Speak the truth of God’s Word into your life. Believe Him. Trust Him,
learn of Him and know He is with you where ever you go. Make Him the
focus of your life and grow in relationship with Him.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”—Phil. 4:13
Believe it. Speak it to yourself in faith.
When you are facing something that is causing you to fear, or doubt.
Turn to God. Trust Him and speak the truth into your life. Tell yourself
out loud.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
He is with you. He is working in you and through you if you know Him.
If you are trying to accomplish something; know that he is with you. Trust the Word.
Are you concerned with having your needs met? Trust God. Stand on the Word. Speak this verse to yourself and believe it.
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’—Phil. 4:19
What does it say? Does it say “Some”? No it says “All”. God will take care of you. Say it. and trust Him.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”— Rom. 10:17
Speak the Word of God out loud to yourself and others. Believe it.
Say
“My God shall supply all my need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Say it out loud and trust it. It is a fact.
Speaking the Word out loud builds faith.
Is something making you think you lost your salvation? Turn to God
and ask Him to save you through Jesus Christ and speak these words over
your fear.
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.:—John 6:37
If you know Jesus, He will not cast you out. You might stumble. You
might drift away, but He is with you still. Just turn to Him and ask.
“I am in Christ, and He will not cast me out.” Say it and believe it.
“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”—John 6:39
If we know Him, we will be with Him on that day.
Are you confused? Are demons whispering into your mind trying to get you to think God is out to get you?
Trust God.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”—Rom. 8:28
Say it out loud.
“All things work together for my good. I love God and He has called me to Him and His purpose for my life. He is with me.”
Believe it. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Your faith expands when you hear God’s truth and you trust Him.
It’s sort of like stirring yourself up, except that it is spirit. His
words are spirit and truth. They impact your soul and spirit and the
things beyond the veil. They build up faith, and when you see Him move,
your faith grows as well.
Are you facing something you cannot overcome, like addiction or some task?
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”—Rom. 8:37
Say it.
“I am a conqueror in Jesus name. I will overcome through Him.”
Speak it and believe it.
Do not let the devil, beat you down with fear and doubt. Stand on
God’s Word. Believe His promises and speak them into your life and the
life of others.
The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.
But, Jesus came to give us life, and to give it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
“I have an abundant life in Jesus name. He has saved me and is blessing me.”
If the enemy can get you to stop trusting God, then you have no where to turn. You can believe the Word.
Even if God is causing you problems or allowing it. It is for your
good, and you can trust Him. Pray the Word. Speak the promises.
Stand on it.
(Do you have prayer requests or praises? Tell me in the comments or message me.)
We avoid deception when we are taught by the Holy Spirit
"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"--2 Timothy 4:3
The
scriptures teach that in the last days we shall heap to ourselves
teachers having itching ears, because we ignore sound doctrine and
follow our fleshly desires.
This is referring to the believer and unbeliever alike.
We
are perishing for lack of knowledge. We know it deep in our hearts. We
know it in our souls and spirits. Something is wrong and we seek to know
what it is. We seek anything to fill that gaping hole that can only be filled by God. (Hosea 4:6)
At the same time, we are
surrounded by people who want to be important. They think they are the
smartest one in the room and they often make sense or are so
charismatic, that they seem wise or command respect.
So
we gather around these people having itching ears and desiring to hear
from God through them, or anyone who can give us a spark of insight.
These people are shiny. They transform themselves into angels of light.
They teach works, and their end will be according to their works. They
are from Satan. (2 Cor. 11:12-15)
But, the scriptures teach that God Himself, has gifted teachers and given them to us. ( 1 Cor. 12:28, Eph.4:11.)
A
teacher from God is not the same as a teacher from man; or Satan. God
uses the base things to confound the wise. (1 Cor. 1:15-31)
But
we are so eager to fill a spot or chase after some preacher or teacher
who might not be from God.That we miss the real teachers from the Lord.
We want the pretty thing, not the rough thing. We want polished, not the
beat up clunker.
I'm not talking about learning a trade from a tradesmen. Although, we should seek to be led by God into that as well.
I'm talking about spiritual things.
So, how do we avoid the false teaching?
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit teaches us and leads us into all truth. (John 16:13)
John said that we have no need for any to teach us but the anointing will do it.(1 John 2:27)
James said, if we desire wisdom we can ask of God and He will give it.(James 1:5)
So,
how does this work? Well, first we turn to God and confess Jesus as our
Lord and believe in Him. We must be saved, have the Holy Spirit and
willing to believe what He teaches and what the Word says. (Romans
10:9-10, Romans 4:3, Gal. 3:6, James 2:23, Luke 11: 11-13, John
14:16-17)
Then, we ask the Lord to teach us and guide us. (Prov. 3:5-8)
He will open up the scriptures to you. He will open up your mind, heart and life to learn from Him.
You will see things around you and in your life that will grow you and change you and teach you.
God will lead you to the church and the teachers and preachers He wants you to have. Listen to His Spirit as He guides you.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path.
But,
this takes time.
After being saved, Paul went
into the desert of Arabia to hear from God. Then after 3 years he talked
with Peter, to make sure what he heard was correct. Then, he continued
to learn from the Spirit for 14 years as he served. Even then, he still
made sure of what he was teaching. He already had head knowledge from
his
years as a pharisee. But, he needed heart knowledge, he needed Spirit
knowledge, he needed brokenness. This takes time. (Gal.1:1-24-Gal
2:1-10)
God calls his teachers and
preachers as He sees fit. It is a burden. A calling. It's not something
you get from a few classes. It's not something you get because you are
important in the community and able to attract listeners.
Jesus said "I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one."---(John 10:25-30)
With
so many voices around us, is it any wonder that we can't hear from God
anymore? Have you heard His voice? Would you know it? Jesus says you
will if you are with Him. Believe it.
How do we hear from Him? We listen to the still small voice not the earthquake or raging fire full of fear. (1 Kings 19:11-12)
Jesus said "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" (John 3:12)
Do
you believe the hard things in His Word? Do you believe the crazy
things in the Bible? Do you believe in six days of creation and one day
of rest? Can you believe in talking serpents and global floods? If you
can't believe that, then how can you believe that He rose from the
dead? (Romans 10:9-10)
How can you believe He is
coming again? How can you believe He answers prayer or will never
forsake you? How can you believe there is an enemy, and how can you
believe there are false teachers? Maybe even the one who preaches to you
about works every Sunday.
He
has given us teachers. But are we listening to HIS teachers?
Like the leaders of Israel
ignored and killed the true prophets. Do religious leaders keep the
people in darkness today as well? Do we heap to ourselves teachers today thinking we are so smart, or so spiritual?
If we trust the Holy Spirit and let Him teach us we will avoid the deceptions of these last days. We will know the truth. This is how the elect avoids deception, in these days of lies. (Matt. 24:24)
By letting the Holy Spirit teach us we grow in relationship with God and we avoid heaping teachers based upon our fleshly desires. Whether we mean to or not we have a tendency to want to hear from teachers who are agreeing with what we already know or believe.
This verse is not speaking of "desires" in the sense of lusts. No preacher is telling you to commit adultery or steal or kill, or be a drunkard. No one would follow this guy. But, the teacher is teaching based upon the desires of the fleshly mind, instead of the things of the spirit. Teaching a salvation by works, instead of grace. Teaching the religion of the Anti-Christ to come. A religion that twists and ignores the Word. Teachers serving Satan instead of God. A religion of deception and control, in order to lead the people into the Apostate Church to come.
Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. Start listening to Him right now. We avoid false teachers by listening to the Holy Spirit. He will lead us into all truth and open the Word for us. He will renew our mind. He will change us.
There really is only one thing moving behind the scenes.
What is going on in the world? Why are things like this?
Are you a conspiracy theorist or have you seen things that goes on in
history or in the news that doesn’t make sense? Things that seem to be
connected, but there’s really no rational way they could be.
Have you noticed that we always seem to head in the same direction,
like some unseen hand guides the events of the world and history.
Something you can’t prove but you can plainly see?
Have you considered the spiritual element?
Have you considered that humans have a spiritual enemy that seeks to rule over us and to dethrone God?
All those connections you cannot seem to make or that make you feel
crazy, are easily made when you consider that Satan, Fallen Angels,
Unclean Spirits, Demons, and the spirit of antichrist is working behind the scenes. It’s not just humans doing all the work themselves.
You wanna know who “They” are?
This is them.
“They” are spiritual forces of darkness in high places who direct humans to move us in a certain direction. (Eph. 6:12)
Do you see the pantheons of gods in history? Zeus, Odin, Osiris, Hades, Set?
In every part of the world?
This is them. The Fallen Angels. The Nephilim. The gods.
They have worked since the beginning of the world to bring it under
their complete control, and for Satan to be worshiped as the most high
god. (Isa. 14:12-20, Ezek. 28:1-19)
They have done the same thing, over and over again throughout history.
They corrupted Adam and Eve telling them that they would be as gods, getting them to doubt God’s Word and Goodness. (Gen. 3)
This allowed them to be able to take dominion of the Earth from Adam.
They now rule behind the scenes, and have for a long time.
Why does this matter?
Because history is one big story of these guys trying to take over and be worshiped.
It is believed the Fallen Angels came to Earth at the time of Jared in the Bible. (Gen. Chapter 5.)
They corrupted humanity, and abused all of nature. (Gen. 6)
They were with human women and giants were born to them. These were the Nephilim.
Mythology also speaks of “gods” like Zeus taking human women, and demi-gods were born.
The ancient gods were the fallen angels, and their offspring. Like
all stories it changes over time. Little details change here and there
but the core is the same. These “gods” were known all over the world.
When Alexander the Great of Greece invaded Egypt it is said he was amazed that they worshiped the same gods.
The stories of the gods are the same to some extent all over the world.
Could it have been the fallen angels?
How did ancient people come up with the same beliefs all over the world?
Ok, so the fallen angels came to earth and connected with the line of Cain.
St. Augustine says that the fallen ones in the Bible are referring to
the line of Cain corrupting the line of Seth. He rejects the idea of
fallen angels.
St. Augustine’s view became the common teaching. Helping to hide the
truth. But, one must ask. How does two human groups procreating with
each other bring out giants? And the Bible teaches there were giants.
Goliath was a giant.
I believe it was both. Fallen angels came, giants (demi-gods) were born, and the line of Cain corrupted the line of Seth.
The world was ruined.
So the Flood came and washed it all away.
Now, when you look at this story and read the Biblical texts. What
you will find is that the same corruption is going on in the world
today, as we race towards destruction.
By the time the Flood came the humans and giants under the direction
of the fallen ones, created a world wide trade system. They built huge
structures. Globally. It is claimed that they did lots of evil things.
Human sacrifice, Cannibalism, Slavery, mixing of animals and humans, if
you can imagine an evil thing, it was happening. It’s believed there was
science and sorcery of the most vilest types. Were there really ancient
aliens? Or were they Nephilim, and humans directed by fallen angels?
Could aliens be fallen angels or demons from another dimension of
existence, instead of another planet?
After the Flood only eight humans survived.
Do you think God believed that a flood would destroy angels and demons? Nope.
Do you think God believed a flood would destroy sin? Nope.
Sin is a corrupting plague.
But He washed the Earth clean, and waited to see if the corruption
came back. If it does then it must be burned. And that is where the
earth is headed. To be burned with fire.(Lev. 13:47-59)
So, what we see after the Flood, is that the whole world is united.
They are led to build a tower. This tower was supposed to unite and
protect humans from another catastrophe like the Flood.
It is believed that Nimrod was the king that led in the building of
the tower. He is a picture of the Anti-Christ to come. He was led to
build the tower by the fallen angels and demonic forces it is believed.
This tower is a picture of the New World Order being built today. It is
also a picture of the technology that is working to unite the world.
(Gen. 10 8-9, Gen. 11)
God came down and confused the languages and the people scattered over the Earth.
This is why there are different names for the gods, and for the first
king and his family. This is why the mythologies are the same, but
different globally.
Satan and the fallen angels were thwarted again. This is the second
time they tried to build a global empire to worship Satan and oppose
God.
Do you see the pattern?
From this point in history the “gods” directed humans and led them to create massive empires. To control and unite humans again.
God does not want humans united, unless and until we are finally united under Christ.
History is full of kings who claimed to be descendants from gods, who went forth to conquer and united the world under them.
Do you think that’s a coincidence?
Perhaps they really are descended from the Nephilim?
When you look at history, the Bible, prophecy, mythology, and
conspiracy with this mindset, you really see some interesting things.
Who is really behind the scenes and why?
When we look at the book of Daniel we see an image of a human, which
described global kingdoms throughout history. It shows Babylon, Persia,
Greek, Roman, and a future (or present) kingdom. But, the entire idol is
one idol. Which means that all these kingdoms are not really separate.
They are all united and they are led by Satan, the fallen angels and
demonic forces. (Daniel Chapter 2)
This is a very simple picture of the ancient world. Controlled by
empires and the “gods’. Which brings us to the time of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was killed by the Roman empire and by the religious leaders.
Both of whom were controlled by Satan, the fallen angels and demonic
forces. Paul plainly states that the “princes of this world”
crucified Jesus. He is not talking about the pharisees or Rome. he is
referring to demonic princes, described in Daniel. He is talking about
Satan and the fallen angels who are principalities and powers in high
places. (1 Cor. 2:8, Daniel Chapter 10, Eph. 6:20)
We read in John Chapter 13, that when Jesus gave Judas the sop of
bread. Satan entered into him and he went to betray Christ. This plainly
shows that demonic forces killed Jesus. They used Judas to betray, They
used the religious leaders to condemn, and they used the Roman Empire
to execute him.
But, when Jesus was crucified and rose again He broke the power of
the Fallen Angels. We see the power of the “gods” being destroyed
globally in history throughout the world.
Coincidence?
What we see from this point is the same thing as before,
Empires growing around the world led by Kings, Priests and Presidents.
We see great atrocities committed globally. We see the creation of
global economies and corporations. We see international bankers and
secret societies coming into being.
We see problems created, then solved by the same people who created
them. We see money controlling the world, while billions are kept in
poverty and bondage.
We see the world uniting constantly under new empires of commerce and ideology.
The world always heading in the same direction. More control. More connectedness.
All of it directed by those who rule behind the scenes. Those who have ruled from before the Flood.
So, when you discuss conspiracy theories, whether it’s the Catholic
Church, or The Royals, or the Rothchilds, or the Illuminati, or the
Knights Templar, or the Tri-lateral Commision, or the Bilderbergers, or
Bohemian Grove, or the Federal Reserve, or any of it.
For the past week meteorologists have been warning about a coming
winter storm. It’s freezing rain and snow will cause problems, they say.
And folks believe them. They stock up on bread and milk. They buy icy
melt. They break out the snow gear and the shovels. They check on
family. They stay home to keep roads clear and safe. They close
businesses to keep people safe.
Because they believe what they are told.
The Word of God tells us that there will come a time in the future when the world will face great trouble.
The Word tells us that we will face trouble in our own lives.
The Word tells us that we will face death someday.
A storm is coming.
Are we going to believe it? Are you prepared?
When an ice storm is coming, we listen to the experts. We listen to
the people who have seen it before, and we rest in the experiences we
have had in the past. This helps us to prepare for the coming storm.
Likewise, we can turn to God to save us and see us through the future
storms of life and death. He can save us for eternity. We can trust
Him. We can trust His Word.
When we believe the warnings of the ice storm we respond.
When we believe the Word of God we can respond also.
Belief leads to response. Faith leads to action.
Jesus told the paraplegic man to take up his bed and walk. (John 5)
But, what if the man had not done it. Would he have been healed?
He was healed because He believed and responded to the Word given him.
We are told “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”—
Rom. 10:9-10
When we read this verse do we believe it? Or do we doubt?
Do we say “Yeah but there has to be more to it than that. How can a
person just say some magic words and get saved? Don’t they have to love
God and obey Gods law?”
We make up all kinds of excuses because we cannot believe the simplicity of salvation and the love of God.
Satan is more than happy to give us excuses to get us to doubt God’s
goodness and Word. It’s the same thing He did to Eve in the Garden.
(Gen.3)
Our belief leads to a response. The response is to turn to God
(repent) and confess Jesus is the Lord and He is our Lord, and believe
that He rose from the dead. Which is believing the Word we have been
given.
Do you believe it? Do you believe He died for you, and rose from the dead? Do you believe He is God?
Yeah but… “Faith without works is dead.” Some will say. — (James 2)
Belief or faith requires a response, and the response is confessing
Jesus as our Lord. Confessing is a work. Baptism is a work. Communion is
a work.
What did the thief on the cross do?
He confessed Jesus as Lord, then he told the other thief about Jesus.
That’s it. And Jesus said “Today you will be with me in Paradise”–Luke 23
Likewise, when we confess Jesus as Lord, and tell others about Him, we will be with Him in Paradise, when we die or He returns.
That’s it. Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before
men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”—Matt.
10:32
We confess because we believe. Belief leads to a response.
God’s grace and our belief and confession is how we are saved. That
salvation leads to a relationship with God as we see Him moving in our
life. Our faith and belief grows in Him.
We trust that He forgives us. We trust that He is with us and will
never leave us. We trust that He loves and cares for us and will take
care of us, and we see Him moving and doing it. This leads to praise and
thanksgiving which helps grow the relationship, faith and trust.
That is belief. That is faith. Our response is to confess Him as
Lord, love others and build the kingdom. We are saved and healed so we
lead others to be saved and healed in Jesus name.
But, there’s a storm coming.
Storms in our lives and in the world.
Trouble comes, and we can turn to Him and He will move. Stand on the
promises of God in His Word. Trust Him. And when you see Him move it
will build your faith and relationship.
But, the coming storm will be of darkness without hope. Some say believers will escape,
but that has not been proven. God will be with us through the storm.
Just like He was with the disciples on the boat, and with Israel through
the plagues.—(Luke 8, Exodus)
He will be with us as this world gets worse and worse. As terrible things fall upon the Earth preparing for Christ’s return.
Do you believe it? Are you preparing for the times of trouble and His
return? Are you getting people saved, and preparing your own self?
The scriptures are clear that when He returns there will be church
people who thought they were saved but were not. People who prayed a
prayer, or people who sat in church every week. But, never believed.
They never really confessed Him as Lord. They never fully trusted Him to
save them but instead trusted their own works. They never had a
relationship with Him.
The storm is coming.
But, many do not believe.
These false brethren will fall away when the trouble comes. They will say “Where is the promise of His coming.”. They will wonder why He has delayed His return. —(2 Peter 3:4, Luke 12:45-46)
Then, they will form the apostate church and help the Anti-Christ
persecute the saints. They will beat the men servants and maid servants.
They will go back to living for the world. They will be like Judas the
betrayer. —(Luke 12:45-46, Rev. 6, Matt. 24, )
And when He returns they will be foolish virgins without oil. (Matt. 25)
They will have taken the gifts and talents and salvation the Lord
gave them, and buried it in the sand instead of responding in belief and
serving the Lord. (Matt. 25)
They will stand before Him saying “when did we see you naked?”
Because they never believed and turned and let the Holy Spirit lead them
to serve others and love people and help them. (Matt. 25)
They will not be clothed in the wedding garment because they never knew the King. (Matt. 22)
They never had a relationship with Him or confessed Him as Lord.
They just went to church every week, judged others, and tried to obey rules.
And He said “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”
The storm is coming. Do you really know Him.
Can you trust Him when they are killing your church? Can you trust
Him when they threaten to fire you from your job if you won’t take the Mark of the Beast?
Can you trust Him, when people who call themselves Christians lie to
you, attack you, betray you and destroy your life, or lead you to death?
Can you trust Him when you face homelessness and starvation? or will
you turn back like Lot’s wife, desiring the comforts of the world?.
(Gen. 19)
The storm is coming, the Word says.
Turn to Him,
and ask Him to save you. Confess Jesus as your Lord. Believe He rose
from the dead. Believe the Word, given to you. Tell others about Jesus,
building the kingdom.
The Holy Spirit will come and teach you and lead you into all truth. (1 John 2:27)
And you will know Him and have a relationship with Him.
And when the storm comes you will be safe in the Ark, that is His salvation and care.
When the waters rise and beat upon you, you will stand firm because
you’ve built your house on the Rock of Jesus Christ, who is the living
Word. Not on the sand of your own works and power. (Matt.7)
As Saints we need to understand the Word, and the work we are called to do.
We need to understand the world around us and what is going on in our lives, and the lives of people we are in contact with.
Why do we sin?
Why do we have difficult lives?
The reason is because Adam chose to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, after being warned not to.
This brought death into the world. It caused humans to have a
corrupted nature. It allowed Satan to take dominion of this world from
Adam.
That is why we sin. That is why we die. and that is why there is a power that seems to rule over this world.
But, God did not leave us like that.
He came and brought a curse, “for our sake”. (Gen. 3 KJV)
The curse did not bring death or sin or Satan, those things already
existed because of the fall. And God does not cause us to sin. That is
not His character.
We commit sins because of what is in us from the fall. Our corrupted
nature. This is important to understand. It’s like the symptoms of a
spiritual plague. The plague of Sin.
God laid down His curse not as a punishment but as a tool to cause us to turn to Him and be saved. He is our only Hope.
He created the woman to be a helper to the man. So, the curse plays
on her desire to help and nurture. It causes her to seek God for
salvation and help, through her desire for family. She needs help and
God is the only help.
The man is not cursed. But, the earth is cursed, so that no matter
what he does, it only brings forth thorns and thistles. His hard work,
is supposed to cause him to turn to God for salvation and help.
This is literally true. But, there is a symbolic truth involved, because thorns and thistles are symbols of sin.
It means that all his works are sin. It means that no matter how hard
he tries he cannot produce good. This symbolism is supposed to teach us
that there is nothing we can do to fix ourselves, only Christ can do
that.
Everything around us are symbols of the truth of God. Every aspect of reality is interwoven with the truth of His Word.
So, let’s look at more thorns and thistles.
Paul says that Jesus Christ was made sin for us. (2 Cor. 5:21)
God made a sinless Christ into sin for us and nailed it to the cross.
He nailed Sin itself to the cross.
Notice how Jesus was given a crown of thorns and a robe of scarlet. (Matthew 27:27-30)
These are the symbols showing He was made sin for us.
Sin and it’s power over us has been destroyed on the cross if we turn
to Him. If we ask Him to save us and confess Him as our Lord. (Rom
10:9-10)
That doesn’t mean we don’t sin. Remember every work we do is filthy rags. It is all sin, unless we do it through and in Him.
And when we sin we confess our sins to Him and He is faithful and just to cleanse us of ALL sin. (1 John 1:8-10)
But, ALL of our sin is gone in Him. It is as though we had never
sinned at all. Christ’s blood washes us clean. So, clean that we do not
sin, even in the midst of our sin. It is not held to our account.
But, have we really turned to Him? Do we really know Him?
That is important.
In these last days we need to make sure we are in Christ. He is our Ark for salvation.
The scriptures teach that there will be people who think they are
saved, because they are relying on their own works, instead of the
finished work of Christ.
Are we relying totally on Him, or are we trying to do things ourselves, and only producing thorns and thistles?
Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”— (Matt. 7)
The fruits of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, and temperance, do not come from the flesh. They come
from the Holy Spirit in us and working in us. Our fleshly works only
produce thorns and thistles.
Are you growing in the Spirit? Are you producing good fruits? Are the
people you seek to follow as leaders really producing good fruits?
The narrow way that leads to life is Jesus Christ and Him alone for
salvation. It is not by works. It is not by flesh which produces thorns
and thistles. It is not because you quit sinning. You cannot quit
sinning, its all thorns and thistles without Christ.
Jesus tells us of the Sower in Matthew 13.
The Word of God goes forth into the World.
Some people become quickly deceived by Satan and demonic forces and cannot understand the Word, or refuse to receive it.
Others hear it, and are overjoyed that God will forgive them of sins
and work in their life. But, trouble comes and people make fun of them
or persecute them. So, they turn away from God. They never knew Him.
They had no root, in Him.
Some people hear the Word, but thorns and thistles choke it out. They
let the problems of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke
out the Word. They never turned to God and let Him save them. The sin
and flesh in their life overpowered the Word. They relied on their own
works and wealth to save them.
But, when we are willing to let God work, and give ourselves to Him.
When we are broken enough, like good soil prepared for the Word. We can
turn to God and be saved. Growing in Him.
God keeps coming. His Word is everywhere. He does not just try one
time and you are done. He keeps working to save us till we are dead.
We might be hard hearted, but over time He breaks us and softens us
so that we can hear Him speak and accept Him. Then, His Word grows in us
a mighty Oak, that thorns cannot stop. God works to prepare the soil of
our heart to receive Him. We cannot.
Never stop turning to God. Never stop relying on Him alone for salvation, not by our works but by His grace and goodness.
By His Holy Spirit working in us, we can produce fruit, instead of the thorns and thistles of the flesh.
The Word speaks that in these last days there will fall away great
numbers of Christians who never really knew Him. They will beat the men
servants and maid servants. They will give in to persecution and have no
root in God. They will have no oil of faith in the their lamp, when He
comes. They will be rejected. (2 Thess. 2:3, Matt. 25, Luke 12:45,)
Christmas is a time for cheer. A time when we slow down and remember the things that matter most.
It’s a time when we celebrate the birth of a King. The birth of a savior. Jesus Christ our Lord.
As has been pointed out many times, December is not the actual date of His birth. It was probably sometime in September.
But, there is a symbolic reason for the choice of December 25th
When you consider the darkness in this world, and the shadows of evil in our hearts.
When you consider that we are in bondage to our wicked ways and the demonic forces of Satan, the usurper.
When you consider the blackness of the souls that are ruling this world and the misery they impose on us.
We can see the darkness.
The cold savage darkness full of torment.
Just before Jesus was born, King Herod commanded that all babies
under two years old be slain, in order to stop the birth of the true
King. (Matt. 2:16)
Herod wanted to protect his blood line’s power.
But, the demons who really rule behind the scenes wanted to keep the world in bondage to them.
To keep the world in darkness.
And what is more dark, than rulers killing children?
It was the darkest of days.
But, a light came into the world.
On that day Joy and Love came to save us from death and raise us up to be with Him.
The light came to shatter the deep and break the power of the forces of spiritual darkness in high places.
The true King was born.
And we celebrate it in a symbol.
A symbol of the light, and a symbol of salvation.
On December 21 we have the darkest day of the year.
We have the day the light goes out.
The day the light dies and goes into the grave of death.
Then, three days later the light is born.
A picture of our savior in the belly of the earth 3 days.
Dec. 22, Dec. 23, Dec. 24
December 25th the light is born. The King is come. He is born to be
with us. He was born to die for us and rise from the grave, to set us
free. And He will return soon to destroy the darkness, forever.
The
spirit of antichrist has been working in the world since before the
Flood of Noah, even till today.( 1 John 2:18, 22, 1 John 4:1-6, 2 John7 KJV)
It has one job. To create the Anti-Christ system in preparation for the appearance of Satan's messiah, the Anti-Christ in these last days
When
you see in the Bible the world being taken over by evil before the Flood of Noah. That was the
spirit of antichrist. When you see Nimrod building the Tower of Babel
and uniting the world against God. That was the spirit of antichrist.
When
you look at history and see all the world conquerors. That's the spirit
of antichrist. When you see the idol of Daniel, showing the kingdoms of
history. That is the spirit of antichrist.
When you see the 20th
century and the struggles between capitalism and communism and fascism
for global control, and control of the mind. That is the spirit of
antichrist.
As you see the uniting of the world through torment and destruction, and fear. That is the spirit of antichrist.
The
word antichrist, does not mean against Christ. It means "instead of"
Christ. It's job is to unite the world under the Anti-Christ, and get
them to worship, another god. That god being Satan who desires to be the
most high.
The spirit of antichrist does not care about our
politics. It uses all sides to push its agenda. It works through
individuals, groups, religions and governments to gain more control and
build the infrastructure for the Beast system.
There are humans
who rule this world, and have submitted to the antichrist spirit and
other demonic forces. These humans from top to bottom are deceived
slaves.
Even good Christian people can and are used by this spirit to help push the agenda.
The
Holy Spirit and God's Word, helps us to fight these things if we are
Saved and Spirit led. Remember, Satan can quote scripture and use it to
oppress people. It is the Holy Spirit that leads us into all Truth. It
is the power of the Holy Spirit that quickens, the Sword of the Spirit.
We
are called to fight the good fight of faith against the enemy in all
its forms. But, we know we have already won, and the final victory must
be Christ's.
When they say Christ has come, do not be deceived, you will know when your Lord comes.
When they say you are an extremist. Rejoice for so persecuted they the prophets before you.
When they threaten you, and strip everything from you, and beat on the door to come in, fear not for He is with you.
Remember, all these things must happen but the end is not yet.....for He is coming...quickly.
-----
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from
Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has
written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ a collection of dystopian short stories.“The Future is Coming” and his latest book “The Latter Days‘ is a book on Bible Prophecy and avoiding the deceptions to come.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”—Heb. 11:1
Translation: Faith is made up of hope for things we do not see and have never seen, but have evidence for.
If we rightly divide this verse we first need to understand what “Hope” is.
Hope is not a “Gee I sure hope so.”
No, it’s “more like “My only hope”. It’s like a life preserver or
like a harness that a steel worker wears when he is on a high rise and
needs a safety line to prevent falling.
We hope for things we have never seen, but have been given evidence of.
We have never seen God. We have never seen heaven or hell.
But, things have happened in our lives that have given us evidence of the reality of these things.
We have seen God move in our lives and answer prayer. We have seen
people get healed of disease. We have seen blessings come to us and to
others. We have seen the beauty of nature and the signs it holds. We
have felt God in our spirit, comforting us.
This evidence is our lifeline to God. God provides this evidence so
that our lifeline will be stronger and cause us to reach out to Him more
and trust Him more. God Himself is our lifeline and He provides faith
for it.
He gives us faith at birth, and He builds our faith to believe in
Jesus Christ and put our faith and trust in Him. Then, He continues
throughout our life to build our faith. If we know Him.
Hebrews chapter 11 is called the faith chapter of the Bible. This is where we can get a definition of what faith is.
The very first thing it mentions is having faith in God’s creation.
Belief that God created all things out of nothing, simply by speaking it
into existence.
We believe in creation because God told us in His Word that this is
what happened. So, by faith we believe His Word. Our belief in His Word
makes us righteous. Abraham believed God and it was counted to Him for
righteousness. When we are told of Jesus Christ, we have the chance to
believe or not. If we believe, then we are believing the Word of God,
and we put our faith in Jesus Christ and we are declared righteous.
Jesus is the living Word of God. (Romans 4:3 Rom. 3:22)
God washes us and places us in Christ. This is what happened to all
the Old Testament saints. They believed God and God declared them
righteous and placed them in Christ. Just like us.
Remember God is not bound by time or place. God is not filled with
doubt. He knows for a fact that His plans will succeed. So, when an Old
Testament saint died, having never known Jesus, God places them in
Christ because they believed God’s Word.
So, if that saint was alive to today, and heard a sermon on Jesus.
This saint would have accepted Him. I know this might not be liked by
some believers, but every person who has ever been saved has been saved
by grace, through faith. Not by works. They did the works because they
believed the Word God gave them.
Grace comes from God and we see evidence, then choose to put our faith in Him at His Word.
Obedience or works are nothing without faith.
They are just rule keeping or going through the motions.
There are some things we cannot do without faith first. Like
Confessing Jesus is the Lord, or believing He came in the flesh. (1 Cor.
12:3, 1 John 4:1-3 )
Like Abel sacrificing the first of his flock, as a picture of the
future sacrifice of Christ. That’s what ALL sacrifices are. (Heb 11)
He did this because He received a Word from God, or believed the Word of God given to Him from Adam.
He then became a picture of Jesus, when he was killed by His brother
because of envy. Like Christ was killed by His brethren for envy. (Gen.
chapter 4, Matt. 27:18)
And they were sent to wander the earth.
We see that Enoch walked with God. He had a relationship with him,
just like we are called to have a relationship. But, it started by first
seeing evidence of God from God, or it came from a Word given from God
by someone else. Perhaps from Seth, or from Adam himself. (Gen. 5:22-24)
Remember Adam often walked with God in the cool of the day.
Do you see that our faith leads us to know God and walk with Him. it
leads us to seek Him and turn to Him and let Him direct our paths.
It’s a relationship not rule keeping. No one is saved by keeping the
law. We are saved by knowing Him. By confessing Jesus is the Lord and
having a relationship with Him by faith. (Rom. 3:20-31)
Noah built an Ark. Because He believed the Word given to Him and he
acted upon it. Who in their right mind would build an ark in the front
yard?
Our faith might lead us to do crazy things. It might lead us to look
strange or be persecuted. But, it might also lead to the saving of our
family, friends and world.
We see that Abraham believed the Word God gave Him, and he was made
righteous. He went unto a land that was not his own and trusted God. He
trusted God even though Abraham never saw the promise fulfilled.
There are things we are trusting God for. And we might never see it
fulfilled, until we stand with him on that day in glory. When we cross
into Paradise to be with Him, and we see the new heaven and new Earth to
come.
We seek a city, a country, a future place with God called Home. For this place is not our home.
Sara believed that God would give her a child in her old age. Even
through her doubt, God provided. Despite her laughter the promise came
and she was written in this book. Because God’s promises are not based
upon our faith, and obedience. But, on His might, grace, and goodness.
He does it. Not us. (Gen. 18)
Our faith often leads us to reject things in this life, knowing God has a better plan.
Like Moses who chose to reject the high living of Pharaoh and suffer
with His own people. Because He knew that he would be the Deliverer and
knew that Christ would deliver us all. (the book of Exodus, Acts Chapter
7, Hebrews 11:26)
All of the Old Testament saints teach us that God gives us a Word, and by faith we believe that Word and follow Him.
Jesus is that Word. And when we turn to Him by Faith, He saves us and
directs our paths through His Holy Spirit and the relationship we have
with Him.
Even through persecutions and a tough life we keep turning to Him and calling out to Him in faith trusting His Word.
And even if we do not see the promises fulfilled in this life, we know that there is a better day.
So, since we are surrounded by the great saints of old and the lives
they lived we can turn to Jesus and trust Him through faith like they
did. Setting down our burdens and letting Him wash away our sin. So, we
can be free to live the life with him that he called us to live. (Heb.
12:1)
Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. He wrote it, and will bring it to pass in our lives. Not by our works but His.
And it was a joy to Him to endure the suffering and shame of the
cross for us. Then sit down at the right hand of God in power. (Heb.
12:2)
Through faith we are saved and our faith grows as God builds it
through our relationship. And every bad thing we face, and every good
thing we receive, all works together to build our faith as we turn to
Him and trust Him.
And His promises will come.
They come today. They come in the future. And they come forever.
Trust Him.
-----
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from
Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has
written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ a collection of dystopian short stories.“The Future is Coming” and his latest book “The Latter Days‘ is a book on Bible Prophecy and avoiding the deceptions to come.
“Seek ye first my kingdom and my righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”–Matt. 6:33
When we read scripture we need to “Rightly divide” it. (2 Timothy 2:15)
What does that mean?
Well, every word in scripture has meaning. They can often be linked
to other parts of scripture. When we want to understand or define
something, we need to use scripture to do it.
So, what does it mean to “Seek ye first my kingdom”?
It means to put the building of God’s kingdom first in your life. So,
how does that look? Well, it means that spreading the Gospel is the most
important thing to you. (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18)
You tell people about Jesus personally on a one to one basis. You
tell people about Him publicly; and you support ministries and
missionaries that actively spread the Gospel. You have a desire for
people to get saved, and you step out in faith, to let the Spirit work
through you in doing that work.
On top of that, we support and participate in Kingdom building
activities, such as loving people, healing people, helping people,
protecting people, growing people, serving people and feeding people.
All of this is done in His name, and with an eye toward Kingdom
building. Not being fake, or having an ulterior motive; but being real
in our purposes. We want people to realize that there is a God who loves
them and wants them saved, and that process starts now in this world.
Now when I say this, it makes it seem like I’m saying that you need
to become a preacher, or go door to door, or become a missionary. I’m
not saying that. God has given each of us different personalities,
different gifts, and different callings on our lives. Build your
relationship with God, and step out to do the small things and you’ll be
shown by Him what directions to take. But, be real. You don’t have to
take mission trips, or go to seminary. But, when a friend or neighbor
falls on tough times are you there? Do you tell them about Jesus? Do you
exercise your gifts at work? Not being preachy or holier than thou, but
someone that is approachable, helpful, and keeps a confidence?
We do this out of our salvation. We do not do it to be saved, but
because we want to tell people the great things God has done for us.
What is “My Righteousness”? We are made righteous,
because we believe God. We believe what He has told us in His Word. We
believe what He has spoken to us in our hearts; and we believe He has
called us. We believe what He tells us about Jesus Christ, being the
Lord, and we confess Him as our Lord. We agree with God that we are
sinners and need Him.
We believe our personal relationship with Him; and the great things
He has done in our lives. This causes us to live rightly as He grows us.
We study and live by His Word. We seek to grow our faith and our
relationship with Him. Not obeying rules, but growth through faith and
relationship. Seeking His righteousness, is to seek the relationship
with Him, and we grow in faith and spirit through it and Him. We cannot
be righteous without Him, and faith in His Word. (Rom. 4:3, Rom.
10:9-10)
“And all these things shall be added unto you.” What
things? The things we need, and even in many ways the true desires of
our hearts. God knows what all humans really need and want. He also
knows us personally. He is more than happy to provide these things. But,
always remember that our spiritual condition, our relationship with
Him, and His kingdom are paramount. Sometimes that will lead to great
hardship.
God is not shocked when you desire success or abundance or any of
“these things”. But, as we seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness; our
desire for, and our definition of “These Things” starts to change. We
become humble. We become meek, like a wild horse broken and trained for
battle. We become less needy, because we have all in Him. We succeed,
but our success is not apart from Him. He is always at the forefront of
our minds and what we do.
Now when I say that, I’m not saying we don’t sin. I’m not saying we
don’t forget God. I’m saying that He is a constant fixture in our lives,
and grows in it. It’s a growth in Him. If you’re not experiencing this,
ask God to give you more of Himself and He will.
John tells us that we will sin and fail, but we turn to God and ask
Him to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. (Unbelief) and He will. Then,
when we are washed we are as though we never sinned. god remembers it no
more. (1 John 1:8-10, 1 John 3:9)
Terrible things happen in this life and in this world. But, even in
the midst of these situations or places. “Seek ye first my Kingdom, and
my righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” is a
promise. It might not manifest the same in everybody or in every
situation. You might even be miserable for a while as He works things
out in your life. To be honest, there are believers who died serving
Him, and being in Him, long before any of “these things” manifested in
their lives. But, I can promise you they have “these things” today with
Him. I can also bet that the families they left behind were blessed. God
is just. He pays His workers.
But, like most of God’s promises it requires faith to get started. Do
you trust Him? Step out and start doing the little things and begin to
grow. He will lead you and guide you; just go. He will move. It doesn’t
matter where you are. Seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Do it from
a pure heart, wholeheartedly. If you can’t, then ask Him to give you a
clean heart, and help you to be pure in your motivations toward Him and
others.
Then watch your views of what “these things” are change and turn to
what He wants you to view them as. Your relationship is with Him; no one
else. We answer to Him. Build His kingdom, and He will build yours.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from
Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has
written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ a collection of dystopian short stories.“The Future is Coming” and his latest book “The Latter Days‘ is a book on Bible Prophecy and avoiding the deceptions to come.
