Thursday, April 13, 2023
Christ is the One Who Changes People
When God said He predestined some for one thing and others for another thing it had nothing to do with salvation. God predestined people for services that they would do. God never predetermined man for salvation, that is some to go to hell and others to go to heaven, this is a gross misinterpretation of the Scriptures.
When we do not understand a passage or principles it is best to go to prayer and trust the Holy Spirit, not make up our own idea about what it could mean. This is how we get into so much heresy, through attempting to figure out what God meant with our own minds rather than seeking the Holy Spirit.
Many people today think sin doesn't matter anymore since Christ paid the price for sin. They will say their sin is covered in the blood. This makes Christ unable to change a heart that doesn't even want sin anymore. Anyone who wants to use the excuse that we can sin all we want because we are under the blood cannot be born again.
I say this because those who have become "contrite" over their sin, contrite meaning crushed under the weight of their sinfulness would never want to continue in sin.
1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.…"
A child of God who was crushed under the weight of their own sin repented and desires to be changed by Christ, this person would never justify or defend sin in themselves or anyone else.
Romans 1:17,18
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith…
Our faith will lead us to the right actions. We are not justified by our actions but we will have the right actions because our faith is justified. Christ changes a born-again believer at the very core of their being, they hate sin and desire for Christ to continue His cleansing throughout their life.
It is not possible to grow in holiness when we pridefully resist correction.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Those who refuse to endure correction and who defend sin as a right, are likely not born-again.
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
The Devil Promotes Pride and Boasting
Attempting to make another person jealous by boasting is a sin. Why? Because it is a tactic to make another person sin.
Jealousy is what caused the devil to want to overthrow God. When anyone is trying to cause jealousy in someone else they are trying to make that person sin while elevating themselves.
Attempts to make others jealous or to cause others to sin is strong evidence that the showoff feels insecure and lacking good sense.
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."
When we see that someone is boasting creating a reaction, this is the time to begin avoiding them. If we are walking in the Spirit we will not be jealous and we don't want anyone to manipulate us into jealousy. It is true that bad company corrupts good character. The longer we ignore what they are doing the more likely we will be manipulated by them.
Be wise, we must make our companions those who love to please God.
Words Pretenders Do Not Want to Hear
The pretenders are those who attempted to pretend to be Christians but never cared about Christ, they were dedicated to "feeling" safe but didn't love Him. They had a little oil because they had become acquainted with Christ through knowledge and the presence of other true believers but they never wanted him. They did not possess the Holy Spirit only touched upon him but He never moved into their heart because they were pretenders.
1 John 2:14-16 "14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.…"
1 Corinthians 2:13-15 "…13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.…"
Those pretenders in the church do not understand the things of God. They have some speech at times but they do not utter the name of Jesus Christ, notice it next time you talk to a pretender. They are embarrassed to hear the name of Jesus Christ let alone speak it themselves.
Some will speak the name of Jesus as a mantra to get what they want but they do not witness to others and they change the Word of God to fit their own desires.
Repent now if you are a pretender so that you will not be one of those who thinks they are going to heaven only to discover they didn't make it because they never trusted Christ.
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
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