When things get tough or you cannot avoid someone or something in your life that brings you pain, do you give up or do you keep going?
The sign of strength in a believer is the ability to cry when needed to relieve stress and get up after to begin doing what is needed. Those who are strong admit their pain, cry over it from time to time and continue on the path God has given for them.
Psalm 30:5
"For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning."
Jesus Christ cares about our tears.
John 11:33
"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled."
Psalm 56:8Psalm 56:8
"You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?"
Even the Patriarchs wept!
Genesis 43:30
"Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there."
Even the Matriarchs wept!
John 20:11
"But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb."
Even Jesus Christ the Lord wept!
Luke 19:41
"And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,"
When this life is over for the believer the time of weeping and mourning will be over and then we will laugh and dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:4
"A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;"
The time of weeping will be over soon for those who love the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 5:5
"And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Monday, August 17, 2020
Whose Community Standards?
I am convinced there is a concerted effort to exclude and block Christians from the media. Just recently I was told I would not be considered for advertising on my blog because what I wrote did "not hold to community standards."
I am quite sure many of you who are my friends are being excluded from expressing your thoughts and ideas in an attempt to sensor Christianity.
Those in control exclude in various ways, one of which is discrediting what you post by claiming through the "fact-checkers" that your post in your status is false.
I see now that these mediums are free, not charging anyone money, allowing the controllers the privilege of censoring anything that does not meet with their agenda.
We can see how our world is moving rapidly toward the tribulation in which all believers will be threatened with death if they speak the truth of Christ.
I remember a day as a child when tv censored evil things, now it is evil that is being protected and good that is being censored.
Romans 12:9
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good."
Isaiah 5:20
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"
Matthew 24:12
"And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold."
Ephesians 6:13
"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm."
I am quite sure many of you who are my friends are being excluded from expressing your thoughts and ideas in an attempt to sensor Christianity.
Those in control exclude in various ways, one of which is discrediting what you post by claiming through the "fact-checkers" that your post in your status is false.
I see now that these mediums are free, not charging anyone money, allowing the controllers the privilege of censoring anything that does not meet with their agenda.
We can see how our world is moving rapidly toward the tribulation in which all believers will be threatened with death if they speak the truth of Christ.
I remember a day as a child when tv censored evil things, now it is evil that is being protected and good that is being censored.
Romans 12:9
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good."
Isaiah 5:20
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!"
Matthew 24:12
"And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold."
Ephesians 6:13
"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm."
What is an Idol?
What is an idol? Answer this question in all honesty and we are likely to make changes in our lives!
An idol is anything we love more, trust more, fear more and defend more than we do God.
Some idols can be material possessions, tv shows, famous people, famous leaders even church leaders.
Other idols may be friends or family members who do not love the Lord.
If we cannot walk away from things and people who detract us from our walk with Christ then we have idols.
1 Corinthians 10:13-15 "13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say."
1 John 5:19-21 "19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols."
An idol is anything we love more, trust more, fear more and defend more than we do God.
Some idols can be material possessions, tv shows, famous people, famous leaders even church leaders.
Other idols may be friends or family members who do not love the Lord.
If we cannot walk away from things and people who detract us from our walk with Christ then we have idols.
1 Corinthians 10:13-15 "13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say."
1 John 5:19-21 "19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols."
Saturday, August 15, 2020
The Holy Spirit Teaches Every Believer
Every teacher of the believer must be tested, questioned, and vetted according to the Worf of God. We know that no one is perfect only Christ and He lives in the Believer.
No one can teach us better that Jesus Christ Himself.
Never allow anyone to tell you that you cannot understand the Bible and that you must be led by another human being. Pastors and teachers are there to teach but not to act as though they have superior knowledge. They are not better than the Holy Spirit. All born again believers must evaluate every teacher to see if he speaks the truth according to the Bible.
If a teacher does not speak truth then he is to be corrected, if he will not listen then he is to be ignored.
1 Corinthians s14:38-40
"38 But if any man is ignorant, let him be ignorant (ignored).
Isaiah 11:2
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him--the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
John 14:17
the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
John 14:25-26 "
…25 All this I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you. "
John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
May all we believe be filtered through the word of God and no meanings changed to fit our desires or the culture.
Deuteronomy 4:2 "2 You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you."
Deuteronomy 12:42 "32 “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it."
Revelation 22:18 "18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;"
It is very serious to snatch out of context scripture and replace it with lies to make it say what God never said, to make it acceptable to your human thinking or the culture around you.
No one can teach us better that Jesus Christ Himself.
Never allow anyone to tell you that you cannot understand the Bible and that you must be led by another human being. Pastors and teachers are there to teach but not to act as though they have superior knowledge. They are not better than the Holy Spirit. All born again believers must evaluate every teacher to see if he speaks the truth according to the Bible.
If a teacher does not speak truth then he is to be corrected, if he will not listen then he is to be ignored.
1 Corinthians s14:38-40
"38 But if any man is ignorant, let him be ignorant (ignored).
Isaiah 11:2
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him--the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
John 14:17
the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
John 14:25-26 "
…25 All this I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you. "
John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
May all we believe be filtered through the word of God and no meanings changed to fit our desires or the culture.
Deuteronomy 4:2 "2 You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you."
Deuteronomy 12:42 "32 “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it."
Revelation 22:18 "18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;"
It is very serious to snatch out of context scripture and replace it with lies to make it say what God never said, to make it acceptable to your human thinking or the culture around you.
Friday, August 14, 2020
Choose Christ or the World, You cannot have Both
Someone sent me a dirty joke in a text as though she thought I would laugh at it. She does not know me at all or she would know I am not pleased with dirty jokes.
I sent the message back to her that I will look to God for my wisdom rather than through dirty jokes. I have not heard from her since. Sadly this was a person who would consider themselves a Christian and attends church regularly.
These narcissists think they know someone based on their own idea of life not on the character of the other person. They think we are just like them and when they find out we are not then we are the enemy.
Galatians 4:16-17 "16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them.…"
When the narcissist discover we are different from what they thought we were, they are confused and choose to retain their false idea of us. These people treat us as though we are worse than they in some way to elevate their own special illusion of themselves.
When we see this happening the best response is a short one as led by the Holy Spirit and to remove ourselves. We are living in a crude world now in which even the media does not sensor their language or news stories to protect the sensibilities of the hearers.
Many Christians today take on the crude ways and language of the world so as not to be ignored or minimized as a person.
Very few people care anymore about the impact of their actions or words. If they want to do or say something they do it and then become angry if called out to clean up their language. Now, I am not talking about unbelievers, we expect the world to be crude, I am talking about those who call themselves Christian who think talking and acting like the world somehow makes them more influential with the world.
Proverbs 4:24
"Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you."
We are not called to be like the world to win them, just the opposite, we are called to be a representation of the character of Christ.
Let's be honest, the only reason a "Christian" wants to act like the world is not to win them, but rather to be loved by the world. The excuse to "be like the world to win them" is a lie and patently against the Word of God.
1 John 2:15-17
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
God never told us to be careful not to offend, that lie comes from the devil. The devil wants to ruin our testimony by demonstrating we can be as crude as the unbeliever and still be a Christian. This is cultural Christianity at its worst.
When a crude "Christian" is called out for their language and becomes angry over it then we see the rebellious heart of that person. Their anger at rebuke is on them not on us.
There is another lie the secular are promoting, that is that if someone becomes angry someone else must have made them that way. The truth is that every person who becomes angry chooses to do it to manipulate and intimidate others because of their own guilt over sin.
The only anger a born again believer should experience is when someone blasphemes God, then we defend His honor not our own.
Christianity in our time has been watered down, maligned and coaxed into false mantras in order to preserve friendships with the world.
James 4:4
"You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
Many teachings and rules in the modern church are not from God but from psychology. They do not reflect the heart of God nor do they match pitch with the Bible. We should reject ideas and teachings that are counter to the Word of God. In order to do this, we must be determined to make Christ first in our lives above anything and anyone else.
I sent the message back to her that I will look to God for my wisdom rather than through dirty jokes. I have not heard from her since. Sadly this was a person who would consider themselves a Christian and attends church regularly.
These narcissists think they know someone based on their own idea of life not on the character of the other person. They think we are just like them and when they find out we are not then we are the enemy.
Galatians 4:16-17 "16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them.…"
When the narcissist discover we are different from what they thought we were, they are confused and choose to retain their false idea of us. These people treat us as though we are worse than they in some way to elevate their own special illusion of themselves.
When we see this happening the best response is a short one as led by the Holy Spirit and to remove ourselves. We are living in a crude world now in which even the media does not sensor their language or news stories to protect the sensibilities of the hearers.
Many Christians today take on the crude ways and language of the world so as not to be ignored or minimized as a person.
Very few people care anymore about the impact of their actions or words. If they want to do or say something they do it and then become angry if called out to clean up their language. Now, I am not talking about unbelievers, we expect the world to be crude, I am talking about those who call themselves Christian who think talking and acting like the world somehow makes them more influential with the world.
Proverbs 4:24
"Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you."
We are not called to be like the world to win them, just the opposite, we are called to be a representation of the character of Christ.
Let's be honest, the only reason a "Christian" wants to act like the world is not to win them, but rather to be loved by the world. The excuse to "be like the world to win them" is a lie and patently against the Word of God.
1 John 2:15-17
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
God never told us to be careful not to offend, that lie comes from the devil. The devil wants to ruin our testimony by demonstrating we can be as crude as the unbeliever and still be a Christian. This is cultural Christianity at its worst.
When a crude "Christian" is called out for their language and becomes angry over it then we see the rebellious heart of that person. Their anger at rebuke is on them not on us.
There is another lie the secular are promoting, that is that if someone becomes angry someone else must have made them that way. The truth is that every person who becomes angry chooses to do it to manipulate and intimidate others because of their own guilt over sin.
The only anger a born again believer should experience is when someone blasphemes God, then we defend His honor not our own.
Christianity in our time has been watered down, maligned and coaxed into false mantras in order to preserve friendships with the world.
James 4:4
"You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
Many teachings and rules in the modern church are not from God but from psychology. They do not reflect the heart of God nor do they match pitch with the Bible. We should reject ideas and teachings that are counter to the Word of God. In order to do this, we must be determined to make Christ first in our lives above anything and anyone else.
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