Friday, November 26, 2021
Don't Let Your Name Be Blotted Out, Trust Christ Now
God wished that all would be saved so everyone's name was written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. Names are only blotted out when someone refuses Jesus Christ. This is why we don't see any Scripture that says, "your names are added to the book" and you don't see any Scripture that says names that were blotted out were added back.
When Christ changes us into a new creation we are a completely different person and our names will never be blotted out.
Luke 10:20
"Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Psalm 67:27-28 "…27 Add iniquity to their iniquity; let them not share in Your righteousness. 28 May they be blotted out of the Book of Life and not listed with the righteous."
Revelation 3:5
"Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels."
Hebrews 6:5-6 "…4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.
Those who have been in church all their lives, having tasted the good fruit but did not eat it, are the pretenders. They knew the gospel, walked with those who were born again but were never born again themselves.
These were the Judas of the world who have been with believers but have no interest in being changed into a new creation by Christ. These people are even used of the devil to disrupt the gathering of believers through false doctrine and contention. Sadly the number in this group is far more than those who have authentically trusted in Christ and have been changed by Him. They come in speaking the right things some of the time to confuse people.
Hebrews 10:29
"29 How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?"
We are living in an apostate age in which many people think all they have to do is "say" they are Christian and everyone else should just believe them.
God makes it clear that we are to test the spirits of people to see if they walk with God. Judas was proven to be a pretender, Christ said he was a "devil", meaning he was controlled by the devil and yet the other apostles didn't know it.
When Christ said "one of you is a devil," they asked Him, "is it I, Lord." Judas looked just like them, he was even the treasurer of the group, and yet he was controlled and motivated by the devil. The apostles didn't know who the devil was even though they spent much time with him.
We live in an age when the Holy Spirit lives in us, we can know what He knows.
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.…"
God told us we can know who the pretenders are by their fruit.
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."
Matthew 7:16-18 "…16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.…"
Those who love the Lord and have been changed by Him will live a lifestyle of goodness. When they mess up it is out of weakness not hate. They hate that they have displeased God and desire to make it right through confession and forgiveness.
1 John 1:9
"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."
One who is a pretender is not sorry for their hate and rudeness, they justify it and even demonstrate pride that allows them to blame others for their own sin.
Those who have been born again no longer think the way they thought before Christ changed them. They hate the evil in the world and have empathy for those who need to be saved from their sin and hell.
If there is no desire to see souls saved there probably isn't salvation in the heart of the one who claims to be a Christian.
Those who have confessed their sinfulness desiring to be changed by Christ want very much for others to experience the same blessing. We know the amazing peace, purpose, and inheritance we have when we have trusted Christ and we want everyone we know to have the same thing, so we pray for them. We cannot hate someone for whom we are praying.
May the Lord bless those who have been cleansed by the knowledge of the love Christ has for them. May those who have not yet trusted Christ, may the Lord bring many things into their lives that will help them see their need for Him.
There is nothing more important than a person's salvation, eternity is far longer than this short life on earth.
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Set the Politics Aside and Worship God!!!
Why are so many Christian leaders leaning politically in their sermons and their teaching videos? I am appalled at those who are distracting believers from the Bible while focusing on all the foolishness going on in the world.
God didn't give us details of the evil that would come because with the Holy Spirit we can easily see when something is off!
I understand people warning others about general things that are going on but the many details of that evil are not edifying nor are they useful for us.
Ephesians 4:29
"Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen."
Romans 14:19
"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."
1 Corinthians 10:23
"All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not."
When we dwell constantly on the things happening in the world just to know what they are, we are defiling our minds. So many say they like to be informed but are becoming unpeaceful and agitated by knowing the things the world is doing.
It is my belief that those who continually rant about all the ills of the world and then add at the end of the rant, "we must do something" are loving the drama of it all and justifying repeating it by telling people to "do something about it."
When God described in His Word all that would happen in the end times He was not telling us to march, overthrow or battle this world. He was telling us to be about our business of the gospel and edifying the believer with the Word. That is our job while we are here on earth. We are not here to save a government or overtake the world politically.
I am observing believers becoming frustrated about things that are happening, even depressed but at the same time looking constantly on the internet to find all the garbage they can whine about.
I told one brother and sister they should stop searching for all that disinformation and political hype, especially if it is going to make them depressed. The response was to shun me as though I did something wrong in suggesting that they return to thoughts about Jesus Christ.
When Jesus Christ is on our minds continually nothing that happens in the world will affect our joy or peace.
Philippians 4:8
"8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
It doesn't make sense to me to keep our minds on the world when our blessings have been immense, our salvation secured and our home going soon. We have nothing but joy and peace and hope when we see that the world is falling apart because we know it means the prophecy is being fulfilled and our redemption from this world is soon. It's all in God's plan and His plan is perfect.
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.”
It is sheer foolishness to think we can stop what God said was going to happen. We are living in prophetic times rampant with the fulfillment of the prophecy the writers of the Bible wrote about but didn't understand. We can understand much of what was written because we are living in the middle of it now.
Instead of becoming immersed in the wickedness of the world though digging for knowledge about it, we ought to be speaking of Christ more, praying more, singing praises more. Because these are the end times there is a greater need to preach the gospel, expound on His Word and pray before God takes us out.
More of God and less of the world ought to be our mantra. If we are "looking up" as God said to do we will be so joyful and peaceful that others may notice and wish to have what we have.
Why would a non-believer want what the Christian has when they are no different, full of anger, rage, disappointment and fear.
Authentic believers are different and their love for God grows stronger as they watch the world fall apart.
Hallelujah!!!!
Christ Our Best Friend!
When we know that Christ in us is our best friend it matters little if anyone else loves us. It matters that we love others but it does not matter if they love us back.
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."
Romans 8:9
"You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him."
Do not Allow Them to Turn You into Them.
John 15:1-27
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. "
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 seems there are many people we meet even in churches today who do not have this fruit that God describes must be in every believer.
No one is perfect but the character qualities of Christ as seen in this fruit should be so much a part of our life we are deeply convicted when the flesh shows up in violation of one of these qualities.
Those who have the character qualities of Christ and mess up want to confess to be cleansed and mend whatever riff between friends by confessing it and resolving not to treat the offended party that way again.
When we see someone say they are sorry for offending us because they notice we are pulling away we are witnessing manipulation. Someone who is sorry because of the consequences but continues to act the same way that was offensive, we have met a manipulator. They want the friendship without any need to change how they treat the one who is offended.
We are witnessing much foolish and rude behavior in these last days. The challenge is to remain faithful to God ourselves no matter what the culture is doing. We must not become what we see all around us, we must be led by the Holy Spirit.
1 John 4:4
"Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
1 Peter 3:8-10 "8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.…"
Keep looking up!!!!
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