Friday, September 25, 2020
Galatians 1:6-10
Galatians 1:6-10
Perversion of the Gospel
"6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ."
After obeying the gospel comes the commandment to obey God's commands. If you have no desire to obey the commands of God then you have never been born again. If you twist the words of the Bible to justify sin then you have not been born again.
John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. "
This statement from God is not a command to keep His commandments, it is a statement that if you are born again you WILL keep them. When we have been changed into a new creation we are compelled by Christ in us to obey Him, we love Him, we love His commandments. They are not burdensome to us.
If someone is trying real hard to obey but doesn't like it then they are not born again.
1 John 5:2-4 "…2 By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, 4 because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.…"
If it is not evident that someone has the fruit of the Spirit then they may not be saved.
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
The fruit is the very essence of Christ, when He changes us into a new creation we have this fruit, it belongs to Him and is imparted to us. It can be seen by other born again believers.
Romans 8:15-17 "…15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.…"
Perversion of the Gospel
"6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ."
After obeying the gospel comes the commandment to obey God's commands. If you have no desire to obey the commands of God then you have never been born again. If you twist the words of the Bible to justify sin then you have not been born again.
John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. "
This statement from God is not a command to keep His commandments, it is a statement that if you are born again you WILL keep them. When we have been changed into a new creation we are compelled by Christ in us to obey Him, we love Him, we love His commandments. They are not burdensome to us.
If someone is trying real hard to obey but doesn't like it then they are not born again.
1 John 5:2-4 "…2 By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, 4 because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.…"
If it is not evident that someone has the fruit of the Spirit then they may not be saved.
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
The fruit is the very essence of Christ, when He changes us into a new creation we have this fruit, it belongs to Him and is imparted to us. It can be seen by other born again believers.
Romans 8:15-17 "…15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.…"
Authentically Born Again or Pretender
One of the things that happened to me when I became born again was that the "Christians" in the family threw my past sins in my face as though I had not stopped or repented, as though they had never needed to repent or have never sinned.
It was then that God opened my eyes to the self-righteous ones who were elevated in their own eyes. Because of the Bible and my experience of repentance I know it is not possible to be born again without having become broken over our sinfulness.
Those who hold themselves in high regard because they thought they were so good all their lives have yet to be born again.
These people do not understand that it is not the "big sins" that keep us out of heaven, its all sinfulness within our being. One of those sins is the sin of pride causing people to believe they were good enough or did enough good deeds to gain heaven.
Those who have had to repent and trust Christ would never look at another believer with disdain based on past sins. Everyone has past sinfulness that needs to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith in Him.
Romans 3:23 "23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
The devil was thrown out of heaven because of pride! Pride in self alone will keep someone from becoming born again.
No one can save themselves, even believing in the Lord Jesus Christ will not save anyone, it is the desire to be changed by Him that proves the belief in Him.
Many people say they have believed who have no fruit of the Spirit. It is the fruit that is the evidence of the salvation of a believer. These are character qualities of Christ that can only be recognized by other believers.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
No one can save themselves by being good enough or by declaring loudly that they are a Christian. We become born again by realizing our own complete helplessness and by believing in Christ to cleanse us.
Those who judge the sins of others that have been forgiven by God through repentance have failed to see their own sinfulness.
We can only have a heart for the lost and desire to show them the way of salvation when we know what we had to do to become born again. Those who are self-righteous will never have a heart for the lost. They will do one of two things, they will embrace the unsaved sinner to be friends with them or they will look down at them as though they are superior.
The superficial pretender will have many friends who are just like them, without dedication to the Bible. They have a form of religion but have never been born again.
Often self-righteous "Christians" love the presence of the unsaved because that is who they are most comfortable with, they are discomforted in the presence of authentic born again believers. They love superficiality and slap-happy fun that the unsaved community has to offer. However, they avoid being with those who are "fanatical Bible believers", the ones who are always bringing the Scripture to bear on every situation, every discussion, and to every gathering.
If you have been rejected by other "Christians" for speaking Biblese count it all joy that you remained faithful to God's Word.
We can tell the difference between an authentic believer and a pretender by the presence or lack of the fruit of the Spirit. We can also tell by their demeanor when we bring up the subject of Christ and His Word. Those who are authentic believers will love to hear about Christ but the pretenders will be very uncomfortable, even raging at the mention of God's Word.
Since we are living in the end of the end days we will see far fewer authentic believers than there are pretenders. Pretenders will dominate everything and will not listen to God's Word.
Here is a snapshot of the mentality of our days of apostasy:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "2 Timothy 3:1-5
King James Version
3 This know also, that in the last days "perilous" (ragingly insane) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
If we love those who are unsaved we will tell them the truth so that they can become born again and experience the joy of walking with Christ and the blessing of heaven in the future.
It was then that God opened my eyes to the self-righteous ones who were elevated in their own eyes. Because of the Bible and my experience of repentance I know it is not possible to be born again without having become broken over our sinfulness.
Those who hold themselves in high regard because they thought they were so good all their lives have yet to be born again.
These people do not understand that it is not the "big sins" that keep us out of heaven, its all sinfulness within our being. One of those sins is the sin of pride causing people to believe they were good enough or did enough good deeds to gain heaven.
Those who have had to repent and trust Christ would never look at another believer with disdain based on past sins. Everyone has past sinfulness that needs to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith in Him.
Romans 3:23 "23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
The devil was thrown out of heaven because of pride! Pride in self alone will keep someone from becoming born again.
No one can save themselves, even believing in the Lord Jesus Christ will not save anyone, it is the desire to be changed by Him that proves the belief in Him.
Many people say they have believed who have no fruit of the Spirit. It is the fruit that is the evidence of the salvation of a believer. These are character qualities of Christ that can only be recognized by other believers.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
No one can save themselves by being good enough or by declaring loudly that they are a Christian. We become born again by realizing our own complete helplessness and by believing in Christ to cleanse us.
Those who judge the sins of others that have been forgiven by God through repentance have failed to see their own sinfulness.
We can only have a heart for the lost and desire to show them the way of salvation when we know what we had to do to become born again. Those who are self-righteous will never have a heart for the lost. They will do one of two things, they will embrace the unsaved sinner to be friends with them or they will look down at them as though they are superior.
The superficial pretender will have many friends who are just like them, without dedication to the Bible. They have a form of religion but have never been born again.
Often self-righteous "Christians" love the presence of the unsaved because that is who they are most comfortable with, they are discomforted in the presence of authentic born again believers. They love superficiality and slap-happy fun that the unsaved community has to offer. However, they avoid being with those who are "fanatical Bible believers", the ones who are always bringing the Scripture to bear on every situation, every discussion, and to every gathering.
If you have been rejected by other "Christians" for speaking Biblese count it all joy that you remained faithful to God's Word.
We can tell the difference between an authentic believer and a pretender by the presence or lack of the fruit of the Spirit. We can also tell by their demeanor when we bring up the subject of Christ and His Word. Those who are authentic believers will love to hear about Christ but the pretenders will be very uncomfortable, even raging at the mention of God's Word.
Since we are living in the end of the end days we will see far fewer authentic believers than there are pretenders. Pretenders will dominate everything and will not listen to God's Word.
Here is a snapshot of the mentality of our days of apostasy:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "2 Timothy 3:1-5
King James Version
3 This know also, that in the last days "perilous" (ragingly insane) times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
If we love those who are unsaved we will tell them the truth so that they can become born again and experience the joy of walking with Christ and the blessing of heaven in the future.
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
The Cleansing Power of Confession!
Christ said if you so much as lust in your heart you have committed adultery. One does not have to do the act to be called an adulterous by God, it only has to be in the heart.
The act just proves what was in the heart that no one could see. So, do we divorce someone for what is in the heart? No, and we do not divorce them for their acts either. We remain committed to them with the prayer that they will repent.
Many people have committed adultery without ever doing the act, just as Christ Himself said based on their heart.
I am convinced there is not one person alive today who could claim they never pondered someone other than their spouse for a minute longer than they should.
Come on now brothers and sisters, raise your hand if you have never lusted after someone in your entire life! What? No hands going up?
If anyone told me they have never done it then I would not believe them.
Matthew 5:27-28 "27 You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. "
By the way, if you have lusted in your heart after someone don't be foolish enough to go and tell them. Confess only to God because He is the only One Who knew. And be wise never to tell anyone else, people cannot be trusted with these secrets.
Someone might want to confess generically to their close friends without details and names, but to confess who and what is not wise when it was not public.
If you have committed the act that is a different matter, then you will need help from the brethren to restore you. For the act, one must confess to one another and be restored. Please never confess to a jealous person who may use your sins against you later or someone who is likely to beat you down further when you are repentant.
I recall a woman who went to her brother to confess the sin of adultery, not because he knew about it but because she thought accountability was a good thing. Sadly this brother used it to demean and beat her down to make her feel smaller than she already felt. She was weeping and broken over her sin. The brother harshly with anger in his voice asked her why she did it. She had no answer except that sin is pleasurable for a season.
Asking a broken sinner "why" is a way of beating them down even more. All sin is pleasurable, we know why we do things that is not the issue. The issue is confession and repentance, a desire to turn away from the sin.
The woman who had confessed would never go to confess anything to this brother again, it did not help her, it only hurt her further when she was already repentant. And, sadly it seriously damaged the relationship.
James 5:16
"16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Galatians 6:1-2 "1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.…"
Notice that when someone is repentant those who are helping do not help by another and worse beat-down. They are forgiven and restored.
When a sinner repents and is weeping over their sin our response ought to be to weep with them in their pain. And, rejoice too that they are being restored. This is the heart of authentic born again believers.
May the Lord give us compassion for the broken and repenting sinner. So much so that we feel what they feel and desire to restore them to once again walk in holiness.
There are those who are so prideful that they do not believe in forgiveness for sin, or at least the sins of others that they think they have not committed. These people don't confess their sin to anyone, in fact they pretend they have no sin about anything.
The sin of pride was the very sin that got the devil thrown out of heaven. This is the pride in the heart of one who loves to see others fail and takes advantage of that fall to elevate themselves as superior.
May the Lord give us the right heart when we seek to restore a repentant brother or sister.
Psalm 32:5
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
Hallelujah, cleansing comes when there is confession, and it comes completely and quickly!
The act just proves what was in the heart that no one could see. So, do we divorce someone for what is in the heart? No, and we do not divorce them for their acts either. We remain committed to them with the prayer that they will repent.
Many people have committed adultery without ever doing the act, just as Christ Himself said based on their heart.
I am convinced there is not one person alive today who could claim they never pondered someone other than their spouse for a minute longer than they should.
Come on now brothers and sisters, raise your hand if you have never lusted after someone in your entire life! What? No hands going up?
If anyone told me they have never done it then I would not believe them.
Matthew 5:27-28 "27 You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. "
By the way, if you have lusted in your heart after someone don't be foolish enough to go and tell them. Confess only to God because He is the only One Who knew. And be wise never to tell anyone else, people cannot be trusted with these secrets.
Someone might want to confess generically to their close friends without details and names, but to confess who and what is not wise when it was not public.
If you have committed the act that is a different matter, then you will need help from the brethren to restore you. For the act, one must confess to one another and be restored. Please never confess to a jealous person who may use your sins against you later or someone who is likely to beat you down further when you are repentant.
I recall a woman who went to her brother to confess the sin of adultery, not because he knew about it but because she thought accountability was a good thing. Sadly this brother used it to demean and beat her down to make her feel smaller than she already felt. She was weeping and broken over her sin. The brother harshly with anger in his voice asked her why she did it. She had no answer except that sin is pleasurable for a season.
Asking a broken sinner "why" is a way of beating them down even more. All sin is pleasurable, we know why we do things that is not the issue. The issue is confession and repentance, a desire to turn away from the sin.
The woman who had confessed would never go to confess anything to this brother again, it did not help her, it only hurt her further when she was already repentant. And, sadly it seriously damaged the relationship.
James 5:16
"16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Galatians 6:1-2 "1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.…"
Notice that when someone is repentant those who are helping do not help by another and worse beat-down. They are forgiven and restored.
When a sinner repents and is weeping over their sin our response ought to be to weep with them in their pain. And, rejoice too that they are being restored. This is the heart of authentic born again believers.
May the Lord give us compassion for the broken and repenting sinner. So much so that we feel what they feel and desire to restore them to once again walk in holiness.
There are those who are so prideful that they do not believe in forgiveness for sin, or at least the sins of others that they think they have not committed. These people don't confess their sin to anyone, in fact they pretend they have no sin about anything.
The sin of pride was the very sin that got the devil thrown out of heaven. This is the pride in the heart of one who loves to see others fail and takes advantage of that fall to elevate themselves as superior.
May the Lord give us the right heart when we seek to restore a repentant brother or sister.
Psalm 32:5
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
Hallelujah, cleansing comes when there is confession, and it comes completely and quickly!
Dependence on the Holy Spirit is the Key to Everything
Most people who mock our decision to follow Christ do so because they are convicted by it. They lack confidence in their own beliefs but want to hang onto them. So to build themselves up and validate their own belief they must tear down the other person who is confident. The narcissist's aim is to devalue others to be superior to them as well as causing doubt in their target.
When we are confident in the Lord we will not be affected by the tricks of the narcissists. If we are secure in Christ we become sorry for and pity those who cannot stand alone in confidence. Believers who are confident in Christ do not need others to validate them.
Believers are confident just as Noah was when he built an ark in obedience to God. He did not need the validation of anyone else except God.
When we are new in the faith we feel hurt when others demean us for our stand for Christ. As we grow in holiness and strong in the promises of the Bible we lose that sense of hurt from the tactics of others who wish to diminish us.
Over time we become strong and so confident in Christ that we develop pity for those who live a superficial Christianity or are not born again.
James 1:2-8
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
As born again believers our confidence is in Christ alone, not in any preacher, not in a writer of a book, not in anyone famous or prestigious, but in Christ alone.
No one can teach and train us better than Jesus Christ Who lives in us.
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.…"
When we obey God's Word His way what we do will always glorify the father and reveal the Lord Jesus Christ to everyone around us.
This is the purpose of depending on the Lord, that He might be glorified. And, remember just because rebellious people do not respond to our obedience with joy, they may even become angry, this is not evidence that we did not obey God.
Many people will accuse us unjustly refusing to see that God worked in us to do His will, this is on the person who rejects God's word, not on us.
There will be people who say we must have done something wrong because someone got angry. They hated the prophets, crucified Christ, and came against the truth of God's Word, they are speaking of themselves when they accuse us of wrongdoing.
This has been one of the devil's favorite tactics all down through history, to accuse others of doing what the devil is doing and the others are not. It creates frustration in those who are righteous, if we remember this we can avoid being baited into wrong behavior.
Ignore the arrow of the devil and the people he uses, bless those who curse you when you must be in their presence but remove yourselves if you can get away.
Romans 16:17
"Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them."
Proverbs 1:15
"My son, do not walk in the way with them.
Keep your feet from their path,"
Those who are contentious and will not listen to the truth will infect us with their rebellion if we keep them as friends.
1 Corinthians 15:33-34 " 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.…"
Make your close companions those who love the Lord as much as you do. Come out from among those who do not love Christ.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 "…16 What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 17 “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”…"
Hallelujah!!!! May the Lord lead you in everything that you might glorify Him. This is not based on the responses of others but on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
When we are confident in the Lord we will not be affected by the tricks of the narcissists. If we are secure in Christ we become sorry for and pity those who cannot stand alone in confidence. Believers who are confident in Christ do not need others to validate them.
Believers are confident just as Noah was when he built an ark in obedience to God. He did not need the validation of anyone else except God.
When we are new in the faith we feel hurt when others demean us for our stand for Christ. As we grow in holiness and strong in the promises of the Bible we lose that sense of hurt from the tactics of others who wish to diminish us.
Over time we become strong and so confident in Christ that we develop pity for those who live a superficial Christianity or are not born again.
James 1:2-8
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."
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."
As born again believers our confidence is in Christ alone, not in any preacher, not in a writer of a book, not in anyone famous or prestigious, but in Christ alone.
No one can teach and train us better than Jesus Christ Who lives in us.
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.…"
When we obey God's Word His way what we do will always glorify the father and reveal the Lord Jesus Christ to everyone around us.
This is the purpose of depending on the Lord, that He might be glorified. And, remember just because rebellious people do not respond to our obedience with joy, they may even become angry, this is not evidence that we did not obey God.
Many people will accuse us unjustly refusing to see that God worked in us to do His will, this is on the person who rejects God's word, not on us.
There will be people who say we must have done something wrong because someone got angry. They hated the prophets, crucified Christ, and came against the truth of God's Word, they are speaking of themselves when they accuse us of wrongdoing.
This has been one of the devil's favorite tactics all down through history, to accuse others of doing what the devil is doing and the others are not. It creates frustration in those who are righteous, if we remember this we can avoid being baited into wrong behavior.
Ignore the arrow of the devil and the people he uses, bless those who curse you when you must be in their presence but remove yourselves if you can get away.
Romans 16:17
"Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them."
Proverbs 1:15
"My son, do not walk in the way with them.
Keep your feet from their path,"
Those who are contentious and will not listen to the truth will infect us with their rebellion if we keep them as friends.
1 Corinthians 15:33-34 " 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.…"
Make your close companions those who love the Lord as much as you do. Come out from among those who do not love Christ.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 "…16 What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 17 “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 18 And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”…"
Hallelujah!!!! May the Lord lead you in everything that you might glorify Him. This is not based on the responses of others but on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Confess Quickly to be Cleansed
Christians ought to care more about how we do life more than what we get out of it. If we get what we want the wrong way then we can expect problems.
God cares about the way we accomplish things, not just getting things done.
John 14:6 "6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
There is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. Just as there is only one way to follow Christ, His way.
John 14:15 "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. "
Notice something about this passage? It doesn't say its a command to keep His commandments, God says it is the way you walk all the time. You do not have to be commanded to do what you do naturally.
When our nature is changed inito a new creation we no longer think the same way we did before. It is God's heart we seek and His ways.
John 14:21
"Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him."
God will only reveal Himself, His heart to those who want Him.
1 John 2:3
"By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments."
Our nature must be changed by Christ, it is not something we do to ourselves, we desire it and Christ does it.
2 John 1:6
"And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love."
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."
This change and this walk are not in appearances only, it is an entire character change from the inside out. When our character is Christlike then our walk will also be such.
Matthew 15:17-19 "…17“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.…"
A born again believer does not have to work hard to live an obedient life, they just do as easily as they breathe, it comes naturally to want to do the right thing.
New believers at times will walk in fear and try real hard, it is when we do naturally and immediately what we should without having to analyze it that we walk in maturity.
I recall a story of a Chrsitian woman who was driving a car in a parking lot. She accidently backed into a fence and knocked over a portion of the fence. She looked at her friend who was with her and didn't know what to do. She thought about not telling the owners and then she turned to her friend and asked what she should do. Her friend was a more mature Christian, she told her without hesitation that she should tell the owner apologizing and take whatever comes.
The less mature woman took the advice of the believer and told the owners of the shop that she had knocked over a portion of the fence. A lesson was learned that day, trusting Christ was better than running in fear from our responsibilities.
The owner of the shop and fence smiled with a kind look on her face and said, "that's alright people do that all the time, no need to pay for it, we will just put it back up easily."
The more mature Chrsitian asked the less mature believer if she felt better for having told on herself. The answer came back, "yes, now I don't have to feel guilty over it, its all fixed.
God made His principles to fix relationships and resolve probllems the right way. If we follow Him we might have someone rude to us but we will be free of guilt. In this case no one was rude and there was no guilt for hiding it.
Hallelujah.....God wins again!!!!!!
It is surprising how many people think refusing to admit our flaws or mess ups will be better, in the long run it is never better. Handling things quickly and honestly has far reaching blessings.
Proverbs 28:13
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."
James 5:16
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
Proverbs 16:18
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
The longer we wait to confess sin the more bitter we become on the inside. The more we deny our guilt the worse our character becomes. This happens because in order to justify the sin we must make up lies in our mind why it was alright to sin or that we did not sin at all when clearly we did.
Those who want to grow in holiness and learn deeply the heart of God must confess sin quickly to be cleansed of it.
The joyful life is the one that easily confesses quickly and grows in love because of it.
God cares about the way we accomplish things, not just getting things done.
John 14:6 "6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
There is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. Just as there is only one way to follow Christ, His way.
John 14:15 "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. "
Notice something about this passage? It doesn't say its a command to keep His commandments, God says it is the way you walk all the time. You do not have to be commanded to do what you do naturally.
When our nature is changed inito a new creation we no longer think the same way we did before. It is God's heart we seek and His ways.
John 14:21
"Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him."
God will only reveal Himself, His heart to those who want Him.
1 John 2:3
"By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments."
Our nature must be changed by Christ, it is not something we do to ourselves, we desire it and Christ does it.
2 John 1:6
"And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love."
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."
This change and this walk are not in appearances only, it is an entire character change from the inside out. When our character is Christlike then our walk will also be such.
Matthew 15:17-19 "…17“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.…"
A born again believer does not have to work hard to live an obedient life, they just do as easily as they breathe, it comes naturally to want to do the right thing.
New believers at times will walk in fear and try real hard, it is when we do naturally and immediately what we should without having to analyze it that we walk in maturity.
I recall a story of a Chrsitian woman who was driving a car in a parking lot. She accidently backed into a fence and knocked over a portion of the fence. She looked at her friend who was with her and didn't know what to do. She thought about not telling the owners and then she turned to her friend and asked what she should do. Her friend was a more mature Christian, she told her without hesitation that she should tell the owner apologizing and take whatever comes.
The less mature woman took the advice of the believer and told the owners of the shop that she had knocked over a portion of the fence. A lesson was learned that day, trusting Christ was better than running in fear from our responsibilities.
The owner of the shop and fence smiled with a kind look on her face and said, "that's alright people do that all the time, no need to pay for it, we will just put it back up easily."
The more mature Chrsitian asked the less mature believer if she felt better for having told on herself. The answer came back, "yes, now I don't have to feel guilty over it, its all fixed.
God made His principles to fix relationships and resolve probllems the right way. If we follow Him we might have someone rude to us but we will be free of guilt. In this case no one was rude and there was no guilt for hiding it.
Hallelujah.....God wins again!!!!!!
It is surprising how many people think refusing to admit our flaws or mess ups will be better, in the long run it is never better. Handling things quickly and honestly has far reaching blessings.
Proverbs 28:13
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."
James 5:16
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
Proverbs 16:18
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
The longer we wait to confess sin the more bitter we become on the inside. The more we deny our guilt the worse our character becomes. This happens because in order to justify the sin we must make up lies in our mind why it was alright to sin or that we did not sin at all when clearly we did.
Those who want to grow in holiness and learn deeply the heart of God must confess sin quickly to be cleansed of it.
The joyful life is the one that easily confesses quickly and grows in love because of it.
God Puts in Leaders and Takes Them Out
If you know that God puts men in office and takes them out as the Bible says, then he will use our vote for his purposes, even a wicked man.
Romans 13:1 "13 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except [b]from God, and those which exist are established by God."
Obama was placed in office by God, I believe to punish us. Now he is doing the same thing with Trump only using Trump's bombastism to make the liberals lose control of their senses making them crazy so they will riot.
The liberals have been showing their true colors in their blatant display of murderous rage.
I am pondering the idea that Trump knows that he is rattling their cages and likes that they are coming unglued. He feels like it makes him powerful but it will have the opposite effect. He will be less powerful as the raging of the liberals causes more revolt throughout the land. There may even be a civil war when the conservatives can no longer stand the threats of the liberals and they may rise up to meet them.
I know all this sounds strange but I have seen many narcissists who have operated this way, Trump is no different. No one becomes a billionaire without walking over people while using massive doses of manipulation, intimidation and flattery to gain control over people. And, no one all of a sudden becomes a Christian overnight because they are running for office.
These men will claim they are Christian, even Obama did, so did the Bush'es. This is the cultural Christianity that uses god-phrases to make us believe they are spiritual but have placed more trust in government and the voters than in God. They are going for that missing block of voters that have not been voting. By their verbiage they can make this group of people believe they are completely on their side, sucking in those who lack discnerment. Evangelicals are still looking for an earthly savior, instead of reflecting godliness for the sake of winning others to the Lord.
The politicians god is their own belly, their power, their popularity, not Jesus Christ. We know this by the way they are so accepting of every religion as though they are all equal to Christ.
Sadly the United States is like Israel was back in the day when God was their leader but they wanted a king like all the other nations. America clamored after prosperity and freedom, these two things have been the god of the people. They were and are more concerned about these things than they are obeying God.
This country has been using God like a puppet to get what they want for a very long time. He has been assigned by the people to do their bidding, making them comfortable and rich while they shout "don't judge' or "God knows my heart" when their sin grows exponentially out of control or they are confronted with scripture to expose it.
NO, God is not going to save America, He is punishing us right now but instead of repenting we are whinning and complaining at the same time fighting to defend our sin.
All I hear a lot of is "look how much good Trump is doing", oh ya, does it matter that he is not an example of righteousness to follow or that he is using God for his gain?
One last thought, I am interested in the debates because I believe they are going to be a hoot. I am a citizen of heaven watching a play on earth over who will rule a wicked nation. Things are heating up, there are mysteries to be pondered and two people on stage duking it out without any idea what the country really needs, that is a show of repentance and need for righteousness.
Sorry if this offends those who are counting on someone to save our country. I don't care if we get a wall or lower taxes or better schools, these things might be good if Chrsit were in it, but the politicians idea of good is not mine nor is it God's.
Jesus Christ did not come to be a leader of Israel when He came the first time. He didn't come to find a leader for the nation of Israel, He came to bring the good news of the gospel to the lost.
This is also the example we should take to heart, we are not hear to establish a kingdom on earth, we are here to bring the gospel and lives as example of the righteousness of Christ. That is our mission.
Hallelujah!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)