Trust in Christ through the Holy Spirit not in the Country or the Pastor

Are you trusting in your country or are you trusting in Christ? It's a good question because both cannot co-exist, we must choose one over the other.

Since there is no command in the Bible to vote for our leaders we can choose if we want to or not.

It is amazing to me that so many Christians have judged others as "neglectful or bad" citizens of the country they live in because they have chosen to believe what God said in His Word.

Romans 13:1 "Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God."

We are to be good citizens in the country in which we live as a witness to the people around us. However, we are not commanded by God to do what the authorities have allowed but have made no law about.

We are living in a day when some remnant believers have chosen to avoid the political system while believing the Lord will put in whomever He wants for whatever are His purposes.

Americans have been indoctrinated from a very young age in government schools that we would be bad citizens if we didn't vote for our leaders. This is very difficult to overcome when from age we were told we must vote. No where in Scripture does God tell us we are bad citizens if we don't vote for a leader. God has this, He is in control and no one will be in power without His permission.

This mentality of "everyone must vote" does not allow for a person to vote their own conscience when two evil people are running for office. In the minds of Americans, we must choose one of the evil people to rule us or we are bad citizens.

I reject the idea that someone is a "bad citizen" if they choose not to vote. We are often told to vote our conscience from the pulpit but we are never told we are allowed to express our conscience by not voting.

Once again the church oversteps the Scriptures and places rules and mandates on people that God never placed but are cultural and not Biblical.

I have voted since I was 18, and yes often with frustration that I had to cast a vote for a foolish and wicked person. I have voted for many years for the "lesser of the two evils" in an attempt to get a few things I believed were good for the country. I promised my husband that I would never cancel out his vote by voting differently from him. I knew he agreed with me on the moral issues so I could easily keep that promise.

My admonition to believers is to stop pressuring people to ignore the Holy Spirit when He is telling someone not to cast a vote. We do not know what God has for our country, it may be punishment through wicked leaders, and believe me when I say we deserve what God will give us.

If you cannot give me one command in the word of God without snatching passages out of their context, that everyone should vote then you have no right to pressure others to do what you think they should do in the matter of voting.

I am not telling people not to vote, I am telling people to be led by the Holy Spirit and allow others to be led by Him too without worldly and cultural pressure.

I wonder how many people will be able to worship at home if the churches are shut down. My guess, based on the COVID years is that most do not know how to worship at home without that paid pastor up front.

I was not worried about the church gatherings in those monstrous buildings being shut down because it was a test of the dedication of Christians, whether they knew how to pray and worship on their own without a "pastor" doing it for them.

So many church attendees think their "pastor" is the mediator between them and God, this could not be more egregious. When we have been depending on a "pastor" we are not depending on the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13-15

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you."

God never said the leaders or pastors would lead us into all truth. He said it would be the Holy Spirit. Those who depend on the pastors are not depending on the Holy Spirit.

Next time a person approaches you and says: " I have a word from the Lord for you", tell them boldly and without reservation; "no you do not, God tells me what He wants me to know and there is only one Mediator between me and God and that is Christ Jesus."

No One is Better Than Anyone Else

I was once told by a "Christian" who attended Bible college that his sins were not as bad as the sins of others. I was astounded, no one can be born again who is not broken over the smallest sin of pride.

If any sin we committed is viewed as "not so bad" then we cannot be born again. All sins, no matter how small are worthy of hell because it reveals a sinful nature.

We do not go to hell for a particular sin, someone who goes to hell goes there because their nature is sinful and without the ability to be anything other than sinful.

The person who lives a good life, obeying the laws and being a good neighbor will go to hell for not trusting in Christ for what He did to pay the price for their sinful nature.

Those who think they are good but are trusting in themselves, thinking they deserve heaven will not be saved.

It is only Christ Who can pay the penalty of our sinfulness with His blood. No one is good, not one person can say they are good.

Romans 3:10-12

"As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

People who think they are good and deserve heaven always have the propensity to compare themselves with others, even making up issues that are non-existent to appear superior. These people will wallow in their own self-exalted pride and find themselves in hell hearing those terrible words from God; "I NEVER KNEW YOU."

It takes a broken spirit and humility to become born again. No one who possesses pride will make heaven.

Proverbs 16:18-19 " 18 Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble than to divide the spoil with the proud.…"

Since our culture has been raised on "self-esteem" it is difficult to find very many people who have been humbled and have repented. Humility and repentance is anathema to someone who prides themselves on how good they think they are and how better than others they perceive themselves.

It is very difficult to reach those with the gospel who are in the church and have themselves on a throne as special. They already believe they are Christians but have never been born again. Once a person has been convinced they are good it is nearly impossible to convince them they are not good. It takes the Holy Spirit working hardships and trials in their life to bring them to the place of despair to be able to see their own wicked state and repent from it.

We can pray for these people, that God would work in their lives but we know they will not listen to those they believe are beneath them. These people hate the traits of God in born-again believers. They hate empathy, kindness and humility, they are considered weak to the one who loves to be in control of everyone else through their accusations of imperfection and their inability to love anyone whom they believe is not "perfect enough."

Sadly the church organizations are full of these "self-righteous" ones who pervert the gospel and lack all the fruit of the Spirit.

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 love people more than they love themselves. They have no need to feel superior or special because Christ is the only ONE WHO is special.

Run From Church Leadership that Makes Unbiblical Rules

Pentecostal churches and seminaries have devised man-made rules and rituals that God never commanded, oppressing many people. They are not the only denominations like this, almost all have done this, however, many Pentecostal ideas have crept into the churches that do not call themselves Pentecostal.

Matthew 23
"1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: 2“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3 So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
6 They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.
8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of held as you are.
16 Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?
18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’
19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred?
20 So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it.
22 And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.
23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish,f so that the outside may become clean as well.
27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.
30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers. 33 You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?
34 Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute in town after town.
35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36 Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation."

The leaders of these gatherings devise a leadership structure that God never intended while intimidating people into submission to them instead of encouraging their followers to seek the Holy Spirit and obey Him.

 
And, sadly these same leaders discourage obedience to God's Word with their cultural ways that dishonor God. They place pressure on those under them to follow their rules instead of God's Word.
When we break away from these oppressive systems our eyes are opened and our joy returns. No longer do we work to please people but we are resting in joy of the Holy Spirit Who knows exactly what is best for us.

 
It is amazing how so many people in these religious systems think it is their duty to force others to think as they do, do what they do, and elevate them as special, even above the Authority of the Holy Spirit.
God never commanded leaders to intimidate and attempt to emotionally manipulate the believers into doing what the leaders want. Leaders are to lead by example and teaching, they have no authority over the people. They only have authority to teach and preach when led by the Holy Spirit but they have no authority to control the people.

 
When you are in a system that disallows conversation and correction of the preachers then is time to walk away when they are in error but will not listen.

Never feel pressured to remain in a cult-like group that demands everyone remain silent except the teachers. God called for all believers to be led by the Holy Spirit, no one person has the power over everyone else.

 
1 Corinthians 14:29-30 "29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop."

All the men are allowed according to God to speak in the gathering as they are led by the Spirit. The rule that only one man gets to speak and no one should interrupt him is man's tradition, not what God taught in His Word for the gathering of believers.

 
May those who want the truth be willing to change their thinking from the man-made rules to God's teachings in the Bible.

We Lose Friends and Family When We Follow Christ

"One of the fastest ways to lose friends is to go all the way with God. Once you become serious about spiritual matters, forsaking all your idols, taking your eyes off things of this world; turning to Jesus with your whole heart; and hungry more for Him, you suddenly become a "religious fanatic" and soon you will experience the worst rejection of your lifetime." David Wilkerson

It has been my personal experience that those who have been in church all or most of their lives seemed to enjoy hating me because I was not saved before I trusted Christ. Sadly after I was born-again these same people wanted to believe I was the same person after being born-again that I was before I found Christ. They acted as though they hated that I had changed.

My question was for years, why were they not excited that I had been changed rather than pretending there had been no change. Perhaps they never changed when they decided to be a Christian and believed they had earned their salvation by being good enough, thereby affording them the luxury of feeling superior to someone who was sinful before trusting in Christ.

This leaves me with the sense that there has never been salvation in those who love to elevate themselves. No one who realized their sinfulness, repented, and became born again remains the same. Those who believe they never sinned badly enough to be rejected by God could never have humbled themselves in repentance to be changed by Christ. They remain in their fallen and sinful state of pride preventing them from becoming born-again.

When we meet someone who has been changed by Christ into a new creation there is a wonderful Spiritual connection, any past sins are irrelevant, and the cleansing of Christ is the focus not anything from the past.

I was actually told by a "Bible believing" Christian to remember how I used to be. My answer was, what I used to be is no longer what I am and Christ cleanses from all sin when we trust in Him. This person was a churchgoer all her life. She acted as though she hated that I was joyful, she wanted me to be miserable and full of guilt.

Why would anyone want a person to be full of guilt over past forgiven sins? My only guess is that they were never forgiven and have not experienced the peace of having repented, because they thought they had never sinned and deserved to be saved.

Romans 3:23

"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

Prideful people always believe better about themselves than is warranted. They fight and defend themselves to avoid brokenness not realizing that brokenness over sin is the only way anyone can be saved.

Acts 3:19

"Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,"

Those who deny the cleansing power of Christ believing they never needed it and that others have never been cleansed of past sin, cannot and will not be saved.

Every born-again believer comes to Christ in brokenness realizing that they have no good in them to gain heaven. They know that they have been as wicked as everyone else without Christ.

Only those who have a high opinion of their own goodness would accuse others of past forgiven sin. And, even worse these people gossip to others to gain their approval as they turn people against those who have been cleansed by Christ.

Acts 17:30

"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,"

Notice the phrase; "all people everywhere to repent." No matter how good you think you have lived you have pride and self-exaltation that needs cleansing.

The vilest murderer can be saved while the good citizen goes to hell for his pride. Anyone who desires to think highly of themselves may actually be on their way to hell.

Luke 5:32

"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

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 [a]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"

And finally, do not feel compelled to make friends with those who act superior. allow them their space and move on to other lovely people who have compassion and will rejoice with you at the new you in Christ.

7 Signs of Covert Narcissism to Watch out For in a Relationship

New Creation in Christ or the Devil's Narcissism?

2 Corinthians 5:17

"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

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."

When we become born again the WAY we think is completely changed. Those who remain prideful and stubborn toward others are also prideful and stubborn toward God.

Those who have an addiction to being special and superior to others have not been born again.

Matthew 23:15

"15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves."

Immaturity and easily being offended are the hallmarks of those who are completely self-absorbed.

Matthew 23:5-7

"5 And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues,

7 and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called Rabbi by the people."

Narcissists who love to be with outwardly beautiful people and look down their noses at those they perceive as unattractive are superficial and lacking in all the fruit of the Spirit.

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."

It is not possible to have the fruit of the Spirit when the evidence shows a spirit of entitlement and superiority. These are the character traits of the devil.

Galatians 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Luke 9:23

"And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

Those who have Christ living in them do not act with swelling pride, they have the joy of the Lord knowing that He is pre-eminent in their hearts.

Galatians 5:24

"And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

Hallelujah!!! The ungodly life of narcissism is a burden but the life in Christ that generates His qualities is an eternal blessing.

Ruling Over the Wife is a Condition of the Fall, not for the Born Again Couple

If a man is "ruling over his wife" in the marriage situation then he is defying God remaining in the fallen state as described in Genesis.

God never commanded the man to rule over his wife. He was commanded to love, cherish, and protect her. The gifts and talents she has were given to her by God and her husband has the responsibility of protecting her ability to carry out her God-given gifts and talents.

Those who say a man should "rule his wife" are operating in the realm of the fallen state. God never commanded this He merely exposed what Adam and Eve did in the garden when they sinned and what happened to the marriage relationship, what sin caused in the marriage. It is a curse for the man to rule his wife as though she were a subject to be abused.

Those who teach that a man is to control his wife is teaching that the man should act like the fallen man in the Genesis account after God cursed the earth and the relationship.

No Christian man should ever see his wife as a robot to be bossed around merely to show his power over her. This is wicked and the devil loves the relationships that diminish the woman.

The husband needs to mind his own business, focusing more on his role in the marriage at the protector with respect and honor to the wife. If he does his job he will be right with God.

The woman is responsible for minding her own business, developing herself in accordance with Scripture.

I see no Scriptural mandate that the man make sure the woman is doing what God has commanded her. Nor do I see any mandate that the woman make sure her husband is doing what he should be doing in the marrige.

Each of us is to be led by the Holy Spirit to be servants of one another, defer to one another in love, protect one another from outside influences and follow God fully. Each of us has our own gender marching orders and each of us is to decide for ourselves to obey God.

We can motivate people to do what we want through intimidation, mocking, dismissiveness, and other mean-spirited tactics, but even if it works and the person does handstands to obey us it does not mean their heart has been changed.

Christ never told us to force others through mocking, intimidation, gossip, and other cultural standards that are not godly. He left us His Word and that Word, the Holy Spirit lives in us. We obey Him and His Word. If everyone did that there would be no conflicts or demeaning to intimidate into submission others.

Speaking the truth in love is far different from rudely judging without knowing all the facts. It is also far different from emotionally and spiritually bludgeoning someone for not being and doing what we think they should be or do.

2 Timothy 4:1-3 "1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires."

When we share the truth of the Scriptures with others and they fight and argue back, then is time to walk away and leave them to God.

Pressuring others to follow rules made by man that God never made is a sin. Misusing the Scriptures to make it say what we want it to say to dominate someone is also a sin.

When someone adds to the word of God to oppress others, changes the words of God or uses them out of context they are sinning..

In all the cases where I see "Christians" gossiping and demeaning others they are always engaged in Scripture twisting while refusing to discuss their desired belief to learn the truth.

We are told to stay away from these divisive people, they can ruin relationships because of their stubborn attitude of control over others.

Christian marriages should be different from the fallen state. Husbands and wives are changed when they are born again, changed from the curse of the Law into brand new people who no longer operate as the fallen state of the first couple in the garden. Jesus Christ redeemed them from that state.

The man no longer rules his wife and the wife has no desire to rule her husband. They operate together each one carrying out their God-ordained purpose as described in the New Covenant.

Of course, we live among people who were married as unbelievers and one became born again and the other did not. Then we have the problem of the unsaved spouse not wanting to follow the scriptures, the born-again spouse must follow Christ even if the other does not.

Matthew 10:35-37 "…35 For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;…"

There will be many men who hate this teaching because it would mean they would have to change their hearts to love their wives as they love their own bodies. Would they oppress themselves? NO, they would nurture themselves.

Ephesians 5:22-33 "22 Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

28 So husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;

29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are parts of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

Christ died for the church just as husbands give up their own lives for their wives.

The wife gives up her own life for her husband and submits to him and the husband gives up his own life to submit to her. They are both submitting to one another in the Lord.

Neither the husband or the wife are commanded to obey one another when one of them is promoting sin. They must remain faithful to Christ even if it means enduring the wrath of their spouse.

Acts 5:29 "29 But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men."