Thursday, September 4, 2025
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
Herod Antipas Married His Brothers Wife and John the Baptist was Beheaded for Calling Out His Sin
Herod Antipas married his brother's wife while his brother was still living. John the Baptist called him out, and he was beheaded for it. Chew on that for a moment.
Mark 6:14-29 tells of the account of John's beheading because he dared to speak for God in the unlawful marriage between Herod and his brother's wife.
Notice that many in our day wish they could behead those of us who declare divorce and remarriage as a sin against God. But it is not us that say it, it is God Who says it, so who are the rebellious hearts angry at, God for saying it or us for repeating what God says? Perhaps both!
This culture has become so brainwashed that a second marriage is a legitimate marriage, thats even those who do not do it defend those who do.
Romans 1:31-32 "…31 They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. 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."
The church gatherings of today are full of "unlawful" marriages, which Jesus Christ calls adultery, with the full acceptance of those who gather with them.
Mark 10:11-12 "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
Mark 6:14-29 tells of the account of John's beheading because he dared to speak for God in the unlawful marriage between Herod and his brother's wife.
Notice that many in our day wish they could behead those of us who declare divorce and remarriage as a sin against God. But it is not us that say it, it is God Who says it, so who are the rebellious hearts angry at, God for saying it or us for repeating what God says? Perhaps both!
This culture has become so brainwashed that a second marriage is a legitimate marriage, thats even those who do not do it defend those who do.
Romans 1:31-32 "…31 They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. 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."
The church gatherings of today are full of "unlawful" marriages, which Jesus Christ calls adultery, with the full acceptance of those who gather with them.
Mark 10:11-12 "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
Psychology Short Cuts God's Will to Deceive
Psychology short-cuts God's way, causing sin to grow and the offender to be coddled while the victim is punished for not forgiving someone glad they did the harm, and worse, continues to repeat that harm.
God's way produces change and transforms hearts. Man's way facilitates evil while punishing the innocent.
Satan was the author of the "forgive the offender who is not sorry" mantra. He lied and said we would be bitter if we didn't coddle the offender. In this model of forgiveness, evil grows; God's way repels evil because it demands responsibility and accountability.
Satan places pressure on the innocent by manipulating them into thinking they are guilty of bitterness when they cannot trust an unrepentant offender. Satan does not pressure the offender to repent; he gives him excuses for his offenses, causing arrogance and pride that not only perpetuates the sinful attitude but also accelerates it.
Justice demands consequences for the sake of the victims. It is unjust to coddle the sinner while accusing the victim.
Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."
Nowhere in the Bible do I see anything that says forgive an unrepentant offender so they feel better about themselves. Nor do I see anywhere in the Bible that tells us to forgive so we feel better about ourselves.
Matthew 6:14-15 "…14For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours."
God says we are to forgive when someone is repentant; there is no requirement to forgive when someone is not sorry.
Colossians 3:13
"Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
Forgive as the Lord forgave you! How did He forgive? When we are repentant. God never forgives those who are not sorry.
As for our conduct toward offenders who are not sorry and will not stop their offenses, God tells us to treat them with the kindness and respect they didn't give us when we have to be in company with them, but this is not a friendship.
God also tells us to stay away from people who act badly and never repent in 2 Timothy 3:5, He says to avoid them, as well as many other places in His word when He tells us not to be friends with an angry man.
It would be good for us to look at all the passages in which God advises us to preach the gospel to the world but make no close friends with those who are wicked and rebellious.
The devil loves to make Christians feel guilty for doing what is right, what protects their walk with Christ. He makes up lies that tell us to do the opposite of what God tells us and spins it so well that the entire culture has oppressed the Christians into believing they are being rude or mean for obeying God.
The devil is the author of humanistic psychology. He mixes observations with wrong interpretations that sound good but thwart the purposes of God, especially in relationships.
When we read the Bible, it is important to read every word and every sentence within its context so the devil will not be able to deceive.
Forgiveness God's Way
Forgiving an unrepentant person does not make us kind it makes us unwise and enablers. To pressure others to forgive those who are not sorry is backwards. The pressure ought to be on the perpetrator to repent and apologize, but we rarely hear that.
It's lazy and easy to "say" we forgive someone, but if it does not lead to reconciliation, then it is not true forgiveness it is smoke and mirrors that lead to arrogance.
God told us to confess when we sin and forgive others when they are sorry. This is for the sake of reconciliation. There can be no reconciliation without sorrow over offenses.
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.”
Why do most people completely ignore the command "if he returns and says 'I repent'"?
To forgive an unrepentant sinner is mean, it does not give the person a chance to be convicted of sin and cleansed from their filthiness. They remain dirty and burdened because no one kept them accountable.
If you care about someone you love, you will warn them, that's the only help that will set them free if they listen and respond according to God's Word.
Ezekiel 3:18-19 "…18 If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood. 19But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself. "
Just saying words like "I forgive them" does nothing except build pride in the one who elevates themselves to appear special and good.
Relationships are hard work when done God's way and produce a cleansed life if responded to in humility. The one who sins must humble themselves to be forgiven, and the one keeping their friend accountable must humble themselves in taking a chance on being rejected if the offender refuses to confess their sin.
Psychology based on Darwinism has reversed the order and messed up what truly works. It is not our place to forgive someone who walks in rebellion; it is our place to love them more than we care about rejection.
In our day of apostasy, we will experience lots of rejection for our efforts to help others see what God sees.
By the way, it is lying to say you forgive someone who is not sorry when it does not lead to reconciliation. They are dead words that fall to the ground, meaningless and useless.
Something to ponder and ask God, He was clear about what He said in His word, but most cannot see with Spiritual eyes because their eyes are clouded with worldly psychology.
It's lazy and easy to "say" we forgive someone, but if it does not lead to reconciliation, then it is not true forgiveness it is smoke and mirrors that lead to arrogance.
God told us to confess when we sin and forgive others when they are sorry. This is for the sake of reconciliation. There can be no reconciliation without sorrow over offenses.
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.”
Why do most people completely ignore the command "if he returns and says 'I repent'"?
To forgive an unrepentant sinner is mean, it does not give the person a chance to be convicted of sin and cleansed from their filthiness. They remain dirty and burdened because no one kept them accountable.
If you care about someone you love, you will warn them, that's the only help that will set them free if they listen and respond according to God's Word.
Ezekiel 3:18-19 "…18 If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood. 19But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself. "
Just saying words like "I forgive them" does nothing except build pride in the one who elevates themselves to appear special and good.
Relationships are hard work when done God's way and produce a cleansed life if responded to in humility. The one who sins must humble themselves to be forgiven, and the one keeping their friend accountable must humble themselves in taking a chance on being rejected if the offender refuses to confess their sin.
Psychology based on Darwinism has reversed the order and messed up what truly works. It is not our place to forgive someone who walks in rebellion; it is our place to love them more than we care about rejection.
In our day of apostasy, we will experience lots of rejection for our efforts to help others see what God sees.
By the way, it is lying to say you forgive someone who is not sorry when it does not lead to reconciliation. They are dead words that fall to the ground, meaningless and useless.
Something to ponder and ask God, He was clear about what He said in His word, but most cannot see with Spiritual eyes because their eyes are clouded with worldly psychology.
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Pressure From Others is not Commands From God
Next time you are pressured to remain with those who have rejected you, remember that Christ never ran after those who rejected Him.
Christ offered all He had to those who rejected Him, and they made their choice. Badgering them, following them, and remaining friends with them would have made no difference to them. It would not change their heart or cause them to self-reflect.
Family pressure to remain with those who have rejected Christ is not only not Biblical, but will diminish your walk with Christ, and He always comes first.
James 4:4 "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
Proverbs 22:24-25 " 24 Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, 25 or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare."
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good character.”
Those who think the only way someone will like Christ is if they like us have way too high an opinion of themselves. We do not win people to Christ by manipulative tactics designed to woo them. We speak the truth to everyone, leaving all the results to the Holy Spirit. We show respect to those who did not treat us respectfully, but we do not maintain them as friends.
If someone is damaging to our walk with Christ and will not listen to reason, then we are to walk away and leave it all in God's hands.
To think we have any part in the salvation of someone else, other than the healing words of Christ, is to walk in pride. We are only messengers, not heart changers. Only Christ transforms the heart, and only if the person wants Him to do it.
We love others when they do not love us, but this is not friendship.
God made it clear that two cannot walk together who are not agreed. Amos
Romans 8:7
"because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so."
Our desire as born-again believers is to obey Christ, walk in His principles, and seek Him for everything in our lives. The person who rejects Christ will not want us to do this; they want us to walk as they walk, according to their fleshly desires.
John 15:18-19
"If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world."
We cannot spend a lot of time with those who hate us; it brings unnecessary trouble, diverting us from our calling in Christ.
Christ offered all He had to those who rejected Him, and they made their choice. Badgering them, following them, and remaining friends with them would have made no difference to them. It would not change their heart or cause them to self-reflect.
Family pressure to remain with those who have rejected Christ is not only not Biblical, but will diminish your walk with Christ, and He always comes first.
James 4:4 "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
Proverbs 22:24-25 " 24 Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, 25 or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare."
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good character.”
Those who think the only way someone will like Christ is if they like us have way too high an opinion of themselves. We do not win people to Christ by manipulative tactics designed to woo them. We speak the truth to everyone, leaving all the results to the Holy Spirit. We show respect to those who did not treat us respectfully, but we do not maintain them as friends.
If someone is damaging to our walk with Christ and will not listen to reason, then we are to walk away and leave it all in God's hands.
To think we have any part in the salvation of someone else, other than the healing words of Christ, is to walk in pride. We are only messengers, not heart changers. Only Christ transforms the heart, and only if the person wants Him to do it.
We love others when they do not love us, but this is not friendship.
God made it clear that two cannot walk together who are not agreed. Amos
Romans 8:7
"because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so."
Our desire as born-again believers is to obey Christ, walk in His principles, and seek Him for everything in our lives. The person who rejects Christ will not want us to do this; they want us to walk as they walk, according to their fleshly desires.
John 15:18-19
"If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world."
We cannot spend a lot of time with those who hate us; it brings unnecessary trouble, diverting us from our calling in Christ.
Blaming God or Others for Our Own Foolishness is itself Foolishness
There are those who blame God for the mess they are in and they will blame the Christian for not supporting them in their sin.
God doesn't force anyone to follow His principles and commands. He gives them a choice, and they will either have a blessing for following Him or suffer the consequences of sin for not following Him.
Blaming God for what they make of their lives is always the way of the rebellious heart.
James 1:13-15
"13 No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death."
God doesn't force anyone to follow His principles and commands. He gives them a choice, and they will either have a blessing for following Him or suffer the consequences of sin for not following Him.
Blaming God for what they make of their lives is always the way of the rebellious heart.
James 1:13-15
"13 No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death."
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