Hating Sin

When we are truly sorry for our sinfulness we hate the sin so much we want to be permanently cleansed from it. As we grow in holiness we are not sinless but we do sin less as one preacher framed it.

Sin is repugnant to those who desire to obey Christ Who lives in them. We don't usually want to do the things that disgust us or know will harm us in the long run.

Psalm 97:10

"O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked."

Romans 12:9

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good."

1 John 3:9

"No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God."

Seek Christ First!

The born-again believer who follows hard after Jesus Christ is able to evaluate everything in terms of the Bible which brings unity among those who love Him. When there is disunity, biting, and devouring one another we know the devil and self will is behind it.

Galatians 5:15 "But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."

These are very difficult times in which to live. Many people who attend church gatherings are more interested in defending their worldly ways than they are in discovering God's heart.

Because of this, we see a superficial love, performance-based, that shuns those who want to go deeper into the Spiritual life with Christ.

Performance-based love means that friendliness and kindness are only extended to those who think the same as those who dominate the group. Its referred to as "group think" by some who have watched this dynamic of excluding or shunning those who have differing views.

Pride is at the root of shunning those who dare to evaluate everything according to God's Word.

Galatians 4:15-17 "…15 What then has become of your blessing? For I can testify that, if it were possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them."

Paul experienced it in His day as well as Jesus Christ Himself. Most people in the world reject Christ, but it is greater grief when we see believers rejecting one another without a desire to work through differences with prayer and study of the word.

John 13:35

"35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

It is human nature to feel embarrassed to be corrected or rebuked. The key to being able to grow in holiness is to ignore the "feelings" of embarrassment while praying for understanding to discern the truth. The devil will use embarrassment and rejection by others to keep us from growing in holiness.

When there is a mentality that someone is my enemy because they do not think like me there will be divided over the silliest things.

We must be so concerned about holiness and right thinking that we will embrace challenges to rethink what we believe. I remember many years ago I was being challenged by the Holy Spirit to ask God for the truth no matter how many traditions or beliefs I would be giving up to follow Him. I have never regretted praying for wisdom about the wrong things I was taught.

It was astounding how many beliefs I was taught all my life that were not Biblical or even loving and kind.

When we follow hard after Christ, desiring to believe only truth it places us on the outs with most people in the church today. We live in a traditional-oriented culture that places comfort and safe feelings above Christ.

The saddest phrase we will ever hear is: "but we have always done it this way." There is so much freedom and peace in seeking God to live according to His Word.

Fear is rampant in the church because there is a lack of faith. Most things are handled according to what the people can figure out with their own minds, not through prayer and obedience to God.

After praying for wisdom on the things I was taught the peace that came over me was astounding. I no longer had to be concerned about what others wanted me to do or believe, I was free to seek Christ and free to obey Him.

There is bondage in worrying about what people will want, the bondage of "people-pleasing" is everywhere now. We are not free in Christ to completely disregard what others think, some may be led by the Lord. However, we ought never to take on the beliefs of people merely to be accepted.

Everything we believe ought to be led by the Holy Spirit according to the Word of God. It is not a good idea in these days of apostasy to first ask people what they think about something. It is best to go to prayer first asking God what He wants. When God tells us something there will be another witness from God's people who will affirm what He has said to you.

I am sure Noah and Lot did not have affirmation, so in these last days, we can expect to be alone a lot if we are seeking Christ.

We are living in the last days in which it will be difficult to find those who want to hear from Christ, don't let this intimidate you into following people.

Acts 5:29-30 "29 But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree.…"

Many people love "religion" more than they love God!

The Way We Think Dictates Our Actions and Attitudes

Luke 10:26-27 "…26“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

When we love someone this much they become our entire life.

Do you think of Jesus Christ when you need something but ignore Him most of the time?

Does Jesus Christ control the way you think every day?

Whichever is true will dictate how we respond to life.

Our attitudes and actions prove what is in our hearts. Our hearts cannot be different from our actions and attitudes. The heart drives the way we operate.

Are You Afraid of the Face Mask?

A sister brought up the subject of face masks for this virus. She wondered what I thought about it. Here was my answer:

"People who adamantly are against masks and people who are adamantly for them are both walking in fear.

I am not afraid of wearing a mask or not wearing it.

My focus is my witness to others. If not wearing one is a distraction to the gospel then I will put one on so that those who are fearful will be more likely to listen.

The mask is nothing and the vaccine is nothing, God has a purpose in all of it and each person must seek God for their actions.

1 Corinthians 8:12-13 "…12 By sinning against your brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble."

This applies to mask wearing too, we are to avoid placing controversial things in the way of the gospel. It is not a sin to wear the mask nor is it a sin not to wear it. However, if if the government wanted me to wear a mask over my whole head and everyone would be offended if I didn't, then I would wear the head mask to reach the lost for Christ.

More words not in my answer:

The gospel message is more important than anything the government tells us to do except if they demand that we not preach the gospel.

It's easy here in our country to preach, no one cares, they just ignore us if they don't like it. Perhaps the mask mandate will show if we are willing to suffer, if anyone wants to call a mask suffering, in order to remove all distractions from the gospel.

Wearing a mask is not suffering, sorry if this seems a little harsh to those who refuse to be told what to do by others, but it is not suffering.

We have all our needs med, are warm and fed, complaining about a mask seems silly to me. We still have a choice, choose what you please, but don't chastise others for their choice.

Satan knows how to cause division and angst in people over nothing at all. He can make a mountain out of a molehill to cause fighting and arguing.

Don't let this mask or anything else feed the beast, that is Satan. Keeping people angry and against each other makes them think that people are their enemies when the fact is that the devil is our enemy. Fight him in prayer and resist his attempts to make us sin against one another.

We win in the end, and we can win against him right now by not falling into his traps.

1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

God allowed the virus to show us our own heart condition. We all have been tested and all need redirection about our attitudes. He allowed the virus and Satan to plague us but we can have the victory over the devil by our godly responses to everything.

Forget what the world is doing and focus on what Christ can do in us. Hallelujah

A Major End Times Lie | Tipping Point | End Times Teaching | Jimmy. Evans

The Deceitful Nature Of Sin Exposed | Noah Hines

America Must Repent

The only way for any American's to repent is for God to punish the country so that the people stop trusting in their "rights" and their "government" and begin to trust in Christ. Freedom in our country has been the god pushing out the Bible as the standard and replacing it with everything else.

America is going down because the culture as a whole is self-elevated and self-entitled. God must remove this mentality, but most will not budge, they will fight for their right to do whatever they wish but have no interest in God or Jesus Christ.

The Christian community has their mind more on politics and freedom than they do on Christ. We know this by their continual bantering about every latest government move.

The pride of America must be done away with in order for this country to see its need for Christ. Most Americans are "fighters of their rights", full of self-will and arrogance.

God uses difficulties to cause people to see their need for Him. Without difficulties, we see how culture progresses into selfishness and entitlement.

Even our good deeds are done to fulfill self-exaltation. We know this because of the level of which the family as a unit has been destroyed by divorce and remarriage.

Children have been indulged, mocking and demeaning their parents as they rule the family instead of the parents.

In our country, the Bible has been perverted as though it is a book of suggestions that can be followed or not depending on personal desire.

If you do not believe me just bring up passages in the Bible in front of family and friends and watch their faces turn red as though they are embarrassed. Then watch the silence as they sit there without anything to say, changing the subject to the latest political matter.

Yes, many are conservative but have no interest in God or the Bible. They just like their freedom and pleasure and they know that conservatism is what has preserved that.

The families of conservatives are just as messed up as the liberals only they don't know it. There are very few believers in Christ left in our country, most are pretenders who like their 'religion" but have no interest in obeying Christ.

"Conservatism" is not "Christianity"!!!! Many people are conservative in their politics but are radically disobedient to Christ. They don't think so because they have a form of "religion" they follow but little of it has to do with seeking and obeying Christ.

2 Timothy 4:3

"3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,"

We are not living in times when there is little faith upon the earth and few people will listen to truth.

I am convinced we are going home soon because of all the signs around us that have been prophesied in the Bible. This brings me great joy and motivates me to encourage believers to keep looking up as God commanded when we see these things happening.

Luke 21:27-28 "…27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”