Before God Corrects You, He’ll Send You These Warning Signs

True Believers and Sorrow Over Sin

True believers are sorrowful when they sin even in the slightest way whether by attitude or actions. They hate their sin and want to be cleansed of it.

Those who say they are Christians but justify their sin have not been born-again.

Hebrews 12:5-8

5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

Nor faint when you are punished by Him;

6 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines,

And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”

7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

A true believer is miserable in their sin and eventually will confess it to be cleansed and turn from it.

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.…"

Because God loves His children He will correct us.

God said it not me! Denying Christ in the Walk

1 John 2:20-24

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

22 Who is the liar except the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

24 As for you, see that what you heard from the beginning remains in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father."

There are many ways to deny Christ by proclaiming to be a Christian but hate the principles of Christ. When someone says they go to church or they are a Christian but fight against the Word of God they are denying Christ. Christ is the Word, He is the essence of His own Word.

John 1:14-15 "14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John *testified about Him and called out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who is coming after me has proved to be my superior because He existed before me.’”"

It is our dedication to His Word and the fruit of the Spirit that defines us, our walk defines us, not our words.

Lies of the Apostate Church

Many lies have entered the last days apostate church, the following is one:

Divorce and remarriage are acceptable for adultery, they call it the exception clause. The passage in Matthew used to justify divorce and remarriage is not a passage about marriage but about the agreement during the engagement. It was written to the Jews who had the custom of divorcing from a "betrothal" or as we say engagement.

Luke 16:18

“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery."

Luke 16:18. “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

Physical abuse is a crime against the state, if there is this going on then the abused spouse is free to call the authorities and have the abuser removed. This is not permission to remarry.

1 Corinthians 7:10-17

"10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife is not to leave her husband 11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband is not to [a]divorce his wife."

Those who say if a man is unsaved the woman should let him go she is no longer "bound" to allow for divorce are patently wrong.

The word "bound" has nothing to do with marriage, it has to do with no longer being under his authority. If a spouse leaves then we are no longer required to consider them in our daily decisions. We are to remain peaceful with them while being detached from them.

Those who have interpreted the word "bound" as marriage have looked for an excuse to dissolve the marriage and find someone else.

The problem with this thinking of dissolution of the marriage is sealed by God, not by man. When two people make their vows to one another God then does His work and glues them together with a spiritual glue that no man or government can undo. Only death severs the marriage bond.

Isaiah 43:13

"13 Even [a]from eternity I am He,

And there is no one who can rescue from My hand;

I act, and who can reverse it?”

Marriage is a picture of the salvation of the believer. When God changes us into a new creation when we confess our sinfulness and desire to be changed by Him, it is a Spiritual bond between our Lord and us that no one can undo.

Isaiah 43:12-13 "…12 I alone decreed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God. 13Even from eternity I am He, and none can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”"

Ephesians 2:8-10 "…8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.…"

When we choose to follow Christ He does all the work in us until we leave this world. We are a work in process as He instructs us, disciplines us and then carries us Home in His timing.

Ephesians 2:10

"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

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?…"

When we become born again we remain trapped in this body full of sin but under the control of the Holy Spirit. Our spirit is replaced by the Spirit of God but we remain in this fleshly body with all its feelings and distortions. God takes our life as believers and cledanses us from the wrong thinking and the fleshly desires. As we grow in holiness the sin diminishes dramatically as we submit to Him.

God told us to confess our sins to be cleansed. If we do not confess He will not cleanse us but will take us through trials to show us our need to confess them. We grow in direct proportions to how often we confess our sins as they arise. Many people remain spiritual and emotional infants because they will not lay down their pride and confess. The following passage was given to the church.

1 John 1:8-10

"8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us."

Our flesh battles against the Spirit of God Who lives in us, we must do the battle through confession to God and others in order to grow in holiness.

Galatians 5:16-18 "16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.…"

If we walk in the Spirit, pray continually and study God's Word we will sin less. We are not sinless but we do not live a lifestyle of sin as those who are not born-again.

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."

When we see people in the church fighting against the truth of the Bible while living a lifestyle of resistance to the truth we have witnessed a pretender. Someone who wants the safety of Christ but does not want Him.

How do we discern who is born of God and who is not?

God gave us the principles of a changed heart that reveal who belongs to Him and who does not.

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."

Those who love Christ do not need rules and laws, these are used to control those who are wicked. Believers want to do what is right and are led by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Law, He lives in us and we love Him and His Law.

We do not have to tell a believer not to steal, they just don't want to, nor do we have to tell a believer not to murder, because they hate murder as God hates it. Those who walk with God having been changed by Christ love righteousness and are recoiled at the deceitfulness of the world and the devil's lies.

May every believer stop following man and begin seeking the Holy Spirit, anyone who does this will be amazed at what God shows them.

Hallelujah!

How Did We Get Here?

How did we get here? How did the culture become increasingly the 2 Timothy 3 mentality?

2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult (ragingly insane) times will come.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,

4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [b]godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

These people even have a form of religion they call Christianity but have no love for God or others, their hearts have not been changed into a new creation by Christ because they saw "religion" as a means to feel safer and make themselves look good to others. It is not about God at all, we know this because we almost never hear the church goers mention the name of Jesus Christ. As 2 Timothy says; they have a form of religion but deny Christ in their life.

When I was a child I remember going to visit my cousins on a Sunday afternoon. We came home from church, ate our meal, took our naps and then took a short drive over to our aunt and uncles home for a visit. They had several children and there were three children in my family.

Upon arrival we found the children watching their new television. In those days we didn't have one yet because they were a new appliance that many people did not yet have.

It was a beautiful day and our aunt and uncle's family had a large field where we could play baseball or just running around in a game of tag.

Everyone ignored my suggestion that we go outside and play because the children were all planted in front of the television and would not go out to play. The parents didn't turn it off so the children could interact with one another so the idea that the television was more important than the guests was firmly planted in the minds of the children.

The adults were not watching the television and went into the other room to visit. I remember being bored by the television with a burning desire to interatact out in the beautiful weather with my counsins. Just for perspective I am over 70 now and have seen this mentality of device over relationship grow exponentially over the years.

As society prospered and technology increased we saw people move from the television stance in a chair to the phones everyone carries and checks many times during the day to see if anyone they wish to talk to is calling. However the phone allows someone to swipe off people, ignore or block them at will.

I see people spending more time on their phones in texting than I do interacting in conversation with people standing right in front of them. This is an objectification of those on the phone, they become objects to be used rather than people with whom to develop meaningful relationships.

Many people if not most are seeing others as objects to be used and discarded than they are seeing them as friends to be valued, protected and supported.

We now live in a culture that sees people as a means to their end. They use them as sounding boards to boast of their lives or to provide something they need but they do not see them as human beings to be valued. People are discarding others regularly for the slightest misstep or for not elevating them as special without a hint of guilt or remorse about it.

One of the elements of close relationships is the ability to discuss something while desiring to understand the other person's thoughts and actions. This is almost non-existent now, a thing of the past that I fear can never return.

Romans 1:30

"slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents."

Philippians 2:21

"For all the others look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."

I have encountered often gossipers who think they see something in someone that they have no evidence for, passing on what they think they know as though it is fact. When there is no human connection to the person being maligned there is no guilt for ruining their reputation with others who didn't see anything to judge.

This is the kind of judging God says not to do, that is unrighteously judge someone based on the desired belief about them. Usually these assessments of others have more to do with jealousy and what someone wishes to believe than they do on any rational facts.

Warning; never tell gossipers what is going on in your life, it is better for them to make up a lie than to have a half truth that makes them sound credible.

Romans 15:1-3

"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves…"

Psalm 10:3-4 " 3 For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. 4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.…"

Boasting and posturing is a big part of the life of those who love themselves above everyone else. They use technology to easily discard and revile others without any sense of shame over doing so.

Psalm 94:4

"They pour out arrogant words; all workers of iniquity boast."

Psalm 52:7

"Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction."

Our culture is trusting in their ability to have what they want when they want it not in Christ. When electronic devices take priority over relationships we know that we have moved into a cold culture of objectification of people.

This is not to mention the indoctrination that occurs from television or internet shows. This media has brainwashed many people into believing what they see on the screen. They think because it was on the screen it must be true.

This objectification and selfishness we see today affords antichrists to maintain control over the minds of people. When we realize that Christ has been maligned, His principles ignored and His being used to glorify themselves, we know we have moved into the end times apostasy and the end of the church age is almost over. We know too that when this age is over then begins the tribulation, a time so horrific it makes anything mankind has seen so far look like a cake walk.

Believers don't have to be depressed about any of this but we do need to understand what is happening so that we do not take it personally allowing the attitudes and actions of people to affect our walk with Christ. We need to stay focused on Christ and His calling for each of us. Hallelujah

Hebrews 12:1-3

Jesus, the Example

"12 Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2 looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

The Warnings are being Ignored and Mocked

How many times have we as born-again believers warned, and warned, and warned only to be reviled for our love for those we warn. My guess is too many times to count.

"Christian" churches are not concerned about obeying Christ or humbling themselves to be changed by Him. They want only to feel safe and comfortable while remaining loved by the culture around them.

Did you know John the Baptizer was beheaded for telling Herod and Herodius of their adulterous unlawful marriage?

How many of us would be beheaded today if those around us had the power to do it. Since they do not have the power to kill us as they wish they use other tactics to try to destroy us.

The tactics in this modern time is reviling, dismissiveness, mocking, excluding, withholding of affection, gossip, gaslighting, and much more to cause us to become intimidated into silence.

These manipulations to hurt authentic believers are because of the hatred people have toward those who bring the Scriptures to bear on any discussion or problem.

God calls this hatred a form of murder.

1 John 3:14-16 "…14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer. 16 By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

John 15:18-25

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. ..."

Never allow those who hate us manipulate you into becoming like them through any response to them except that which is from God through the Holy Spirit.

Bless those who curse you, either with a Holy Spirit correction or refusing to fight with them. Walk away from those who will not listen to the truth of Scripture and who continually cause trouble to insight you. Do not allow them to cause anger in you, do not allow them to provoke an ungodly response. The best thing to do when in the company of a divisive and angry person is to walk away and stay away from them.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Difficult (ragingly insane) Times Will Come

3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,

4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

This is the mentality of the world around us right now, only we are unsure of what we see because we have been living in it all our lives and want to believe perhaps we are not seeing it right, perhaps there is some good in these people. Because we love to obey Christ and walk in His ways we have a hard time facing that the world as a whole is wicked.

These last days are difficult for us because we hate evil and it is all around us all the time. It plays out in our lives continually as the families are destroyed by the devil and we are reviled for saying so.

These last days are difficult because it is hard to find those who love Christ as much as we do and those who claim they are Christians do not love Him as they say, their words do not match their attitudes of arrogance and revenge.

When we can stand back and see everything for what it is through the lens of the Word of God we can detach, not taking things personally even though we grieve at times as Lot and the prophets of old. They lived their lives primarily alone without much support and grieved and wept over those around them who loved themselves more than they loved God.

The prophets did not grieve over the mistreatment, they grieved over the hearts of people who refused to love God and obey Him. It wasn't about them at all, it was about the heart they had for the lost and their desire for people to listen to their warnings.

Keep warming, keep seeking Christ and learn to be alone in it in these last days where there is little faith left upon the earth.

The Day of Apostasy is here Now!

I find this to be common in our day of apostasy.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

The Great Apostasy

"2 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of [b]sin is revealed, the son of perdition,"

The apostasy is here now in our day, many do not recognize it because they have lived in it their entire lives and have never asked God to show them the truth.

"The person God cannot help, the one who does wrong and acts as though it is right." Clifton Jones

We cannot have a discussion with those who will not evaluate their own flaws. Those who can evaluate themselves in honesty will grow and change according to God's principles and not their own ideas of right and wrong.

The culture has no power over those who walk with Christ. Those who walk according to their own ideas to feel special and elevated in the eyes of those around them are helpless and controlled by the culture in which they live.

How to stop being controlled and manipulated by the culture,is to read the word with the desire for the Holy Spirit to teach us, believe Him, evaluate everything according to His Word and then obey Christ.

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."

John 14:23

"Jesus replied, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

John 15:10

"If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love."

1 John 2:3

"By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments."

1 John 5:3

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,"

Those who say they believe in Him but do not obey Him, are walking in pride and anger they are lying.

2 Corinthians 11:13

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ."

1 John 4:1

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Revelation 2:5

"Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."