan, Easter, which was based on false gods, which were also pagan.

None of these holidays were given by God, and all of them mixed paganism with Christianity.

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

When Christ came and fulfilled His mission, we no longer need the holidays of the Old Testament; they were wonderful teaching tools given by God until He fulfilled the promise of His coming, and they remain wonderful teaching tools today, but there is no obligation to follow them.

Now we celebrate what He has given us based on that fulfillment; that is the Lord's Supper. Before the cross, the Jews celebrated the Messiah to come. Now all those who have trusted in Christ celebrate that He has already come in the Lord's Supper that Jesus Christ commanded.

Now we remember what has been finished on the cross on our behalf.

1 Corinthians 14:26 "What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church."

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 "Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.

Luke 22:19-20 "And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you."

Matthew 26:26-28 "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

All of the symbols of the Old Testament spoke to the Messiah to come.

The symbols of the Lord's Supper speak to the fulfillment of that promise of the Messiah, and now we celebrate that He has come and rose from the dead, awaiting the direction from the Father to come and gather His children in the rapture.

Hallelujah!!!! We are not burdened with man-made holidays or past promises; we are full of the blessing of promises fulfilled and future promises yet to be fulfilled!!!

The Escalation of Evil in our World Today is Leading Us into the End of the End

Back in 1973, when Roe v. Wade occurred, a couple of years later, when we were active in the pro-life movement, we were mocked for saying that murdering babies in the womb would increase, as well as hatred toward children, because of the "killing mentality" that resides in women who do not love their children.

Now, infanticide is going to become popular as long as women think they can make an excuse for their actions.

Here we are today, battling the liberals and family haters, about how women will excuse themselves for murdering their children.

The venom coming from these women is intense and demonic. Bullying those who will not stand with them in their mentality of murder is increasing.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult Times Will Come
1 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."

We must speak out against this evil, but the tide cannot be turned back now as long as God-hating, rebellious liberals remain in control, and they will, when the entire country has basically denied Christ either in words or in practice.

The end of the end is very near now; the church will be going home soon, and all hell will literally be unleashed when the Holy Spirit is removed.

The only way to avoid the terrible 7 year tribulation is to admit your sinful heart, confess your need for a Savior, and ask God to change you into a new creation. When He transforms you, He does it completely and forever; then you can look forward to the rapture, or, when you die, you will see Him face to face and live forever with Him.

Nothing has disturbed my soul more than this latest trial of a mother who wants an excuse to murder her children and, worse yet, thousands of wicked women supporting her. You would never have seen this incredible insanity 70 years ago.

Infanticide is an indication of the derrangement of a nation!

Does anyone believe a nurse would not be able to know exactly which wrist and neck veins to cut to commit suicide?

Jumping off a roof only 20 feet high does not kill people. The murderer pretended to kill herself. Those who want to die succeed, especially a nurse who knows where the veins are.

Why is no one talking about this? This woman didn't want to kill herself; she just wanted it to look that way to garner sympathy to avoid the penalty of her multiple murders.

It is not hard to discern that the murder of children is not acceptable, no matter the state of mind.

It is astounding to me that this is even a debate, let alone a huge debate on the internet. There should be no question that brutally murdering children is horrendous and deserves the death penalty.

Also, this woman should have been charged with husband abuse; there is no greater abuse than a wife killing her husband's children.

I have been asking myself and God for days why I am so agitated by this whole trial of a woman who savagely ended the lives of her children. God's answer to me was that the culture that surrounds this monster, defending her, is promoting the murder of children to satisfy their rage while distressed.

It is an indictment on our country when thousands of women can come out boldly defending the reprehensible.

I am blessed that so many people are coming against these monsters who refuse to speak the name of the children murdered. Those who applaud the murderer, even raising money for her, is beyond lunacy and derangement; it is demonic.

However, I have to wonder why these demonically inspired women felt so free to express their hate in public.

In the past, no one would have dared defend a serial murderer, but now these demons have come out freely and without shame as though society belongs to them.

Perhaps this is what disturbs me the most! If this is where our "freedom of speech" has led this country, then something is seriously wrong.

Jeremiah 6:15
"15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed;
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says the Lord."

There will be justice at the end of it all, not on this earth but in eternity. This is the great expectation of believers: that those who were murdered and abused will be dealt with by God.

Once Christ Changes You There is no Going Back

God never tells us when He writes our names in the book of life, only when He blots them out. I believe this is because Christ died for the sins of the whole world, and everyone's names were there in the book until they reject Him.

He said He wished that none would perish, even knowing most would not receive Him. It isn't a matter of when our names were written in the book; it is a matter of whether or not they are blotted out when we refuse to trust in Him, perhaps determined at our death.

Revelation 3:5 "The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels."

All born-again believers are overcomers, because of Christ in them. Those who are not overcomers are those who trusted in themselves and not in Christ. They attempted to "be a Christian" without any desire to be one with Christ.

 
Everyone is in the book of life until those who reject Christ are blotted out.

 
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."

Psalms 128:1 "1 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!"
When Christ transforms us into a new creation, there is no going back; it is eternal. Hallelujah!!!!

God Gives Choice

God gives mankind a choice; if the choice is evil, then there are eternal consequences unless there is repentance.

Those people who blame God for what people do would be the same people who are angry at God's commands not to do evil.

The same people who hate God for His commands and principles blame Him for the actions of people. It is irrational to desire the choice to do what you want and then blame someone else for letting you do it.

John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commands."1

Samuel 15:22 "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."

James 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

Acts 5:29 "Peter and the other apostles replied: 'We must obey God rather than human beings!'"

Isaiah 1:19 "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land."

1 John 5:3 "In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome."

Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"

God gives us commands and principles to live by to protect us; it isn't His fault if you choose to deny Him, slander Him, and disrespect Him. You cannot expect to defy God without consequences.

There are great blessings from following Christ; His commands protect us when we follow them. However, just obeying Him is not enough; first you must repent, hate your sin, and ask Him to transform you into a new creation.

Attempting to be good without God does not save you from hell. Christ died to pay for our sin, but we have to want Him to cleanse us from it. We cannot cleanse ourselves; those who think they can will not be saved.

Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

May those who think they are earning their salvation through their own effort repent of their pride and trust only in Christ and not in themselves.

Those Who Enjoy Sin are not Born Again

Those who enjoy disobeying God or defend it to feel no guilt have never been born again.

1 John 3:9 "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God."

If a believer sins they are miserable until they confess to be cleansed.

1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

As long as we remain in sin, we will endure the chastisement of the Lord.

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?"

God does not throw His children back; He works on them to become like Him.

Ephesians 2:9-11 "…9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. 11Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)"

It is our character Christ transforms when He saves us, not our deeds, although they come later because of our new character.

Remember this: We are HIS workmanship not our own!

A Nation on its Way Down

A nation is on its way down when the country does not protect its most vulnerable citizens, whether in the womb or the elderly in a nursing home.

Compassion and reverence for those who cannot take care of themselves are the hallmarks of a godly nation.

James 1:27: "True religion means caring for orphans and widows in their trouble."

Isaiah 1:17: "Learn to do right. Seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless."

Psalm 82:3-4: "Give justice to the weak and the fatherless. Rescue the needy from the wicked."

Matthew 25:40: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Those who protect the wicked and ignore the victims are themselves wicked.

Proverbs 21:10 "10The soul of the wicked man craves evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. 11When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; and when a wise man is instructed, he acquires knowledge."

Psalm 10:3 "For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD."

Micah 2:1 "Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands."

Genesis 6:5 "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time."

We are living in a culture now in which the wicked feel so free and empowered that they no longer even hide the level of their vile character. They flaunt it and proudly parade it in the streets, thumbing their noses at God and anyone who despises their depravity.

We are living in times when there is barely any faith upon the earth, a time when Christ will return to remove His children before His terrible wrath is poured out on the earth.

Romans 1:18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."

To avoid the wrath of God before He comes one must be born again by placing their trust in Christ for His sacrifice on the cross for their sin. No one will be able to save themselves by being better people. Only Christ can transform their character, change their heart and clean them up.

Libertas, the False god!

The statue of Liberty is a representation of Libertas, the ancient goddess of freedom. Sadly, freedom to do and be anything
America wants is being worshiped and has been since the beginning of this country. Like everything else in "Christian America," many pagan and false ideas have been worshiped while adding God to them to make us sound Christian.

Why do Americans love that statue so much? My guess is that Freedom has become their god, above Jesus Christ.

Those of us who are free in Christ are free in our Spirits even when we are imprisoned. Freedom for believers isn't about physical freedom; it is about Spiritual freedom that no one can take from us.

We have been set free from the guilt and power of sin because Christ lives in us. These are things we cannot see with our physical eyes but are seen by believers with Spiritual eyes.

Have you ever felt the sense that someone was "off" who claimed to be a Christian? Your Spirit was just not connecting with them; no matter how much they do that sounds Christian, you just had no bond or relationship with them?

Have you ever felt the sense that someone you are meeting for the first time connected with you so fully that you believed they must be a Christian, and later you found out they were?

I have experienced both of these things, and it is undeniable that when we meet with an authentic believer, the same Spirit that is in them is the One Who lives in us too.

I experience this much more rarely now than ever before because most people are living a superficial, feelings-oriented religion rather than an authentic walk with Christ.

Many came to the Christian church to marry someone or to join a club that made them feel better about themselves, but they have never had a born-again experience.

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.’"

Sadly, many people in our day who attend churches are going to hear these frightening words, even those who don't think they pertain to them.

Luke 13:25-27 "After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’"

John 6:40 "For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Saying we believe is far different from having been transformed by Christ because of our brokenness, knowing we need a Savior and can do nothing ourselves that will gain us heaven.

Even the devil knows the Bible and will quote it out of context to justify His disobedience, while fostering this in others.

2 Corinthians 13:5-6 " 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you— unless you actually fail the test? 6 And I hope you will realize that we have not failed the test."

Examine yourself!!!! If you have trusted in Christ fully, you will not follow the traditions of men, but love the Word of God.

The Claim is not the same as Doing

Christians today in all the churches are violating more of Scripture than they obey while saying, "I am a Bible believer." One cannot claim that unless they seek to obey God's Word, but they claim it anyway.

The Rituals of Man are a Distraction From God

Can you tell me one good Biblical reason for Christians to hold hands when they pray collectively? Where did this practice come from? Why do so many people do it?

The only place I see this practice is in paganism, when pagans "complete the ring" in order to summon the spirits.

Has modern Christianity once again added to its thinking one more practice from paganism?

The only rituals God gave born-again believers were baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the head covering for women and no head covering for the men.

Why must believers add rituals to God's Word that He never endorsed- traditions that man brought with them from paganism when they converted to Christianity?

The answer is that man always seems to think they can make up their own practices that they ultimately end up trusting in but have no value in their walk with Christ. And even more frustrating, expecting others to do it under penalty of judgment if they refuse to participate.

The hand-holding ritual is so entrenched now that if you decline to do it, others will judge you as petty and picky; after all, they are convinced it is harmless. If it is harmless, then why judge others who choose not to do it?

If it is harmless, then why are some people not allowed to choose not to do it without pressure from the group?

There were also no collective prayer meetings mentioned in the Bible except the Lord's Supper gathering, when everyone is there to edify one another with the Word of God. Their prayer is led by the Holy Spirit, their singing is led by the Holy Spirit, when they speak it is from the Holy Spirit.

Man-made rituals tend to place undue pressure on people, causing them to think something is wrong with their walk with God if they do not do what man has devised.

Because man judges those of us who do not practice these man-made rituals, we are avoided and judged because our decision to not follow them causes them to feel like we are judging them. Group-think has always placed pressure on those who don't obey the collective.

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

Notice God said, "And you do so in many such matters." There are many things Christians practice and require of others that God never commanded, endorsed, or even practiced Himself.

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."

When I pray, I want my prayers to be entirely focused on Christ, not on those around me in the room.

Matthew 6:5-6 The Lord's Prayer
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

Many years ago, I questioned this practice of collective prayer because it distracted me from God. It focused me on what others were saying, with the expectation that I would agree with the words of others. But what if I didn't agree with the words of others? Was I then supposed to interrupt the prayer of another to correct them?

When the disciples asked Jesus Christ how to pray, He never once told them to be sure and be with others in a collective setting. We do pray in the gathering when we edify one another in the word. But this is not a command to make sure we gather with others when we pray. There is also no mention whatever in Christianity of holding hands as though there is some sort of special power in it.

Notice something interesting: when we pray in a group setting, we are allowing others to pray on our behalf rather than speaking to God ourselves. The ritual has become that only the pastor prays for you as a mediator. He knows how to do it, and you must agree with whatever he says.

Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."

Luke 11:1 "One day, in a place where Jesus had just finished praying, one of His disciples requested, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Matthew 6:9-13
9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

I know that down through the centuries, many pagan practices and traditions were adopted by Christians as though they were necessary to be heard by God. The idea that our prayers are seen as more powerful when holding hands than if we obey God in our private closets is a ritual, but worse may actually be pagan in nature, adopted from ungodly practices.

When we place pressure on others to do what God never commanded, we are adding to His Word, frustrating those who see no need or cannot bring themselves to do something concocted by man and his own idea to summon demons.

When we question all things as God commanded, we are going to be pressured and judged as stubborn for not taking on something that does not make sense to us, and perhaps worse, may be emulating what the pagans do.

Modern Christianity is full of unbiblical traditions that people cling to as though anyone not doing them is rebellious and superior acting if they do not go along.

One thing God has done for me in the past 30 years is expose all the rituals in Christianity that God never commanded and that people have made a standard for judging others if they do not practice them.

I was once asked what I was doing for Christmas this year. My reply was, "I don't observe it because I am a Christian." There was shock on the person's face because have been convinced by man's tradition that this holiday was all about Christ, when in fact it is not about Him at all. It's all about the rituals, decorations, and practices man devised to add to Christianity what the pagans do.

Notice something important about the holidays that people say are Christian? The seculars love them too. Wouldn't it bring us to pause and ponder why secular people would love anything that elevated God and Jesus Christ?

Every year I hear the same rhetoric from Christians: "put Christ back in Christmas", but what they don't understand is that the Christ of Christmas is not Jesus Christ of the Bible; it is a different Jesus entirely.

The same is true of Easter, Halloween; all of it was human traditions that promote rituals God never commanded and ideas that the Bible never speaks about, distracting the people from the real Christ. Notice, too, that many people who hold fast to these human traditions never speak of the Lord's supper that He did give and command.

Luke 22:19-20 "19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood."

1 Corinthians 10:16 "Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?"

1 Corinthians 11:24-25 "and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

John 6:53-58 "53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread that came down out of heaven, not as the fathers ate and died; the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

God's symbolism in the Bible that He commanded us to do is all about Him only! The rituals man does is a mixture of the desires and pleasures of man, ultimately making them almost entirely about man.

I don't tell others what to do when I choose not to follow these rituals; I just want the freedom to follow my heart concerning obedience to God's Word and being careful not to practice things that came out of paganism.

When our focus becomes the ritual to such an extent that it becomes a benchmark for our devotion to God, then perhaps it is the ritual that is the problem, not the one who chooses not to indulge.