Proverbs 29:24-26 "…24 He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the oath but tells nothing. 25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.…"
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Authentic People
Authentic people are not able to be manipulated, they embrace truth more than the acceptance of others.
Proverbs 29:24-26 "…24 He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the oath but tells nothing. 25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.…"
Proverbs 29:24-26 "…24 He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the oath but tells nothing. 25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.…"
The False Self
We often have a much higher view of our own importance than is warranted. It is best to learn humility and look at ourselves in truth, we are more likely to do some soul searching and growing rather than retaining a false persona.
Romans 12:2-4 "…2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function,…"
Romans 12:2-4 "…2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function,…"
No Sin too Big to be Forgiven
Feeling a sense of being too sinful for God to forgive us, was a way I felt until I realized it was also lack of faith, that I didn't really believe God.
It was when I believed God I began to feel the joy come flooding in as though I had never sinned. When we take God at His word then we realize we really are forgiven and no need for us to try real hard at goodness, He puts that goodness in us, His goodness.
There are those who are Christians who actually believe their sins were not so bad, while demeaning and mocking others, at least covertly, for being worse than themselves.
What is wrong with this thinking is that even the slightest sin keeps everyone from salvation in Christ. Everyone is in need of salvation, since God said no one is good and the small sins are exactly the same as the big ones, then no one can elevate themselves above anyone else. Yes, some sins have greater consequences but every sin keeps one out of heaven. If we have broken even one part of the law it is the same as breaking it all because the foundational reason for the breakage of one part is the same sin of pride and rebellion that breaks all of it.
The most stubborn people I have met are those who thought they were so good there is never a need for confession of sin, in fact if they are not doing the big stuff they think they have no sin. The very idea that they are good is sin in and of itself.
The hardest people to reach are those who believe they could come to Christ because they were so good. Their testimony is often in generalizations, hiding the wickedness of their heart, to appear worthy of acceptance.
When we came to Christ able to name our sins specifically and sorrow over them, then is when Christ worked in us to cleanse us from them. If there is no confession, if there is pride and self righteousness, then there can be no holiness and no forgiveness.
Forgiveness from God is predicated on our confession that only He is good. Merely saying the words do nothing, we must be broken in our hearts and able to openly confess the sinfulness within ourselves.
There are many broken relationships because stubborn people refuse to confess and they refuse to listen, hoping that their actions and attitudes will be forgotten as long as they do something nice next time they see their victims. They deal with God this way too, even though they say they are saved by grace.
Those who refuse to confess proceed to placate God through "doing better next time", affording themselves the luxury of never having to admit the fault that caused the sin in the first place.
Unless the character flaw is dealt with through confession of it, while asking God to change the character, there will continue to be the same sin rearing it's ugly head over and over again, eventually solidifying the sin in one's heart, never to be healed of it. When one is stubborn long enough they become hardened and grow worse over time.
Romans 1:24-25 "24 Therefore God gave them up in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.…"
The wicked man doesn't care about being righteous, he is satisfied with just appearing so and only long enough to regain the illusion.
God said this;
Matthew 15:8 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”…"
John 7:24
"24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
We need to stop judging people as wonderful and righteous based on their works or their physical appearance, their clothing or their beauty. Love people but do not idolize them.
We need to discern the character of a man by his life, his responses to criticism, to correction and instruction. Anyone who cannot hear these things without raging is walking in the deep darkness of self righteousness. Do we see a humility and willingness to discuss matters for purposes of resolution or do we see a resistance to discussion and resolution.
These same self absorbed individuals will never confess anything, they will brag about their own life in glowing terms because words mean more to them than substance. Seldom do the words of a Pharisee have any real relation to their actions and attitudes.
Ezekiel 33:31
"They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain.
Matthew 23:13-15 "13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."
It is wiser to discern the heart of a man by his life rather than his words. Words are very cheap, someone can call themselves anything they want that is not true, embellishing their status in life in order to appear something they are not.
Let's pray to become AUTHENTIC Christians, putting behind us any desire to be elevated in anyone's eyes, even our own.
The freest people in the world are those who can look at themselves in the mirror and tell the truth about themselves. These are the ones who grow and change becoming stronger every day. They grow in understanding about many things of life, never basing what they do or say on how it will make them appear.
APPEARANCE HAS NO VALUE, ONLY SUBSTANCE DOES!
It was when I believed God I began to feel the joy come flooding in as though I had never sinned. When we take God at His word then we realize we really are forgiven and no need for us to try real hard at goodness, He puts that goodness in us, His goodness.
There are those who are Christians who actually believe their sins were not so bad, while demeaning and mocking others, at least covertly, for being worse than themselves.
What is wrong with this thinking is that even the slightest sin keeps everyone from salvation in Christ. Everyone is in need of salvation, since God said no one is good and the small sins are exactly the same as the big ones, then no one can elevate themselves above anyone else. Yes, some sins have greater consequences but every sin keeps one out of heaven. If we have broken even one part of the law it is the same as breaking it all because the foundational reason for the breakage of one part is the same sin of pride and rebellion that breaks all of it.
The most stubborn people I have met are those who thought they were so good there is never a need for confession of sin, in fact if they are not doing the big stuff they think they have no sin. The very idea that they are good is sin in and of itself.
The hardest people to reach are those who believe they could come to Christ because they were so good. Their testimony is often in generalizations, hiding the wickedness of their heart, to appear worthy of acceptance.
When we came to Christ able to name our sins specifically and sorrow over them, then is when Christ worked in us to cleanse us from them. If there is no confession, if there is pride and self righteousness, then there can be no holiness and no forgiveness.
Forgiveness from God is predicated on our confession that only He is good. Merely saying the words do nothing, we must be broken in our hearts and able to openly confess the sinfulness within ourselves.
There are many broken relationships because stubborn people refuse to confess and they refuse to listen, hoping that their actions and attitudes will be forgotten as long as they do something nice next time they see their victims. They deal with God this way too, even though they say they are saved by grace.
Those who refuse to confess proceed to placate God through "doing better next time", affording themselves the luxury of never having to admit the fault that caused the sin in the first place.
Unless the character flaw is dealt with through confession of it, while asking God to change the character, there will continue to be the same sin rearing it's ugly head over and over again, eventually solidifying the sin in one's heart, never to be healed of it. When one is stubborn long enough they become hardened and grow worse over time.
Romans 1:24-25 "24 Therefore God gave them up in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.…"
The wicked man doesn't care about being righteous, he is satisfied with just appearing so and only long enough to regain the illusion.
God said this;
Matthew 15:8 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”…"
John 7:24
"24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
We need to stop judging people as wonderful and righteous based on their works or their physical appearance, their clothing or their beauty. Love people but do not idolize them.
We need to discern the character of a man by his life, his responses to criticism, to correction and instruction. Anyone who cannot hear these things without raging is walking in the deep darkness of self righteousness. Do we see a humility and willingness to discuss matters for purposes of resolution or do we see a resistance to discussion and resolution.
These same self absorbed individuals will never confess anything, they will brag about their own life in glowing terms because words mean more to them than substance. Seldom do the words of a Pharisee have any real relation to their actions and attitudes.
Ezekiel 33:31
"They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain.
Matthew 23:13-15 "13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."
It is wiser to discern the heart of a man by his life rather than his words. Words are very cheap, someone can call themselves anything they want that is not true, embellishing their status in life in order to appear something they are not.
Let's pray to become AUTHENTIC Christians, putting behind us any desire to be elevated in anyone's eyes, even our own.
The freest people in the world are those who can look at themselves in the mirror and tell the truth about themselves. These are the ones who grow and change becoming stronger every day. They grow in understanding about many things of life, never basing what they do or say on how it will make them appear.
APPEARANCE HAS NO VALUE, ONLY SUBSTANCE DOES!
Friday, May 12, 2017
The 1950's Version of Time Out
Yes, my brother and I got in trouble together, he stood in one corner and I in the other, those were are most fun times of making faces at one another from across the room while laughing our heads off. Being in the corner was fun for us.
It was the 1950's version of "time out."
Follow the Link
Follow the Link
Come to Become Cleansed
Today's Christian places far too much emphasis on the phrase "come as you are", causing people to believe we come which ever way we like and stay which ever way we are, this could not be further from the truth.
We are to come to be cleansed, not to be accepted in all our unrighteousness.
Psalm 51:2
"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin."
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
We are to come to be cleansed, not to be accepted in all our unrighteousness.
Psalm 51:2
"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin."
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Want Wisdom, Seek Christ
The Lord will only speak to those who want to hear, they show that they want to hear by seeking His Word and asking in prayer for wisdom.
Jeremiah 29:12-14 "…12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'…"
Jeremiah 29:12-14 "…12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'…"
Thursday, May 11, 2017
The Prosperity Preachers are Lying
The "Health, Wealth and Prosperity preachers are encouraging principles antithetical to the principles of Christ as demonstrated in the Bible.
The "Health, Wealth and Prosperity preachers tell you that you should expect and decide to be prosperous, that it is a blessing from God to be so. They bring ungodly techniques based on pagan practices used to appease their gods, in order to gain an advantage. They instruct their people to go after health and wealth and once achieved according to their own desires, they can count themselves as special and above those who have not gained worldly wealth.
The wealth that is the most treasured by true believers is not that of material or physical wealth, but rather wisdom that can only come from the Holy Spirit.
Christ teaches not only are we not to seek health and wealth, we can expect many trials in these areas of our lives. Those who belong to Christ are continually subject to redirection, pain to refocus and difficulties to teach and train us.
Those who act as though someone must have sinned because they have many trials are judging based on their faulty belief system that God blesses in a worldly way when we are walking with Him, when in fact the closer we walk with Him the more training and trials He will allow for our spiritual growth and understanding. He tests our faith to show us areas that need work in our lives, as well as strengthening us against evil and for good.
God says that if we are not disciplined by Him, then we are not born again, we are "illegitimate children." Children who think they are saved but have never been given the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 12:7-9 "…7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?…"
1 Peter 4:11-13 "11 If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory.…"
In these end times, in this 2 Timothy 3 world we can expect to encounter many who not only are refusing Christ, but claiming to love Him who are in opposition to Him. We can see that many still want to feel safe in Him, have His perks while ignoring most of His principles. Of course hanging on to the principles they like and that seem to elevate themselves in some way, while demeaning and mocking the principles that convict them of sin.
It might be good to warn those who think they are blessed with material wealth and seem to never have trials, that perhaps they are not born again. If they were born again, then they would have trials, they would be rejected by the world and they would be growing in holiness.
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,"
Stubbornness is a sure sign of one who has not been changed into a new creation by Christ. If a born again believer demonstrates stubbornness they will be disciplined and soon learn to reject it in themselves asking Christ for cleansing from it.
The "Health, Wealth and Prosperity preachers tell you that you should expect and decide to be prosperous, that it is a blessing from God to be so. They bring ungodly techniques based on pagan practices used to appease their gods, in order to gain an advantage. They instruct their people to go after health and wealth and once achieved according to their own desires, they can count themselves as special and above those who have not gained worldly wealth.
The wealth that is the most treasured by true believers is not that of material or physical wealth, but rather wisdom that can only come from the Holy Spirit.
Christ teaches not only are we not to seek health and wealth, we can expect many trials in these areas of our lives. Those who belong to Christ are continually subject to redirection, pain to refocus and difficulties to teach and train us.
Those who act as though someone must have sinned because they have many trials are judging based on their faulty belief system that God blesses in a worldly way when we are walking with Him, when in fact the closer we walk with Him the more training and trials He will allow for our spiritual growth and understanding. He tests our faith to show us areas that need work in our lives, as well as strengthening us against evil and for good.
God says that if we are not disciplined by Him, then we are not born again, we are "illegitimate children." Children who think they are saved but have never been given the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 12:7-9 "…7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?…"
1 Peter 4:11-13 "11 If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory.…"
In these end times, in this 2 Timothy 3 world we can expect to encounter many who not only are refusing Christ, but claiming to love Him who are in opposition to Him. We can see that many still want to feel safe in Him, have His perks while ignoring most of His principles. Of course hanging on to the principles they like and that seem to elevate themselves in some way, while demeaning and mocking the principles that convict them of sin.
It might be good to warn those who think they are blessed with material wealth and seem to never have trials, that perhaps they are not born again. If they were born again, then they would have trials, they would be rejected by the world and they would be growing in holiness.
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,"
Stubbornness is a sure sign of one who has not been changed into a new creation by Christ. If a born again believer demonstrates stubbornness they will be disciplined and soon learn to reject it in themselves asking Christ for cleansing from it.
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