How many times have you wept over the choices and lifestyles of family members, trying to reason with them, bringing the Word of God to show them the way of salvation, confronting their sin only to be deeply rejected? Not only are we rejected by those we try to help, but they share their anger with others and those people take on the same attitudes of the one who remains in their sin, while no one speaks to you about the interchange that brought about the hatred.
While all the other family members are enjoying one another, no matter what the sin in their lives, they keep you at arms length because you wanted to bring a greater understanding about the purpose and meaning of life, that being Christ Jesus.
Gossip abounds, nearly all is based on half truths and lies. There seems to be no solution to the mess.
I suspect from my visits on facebook with those who love the Lord with all their heart, that many are encountering this rejection and gossip.
Let me encourage you, Christ said it would be this way. Our culture has been raised on "self esteem" any correction or instruction is considered mean and rude by those who desire to be elevated in the eyes of others more than they care about what God thinks.
We are living in a culture that is narcissistic, completely full of self. Most young people today have been taught how wonderful they are, how much they can accomplish and that if they believe in something, no matter what it is, then they are doing well. This thinking makes it impossible for them to see the evil that is within them, we know that until they are broken over sin they will not become born again. Satan has managed to remove any sense of shame in this generation, so much so, that they refuse the message of repentance that leads to salvation.
Much of the hatred is based on superficial non-sense and perceived wrongs rather than anything of substance. The devil has twisted the minds of many to see things in a perverted fashion, while working to keep us from having meaningful and productive discussion to clarify misunderstandings.
There can be no reconciliation with those who have rejected Christ and His principles.
1 John 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"
Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
Those who don't love the Lord want to hang onto their prejudices against believers who are following hard after the Lord. They shrink from anything that may dispel their desired attitudes toward the believer. Refusing to listen to reason, refusing to find out the truth, they continue in their sin, making their companions those who will accept anything to remain friends.
Mark 13:13 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
Luke 21:17 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake."
1 Peter 4:12-19 "12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."
Much of the rejection comes in the form of favoritism toward those that accept sin while ignoring those who desire holiness.
Praise the Lord, you will be mocked, ignored, hated and rejected continually, knowing that they did the same things to Christ. Praise the Lord too, that we have one another, though many of us have hundreds of miles between us we are still one in Christ and family.
1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."
Romans 12:10 "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;"
When we meet someone who loves to talk about the Lord, is transparent in their speech and who walks the walk as much as they talk the talk, then we can be sure we have met a brother or sister.
There are thousands of us out there, when we begin to feel alone, remember that fact.
We are never alone when we have Christ, and there are others around the world who are in the family of God, waiting for that day that we will be reunited with Christ and each other. His Spirit lives in us, one day we will see Him and each other face to face.
Revelation 22:1-7 "
1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;
4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who [e]heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."
1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
Hallelujah, it is almost over now, one day everything will be fulfilled and we will be with our Lord.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Sunday, December 28, 2014
God Said Not To Worry
When we find that nearly all our conversations with believers and even non-believers has to do with perfect food, perfect health and a buff body, we are witnessing the paranoia that satan has placed in the heart of the unregenerate. Even believers have bought into this deception.
Natural this and natural that, climate, environment, obsession over organic food, organic this and that, is nothing more than a distraction.
Of course we don't need to be ingesting poison, but the little amounts we get from the food is not harmful. We are being manipulated to be paranoid about the food that God provides.
If we live in a constant state of fear over our food, the devil can keep us busy choosing the right kind, rinsing them the right way, and many other things that distract us from the important things.
We are told by God not to worry about what we will eat, what we will say and where we will go, He has all of that taken care of.
When we obsess over our food, surroundings and health, we are lacking faith that God can take care of all of that.
I have more important things to be doing than studying constantly about the right kind of foods to eat and meds to take or the exercise. He has given me what I need when I need it.
I am convinced that the obsession with exercise is not godly or necessary. I have known many people who have never "exercised" a day in their life, nor have they physically worked hard. Their work was not physically stressful, but they lived to be a ripe old age.
Normal body activity is good for anyone, but exercise for the sake of the perfect body, is obsession. Perhaps if we were to be honest we would be able to admit we exercise to "look good" to others, while bragging about what we do, much more than any real concern about our health.
The obsession with food, exercise and natural medicines has been so overblown that it is almost nauseating. When I am in a group of believers regularly and every conversation is laced with, if not entirely dominated by "healthy" this or that, I become bored feeling like I need to get away and put my mind on something that really matters.
Many women especially, are so caught up in this "natural" craze that it is impossible to hold an intelligent conversation about the things of the Lord. They seem to have little interest in Scripture, prayer or anything else that has to do with our Christian walk, but have much to say about food and exercise.
It is not my goal to offend those who are into this natural thinking, however I do want to warn believers that many things we think are so important, have been overblown to the point of insanity.
Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
God said this and I believe Him!
Natural this and natural that, climate, environment, obsession over organic food, organic this and that, is nothing more than a distraction.
Of course we don't need to be ingesting poison, but the little amounts we get from the food is not harmful. We are being manipulated to be paranoid about the food that God provides.
If we live in a constant state of fear over our food, the devil can keep us busy choosing the right kind, rinsing them the right way, and many other things that distract us from the important things.
We are told by God not to worry about what we will eat, what we will say and where we will go, He has all of that taken care of.
When we obsess over our food, surroundings and health, we are lacking faith that God can take care of all of that.
I have more important things to be doing than studying constantly about the right kind of foods to eat and meds to take or the exercise. He has given me what I need when I need it.
I am convinced that the obsession with exercise is not godly or necessary. I have known many people who have never "exercised" a day in their life, nor have they physically worked hard. Their work was not physically stressful, but they lived to be a ripe old age.
Normal body activity is good for anyone, but exercise for the sake of the perfect body, is obsession. Perhaps if we were to be honest we would be able to admit we exercise to "look good" to others, while bragging about what we do, much more than any real concern about our health.
The obsession with food, exercise and natural medicines has been so overblown that it is almost nauseating. When I am in a group of believers regularly and every conversation is laced with, if not entirely dominated by "healthy" this or that, I become bored feeling like I need to get away and put my mind on something that really matters.
Many women especially, are so caught up in this "natural" craze that it is impossible to hold an intelligent conversation about the things of the Lord. They seem to have little interest in Scripture, prayer or anything else that has to do with our Christian walk, but have much to say about food and exercise.
It is not my goal to offend those who are into this natural thinking, however I do want to warn believers that many things we think are so important, have been overblown to the point of insanity.
Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
God said this and I believe Him!
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Do You Work and Lack Peace?
Exodus 12:21-28
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22 You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.
24 And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.
25 When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has [d]promised, you shall observe this rite.
26 And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’
27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped.
28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
Christ was our passover Lamb, the blood of bulls and goats could not take away the sin of the world, but Christ did.
It was the sacrifice of spilt blood, that covered the sin of the Jews in the OT picture of salvation. But not the blood of the animals, that was merely a picture of their faith in what they knew would be coming in the future. The sacrifice of Christ on that cross.
No where in these accounts the picture or the fulfillment do we see the works of man entering into the covering of sin. It was the shed blood alone.
Hebrews 9:12-14
"and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
No where did God say to the Jews that they had to do something other than spread the blood on the door posts for a sign that they trusted the sacrifice of the Savior to come in the future, Christ Jesus. They didn't know His name or who He was, but they knew He was promised and what He would do.
Isaiah 53
53 Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors."
How could anyone add to what our Savior did for us? No one can affect their own salvation in any form, no number of good works would atone for our own sin. Only the shed blood of a perfect Lamb could do that. We cannot shed our own blood for the atoning of our sin, and nothing less than the shed blood of a perfect Lamb would do.
We do not work our way to heaven, nor do we keep our salvation by our works.
The only way we could work for or keep our salvation is to die and shed our blood, but it would have to be a perfect person and no one is that, since we know blood of the Perfect Lamb had to be shed for us.
Shall we rest in the arms of the Savior, knowing He did it all!!!!!!
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22 You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.
24 And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.
25 When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has [d]promised, you shall observe this rite.
26 And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’
27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped.
28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
Christ was our passover Lamb, the blood of bulls and goats could not take away the sin of the world, but Christ did.
It was the sacrifice of spilt blood, that covered the sin of the Jews in the OT picture of salvation. But not the blood of the animals, that was merely a picture of their faith in what they knew would be coming in the future. The sacrifice of Christ on that cross.
No where in these accounts the picture or the fulfillment do we see the works of man entering into the covering of sin. It was the shed blood alone.
Hebrews 9:12-14
"and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
No where did God say to the Jews that they had to do something other than spread the blood on the door posts for a sign that they trusted the sacrifice of the Savior to come in the future, Christ Jesus. They didn't know His name or who He was, but they knew He was promised and what He would do.
Isaiah 53
53 Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors."
How could anyone add to what our Savior did for us? No one can affect their own salvation in any form, no number of good works would atone for our own sin. Only the shed blood of a perfect Lamb could do that. We cannot shed our own blood for the atoning of our sin, and nothing less than the shed blood of a perfect Lamb would do.
We do not work our way to heaven, nor do we keep our salvation by our works.
The only way we could work for or keep our salvation is to die and shed our blood, but it would have to be a perfect person and no one is that, since we know blood of the Perfect Lamb had to be shed for us.
Shall we rest in the arms of the Savior, knowing He did it all!!!!!!
Leave Room for the Lord to Reach Them
Far too many believers are withholding important teachings and information from baby believer out of fear that they will run away from God. We don't have to worry about that. If someone is born again and seeking the Lord, they will want to hear wisdom from God's Word.
If they resist in the beginning because they lack understanding, then eventually God will speak to them.
I have read many books in my lifetime. Some of them I thought were wonderful, after reading them, I put them away in my library and didn't see them again some 20 and 30 years later, only to realize that I no longer agreed with what was in them, because I had grown in the Lord.
God works with us over the years, sometimes we reject what a sage believer has to say initially, but as we grow, we look back and realize they were right and we now agree with them.
Don't think that someone is hopeless because they do not see something in their babyhood, the Lord may bring it back to them later, then they will see.
If they resist in the beginning because they lack understanding, then eventually God will speak to them.
I have read many books in my lifetime. Some of them I thought were wonderful, after reading them, I put them away in my library and didn't see them again some 20 and 30 years later, only to realize that I no longer agreed with what was in them, because I had grown in the Lord.
God works with us over the years, sometimes we reject what a sage believer has to say initially, but as we grow, we look back and realize they were right and we now agree with them.
Don't think that someone is hopeless because they do not see something in their babyhood, the Lord may bring it back to them later, then they will see.
Thursday, December 25, 2014
How Do We Honor Him?
Colossians 2:16
"Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--"
Do we really understand this verse? Is it possible we are using this verse incorrectly?
Perhaps if we take this verse to it's logical extreme through our human understanding we might see the problem with our understanding of it.
Let's ask the questions, "would we judge a Christian brother who wants to celebrate a black mass in the church of satan?"
Something to pray about, how much error can we allow in a brother or sister before we feel a need to warn them, that they are in to something that blasphemes God, no matter how much they tack the name of "Jesus" or "Christ" onto the end of the sentence to make the celebration acceptable.
We must understand that God cares "HOW" we honor Him.
"Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--"
Do we really understand this verse? Is it possible we are using this verse incorrectly?
Perhaps if we take this verse to it's logical extreme through our human understanding we might see the problem with our understanding of it.
Let's ask the questions, "would we judge a Christian brother who wants to celebrate a black mass in the church of satan?"
Something to pray about, how much error can we allow in a brother or sister before we feel a need to warn them, that they are in to something that blasphemes God, no matter how much they tack the name of "Jesus" or "Christ" onto the end of the sentence to make the celebration acceptable.
We must understand that God cares "HOW" we honor Him.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Repentance a Change of Mind
Repentance is not turning around and going the other way as some have taught. It is however "changing our mind", desiring for God to change us.
When we know that it must be Christ Who changes us, then we will more fully trust Him with our character and cleansing.
Those who are attempting to change themselves and cleanse themselves will fight a losing battle and end up in serious pride.
When Christ changes us, then we have no reason to boast, it is how He worked in us. I can honestly say I have always failed when I have tried to discipline myself to be good. But when I chose prayer as my discipline, trusting Christ, then I would be changed never to return to the old.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Ephesians 2:10 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Our job is to confess our sinfulness, ask for God to change us and to submit when He works. If we do not confess and we do not ask, then we have no reason to expect God to work in us and we have every reason to believe we have never been born again.
1 John 1:9 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Do you want a good relationship with a brother or sister, then we must be transparent, confessing and desiring to repair what is broken, by God's power, with Christ and with man.
James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Psalm 25:4-5 "Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."
James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
Notice in these verses, God is the One working in us! When we become born again, He saves and keeps us. He also works in us, through difficulties to clean out the impurities that are left in our fleshly nature. The more we submit as He speaks the more He will speak and the greater our growth.
If we refuse to listen to Him, He will stop speaking and we will not only stop growing but will regress in our walk.
1 Thessalonians 5:13-21 "14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil"
Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
God will not hear the prayers of those with a wrong heart.
James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
When we know that it must be Christ Who changes us, then we will more fully trust Him with our character and cleansing.
Those who are attempting to change themselves and cleanse themselves will fight a losing battle and end up in serious pride.
When Christ changes us, then we have no reason to boast, it is how He worked in us. I can honestly say I have always failed when I have tried to discipline myself to be good. But when I chose prayer as my discipline, trusting Christ, then I would be changed never to return to the old.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Ephesians 2:10 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Our job is to confess our sinfulness, ask for God to change us and to submit when He works. If we do not confess and we do not ask, then we have no reason to expect God to work in us and we have every reason to believe we have never been born again.
1 John 1:9 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Do you want a good relationship with a brother or sister, then we must be transparent, confessing and desiring to repair what is broken, by God's power, with Christ and with man.
James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Psalm 25:4-5 "Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."
James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
Notice in these verses, God is the One working in us! When we become born again, He saves and keeps us. He also works in us, through difficulties to clean out the impurities that are left in our fleshly nature. The more we submit as He speaks the more He will speak and the greater our growth.
If we refuse to listen to Him, He will stop speaking and we will not only stop growing but will regress in our walk.
1 Thessalonians 5:13-21 "14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil"
Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
God will not hear the prayers of those with a wrong heart.
James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Do Not Go Down To Egypt For Your Help
Egypt has always been a symbol of rebellion and sin, in the Biblical accounts.
Isaiah 30:1-5
"“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who execute a plan, but not Mine,
And [a]make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
2 Who proceed down to Egypt
Without consulting [b]Me,
To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 “Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
4 “For their princes are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
5 “Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them,
Who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach."
We sought the advice of seculars in the raising of our children. We went down to Egypt for our counsel. They taught us to build up their pride through self esteem, exactly opposite of what our Lord taught. Sadly, nearly all the churches in the land, have adopted this philosophy that has devastated our families. We have never been as broken and impotent as we are right now, and getting worse all the time, while thinking we are doing fine.
Divorce and remarriage has been accepted as completely normal in spite of what God says about it. There are many who think as long as they are against abortion and other evils, they are alright with God, at the same time they are defying Him in many other ways, AND THEY DON'T SEE IT.
God wrote things to Israel in their rebellion, that apply to us today. The specific prophesy to them may not apply to us, but the principle of defying God brings about His chastisement for any nation that rebels against His principles, do apply to us..
Hosea 4:1-14
"Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel,
For the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land,
Because there is no faithfulness or kindness
Or knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery.
They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land mourns,
And everyone who lives in it languishes
Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,
And also the fish of the sea disappear.
4 Yet let no one find fault, and let none offer reproof;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
5 So you will stumble by day,
And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being My priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sin of My people
And direct their desire toward their iniquity.
9 And it will be, like people, like priest;
So I will punish them for their ways
And repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat, but not have enough;
They will play the harlot, but not increase,
Because they have stopped giving heed to the Lord.
11 Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding.
12 My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;
For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,
And they have played the harlot, departing from their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the tops of the mountains
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oak, poplar and terebinth,
Because their shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters play the harlot
And your brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot
Or your brides when they commit adultery,
For the men themselves go apart with harlots
And offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes;
So the people without understanding are ruined"
God promised that one day Israel would repent and return to God. We see this happening right now, individual Jews within Israel are finding Christ. Israel will lose two thirds of her people in the tribulation, the one third remaining will become born again. Israel is the only nation of the world that will trust Christ, the entire nation. All other nations will remain pagan, with individuals within them that become born again. From reading the rest of the book of Hosea we see this.
As for us, now in the nation of America, we remain as a rebellious nation, seeking God in our own way, making Him anything we want Him to be. The use of the word "prayer" has been perverted to merely be whatever anyone wants it to be, it has no power because those who use it, do not know the God of the Bible, no matter what they may say. Their understanding of God has been perverted by all the false teachings we have espoused over the past 200 years.
Hosea 5:4
"Their deeds will not allow them To return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, And they do not know the Lord."
America will not turn back to God, she is a pagan nation pretending to be "Christian." Our leaders are not what they claim, and our Christianity is not that of the Bible, but a watered down and perverted form of powerless religion.
Matthew 17:16-20
""I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him." And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."
We are a pretentious nation, we think as long as we speak good things, that by itself will make it be true. Many people are claiming things about themselves that are not only not true, but deceptive to others.
They say, "I am a good person", all the while living in adultery, teaching their children to love themselves more than God and doing whatever they want without consulting Him. Isaiah 30:1 (above)
There is only one hope for individual in our nation, and that is to repent from our sin, ask God to reveal truth to us and begin to obey what He tells us. We cannot do this without reading His Word the Bible, nor can reading the Bible be of any help if we are not praying for the understanding. It must be the Holy Spirit Who guides our thinking as we read.
Isaiah 30:1-5
"“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who execute a plan, but not Mine,
And [a]make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
2 Who proceed down to Egypt
Without consulting [b]Me,
To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 “Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
4 “For their princes are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
5 “Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them,
Who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach."
We sought the advice of seculars in the raising of our children. We went down to Egypt for our counsel. They taught us to build up their pride through self esteem, exactly opposite of what our Lord taught. Sadly, nearly all the churches in the land, have adopted this philosophy that has devastated our families. We have never been as broken and impotent as we are right now, and getting worse all the time, while thinking we are doing fine.
Divorce and remarriage has been accepted as completely normal in spite of what God says about it. There are many who think as long as they are against abortion and other evils, they are alright with God, at the same time they are defying Him in many other ways, AND THEY DON'T SEE IT.
God wrote things to Israel in their rebellion, that apply to us today. The specific prophesy to them may not apply to us, but the principle of defying God brings about His chastisement for any nation that rebels against His principles, do apply to us..
Hosea 4:1-14
"Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel,
For the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land,
Because there is no faithfulness or kindness
Or knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery.
They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land mourns,
And everyone who lives in it languishes
Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,
And also the fish of the sea disappear.
4 Yet let no one find fault, and let none offer reproof;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
5 So you will stumble by day,
And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being My priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sin of My people
And direct their desire toward their iniquity.
9 And it will be, like people, like priest;
So I will punish them for their ways
And repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat, but not have enough;
They will play the harlot, but not increase,
Because they have stopped giving heed to the Lord.
11 Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding.
12 My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;
For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,
And they have played the harlot, departing from their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the tops of the mountains
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oak, poplar and terebinth,
Because their shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters play the harlot
And your brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot
Or your brides when they commit adultery,
For the men themselves go apart with harlots
And offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes;
So the people without understanding are ruined"
God promised that one day Israel would repent and return to God. We see this happening right now, individual Jews within Israel are finding Christ. Israel will lose two thirds of her people in the tribulation, the one third remaining will become born again. Israel is the only nation of the world that will trust Christ, the entire nation. All other nations will remain pagan, with individuals within them that become born again. From reading the rest of the book of Hosea we see this.
As for us, now in the nation of America, we remain as a rebellious nation, seeking God in our own way, making Him anything we want Him to be. The use of the word "prayer" has been perverted to merely be whatever anyone wants it to be, it has no power because those who use it, do not know the God of the Bible, no matter what they may say. Their understanding of God has been perverted by all the false teachings we have espoused over the past 200 years.
Hosea 5:4
"Their deeds will not allow them To return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, And they do not know the Lord."
America will not turn back to God, she is a pagan nation pretending to be "Christian." Our leaders are not what they claim, and our Christianity is not that of the Bible, but a watered down and perverted form of powerless religion.
Matthew 17:16-20
""I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him." And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."
We are a pretentious nation, we think as long as we speak good things, that by itself will make it be true. Many people are claiming things about themselves that are not only not true, but deceptive to others.
They say, "I am a good person", all the while living in adultery, teaching their children to love themselves more than God and doing whatever they want without consulting Him. Isaiah 30:1 (above)
There is only one hope for individual in our nation, and that is to repent from our sin, ask God to reveal truth to us and begin to obey what He tells us. We cannot do this without reading His Word the Bible, nor can reading the Bible be of any help if we are not praying for the understanding. It must be the Holy Spirit Who guides our thinking as we read.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)