He Rose For Our Justification

  He Rose For Our Justification

 We are justified in Christ

 

There was only one law in the beginning.

Just one.

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

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

But, in the beginning there was only ONE law.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why?

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

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

And that is the state we live in.

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

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

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

He accuses us to God.

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

But God loves us, and He had a plan.

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

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

It started with Faith, in Abraham.

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

Then, it moved to the Law, in Moses

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And God smiled.

Because through His death, He had saved us.

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

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

But, that wasn’t the end.

God was not finished.

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

And death could not hold Him.

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

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

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

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

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

And we are made righteous and justified forever.

We will be with Him in Paradise.

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

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

Praise Jesus

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Cover photo by pexels/Guillaume Hankenne

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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Trusting God

 Trusting God

 He is faithful

 

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.—1 Cor. 1:9

How is trust built?

With anyone, whether it’s parents or friends or enemies or government or neighbors, trust is built or destroyed by relationship, and experience.

It is the same with God.

He calls you and if you turn to Him and confess Him as Lord, you have put your trust in Him by faith alone, through his grace.

But, God does not leave you there. He wants a relationship. He wants your faith to grow and your trust in him to be real.

He brings you His Holy Spirit to dwell in you and He starts to sanctify you, and draw you closer to Him.

You might start seeing things changing and moving in your life. It might be scary. It might be tough. But, it is designed to draw you closer to Him, and to remove obstacles that work against you.

Remember these things. Because like a friend, the memories of your experience work to build reminders of your ability to trust them.

This is your testimony about the great things God has done in your life. This testimony can help others to know the Lord, and can help you build up faith when times seem tough.

God wants us to have these memories. God wants us to see him working. He wants us to trust Him.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.— Mal. 3:10

Alot of people hate when money comes into religion or faith. But, God says “prove me now”.

He is telling us to test Him on this. That when we give to the Kingdom, He will pour out blessings.

God doesn’t really need our money. But, when we test him on this we see things move in our lives and our faith grows. We gain blessings and we gain that aha! moment that God is real and His promises are true. We can trust Him.

Jesus says the same thing, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.—Luke 6:38

The Lord will pour out blessings. And not just spiritual blessings, but blessing from humans as well.

But for our cause here, the blessing is an increase of faith and testimony, because you can see God move and that His Word is true.

These things help build your faith and trust in Him.

When He protects us and provides, it might not always be a Wow! thing. But, it grows and builds and we can say, “God has always been there. He has always protected me. He never let the worse things happen to me.”

When we read His Word and start standing on his promises and praying the Word, we see Him move and we know we can trust Him.

Meanwhile He is sanctifying us and changing us. Our expectations and needs change. We become content with the things we have and are filled with joy simply by His presence. Faith grows because we know He is there.

We can trust His Word.

But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.–2 Thess. 3:3

And you see that it is true. He has grown your Kingdom and protected you.

When we are lost and confused. When we are under attack and need Him He is there. We can turn to Him, and because of our past experiences with Him we know He has got us. Even if we sin. Even if we are utterly wicked and the whole world hates us. God is there for us. If we ask Him.

When we focus on Him and His Kingdom first in our lives, He takes care of the rest. (Matt 6:33)

That is our purpose in this world. Often we can find Him working when we re-orient ourselves to His service. We grow in Him as we serve Him. When we listen to the Holy Spirit we learn to hear His voice and grow in it.

When God answers our prayers, and brings us through tough times we can remember that experience, for future tough times. When He heals us or heals a loved one. Remember that and tell others. They can use your encouragement.

In order to know God’s promises you must know His Word. The Holy Spirit in you, if you are saved, will guide you and teach you. Learn of Him. Read His Word. (John 16:13)

Your faith grows by seeing His Word coming to pass in your life. You see the things God expects, and you can pray for Him to help you overcome, and He will.

That builds faith as well.

God has never expected blind faith or leaping into the darkness. He has called us and moves enough in our life that we never really have blind faith. We can see signs. We can see coincidences, which are really from God.

Take time to think of How He has moved in your life. How He has turned the bad into good. How He has killed two birds with one stone. How He has protected you and moved you and helped you.

Thank Him for what He has done, and what He will do. Your faith is tied to thankfulness in Him. You remember His might and presence. You remember His promises and you thank Him because you know He hears you and is moving.

You can trust Him.

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Give And it Shall Be Given Unto You

 Give And It Shall Be Given Unto You

Have you tested God? 

 

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”—Luke 6: 38

First, I wanna say that this verse and all verses are completely true.

I have given for years. I give a tithe regularly, and I try to give as the Holy Spirit leads me.

God has protected me, provided for me and has brought it back to me and then some. You can trust His Word.

I can tell you story after story of Him making this real in my life. It’s a fact. But, you start by believing His Word.

And that’s the point. If you can’t believe God will give to you, then how can you believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead? Do you trust God’s Word?

It’s about faith.

I have been in situations where I have been led by the Spirit to give help to others, and have watched God bring it back by the end of the day. And not only bring it back, but bring it back 10 fold.

That builds faith. 

People say, “You shouldn’t give wanting to get back.”

Well first off, I don’t. But, why would God promise a return then? We give to help others, because we love them and love God, and the Lord blesses us.

It’s about Faith. He saves us by His Grace, through our Faith. So, our faith must be exercised and made strong. That is the oil of faith in our lamps. He wants us to Trust Him and His Word. Faith and trust is built, when you see that someone keeps their promises and are good to you. So, He promises and then keeps it. Our giving is a method God uses to build our faith, help others and build the Kingdom. We trust Him and serve, and He moves and we see it and faith grows.

We can literally watch it happen. He says “Prove me on this.” ( Malachi 3:10 )

This builds faith. You believe His Word. You take a step of Faith. And you see Him move. And that builds more faith. He wants us to trust Him.

I know it’s hard sometimes. We pray and see nothing happening. I have prayers, that get answered immediately. But, some prayers have been cooking for years, unanswered. I can’t hardly wait to see it explode on the scene in power as He moves like He promised, when the answer comes. It’s not a no. It’s a “Stand back and watch it explode!”

It’s about faith. We give cheerfully because we are giddy to see Him move. We are amazed by His power and love. Like He told the Israelites in the desert. “And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.” (Deut. 29:5) God can keep things from wearing out.

He blesses us in many ways. But do not be deceived. Some will say, “Yes, He gives back, but it’s spiritual blessings.”

That’s not what the Word says. Jesus said “pressed down shaken together shall MEN give unto your bosom.” See the verse at the top of the page.

How can men give spiritual blessings? They can’t.

Let go of your expectations. Just trust His Word and watch Him move.

The bottom line is faith. Do we believe Him and trust Him.

Everything in reality screams it. From the fall in the Garden, where they didn’t trust Him or believe His Word. Till today, as we struggle through our lives constantly encountering situations where the question is asked. “Do you trust me? Do you believe me?”

Give as the Spirit leads, and watch Him move and your faith will grow. 

When you feel that you should give, just do it. The Spirit is leading you. Of course you can exercise wisdom in the matter. But, beware of second guessing and doubting and talking yourself out of a blessing, or an opportunity to serve the Lord. God loves them, and wants us to love and give.

I know people who say “Yeah but they will just buy drugs or not use it right.”

That’s not our problem. Jesus said, ” Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” (Matthew 5:42)

We do not know what God is doing. God could be working on this person and your helping them could be an answer to prayer. That answer could lead the person to turn to God and save a life and a soul. Trust God.

We are to be cheerful givers. ( 2 Cor. 9:7)

We cannot do that if we have doubt, fear, or second guessing.

Have faith in God and watch him move.

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Faith And Works

 Faith And Works

 God works to build the Kingdom through us.

 

 

James 2:14-26

In this passage. The apostle James, speaks of works being an aspect of our faith. It ends with the famous phrase “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

In the verses James shows that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and he went to obey. (James 2:21)

We also see that Abraham was made righteous when he first believed. And in another verse we see that he had faith that God could raise Isaac from the dead. (Rom. 4:3, Gal 3:6, James 2:23, Hebrews 11:17-19)

The point is to show that we are not saved by works. We are saved by God’s grace. We receive it through faith when we believe what God has told us. Our works are a reflection of our faith. That is what James is saying. Do we really believe? (Eph 2:8-10)

Faith must come first. He never disputes that, because this point of faith is when we are saved. Works come after, because we cannot do righteous works without the Holy Spirit. We receive the Holy Spirit at salvation. Therefore, in order to do good works, we must have the Holy Spirit and let Him work in us and through us. If we do works without salvation, it is just flesh, and means nothing.

Understand that lots of preachers will use these verses as a means to create guilt, shame and fear in people’s hearts. They will quote the verse and lead the saints to believe that because they sin, or don’t give enough or don’t go to church enough, then they really do not have faith and therefore are not saved. It’s a spirit of fear, guilt and shame.

But that is not the real purpose of this verse. It’s not for me to use it to condemn you. But, for me to use it to look at myself.

Am I saved? Do I have the Holy Spirit? How do I know?

I know because of the things the Spirit leads me to do. I confess that Jesus is the Lord. I confess that He came in the flesh. I let the Fruit of the Spirit flow in me and through me, so I can love God and my neighbor as myself. I use the gifts God has given me to serve and build the Kingdom. These are works. They help me to see that I am with God and He works through me.

Fleshly humans do not care about God or spiritual things. Not really. (Romans 3:10-18)

Remember that.

Since you are seeking God, or desiring to please Him or serve him. it is an indication that He is in you working. Examine yourself.

James said, “The demons also believe and tremble” (James 2:19)

This explains it. The Demons will not confess that Jesus is the Lord, because they are in rebellion. Paul says no one can confess Jesus is the Lord but by the Spirit of God. John says they cannot confess that Jesus came in the Flesh. (1 Cor. 12:3, 1 John 4:1-3)

Do you confess Jesus is the Lord? (Rom. 10:9-10)

Do you tell others about Jesus and how He saved you? (Matt 10:32)

These are the works, Confessing, Communion, Baptism, Abiding and being Spirit led, letting the Spirit work through us and grow us, helping and serving others, building the kingdom, leading people to Christ.

Ok?

Understand that, Satan is not going to preach the Gospel. Not the true Gospel. He will not tell you to turn to God, and confess Jesus is the Lord, and go tell others. He will tell you to quit sinning. He will tell you to be religious. But, if you are saved, Jesus has already taken care of your sins. Now walk in it.

Demons can create religions and get humans to avoid sin and do great things to help people and claim to know God. They can lead humans into being a good person, avoiding sin, and being religious. Demons are able to get people to come to church, sitting in pews and singing songs. Look at other religions. They teach good morals.

But, it’s all fake. Unsaved people do these things everyday. They are full of good morals. But, they will not confess that Jesus is the Lord. Good morals will not save you. (1 Cor 12:3)

So James is not talking about this stuff. He is not talking about resisting sin or going to church or other religious things.

He is talking about turning to God in faith. Confessing Jesus is the Lord, then serving God in love by following the Spirit. Grace. Faith and true works from the Lord.

It’s simple. James says these things for YOU to look at YOURSELF. Be honest between you and God. Are you really doing anything for the Kingdom? Step it up? Ask the Lord to show you or open doors for you to serve or give or tell others about Jesus.

Some preachers want to make it about your sins. They keep people beat down, trying to stop sinning, instead of lifting them up and leading them to know Christ and serve. God calls sinners to serve, not perfect people. He makes us perfect in Christ, not ourselves.

James said ,”For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all..” John said “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (James 2:10, 1 John 1:8-10)

So understand that you sin. Confess it to God and move forward. Love God and others.

We are saved. If you gave yourself to Christ. But, we still have a corrupted nature. The Holy Spirit works on that as long as we are trapped in this body. We will sin. God does not see our sin or hold it against us because we are IN Christ. But, we still commit sins. It’s a fact.

Realize that James is not talking about sin when he speaks of works. We are dead to sin. He is talking about love and service. Faith brings love and service.

Notice in Matthew 25, when Jesus returns and separates the sheep and the goats.(Matthew 25:31-46)

He does not mention obeying the law. He speaks of how we treat others.

Jesus in Matthew 25 talks about loving others, even the least of these. Even the poor and lowly. 

That’s what James is saying. That’s the sort of works James is speaking of.

If you know Jesus. Then you do what Jesus would do.

And if we fail, we confess it. If we fail on one point, we are guilty of all. You do not sin a little. Your sins are equal to murder. This is how grave it is.

That’s why we need Jesus.

Understand that we are dead to Sin. If you are saved. You are washed. You are clean. Confess your sins and move on. We are not called by God to focus on our sins and spend our life trying to overcome them. He already did it. But we were saved and made right, so we can serve without fear.

When James says faith without works is dead, he is saying that when we get saved we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow Him in our works and service to God and others.  He is not beating us down with our sins and fears, like some preachers do.

You are saved. Now go help and save others. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and work through you.

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What Is Godliness

 What Is Godliness

Can we be like God? 

 

 

Godliness, in a nut shell, is being like God.

Now this explanation can bring up some problems, because who can be like God?

No one.

But, it’s about trying to be like Jesus. He is God.

It’s about trying to be like our heavenly father.

Jesus is an image of our heavenly father. (John 8:12-59)

We can see His traits and know Him, through Christ.

It’s not about being omnipresent or ruling over everything.

It’s not about hellfire and brimstone.

But, it’s about His character.

Jesus said, ” He let’s the sun rise on the evil and the good.” ( Matthew 5:45)

He is good, and does good things.  He doesn’t destroy people every time they fail. He is long suffering.

He is kind. He seeks a relationship. He seeks to teach and to grow us.

God is Love.

He cares about His creation. He cares for the sparrow.

Jesus said, “what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:7-12)

Godliness is not about obeying rules. It’s about character. It’s about doing the loving thing. The fatherly thing, and thereby obeying the rules as a by product.

God provided for Adam and Eve’s needs in the Garden. They had everything they needed. 

Even when they fell, God showed up and set them on the right path.

He told them, “on the day you eat of it you will surely die.” ( Genesis 2:17)

But, made His days, a thousand years long. (2 Peter 3:8)

Adam lived 930 years. He died on that day.(Gen. 5:3-5)

And when he died he went to Paradise above.

Clothed in those skins God gave Him. Like God gives us Jesus.

God is good.

That is Godliness.

To know Him and be like Him.

It is to comfort those in need. 

To give a drink of water. 

To cloth the naked. 

When He returns He will ask

“What did you do with the least of these?” Matthew 25:31-46)

What are you doing?

When we turn to Him and Confess Him as Lord. 

When we are saved and Know Him. 

When we walk with Him, like Adam in the coolness of the day. 

We will desire to be like Him. 

And He will work in us and through us to mold us into His likeness. (Romans 8:28-39)

In everything ask yourself, “What Would Jesus Do?”  WWJD.

That is Godliness. 

We cannot do it without His Spirit in us. We cannot do it without His salvation and sanctification.

Love people and be good to people. 

That is Godliness.

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Our Suffering In Christ

 Our Suffering In Christ

We are tempted to reject Him 

 

 

When we get saved, we confess Jesus as our Lord, and believe in Him alone for salvation.

We are called to Walk in the Spirit, and to abide in Him.

We get great joy in the Lord. Prayers answered. Life changing experiences, and we see Him working to protect and grow us.

But, times of trouble do come.

There are many reasons, and we can debate each one. But the end answer is always the same.

Draw closer to the Lord. Lean on Him. Trust His goodness and His promises. Believe and abide.

I can tell you that when trouble comes, the first thing the devil does is whisper into our mind that God is far from us. That He is not listening. That He doesn’t care. That He has made up His mind.

The devil says that God is all powerful, and would take the trouble away in a heart beat if He really wanted to. He says that God is punishing us. That God is going to destroy us.

This is what happened with Eve. The enemy got her to doubt God’s goodness and promises. It’s the tactic the demons always use.

We see in Job, that he lost everything; even his own health. All to get him to blame God and cast Him aside. Satan even used Job’s wife to torment him. The devil uses people and things to get you turn from God, also.

Job questioned. But he did not curse God. He continued to trust and abide.

Even Jesus when He was taken by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted, like we are. He refused to turn in to himself. He continued to rely on the father and trust the father.

When Eve turned from God, destruction came. When the Israelites turned from God, the enemy had reign to destroy them.

There is suffering in Christ, but joy comes in the morning, when we abide.

I’m not talking about sinning. Our sins are forgiven and washed. We are dead to sins. I’m talking about abiding through suffering.

The devil tempts us to turn away, back to our old life. Back to our old way of doing things. He tempts us to get angry at God and cast Him aside. Like the Israelites in the desert wanting to return to Egypt.

We do not lose our salvation. If we are saved, we are saved forever. But if we turn from God, things will not get better. We have opened ourselves up for worse. And have rejected the only real friend we have.

But God is faithful. He will keep trying to draw us to Him, regardless of our rejection. Like Peter, He comes to see if we will confess Him and turn to Him.

When we suffer, and abide in Christ. He is with us and comes with us through the other side of our trouble. Then we can see the truth. That He was with us the whole time, and our faith in Him grows.

As these last days get closer, things will get worse. The temptation will be to reject Him and join the Apostate Church of the False Prophet to come.

But stay with Him. He will see you through. It might be as if by fire, or by the skin of your teeth, but He is there. Trust Him.

Those who truly know Him will remain.

Like Job said “though He slay me, still will I trust in Him.” (Job 13:15)

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The Coming Persecution

 The Coming Persecution

A Look at Mathew 24 

 

“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.“—Matt. 24:9-13

The Lord tells us here that there will be great persecution of the Saints, at some point in the last days before His return.

I do not use the term, “believers” or “Christians” here. I use “Saints” to separate those who are saved and know the Lord, from those who are not. I do this because it seems that scripture teaches that there are many who claim to be Christians or think they are believers, but find out they are not. They betray the saints. They sell their fellow Christians into bondage.

The saints are really saved and know Him. They will stay with Him till the end, despite everything the devil throws at them. Not because of their own will or power, but because God will protect them, strengthen them and keep them.

I want you to understand that I am not giving you a prophecy. I am just pointing out what the scriptures seem to teach on this subject.

It appears that there will be tough times to come, and that the persecutions will begin after that tough time.

It seems that the tough times, will be the four horsemen of the seal judgements. (Rev. 6)

Jesus says:

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

 All these are the beginning of sorrows.“— Matt. 24:7-8

This matches the four horsemen, who bring deception, conflict, economic collapse, and wide spread death.

Many teach that the white horse, is the Anti-Christ. I do not believe that to be the case. COVID showed me that the white horse could be some kind of deception. It might even be another alleged “Global Pandemic”, which leads to nations and kingdoms fighting. This leads to economic collapse and vast levels of death.

The first time nations submitted. The second time, many will not.

That is just an example of a possibility.

But after this comes the persecution. In Revelation it is the 5th seal. After the four horsemen has created havoc. It is quite possible that Christians are blamed for what occurs during the ride of the horsemen (Matt. 24: 9-13, Rev. 6:9-11)

When we read Matthew 24, we see that this persecution leads to the greatest preaching of the Gospel in the history of the World.

Persecution has always worked to spread the Gospel. (Matt. 24:14, Rev. 7)

This persecution and killing of the saints will also lead to the great falling away as false brethren leave the church and reject Christ, in order to avoid persecution.

This persecution will also lead to the rise of the Anti-Christ, as the saints are overcome, and the Holy Spirit or restrainer in them is taken out of the way through this persecution. (2 Thess. 2, Rev. 13:7, Daniel 7:21, 25)

According to the scriptures, the Abomination of Desolation will occur at this time. Which is the Anti-Christ sitting in God’s temple in Jerusalem and declaring Himself God. (Matt 24:15, Dan. 9:24-27, 2 Thess. 2)

This is when all hell breaks lose.

My focus is on the coming persecution, because it is what will impact the Saints during these last days.

Revelation, Daniel, and many other places give more details of what will occur. We can see that there will be a temple built in Jerusalem, which the Anti-Christ will sit in. We see that the Anti-Christ will make war with the Saints and over come them. We see that the saints will be removed, giving freedom to the Anti-Christ to do his work. We know he will institute the Mark of the Beast and control all buying and selling.

We do not know the exact timing of these things or the exact order. But, we do know it will happen.

My purpose is to prepare the Saints for the persecution to come. The second cleansing of the temple.

When Jesus was on the Earth the first time He chased out the money changers twice. Once at the beginning of his ministry in the Gospel of John and once at the end, after the triumphal entry in Matthew. (John 2:13-17, Matt. 21:12-13)

I think this is showing the persecutions at the beginning of the church and in these last days.

This coming persecution will drive out all those who are not really saved. Those who use the church for money or power or position. Those who have never really known Him or had a relationship with Him. Those who have not grown. They have no oil of faith in their lamps, because they never really believed.

Turn to the Lord. Do not trust the pre-tribulation rapture lie. There will come a time when the deception, will be so bad that it will be impossible to turn to Him. There will be strong delusion. There will be persecution and death.

If you cannot turn to the Lord in the good times, how will you do it in the bad? (Luke 23:29-31)

There will be a global religion from the false prophet which the entire world will flock to. It will be perfect and answer every question, even science will agree. Christians will join this church in droves to escape persecution and tribulation. This is the Great Falling Away and they will reject Jesus Christ as the Lord. (2 Thess. 2)

Jesus said,

“ Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.“— Matt 24:32-36

Do not believe false teachers or prophets who try to claim when the Lord is coming or tell you He is in the desert or He is over there. This includes people who teach pre-tribulation rapture.

The Lord will come when He comes, and it will be quick and a surprise. But, there is no indication that He will come twice. Once to get His Church and once to set up His Kingdom. He only returns once, and that is in glory, and all eyes shall see Him. (Rev. 1:7, Matthew 24:29-31, Matthew 25,)

The false teaching of the pre-trib rapture will lead to many falling away, when the Anti-Christ rises and the persecutions begin.

“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

Why would a Christian say “My Lord delays His coming?” Because they never really knew the Lord and believed the Lord would come and get them before tribulation and the Anti-Christ. So, the only answer for them will be that He is “Delaying”.

 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

This will lead them to betray the saints and to turn them in to the authorities, delivering them to death.

The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.“–Math 24:48-51 (compare to the parable of the foolish virgins and all the parables of Matthew 25)

The coming persecution will weed out the people who do not know Him. The people who do not have the Holy Spirit.

There are those who will claim that these verses refer to believers who will rise up after the pre-trib rapture. Do not trust this view. Do not let anyone trust this view.

There is a time coming when strong delusion and deception will keep people from being saved. There will come a time when as in the days of Noah, and Lot, the door will be shut and those outside, will be struck blind. They will not be able to find the door or get saved.

Do not wait. Turn to the Lord now.

The coming persecution will be the time when the Gospel will be spread, greater than any time. It will be a last chance to receive the Lord. But, it will also be a witness. A final witness to those who have rejected. (Matt. 24:14)

Jesus speaks of it,

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.“–Math. 10:16-22

The Saint’s own children, educated in Luciferian controlled schools and colleges; taught to hate Christ and all things Christian will turn their own parents in to be killed during the persecution to come.

Your own family will betray you. Your pastor, and even your friends, will turn you in to be killed.

The Saints will move from place to place to survive, spreading the Gospel and worshiping in hiding. Destitute; unable to buy or sell because of the Mark of the Beast. (Matthew 10)

Those who abide to the end shall be saved.

This persecution is coming. Look at the hate of this present day. It will only grow until the forces of hate and murder are unleashed. Satan and his demons are building the system, and preparing their slaves.

Do not be deceived. Do not wait. Turn to the Lord today, and let Him grow you and build your faith.

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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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