There are those who boast of their sin as though since they are "Christians", God no longer cares that they sin, I think this is referred to as hyper-grace.
The problem with this thinking is that Christ had to die, shedding every last drop of blood to pay for the sins of mankind. This makes sin pretty important to God.
Would He not care about sinfulness when He was brutally killed and bled out, if sin were not a big deal?
So defending your sin under the excuse that "God knows your heart", is not only silly, but downright foolish.
What the hyper-grace crowd use as an excuse to ignore and even justify their sin, has been condemned by God. Flippancy about sin, even defending it is a clue that the one who is not ashamed of their sin, is probably not born again.
When we are born again we hate sin. We want righteousness and we know that the only way we can be so is if Christ lives in us.
2 Corinthians 5:20-21 "…20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
A heart that does not feel guilt or remorse for sin, is one that has not been changed into a new creation by Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:16-18 "…16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:"
Jeremiah 6:15 "15 "Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the LORD. "
What is sin? Everything that defies the commands and principles of God in His Word is sin.
Hebrews 1:8-9 "…8 But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has placed You above Your companions by anointing You with the oil of joy.”"
Do you really think that Christ the Son of God would wink at or ignore sin when God states clearly that He loves righteousness and hates wickedness?
God says that if we are born again, He works in us and we are ambassadors for Him. Would ambassadors promote anything except that which the Master wanted?
Sin is so bad that none of it can come before the Father in heaven, the very reason Christ's blood had to pay for our sin. Only death of a perfect Sacrifice would do for our sin, how then could anyone think that God is not grieved by sin? Just because Christ paid the price for sin, does not mean we are free to flaunt it in His face as though it doesn't matter, its the same as if sin didn't matter to us, even when our Savior had to bleed to pay for it. How callous is that, to make light of sin when it cost Christ everything to pay the penalty for it.
Even in human nature, if someone saves our life we feel a sense of gratitude, not wanting to do anything that displeases our rescuer. How much more should our gratitude be toward Christ Who pays for the sin with His blood and then saves us from an eternal hell.
God says: Psalm 5:5-6
"For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight: You hate all workers of Iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the "bloodthirsty and deceitful man."
There is hatred and contempt for God in anyone who is not ashamed of sin, defending it reveals a rebellious heart while using the excuse that "God knows my heart", is lying, God does know a heart who will not confess their sin and turn from it, that being a heart of contempt for Him.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
Why Do I Do It?
Why do I write so much about narcissism? Here is why:
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
In our day we will be dealing with a lot of it, these people will attempt to turn you away from telling the truth and following Christ because their hearts are darkened.
They will not be satisfied with ignoring you, they must discredit you through gossip, through covert means of demeaning and mocking while shaming you to your face whenever they have the opportunity.
The best way to combat this is to avoid them whenever you can, but if that is not possible be strong enough to ignore them, remaining silent when they attack. They are looking for every utterance as an excuse to carry out their tactics. According to God's Word we are not to bother sharing wisdom with those who will use it for opportunity to trample on God and His messengers.
Proverbs 29:11
"A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back."
Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 29:9
"If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet."
Matthew 7:6
"6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."
When we have to be in the presence of the mocker it is best to obey God and show them the kindness God has shown us, remaining innocent, that our conscience be free from retaliation.
Romans 12:13-15 "13 Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep."
Sometimes we cannot avoid the mean spirited person who wishes to diminish our walk, when this is the case we do what we should according to God's Word and leave those who reject Christ and us, to the Lord.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
In our day we will be dealing with a lot of it, these people will attempt to turn you away from telling the truth and following Christ because their hearts are darkened.
They will not be satisfied with ignoring you, they must discredit you through gossip, through covert means of demeaning and mocking while shaming you to your face whenever they have the opportunity.
The best way to combat this is to avoid them whenever you can, but if that is not possible be strong enough to ignore them, remaining silent when they attack. They are looking for every utterance as an excuse to carry out their tactics. According to God's Word we are not to bother sharing wisdom with those who will use it for opportunity to trample on God and His messengers.
Proverbs 29:11
"A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back."
Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 29:9
"If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet."
Matthew 7:6
"6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."
When we have to be in the presence of the mocker it is best to obey God and show them the kindness God has shown us, remaining innocent, that our conscience be free from retaliation.
Romans 12:13-15 "13 Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep."
Sometimes we cannot avoid the mean spirited person who wishes to diminish our walk, when this is the case we do what we should according to God's Word and leave those who reject Christ and us, to the Lord.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
If There Was NO Change in the Way You Think, You Were Never Born Again
If there is not a very big change after becoming a Christian, in the WAY someone thinks that creates a change in their responses and choices to life, then there has been an emotional response, perhaps to fit into those they wish to engage with, or some other benefit for them. When we become born again our entire thought process is changed to the opposite and our actions follow.
Becoming a Christian is very often not translated into becoming born again. When Christ changes us into a new creation we begin our growing process that never ends until we go home.
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
If you are attempting to change yourself, it is fleshly desire to remain in control of your own life. Rather than trying to be a good person on your own, in your own strength, one must confess sinfulness, ask Christ to change you and then begin to trust Him to make all the changes in the WAY you think which will result in the way you act and even the way you process life.
Becoming a Christian is very often not translated into becoming born again. When Christ changes us into a new creation we begin our growing process that never ends until we go home.
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
If you are attempting to change yourself, it is fleshly desire to remain in control of your own life. Rather than trying to be a good person on your own, in your own strength, one must confess sinfulness, ask Christ to change you and then begin to trust Him to make all the changes in the WAY you think which will result in the way you act and even the way you process life.
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Practicing Sin is Not Love of Brethren
1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil can be distinguished: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
Notice that not loving your brother is evidence of one who is not born again. I see so many pretenders who love their arrogance and are devoid of respect for others, these are clues something is deeply wrong.
There are many disrespectful people who accuse others of disrespect to deflect notice from their own sinfulness. When a narcissist accuses you of being disrespectful, they are really describing themselves. This will be true of any other accusations they throw at us.
Romans 12:10
"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."
When there is an absence of honor for people, we know there is also an absence of honor for God. If we cannot honor people whom we can see, we are not likely to honor God Whom we cannot see. The evidence of this mentality is seen in the extraction of Scripture from its context to make it say things God never said, in order to justify sin. Another way we see this is when someone adds concepts to the Bible that God never commanded, in order to control others.
Titus 2:7
"Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,"
Arguing and fighting to win, especially with those who are older, is monstrous disrespect, something we see in the young people often today.
2 Timothy 2:14
"Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers."
Leviticus 19:32
“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord."
Exodus 20:12 ". 12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. "
When we see the proliferation of 2 Timothy 3, we are reminded that we live in times in which we cannot expect the principles of God to be valued, in fact, we will probably be delighted and surprised when someone honors God's Word above everyone and everything else, because of the rarity of it.
Romans 12:9-11
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord."
When love is genuine there will not be competition to appear superior with others, in fact we will see ourselves as no more or no less than anyone else, the matter is entirely irrelevant to us.
There is a saying, I don't know where it came from or who said it but it goes like this;
"one of the elements of holiness is the absence of self awareness.
Philippians 2:2-4 "…2 then make my joy complete by being of one mind, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.…"
Individualism and individual accomplishment has been the downfall of this country. When the individual is praised and held above the whole, we have lost the "what is best for all", in the thinking process.
"No man is an island" is an idea that has also been lost. Everything we do and say affects others around us. To think that there is such a thing as a victimless crime or an act that only affects us, is denying the impact our influence has on others.
The pain and suffering in the world increases when we think singularly, without empathy for those around us, devoted to ourselves alone.
When we love Christ, know where we came from and where we are going, we will not boast of one thing about ourselves, not within ourselves secretly or openly in front of others. We will not think in terms of our actions being for us alone, ever!
Matthew 5:13-16
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men."
1 Corinthians 15:33
"Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
1 Corinthians 8:9-13
"But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak."
Notice that not loving your brother is evidence of one who is not born again. I see so many pretenders who love their arrogance and are devoid of respect for others, these are clues something is deeply wrong.
There are many disrespectful people who accuse others of disrespect to deflect notice from their own sinfulness. When a narcissist accuses you of being disrespectful, they are really describing themselves. This will be true of any other accusations they throw at us.
Romans 12:10
"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."
When there is an absence of honor for people, we know there is also an absence of honor for God. If we cannot honor people whom we can see, we are not likely to honor God Whom we cannot see. The evidence of this mentality is seen in the extraction of Scripture from its context to make it say things God never said, in order to justify sin. Another way we see this is when someone adds concepts to the Bible that God never commanded, in order to control others.
Titus 2:7
"Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,"
Arguing and fighting to win, especially with those who are older, is monstrous disrespect, something we see in the young people often today.
2 Timothy 2:14
"Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers."
Leviticus 19:32
“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord."
Exodus 20:12 ". 12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. "
When we see the proliferation of 2 Timothy 3, we are reminded that we live in times in which we cannot expect the principles of God to be valued, in fact, we will probably be delighted and surprised when someone honors God's Word above everyone and everything else, because of the rarity of it.
Romans 12:9-11
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord."
When love is genuine there will not be competition to appear superior with others, in fact we will see ourselves as no more or no less than anyone else, the matter is entirely irrelevant to us.
There is a saying, I don't know where it came from or who said it but it goes like this;
"one of the elements of holiness is the absence of self awareness.
Philippians 2:2-4 "…2 then make my joy complete by being of one mind, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.…"
Individualism and individual accomplishment has been the downfall of this country. When the individual is praised and held above the whole, we have lost the "what is best for all", in the thinking process.
"No man is an island" is an idea that has also been lost. Everything we do and say affects others around us. To think that there is such a thing as a victimless crime or an act that only affects us, is denying the impact our influence has on others.
The pain and suffering in the world increases when we think singularly, without empathy for those around us, devoted to ourselves alone.
When we love Christ, know where we came from and where we are going, we will not boast of one thing about ourselves, not within ourselves secretly or openly in front of others. We will not think in terms of our actions being for us alone, ever!
Matthew 5:13-16
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men."
1 Corinthians 15:33
"Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
1 Corinthians 8:9-13
"But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak."
When Wicked People Attempt to Ruin Your Relationships
"When toxic people cannot control how you see yourself, they will attempt to control how others see you."
Friday, February 23, 2018
The Protestant Popes
Protestants often think they don't have a leader like a pope, I am here to tell you that they do, they have their Protestant popes that they show allegiance to even more than they do Christ.
These Protestant popes are the famous teachers and preachers that are popular and elevated in their eyes.
God tells us not to hold any man in that high regard that they cannot be criticized or scrutinized.
1 Thessalonians 5:21
"21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;"
Ephesians 5:10-11 "…10 Test and prove what pleases the Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."
2 Corinthians 11:3-4 "…3 I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily."
Sadly this is happening today just as it did in Corinth. Men are bringing a false gospel and the people are defending the man, even after seeing the evidence of deeply false teaching, teaching that denies Christ, they will continue to defend the man. This tells me the man is more important to them than Christ is or His gospel.
Even after being told the evil that these men preached, they choose to believe what they want to rather than exposing it and refusing to be part of it.
UGH!!!!!!!
These Protestant popes are the famous teachers and preachers that are popular and elevated in their eyes.
God tells us not to hold any man in that high regard that they cannot be criticized or scrutinized.
1 Thessalonians 5:21
"21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;"
Ephesians 5:10-11 "…10 Test and prove what pleases the Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."
2 Corinthians 11:3-4 "…3 I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily."
Sadly this is happening today just as it did in Corinth. Men are bringing a false gospel and the people are defending the man, even after seeing the evidence of deeply false teaching, teaching that denies Christ, they will continue to defend the man. This tells me the man is more important to them than Christ is or His gospel.
Even after being told the evil that these men preached, they choose to believe what they want to rather than exposing it and refusing to be part of it.
UGH!!!!!!!
Beware Our Heart Can Deceive Us
Just because we believe something does not mean it is true. Many people will sincerely believe the lies of the cults, even live moral lives and think they are right, but will end up in hell for not trusting in Christ and being willing to be changed by Him.
Believing sincerely is not evidence of truth. The devil believed he could overthrow God and become like him, we know how that turned out.
Hitler believed he had a right to rule the world, we also know how that turned out.
Believing something sincerely is not evidence that something is true. Truth is not relative or subjective. All truth must be based on something, that is the Word of God.
Our culture tends to evaluate truth on the basis of their feelings rather than the facts of the Bible.
When we evaluate someone's ministry, and we should do that, it needs to be evaluated according to the principles of the Bible not our feelings or how we choose to interpret the Scriptures.
We should not be asking "What do I think of that Scripture?", our question ought to be "what did God mean by what He said?"
We find the meaning of passages by knowing the entire Bible. When one part of the Bible is read in isolation to the rest of the Bible there are misunderstandings, this is how cults begin.
This is also how the acceptance of divorce and remarriage was proliferated in the church.
The one man pastor syndrome began because there were a few passages were taken out of context and twisted to justify that system. There are many other wrong teachings and misunderstandings because those with an agenda decided they wanted to be like the world, so they found ways to incorporate the world into the church.
Many believers are disobeying the Word because they have been told wrong things about it.
When we search the Scriptures as we would if we were mining for silver or gold, by the sweat of our brows, digging and digging while praying for truth, we would find that so many things we have practiced all our lives were not commanded by God, some even condemned by Him.
Bottom line: Seek Christ in prayer and read the Bible to find God's meaning, without reading to see how we can justify what we want to believe. If you are willing to know truth, giving up all the wrong things you were taught, then God will open your eyes and you will never be able to go back to those things.
Proverbs 3:6
"In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Psalm 28:7
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him."
Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
Isaiah 26:3
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."
Believing sincerely is not evidence of truth. The devil believed he could overthrow God and become like him, we know how that turned out.
Hitler believed he had a right to rule the world, we also know how that turned out.
Believing something sincerely is not evidence that something is true. Truth is not relative or subjective. All truth must be based on something, that is the Word of God.
Our culture tends to evaluate truth on the basis of their feelings rather than the facts of the Bible.
When we evaluate someone's ministry, and we should do that, it needs to be evaluated according to the principles of the Bible not our feelings or how we choose to interpret the Scriptures.
We should not be asking "What do I think of that Scripture?", our question ought to be "what did God mean by what He said?"
We find the meaning of passages by knowing the entire Bible. When one part of the Bible is read in isolation to the rest of the Bible there are misunderstandings, this is how cults begin.
This is also how the acceptance of divorce and remarriage was proliferated in the church.
The one man pastor syndrome began because there were a few passages were taken out of context and twisted to justify that system. There are many other wrong teachings and misunderstandings because those with an agenda decided they wanted to be like the world, so they found ways to incorporate the world into the church.
Many believers are disobeying the Word because they have been told wrong things about it.
When we search the Scriptures as we would if we were mining for silver or gold, by the sweat of our brows, digging and digging while praying for truth, we would find that so many things we have practiced all our lives were not commanded by God, some even condemned by Him.
Bottom line: Seek Christ in prayer and read the Bible to find God's meaning, without reading to see how we can justify what we want to believe. If you are willing to know truth, giving up all the wrong things you were taught, then God will open your eyes and you will never be able to go back to those things.
Proverbs 3:6
"In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Psalm 28:7
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him."
Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
Isaiah 26:3
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."
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