Not As The World Gives

 Not As The World Gives

God is not like this world. 

 

Jesus said. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."---John 14:27  (John 14:1-31--in context)

When God calls us, and we turn to Him, confessing Jesus is the Lord, asking Him to save us and putting our faith in Him.

 
He saves us, and fills us with His Holy Spirit, washing us clean.

This brings us peace. Not our peace. But HIS peace. This must be understood. Because we do not nor cannot maintain this Peace ourselves. He does it as we continue to turn to Him and grow in Him, and know Him. The Word He gives us is Jesus. The Word He gives us are His Promises.

The second part of the verse is what I want to focus on.

"Not as the world giveth, give I unto you"

Because God doesn't give as the world gives. (You've lived in this world long enough to know how this world and the people of it give.)

When God gives, it's free to you. He paid for it.

It's a gift not a loan. There is no interest and it doesn't have to be repaid.

He doesn't take it away from us if we fail.

He doesn't use it against us.

He doesn't use it to guilt trip us.

He doesn't hold it over our head.

He doesn't give us something cheap and shoddy.

He doesn't give us a hand me down.

He loves us. He understands us. He works with us. He knows us, if we choose to know Him.

 

He fixes us and helps to grow us. He doesn't cast us aside.

He is with us always even till the end of the world.

And that's why we have the peace that defies all understanding. (Phil. 4:6-7)

Praise Jesus.

So what do we do?  We remind ourselves of his promises. We speak them aloud to hear them and drive the enemy away. We remind our selves of the great things God has done for us. We thank and praise Him for it. This brings peace as the Holy Spirit works in us.

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Photo by the author 

What Is My Purpose?

 What Is My Purpose?

 We are all called by God to serve.

 

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.— Matt. 28:19-20 (Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-48, Acts 1:8)

Our purpose as humans is to reconnect with our Creator.

He came to save us, and when we turn to Him and Confess Jesus Is the Lord, believing in Him and putting our faith in Him alone. We are saved. We are born again. (Rom 10:9-10, John 3)

Jesus died to save us and rose from the dead for our justification.
He then ascended alive into Heaven.

But, before He left He gave us the Great Commission. That is our call to service.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.—Acts 1:8

As Born Again Saints, we are called to serve God and others. We want to lead people to know Jesus and be saved. It’s that simple. Everything we do serves that ultimate goal. We want everyone saved.

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.— Mark 16:15

Through this work, our relationship with God grows. He works in us, on us, and through us.

This is our purpose. This does not save us, but it is what we do because we are thankful for what God has done for us, and it’s not even us doing it. It’s Him.

What does this mean?

Well we are yoked together with Him. (Matt 11:28-30)

That is two oxen pulling a cart together, but He is honestly doing most of the work.

²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.—Matt 11:28-30

You don’t have to be a Bible expert. But, you really need to read, believe and study the Word. The Spirit will lead you to do this, and will lead you to a church of some kind, and teachers or guides. The Holy Spirit is our ultimate teacher. Remember that. He guides us as we keep turning to Him. (Prov. 3:5-6)

The first thing you need is your testimony. That is the story of how Jesus saved you. It’s stories of how God has worked in your life, answers to prayer and miraculous things He has shown you.

This is the story of the relationship you have with Him, and this is the story you can share with others, to tell them about Jesus.

Like the Gadarene Demoniac. Jesus drove the demons out of him, then told the man to “Go tell your family and friends the great things God has done for you” (Mark Chapter 5)

That’s what we do.

We don’t need to be a famous evangelist, or have a preaching degree or work for a church. Just go and tell.

This is how we earn treasures and rewards in Heaven. (Matt. 6:19-21)

It’s like an account stored in Paradise and written in the books. As saints, we are not Judged regarding our sin, but we are judged based upon what we did and did not do for the Kingdom.

We receive treasure, authority and rewards for fighting the fight of faith for the Kingdom. Leading people to Jesus and telling people what he has taught us, and our testimony. As well, as what we have given to help others or serve.

Pray about it.

One of the most powerful prayers you can pray is.

“Lord, bring me someone I can help or bless. Bring me someone I can tell about Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.”

When you pray this, you better be ready. Don’t fail.

We live busy lives and we do not always remember to witness or help others. But, when we pray this prayer things will happen.

You might get stuck for a long time in a waiting room with a person hurting. Pray for them. Pray with them. Strike up a conversation, and then drop God in the middle of it and see what happens.

You might get stuck at a traffic light for a long time, while a homeless man stares at you. Whip out some cash, and give it. Pray for them. That pause you feel is the devil trying to scare you. Push through it.

Now, be ready. Because when you serve God the enemy will attack. You might face persecution. You might get cussed at. You might get insulted and get mad. Just pray about it and move on. It’s part of it.

But, you gotta act fast. Because once the devil sees what is going on he will move in to try to mess things up. The phone will ring, kids will cry, the dog will howl, fear will rise up and the clock will tick. (John 9:4)

When you pray this prayer, you might not see the opportunities arise, but you will be reminded of the prayer, either before or after the encounter. If it’s before, do not fear. Just move forward and start talking about anything. Then, let the Spirit move through you. If your intent is real, the power and words will come.

If you are reminded afterward, do not let Satan wrack you with grief. Just pray for the person and yourself, then do better next time.

I have had chances to tell someone about Jesus and didn’t. Then, hear they died the next day. Do, what the Spirit leads you to do.

Family members, and close friends can be the worst. You will lose some. Some will rejoice, and others will hate you. It’s part of it. You might find Thanksgiving dinner is a battle field and not a joy.

Jesus said “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.”—Matt. 13:57

Meaning that you can go all over the world serving God and the people back home will still treat you without honor.

Because they know you. They saw you growing up. They remember the sins and how you used to be. They can’t get over it. They even treated Jesus this way, and He never sinned.

Even as a Christian they see you fail and sin. They see you being a human, and not the super savior they expect. They also want you to fail, because you are a reminder of their own short comings, and need of a savior.

Pray for them.

I have prayed for my entire family for years, and I have seen massive changes, and protection from the Lord.

As a believer we must serve. It’s part of our growth and relationship with the Lord.

I want to show you a verse.

“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.“—2 Thess. 3:10

Many Christians use this verse as a justification to not help the poor. But, it turns around on them, because what if God uses the verse too?

If we are not working for the Lord, we will not get fed spiritually.

Consider it.

I have learned and grown so much through serving God. My healings, and blessing have come through serving and getting up and going.

Even a plain old job is a place to serve.

Trust me, I’m not one of these happy happy happy workers. I’m a terrible employee. But, I do the work and I work hard, and when the Spirit calls me to to do the Lord’s work, I move. A job provides many chances to serve the Lord.

A Saint serves

When Jesus comes He doesn’t ask if you watched porn, or ate shellfish, or drank beer, or cussed or gambled. He doesn’t ask about your sex life or your hate or idols or anger.

He asks about what you did for the least of these thy brethren. (Matt. 25:31-46)

If you are saved you are washed of all those sins, but if you are saved, the Spirit in you will lead you to serve. You can’t help but to serve. It becomes who you are.

We serve according to our giftedness and ministry callings. There are many ways to serve in our lives. Often times it happens by chance. Not even a ministry at all, you just meet people and then do what the Spirit leads you to do. Pray for them, give to them, help them, or tell them about Jesus.

Even if you are terrified and cannot bring yourself to do anything, you can pray for them, and you can give to ministries that are doing the work. (Matt. Chapter 25)

Don’t be a goat on the day He returns and He judges the nations and believers. (Matt. 25:31-46)

You must realize that both goats and sheep are clean animals. But the goats, never really knew the Lord. If they did they would have served.

We do not earn our salvation, but when we know the Lord, certain things eventually will happen. We will change and we will serve. This is not about judging others. It is about judging ourselves and making sure we really know Him.

Praise Jesus, and pass the ammunition, as they say.

We got work to do and a war to wage.

Get busy.

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Saving Faith

 Saving Faith

 What is it really?

 

 

 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

² Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

³ Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

⁶ And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

⁷ That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.— Eph. 2:1-10

These verse in Ephesians Chapter 2 give us great insight into what happens with Grace and Faith and Works, in relation to our salvation.

Understand that the word “Quickened” means to bring to life.

The word is used because we are considered dead, before we get saved. We are utterly depraved. We are walking with Satan. We do not know God or have anything to do with Him or care. We are dead, which means separated from Him.

The verse above shows that ALL humans are in the same boat. Except for babies and young children before they reach the age of accountability. They do not understand Law, or Sin or anything else. They face death; like all humans, but not Hell. They have not committed the first sin, knowing it is a sin which condemns them and us.

We suffer Death, enslavement to Satan, a Corrupted Nature and the potential for Hell/Lake of Fire because of Adam’s sin. BUT… We actually go there because we commit the first sin, knowing it is a sin.

We all commit that first sin. We all have walked in sin, and face Hell. We all face eternal death. Which is separation from God in the garbage dump of Hell/Lake of Fire. The Bible wants us to understand this.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,“

God came to save us from this. That is Grace.

He calls us. That is Grace.

He helps us to see our need for Him. That is Grace.

He holds back the forces of darkness for moments in our lives so we can see clearly to run to Him. That is Grace.

He gives each of us the faith to be saved. That is Grace.

Because we are saved by Grace THROUGH Faith.

This is important because there are false beliefs on the matter.

We are not saved by Faith. We are saved by Grace THROUGH Faith.

God who created us gave us this faith at birth. (Rom. 12:3)

He gave a measure of faith to every human.

Enough to be saved.

Jesus says that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. (Matt. 17:20)

There is a false belief that says that God gives us faith to be saved, just before we get saved. If this is true, then God is deciding who goes to hell and who doesn’t. This flies in the face of the idea that He died for all of us and seeks to save all of us.

He gives us faith, when He knits us together in our mother’s womb. (Jer. 1:5)

That faith is what gives us hope that the sun will rise. It lets us have faith that a chair will support us when we sit down. It is faith that helps us trust that we have a job every morning we get up to go out.

That is natural faith.

That faith, as little as it might be is enough for us to believe God, and hear His call, and turn to Him. It is enough to confess Jesus as our Lord and be saved.

We can put that faith in whatever we want. Religion. Work. Money. Politics. Family. or the Eagle that lives on the yonder mountain.

But, none of those things will save us. Only Jesus Christ saves.

When we put our faith in Jesus He saves us and gives us His Holy Spirit.

From that point, the Lord starts growing us and building a relationship with us.

That is when our faith grows.

Like exercise builds the body. Seeing the movements of God, and seeing Him respond to the Truth of His Word, builds our faith.

Trusting God and seeing Him move builds our faith.

Like exercise, we build muscle by going to muscle failure. Where we cannot lift the weight but need help.

Faith is the same. God will often wait till we are spent, and cannot go any more. Then, He shows up in power, and our faith grows.

So, what is “Saving Faith?”

Saving faith; is the faith you put in the Lord to believe and trust in Him, at His call.

We can look at the Parable of the Sower in Matthew Chapter 13 to get some idea.

The sower goes forth to sow, the Word of the Kingdom.

This is the Gospel or the Word of God. It is the promises of God or a Word he gives us to wake us up to Him.

Some people get this Word, and do not understand it or believe it. The devil immediately comes and wipes it away. Demons whisper into the mind. “That’s not true.” “What about this…” “Those people are hypocrites, remember what they did to you…”

This does not mean God quits trying. He never quits. Love doesn’t quit. But, that doesn’t mean you have time to hear again.

Some people hear the Word, and agree. They like what is said, and they try to live it. But, it is by their own flesh. They did not really give themselves to the Lord and put their faith in Him alone.

So, when trouble comes or people make fun of them or punish them for trying to live right, they quit. Remember, this is a heart issue. This is a truth issue with God. It is not about appearances.

There are people living their whole life at church, in this state of half-belief. They have the “appearance of Godliness but deny the power thereof,”. They believe, but have never really accepted.

Next in the parable are people who hear the Word. They hear the call. They believe, but again never really accept it. They never confess Jesus as Lord. They try to save themselves, but “the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”

A person who knows the Lord, cannot lose their salvation. Once you have it, you are saved forever. The Lord will protect you, hold you and grow you. The person above never really had faith in the Lord. They believed, at some point but that belief did not push them beyond this life. They never really accepted or confessed Jesus is the Lord.

This matters in these last days. Because as things get worse, and persecution comes knocking, these are the people who will fall away. They have claimed Christ. They attend church. But, have never really known Him. So, when the Anti-Christ rises up, they will turn from God and join the Apostate Church.

Last, is the person who hears the Word, believes it, and moves forward to accept Jesus as their Lord and receives the Holy Spirit. This person “heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

The “Understanding” is not total understanding of all things Gospel. It is an understanding of their need. It is a light shining into the darkness of their fallen state, and they leap for the Lord.

It is not a “I’m going to become a Christian” kind of faith. It is a “My life is ruined and I need God,” kind of faith.

It is a faith that God sees. It is the faith of a child to believe things, no matter what the world tells you. (Matt. 18:3-4)

Saving faith, is faith that is real. It is faith that God accepts.

This faith hears the Word, and really believes and accepts. This faith grows in the good ground prepared by God by His grace.

God prepares us to hear, by whatever means will best serve the purpose.

But, it is our faith, and where put that faith, that leads to salvation.

That salvation brings us the Holy Spirit, and He grows us and changes us. He leads us into serving God and Serving others. He grows the fruit in us. He Walks in the Spirit with us. These are the works we do.

Works from God, and through God. Works God shows us to let us know we are saved and walking with Him. (Rom. 8:16)

It doesn’t matter what anyone says.

It only matters what God says.

Listen for Him, and let your faith flow to Him.

And you will grow in the good ground of His grace, mercy and love.

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Elder Brother, Younger Brother

 Elder Brother, Younger Brother

A Word on Acceptance

 

In the parable of the prodigal son, we see many truths about our spiritual lives. But, there is one aspect that I would like to point out here. (Luke 15:11-32) First we have the prodigal son who goes into the world and lives for himself. He lives a riotous life, that mirrors what a rock star might live. You get the picture. He took the blessings of the father and went into the world and partied with it.
      

We also see in the parable that there is an elder brother, who stays at home with the father. He obeys everything the father tells him to obey. He lives a humble, austere life at home. He never ventures out into the world very far. He grows bitter, resentful, and judgmental. He feels he is owed a blessing for obedience.
      

We can see these two characters played out today in our churches. You have the person who grew up living in the world and went full tilt in it. Then trouble comes into his life and God uses that time of trouble to draw him to be saved. Then, the person starts trying to live right and do what they are being led by God to do. But, they are still very rough around the edges, and know it. They then come to church where they encounter the elder brother.
      

This is the person who grew up in church. The elder brother never strayed too far from the laws of God. Oh sure they “sinned”.  They missed church that Sunday, and kissed a boy behind the woodshed. They went to that party and got drunk and had to call their parents from jail that one time. “Never again!” they promised God, and they kept it. But, they did other things secretly, or unknowingly, or unadmittedly.
      

The Elder Brother thinks, whether they know it or not, “This guy comes to the church, because he’s in trouble. He took the life, and the gifts, and the image of God and then wallowed in the mud with the pigs. He’s not well churched. He doesn’t talk right. He’s rough, and he doesn’t fit in. He will never totally fit in. He still smokes, he cusses, he has a woman he meets, he drinks, and he just tries to hide it all. He won’t last long.”
      

The younger brother feels it. He can feel that some people in the church will never accept him because of who he was. He can tell by how they look at him and exclude him, that he is not one of them. Oh sure they invite him. But, it feels like charity or pity. He hears the sermons and listens to the teachings and knows he doesn’t measure up. He knows that he never will. But, they all seem to. They seem to be perfect, even though he knows they aren’t. Next Sunday he’ll just sleep in.
      

This scenario plays out in churches all across this land. Someone wants to change their lives, but the perfect people become a stumbling block to them. The person who has been involved in church their whole life cannot understand that the person who has been in the world, has many layers of things that God must remove over time. It doesn’t happen overnight.  A person gets saved the minute they confess Jesus as their Lord, but it takes a life time to get totally healed of the damage that has been done to them.

Don’t let the elder brother drive you away from God or from church. Church is a place to learn, and to grow. It is a place to serve and reach out to others. It has great value in your spiritual walk. Seek people in your church who have a similar background, or who are more understanding. They are there. Pray and ask God to show you. Likewise, Elder brothers need to realize this occurs and figure out ways to make it easier for folks to integrate into the Body.   

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Photo by the author.

Joy Comes In The Morning

 Joy Comes In The Morning

God is with us 

 

 

“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”— Psalm 30:5

Things happen in our lives. Terrible things that break us and drag us down. Things that we cannot control and  ruin us. Things that make us weep in our beds at night in agony.

This world is a terrible place.

It was created good by God, but has become corrupted.

God is our friend

He is Love. He is on our side and calls us through the darkness and pain.

He is the calm after the raging storms on the sea of despair.

He is our shepherd in a world filled with savage beasts seeking to devour.

He calls us and seeks us.

Even when we get angry at Him and blame Him.

Even when the entire world and our own mind tells us it’s His fault.

When the enemy whispers that God is against us.

The Lord is there, with a still small voice asking us to turn to Him.

There are things we do not understand. But He does.

He will comfort us, and teach us and grow us and help us to understand.

He will save us and dwell with us and in us.

When we turn to Him and ask him to save us and put our faith in Him, confessing Jesus as our Lord.

He moves in our soul.

He brings us from darkness and we see Him move in our lives.

Then, He fills us and we see the truth of Him.

We see He was with us in the darkness. He was with us in the despair. He was with us when we were hiding from Him. He was there.

And all that fear we had.

All that anger toward Him, will turn to joy.

And when we fall into that deep long sleep, we will awake with Him in the morning.

And every day will be new in Him.

He is all there is, and all there ever will be.

Go To The Exchangers

 Go To The Exchangers

 A Word on Being Ready For The Lord’s Return

 

“Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”— (Matthew 25:24-30 KJV)

Here we have a frightening verse that basically says that when He returns the Lord is going to expect an accounting.

The Lord has given each of us our lives, talents, gifts  and the possessions in our lives, which He expects us to use to build the Kingdom. He wants people saved. He wants us to love others and help them. He wants us to love Him and have a relationship with Him. As best we can with the guiding of the Holy Spirit.

In the verses, the Lord gives talents to His servants, and then leaves. These are gifts. The scriptures says, “He gave gifts unto men” He has given gifts unto all men, whether saved or not. Salvation is just one gift. Our life is a gift. Our possessions are gifts, Our talents are gifts. We are to use what He has given us to turn to Him and build the Kingdom.(Eph. 4:8)

He comes back and finds that his servants have gained profit from the gifts. This profit would be souls or people helped. There is no other real medium of exchange between worlds.

The first 2 servants succeed and are rewarded. They used what they had to help others in Jesus name and to get souls saved and lives changed.

But, let’s focus on the last one. This servant says,”I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.” (see verse above)

There’s so much here. First, the fact that the servant says that the Lord is a hard man, proves that there is no relationship. This servant doesn’t know the Lord. Jesus said “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:27-30)

I could stop right there. Because people try to use this prophecy as a way to prove that people can lose their salvation. 

But, this guy never had it. He never knew the Lord. He never trusted the Lord. He never had faith in the Lord. He did not have the Holy Spirit.

There are many people in Church who have never been born again. They have never confessed Jesus as their Lord. They just call themselves Christian. They might do good things, but the fact that they have never been saved means that those good things are still defiled with evil.

But, let’s go on because this guy never even tried. He buried the talent. He was afraid. Jesus warns us “Fear Not”.  Fear is one of our greatest enemies and will keep us from knowing Christ.

If this guy had even tried, he might have woke up and found Jesus. He might have seen something that made him turn. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8)

The Lord rebukes him, and says, “You could have given the talent to the exchangers (or bank) and I could have gained profit in interest.”

What does that mean?

Well let me break it down. I’m not trying to speak for the Lord. But, it might sound like this.

“I know you were afraid, and didn’t know what to do. But, you could have at least given and supported people and ministries, who were doing the work. But, you didn’t even do that.”

The exchangers are workers or ministries doing the work. If you cannot go yourself, then support those who are.

Then, the servant is cast into outer darkness and there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Understand that The Lord is the light of the world. Apart from Him is darkness.

Hell/the Lake of Fire is a garbage dump outside the city of God where all unclean and evil things must go.

Satan, the fallen angels, demons, unclean spirits, and those who have not been washed in the Blood of Jesus must go there.

They cannot enter the city lest they corrupt it with the plague of Sin for all eternity.

This servant was never washed. He did not have a clean garment. He had no oil in his lamp. He was a goat.  ( Matt.22:1-14, Matt. 25:1-13 ,Matt. 25:31-46

He never knew the Lord. When we know the Lord, the Holy Spirit guides us to care about the things the Lord cares about. We become burdened with it. We will respond. We will serve somehow. Even if it’s only giving to others who are serving.

The worst thing to ever hear is…

“Depart from Me, I never knew you.” (Matt. 7:23, Matthew 25:31)

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Forgive And You Shall Be Forgiven

 Forgive And You Shall Be Forgiven

 Walking in the Spirit is tough.

 

 

Jesus said,

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

¹⁵ But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.— Matt. 6:14-15

Jesus tells us this in explanation of the Lord’s Prayer.

 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

This is the basic prayer outline that our prayers should follow. Praising God, Praying for our needs, forgiveness and protection. While also forgiving others, and praying for them.

God wants us to forgive others the same way He forgives us.

I know its hard. There are people who do not deserve our forgiveness. We want them punished. We want them to suffer as we have suffered.

But, we do not deserve forgiveness either, and we all deserve to suffer as Jesus suffered for us.

That’s Grace.

When we get God’s grace, we also give grace.

But, this sounds like works. It sounds like we are forgiven because we forgive and that is a work, not grace. Not faith.

No.

When we are saved, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and He grows us into a place where we become more forgiving. Where we do forgive those who have hurt us. Yes, even the worst ones.

It’s not easy. But, it does become easier.

Trust me, God is working to help you.

You might think you are doing good. You’re at Wal-mart after church and you’re happy. Then you run smack dab into the people who betrayed and hurt you, and God shows you every stitch of hatred in your heart for these people. He lets you see the unforgiveness you hold.

This is not about salvation. But, if we are saved there will be a battle.

There will be anger and the hate and the remembrance and the shock. But, there will also be the desire to do what God says.

It might not happen immediately, but there will be a call for prayer to forgive. A battle to get your mind under control to Christ. A battle against the demons that are trying to keep us in unforgivenenss. (Gal. 5:17, 2 Cor. 10:5, Eph. 6:10-18)

But the fact that we are having this battle, is proof that we are with the Lord. We never would have had that battle before. We certainly wouldn’t pray for them or desire to forgive.

That breaks our heart as we realize how much God has forgiven us.

That’s the point.

We can pray.

“Lord I hate them. But you want me to love and forgive. I want to. I want to do what you would have me to do. Please help me. I forgive, as best as I can and know how. Please help me. For it’s in Jesus name I pray, Amen.”

You can be real with God. He knows the truth. he knows your heart.

Our efforts in this are part of our relationship with Him. It’s part of Walking in the Spirit. (Gal.5:16)

It’s not about perfect obedience, it’s about giving ourselves to the Lord.

Trust me. If these people deserve revenge, God will give it. If they deserve divine punishment. They will reap what they sow. (Rom. 12:19, Gal. 6:7)

But, it will be from God. It will be righteous, and it will be designed to save them or grow them. Because God loves them too.

Unsaved people do not care about forgiving others. Our desire to do so, shows our salvation. It shows our walk with Him.

²¹ Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

²² Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.—Matt 18:21-22

Our forgiveness is to continue. It’s not a one and done, because people are fallen and will hurt you again. They will fail and sin again. (Rom 3: 10-20)

It’s a fact.

Remember, God forgives us the same. God is not a God of second chances. He is a God of infinite chances. He is a God of relationship and growth.

He calls us into His program of forgiveness.

Do not grow weary in well doing. God will bless us for it. (Gal. 6:9)

What does forgiveness look like?

How much forgiveness do you want God to give you?

Imagine it?

That is what it looks like.

Does this mean we are to be door mats and let people walk over us?

No. The scripture gives us remedies for dealing with people. (Matt. 18: 15-17)

But, in the midst of that we still forgive and let it go.

“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.“—Rom 12:18

This verse shows that we can try everything we can to live in peace, but sometimes its not possible.

We pray about it, and give it to the Lord. He will move.

We do what is right in dealing with it.

We love and forgive and let it go.

But sometimes we must withdraw from people.

“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.“—1 Cor. 5:11

If a person calls themselves a Christian and are saved they will also be seeking peace. They will be seeking to do right. If not, we can back off from those people. But we still pray for them, love them and forgive them. We still desire some level of reconciliation.

Like God has reconciled with us.

It’s not easy.

Let the Lord guide you. (Prov. 3:5-6)

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He Rose For Our Justification

  He Rose For Our Justification

 We are justified in Christ

 

There was only one law in the beginning.

Just one.

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”–Gen. 2:17

People want to act like God is some eternal killjoy, who is just hovering about ready to strike you down with furious wrath and bolts of lightning.

But, in the beginning there was only ONE law.

And Satan in his rebellion used a serpent, which by the way, was not a snake. It was a dragon, or as we like to call them, a dinosaur. (Rev. 12:9)

He used it to tempt the first couple, in order to get them to fall.

He tricked Eve into breaking the one law. But, Adam was not tricked. He knew exactly what he was doing. (1 Tim. 2:14)

He knew it was wrong and chose to listen to his wife instead of listening to God. (Gen. 3:17)

Adam was Satan’s target. Adam had the dominion of the Earth. He was the one who needed to fall. (Gen. 1: 26-28)

Why Adam chose to ignore God’s Law is not given to us. Adam probably explained it away, some how. I tend to think He loved Eve and did not want her to die alone. Or perhaps he did not want to be alone again, if she died after eating the fruit.

It’s hard to say, but when the first couple ate of the fruit they quickly discovered why God had warned them. God’s laws are typically designed to protect us.

Something changed in them. Their eyes were opened. God had created everything good. There was no death. But, now there was evil present. Death and evil, flooded into the world. (Gen 3:6-10)

Adam and Eve had fear, where none had existed before.

Evil was contained somewhere else, and now came upon the humans. It corrupted them and now corrupts all of humanity ever since.

This brought death. Death is separation. Remember, we are eternal beings. Death is not an end. We have no end. We are made in God’s image. We are eternal spirits. Death means separation. We die physically and are separated from our loved ones on Earth. We then die spiritually and are separated from God and our loved ones who are saved, forever.

Why?

In order to contain the evil. Hell/The Lake of Fire is a quarantine. It exists in order to keep evil from destroying all of eternity. It was created for Satan and his angels. It is a garbage dump outside the city of God, where all filthy things are thrown, in order to not corrupt Paradise. (Matt. 25:41, Rev.22:14-15)

Since Adam chose to follow Satan instead of God, He gave up the dominion. That is why Satan is the god of this world. You go into bondage under whoever overcomes you. If you give your authority to another, they own you. (2 Cor 4:4, 2 Pet. 2:19)

And that is the state we live in.

We are born into this world, totally corrupted. Filled with fear and evil, facing eternal separation from God and all things good.

We cannot do right. No matter how hard we try. We are under the control of Satan and his demonic hordes who whisper into our minds and get us to do whatever evil deeds they want. Seeking to rob us, kill us and destroy us, because God loves us, and the demons hate God. They seek to hurt God by hurting us.

And Satan sits and accuses us, day and night (Rev. 12:10)

He accuses us to God.

“Look at these creatures you created. They are filthy. They don’t love you. If they loved you they would have stayed with you. They are scum. Destroy them. Kill them. Punish them. They do all manner of evil, and mock you. Destroy them.”

But God loves us, and He had a plan.

It was a plan started at the foundation of the world.

A plan that grew and spread and remained hidden from the enemy.

It started with Faith, in Abraham.

A way to be righteous. (Gen. 15:6, Rom. 4:3, Gal . 3:6, Jas 2:23)

Then, it moved to the Law, in Moses

In order to show us that we are sinners and cannot obey God. (Rom. 3, Rom. 7)

A law that so happened to also allow for cleansing our disobedience through sacrifice.

Then, finally God himself came to Earth in the form of Jesus Christ to save His creation from Satan and the sins that keep us in bondage.

Satan thought that Jesus was here to teach us to obey. He thought Jesus was teaching us to follow the Law, which the enemy had already corrupted with human philosophy, traditions of men and doctrines of devils.

It would be a failed mission. Humans cannot obey. No matter how hard they try. Satan had made sure of that by corrupting us in the Garden. We are totally depraved.

Then, Satan and his demon princes killed Jesus. They used their human slaves in government and religion to do it. (1 Cor 2:6-8)

He thought he won. He thought he had finally won.

He might have even accused us before God again. Just like he accused Job. (Job chapter 1 and 2))

“Look at those creatures. They murdered your Son. They obeyed me, not you and killed you. Why do you love them? They spit in your face.”

And God smiled.

Because through His death, He had saved us.

So, that anyone who desires it can be free from the bondage of Sin, Satan and Death.

All they have to do is turn to God and ask Him to save them in Jesus name. (Acts 2:21)

But, that wasn’t the end.

God was not finished.

Because Jesus, was the lamb without blemish. He was not tarnished by evil or sin. He was not worthy of death or separation. He was the perfect sacrifice.

And death could not hold Him.

God Himself died for us and rose from the dead to prove that we are saved and justified. ( Rom. 4)

We do not have to answer to the accuser. We do not have to fear death or evil. We do not have to face wrath. We do not have to face Hell or The Lake of Fire or separation from God. We are clean, righteous and justified in Christ.

We are saved by God’s grace, through faith.

Because He, Himself came and set us free in His death and rose to prove it.

All we have to do is turn to Him by faith and ask.

And we are made righteous and justified forever.

We will be with Him in Paradise.

Where “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Cor 2:9)

He has restored that which was lost. And He will continue to restore all of it, back to what He originally created. (Matt. 18:11, Rev. 21, Rev. 22)

Praise Jesus

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The Lesson Of Job

 The Lesson Of Job

 Abide in the Lord

 

We all face trouble in life. It is something we can all agree upon. No matter who you are, something bad will eventually come to cause you trouble. Something will break your heart. Something will break you down. Something will make you crazy, concerned or confused.

When we look at the story of Job in the Bible. We see a lot of spiritual truth that we can apply to our lives.

Now, understand that trouble is relative to you. Just because someone on the other side of the Earth is in extreme poverty with nothing. Doesn’t make your problems any less concerning. Just because someone else is dying of some terrible disease, doesn’t make your troubles any less destructive to your life.

Evil is evil, in whatever form it manifests. We need to stop belittling peoples troubles and start solving problems. It’s very possible that if we solved the petty problems, they would not become the huge problems. If we cared about the person who can’t afford simple things, we might also care about the person in total poverty and solve the problem. If we care about the person with a flu bug, we might also care about the dying man, or even prevent disease from growing.

I say this because Job, faced terrible tribulation. He lost everything he owned, His children were all killed, and his health was attacked. On top of that, his wife was against him.

Just because Job’s troubles were really bad, doesn’t mean yours are not concerning to you. The Bible often gives us the most extreme vision of things so that we will see that our troubles are also able to be overcome. The same faith can overcome all of it. The same God is with us in all of it, no matter how big or small.

In the book of Job, Satan comes to God and asks to test Job. He claims that if Job is mistreated he will turn from God.

That is the focus of the story and that is our focus. Nothing else matters.

 It doesn’t matter how bad the trouble was. It doesn’t matter if God allowed it. It doesn’t matter if Satan did it, or God did it. None of it matters.

Because Job had no clue. He just knows he is having trouble. His whole life has been upended. We even see toward the end of the book that Job is confused and has questions. It’s ok to have questions, doubts and confusion. But, Job turned to God. Job stayed with God. That’s the point.

When we face trouble, we often have no clue what’s going on. We might think it’s nature. Or God is punishing us or the devil is attacking us. We might know exactly what we did or didn’t do. We might be suffering because of something done to us by people who claim to love us.

None of it matters.

The answer for all of it is the same. Turn to God.

Pray to Him, ask Him to save you and help you. Listen to His guidance.

Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15)

He turned to God and trusted Him. Even if God chose to kill him, Job knew God was good and had good reasons. He trusted God, and continued walking in the way that he was walking in his life, because he did not see that he had done anything wrong. And he hadn’t. God will let you know.

The whole point of the story is that Job turned to God and stayed with Him. No matter how bad. No matter what philosophies, or good intentions from friends. No matter how much a friend called him a sinner. No matter how much pain and humiliation. Even when his wife, was led by Satan to say, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.”

Job stayed with God. He trusted God and turned to God.

Now understand that I am not talking about going to church. You can go to church all you want and still not know God. You can be the greatest member of your church and still be lost.

Do you know Him? Do you trust Him? Turn to Him.

This can be seen in the Garden when Satan through the Serpent, tempted Eve. He caused her to doubt God’s promises and His goodness. (Gen. 3)

That is the the devil’s favorite tactic. To get us to stop trusting God and to not reach out to Him. Once that’s done, we have no real hope or real help. We are defenseless and powerless.

This is why God brought the curse. It is designed to cause us to turn to God.

When Adam ate of the fruit all humanity gained a corrupted nature through him. The only solution is to turn to God for salvation and help. The Curse causes us to seek that help, if we are willing.

There is a time coming says the Lord, that will be worse than any other. He tells us to abide and endure to the end with Him. When persecution mounts and the terrors seek to destroy us. Stay with the Lord. Despite the temptations all around us. (John 15:4, Matt. 10:22, Matt 24:13

Always turn to God. Turn to Him in everything, and He will save you, lead you, grow you and know you.

You have a choice. Do not let trouble or the enemy drive you away from God. Turn to Him and let Him work.

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Destroying The Image Of God

 Destroying The Image Of God

Satan's Insanity 

 

If you’ve read the Bible, you know that we have a spiritual enemy.

Satan fell sometime after creation. We do not know exactly when, but it was because he desired to be “like the most High”. (Isa. 14: 12-17)

He wants to be God.

This desire led to his fall and corruption.

It is believed that he took a third of all angels and spiritual beings with him, in the rebellion. (Rev. 12:4)

His desire and hatred toward God became manifest in his efforts to twist creation and form his own world with worshipers.

It’s my belief that when God created everything “Good”. Death and evil was created at the same time as a by product of life and good and was contained somewhere else. (Isa. 45:7)

That when Satan fell he became corrupted with this evil, and spread it like a plague. This is why evil exists. It is a by product. Like engine exhaust, or bodily waste from a good meal. It twists the good and poisons it.

This evil corrupts all it touches. It kills us spiritually and twists us, much like the walking dead zombies. That is why evil and death will finally be contained in the Lake of Fire, with Satan and those who follow him. The garbage dump of God.

Satan came to the Garden of Eden where the human Adam and his wife Eve were dwelling.

He deceived a serpent, and used it to corrupt the first couple. This serpent was most likely a dinosaur or dragon. (Gen. 3, Rev. 12:9)

He told them that God was not being honest with them. He was hiding something, and they themselves could be as gods also. He got them to doubt God’s Word and doubt His Goodness.

It is the same lie he tells people today, in many different forms.

Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and their eyes were opened. They saw their own nakedness. This caused them to hide from God and to try to fix the problem themselves by making aprons of leaves. (Gen. 3)

It’s the same thing we do when we sin. We hide from God and try to fix what is wrong with us by religion or drugs or education, or work or status.

But, the real answer is to turn to God and let Him save us and cleanse us.

By corrupting Adam, Satan worked to destroy the image of God and to make God’s own image a slave to him. God is not our enemy. Satan is, and he corrupts all that is good.

He took dominion of the Earth from Adam and has worked to corrupt it and control all kingdoms and all people to build his New World Order Kingdom of The Anti-Christ, ever since.

Humans are his slaves. (2 Cor. 4:4, Luke 4:17-21 )

When Adam fell, evil corrupted Him and has spread to all humans. This is our corrupted nature. This is why we sin. This is why we do the insane things we do. This is why we dwell in death.

Paul speaks of it, when He describes something inside of us that causes us to sin.

He says about sin, and his effort to do good.

“Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

¹⁸ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

¹⁹ For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

²⁰ Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.“—-(Rom. 5: 12-21, Rom. 7:13-25)

I try to do right, but can’t. Something is wrong with me.

Satan uses this corruption to get us to rebel and wage war on God. He tempts our corrupted flesh and we fall destroying our selves. Killing ourselves. We abide in death. Slaves to Satan and this corruption.

He cannot hurt God, so He hurts us in order to attack God.

He uses us to destroy everything God has made for good.

The Creation. Gender. Marriage. Our Bodies. Relationships. Love. Blessings.

All of it broken and twisted because of his hatred for God. Whether the humans understand what they are doing or not. Satan and his demonic forces know exactly what they are doing.

The Bible continues with brother killing brother and things growing worse and worse in the world.

Satan and His fallen angels come to Earth and have sex with the women of the line of Cain, and giants are born unto them. It is believed this happened in the days of Jared. (Gen. 6:1-8, Gen. 5)

Corrupting humans even further. This happens because Satan stole dominion from Adam and is the ruler of this world. So, he came and took possession.

This evil spread. Our corruption and sinfulness spread like a plague. The line of Seth mingled with the line of Cain. Like the church mingling with the world.

But, Enoch knew the truth from Adam. He walked with God and put His faith in the Lord. He spread the truth, and was taken to be with God.

Enoch is a picture of Jesus Christ, who also went alive into heaven after delivering the truth of God, and setting us free. A light in the darkness.

Seeing the evil corrupting the Earth, God decides to destroy the Earth with a flood. He finds Noah, who is righteous and receives grace, because he walked with God like Adam and Enoch. He believed and trusted God. (Gen 6:8, Gen. 7:1, Heb. 11:5-7)

The corruption of evil. The hatred and insanity of Satan, and the wickedness of humans. Led to the destruction of the Earth by the Flood.

Did God really think that destroying the Earth with a Flood would stop sin? Did He think it would stop evil? Did He honestly believe this Flood would clear up the corruption?

Of course not. He’s God. But, the method for dealing with a corrupting plague according to God’s Word, is to wash it. Then set it aside to see if the plague returns, then if it does, to burn it with fire. (Leviticus 13:47-59)

Our body, our life, our world is but a tent. A garment we shed when we leave this earthly realm.

That’s where we are at in this world.

We are waiting to be burned or saved.

We are watching Satan, his fallen angels, demons and slave humans, along with the spirit of anti-christ, corrupting and destroying the creation and all things good from God.

Destroying the world with the love of money and building empires to control the globe.

While the saints, like Noah; try to spread the Gospel and save as many as possible from the fire to come.

We are corrupt. We are slaves to Satan. We sin. We have a fallen nature.

But, when we turn to the Lord Jesus, He sets us free, and saves us.

We become saints of God and our job is to save souls and restrain the evil with our love and service. We are to be salt and light, preserving this rotting piece of meat. Driving out the darkness, till He comes. (Matt. 5:13-16, Mark 16:15-18)

Do not fall for the same lies Satan used in the Garden. God is good, and we can trust His promises.

He is coming soon.

He wants us with Him.

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