All Believers are Commanded to Speak the Truth of the Gospel

The more you want to know the heart of God, the more you search His word and depend on the Holy Spirit to guide you, the more you will experience opposition from "religious" people.

 
The Pharisees were those who wanted to have power over people. They were not interested in being led by God, only that they were seen as special and superior to others.

Matthew 23:4-6 "…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,…"

Luke 20:46-47
“Beware of the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, and they love the greetings in the marketplaces, the chief seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets. / They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”

If you think we don't have Pharisee types in our day, think again. The very way church gatherings are conducted today, with hierlings who are viewed as the authority over the gatherings, is Pharisaical.

 
We have many Pharisee types today who cannot "feel" religious unless they have a following who are elevating them above others.

 
Whenever someone makes rules and rituals God never commanded, often, even using scripture out of context to prove their point, we are watching ungodly people who care about dominating and ruling over others without concern for knowing God.

 
When someone is judged as less spiritual because they do not practice the rituals of the gathering, there is a false faith based on appearances and pretense.

The world is full of these types today, whose biggest concern is their elevated status; they care little if their preaching is accurate according to the Word of God. And, worse, they require the praise and adulation of the congregation. We know this because of the pulpit elevated above the congregation and the pews all facing the preferred preacher. The early church had no such hirelings, pulpits, or pews facing the speaker. This model of gathering was added later by those who perverted the nature of the gathering to be able to have power over the people.

 
God made it clear that leaders in the gathering were no more special than anyone else, it was their calling not a title or a position. Leaders who love Christ will lead by example and teaching not by "authority over."

 
Some godly men today use those pulpits and pews because it is what always has been for most people. To come against it would disrupt the faith of some, so they leave it alone and go with whatever the culture is doing. This is not wrong to use these things to avoid controversy. Sometimes we have to accept things that are not the best but are not sin.

 
God made it clear that a believer may eat meat from the market place that was offered to idols because it means nothing to them. However, if they knew another believer had a weak conscience, they were not to eat it in front of the other believer or offer it to them. 1 Corinthians 8

I see the pulpit and the pews this way too, if someone does not know the better way and is accustomed to the pews and the pulpit it is better not to make an issue of it. Sadly, though, most gatherings where there is a special building, pews, and a pulpit, there is also much false doctrine based on human wisdom.

 
Much of what is done in the modern church was adopted from the Catholic model of a hierarchy, where the authority was the priest, not the Holy Spirit.

 
Some people, a small number, are leaving the organized church system to remain in the home with other believers because of all the other things within those buildings that are not Biblical and even devastating to the people who attend.

I am astounded when I meet people who pressure others to go to those buildings to meet when there is no biblical mandate to do it. The command is not to forsake the gathering; this has nothing to do with meeting in designated buildings, which are viewed as the "meeting place of God." When the veil was torn from top to bottom in the temple and Christ rose from the dead, the gathering of believers was not a place, but a state of being able to meet anywhere at any time on any day. There was no longer a temple shaped like a building. The Temple was now the body of every believer.

 
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.…"

The idea that we must meet in a large building made by men for the purpose of worship is not Biblical. We can meet in a building like this, but it has become the "rule" for everyone, even placing pressure on people who don't attend those places as though they are not obeying God in "not forsaking the gathering." The people have believed for a long time that the gathering had to be in those places with a paid-pastor.

God said that there would come a time when we would worship in "Spirit and in Truth"; that time has come. We gather to edify one another in Christ so that we will all go out from that gathering, living our lives for Christ, speaking the truth to our neighbors and anyone else the Holy Spirit leads us.

 
Many are meeting online these days due to a lack of Biblical teaching in the modern buildings. Every time we meet with believers on the internet we are fulfilling the mandate not to forsake the gathering. This principle is telling us to connect with one another as much as we can to be able to encourage and support Spiritually and emotionally our brothers and sisters in the Lord wherever they are in the world and whatever God has called them to do.

 
Those who have a very narrow view of "how we should meet" based on what they have been accustomed to all their lives are missing out on so much. The way it has always been done the past few hundred years has managed to silence the congregations when they should all be participating. It has left the brothers and sisters lacking in fellowship. Every born-again believer needs an outlet for their faith, a way to connect with others through Jesus Christ while expressing themselves as led by the Holy Spirit.

 
And YES, the Holy Spirit moves in everyone who is born-again. We ought never to silence someone who is on fire for Christ.

 
Romans 14:4-6 "…4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God."

Satan loves that the people in the pews remain silent while one man tells them what to believe. The people look to that man for their direction and wisdom not to the Holy Spirit. This was devised by the devil to quench the Holy Spirit in those sitting in the pews.

 
Colossians 2:16-17
"Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. / These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ."

1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

1 Peter 5:3 "Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."

Only the Holy Spirit has authority over every believer who is indwelt by Him.
1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."

Do not ignore the last part of this verse, "as I am of Christ." Paul was not telling us to follow Him no matter what he said or did. He was telling us to follow him when he followed Christ. In other words, we are to follow Christ, not a man.

1 Peter 5:2 "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;"

Shepherds are to protect the flock through teaching, example and encouragement to continue obeying the Word. It is the Holy Spirit Who guides each believer in specific ways. The Shepherds are to support believers as they fulfil their personal callings from Christ, not dictate to them what their callings will be.

 
2 Timothy 4:3
"3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"

Mark 12:38-40
"In His teaching, Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces, / and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. / They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show, make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”

These are those who make rules using Scripture out of context, who can speak openly about God, and who can not. Ofte,n they raise up those who are educated by men above those who have been educated by the Holy Spirit. Depending on a seminary degree from a man-accredited institution, they demean and exclude those who walk in obedience to Christ but have no formal credentials from those institutions favored by the establishment.

 
My heart grieves every time I meet a woman who has been trained by a husband to never speak the things of the Lord to anyone because of their gender. It sounds like an exaggeration that anyone like this exists but they do, I have met them.

 
These men have convinced their wives that it is a sin to speak of things of the Lord because it is the job of the men to do this. They have been taught through control and intimidation that they are not called to speak of the Lord.

 
The Samaritan woman at the well was the first woman evangelist. When she had met Jesus and become born again she rushed to town to share her experience and the news of His identity to others. She did not lead a gathering but she spoke to others about who Christ was and what He did for her. John 4

Mary Magdaline was another woman who was the first at the open tomb of Christ who shared the news of His resurrection. John 20

Pricilla and Aquilla worked together as a husband and wife team to share the gospel to others.

A person is not a women's libber or rebellious one because she believes the Bible about the calling of women to speak the truth of the Bible to others. Some leaders have trained their congregations that women are never allowed to speak the gospel to people they meet outside the gathering. They are to remain silent all the time in all cases when it comes to the gospel or Scriptural principles.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

Every born again believer is commanded to speak the truth to anyone as led by the Holy Spirit.

 
Ephesians 4:25
"25 Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are parts of one another."

Making Rules While Judging Others

When someone who says they are a Christian brings a "rule" they think we should follow, go to the Scriptures and prove it. If it cannot be seen in the Scriptures, then you are free to discard it.

 
Mankind always thinks it can make up rules to help God monitor His people. When we look at the mentality behind making unbiblical rules, we see that these rules are based on man's desire to be superior to others.

 
We don't need to make our own rules to make sure people will obey the Bible; those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit will be what they should be because of the Holy Spirit who lives in them. Man's rules are never helpful or better than God's Word.

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 the Holy Spirit lives in us we need no extra laws God never gave to intimidate people into making sure they are "doing just right."

 
I was once told by Christians that it was a sin to drink coffee because it was a stimulant. Since I saw no command in scripture that told me this, I dismissed it as foolishness, since food is a stimulant, we have more energy when we eat it than if we didn't eat it. Some things just get silly when people make rules God never made and intimidate others into following their rules.

 
A Christian woman once gave me a bottle of apple juice that was a gift to her. I asked her why she didn't want it, and she told me it was because the bottle looked like a wine bottle and she was concerned that anyone seeing it would think that she drinks wine. I thanked her for the juice and gladly drank it.

The scripture that was used to justify this thinking was that we are to "avoid the appearance of evil." As I pondered this, it occurred to me that she didn't mind giving that "appearance of evil" to another believer but was fearful of her own reputation. I felt a little sad for her because what a burden it would be to have to continually worry about "appearances" when we are not doing anything wrong.
Superficial Christians are often more worried about how they appear than the substance of their character. If we are not doing anything wrong and someone else judges it, then that is on that other person who judges, not on us.

 
When I went back to the scripture and studied further, I realized the verse should have been translated, "avoid evil," rather than anything having to do with appearances.

 
Christ was judged by appearances when He ate and drank with sinners. Should He have avoided sinners to avoid being judged? His mission was to bring the gospel to them.

 
If we had to continually worry about how others are judging us, we wouldn't be seen in public at all, since everything could be judged as bad by those who are self-righteous, looking for things to monitor in others.

 
There are many people who will choose to judge innocent matters because of their angst toward us.

 
One Saturday, many years ago, my husband and I wanted to go to a flea market. The parking lot of the market was full, so we had to go across the street to the closed tavern. Our car was the only car in that lot when we arrived. We parked and walked across the street to the market.

 
A few days later, we were at a family gathering, and a relative loudly proclaimed that my husband and I were at the bar on a Saturday morning, drinking. We don't go to bars, but because we were known to be Christians, this person wanted to "expose" us by tattling on us. It was quite amusing because we explained to the people in the room that the bar was closed, we parked there to go to the flea market across the street, and she looked silly for her tattling.

 
Should we not have parked in that lot for fear of how it would look? No, we cannot worry about every little thing that we do that may be misinterpreted by onlookers.
It has been my experience that if someone doesn't like you, they will deliberately misinterpret what you do because their desire is to harm you in some way.

 
This is what the devil did in the garden with Eve. He smeared the reputation of God because of his hatred toward God. He wanted Eve to think mean things about God so that she would turn on Him and follow the devil, the one who gossiped and lied.
I have even heard people judge a person wearing torn jeans to a Christian gathering, being judged for it, and even a man wearing a suit judged for it because he was said to be too concerned about clothing style. Here's the thing: why would we see the man wearing the suit as being too concerned about clothing, but not the man in the torn jeans as too concerned about clothing?

 
One man once said he thought the old timers were too worried about dressing up for church, so he dressed down because he liked it. It is possible that the young man was the one too concerned about clothing, or he wouldn't even mention it.
I don't notice clothing much when in a gathering, unless it is immoral and distracting. I do think clothing style can reflect disrespect for others. I do have to ask why someone would come to a gathering in a tank top and jeans but go to the office Christmas party dressed to the nines. Just saying!

Perhaps if someone does have decent clothing, they should choose that over the clothes they wear when they mow the grass, merely out of respect for the others.
The only passage I see in Scripture about the Christian gathering was that no one should be treated better because of their financial status, which was reflected in their clothing. In other words, we are not to prefer the wealthy person over the poor person. It didn't have to do with clothing; it had to do with highly valuing someone or devaluing them based on their wealth.

 
James 2:2-4 "2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in,
3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 

4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? "

We must judge sin, call it out, and attempt to restore the one who has sinned when there is confession and forgiveness extended. But we have no business judging things that God did not clearly state were sins.

Rules Man Made But God Did Not

I have been told by some Christians that we should memorize the Scriptures. I never found a Bible verse that says "memorize anything," but I have found Scriptures that say "hide My word away in your heart."

I know this cannot be memorization because God never instructed us to memorize a specific language. God's meaning in "hide my word away in your heart" was that we should know Him and His principles so well that they come to mind quickly in any situation.

We can memorize if we wish, but my mind does not think in the words of others; it thinks in principles and commands. We can memorize Scripture and still not live by those principles and commands. The principles and commands should become so much a part of our being that we don't even need words on a page to love and live them. We learn from reading His Word from whichever translation we have, and God translates it into His mind so that we are not misled by errors in translation.
When we seek the Holy Spirit for His Mind, we can read the words on the page, and God will enlighten them so we are not misled by a language barrier.

Often, modern Christianity makes rules out of concepts that God never spoke. Because some people think we must be accurate about the words. They forget that our English words are a translation. God must give us the understanding, no matter what language of the Bible we read.

To know Christ is to know His principles so that we can live them and convey them to others; the exact words are not important, but the truth of God must be accurate.
There have been too many situations in my life in which Christians quote a verse from the Bible out of context, not realizing the rest of the Scriptures negate their understanding. They think just knowing exact words is more important than the idea or meaning God intends to impart.

Our culture imposes upon the text its own Western mindset that is very different from the Jewish mindset of Christ's day. Many things Westerners believe about the Bible are not true, but their own interpretations are based on how their mind works, not on what God actually said.

And, more disturbing than this is the propensity for Christians to read a verse, leaving out something God said to camp on what they wish to believe, using only the part that pleases them.

An example of this problem is the mantra, "don't judge", leading everyone to believe we should never judge, when reading the rest of the passage, where these words are stated, shows us that the command was to judge without hypocrisy. We are not to judge another person for something we are also doing. And, we are commanded to judge righteously according to God's Word. So God commanded us to judge.

Those who don't want to be judged will leave out the part of the passage they don't like.

Matthew 7:1-6
Judging Others
7 “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.
2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
3 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, the log is in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye!"

The "don't judge" mantra comes from psychology that says we can't know what is causing a person to act as they do, they might be going through something difficult, as though difficulty gives someone a license to act badly toward others.

It doesn't matter what someone is going through, we still need to judge the behavior as good or bad. And, when we judge a behavior as bad does not mean we don't love the person who needs correction.

Our culture is based more on "feelings" than on rational thinking. This is the reason people will hate you for doing good, because your good makes them look bad. They are not able to judge the act on its own merit, they will judge based on how they feel, and they will even say, "you made me feel" as though we have power over their feelings and they do not.

Another wrong teaching in our culture is that we should forgive those who are not repentant. God said clearly to forgive "when they come and say 'I repent'". They leave out the part of the passage that proves one must repent to be forgiven.

Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

In the context of the entire Bible, this verse tells us that to be reconciled in a relationship, there must be both confession of sin and forgiveness extended; both are necessary to restore what was lost in the relationship. When we know this, we understand better the salvation message in which God tells us to be reconciled to Him; we must confess our sinful nature and desire to be forgiven and cleansed by Him.

1 John 1:8-10
…8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us."

No one will change their character if they do not admit their sin. Character is only changed when someone is grieved over their sin and truly hates what they did and wants it to change.

This is what repentance is all about: the repentance that brings healing to the soul and reconciliation with God. Then He will send His Holy Spirit to come and live in those who desire Him, His righteousness, and a completely changed heart.

When we do not understand confession of sin, forgiveness, and reconciliation, we will miss the way of salvation. Many people come to God with the wrong attitude, still hanging onto their pride and rebelliousness, thinking that just claiming to be Christian gets them in the door to heaven. They come with an entitlement mentality, believing that God has to save them no matter what their attitude.

It is only through brokenness over our own sinful condition that God is motivated to change us and cleanse us with His Holy Spirit.

It is all His Word in us; this means it is all His work and not our own effort.

Ephesians 2:9-10 "…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."

Salvation is so easy and yet the pride of mankind thanks it is too easy because it involves submitting to God. Submission to anyone is not something most people want. So they turn down salvation through Christ merely because they want to have their own way.

We must stop listening to the culture around us based on psychology and Darwinism and embrace God's truth in His Word, enlightened by the Holy Spirit.

Christ Always Comes First

Because we love Christ, we love our families, but we do not live according to the expectations of family. Christ is always first.

God is Sending Christ not Missionaries

I am convinced God is not sending missionaries to the Middle East because in our day, the missionaries are bringing a false or watered-down gospel full of psychological nonsense and a hierarchical system that God never commanded.

 
We are seeing stories now of the Arab people having visions of Jesus Christ Who is bringing them the gospel personally.

 
Matthew 23:15-16 "… 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 hell 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.’…"

People have not changed since the beginning of time. There will always be no lack of false teachers and religious systems that pretend to be godly but lead people away from trusting in Christ. When the people trust in their actions, their preacher, and their prestige within the gathering, but never trust in Christ, they remain headed to hell.

 
Just recently, I listened to two Christian men, a commentator and a pastor, who were lamenting the fact that our country was becoming anti-Israel. They were talking about ways we could get the young people to become pro-Israel by explaining why they should be pro-Isreal as a political entity.

This discussion disturbed me because our calling is not to make people like Israel; our calling is to bring the gospel. When someone becomes born again, they will be for Israel. What good is there in convincing someone to be pro-Israel while they remain headed for hell because they have taken a political stance but do not understand the way of salvation?

Those of us who are for the Jewish people because God told us to be good to them, know they are God's chosen people, and we are to do what we can to protect them while bringing them the gospel.

 
There is a misconception in our country among Christians that has managed to present a gospel of convenience and safety. With all the prosperity nonsense conveyed these days, many people who join churches do it thinking it brings them safety and prosperity without any desire to be changed by Christ or honor Him in all their ways.

 
The American church has taken its eyes off Christ while using Him as a political security blanket. They never speak of Him except to pretend that He is in heaven, wrapped in an American flag, as though America is the best and worthy of saving. This could not be farther from the truth.

 
I have actually seen banners like this one can purchase. It makes my skin crawl every time I see this blasphemy. America has demeaned, rejected and mocked Christ in the worst way without batting an eye.

 
I would no longer boast that America is a Christian nation or that it was the nation that sent missionaries all over the world. Sadly, the same foolishness that pastors and leaders do here is being repeated on the mission field by superficial missionaries full of a desire to be elevated as special.

Acts 13:10
"and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?"

Yes, there are still some missionaries who have not fallen to the god of pleasure and convenience, but most have and are spreading the same unbiblical nonsense they learned while they were in their institutions of learning here in America.

My prayer is not that we send missionaries, my prayer is that God will send the Holy Spirit to those where there are no missionaries. My prayer is that every born-again believer who has been authentically born again will speak the truth wherever God leads them. Each individual will have a different area, often walking alone without human support, but each will have something.

 
2 Timothy 4:2-3 "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."

This is a command to every single born-again believer, not just a few, not those who are thought to be talented or educated. We speak the truth boldly as led by the Holy Spirit, He is the One Who is the guide for each one.

Changed by Christ into a New Creation

Carol Barrett Levak said this!!!!!

"Amen! TranslatED! Ephesians 2:6 "...and raisED us up with him and seatED us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

"Let's note the past tense on all of these verbs--already occurred. To think that anyone could undo what God has given in GRACE b/c of FAITH would mean that God made a mistake and DIDN'T KNOW that we would do something we shouldn't do, or not do something we should do and then have to take away the salvation He already gave us is ludicrous. "OOPS!" is not in God's vocabulary!"
Unquote

Carol makes a very good point that Christ saves us fully and completely when we repent and trust in Him. Our desires were changed into His desires, and we hate what He hates, He did that in us we did not do it to ourselves.

 
Ephesians 2:9-10 "…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. "

Hebrews 4:12-13 "12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.…"

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?…"

1 John 2:1-2 "1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father— Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."

We battle the flesh daily; the more we battle in prayer, the less we give in to the temptations of the flesh.

 
Hebrews 7:25
"Therefore, He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them."

Romans 8:34
"Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us."

Why would Christ need to intercede for us if we never sinned after salvation? Because we are still trapped in this sinful flesh. We hate sin that we do and confess it to be cleansed.

 
1 John 1:8-10 "…8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us."

Those who have no conviction of sin when they indulge, even defending what God hates, were never born again. The Holy Spirit will not allow a born-again believer to continue in sin without conviction. If the believer will not listen to the Holy Spirit, He goes silent, removing perfect counsel from us so that we will feel the full brunt of the consequences of our sin.

 
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22
"19 Do not quench the Spirit, 20 do not utterly reject prophecies (in God's Word), 21 but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good, 22 abstain from every form of evil."

Once we have been changed into a new creation by Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a Guarantee of our inheritance.

Ephesians 1:12-14 "…12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory. 13 And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth— the gospel of your salvation— you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.…"

The Nature of Marriage

I just heard a short video in which the commentator was chastising a woman who was complaining about her husband being a jerk, even beating her until she finally left him.

 
No one should be tolerating abuse; this may mean separation for a time to protect herself and her family. However, let's take a look at the underlying cause of the problem.

 
The problem of the husband began when the woman did not choose a man wisely based on character. Every woman, if she is wise, will choose a man based on character qualities rather than physical attraction. People don't change very much, they just adjust their actions to accommodate the people they are with.

 
2 Corinthians 6:12-14 "14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?…"

This message is to believers and can be helpful to non-believers but doing what is helpful will not save them from hell, only trustin in Christ will do that. God was clear that we should be like-minded in our friendships and especially in our marriages.

When a woman marries a man who has a worldly and wicked attitude, she should expect problems in marriage. Yes, a man can hide the side of themselves that is rude and mean for a time, but eventually the anger in their heart will emerge if the woman gives him tests and challenges before they are married.

 
It is foolish not to be open and honest, and present challenges to be able to see what comes out of the person during these times. I am not talking about lying, manipulating or triggering, I am talking about full on honesty that promotes discussion about important matters.

The needy fear of losing someone who is paying attention to the woman is the stumbling block to missing the true character of the man. There are always clues that women ignore because they are so enamored with the attention and appearance of the man. The men (and women) know what to do that is good and right, but become lazy after marriage because they have reeled in their catch.

 
This also goes for men who are seeking wives. Both men and women should be assessing character qualities without regard to physical attraction or attention. Character does not change and is revealed eventually if one trains oneself to see the signs of anger or irritation about simple and minor provocations.

 
There are women who say, "he changed after we got married." This is not true; no one changes their character because they are in a new situation. When someone seems to have become a different person after marriage, they have only been hiding the real them, and no longer feel a need to hide.

 
The real self is the mean one that surfaces later; the phony self was the one that seemed so wonderful and perfect before there were any challenges.

 
Someone with authentically good character does not change with different circumstances. The one with good character becomes more loving and supportive when trials come, because it is their kind nature revealing itself.

 
Loving, kind people do not change; they are consistent and steady. They are the same with everyone; they never treat one person with contempt and another one with kindness, they treat everyone with kindness.

 
Bullies often fool people by being very kind and accommodating with those they wish to impress and mean and rude toward those for whom they lack respect. This is the biggest clue of all, bullies love dominating others, but know their limits, so they hide it from those whom they wish to think well of them.

What does this say about bullies? They know what they are doing, and it is a tactic to fool those they like and dominate those they don't like.

 
Proverbs 29:5:
"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet,"

 
Proverbs 26:28:
"A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin,"

Romans 16:18
"18 For such people are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting."

Anyone who ruminates on superficiality, superiority, and boasting about oneself is attempting to trap their victim through deception. This happens all the time in dating situations. Presenting what they think is their best side, which is really not the real them, is a way of manipulating the perception of the one they desire to catch in their web.

 
Everyone has done this in dating, the very reason it is so dangerous to play this game of dating as though it were a means to a relationship. Dating is as superficial and phony as it gets, always based on pretending how good one is to impress the other.

 
Much miscommunication and even hiding go on in dating situations. Those who date ignore flaws or, worse, accept them as a fun way to be just to have the approval of the one they are with.

 
When a person bases their relationships on the Bible and is dedicated to waiting on God, they will have far fewer obstacles in marriage. Notice I said "fewer." There are always trials and hurdles because, without them, no one learns. Working out difficulties are the means to growing a quality and lasting marriage.

 
If one person is always giving up and the other always getting, this is a dysfunctional marriage based on a slave-master relationship.

 
God intended the man and woman to be life partners, each with different roles that enhance the life of the other. The man is not the master over the woman's role as a homemaker. God is her Master, and the woman is not master over the role of the man; God is his Master.

 
When each one seeks God, their talents and gifts will enhance one another. The man should not usurp the calling of homemaking of the wife, and the wife should not usurp the calling of the man. HOWEVER, they should each seek to improve and magnify the quality of one another's work. They each counsel one another as they discuss what is good for the whole family.
,
When a woman learns the good ways of a man, she will be a better person, just as when the man learns the good ways of a woman, he will be a better person.

 
Genesis 2:18
"18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a HELPER suitable for him.”

The Hebrew word for helper is "ezer" meaning a strong, vital, and even rescuing force, often used to describe God's role as a protector and provider for his people. The woman is a complementary and equal partner with her husband.

 
The important thing to remember here in this matter of choosing a spouse is making sure the person we choose is dedicated to knowing the Bible and following it. Just knowing is not enough; Satan knows, but is on his way to hell. We must want to obey what God says in His Word.