Does God Feel Distant?

 Does God Feel Distant?

He is with you, believe it. 

 

 

There are times in our lives when we feel that God has abandoned us. It seems that He doesn’t hear and we don’t feel His presence or see His movements in our lives.

I have experienced the same.

God has opened my eyes to the reality of it, and I have listened to Him and grown in Him.

The matter is an issue of faith.

I want you to read this verse.

“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”—Matt. 12:36

Now a lot of preachers want to use this verse to impose fear.

But, I want you to see that Jesus is telling us that God hears every word. God is so close to us and so interested in us, that every word we say will be shown back to us when we see Him.

If you are saved and know Him, then this is not a scary thing. It spurs us to greater things.

So, read this verse and believe it. Believe it like God is standing before you telling it to you.

We are made righteous and our faith comes when we believe the Word God has given us. (Rom.10:17, Rom. 4:3)

So, when we think God is not listening or doesn’t hear, we can stand on this verse and say.

“No! God hears every idle word!” And believe it.

It’s not like sending a text message to a friend and we don’t hear back. So, we think “Did he get the text?”

God got it. We can KNOW he got it, because of this verse. We put our faith in it and Him.

Daniel prayed and heard nothing back. Till finally an angel came and said. We got your prayer the minute you started praying. And I came to answer but had to fight through the Enemy to get here. (Dan. 10:1-21)

Trust God. Trust His Word.

Our relationship with God is based upon faith. Our faith grows when we trust his Word and stand on it, and see Him move in our lives

Satan is working to keep you from trusting Him. To keep you from knowing Him. He seeks to destroy you and keep your faith weak. To keep you from the battlefield.

This why we cannot trust our feelings. We are flesh. We have a corrupted nature. We live in a world that is full of distraction, and we have an enemy trying to destroy us.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”—Prov. 3:5-6

When everything tells us God has abandoned us and is not listening. When the enemy whispers into our mind that we sin too much for God, or that God has left us or even that He is testing us.

We can stand on the promises of God. We can rely on His Word and the things He has done for us in the past. That is our testimony. (Rev. 12:11)

So we say “No! I trust in the Lord. I’m leaning on Him and the Word says He will direct my paths!”

Believe it. Faith is the oil for our lamps.  (Matt. 25: 1-13)

Why do I say that you must say it out loud?

Have you seen movies where two armies oppose each other and a general rides on a horse in front of his men and gives them great words of encouragement?

He is building faith. He is building encouragement. He is trying to drive out fear and stir up morale for the coming battle.

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” —(Rom. 10:17)

When we speak the Word, we also hear the Word and it stirs up our faith in us if we are willing to believe it. Speaking the Word causes things to happen in reality. God says “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”—(Isa 55:11)

God’s Word says “I will never leave you nor forsake you”—Heb. 13:5

He is with us. Believe it. Say it to yourself.

“God will never leave me nor forsake me.”

Believe it. Drive the fear and doubt away.

Will the Shepherd abandon the Sheep? ( Psalm 23)

No. He leads us to still waters. He protects us with his rod. His staff comforts us.

Because He is with us. We believe it and know it. He is here.

Do you know the Shepherd?

None of this matters if you’ve never turned to Him and asked Him to save you. It’s the same faith. He calls us and we realize that we need Him.

Then, we hear the Word He gives us and we believe it and turn to Him. Asking Him to save us. Then, He washes us clean in the Blood of Jesus Christ and we are saved and begin to grow in Him. Just ask Him to save you. (Rom.10:9-10)

This world is tough. But, the toughness of this world is designed to cause us to turn to Him. Because He is our only Hope.

He is with us.

Believe it. No matter what things look like.

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What Is My Purpose?

 What Is My Purpose?

 We are all called by God to serve.

 

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

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

Our purpose as humans is to reconnect with our Creator.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What does this mean?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s what we do.

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

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

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

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

Pray about it.

One of the most powerful prayers you can pray is.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pray for them.

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

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

I want to show you a verse.

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

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

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

Consider it.

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

Even a plain old job is a place to serve.

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

A Saint serves

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We got work to do and a war to wage.

Get busy.

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Saving Faith

 Saving Faith

 What is it really?

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He calls us. That is Grace.

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

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

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

Because we are saved by Grace THROUGH Faith.

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

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

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

He gave a measure of faith to every human.

Enough to be saved.

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

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

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

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

That is natural faith.

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

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

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

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

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

That is when our faith grows.

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

Trusting God and seeing Him move builds our faith.

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

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

So, what is “Saving Faith?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It doesn’t matter what anyone says.

It only matters what God says.

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

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

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Joy Comes In The Morning

 Joy Comes In The Morning

God is with us 

 

 

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

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

This world is a terrible place.

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

God is our friend

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

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

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

He calls us and seeks us.

Even when we get angry at Him and blame Him.

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

When the enemy whispers that God is against us.

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

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

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

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

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

He moves in our soul.

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

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

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

And all that fear we had.

All that anger toward Him, will turn to joy.

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

And every day will be new in Him.

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

Go To The Exchangers

 Go To The Exchangers

 A Word on Being Ready For The Lord’s Return

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What does that mean?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The worst thing to ever hear is…

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

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Forgive And You Shall Be Forgiven

 Forgive And You Shall Be Forgiven

 Walking in the Spirit is tough.

 

 

Jesus said,

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

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

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

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

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

¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s Grace.

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

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

No.

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

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

Trust me, God is working to help you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s the point.

We can pray.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s a fact.

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

He calls us into His program of forgiveness.

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

What does forgiveness look like?

How much forgiveness do you want God to give you?

Imagine it?

That is what it looks like.

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

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

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

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

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

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

We do what is right in dealing with it.

We love and forgive and let it go.

But sometimes we must withdraw from people.

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

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

Like God has reconciled with us.

It’s not easy.

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

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Destroying The Image Of God

 Destroying The Image Of God

Satan's Insanity 

 

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

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

He wants to be God.

This desire led to his fall and corruption.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s where we are at in this world.

We are waiting to be burned or saved.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He is coming soon.

He wants us with Him.

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There Is No Condemnation

 There Is No Condemnation

 When we are walking with the Lord.

 

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, ………

Wait for it

Wait

let it sink in for a few minutes

Pay attention to how much it bothers you to just rest in Christ

Hold

Hold

Hold

Ok

……who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”–Romans 8:1

Your difficulty resting in Christ alone and waiting on the end of the verse shows your belief in a works based doctrine. You can’t wait to finish the verse and make yourself feel like you are doing the work. We can’t wait to condemn others, because we walk so holy. Right? We want to make sure they are walking rightly too. Right?

The fact is that when you are in Christ Jesus for real, you are walking in the Spirit. God is sanctifying you. It is not an effort on your part to fix yourself. Your job is to abide in Christ. To endure the growth and relationship He brings. To turn to Him. To not run away. To not think you are doing it all. To confess your sins daily and let Him cleanse you, washing your feet; because we get dirty walking in this world.

When you are saved, you are in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit guides you in your walk in the Spirit with Him.

Not your efforts to stay holy or walking.

You are holy and walking when you are really saved.

Adam walked with God, in the cool of the day. It was a relationship and that is what God desires. To restore that relationship. He died for us and rose, to fix it. And all we must do is turn to Him and abide in Him.

Our flesh seeks to pull us away and get us to fear and doubt. The demons whisper into our minds and move things in our lives to get us living in the flesh and not walking in the Spirit.

We learn of this battle in Galatians chapter 5.

Our fleshly mind automatically thinks we need to quit sinning. But, the fact is that we will just sin in other ways. It doesn’t stop, it changes form and manifests differently. God has to work these things out of us.

We turn to God and abide in Him. Trust Him to protect us, help us and grow us. We confess our sins to Him, and He forgives us and cleanses us and works to change things in our lives, so we are walking right with Him. That is how we defeat sin in our lives. We remember that it was already defeated 2000 years ago, and it was defeated in our lives when we turned to the Lord to be saved. So, we turn to Him again and let Him guide us and cleanse us. He will show you.

When we fail. When we sin. Trouble can come into our lives. Galatians Chapter 6 speaks of reaping and sowing. We reap what we sow, whether good or bad, it comes back to us. Blessings or trouble.

When we Walk in the Spirit, we turn to God and let Him guide us in the good and bad. We let Him protect us and cleanse us and teach us through the bad or good. It doesn’t matter, all of it works together for our good because we are in Christ.

We are not condemned. We are in Christ and walking with Him, in the Spirit. We are growing in Him.

I pound this concept all the time. Because our flesh and reality wants us to fix it ourselves, or run from God.

That’s the worst thing.

This world draws us into it and tries to get us to forget God. The demons leave traps and give us great ideas, which lead to trouble. Our flesh desires, these things. We want the feeling it gives us, but hate the feeling of condemnation and guilt and shame we have because we give in to it.

Tell yourself out loud.

There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

Say it again

There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

Believe it. Trust God. Trust His promises.

There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. I am saved in Jesus name!

Those feelings of guilt, fear and shame, are demons poking at your flesh to get you to run from God. Like Adam and Eve hid in the Garden. (Gen. 3)

Stand in the Armor of God. Stand on His promises. (Eph 6:10-18)

This is what Walking in the Spirit is about.

Abiding in Him.

When we continue to abide, and are led by the Holy Spirit, and grown by Him we will develop the Fruit of the Spirit, and they along with the Armor of God, and standing on God’s promises work to help us abide and serve.

All of it is about our salvation and growth in Him so He can save others, and grow the Kingdom, through us.

He helps us to abide as we walk with Him and have a relationship with Him. If you have ever met Jesus Christ, and been changed by Him, you cannot reject Him. You might deny. You might betray. You might sin and fear.

But, there is a truth inside of you that will not go away. It would be like rejecting your own child. You know the truth, and you know to turn to Him, like Peter did. Peter denied, but could not ignore the truth, and turned to Him again. (The Gospels)

The Lord will not let you go, if you know Him. He calls you, and seeks you like God in the Garden of Eden, (Gen. 3)

It’s part of the Walk. Growth. Recovery. Confession. Forgiveness. Failure. Again and again…

But, when we abide in Him and walk with Him there is no condemnation and all things work together for our good.

Praise Jesus.

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The Battle of Our Souls

 The Battle of Our Souls

 The Spirit battles against the flesh

 

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

¹⁷ For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

¹⁸ But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.—Gal. 5:16-18

When we get saved, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and starts working to grow us and sanctify us. He teaches us and helps us. He comforts us.

This creates change in our life. It brings brokenness and correction. It brings blessings. We see God moving and it strengthens our faith.

The Enemy does not want to let us go. Satan and his demonic forces have built relationships with us. They have built tunnels through our hedge of protection, where they can attack us and keep us in bondage. They have attached themselves to our backs and our minds.

These connections are severed at salvation, but the enemy quickly works to reestablish them. They attack and draw us through our flesh, eyes, desires and pride. Consider an addict who is constantly tempted to re-use and get addicted again. That is how the temptation looks in all the various ways. It is a lure to draw us into a trap. ( 1 John 2:16)

BUT… if we are saved we now have the Holy Spirit. He does the battle for us. Notice in the verse above, the word Spirit is capitalized. That means the Holy Spirit. Not our spirit. Our job in this battle is to abide in the Lord. Our job is to Walk in the Spirit.

Do not let the battle drive us away from Christ. (John 15:3-8)

The Holy Spirit is moving and things are happening in our lives. We are being tempted to run from God. Like the Israelites wanted to return to Egypt. We want to go back to our old ways. We want to quit, because we fail and it’s hard and things are scary.

But, it is part of the spiritual battle behind the scenes to grow us and correct us and get us to a better place in life where we can serve. Like the Israelites through the desert to the promised land.

We must remember that we are fallen. We are corrupt. This is very important because it explains why we cannot save ourselves or help in the battle. God gives us His grace and we cannot help. He has saved us and is waging the battle. There is no way we can do it without making matters worse. Look at the end of verse 17 above. “You cannot do the things that you would.” No matter how hard you try to do good, you will fail. You will sin. But, it’s ok. The battle is the Lord’s, not yours. You are already victorious in Christ. We are not under the law, if we are Walking in the Spirit.

We are to Walk with the Lord in the Spirit. We abide in Him.

The verse above says that if we Walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh, and we are not under the law.

What does this mean?

Well, when we are saved the enemy will attack us and tempt us to get us to fail. He will try to re-open those pathways into our lives. The Holy Spirit will point out the temptation often times, and we might struggle to resist. We might succeed. But, the temptation will return. It’s never a one and done.

We might fail next time.

But, the battle is not ours. it is the Holy Spirit’s battle.

So, we Walk in the Spirit. Which means, we pray for help. We pray God’s Word against the attacks of the enemy. We wear the armor of God, and when we fail we confess our sin to Him, and He forgives us and cleanses us. (1 John 1:8-10, Eph 6:10-18)

It is not our battle. We are saved. We are to just abide and remain in relationship with the Lord.

That is walking in the Spirit. We stay focused on the Lord. Abiding in Him, and not letting the enemy drag us away.

The enemy is a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The demons tempt us and tempt us and whisper lies into our minds, and when we sin they speak condemnation and fear into our minds. (1 Peter 5:8)

This is designed to chase us from God.

When a lion roars in the jungle it scares the young ,old and sick. It causes them to run away from the safety of the herd. Likewise, Satan seeks to drive us from God. Not to lose salvation, but to get us trapped in more sin, and keep us from turning to the Lord and confessing to Him.

Like Adam and Eve hid, when they sinned.

Like the parable of the sower. The things of this world will drive us from God. Whether good things or bad things. We are tempted to forget God or hide from Him, or turn from Him, back to our old life. (Matt. 13)

God is our only hope. He is our Rock. When we turn from Him, we are like the prodigal son who will face trouble we cannot fix until we return to God. God is our only source of Life. Abiding in Him, is walking with Him in the Spirit. (Luke 15: 11-32)

Remember, ” All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”– Romans 8:28

When we are saved, God is working in our life. The Holy Spirit is working in our life. He is with us and He is fighting the Battle. That means that all victories, all failure, all attacks, all sins, all correction, all of it, is working for our good.

It is being used to mold us into the finest soldier for the Lord.

Like silver being boiled to remove the dross, to make it pure. We face the fires of this life, and attacks of the enemy, and grace of God and it all is used by the Holy Spirit to grow us. (Mal. 3:2-4)

If we abide in Him. If we Walk in the Spirit. If we are saved.

James said, “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.“– Jas 1:12

It doesn’t say “overcomes temptation”.

It means endures or remains with God in the temptation. Enduring means to Walk in the Spirit. The Bible does not contradict itself. So, we compare this verse with Walking in the Spirit.

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

¹⁵ Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

The enemy tempts our flesh. He tempts our minds. He seeks out the things that he knows are already there because he has known us from birth. He and his demons have worked to create and build those lusts in us. Those are the tunnels and attachments spoken of earlier.

All of us have sins that we are more apt to commit than others. Some people are drawn to theft. Some people are drawn to sex. Some are drawn to violence. Some have many things mixed.

The enemy works to draw us away from God through these means. Not for a loss of salvation, but to keep us down and unable to fight the fight of faith.

Notice the steps James gives for sin and death. We decide to do it. Then, we do it. Then, it leads to death.

But, When we walk in the Spirit sin is not FULFILLED and we are not under the Law. (See the verse at the top)

This path to death is never fulfilled. If we sin, we confess it and we are forgiven and washed clean.

That is part of Walking in the Spirit. That is how we abide in Him and not run away because we believe the lies that God is mad at us or can never forgive us. We instead turn to Him. We confess it to Him. We make no promises, because we cannot keep them. We give it to Him in truth.

The Holy Spirit fights the fight. We turn and confess, and keep turning and confessing. We pray and wear the armor, and speak the Word. And we discover over time that we are no longer doing the things we once did. We discover we have been blessed and God fought the battle for us while we just endured and remained in Him.

We are called to be soldiers bringing light into the dark world. We cannot do that if we are constantly worried about our sins or trying to resist temptation. It is not our battle. It is His.

We just abide in Him. Walk with Him. Love others and serve Him.

That’s a big battle in itself.

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