Thursday, February 24, 2022

Fulfilled in Christ

It is a sad existence to attempt to fulfill ourselves through the praise of other people. When we are in Christ we can walk alone without the need for validation from others. Our work is our pleasure and our accomplishments no matter how small seem a great blessing.
Isaiah 41:10
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
When we have been rejected by most people merely because we do not think the way they do we know we have been identified with Christ.
All the apostles and Christ Himself experienced rejection because they were not like the world, they had something better and deeper to offer anyone who wanted what they had.
Our desire to walk with Christ and His strength to do so is the most valuable things we can ever have.

David Wilkerson - What it means to be lead by the Spirit | Must Hear 2022

Holy Spirit Led or Worldly Led?

If the Holy Spirit has led you, He will never deny His own Word. If you are remarrying after a divorce it was not the Holy Spirit Who led you, it was the comfort of the devil that motivated you. Or it was your flesh that justified sin to feel acceptable in it. The devil is always present to cause feelings of confusion and justification for disobedience against God.
Those who have ignored the principles of the Bible to sin against God, His Holy Spirit will go silent in your life, you will be without His protection and comfort. Sin is never blessed by God. A marriage that defies the Word of God is not blessed by Him. Eventually, the heart becomes hardened the longer one justifies their own sin.
Matthew 13:58
"58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief."
Ignoring the Word of God to do your own thing is unbelief. Not taking God seriously at His word, demonstrates lack of faith, perhaps even showing there has been no authentic salvation experience.
1 Corinthians 7:10-11 "…10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife."
I have heard people say; "the Lord brought me a wonderful spouse after my divorce", let me warn you that it was not God Who brought that spouse but Satan.
Isaiah 1:15-16 " 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!"
Also remember that anyone who supports sin against God participates in the sins of others will be held accountable for that support of sin. Even if we do not do the sin oursleves, if we support the sinner we have also sinned against God.
2 Thessalonians 3:14-15
"If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother."
1 Corinthians 5:11
"But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one."
Romans 1:32 "32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them."
Proverbs 28:4
"Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them."
We see what happens when Christians remain silent about sin in the church and even in the culture. The sin ignored by the Christians grows quickly. Not only does the sin grow but the acceptance to the point that causes the culture as a whole to be hostile to anyone who will speak out against it.
Divorce and remarriage has been accepted in our culture as common as legitimate marriage. There are more marriages now that have ended in divorce as well as shack-up relationships. 50% of all marriages in the United States ends in divorce, half, and the same statistics are in the church. Probably because the world has now taken over the church.
It is my guess that most people in the organized church have never been born again, even the pastors who are paid by those in the pews may not be saved.
"Pew people" as one preacher put it, follow the pastors who say what the pew peole want to hear. Since the pastor is hired by the people the pastor becomes keenly aware that if the people in the pews do not like him, they can fire him.
This is another reason God never commanded "paid hirlelings" to lead in a church gathering. HIrelings in the church is also disobedience against God's order in the church, the reason things have progressed to the point they have, full of sin and angst.
The more we ignore the Bible as our standard, the more we ignore the Bible. The Bible has become a book of suggestions that the pretenders feel free to ignore.
Many pastors are divorced and remarriage, how could these pastors ever teach the people to adhere to covenant marriage when they have not obeyed God themselves.
How could a paid pastor who is divorced ever preach against sin, any sin, while he lives in it without guilt.
This is one of the reasons, there are many, that I believe we are living in the last days.
2 Timothy 3:5 "
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. "
The power of God is in the written Word of God. Jesus Christ is the very essence of His Own Word. If we ignore His word we ignore Him. He becomes insignificant to anyone who want to defend their sin and negate His Word.
Many people will claim to be "Christians" but have little interest in obeying the Bible.
We have divorced and remarried people in the pews along with those who suppport them.
We have those who are disrespectful to their parents, those who have placed things and money above loving relationships, those who treat authority with contempt, those who gossip and lie frequently but in all these sins few people ever repent of them to be cleansed and in most cases those who practice these sins defend themselves and rage against those who would correct them to help them grow in holiness.
1 John 1:9 " 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power."
A born again believer feels guilt when they have been mean or rude. But a pretender who thnks they are saved but does not have the Holy Spirit, feels justifed through their own concoted stories. They must continually play the bully and make up reasons to hate those who correct them. They are self-righteous, but they do not have the righteousness of God.
May each one reading this evaluate themselves to correct what might be wrong in their walk. May those who are pretenders compare their attitudes and actions with those of Christ's commands, to learn if they have ever been born again.

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Insolent Pride

Insolent: "lack of respect", "ill-mannered" and "rude."

Pride: "deep pleasure in oneself."

Welcome to this age of rebellion.

Lost in Sin

Those who still enjoy their sin after they have decided to become a "Christian" were never born again. The first thing God does when He changes us into a new creation is to completely change the way we think. We hate sin and love righteousness, when before we loved sin and were ashamed of righteousness.
When we see people who are embarrassed at the mention of the name of Jesus Christ we are observing someone who has not been born again, whether they are in the church or the world. Yes, the world is in the church now, fighting against the word of God where it suits them.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
John 3:1-8
"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
When we see lackluster demeanor, even boredom with the things of the Lord in someone who claims to be a Christians we are witnessing someone who made the choice to join the "Christian" club but were never changed into a new creation by Christ.
God said that we must have a broken and contrite heart. "Contrite" meaning crushed by the knowledge of our own sinfulness. This leads us to humility and the desire to be different from what we were before.
We desire to be changed by Christ and walk as He wants us to walk. Not for our own glory but for the glory of God.
There are those who wish to be seen as good people but are doing their righteousness in their own flesh without the desire to be obedient to Christ. They will fight against God's word, using it disrespectfully and dishonestly to justify their desired sin.
For those who are in the church but have never been born again, consider that you might not be in dwelt by the Holy Spirit repent, change your mind about Christ, be crushed by your own sinfulness, and trust in Christ before it is too late. Those of us who are born-again had to do this, no one is good without Christ.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Do We Please God or Do We Please Ourselves

If we are doing good to feel good about ourselves or to cause others to praise us, then we are not pleasing God, our good deeds are as filthy rags if they are not done in obedience to Christ, His will His way.
Matthew 7:21-23
I Never Knew You
"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. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

Pearls In Front of Swine to be Trampled

Matthew 7:6-7 " 6 Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."
When you see that someone is not hearing you because of their contempt for the message, then is the time to exit.
Christ nor the apostles never remained with those who loved their "religion" or their "sin." They moved on to others who might be interested.
People will not become happy about Christ just because we hang around with a smiling face being friendly.
Just Saying!