The more we know Christ, the greater our discernment, we will notice more evil than ever before because our eyes will be open. With that knowledge and wisdom comes sorrow but also strength to endue it.
Ecc. 1:18 "For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow."
Philippians 1:9-10 "9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,"
Hebrews 5:14 "But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Proverbs 2:5-1 "My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."
Those who only want to enjoy life, ignoring or denying everything that is evil around them, will feel content, but they are not useful for the kingdom of God.
We cannot be truthful and honest while denying truth simply to feel good. We are strong when we can admit truth no matter how ugly, feeling a sense of sorrow over evil while at the same time retaining that deep down sense of joy because Christ knows all about it.
Denying evil does not change the evil and it is lying. Prayer over the evil can bring change, but if we deny that it exists then we won't pray. Who is the focus when we deny evil? It is a selfish person who prefers positive friendly encounters all the time, there is no sense of helping anyone or glorifying God when our focus is our self.
We all love to feel good, but as believers, our positive outlook has nothing to do with avoiding the truth. Our sense of well being comes from knowing Who is in control and that all things have a purpose.
Pretending everything is alright, no matter what the sin people are involved in, is lying and unproductive. When safety is the goal of a believer, then narcissism has taken over.
IF we want to be useful for the kingdom, then we take things as they come, calling them what they are, handling them God's way while carrying on for Christ. His joy surpasses anything we have to endure.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Seek God For His Will
God's creation is a testimony to His work of salvation and purpose to glorify Himself.
As I was pondering the apple tree that is rooted in the neighbors yard across the fence, I was reminded how that tree testifies to God's work of salvation in believers.
In order for an apple tree to grow, the seed that falls to the ground must die, before it can be changed into something else. When that seed dies, and is no more, then a tree grows producing a trunk, leaves, and eventually apples. The original seed will never come back, but the new tree that produces apples will have within that fruit other seeds that will fall to the ground and die too, producing an orchard.
This is very much a picture of the Christian life, when we confess our sinfulness desiring to be changed by Christ, HE comes and changes us making us into a new creation, the old cannot return. When the new comes, it will keep producing fruit, and that fruit will produce seeds for new trees, I believe this is a picture of the believer spreading the gospel and others will become saved and grow their own fruit and spread more seed.
All believers will have the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
The fruit of the Spirit is not works, they are spiritual character qualities.
The gifts of the Spirit are talents,for lack of a better word, that allow us to more fully spread the Gospel and serve other believers.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 "4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
As I was pondering the apple tree that is rooted in the neighbors yard across the fence, I was reminded how that tree testifies to God's work of salvation in believers.
In order for an apple tree to grow, the seed that falls to the ground must die, before it can be changed into something else. When that seed dies, and is no more, then a tree grows producing a trunk, leaves, and eventually apples. The original seed will never come back, but the new tree that produces apples will have within that fruit other seeds that will fall to the ground and die too, producing an orchard.
This is very much a picture of the Christian life, when we confess our sinfulness desiring to be changed by Christ, HE comes and changes us making us into a new creation, the old cannot return. When the new comes, it will keep producing fruit, and that fruit will produce seeds for new trees, I believe this is a picture of the believer spreading the gospel and others will become saved and grow their own fruit and spread more seed.
All believers will have the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
The fruit of the Spirit is not works, they are spiritual character qualities.
The gifts of the Spirit are talents,for lack of a better word, that allow us to more fully spread the Gospel and serve other believers.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 "4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."
When one becomes born again, they will never lose any of these fruits, they were integrated into our being and will never leave us. The gifts will come and go as God sees a need for them.
The gifts of the Spirit are given to each of us, as God sees fit, we are not to ask for them, we are to walk and pray in God's will and He will give us gifts as are needed for whatever task He gives us to do. Begging for gifts is a way of telling God what He must do. We are to desire Spiritual gifts, but not our own idea of what we want. We are to ask for God's will for us, for His purposes.
Luke 1:38 "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."
Notice in the account of Mary's encounter with the messenger from God, the messenger told her what was to be the will of God and she submitted. No where in the Word will you find someone who commands God as to what He will do in them. We seek the Lord for His will and He will do it in us.
Bottom Line: Seek the Lord for His will and obey when you hear Him.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."
When one becomes born again, they will never lose any of these fruits, they were integrated into our being and will never leave us. The gifts will come and go as God sees a need for them.
The gifts of the Spirit are given to each of us, as God sees fit, we are not to ask for them, we are to walk and pray in God's will and He will give us gifts as are needed for whatever task He gives us to do. Begging for gifts is a way of telling God what He must do. We are to desire Spiritual gifts, but not our own idea of what we want. We are to ask for God's will for us, for His purposes.
Luke 1:38 "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."
Notice in the account of Mary's encounter with the messenger from God, the messenger told her what was to be the will of God and she submitted. No where in the Word will you find someone who commands God as to what He will do in them. We seek the Lord for His will and He will do it in us.
Bottom Line: Seek the Lord for His will and obey when you hear Him.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Fear is a Dead Giveaway
I wonder if the phrase "don't judge" is the most used out of context phrase in the Bible. American's have turned it into a magical mantra to intimidate others into silence when they are confronting sin. Do not be intimidated by those who would raise their voice to frighten us into submission.
When someone raises their voice to avoid admitting their sin or mistake, we know they are fearful themselves. Fearful animals and people attack when they know they cannot justify or defend their position.
When someone raises their voice to avoid admitting their sin or mistake, we know they are fearful themselves. Fearful animals and people attack when they know they cannot justify or defend their position.
Our Response Proves Our Heart
When we experience trials we can be sure the Lord is speaking to us. If someone is not born again, the trials are there to bring us to our knees in repentance. If we are born again, then the trials are to expose what is left in our hearts that needs to be cleansed.
We can know that the "negative" things in our life grow and change us to become more holy, or they will harden us to become more evil, the choice is ours.
James 1:2-16
"2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures"
This principle reminds me of the Bible account of the Pharaoh who hardened his own heart, in the same passage God says HE hardened Pharaoh's heart. The truth is that God did what He knew would cause Pharaoh to harden his own heart. He does that with us, He gives us challenges to dredge out what is inside. When we become angry and lose faith over trials, that is what was inside all the time. God wants to show us our hearts, so that we will confess it and ask for cleansing.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Hebrews 3:15 "while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."
We can know that the "negative" things in our life grow and change us to become more holy, or they will harden us to become more evil, the choice is ours.
James 1:2-16
"2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures"
This principle reminds me of the Bible account of the Pharaoh who hardened his own heart, in the same passage God says HE hardened Pharaoh's heart. The truth is that God did what He knew would cause Pharaoh to harden his own heart. He does that with us, He gives us challenges to dredge out what is inside. When we become angry and lose faith over trials, that is what was inside all the time. God wants to show us our hearts, so that we will confess it and ask for cleansing.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Hebrews 3:15 "while it is said, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Fun, Fun, Fun, it will Destroy You
All this fun that we are teaching the children, is causing disrespect for Christ and disdain for the principles of hard work and diligence. Our enjoyment of life should come from our work and the little things during the times of rest.
There is little satisfying about play, God showed us in His Word that work is the only thing that satisfies.
Personally I find nothing more enjoyable than watching God's creation interacting with us and each other. Animal antics are God's movies for us.
Play can be and often is addictive, the more we do it the more we want and the less we enjoy it. I have known people who have lots of money are always playing and never seem to be content or satisfied.
Psalm 128:2 "When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you."
Proverbs 13:4 "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied."
Proverbs 10:4 "A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich."
Ecc. 9:10 "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going."
2 Chronicles 31:21 "And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered."
Proverbs 12:11 "Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense."
There is little satisfying about play, God showed us in His Word that work is the only thing that satisfies.
Personally I find nothing more enjoyable than watching God's creation interacting with us and each other. Animal antics are God's movies for us.
Play can be and often is addictive, the more we do it the more we want and the less we enjoy it. I have known people who have lots of money are always playing and never seem to be content or satisfied.
Psalm 128:2 "When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you."
Proverbs 13:4 "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied."
Proverbs 10:4 "A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich."
Ecc. 9:10 "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going."
2 Chronicles 31:21 "And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered."
Proverbs 12:11 "Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense."
Which god will Your Children Choose?
When the next holiday comes, it might be good for all believers to ask themselves, if they are doing what God told them to do, or are they following human tradition.
It doesn't matter to me whether it was Christ's birthday or not, what matters to me is that He never told us to celebrate His birth.
Everyone who lives outside the womb had a birth, but only One was crucified for the sins of others, died and rose from the dead, that was Christ Jesus.
God never told us to have a day set aside once a year for His resurrection either.
He instituted the Lord's Supper to celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
We have no need of another holiday for His resurrection because His Lord's Supper was for that. Christ never gave us exact dates for when to celebrate His Supper, except to say, "whenever you meet together." No church today is obeying this, because they are not doing it every time they meet. Many churches are doing it once a month and even once a year, and it is left at an obscure time so that most do not show up for it.
Exact dates are not the issue in our celebrations, it is about the celebration itself. We must ask the question frequently when we are growing in the Lord..."Did Christ tell me to do that?"
I do not judge anyone who chooses to celebrate the birth of Christ or the resurrection on the traditional man made holidays, the people I know, think of Christ when they do. However if we are indulging in all the other trappings of the worldly part of these holidays, then perhaps we should examine our own hearts.
The Easter Bunny and Santa have no place in the lives of believers. Egg hunts and visiting Santa at the mall flies in the face of Christ. As believers we should leave these practices alone, leave them to the pagans who love to pretend things that are not true and even confuse children, leaving them feeling about Christ the way they feel about Santa.
When we teach children to love Santa, we are giving them a view of God that is monstrously incorrect. The whole idea of Santa stems from a good works standpoint.
Santa gives you good things if you are "good enough." Christ tells us that we cannot earn heaven by good works, we must place our trust in Him.
Santa tells the children if they don't rob, steal or cheat and do their home work they are worthy of gifts. Christ tells us to desire spiritual wealth and joy rather than happiness.
Everything about the doctrines of Santa, demeans the doctrines of Christ. The devil did a bang up job when he presented a false god for the children to love. AS the children grew up, they had a hard time giving up all their fluffy feelings about Santa and passed them on to their children. Now we have an entire culture, adults included who love to wish Santa were real, in other words.....a false god.
When we ponder and fondly look at a Santa, wishing he were real, talking about him, pretending he does things for us, we have a god in our hearts. Many parents don't realize that they are teaching their children during the week that we love our god Santa, and going to church on Sunday hearing that Jesus Christ is the only God.
Which god will a child choose when he sees that happy jolly fellow who gives them toys and candy, comparing him to the God who died for our sin, expects our trust in Him and commands holiness?
It doesn't matter to me whether it was Christ's birthday or not, what matters to me is that He never told us to celebrate His birth.
Everyone who lives outside the womb had a birth, but only One was crucified for the sins of others, died and rose from the dead, that was Christ Jesus.
God never told us to have a day set aside once a year for His resurrection either.
He instituted the Lord's Supper to celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
We have no need of another holiday for His resurrection because His Lord's Supper was for that. Christ never gave us exact dates for when to celebrate His Supper, except to say, "whenever you meet together." No church today is obeying this, because they are not doing it every time they meet. Many churches are doing it once a month and even once a year, and it is left at an obscure time so that most do not show up for it.
Exact dates are not the issue in our celebrations, it is about the celebration itself. We must ask the question frequently when we are growing in the Lord..."Did Christ tell me to do that?"
I do not judge anyone who chooses to celebrate the birth of Christ or the resurrection on the traditional man made holidays, the people I know, think of Christ when they do. However if we are indulging in all the other trappings of the worldly part of these holidays, then perhaps we should examine our own hearts.
The Easter Bunny and Santa have no place in the lives of believers. Egg hunts and visiting Santa at the mall flies in the face of Christ. As believers we should leave these practices alone, leave them to the pagans who love to pretend things that are not true and even confuse children, leaving them feeling about Christ the way they feel about Santa.
When we teach children to love Santa, we are giving them a view of God that is monstrously incorrect. The whole idea of Santa stems from a good works standpoint.
Santa gives you good things if you are "good enough." Christ tells us that we cannot earn heaven by good works, we must place our trust in Him.
Santa tells the children if they don't rob, steal or cheat and do their home work they are worthy of gifts. Christ tells us to desire spiritual wealth and joy rather than happiness.
Everything about the doctrines of Santa, demeans the doctrines of Christ. The devil did a bang up job when he presented a false god for the children to love. AS the children grew up, they had a hard time giving up all their fluffy feelings about Santa and passed them on to their children. Now we have an entire culture, adults included who love to wish Santa were real, in other words.....a false god.
When we ponder and fondly look at a Santa, wishing he were real, talking about him, pretending he does things for us, we have a god in our hearts. Many parents don't realize that they are teaching their children during the week that we love our god Santa, and going to church on Sunday hearing that Jesus Christ is the only God.
Which god will a child choose when he sees that happy jolly fellow who gives them toys and candy, comparing him to the God who died for our sin, expects our trust in Him and commands holiness?
Evil Hinders Our Walk and Destroys Our Peace
I wonder how many people have had the inclings that I have had in the past few years?
In a comment a gentlemen stated that he had been in Starbucks and a sense of evil came over him, when he left the shop that feeling left. I can relate to this! Many times I could sense evil in my presence and when I left the situation, the evil feeling left me.
I believe the Holy Spirit gives us a sense of foreboding when we encounter evil. It may be evil spirits, which I believe have increased in their activity, or just the evil itself that leaves us feeling oppressed. Our sense is to flee, to get to a place of safety, such as our homes.
Romans 8:9 "9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."
When a believer can remain in sinful and evil situations without discomfort, then it may be they were never born again. The Holy Spirit is very active in the lives of those who belong to Him.
Romans 8:9 "9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."
John 14:17 "17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
The Holy Spirit speaks to us and we repeat to others what He says.
1 John 4:6 "6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."
Matthew 10:20 "20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."
When the Holy Spirit speaks in promptings, we should listen to Him.
Ephesians 4:30 "30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
1 Peter 4:14 "14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.[a] On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified."
We are not here to please people nor are we here to please ourselves, we are here to glorify God. If we are born again and love God, then we will love to please Him and hate evil as He does.
Romans 12:9 "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good."
Do we love God? If we do, then we will hate evil, knowing it will hinder our walk and destroy our peace.
In a comment a gentlemen stated that he had been in Starbucks and a sense of evil came over him, when he left the shop that feeling left. I can relate to this! Many times I could sense evil in my presence and when I left the situation, the evil feeling left me.
I believe the Holy Spirit gives us a sense of foreboding when we encounter evil. It may be evil spirits, which I believe have increased in their activity, or just the evil itself that leaves us feeling oppressed. Our sense is to flee, to get to a place of safety, such as our homes.
Romans 8:9 "9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."
When a believer can remain in sinful and evil situations without discomfort, then it may be they were never born again. The Holy Spirit is very active in the lives of those who belong to Him.
Romans 8:9 "9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."
John 14:17 "17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
The Holy Spirit speaks to us and we repeat to others what He says.
1 John 4:6 "6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."
Matthew 10:20 "20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."
When the Holy Spirit speaks in promptings, we should listen to Him.
Ephesians 4:30 "30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
1 Peter 4:14 "14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.[a] On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified."
We are not here to please people nor are we here to please ourselves, we are here to glorify God. If we are born again and love God, then we will love to please Him and hate evil as He does.
Romans 12:9 "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good."
Do we love God? If we do, then we will hate evil, knowing it will hinder our walk and destroy our peace.
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