It uses the word charity, which can be described as love in action. (1 Cor. chapter 13)
But there is a charity, that is condescending. A charity that places
one party in a position of superiority over another. This is not real
charity or love.
Love does not think evil of someone. We take those thoughts captive
and bring them under control and force ourselves to love.(1 Cor. 13:5, 2
Cor. 10:5)
This is not easy. It’s part of our battle between flesh and spirit.
We fail, and we confess, and we move on. Praying for help and trying to
do better next time.
But, what if we do not even realize we are doing wrong?
We give and we love, but we don’t see that we act like we are better than other people.
Do we think, “I’m able to help you because I obey the rules and you
don’t. That’s why you’re in a sorry state.” when we help someone? Do we
think they are poor or needy because God is punishing them? But, we are
wealthy because we are good?
I can tell you from experience, that when I joined a church, I was
given charity. People helped me and I felt that they loved me. I
appreciate the help.
But, it quickly dissolved into the charity I described above. I was not a well churched person. I had a lot of faults.
“Well churched” is a term used for people who have gone to church
enough to know all the little rules that the Bible says nothing about.”
Things like manners, and etiquette and all of that.
I wasn’t knowledgeable of the little intricacies of church decorum. I
was rough. I laughed at inappropriate things. I talked about
inappropriate things. And the word spread that I was not a good enough
Christian because of some sin I knew nothing about.
I had a background that was not Christian. I was not forgiven for it, by many.
So, people who had shone me charity and love started to back off. The
people who always ran to shake my hand and pretend to be my friend
quit.
You can tell when you no longer get invited to anything. When you
become a second class citizen. When you’re not part of the “in” crowd
and you’re never asked or nominated to serve or be a part of anything.
You’re not really one of them. And you have to wonder if you ever really was.
I’m not talking about Salvation. God calls us and accepts us and loves us and works on us and with us. He calls us friend.
But, sometimes his servants do not. They shake your hand, then betray
you. They ask you about your views, then twist them and use them to
destroy you later. Because being superior to you is more important to
them, than actually loving you.
James speaks of this when he says ” My brethren, have not the faith
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly
apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have
respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou
here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit
here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are
become judges of evil thoughts?”—(Jas. 2:1-4)
How many people have been driven away from God, because of this fake
charity in church? How many people have been treated like they don’t
belong when they got saved and joined a church?
I know it has impacted my life.
To hear sermons on love, and then be treated like an outsider.
And there’s always excuses as to why it happens, or blame is laid on
all kinds of things. But when this treatment happens over and over
again, and not only to you, but to lots of other people. It becomes
obvious that they do not really love you. You are not imagining it. They
have placed you under their footstool to serve them. They have made you
to be another number on Sunday morning, so they can think they are
growing.
As believers, we are called to “judge ourselves lest we be judged
with the world.” Not make excuses for feeling superior to other sinners.
We are just saved. Not better.
So, what’s our answer to this?
Our answer is to overcome evil with good. Sometimes things happen to
us so we can do better and change things. We see fake Christians so we
can understand what it looks like and avoid becoming one.
That sort of condescending charity is not from Jesus. It’s not from
the Spirit. It’s fleshly. It’s man-made works. Anyone can do it.
If you decide to be a friend, then be a friend, or don’t even start.
We are not required to be friends with everyone. But we ARE called to
love them. If you choose to be friends, then don’t be backstabbing once
you see the ugly in a person. Because YOU, have ugly too, and Jesus died
for you anyway. God calls you friend despite your sin, if you really
know Him.
These last days are moving along, and judgement is coming. Turn to
God. Ask Him to show you your sin so you can confess it, and work on it.
Do not find yourself as a virgin, without oil in their lamp because
they never really knew Christ, and did not grow in faith with Him.
“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the
temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.The
Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I
am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I
possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much
as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house
justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself
shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”—Luke
18:9-14
This is an important subject. The Lord calls us to examine ourselves, so that we are not lost. We are to judge ourselves
so that we are not judged with the world. We turn to Him and confess
Jesus as our Lord. We humble ourselves and stop relying on ourselves. We
give it to Him. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32, Rom. 10:9-10, Rom. 14:11)
But, if we live under a deception of self-righteousness, like the
pharisee in the parable, it makes it hard to see that we have never
really known Him. We are not saved.
We are called by Him. And if we are willing, we turn to Him and
confess Jesus as our Lord. We are saved forever, we are a new creation,
and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and mold us into the likeness
of Christ.
But, the scriptures are clear that there will be tons of church going
people who think they are saved, and are not. They never knew Him. They
went to church every Sunday. They wore the pretty clothes. They gave
tithes. They sang songs. They obeyed all the rules. They feared that God
might get them. But, they never really knew Him. They were never
broken.
Churches full of people who have never read the Word. They listen to
the pastor and everything he says, and go to Sunday school, but do not
know Christ. They believe in Churchianity, not Christianity.
They are taught that they are the bride of Christ and that they will be raptured out before anything bad happens.
But, when you read about the churches in Revelation it is clear that
God judges His churches. He removes the lamp stand. Especially if they
never really knew Him. (Rev. Chapters 1-3)
We see the Elder Brother in the parable of the prodigal son. He spews hate, because the Father (God) gives grace and love to his brother who has fallen.
“And he (the elder brother) answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment:
and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my
friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy
living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he
said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy
brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”— Luke
15;29-32
Notice, the elder son relies on his works.
But, he did not know the father’s heart. He thought it was about obedience, not love and grace. He was bitter.
In Matthew Chapter 25 we have three descriptions of what will happen when the Lord returns.
In all of these parables, it is obvious that the Lord is speaking to “Servants” who thought they knew the Lord.
In the first one, 10 virgins
have lamps, and wicks in the lamps. But, when the Lord returns 5 of the
virgins have no oil (faith) in their lamps. They heard the Gospel, as
in the parable of the sower, but did not really confess Him as Lord. the
seed fell on stony ground, or was choked out by thorns. They never grew
in Him, and had no oil or faith for their light to shine. They buried
it under a bushel. (Matthew 5, Matt. 13)
In the second one,
the Lord goes away and leaves talents with His servants. But, when He
returns, He finds one servant who buried His talents in the ground. The
servant believes the Lord is a hard man and doesn’t want to upset Him.
So, he did nothing. Again, this servant clearly does not know the Lord
or trust Him. It’s not about works, it’s about knowing the master. The
servant did not know the master because he did not care about the things
the master cared about.If he had, he would have tried to do something to grow the Kingdom.
In the third, the Lord divides the nations into goats and sheep.
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand,
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I
say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these
my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil
and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw
we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in
prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto
you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it
not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
There is not one mention of going to church. He doesn’t talk about
porn, or fornication. He says nothing about homosexuality or abortion.
He never mentions drug use or addiction.
Why?
Because if you know Him, your sins are forgiven. Never to be brought
back up, and thrown in your face. BUT… if you know Him you would care
about the things He cares about. He forgave all their debt. But, they
still did not forgive others and cared nothing about helping those in
need. (Matt. 18:23-35)
Again, we see the Lord say,
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out
devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity.”—(Matt. 7:21-23)
Again, notice that when they stand in judgement, they rely on the
works they have done, not in the fact that they know Him. They were
never saved. They never accepted the Grace of God. They never confessed
Jesus as Lord. They have relied on being an obedient servant instead of
relying on the finished work of Christ, and having a relationship with
Him. They took the broad road of works, and not the narrow path of faith
in Christ alone.
The worst thing to be is a religious self-righteous person. They
think they are saved, because they do all the churchy things, and
believe all the churchy rules. They never miss a sermon. They’ve got
their favorite pew, and their favorite Bible. They don’t cuss. They
don’t watch bad movies, unless it’s approved.
But, they wouldn’t go sit with the stinky homeless. They wouldn’t
write letters to inmates. They think the stranger in the church might be
a felon or a molester or publican. When they see a family with no
clothes they judge that the dad won’t work three jobs, or it’s a single
mother with no husband. They don’t help them. They might be sinners.
They might be trying to con the good church people in order to get a
tank of gas, or get a bill paid.
Who cares if they con us? It’s about love and grace not merit. Jesus
died for us, and we are not worthy. We take advantage of his grace,
whether we want to admit it or not. We are conning Him. Truth be told.
The worst thing, would be to go to church your whole life, obeying
the rules; thinking you’re saved, only to discover that you never really
knew Him.
Do not be like the virgins with no oil, when He comes.
Turn to Him and know Him. Taste and see that He is good.
When we study the scriptures on a subject, we go by what the entire
Word says, based upon the guiding of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
will lead us into ALL truth. That’s how it works. (John 16:13, Jas 1:5)
We are surrounded by lots of false teachings, and it is going to get
worse as the last days move forward. This is why being taught by the
Holy Spirit is most important. (1 John 2:27)
Hell and/or the Lake of Fire according to scripture seems to be two
different places. There is a current holding place called Hell, and a
final destination which is the Lake of Fire.
Why two? Because after all is said and done there will be a final
judgement, and at some point God will create a new Heaven and new Earth.
Hell seems to be the containment for this current creation, and the
Lake of Fire is the containment for eternity, after the last judgement
and new creation.
The current containment of Hell along with death will be cast into the Lake of Fire, so nothing escapes. (Rev. 20:14)
This containment system seems to have been created for Satan and his angels.
At some point in the distant past, when Satan fell and led a
rebellion against God, which included angels and all sort of spiritual
beings, God created or “prepared” it for them. (Matt. 25:41)
According to scripture, Satan and his angels are not currently bound
in Hell. We have verses showing Satan visiting God’s throne room in
Heaven and the angels battling each other. We also have verses speaking
of the demonic forces ruling and influencing things on Earth. (The book
of Job, The book of Zechariah, 2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2, Rev. 20:1-3, Dan.
10 )
There are also scriptures that show that some fallen angels or beings
are bound in other places. We see that there is a place called the
Bottomless Pit. So, it seems that the true spiritual cosmology, involves
more than Heaven, Hell and Earth. The Bible doesn’t give us a lot of
info on these places and on the cosmology. I have my beliefs on them,
but let’s stick to Hell. (Rev. 20:1-3, Rev. 9:14)
Hell is eternal death. Death is separation, not an end as we suppose.
Hell/Lake of Fire is a place that is separated from God for all
eternity. It is a holding place for all that is filthy, corrupt and
wicked. It is a place for those who refuse to be washed clean of Sin and
Evil in the Blood of Jesus. Hell exists as a containment for Sin. It is
like a plague that corrupts us. God cannot let Sin into Heaven or
Paradise, or else death and pain and suffering would contaminate all of
eternity. (Rev. 1:5, Rev. 7:14, 1 John 1:7, Eph 2:13, Heb. 10:19)
Hell is best viewed as the garbage dump outside of an ancient walled city. This image gives the best picture.
Hell/The Lake of Fire is the garbage dump outside the City of God. Outside of Paradise.
When you read in the Old Testament about lepers. This is a picture of
the unsaved in Hell. They were living corpses rotting away and
stinking. They were contagious, and had to stay away from others. They
were forced to cover their face and yell “Unclean!” any time an
uninfected person approached. (Lev. 13:45) Separation.
They were poor, and no one helped them much. They dwelt in the
garbage dump because they could get scraps, and scavenge things thrown
away, and people would leave stuff for them.
The dump stinks. It is where the dogs dwelt eating scraps and
fighting lepers. It’s the same in Hell/Lake of Fire (Revelation 22:15)
(Dogs in the ancient world were vermin and tormentors. They were
scavengers and thieves, who roamed in packs and might even attack a
child, or solitary person. It is not the view we have of family pets.
Course those family pets can turn feral.)
Jesus described Hell as a place where “the fire is not quenched and
the worm dieth not.” He was quoting Isaiah. (Isa 66:22-24, Mark 9)
The fires of trash burning with filthy smoke, choking the lungs and
blocking the light. A place of darkness and misery, without the love and
joy and peace of God. A place where the worms live forever eating the
flesh, filth and corruption. (Matt. 25:30)
This is the basic picture of Hell. A garbage dump separated from God and all that is clean.
Jesus gives us a parable of the torment of Hell. He speaks of the
poor man Lazarus who basically was a homeless man who lived outside a
nameless rich man’s gate. The rich man ignored Lazarus. He could have
loved Him and helped Him. If the rich man really knew God, he would have
done what He could do to help the homeless man. But, He did not. (Luke
16)
Both of them die.
The rich man is in Hell. Again, not because he could earn His way
into heaven by doing good deeds, but because He never knew God. He never
had a relationship with God. If He had, then He would have had
compassion. He would have felt conviction to help Lazarus.
The rich man is thirsty in Hell and and says “Father Abraham, have
mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
There is no water in Hell, it’s hot. He sees Lazarus in
Heaven/Paradise leaning against Abraham’s chest, and makes this request.
(There are teachings about Abraham’s Bosom and all of that, which the
Bible doesn’t really teach. In this parable it is clear that Lazarus is
leaning against Abraham the person, because Abraham speaks. It is not a
place. Locations do not speak. Any doctrines on a place called Abraham’s
Bosom are actually referring to Paradise or Heaven. The place of the
the righteous dead, where the saints go to be with the Lord, and the
other members of their family and saints who were saved as well. Abraham
and all the saints are there. The phrase “Abraham’s Bosom” is actually
poetic language for Heaven/Paradise.)
Abraham tells the rich man that Lazarus cannot give him a drink
because there is a gulf between Hell and Paradise. They can see each
other, but cannot go there. Again separation and containment. Many
ancient cultures had a similar cosmology, because it is true. God told
Adam, and the truth went to Noah, and was taught to the people. Then it
was confused at the Tower of Babel, when people scattered globally with
different languages and different names for past events. But, the basic
idea remains. Because it’s true.
The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family, so they
won’t go to Hell. But, Abraham says “They have Moses and the prophets;
let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went
unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though
one rose from the dead.”
Abraham basically says, “They have God’s Word.” But, the rich man
knows his family won’t read it or learn of it. He assumes his family
would be shocked into turning to God if Lazarus rose from the dead.
But, Abraham says, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
Basically, if they won’t believe the Word, they won’t believe anything, even if someone rose from the dead.
In case you missed it, this is a reference to Jesus rising from the
dead; and people still refuse to believe. Just to be clear, a man named
Lazarus also rose from the dead, and people still refused to believe.
(John 11, John 20)
So, that is Hell. But, what about the Lake of Fire?
In my best understanding, Hell is a current spiritual place in the
cosmology. It rests separated by a gulf from Heaven/Paradise. (Luke
23:43, 2 Cor. 12:4, Rev. 2:7)
It is Spiritual. It is out there beyond the veil that separates us from spiritual things.
But, the Lake of Fire is material. It exists in the material world forever.
It seems that at some point, God creates a new heaven and new earth.
The city of God, and Paradise itself seems to come to Earth and joins
with Earth. There is no more Separation. Sin has been contained. Death
has been defeated. Everything is created new and seems to go back to how
it was before the fall of man and the rebellion of Satan. (Heb. 11;16,
Isa 65:17, Isa 66, Rev. 21, Rev. 22 )
The Lake of Fire is a place on Earth at this future time. A material
location, not a spiritual one. It rests outside the City of God. It is
the garbage dump, and containment place for everything and everyone who
refused to washed in the Blood and be cleansed and healed of the Plague
of Sin. Understand that sometime before the final judgement everyone who
is dead will be raised into bodies that can never die. The dead
currently have spiritual bodies. These future bodies will allow us to
either live forever in Paradise, or live forever in Hell/Lake of Fire.
(Rev. 20:12)
Why do I say this? Because it’s what God says, “For as
the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain
before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And
it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one
sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the
Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men
that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither
shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh.” (Isa 66:22-24)
After God creates a new heaven and new earth. When His city comes to
Earth and Paradise is here. The saints who the Lord has saved, will
gather together on a regular basis to worship God. And part of that
celebration, or after the worship service; people will be able to go out
and look at the Lake of Fire and see Satan, His angels, and those who
followed them in the Lake of Fire.
Now, a Lake of Fire implies liquid fire. So, I personally believe
that it is like a volcano or magma. The City of God and Paradise Earth
is near enough to see it, but there is a separation or gulf. People will
come from all over the new Earth to worship, and see it.
So, let me tell you that our words and current understanding cannot
really explain this. There are gaps in what the scriptures say and our
ability to explain it. We have tried to give a time line. But, from what
I can tell, no timeline or explanation of the events to come is totally
perfect.
We are not supposed to “Intrude into things we have not seen.” (Col. 2:18)
That means that as humans who have never traveled to spiritual
realms, or seen glimpses of the future new creation, we can only give
limited knowledge and understanding.
I’ve tried to connect some dots. and clear things up in order to get
people to understand and get saved or have a hope of the future. I am
not going to say I have it all figured out in such a way that I can
teach it or prove it. I don’t.
This is a simple explanation of what I have learned so far. I hope it helps you in your studies.
We can trust God’s goodness in this fallen world which seeks to
destroy us. Everything around us might scream that God has abandoned us
or that He doesn’t care. But He is there. He will never leave us nor
forsake us.
Even in the Garden. In the midst of Paradise, Satan was able to get
the first couple to stop trusting God. He got them to doubt His promises
and His goodness. The same thing happens to us.
They were in a perfect place with all of their needs met and no
troubles at all, and the enemy was still able to drop a little nugget of
doubt into their mind. Just enough to get them to do the one thing God
told them not to do.
God’s rules are not to keep us down or to hide things from us. They
are designed to protect us, from things we do not understand and the
dangers of this world.
We can trust His promises. We can trust His Word. We can trust His goodness.
We no longer live in a Paradise. We live in a fallen world and bad
things happen to us. Trouble comes into our lives, whether it’s by our
own making or not; we face difficulties. We see the evil around us, and
we are again tempted by the devil to say “Where is God?” “Where is His
Goodness?”
Like Job. Satan attacked him in order to get Him to doubt and curse
God. But, Job said, “Though He slay me, still will I trust in Him.” (Job
13:15a)
He trusted God and refused to be pulled away from the Lord, or caused
to doubt Him. Job questioned. But, he never doubted God’s goodness or
curse Him.
When we face trouble in life, we are also tempted to reject God. We
are tempted to go do things that set us up for failure and more trouble.
Remember, the enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He will use
everything to rob us of finances and joy and life and health, he will
work to kill us and ruin us.
That’s His plan. It starts with getting us to doubt God’s Word, His promises and His goodness.
If He can get us to ignore God, or doubt Him, He can lead us down dark paths and slay us.
When we look at the terrible things in this world it’s hard to
imagine that God is good. We even hear things like “A good God would not
allow such and such.” That is the devil. He cause the terrible things,
then he points at it and says “Look! God did that!”
If we do not know God, or trust Him we can be deceived by it.
In these last days it is going to get harder and harder, as deception grows.
But, we can trust Him. He is good. Learn of Him. Study the Word. Confess Jesus as your Lord, and believe that He is THE Lord.
Confessing ‘Jesus is The Lord” is the only thing that separates the
Christian from every other belief system on Earth. Remember that.
God is good, He came to Earth to die for us and set us free. He saves us. Do not be pulled away by the deceptions of the enemy.
For me, I just talk to the Lord. Jesus says that God is our father.
The Apostles tell us that God is our father as well, if we know Him.
When we believe Him, He calls us friend.
Abraham believed what God told him, and it was counted to him for
righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. (Romans 4:3)
So I just talk to God. And when I pour my true self into prayer with God, I know He hears.
I go for a walk and talk with him alone. I rant and rave around my
home or where ever, when things are crazy. I give Him my real self. Just
like a friend or father.
When you give your real self to God, you are showing belief. You
believe the Word, which says he is our friend. He is our father. He is
our physician. You trust Him.
Pray the Word to God.
Such as,
“Dearest heavenly father, You are not willing that any should perish
so I pray for my child who is far from you. They are addicted to drugs
and living a life that is harmful to them. By your stripes we are healed
and I pray you will heal them of this addiction and trauma. We have
power over demons and I pray in Jesus name that the you’ll drive the
demons out of them. They are bound and cast out in Jesus name. Thank
you, Lord. For it’s in Jesus name I pray, Amen.”
Praying the Word to God, is not a commanding of God, Although I don’t
think God is offended by it. He is love. He does not respond with
prideful rage. Praying the Word is more like an attorney quoting laws in
court, to make a case. Does the human judge get offended by a
passionate attorney who brings up cases and laws of the past?
But you have to know the Word, and believe the Word to pray the Word.
Why do we pray in Jesus name?
Because the Lord told us to. When we do it we are exercising belief
in His Word, and faith that He is able. We show that it is not by our
authority but by His. We are weak, but He is strong. (John 14:13)
The disciples asked Jesus how to pray, and He gave them the Lord’s prayer. (Luke 11, Matt. 6)
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day
our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
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.”
You can pray this prayer, word for word. There is power in it. You
are praying the Word. You are believing and following the directions of
Jesus, and the prayer covers everything.
It praises God. It acknowledges Him as Lord. It places trust in Him
and His decisions. It covers our daily needs. It covers forgiveness for
our sins, as we forgive others. It covers protection and guidance.
When you read Matthew 6, Jesus speaks a lot about prayer before He
gets to the Lord’s Prayer. All of it matters. Our repetitions do not
move God. Praying in front of people to be seen by them or ‘As a good
witness” to them, is wrong.
We should seek alone time with God. Not that corporate prayer is
wrong. We should pray with others who also believe. But we need alone
time with God.
Now, look at how simple the Lord’s prayer is.
Why?
Because God is omnipresent. He is omniscient and eternal. He can read your heart and mind. Past, present and future.
When you consider this, it brings some of our notions about prayer into question.
He already knows what you are going to pray. He already knows what
you need. He has probably already put the wheels into motion to bring
about what you need.
That’s why our prayer time is really more about spending time in His
presence. Our words and desires are about coming into alignment with His
character and will.
We are finite. We are not omnipresent. Which means, present everywhere at all times in all times.
But, we can be present with Him right now.
And when we are present with Him we can pray the things He brings to
our heart. We can be aligned with His will, asking for good things for
people. Praying for protections. Praying against the enemy. Praying for
peace, love, joy and salvation. Forgiving others. Praying for healing.
Often our faith in prayer and speaking the Word, will move mountains
and drive out the enemy who opposes us. The one who seeks to deceive and
to steal, kill and destroy everything in our lives.
God uses our faith. He recognizes it because it is based in Him. All
humans have natural faith. But, not all humans have faith in God and His
Word.
The most powerful prayer you can pray, is simply praising and thanking the Lord.
Every morning, when I wake up, I try to let my first words and
thoughts be, “Praise Jesus, thank you Lord for all you’ve done, and are
doing.”
I trust Him. He’s got me. He knows what I need, and want. Like Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” (Job 13)
We agonize over our lives. We feel that we should get more. I do it too.
But, this life is but a breath. It is a moment in eternity. Our
desire should be to know Him and spend time with Him. The relationship
is all important.
Our prayer is time with God.
“Dearest heavenly Father, please forgive me for my sins and help me
to overcome. I thank you for everything you have done and are doing in
my life. I praise you and ask you to help me with the things I need.
Please help me to serve in the manner you desire. I ask that you will
drive out the enemy, from my life. I trust in you, for it’s in Jesus
name I pray, thank you Lord, amen”
The words, do not have power. The power rests in Faith, the relationship and the Lord who is over all.
Paul says that the Holy Spirit can take even our groaning and
translate it into a faith filled message that God receives. He knows our
heart. He hears us. Our weaknesses is not a hindrance to His ability to
know us. (Rom.8:26-28)
Again, after all is said and done. Just talk to God. Let Him teach
you and guide you. Be real with Him. Not putting on airs. Not trying to
be more than you are.
“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”—Rom. 7:21
Romans chapter 7 explains to us the purpose of God’s Law.
It’s purpose is to reveal sin in us, so that it can be dealt with.
Paul describes the struggle between law and flesh. He says that when
he saw the law “Though shalt not covet” it was revealed that he had
covetousness in his life.
He sinfully wanted what others had. The law revealed this and since
he realized he had broken the law, he was slain by it. The law killed
him, because the punishment for sin is death. He died in God’s eyes the
moment he knew He had sinned. That’s the law.
But, he did not want to commit the sin. You can plug any sin into
this box. Paul used covetousness, but it could apply to any sin. It was
revealed to him that he sinned, and he was slain by it. He agreed with
the law, because it is good. So, he did not want this sin in his life
any more.
But, he discovered that he could not quit. The evil thoughts
continued. The lusting or fear or doubt or whatever sins continued in
his mind and heart; even though he did not want it anymore because he
saw it was wrong in the Word of God.
Now, God revealed to Him a massive truth that opened his eyes. A truth that many people miss.
If he did not want to do it any more, then it was not really him
doing it. He hated the sin, but yet still did it. He still thought the
thoughts and did the deeds. He could not escape.
This showed him that there was something wrong with him. That he had a
corrupted nature, beyond his control. Something in himself that he did
not want or desire. He hated the sin, but still did it anyway. Therefore
it was not him, but SIN in him.
This is important because when we think about obeying God’s law and
put burdens on ourselves and others; we ignore the truth that we cannot
obey it ourselves because of our corrupted nature. We are fallen. We are
plagued with sin from Adam.
Our sins we commit are like symptoms of a deeper plague in us.
We don’t see how wicked we are until the light of God’s Word reveals
it to us. Our flesh is totally corrupt and we are incapable of stopping
it, in such a way that is true. If we stop one thing, we sin somewhere
else. Trying to quit sinning is a torturous never ending hell, full of
fear that God is watching and wants to destroy you.
When we have a works based doctrine, that’s where we are. We believe
we must quit sinning, but we cannot. We want to please God, but fail
constantly.
But, the law actually is supposed to reveal that you cannot quit and
that it is not even really you committing the sins, it is something in
you. The corrupted nature.
God’s law is far more than just the ten commandments. We can’t even
obey the ten, let alone the rest. And don’t even start on the sins of
thoughts. The sins of omission. or sins of Pride, Doubt, Fear, and other
things we do, that we do not even realize we are doing.
The law reveals it. This is why the law is good, as Paul says.
It is like a mirror.
But, our response is to change. We cannot. It won’t work. A sinful being cannot change his sinful nature, he needs God to do it.
Now, ask yourself, why would God provide a means to have your sins covered through the sacrificial system?
Because He knows we cannot obey. He wants it. He demands it. But we
cannot, because of the corrupted nature in us from Adam. He knows this.
God is not ignorant of our sins and failures. We try to hide these
things and try to quit or deal with it ourselves but it doesn’t work. It
gets worse.
Have you ever seen a child who plays with magic markers? They color
themselves, they color the walls, they color everything. But, there
often comes a point where they realize they messed up. Sometimes they
realize it on their own (Spirit or Conscience), or sometimes it’s when
the parent reveals it to them (law).
The child tries to fix it and might get a wet rag to wash it with.
But it just smears it on themselves and the wall. They cannot fix it,
and it’s there before them all the time. They need an adult to help
them.
That is what happens with us. Even if a person doesn’t believe in God
or has some other belief system, it doesn’t matter. God created us and
this is what happens. This is what ALL religions deal with. This is why
people go to therapy or drink to escape.
This thing in us torments us, because we know we are wrong and cannot
get right. We try to fix it by fleshly means because that is all we
know. But, it won’t work for eternity. It is a fleshly band aid at best,
or makes things worse.
Look at Adam and Eve. When they fell from God, they saw they were
naked and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. That is religion,
and every other thing we do to fix our problem in us. It’s nothing but
fig leaves.
But, God showed up and revealed the sin in them and fixed it Himself. That’s Jesus.
We cannot fix it ourselves.
Paul says “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”—Rom. 7:24.
In the very next verse He thanks God.
“I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I
myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
He thanks God that the law has revealed to him that there is
something wrong, and it is not him doing it. He serves God, but there is
also the corrupted nature and he realizes that it is not him that does
it but sin in him.
The very next verse is Romans 8:1, a new chapter and he reveals why he is thankful.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
He reveals the solution. God came in the flesh to die for us, because
of our sins and corrupted nature. He washes us clean in the Blood of
Jesus when we turn to Him.
Our eyes are opened to the truth and we believe it. We turn to God,
and ask Him to save us, confessing Jesus is the Lord, and we make Him
our Lord.
God washes us clean of all sin. Past, present and future. He fills us
with His Holy Spirit, and we grow in relationship with Him. We are no
longer condemned. We are friends of God. We are righteous. Not because
of what we do or don’t do. But, because of what Jesus did for us.
Our growth in Christ works to reveal and purge the things that we do
in the flesh, as we confess our sins to Him. But, it is Him that does
the work in us, not us. Even in our saved state, if we get in the habit
of living a life trying to not sin, we are not really living in faith
that Jesus has washed us. We think we must obey and do it ourselves. We
forget that we cannot. This is why Paul says there is power in weakness.
We admit our failure and give it to God and let Him do it.
If we go a few verses more in Romans chapter 8 we see this struggle
continues in us even though we are saved. The flesh battles with the
Spirit. We walk in the Spirit, by abiding in Christ, growing the
relationship, turning to Him and confessing our sins, being in prayer,
loving God and others. We realize that the sinful nature is not us
anymore. We are dead to it. We died with Christ and rose with Him to new
life. Those fleshly things no longer impact our spirit or salvation.
They can cause trouble in this world, by opening the doors for demonic
forces to attack us, but not our souls. Not our eternal spirits.
Here’s the verses
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it
was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do
mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace.”
It’s about knowing Him, and He works to heal us and change us.
Walking in the Spirit is walking with Him. It is letting Him take
care of it. because if we try to do it ourselves, or ignore it, we are
walking in the flesh, and that leads to death.
What is death? Death is separation. It is not an end, as we suppose.
When someone dies, they do not end, they are separated from us and from
this fleshly world, and that body of flesh stays behind.
Eternal death is also separation. Nothing really dies or ends. it
just changes form and continues on. We will all get a spiritual body
that can never die. A vessel for our souls and spirits to dwell forever.
But, if we are not washed, that spiritual body will become corrupted
by the corrupted soul, and dead spirit. It must then be separated to
another place where nothing good dwells, because all good things are
wrapped up in God. God is love. There is no love in separation. There is
not love in that quarantine place of separation called Hell and the
Lake of Fire. It is darkness and no light. It is separation from God.
If God allowed the corrupted nature into Paradise or Heaven, then all
of eternity would be full of pain and evil just like this world.
Separation occurs to protect God’s eternal kingdom and creation.
If we know Him we shall be with Him forever in Paradise. That’s the promise. Just like He told the thief on the cross.
All we have to do is turn to Him and ask, and believe. He will take
care of the rest. We cannot change ourselves, He will do it, if we trust
Him. And that is the difficulty of walking in the Spirit. Trusting and
believing He’s got you. It builds patience. It builds meekness. We
submit to Him and grow. Not by works, lest any should boast.
Speak the truth of God’s Word into your life. Believe Him. Trust Him,
learn of Him and know He is with you where ever you go. Make Him the
focus of your life and grow in relationship with Him.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”—Phil. 4:13
Believe it. Speak it to yourself in faith.
When you are facing something that is causing you to fear, or doubt.
Turn to God. Trust Him and speak the truth into your life. Tell yourself
out loud.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
He is with you. He is working in you and through you if you know Him.
If you are trying to accomplish something; know that he is with you. Trust the Word.
Are you concerned with having your needs met? Trust God. Stand on the Word. Speak this verse to yourself and believe it.
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’—Phil. 4:19
What does it say? Does it say “Some”? No it says “All”. God will take care of you. Say it. and trust Him.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”— Rom. 10:17
Speak the Word of God out loud to yourself and others. Believe it.
Say
“My God shall supply all my need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Say it out loud and trust it. It is a fact.
Speaking the Word out loud builds faith.
Is something making you think you lost your salvation? Turn to God
and ask Him to save you through Jesus Christ and speak these words over
your fear.
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.:—John 6:37
If you know Jesus, He will not cast you out. You might stumble. You
might drift away, but He is with you still. Just turn to Him and ask.
“I am in Christ, and He will not cast me out.” Say it and believe it.
“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”—John 6:39
If we know Him, we will be with Him on that day.
Are you confused? Are demons whispering into your mind trying to get you to think God is out to get you?
Trust God.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”—Rom. 8:28
Say it out loud.
“All things work together for my good. I love God and He has called me to Him and His purpose for my life. He is with me.”
Believe it. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Your faith expands when you hear God’s truth and you trust Him.
It’s sort of like stirring yourself up, except that it is spirit. His
words are spirit and truth. They impact your soul and spirit and the
things beyond the veil. They build up faith, and when you see Him move,
your faith grows as well.
Are you facing something you cannot overcome, like addiction or some task?
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”—Rom. 8:37
Say it.
“I am a conqueror in Jesus name. I will overcome through Him.”
Speak it and believe it.
Do not let the devil, beat you down with fear and doubt. Stand on
God’s Word. Believe His promises and speak them into your life and the
life of others.
The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.
But, Jesus came to give us life, and to give it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
“I have an abundant life in Jesus name. He has saved me and is blessing me.”
If the enemy can get you to stop trusting God, then you have no where to turn. You can believe the Word.
Even if God is causing you problems or allowing it. It is for your
good, and you can trust Him. Pray the Word. Speak the promises.
Stand on it.
(Do you have prayer requests or praises? Tell me in the comments or message me.)
