Most people in our culture today are driven by emotions they cannot control nor do they think are inaccurate. When we live by emotions we will be wrong more times than we are right.
When someone fights to defend their "rights" and their "freedoms" everything will be based on their own desires and not on the will of God. God never promised us freedom from people or governments. Our freedom is in the Spirit able to walk with God unashamed and unhindered, whether in the world or in a jail cell.
2 Timothy 2
Be Strong
2 You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
5 Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.
7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,
9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.
10 For this reason, I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.
11 It is a trustworthy statement:
For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."
God's will does not always look the way we think it should look.
Joseph was thrown into a well by his brothers who were jealous of him. This might have been something to whine about, but Joseph accepted his fate and it lead to him becoming a ruler in Egypt.
Adriana Rogers said the following:
5 Ways to sink a ship:
1. Decide in haste.
2. Depend on worldly wisdom.
3. Take the easy way out.
4. Follow the crowd.
5. Base a decision on circumstances.
There have been many examples in the Word of God in which God had terrible things happen to the apostles or the patriarchs of the Old Testament that ultimately ended up being blessings and salvation to them and even others.
How believers respond to difficulties and hardships can be a witness to the unsaved world all by themselves.
When we base our decisions on feelings we will often be resisting God's will. He is not first and foremost in our lives when we camp on feelings for our wisdom this is based on our own desires, not His will. "The wisdom of the world is foolishness."
The devil will tell you the same thing he told Eve, "you can be like God, you don't have to consult him, just do what you want." These words are not expressed this way in the Bible but it amounts to the same message.
Genesis 3:1-5 "3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from [a]any tree of the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”
4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!
5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” "
The devil basically told Eve that God lied to her. He said the Lord was keeping secrets and that the fruit was not bad to eat. He told her that she was as great as God and did not have to obey his authority, she could make her own decisions based on her own desires.
This is exactly what the devil is doing today. He is telling the believer, "you can divorce and remarry", God didn't really mean what He said, He just wants to make you miserable. Or worse yet many who obey the devil say God didn't say it at all, it was a mistake.
Satan is telling believers they should forgive sin that has not been repented of, this sidesteps the need for repentance that cleanses the one who has sinned, leaving the unrepentant sinner remaining in their filth while it grows worse. It also perverts and denies the need for a sinner to repent to become born again.
Satan is telling believers they should love themselves first knowing that this leads to their loving ONLY themselves. This destroys their Christian service and witness as they focus on their own desires and will instead of God and others.
Satan is building pride in the believer to cause conflict in the body as well as conflict with others who are unsaved. Instead of living out their faith and speaking it in boldness, many are focusing on themselves to be loved and appreciated by everyone as well as getting their own way. They are useless to the kingdom of God, their water is luke warn without value.
Revelation 3:15-17 "…15 I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! 16 So because you are lukewarm— neither hot nor cold— I am about to vomit you out of My mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.…"
The world is looking at the believer today saying, "why should I believe you, you are no different from the unsaved." This is a shame to the church but is rampant in our day of apostasy.
Think about it!!!!
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Are You Born Again?
One is not born again by deciding to join a Christian group or by going to a Christian college. One is not born again just by saying they are!
One becomes born again by regretting that they are sinful and asking God to change them into a new creation. They cannot make themselves a new creation in their own fleshly efforts or by putting on a good show in front of others of a good person.
If you have not confessed your sinfulness to God and desire to be changed into a new creation by Him you have not been born again and you will not go to heaven until you do this.
Psalm 51:17
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
"A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."
Many people who "say" they are Christians will not be in heaven. They have decided to get to heaven their own way through the works of their flesh but it will not get them there.
Only by trusting in Christ to change you will you be sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a guarantee of our salvation.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is [d]given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
One becomes born again by regretting that they are sinful and asking God to change them into a new creation. They cannot make themselves a new creation in their own fleshly efforts or by putting on a good show in front of others of a good person.
If you have not confessed your sinfulness to God and desire to be changed into a new creation by Him you have not been born again and you will not go to heaven until you do this.
Psalm 51:17
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
"A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."
Many people who "say" they are Christians will not be in heaven. They have decided to get to heaven their own way through the works of their flesh but it will not get them there.
Only by trusting in Christ to change you will you be sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a guarantee of our salvation.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is [d]given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
The Times of Raging Insanity
We are in the end times. God said they would be "perilous" times, meaning "ragingly insane." We can expect this to become the new normal because of the lawlessness that is upon the earth now.
Jesus Christ is coming back soon to take His believers out of this world. Only those who have trusted in Him will be taken, this is called the rapture of the church. After this, all hell will literally be loosed to ravage the earth in ways we cannot imagine.
God promised it was going to happen and it will. If you are not yet born again now is a good time to confess your sinfulness and ask God to make you into a new creation.
When He makes you into a new creation you will be a completely different person. Nothing of your spirit will remain, it is replaced with His Holy Spirit. Your desires will be the opposite of what you used to like and you will hate the sin you used to love.
This transformation is done by God, it is nothing that you do. Saying you are a Christian is not the same as being born again. One must be changed by God, one cannot change themselves.
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:…"
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. If you believe you will obey.
John 13:15-16 "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—…"
When the Holy Spirit of Christ lives in us He is our advocate to the Father, teacher, comforter, helper, and everything else. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a guarantee of our inheritance.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
Do you want to be born again to live in paradise for the rest of eternity with Christ or do you want to go to hell and burn for all eternity? The choice is yours, you can follow Christ or be led into hell by the devil.
Jesus Christ is coming back soon to take His believers out of this world. Only those who have trusted in Him will be taken, this is called the rapture of the church. After this, all hell will literally be loosed to ravage the earth in ways we cannot imagine.
God promised it was going to happen and it will. If you are not yet born again now is a good time to confess your sinfulness and ask God to make you into a new creation.
When He makes you into a new creation you will be a completely different person. Nothing of your spirit will remain, it is replaced with His Holy Spirit. Your desires will be the opposite of what you used to like and you will hate the sin you used to love.
This transformation is done by God, it is nothing that you do. Saying you are a Christian is not the same as being born again. One must be changed by God, one cannot change themselves.
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:…"
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. If you believe you will obey.
John 13:15-16 "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—…"
When the Holy Spirit of Christ lives in us He is our advocate to the Father, teacher, comforter, helper, and everything else. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a guarantee of our inheritance.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
Do you want to be born again to live in paradise for the rest of eternity with Christ or do you want to go to hell and burn for all eternity? The choice is yours, you can follow Christ or be led into hell by the devil.
See the Humor of our Day
Narcissists enjoy their contrived view of their target. They see what they wish to see and not what is true in order to judge them falsely. Ignore them, they do not love you or God.
If the narcissist is not in contact with you they will make something up to have something to hold against you. We must see the humor in this, because of its complete insanity.
People who love God want to believe only truth. They don't like miss-judging anyone based on their own feelings. They will pray about their feelings to have the perspective of Christ.
When we are wise we ignore our feelings and seek God to know the truth.
Gossipers are people who love to hear bad things about their target so they can justify their ill feelings of the one for whom they have contempt.
These people will mock, demean, and lie against their target, withholding love, kindness, and appreciation because of their feelings of contempt.
One of the tactics of the narcissist is to treat others with respect in front of the narcissist to cause a sense of shame in them. "See how we love him/her but you are not worthy of our love", is the message that is demonstrated toward the target of the narcissist.
Born again believers can expect more of these narcissists to emerge in these final days before the tribulation. Let it be clear that the world is getting worse but the born again believer can remain steady, truthful and joyful in the midst of all this insanity.
Psalm 37:13
"But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming."
We can laugh too, the events of this day are so ridiculous they deserve laughter and mocking. No longer allow the foolishness of these end times to rattle you, they are what they are and our Spirit is not affected by it.
Hallelujah!!!
2 Timothy 3
If the narcissist is not in contact with you they will make something up to have something to hold against you. We must see the humor in this, because of its complete insanity.
People who love God want to believe only truth. They don't like miss-judging anyone based on their own feelings. They will pray about their feelings to have the perspective of Christ.
When we are wise we ignore our feelings and seek God to know the truth.
Gossipers are people who love to hear bad things about their target so they can justify their ill feelings of the one for whom they have contempt.
These people will mock, demean, and lie against their target, withholding love, kindness, and appreciation because of their feelings of contempt.
One of the tactics of the narcissist is to treat others with respect in front of the narcissist to cause a sense of shame in them. "See how we love him/her but you are not worthy of our love", is the message that is demonstrated toward the target of the narcissist.
Born again believers can expect more of these narcissists to emerge in these final days before the tribulation. Let it be clear that the world is getting worse but the born again believer can remain steady, truthful and joyful in the midst of all this insanity.
Psalm 37:13
"But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming."
We can laugh too, the events of this day are so ridiculous they deserve laughter and mocking. No longer allow the foolishness of these end times to rattle you, they are what they are and our Spirit is not affected by it.
Hallelujah!!!
2 Timothy 3
The Sins of the Fathers?
The world is full of men thinking their foolishness is good when it flies in the face of God's principles.
There is a movement now for whites to apologize to blacks for the sins of their ancestors. This is patently wrong in the eyes of God.
The people who were abused in slavery are long gone, they no longer endure the abuse. If someone was to apologize for the injustice it would need to be the slave owner to the slave 150 years ago.
No one today owned slaves or were slaves in this country. Many of us were not even in families who had slaves or were slaves.
To remain angry at someone for being the same gender or people group because of what other people did who they were unrelated to in the same gender or people group is insanity.
To apologize for the sins of our forefathers would be like a Christian German living today raised in America apologizing to a Jew who never lived in Germany, for the sins of Hitler when he was not related to Hitler in any way nor has even been to Germany in his lifetime. It makes no sense at all to blame someone other than the person who actually did the crime.
Narcissists love to have someone to blame, it doesn't have anything to do with truth, it is just the need of the narcissist to have a scapegoat to blame when they make their own choice to destroy a community.
Anyone would be insensed if the police came to their home and arrested them for the crimes of their dead father. No one would think this makes sense. There is no difference in this than there is in apologizing for someone else's sin that you had no part in over past generations.
It is a form of lying to admit to sins we did not commit. It is also unbiblical. And, I might add "irrational."
Ezekiel 18:19-21 "19 Yet you may ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son bear the iniquity of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he will surely live. 20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of the father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him. 21 But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die."
Rather than using past sins of others to justify a destructive attitude, it would be better to live in the present rather than dwelling on a past that didn't even belong to you. This is akin to those family feuds we hear about where the grandchildren carry on the hatred for a family simply because their grandparents did. They don't even know why they hate the other family they just like doing it because it was tradition. Perhaps it gave them a perverted sense of superiority and purpose, it didn't but they thought so. Pride is senseless and unreasonable. Only fools would act like this.
Leviticus 19:18
"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."
Luke 17:1
"And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!"
Yes!!! It is sin to unjustly hold a grudge against someone who never sinned against you and it is sin to demand recompense from someone who never harmed you. It is equally sinful to admit to a sin you never committed. Feelings are no good reason to sin, that's what this is all about, pretending to care deeply about someone by doing things that do not make sense to smooth things over will only enable those who use excuses to indulge their irrational feelings.
The narcissist attempts to blame and accuse others of things they did not do to feel justified in their use of anger to control them. We are to love people in truth, never compromising truth to quell the feelings of those who are continually angry.
Bowing to the angry man only empowers their anger and feeds their rage.
Proverbs 22:24-25 "Do not associate with a man given to anger;
Or go with a hot-tempered man,
25 Or you will learn his ways
And find a snare for yourself."
We are never to violate the Word of God just so someone will be happier with us. And, remember, when we violate God's Word to appease angry people we are enabling them to grow in their hatred. It is hypocrisy and they can see that!
There is a movement now for whites to apologize to blacks for the sins of their ancestors. This is patently wrong in the eyes of God.
The people who were abused in slavery are long gone, they no longer endure the abuse. If someone was to apologize for the injustice it would need to be the slave owner to the slave 150 years ago.
No one today owned slaves or were slaves in this country. Many of us were not even in families who had slaves or were slaves.
To remain angry at someone for being the same gender or people group because of what other people did who they were unrelated to in the same gender or people group is insanity.
To apologize for the sins of our forefathers would be like a Christian German living today raised in America apologizing to a Jew who never lived in Germany, for the sins of Hitler when he was not related to Hitler in any way nor has even been to Germany in his lifetime. It makes no sense at all to blame someone other than the person who actually did the crime.
Narcissists love to have someone to blame, it doesn't have anything to do with truth, it is just the need of the narcissist to have a scapegoat to blame when they make their own choice to destroy a community.
Anyone would be insensed if the police came to their home and arrested them for the crimes of their dead father. No one would think this makes sense. There is no difference in this than there is in apologizing for someone else's sin that you had no part in over past generations.
It is a form of lying to admit to sins we did not commit. It is also unbiblical. And, I might add "irrational."
Ezekiel 18:19-21 "19 Yet you may ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son bear the iniquity of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he will surely live. 20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of the father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him. 21 But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die."
Rather than using past sins of others to justify a destructive attitude, it would be better to live in the present rather than dwelling on a past that didn't even belong to you. This is akin to those family feuds we hear about where the grandchildren carry on the hatred for a family simply because their grandparents did. They don't even know why they hate the other family they just like doing it because it was tradition. Perhaps it gave them a perverted sense of superiority and purpose, it didn't but they thought so. Pride is senseless and unreasonable. Only fools would act like this.
Leviticus 19:18
"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."
Luke 17:1
"And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!"
Yes!!! It is sin to unjustly hold a grudge against someone who never sinned against you and it is sin to demand recompense from someone who never harmed you. It is equally sinful to admit to a sin you never committed. Feelings are no good reason to sin, that's what this is all about, pretending to care deeply about someone by doing things that do not make sense to smooth things over will only enable those who use excuses to indulge their irrational feelings.
The narcissist attempts to blame and accuse others of things they did not do to feel justified in their use of anger to control them. We are to love people in truth, never compromising truth to quell the feelings of those who are continually angry.
Bowing to the angry man only empowers their anger and feeds their rage.
Proverbs 22:24-25 "Do not associate with a man given to anger;
Or go with a hot-tempered man,
25 Or you will learn his ways
And find a snare for yourself."
We are never to violate the Word of God just so someone will be happier with us. And, remember, when we violate God's Word to appease angry people we are enabling them to grow in their hatred. It is hypocrisy and they can see that!
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