The Beasts Of The Field

 The Beasts Of The Field

Why does God let us struggle? 

 

When we get saved, we might notice that there are things that change in us immediately. But, there are other things that do not. It’s like God saves us and removes some things but leaves other things in our lives for us to struggle with. I mean if God wants us to be good, then why  not just take it all  away?

I really had a problem with this, so I prayed about it and the answer was revealed to me in Deuteronomy Chapter 7.

But, first let’s do some clarifying. If you have spiritual questions, the first place you should turn is the Lord. James says God will give you wisdom if you ask. Jesus says in John, that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. (James 1:5, John 16:13, 1 John 2:27)

Second, Paul said that The things that happened in the Old Testament was done to teach us things today. ( 1 Cor. 10:11)

So, when you read Deuteronomy chapter 7 you will see that the chapter is about God giving instructions and encouraging Israel in their battle against the wicked people who were now occupying the promised land which God was bringing Israel into. He is telling them that He will help them to overcome these people. 

BUT….  

He then says this “And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.”

When I read this it struck me.

The entire Exodus story is a picture of our salvation. God brings us out of the World (Egypt) by His mighty power, not by ours.

He parts the Red Sea (sin) and brings us through to where He sets us down to teach us.

He brings us to the abundant life he promised.(The Promised Land) If we fail to trust Him, then He lets us wander in the wilderness till our faith builds and our old selves die out.

That’s what happened with Israel, and that is what happens with us in our salvation experience and relationship with him.

See it?

So, imagine that the nations in the promised land are not people groups. Imagine them as sinful behaviors or demons in our life. Yes, They were literal people groups, but God did this to teach us a spiritual truth, as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians Chapter 10.

So, we enter into the abundant life He promised. An abundant life comes through salvation and a relationship with Him. When we are saved, God has washed us and removed us from the Kingdom of Sin, Satan and Death, and placed us in His kingdom. This is a spiritual act, which will become increasingly more real over time, and be fulfilled when we leave this life. Abundance is not what we think it is. But, our mind will change to see the abundance. Our abundance is in Him and His presence and provision. As He chooses. (John 10:10, Romans 12:1-2)

As we live and grow in Him, these demons (wild beasts) are driven out and we no longer do the things we once did. This is spiritual growth. God drives out the Sinful behaviors or Demonic entities from our lives.

See it?

He does this as we grow ready to receive it. When we get saved we are washed and cleaned. But there are still battles. As we grow we overcome through Him, and the battle grows us and prepares us for the next battle. All this is done by Him and through Him. Not our works. The Fruits of the Spirit are developed in us as we listen to His Spirit and follow Him.

If God just took it all away, then we would not be prepared to hold on to it.  More demons and sinful behaviors would come because we were not ready to stand against it. We could not occupy our life, the abundance would lead to our destruction. Like a poor person winning the Lottery and they are ruined in a year. They did not have what was needed to excel.

Like Jesus said, ” When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” (Matt. 12:43-45)

So what do we learn from this?

Well, we learn that God is in control He is fighting the battles and we just move in and occupy. Sometimes its tough waiting, but that is teaching us patience and trust. 

Sometimes we grow frustrated and think God is not there or He doesn’t care about how we are suffering. But, that is not true. That is the enemy trying to get you to step out of God’s will or take matters into your own hands. The Lord will tell you what to do. Trust Him. He is working. (I’m not telling you to stay in really bad situations. pray and seek Him, listen to the Spirit. He knows the truth.)

So, the point is that you are saved. You know you are saved, because you care about spiritual growth and the relationship with God. So, relax. God’s got this. Do not think that the dirty little things you do are destroying your relationship with God. Just confess them, and watch Him work. Your confessing to Him, is bringing it up so it can be removed and you can grow. No matter how many times you fail. Keep confessing it.

He has left things in your life to help you grow and to keep you in relationship with Him. He is not worried about it. You should not be either. You are not ready to hold on yet.

Read Deuteronomy 7. Think of it in terms of your struggles. Be encouraged. God saved you cause He loves you. He did not go through all that pain and effort, just to let you die in the wilderness. Trust Him.

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The Darkest Time Of Year

 The Darkest Time Of Year

It's hard sometimes 

 

This time of year, around Christmas is a very hard time of year for many people.

It is not a joyful festive time, no matter how much we try to dress it up with religious zeal, and bright lights.

This is the time of year we often miss those who have gone before us. Family members and friends we have loved, and long to see again.

This is the time of year when the darkness grows around us like death and we cannot find the joy of the sunshine.

That is the symbolism of winter. It is the picture of a long frozen dark death, until springtime comes and the world springs back to life.

A picture of the resurrection God has planned for us, if we know Him.

This darkness we feel as we miss loved ones or seek to find meaning in our own loneliness and despair, can be made brighter through Him.

He came in the midst of darkness to save us from death and the forces of evil. He is the light of the world.

We can have hope to see our loved ones again.

We can have hope to see the clouds in our life part, and some purpose blaze through.

That hope is in Him.

Not some religious ceremonial thing, where we jump through hoops to find Him and hope we might catch a glimpse.

But, a real relationship that He died to establish.

A real relationship that He brings us everyday, when the sun comes up and reminds us that we are born again, and will be raised again.

The holidays are so hard for many people, but know that God is there. He is reaching out to be with you, and if you ask He will reveal Himself. He is not a long way off. He is not hidden. He is ever present and ready to be with you.

He promises us in His Word that we can trust Him.

Do not let the darkness or the forces of evil get you to believe there is no hope, or point.

God is the hope and the point.

Nothing else matters except knowing Him.

He is our light forever.

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How Are We Tempted?

 How Are We Tempted?

 It’s important to understand.

 

 

In order to resist temptation, we must understand what is going on. If we miss an aspect of it, we cannot really resist it. We just shift it around or suffer through.

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”— James 1:13-15

God does not lead us into temptation or use temptation. Temptation comes from demons who speak into our mind or lives and uses the flesh and our own lust to get us to sin. If we live our lives never being washed in the Blood of Jesus, being cleansed of sin, we face eternal death. Which is separation from God in hell and the Lake of Fire.

How does this work?

First, you must consider your family and surroundings from birth. All of it has impacted you. Demons have impacted family members who have impacted you. This is a fact. We do not live in a vacuum. It is not an excuse for our behavior or failure, but it is a fact.

Consider a parent who was terrible to you, or did bad things around you. They got it from someone when they were young, and have spread it to you. These are generational curses. They destroy families and keep them in bondage. Again, it’s not an excuse for our sinful actions but it is a fact.

Do you spread it to your kids?

Probably.

Second, you are born with corruption within you that came from your parents, and lineage. I will say DNA, because we understand that term, but it is deeper than that. It is a spiritual plague which infects us.

Next come the demons that are around us everywhere, all the time.

They start working on you the minute you are born. They desire to create habits and beliefs that they can poke at for the rest of your life.

Consider fear.

Kids can see into the spirit world, I believe.

So, when kids speak of monsters under the bed. Maybe it is.

Maybe the demons are seeking to create fear in you as a child, so it can be used by them later in life for all kinds of purposes.

These are buttons, put into place which can be used to tempt us later and keep us enslaved.

We have fear and it leads to lying to protect ourselves.

We get exposed to things and are tempted, and give in. This opens doors for more temptation and more sin.

As we grow we are enslaved by what the demons have tempted us with, and what we have allowed.

Can you think of the first time you lusted? The first time you lied? The first time you were jealous or envious or desired to have what was not yours? The first time you hated someone and got revenge? The first time you stole candy from the store?

All of it started a path way in your life. It opened doors and set buttons to trigger it again.

The more you did it, the more those doors opened.

This is why its important to discipline kids. So, they stop opening doors of evil that demonic entities can use later.

If they will listen.

Kids grow into adults with the same problems. The same sins and demons riding on their back.

Demons who know how to trigger their human slaves.

God seeks to turn us to Him and get us saved, while those demons keep fighting to keep us from turning and knowing God.

If we get saved, Christ forgives us of all sin. past, present and future. We are washed. we are clean. We will be with Him forever.

But, those demons keep working on our flesh. They keep hitting those buttons.

When we get saved, Christ sets us free from those attachments. But sometimes we open doors again, knowingly or unknowingly.

Those demons no longer control us, we have power over them if we exercise the authority we have in Jesus name.

Sometimes we do. Sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we don’t realize what we are doing. We don’t see what we are saying or doing until the Holy Spirit points it out.

James says,

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”— James 1:2-3

When we are tempted we can actually rejoice in it. Because it shows that we are saved and free. Before we got saved, we never noticed the temptation. We never noticed the way demons manipulated our lives to lead us into temptation.

But, when we get saved and set free, we see the truth and have power to resist. We see how hard the enemy works to get us and it gives us faith. Because we see the truth, and the truth sets us free. (John 8:32)

Whether we succeed or fail, the attempts of the enemy to tempt us works to grow us and build our faith and patience. We will face temptations our whole lives and we will get stronger as we resist and endure and fail and try again.

It is the battle between the spirit and the flesh. It is spiritual warfare. (Gal 5:16-17)

“ Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”—James 1:12

We are blessed by God as we endure these temptations. Whether we fail or succeed. We grow closer to God because we are His and “ALL things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

This is not about succeeding in resisting temptation. Jesus already did that. He already lived the perfect life for us. The temptation is to continue to abide and endure in Christ. The devil wants you to give up if you are saved.

Because if you give up, you are no longer serving God. You are no longer fighting in the war.

Not that you lose or win your salvation. That’s already settled when you confess Jesus as your Lord. You are saved, but not fighting or doing your job. That is just as good to the devil, as having you enslaved. If you are not serving God in the gifts God has given you. If you are not following the Holy Spirit, then you are not waging war. The devil wins.

When you are tempted and fail. Because you will fail. You will sin. It is a fact.

Turn to the Lord. Never run away. That is the devil tempting you. He wants you to feel alone and in shame or fear, so he can devour you like a roaring lion. (1 Peter 5:8)

James says,

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.“—James 4:7-10

Turn to The Lord. Confess your sin to Him. We are tempted by demons and we fail. We sin. Confess it to the Lord. Every time. No matter how many times. Ask the Lord to help you overcome. It will eventually work itself out of you.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”— 1 John 1:8-10

Do not believe the lie that you will lose your salvation. God does not cast us aside. He died for us and worked hard to get us to turn to Him. If you are saved. It is forever.

Turn to Him and confess. He will help and continue to work with you.

God will correct you. He does not cast you out.

“My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:

 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.“— Prov. 3:11-12

Do not believe this has to be some kind of bad thing. God is able to correct us, and bless us at the same time.

But, He does not cast us out. He corrects. He grows. He teaches. He heals.

Remember, we have demons, wounds, trauma, buttons, doors and pathways that have been a problem for us since childhood.

God heals those things. God closes those doors when we are ready to hold on. He helps us.

Turn to God and cast out those demons in Jesus name. Draw more into God. Resist the devil and he will flee. Eventually.

Do not listen to the lies from preachers who never mention spiritual things. They tell you to resist the flesh. But, never mention demons or your past traumas, or the buttons that get pushed.

The scripture clearly speaks of demonic entities. That preacher cannot help you because he doesn’t believe. You can do battle in the flesh, but it is only half the battle.

Turn to God always.

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The Root Of All Evil

 The Root Of All Evil

A Deeper Meaning 

 

 

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.“—1 Tim. 6:10

People often misquote it as “money” is the root of all evil.

But it’s not.

Money is a tool. Like a hammer or a gun. It can be used for good or evil.

But, the verse says “the love of money”

Then it says is the “root”.

And here is where the key lies. 

Things are going to get a little twisty here, so hang on.

A root supports a plant and helps feed it and waters it. A root draws moisture from the soil so the plant can live. No roots. No plant.

You can grow a plant with artificial light and without soil in water. But without roots the plant dies.

So, what happens? People start to do evil things. After a while they discover that they can do more evil, and enjoy it more. If they have more money.

So, the demon guiding these thoughts and actions starts to develop a love for the money which is helping to support the evil actions.

When we do evil, we are tempted by demonic forces which plays on our corrupted nature and our flesh. They get us to act in an evil way. When we do, it opens a door making it easier for the demonic to tempt us further.

That is how it works. It even works that way for Christians. Satan tempts us and we listen and fall into sin. Pretending like you are immune to this process is dangerous. As believers we have power through the Holy Spirit and the Blood of Jesus, but the scriptures warn us of our enemy Satan for a reason. (1 Peter 5:8)

When I say evil, we often think of serial killers and child molesters. But, I am referring to The Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eye and the Pride of Life. (1 John 2:15-17)

The Lust of the Flesh leads to the sins described in Galatians

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5)

The Lust of the Eyes, are covetousness. You want what others have. You want what is physical instead of spiritual. You want treasures on Earth instead of treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21)

The Pride of Life, is basically trying to keep up with the Jones. You want to look good to others, you want the best job and clothes and car and home, so you can show off to others, and prove you made it. You love going back to the High School reunion so you can show how well you have done, and to see how much weight Sally SpecialGal has put on.

Many of these sins are very subtle. You might be able to argue them away or act like its not that bad. You might even go to a church where this is never taught.

But, all evil and sin is equal. There is not a degree of better sins. (James 2:10)

We think these sorts of things all the time and do not even realize it. This is because we have a corrupted nature and need Jesus to save us. We cannot keep it all straight.

We know we should give to others and help build the kingdom. But, we want our McDonald’s coffee too. We know we should help the neighbor and tell them about the Lord, but we have kids soccer practice, then cheer, then the ballgame. We really hope little Johnny can get that scholarship, so he can go to the really important school and have a career that pays well.

None of this is evil, but it can open doors and creep along, until we notice that it has been years, and we never did anything to build treasures in heaven. We got the brass ring at work, but we lost our soul and our kids are ruined.

We try to do everything but we end up being double minded and trying to serve God or do right, while trying to succeed in life. We make the choice to serve money and profit, instead of God and do not even realize we had a choice.

That is life. We fight to keep our families together and our marriages together in the midst of a world that strives to destroy us. We see lust every where and hear of God no where.

Do you understand?

All of this opens doors for demonic influence. It gives the enemy a chance to work in our lives, and compete with what God is doing.

So, we lust for things. We lust for more. We lust for power.

So, guess what helps us achieve these things?

Money.

We understand this even if we don’t realize it. Money provides us with the things we lust after.

So, Satan develops a love for money or a desire for more money, or a fear of not having enough money, in us. In order to feed those lusts or evils.

Do you understand.

That’s why 1 Timothy says to be content with what we have. (1 Tim. 6:6-8)

The love of money is the root which feeds the growth of all the evil or lusts in our lives, just like roots feed plants.

But it doesn’t stop there, because it grows into greed which impacts our culture, society and world.

We have people with five homes while others walk the streets with nothing. We have people who own land larger than a small country, while others get chased off park benches. We have billionaires with more money than entire countries, where kids die from disease due to unclean water.

All of it is greed and a love of money. Our system even thrives on people loving money, and looking after their own self interests, while telling themselves how altruistic they are, while getting tax breaks.

The system forces people to enslave themselves to the wealthy so they can earn a few pennies and struggle to get rich themselves. People dream of winning the lottery so they quit being a slave, and tell their boss where to go.

We all do it. We are all a part of the wicked system whether we like it or admit it or not.

Trust me, I tried for years to stay out, but it becomes impossible to live. You can go off grid. You can hide in a cave with your wife and kids for decades. But eventually the system will catch you. Your wife and kids will want to connect. Your grandkids will want to connect. The authorities will demand that you obey certain rules, or go to jail or lose your kids.

It’s part of the last days scenario and the Love of Money helps feed it. That is why we need Jesus. We cannot win. We cannot save ourselves. We can stop sinning in one place, and it pops up in other ways in our lives. That is why we need to turn to the Lord, and let Him saves us and help us to overcome.

When the Lord returns He says “What you’ve done to the least of these you have done to me.” (Matt. 25:31-46)

When we listen to the Lord and let Him work in our life we find ourselves helping others, spreading the Gospel and being content with what we have. We trust God more.

I’m not saying we should all be poor. But, we can be content and let the Lord do what He desires in our lives.

The Bible warns about wealth, and if you have ever had money you know that the responsibilities of it builds up. (1 Tim. 6:9)

Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mark 10:25)

Why?

Because when we have wealth we tend to turn to our money, instead of to God. We are tempted to forget the need we have for Him. So, we do not turn to Him. We do not seek Him. We do not see Him working in our life, and we do not grow in faith.

When you have nothing but God, you see Him answer prayers and your faith grows. You really believe, because you have seen. But, if you have money you can just pay to have your problem solved, and never see the deep workings of the Lord.

I’m not saying rich people cannot be saved. I’m saying wealth works against it. If it’s not bad for the person, then possibly for their kids who grew up rich and have never needed to cry out to God for anything.

Remember, wealth is relative. A middle class American is richer than most of the world’s population. Do not think you are poor, until you see real poverty.

The answer is to be content. Live a minimalist life and be content serving the Lord.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.

⁷ For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

⁸ And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.“— 1 Tim. 6:6-8

The Lord can help us to overcome. If we turn to Him and ask.

Because please understand that in these last days, we are heading in to, our desire for the things of this world, and our lack of trust in God, will be used to destroy and overcome us.

When the Mark of the Beast comes, and you cannot pay your bills, or buy food, or clothes or anything. (Rev. 13)

Will you be content with a dirty blanket on a park bench with a bag of Cheetos, while your kids beg?

Or will you sell your soul and get the Mark.

The Love of money is the root, which feeds the beast. It feeds your lusts, and the greed of the world.

Learn contentment. Praise the lord and thank Him for what you have. learn to say no to desires. Fasting will help.

Turn to the Lord in all things and remember He is the only way to be saved, and He holds you in His hand.

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Overcoming Anxiety And Fear

 Overcoming Anxiety And Fear

It is a demon. Cast it out 

 

 

Jesus said, “Fear Not” (Matt. 10:31)

He said it many times.  Actually, it’s a theme throughout scripture.

Fear at its most basic level, is a lack of trust in God and His promises.

That is a harsh saying, especially when we are dealing with anxiety. Because, often times anxiety occurs without any real grounded reason. Or sometimes, it happens without any practical realistic reason, at all.

Sometimes, anxiety is over nothing. You just have a feeling of dread.

Battling anxiety is tough. But, please realize that it is a spiritual battle. 

The Word says God has “not given us a spirit of fear, but if power, love and a sound mind.”( 2 Tim. 1:7)

So, let’s rightly divide what this is saying.

First, there is a spirit of fear. It is not from God. We are His children and He is with us. 

He has given us a Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. We already have it, if we know Him. It’s the Holy Spirit.

We forget this, and let the enemy overcome us. But, we must remind ourselves who we are in Christ, and that He dwells in us. It’s a spiritual battle. A Spirit of fear is trying to take us, and lead us down a dark path. So, we speak truth into the world to combat it.

Speak it out loud to yourself.

“I am saved and the Holy Spirit dwells in me. Power, love and a sound mind dwells in me. Begone, spirit of fear in Jesus name.”

This is a promise from God. He is promising us that He did not give us this fear. We speak it out loud and believe it to remind ourselves and inform the spirit of fear, what the truth is. The promise empowers us.

Ok, consider this. If we speak negative hateful things to a child its whole life, the child will be impacted by that. It is a fact that the things we hear go into our mind and soul and settle there whether we want it to or not. So speaking truth out loud, serves many purposes at the same time. It gets truth into the world for the enemy to know, and it penetrates the mind, and it acts as a prayer to God.

“…faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”—Rom. 10:17

Speaking God’s Word out loud builds our faith. It strengthens us. It is the Sword of the Spirit, and drives out demons.

Speak God’s promises out loud in faith and watch them manifest in your life. Here are a few good ones. Speak them. Believe the promise in Jesus name.

Verse: “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”— 2 Thess. 3:3

Say: “God is faithful. He will establish me and keep me from evil, in Jesus name!”

Verse: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”—Isa. 54:17

Say: ” No weapon will hurt me and whatever they say against me God will deal with. I am a child of God. I believe His Word and He’s got this in Jesus name!”

Verse: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”— John 14:13

Say: “Jesus said ‘whatsoever I ask in His name, He will do’ I have prayed in Jesus name! God is moving. I trust Him. He is coming. In Jesus name.”

Learn more promises. Memorize them. Believe them. Believe God. Trust Him, and speak His Truth.

Let’s break this verse down more.

1. Power.

The Spirit in us allows us to speak to the Father. We have power in prayer and praise. The Spirit translates our concerns into words for us and intercedes for us. 

He gives us the power to cast out demons and have faith in the promises of God. Cast out those demons in Jesus name. Speak out loud and stand on the promises of God.

That’s power.

2. Love. 

“Perfect love casts out fear.”  ( 1 John 4:18 )

Remember God is Love. The Holy Spirit is God, so we have love dwelling in us. 

Often times we have anxiety because we are focused on our desires instead of God’s. We want our way, not God’s. 

When we die to self and love God and others, a lot of our anxiety will go away.

Course, sometimes we don’t know what God wants. We can’t accept His will because we don’t know it.

Imagine you are one of the Israelites, coming out of Egypt. You don’t know where you are going, or what’s going to happen. It’s scary.

All you see is a pillar of fire and smoke. When it moves you must move and follow it. You have everything in your life. Ready to grab and go to follow Him.

And it’s concerning. You might be tempted to murmur and complain about going back to your old life. You might think it was easier when you lived in the world, without Christ.

But, if you wait and trust you will see God move and know that He loves you and will come through. He will provide and protect as you wait upon the Lord.

That Love drives out fear. Remember when He has moved, and loved you. By remembering the things He has done for you in the past, you can speak these things and drive out fear.

3. A Sound Mind.

The Holy Spirit leads us into ALL truth. ( John 16:13) That helps us to see clearly through the deception, the spirit of fear is casting into our hearts and minds. The Holy Spirit can bring verses and the good things of God to our remembrance.

Is there a rational reason to be concerned? Is this fear even possible? What is the worst case scenario? What are God’s promises? God has protected us before and will again. But, even if He doesn’t, He is with us.

What is the Truth? Jesus Christ is Truth and He rules ALL.

Anxiety is an attack by the enemy. Fear is not from God. But, neither are accusations. Satan is the accuser of the brethren.

So, anyone accusing you because of your anxiety is serving the enemy. If they were serving God, they would love you, and that love would drive out fear.

Ultimately, turn to God and let Him work in you and through you. He is with you and in you. Remember this.

The enemy will try to get you to turn from God, and not trust Him. Remember, Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. ” ( 1 Peter 5:8)

A lion roars, and it causes fear in the Sheep. So it causes some to run and separate from the Shepherd. This spirit of fear is a roar trying to drive us away from God. God is our only real protection.

We turn to all kinds of things to help alleviate this fear. Drugs, philosophies and distractions.

But always turn to God. He is our only hope. 

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Are You Really Following Jesus?

 Are You Really Following Jesus?

Make Sure

 

What does it mean to follow the real Jesus?

Well, let’s look and see.

Jesus’s ministry was a ministry of healing. This should tell us something about what we believe in regards to the Gospel and how we are to serve God.

Because we want to be like Him. That is real godliness.

After Jesus fasted in the wilderness and was tempted of the devil.

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”— Luke 4:16-21

Is this how you are following Jesus? Are you preaching the Gospel to the poor? Are you healing the blind and broken-hearted? Are you setting the captives free? Are you fulfilling this mission in His footsteps? Are you letting the Holy Spirit do this work through you?

Let me show you something.

In the book of Matthew Chapter 25, Jesus tells us what will happen when He returns. One of the stories is the the Judgement of the Nations.

He asks about what we did for the hungry, naked, thirsty, strangers and those in jail?

Then He says, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”—Matt 25:40

He doesn’t ask about your sin. He doesn’t ask about your sexual immorality or your politics. Because if you know Him, those things are washed away. He asks about what you did with your talents, and your gifts. Did you serve others? Did you tell others about Jesus? Did you show love and help people? Did you help those people everyone else rejected?

Because when we know Him, that is what we do.

If we live our lives in church and never know Him we are virgins without oil. We never put our faith in Him.

Do you really follow Him?

Jesus gave most of his condemnation to the religious leaders who were all about forcing people to obey the law, but did nothing to help or love others.

He says,

“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”—Matt 23:13-15

He spoke consistently against the religious leaders while healing the sinners.

He drove out the money changers from the temple. Twice.

This is prophecy and shows us the persecutions of the early church and of these latter days, where the Lord will cleanse His temple of those who do not believe.

Jesus came to heal people and set them free. He did not come to preach the law, and condemn sinners.

When you understand what sin really is, your mindset will change to match what Jesus came to do.

Sin is a corruption that get into us and makes us commit sins. It came from Adam, it corrupts our nature and makes us totally depraved. There is nothing good in us because of this spiritual plague.

And it is a plague. We can look at the law and see the description of leprosy. Leprosy, blindness, and all of these diseases are pictures of our corrupted nature.

Leprosy like sin, is contagious. It makes us unclean and filthy. It rots our flesh and kills us slowly, and we no longer go around healthy people and cannot go to the temple.

Look at how the pharisees treated the lepers, and blind and poor. They treated all of them as sinners punished by God. Is that how your church leads you to treat people? Is that how you view others who are not as good as you? Be honest with yourself. This is important.

When was the last time you sat down and talked with a dirty, smelly foul mouthed sinner? When was the last time you gave money to help someone in need. Not sterilized giving, where you are twice removed from the wicked. But, actually helping someone? Looking them in the eye as they lie to you, and you love them anyway and give them money without judgement?

Just like Jesus gives to you.

Jesus came to heal us and set people free from the bondage of Satan and Sin.

He died for us, who do not deserve it.

Jesus said “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

That is what following Jesus looks like.

It’s a daily self sacrifice, to live to help others and tell them about Jesus. It’s a daily mission to fulfill what Jesus came to do. Save others, help others, and set them free.

Is that what your church leads you to do? Or do you just sit around singing songs?

There is no song singing crown in glory.

Our worship is based upon what He has done for us, it leads us to want to help others.

Time is drawing short. The Lord is coming.

Listen to the Holy Spirit as he guides you.

“My sheep hear my voice” Jesus said.

He will lead us into all truth and help us to know how to serve and follow. We often hear His voice, then let the devil or fear talk us out of what Jesus is calling us to do. He might want us to do something to help people. Then, we tell others and they talk us out of it, or discourage us.

We are at war. The devil doesn’t want you to follow Jesus. He wants you to sit at church and do nothing. Listen to that still small voice. That urging to help or speak or serve. Learn to hear Him and follow.

We are saved and called to be a part of His mission.

Are you really following Him?

or are you following the pharisees?

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Cover photo by pexels

Fear Not

 

Fear Not

God is with us 

 

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” –Luke 12:32

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”— 2 Tim. 1:7

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”— Heb. 13:6

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”— 1 John 4:18

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”— Rev. 2:10

When we read these verses we can see that we are not supposed to fear anything. God is with us.

If we believe that God is right beside us, and even in us through His Holy Spirit, then why do we have fear? Our God is bigger than anything in this world, and anything the devil can throw at us.

These verses above indicate that there is a spirit of fear. A demonic entity which harasses us. It says in First John that we are tormented by fear.

Therefore battling fear is Spiritual Warfare. It’s something we can overcome.

The first thing needs to be faith and trust in God, His goodness and His Word.

Nothing else matters.

I harp on this idea of a relationship with God. When we know Him, we know where to turn. We can trust Him. Even when everything around us is terrible and we are in our darkest days we can trust Him. Even though the devil tries to get us to turn from God, and curse God, and doubt Him. We can trust Him. And that is power. For in our weakness we are strong when we turn to Him.

 God is not against us. It is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. He is for us.

Say it out loud. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

“God is with me! He wants to give me the kingdom, He is not out to get me. He is my helper, I will not fear.”

Believe it.

We can overcome fear in His Power, His Love and His Wisdom.

We can pray and know He hears. He promises that if we ask anything in His name He will do it. —John 14:14

No doubts. Trust Him. He hears and is moving.

Fear be gone! God is with me!

Love casts out fear. Confront the fear in love.

Do the loving thing.

When faced with fear, love others. Do unto others as you would have done to you. Loving others takes your mind off of self, and onto other people. Use the fear to fuel love. Overcome evil with good.

Remember that God loves you. If we are saved, then we are perfect in God’s Love. Remember this. He loves through us. Let Him love you and love others through you.

The devil threw some of them into prison. They were told to fear not. So, what did they do? How did they overcome fear?

They loved. They prayed for the guards and other inmates. They preached the Gospel and spoke faith to the other prisoners. They comforted the sick in prison. They helped each other. They loved, in the midst of fear and hate, and temptations for anger. They turned prison into purpose. That is how you cast out fear.

Love casts out fear.

Praise God. Loving Him and praising Him casts out fear. You cannot hold fear in your mind, while praising God at the same time.

We also overcome fear through a sound mind. We have a sound mind by knowing God’s Word. By seeking Him for wisdom and understanding and truth. By having faith in His Word. By prayer and His guidance.

We can look at how God has brought us through things in the past, and trust that He will again. We can go and seek out the truth. Study, ask, learn, seek answers. Fear thrives in the unknown.

We can ask ourselves, “What is the worst case scenario? Has God let the worst things happen to me? What if He does? He will be with me through it.”

Overcome and drive out fear through Power, Love and a Sound mind. We can drive it out through Him, and His Word, and Faith in Him and His Word. We trust that He is good and He is with us.

 Spirit of Fear be gone in Jesus name.

Say it out loud. Cast the spirit out.

Remember times when God was with you and saw you through. Trust Him.

Dark times are coming, according to prophecy.

We need to be able to wage spiritual warfare and cast out fear.

Remember during Covid, when the virus was everywhere and fear was running with it? Remember when the vaccine came out and they were forcing people to take it or lose their jobs?

That was a picture of what is coming.

They will say, take the Mark of the Beast or lose your job.

When you see saints being rounded up, and your own pastors turning you in for refusing to bow to the Anti-Christ.

Fear not.

Love not your life unto death. —Rev. 12:11

Fear keeps us down, and keeps us from acting in faith.

Drive out the fear, in Jesus name.

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Cover photo by pexels 

Test The Spirits

 Test The Spirits

We can know for sure 

 

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”—1 John 4:1-3

Gods Word gives us several ways to try the spirits.

But first we must define “spirits.”

When I say spirits I’m referring to literal spirits. Either any kind of spirit that is behind a person, speaking into their mind or having twisted them over the years and have influence over them. Or an organization that is controlled by people controlled by these sorts of spirits. Which ultimately are and are controlled by the spirit of anti-christ.

Remember, we do not war against flesh and blood. Our battle is with the spiritual forces that are behind things. What is pushing, motivating, or giving ideas to you, another person or group. (Eph 6:12)

Jesus warned the disciples, “ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of” (Luke 9:54-55)

Be aware that even born again believers can be tempted, harassed, or led into doing things the enemy desires. The worst thing you can do is to think you are immune. The scriptures warn us about our enemy for a reason. Be vigilant, for the devil goes about as a roaring lion.(1 Peter 5:8)

Here’s where people will say, “Yeah but whatever happens must go through God’s hands.”

Have you really read Job?

Gods Word warns us for a reason. Learn from it.

Also, consider that you are a soul/spirit, you have a body. Just like your body can be influenced by physical things, your soul/spirit can be influenced by spiritual things.

This test applies to ALL spiritual things.

So we are called to test the spirits and there are several tests.

I hate to disappoint the pharisees out there but, committing sin is not one of them. You sin too. John says, “ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth (Jesus) is not in us.”—1 John 1:8

James said, that if you try to keep the law and fail on one point, you’ve broken the whole law.  So, when you commit that little sin you allow yourself. That makes you equal to a murderer and child molester according to the Word. That’s why we need Jesus. (James 2:10)

But, lets get to the tests.

1. Confess Him as Lord.

In 1 Corinthians 12:3  Paul says that no one can confess Jesus is the Lord, unless the Holy Spirit guides them.

An unsaved person without the Holy Spirit will not say that Jesus is the Lord. 

The demons believe He is God, but they are in rebellion and refuse to submit. So, they will not confess Him as Lord. (James 2:19)

They will acknowledge that there is a God. But, they will not confess Him as Lord.

Paul also says that person who is really saved cannot call Jesus accursed. They won’t use His name as a cuss word or say bad things or untrue things about Him. They will not reject Him totally.

This is not an act of will. This is Love. If you’ve ever met Jesus and accepted Him and seen Him working in your life, there is no way you can say anything bad about Him. You know Him. The love is greater than what you have for your own child. If you know, then you know.

2. Confess that He came in the flesh.

In 1 John, the Word says to test the spirits. Then it gives the test. (1 John 4:1-3)

Some pharisees love to quote ‘Test the Spirits”, then go off falsely accusing people and attacking them over sin.

But, the verse plainly states that the test is whether they will confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh.

This is in the same vein as confessing Him as Lord. Because the spirit must confess that Jesus is God, because God is the only One to come from heaven and become real flesh. That means He is Lord, because the Gospel is true.

See?

Demonic spirits, and those under their control, will not confess these things. They know there’s a God, but are in rebellion.

Now, comes the “Yeah but…” Yeah but I know a guy….. Who can confess Jesus is Lord…and blah blah blah…”

Let me tell you, if a person can confess Jesus is the Lord, or confess that He came in the flesh, then that person at some point in their life got saved and has the Holy Spirit.

I don’t care how much they sin or what they do or don’t do. At some point they were accepted by God and got saved.

Jesus said “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” —Matt. 7:21-23

These people are affirming that He is God. They are not confessing Him as their Lord. 

They do not do the will of the father in heaven. They rely upon their works of righteousness for salvation.

They never knew Him. 

Jesus said that the works of the father is to “believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:28-29)

We are saved by grace through faith not by works. God fills us with His Spirit to help us do good works, after salvation. (Eph. 2:8-10)

3. By their fruits

Jesus said, “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt. 7:15-20)

He is referring to the Fruit of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22-23)  

Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance:

Do they express or work in this? These are fruit of the SPIRIT. It’s something the Holy Spirit does through us and to change us. It is not by our works. A person can obey rules. But, to express this fruit for real must come from the Holy Spirit.

We will sin. We will say mean things. We will do bad stuff and justify it. We will do things in the flesh and fail. But, It’s not our fruit. It’s the fruit of the SPIRIT. That’s why it’s a test. It shows the Spirit working through us and in us. It cannot be faked.

Knowing them by their fruits is not a one time snap judgement. It takes some time to make an honest assessment and righteous judgement.

4. The works of the devil.

I am not talking about normal fleshly sin here. We all sin. We are called to confess it.

I’m referring to the specific works of Satan. He is the father of lies. He has come for nothing but to steal, kill, and destroy. He is the accuser of the brethren. He tempts people. He keeps them in bandage.

These are all sins, but they are specific actions that help Satan’s kingdom.

Does the individual or group work in and support the work of Satan’s kingdom with total disregard for the work of God’s kingdom? Do they reject Christ?

Who are they serving? Which Kingdom are they building?

5. The Holy Spirit warns.

Have you ever felt that something isn’t right?  

Well, we are not called to lean unto our own understanding. But lean to God and His Word. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Sometimes, that feeling is the Holy Spirit speaking in that still small voice. (1 Kings 19:1-15)

I’ve heard things or seen things that I felt was wrong, but couldn’t place why at the time.  That was the Spirit. He saw or knew something I didn’t.

Trust the voice of the Spirit. Saints have the freedom to withdraw. We are to do it rightly in love. But, we are not forced to remain associated with evil.

This testing of spirits can apply to organizations as well as people. Are they operating in Jesus name?

I’m not saying we should only associate with groups that promote Christ. If we did that we couldn’t go shopping or buy cars or anything.

What I’m saying is that you should be aware that a group is not operating in Jesus name. You will not be deceived when you can see what spirit they are operating in.

No matter how good. No matter what they do. If it’s not in Jesus name. Be aware.

Just because your gas station doesn’t sell gas in Jesus name doesn’t make them bad. They are just focused on gas. They might be owned by Christians or support the Lord’s work.

Remember, even churches can be dead. They can be run by people who do not really know the Lord, or have been led away.

Judge rightly.

In these last days deception is going to get worse, and false teachers will be every where. 

You see technology growing. We have deep fakes now. They can literally create pictures and videos, that show a person committing the most heinous acts, and it is totally fake.

 Human Teachers who are spreading all kinds of information and it all seems good. But, its propaganda for money. We have corporations who will pay scientists to come up with results from experiments that are slanted or flawed, in order to sell or protect a product.

We have AI who is not even human pretending to be human and sounding very wise. Even using the Bible, to teach things. Remember Satan quoted scripture. 

Knowing the Bible is not an indication of truth. You must know the Lord. And these tests show that.

All of this will be and is being used to deceive and draw people away from the truth and into the Anti-Christ Kingdom in these last days.

But, these tests given in the scriptures can help us determine what spirit is behind the teacher or doctrine.

Learn to discern truth.

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Photo by the author

Our Dirty Feet

 Our Dirty Feet

 We get dirty walking in this world

 

As followers of Christ, we live and walk in this filthy world. We see things, we feel things, we think things, and we do things that are sinful. It’s a fact. It says in 1 John 1:10 ” If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” So, if you cannot admit that you sin, then you do not know Christ.

Jesus is the Word. “The Word is not in you.” if you cannot admit your sinfulness, you have never known Christ or been saved.

We still sin as saved people but we are not viewed by God as sinners. He sees Christ, not us. Our sins are never brought back up. That’s what “we do not sin” means. Our sins are not imputed on us. We are righteous. (1 John 3:9)

In the Gospel of John, when Jesus began to wash the disciples feet. Peter was appalled. He could not let the God of the universe. The Holy One of Israel, do this for him. We often feel that way. We cannot bring ourselves to let God take care of us. It’s a pride issue. We think we can do it ourselves. This leads to false religions and false teachings of works based doctrines. Pride comes before a fall. (John 13)

Jesus said (to Peter) “if I do not wash you. Then you can have no part with me.” (John 13: 8-9)

Jesus is referring to the washing away of sin. He is talking about being washed in His blood and getting saved. When we are saved; our sins, past, present and future are gone. If we are not washed, we are not with Him.

Peter sort of understood, and told Jesus to wash ALL of him. Peter wanted to make sure he was with Christ. He wanted to show that he was all in.

But Jesus knew that Peter was already washed. He knew Peter was already saved. 

Peter had been called, and accepted the call. Peter believed, and had already confessed Jesus as God, and his Lord. He had turned to God. Salvation was not the issue. When Jesus asked “Who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “Thou art the Christ the son of the living God.” This is the foundation of salvation. Confessing Jesus as The Lord, or God. (Matt. 16: 13-19, Rom. 10:9-10 )

Next Jesus says (to Peter), “all you need is for me to wash your feet.” (Verse 10)

 As we walk in this world we get dirty, and we need to be washed. Not for salvation if we are already saved, but as a means of removing the filth of this world, so we don’t spread it every where. So, we don’t carry it with us. So, it doesn’t begin to impact our lives. So, we can feel better. Often talking about something with God or another person can help us.

So, how does this happen?

In 1st John it says to confess our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. We pray and confess our sins to God, and He forgives. As we do this, we find that He works to help us overcome, more and more. Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like He hears us. But, we must believe that He does. Sometimes, prayers of confession can be a struggle. (1 John 1:9)

This is not just a spiritual activity. When we pray to the Lord, and ask Him to forgive us our sins, we need to try to be specific. When we do, we can see Him moving to not only cleanse us in the spirit but to remove things that are against us in our lives as well. He cleanses us of ALL unrighteousness. Not just some spiritual thing.

When we are saved, the Holy Spirit works in our lives. We often struggle with things. The Holy Spirit teaches us and brings us into ALL truth. So, lets say that we confess to the Lord that we lied. He forgives us. But, He also starts working to help us over come that thing in our lives. He might show us that we lie quite a bit. So, we start confessing that specific sin more often. Then He shows that we lie at certain times or toward certain people. So, we start being more aware, and seeing our sin more, and confessing more. He might reveal that we lie because of fear. So, it’s actually a lack of trust in God that is the problem. So, He starts working on that. And on and on. This is the renewing of our mind. This is how deep change occurs. (Romans 12:1-3)

It could be any sinful behavior in our lives. Confess it and watch God forgive you and work in you and around you. This part of the relationship. It builds faith. It grows us and changes us.

It all starts with confessing it to Him. When we confess to Him in prayer we are showing that we need Him. We are seeking the relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit shows us what to confess, but we must do it. We destroy our pride and submit to the Lord. Every thought of our being is filled with sin, we are totally depraved. The fall of Adam corrupted us so entirely that we do not even see how bad we are. When we refuse to submit to God and let Him do it, we are in a very bad place. That is why pride is the worst sin.

When we submit and turn to God, confessing to Him. He saves us, forgives us and starts working to change us. This depravity is why our minds must be renewed. Renewed to what God originally created, and desired.

In James, it says to confess our sins one to another, and pray for each other. This can be very difficult when you have no one you can trust or you fear repercussions. This is why it’s fine to simply confess to the Lord. There are some churches where gossip will destroy you. The purpose of confessing, is to heal and get cleansed. It is not to allow humans the chance to destroy your life. (James 5:16)

Find people you trust, and who understand the truth of confessing. Churches are full of all kinds of people. Many of the folks there are not saved. They have never really accepted the Lord, or have a relationship with Him. Just because they are a pastor doesn’t mean they are saved or love you.

But, you must do as the Holy Spirit leads you. If you feel that you need to publicly confess, or confess to others, then do it. But, you must weigh the amount of damage you might cause, and do it in a way that does not hurt others. We are called to Love. Learn to be led by the Spirit and he will guide you.

When we hear of someone struggling we must pray for them. Do it immediately, either silently or with them. If you wait, Satan will make sure you forget. Do it now. Don’t gossip about it. Don’t use it to destroy someone. We all have sins. We all have pasts. Pray for them and follow the Lord. Let God do the chastening. Follow the Spirit. (Proverbs 3:11-12)

This is Foot Washing, as it pertains to spiritual matters. Of course, there’s the act of washing others feet in reality. This is a very humbling experience, the Lord can use it to grow us.

Turn to God. He is with us.

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Cover photo by pexels/Nishant Aneja

Checkout Latter Days

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