Friday, March 29, 2019
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Words Mean Almost Nothing Unless they are Backed by Actions
Do your actions speak so loud no one would believe your words?
Proverbs 12:15-25
"15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
16 A fool’s anger is known at once,
But a prudent man conceals dishonor.
17 He who speaks truth tells what is right,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is only for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21 No harm befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.
23 A prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.
25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a good word makes it glad."
Proverbs 12:15-25
"15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
16 A fool’s anger is known at once,
But a prudent man conceals dishonor.
17 He who speaks truth tells what is right,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is only for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21 No harm befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.
23 A prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.
25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a good word makes it glad."
Don't Let the Narcissist Do Your Thinking For You
Follow the Link:
Proverbs 15:32 "…31He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. 32He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. 33The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and humility comes before honor.…"
Proverbs 29:9
"If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest."
Proverbs 15:32 "…31He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. 32He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. 33The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and humility comes before honor.…"
"If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest."
Lack of Truth in the Apostate Church
If someone cannot forgive themselves for past sins, then they are simply not believing God. Shame over past sins is false shame if the sin has been confessed and we have been cleansed from it.
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
There are no verses in the Bible that addresses forgiving ourselves. We are to forgive others when they are repentant.
If we walk in shame about past forgiven sins we are more concerned about what others think of us than what God said.
If you have someone in your life who loves to hold past sins over your head to make you feel small, then that person is wicked. These people must be removed from our lives, they are manipulated by the devil to cause us doubt and harm.
There are those who love to feel superior to others. They massage their superior attitude through demeaning others. For these people nothing is about your past sin, its really about finding a reason to demean and mock others to feel better than them.
When someone becomes born again any sense of superiority leaves them. When we know what we were before Christ changed us, we have no reason to think we were more special than anyone else.
Romans 3:23
"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
Those who based their superior attitude on their education, or comparing their good deeds to the deeds of others are falling into the trap of self glorification. People who compare themselves to others are not wise, we ought to be comparing ourselves to God. When we compare ourselves to Christ we have no reason to feel "special." When we are too busy comparing ourselves to other people we will miss any flaws that need attention in ourselves.
2 Corinthians 10:12-13
"12 For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. 13 But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.
Those who treat others with contempt because they have human rules they have decided everyone else must follow but are not Biblical, are walking in pride.
Proverbs 11:2
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom."
The louder a person sings their own praises the more likely it is that what they say is not true. Those who must boast are trying to convince someone of something they know is not evidenced in the way they live their lives.
Many people in our culture use words rather than being a living example. When the words do not match the life example then we can believe the life example, the words mean nothing.
There is an old saying; "your actions speak so loud I can't hear a word your saying."
James 4:6
"But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Anyone who uses "grace" for an excuse to continue in sin is one who has little regard for Christ and the sacrifice of His shed blood for our sin.
1 John 2:16
"16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
Galatians 6:3
"For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself."
James 4:16
"As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil."
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
Perhaps one day it would be good to do a study on each one of these character flaws that God mentions will dominate the end times. All of them are present now in many people we encounter.
Even within the church we see these things playing out. In our day those who are called "divisive" are the ones who bring truth and attempt to bring teaching back to the Bible.
The divisive people who bring a false gospel and wrong doctrine are those who are elevated and treated with great respect. The reason this is so is because the wrong doctrine and false gospel makes people happy but it does not foster holiness.
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
There are no verses in the Bible that addresses forgiving ourselves. We are to forgive others when they are repentant.
If we walk in shame about past forgiven sins we are more concerned about what others think of us than what God said.
If you have someone in your life who loves to hold past sins over your head to make you feel small, then that person is wicked. These people must be removed from our lives, they are manipulated by the devil to cause us doubt and harm.
There are those who love to feel superior to others. They massage their superior attitude through demeaning others. For these people nothing is about your past sin, its really about finding a reason to demean and mock others to feel better than them.
When someone becomes born again any sense of superiority leaves them. When we know what we were before Christ changed us, we have no reason to think we were more special than anyone else.
Romans 3:23
"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
Those who based their superior attitude on their education, or comparing their good deeds to the deeds of others are falling into the trap of self glorification. People who compare themselves to others are not wise, we ought to be comparing ourselves to God. When we compare ourselves to Christ we have no reason to feel "special." When we are too busy comparing ourselves to other people we will miss any flaws that need attention in ourselves.
2 Corinthians 10:12-13
"12 For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. 13 But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.
Those who treat others with contempt because they have human rules they have decided everyone else must follow but are not Biblical, are walking in pride.
Proverbs 11:2
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom."
The louder a person sings their own praises the more likely it is that what they say is not true. Those who must boast are trying to convince someone of something they know is not evidenced in the way they live their lives.
Many people in our culture use words rather than being a living example. When the words do not match the life example then we can believe the life example, the words mean nothing.
There is an old saying; "your actions speak so loud I can't hear a word your saying."
James 4:6
"But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Anyone who uses "grace" for an excuse to continue in sin is one who has little regard for Christ and the sacrifice of His shed blood for our sin.
1 John 2:16
"16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
Galatians 6:3
"For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself."
James 4:16
"As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil."
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
Perhaps one day it would be good to do a study on each one of these character flaws that God mentions will dominate the end times. All of them are present now in many people we encounter.
Even within the church we see these things playing out. In our day those who are called "divisive" are the ones who bring truth and attempt to bring teaching back to the Bible.
The divisive people who bring a false gospel and wrong doctrine are those who are elevated and treated with great respect. The reason this is so is because the wrong doctrine and false gospel makes people happy but it does not foster holiness.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
The Father of Lies is at it Again!!!!
Perdition: Utter Destruction
Son of Perdition: Satan the father of lies.
Satan in the epitome of total destruction.
Blinded by his own desire to be elevated above God and control others he is destroying himself along with those he attacks who do not have Christ.
Isaiah 14:12-14
12 “How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
13 “But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’"
Satan's goal was to be superior to God, he didn't just want to be like God, he wanted to be over God. This is why this devilish creature seeks to destroy whatever belongs to God. He will ruin as many relationships as possible to defy God.
Gossipers do this too, they work to ruin the objects of their hatred to elevate themselves in the eyes of others.
This is the picture of the narcissist. The narcissist is controlled by thoughts and feelings that destroy relationships, especially relationships with God. The devil is behind all of this.
The devil hates God so thoroughly that every attempt is being made continually to turn people against one another and against God. If he can destroy the work of God he can destroy people, sending them to hell where he knows he will be going.
The way we see this being played out in our world today is through the feelings of the narcissist to be elevated above others. The continual attempt to be superior to others dominates every other human character trait. The way a person thinks will determine the way they treat people and God.
There is an irrational need to be superior, creating in the narcissist a mentality that values honor of them over love for them. A narcissist would rather be feared than loved.
1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
1 John 3:8 "8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work."
When we see people raging at us for merely mentioning God's word or a principle of God that bring light to a discussion, we are watching the arrogance of the devil. He is influencing thoughts to cause division against God.
If believers are isolated from those who understand truth they are more likely to doubt the truth. After all how can one person be right and everyone else wrong? This is the uncertainty that the devil and the people he uses, brings to a person who lacks confidence in what God has said in His word.
1 Peter 5:7-9 "…7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.…"
Narcissists who claim to be believers often interpret the Bible the way they choose, to maintain their own desired belief. They feel free to twist the Bible to suit their own agenda, the very reason they wrongly divide the word of God.
When someone believes they are superior to others they lack empathy, authentic kindness and understanding. Their skewed version of the Bible and elevated view of their own importance leads them to believe everyone else is foolish, they are the ones with all the answers.
A secure and loving person does not feel the need to be superior to anyone. The secure loving person merely enjoys seeking God and learning truth.
We live in a culture now that has the same heart as the devil. As a whole the culture loves their high opinion of themselves. The culture goes so far as to teach people to think of themselves first and that they are capable of anything they want to be. This builds excessive pride and intolerance for truth.
In order to become born again one must admit their sinfulness and believe on Christ. This culture is angered at anyone who dares to tell them they have a need for Christ, let alone telling them they are flawed and in need of a different way of thinking.
God told us in His word that the only way to become born again is to mourn over our sinfulness, this is what brings us to Christ in humility desiring to be changed by Him. No one can become born again merely by deciding they like God. They must see the sinfulness of sin and themselves to desire to be cleansed by God. We see many pretenders in the church because so many have come to the church to feel superior, not because they have been broken over their sinfulness.
2 Corinthians 7:10
"10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death."
Matthew 4:3-5 "3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.…"
The poor in spirit are those who know they have nothing good to offer. These people are blessed because they come to Christ knowing that He becomes their righteousness. They are loved by Christ Who died for them.
Imagine not loving someone who gave His life for us, it is irrational not to love someone who died that we might live. The world hated Christ as they will hate us. WHY? They hate us because we expose their sin, they love their sin. Even though their sin leads them to hell, they would rather go to hell loving their sin and hating Christ, than believing on Christ, becoming freed from sin and going to heaven. If this is not irrational I don't know what is.
The devil is behind all these things, the irrational thinking, the denial of Christ's principles and the anger, the emotional upheaval going on in the mind that prevents people from thinking and acting in truth.
Son of Perdition: Satan the father of lies.
Satan in the epitome of total destruction.
Blinded by his own desire to be elevated above God and control others he is destroying himself along with those he attacks who do not have Christ.
Isaiah 14:12-14
12 “How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
13 “But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’"
Satan's goal was to be superior to God, he didn't just want to be like God, he wanted to be over God. This is why this devilish creature seeks to destroy whatever belongs to God. He will ruin as many relationships as possible to defy God.
Gossipers do this too, they work to ruin the objects of their hatred to elevate themselves in the eyes of others.
This is the picture of the narcissist. The narcissist is controlled by thoughts and feelings that destroy relationships, especially relationships with God. The devil is behind all of this.
The devil hates God so thoroughly that every attempt is being made continually to turn people against one another and against God. If he can destroy the work of God he can destroy people, sending them to hell where he knows he will be going.
The way we see this being played out in our world today is through the feelings of the narcissist to be elevated above others. The continual attempt to be superior to others dominates every other human character trait. The way a person thinks will determine the way they treat people and God.
There is an irrational need to be superior, creating in the narcissist a mentality that values honor of them over love for them. A narcissist would rather be feared than loved.
1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
1 John 3:8 "8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work."
When we see people raging at us for merely mentioning God's word or a principle of God that bring light to a discussion, we are watching the arrogance of the devil. He is influencing thoughts to cause division against God.
If believers are isolated from those who understand truth they are more likely to doubt the truth. After all how can one person be right and everyone else wrong? This is the uncertainty that the devil and the people he uses, brings to a person who lacks confidence in what God has said in His word.
1 Peter 5:7-9 "…7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.…"
Narcissists who claim to be believers often interpret the Bible the way they choose, to maintain their own desired belief. They feel free to twist the Bible to suit their own agenda, the very reason they wrongly divide the word of God.
When someone believes they are superior to others they lack empathy, authentic kindness and understanding. Their skewed version of the Bible and elevated view of their own importance leads them to believe everyone else is foolish, they are the ones with all the answers.
A secure and loving person does not feel the need to be superior to anyone. The secure loving person merely enjoys seeking God and learning truth.
We live in a culture now that has the same heart as the devil. As a whole the culture loves their high opinion of themselves. The culture goes so far as to teach people to think of themselves first and that they are capable of anything they want to be. This builds excessive pride and intolerance for truth.
In order to become born again one must admit their sinfulness and believe on Christ. This culture is angered at anyone who dares to tell them they have a need for Christ, let alone telling them they are flawed and in need of a different way of thinking.
God told us in His word that the only way to become born again is to mourn over our sinfulness, this is what brings us to Christ in humility desiring to be changed by Him. No one can become born again merely by deciding they like God. They must see the sinfulness of sin and themselves to desire to be cleansed by God. We see many pretenders in the church because so many have come to the church to feel superior, not because they have been broken over their sinfulness.
2 Corinthians 7:10
"10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death."
Matthew 4:3-5 "3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.…"
The poor in spirit are those who know they have nothing good to offer. These people are blessed because they come to Christ knowing that He becomes their righteousness. They are loved by Christ Who died for them.
Imagine not loving someone who gave His life for us, it is irrational not to love someone who died that we might live. The world hated Christ as they will hate us. WHY? They hate us because we expose their sin, they love their sin. Even though their sin leads them to hell, they would rather go to hell loving their sin and hating Christ, than believing on Christ, becoming freed from sin and going to heaven. If this is not irrational I don't know what is.
The devil is behind all these things, the irrational thinking, the denial of Christ's principles and the anger, the emotional upheaval going on in the mind that prevents people from thinking and acting in truth.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Have You Suffered More than Christ
If you have not suffered as much as Christ had when He died for us, then you have not suffered to be able to say Christ would not want you to suffer through any difficulty. Notice too that Christ died for us while we were still in our sin.
We do not bail out of marriages just because our spouse is not acting right. We go to prayer and even fasting to allow God to work in our lives.
I have heard people say, "God wouldn't want me to go through that."
My answer: "If God didn't want you to go through something it would not cross your path."
So often we make choices in our lives that bring severe consequences and then we want to escape them rather than endure and resolve what we created. Resolving our mess ups can only be done correctly if we seek Christ for His solutions.
James 1:2-11 "2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away."
We do not bail out of marriages just because our spouse is not acting right. We go to prayer and even fasting to allow God to work in our lives.
I have heard people say, "God wouldn't want me to go through that."
My answer: "If God didn't want you to go through something it would not cross your path."
So often we make choices in our lives that bring severe consequences and then we want to escape them rather than endure and resolve what we created. Resolving our mess ups can only be done correctly if we seek Christ for His solutions.
James 1:2-11 "2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away."
The Sins Do Not Have to Dominate the Marriage
I was asked a question by a dear sister in the Lord about a woman who trapped a man into marrying her by getting pregnant by him before they were married, causing them to decide to get married. I thought this was a good question and wanted to place it here for others to see.
Here is my answer below:
Our actions have consequences. When we make a promise at the altar, that is the binding promise God uses to make two people into one, He makes them one. The man now is responsible to see to it that the woman he got pregnant is treated with dignity as his wife. And, the women hopefully will be contrite about trapping the man. However, keep in mind the man could not have been trapped if he acted like an honorable man and chose not to sleep with someone who was not his wife.
The woman and the man must now live with their consequences. So many people think these situations are forever, they are not. A man and woman can grow, repent and have a great marriage, if at least one of them turns to Christ for forgiveness and resolves to be the spouse God commanded in His Word. Hopefully both will repent.
These are not hopeless situations, they are foolish in the beginning but God can fix them. Sadly so many people think only in the here and now rather repenting and changing their attitude which leads to a change of behavior.
Divorce is not the answer, a change of heart toward God leading to a change in behavior is the answer.
WE all do foolish things when we are young, but we can grow out of those mentalities to become what God meant for us to be.
Here is my answer below:
Our actions have consequences. When we make a promise at the altar, that is the binding promise God uses to make two people into one, He makes them one. The man now is responsible to see to it that the woman he got pregnant is treated with dignity as his wife. And, the women hopefully will be contrite about trapping the man. However, keep in mind the man could not have been trapped if he acted like an honorable man and chose not to sleep with someone who was not his wife.
The woman and the man must now live with their consequences. So many people think these situations are forever, they are not. A man and woman can grow, repent and have a great marriage, if at least one of them turns to Christ for forgiveness and resolves to be the spouse God commanded in His Word. Hopefully both will repent.
These are not hopeless situations, they are foolish in the beginning but God can fix them. Sadly so many people think only in the here and now rather repenting and changing their attitude which leads to a change of behavior.
Divorce is not the answer, a change of heart toward God leading to a change in behavior is the answer.
WE all do foolish things when we are young, but we can grow out of those mentalities to become what God meant for us to be.
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