The Foolishness of Idolatry

Worthless Treasures

 

Isaiah 44:9-11 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

9All makers of idols are nothing,

and the things they treasure are worthless.

Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend,

so they are put to shame.

10Who fashions a god or casts an idol

which profits him nothing?

11Behold, all his companions will be put to shame,

for the craftsmen themselves are only human.

Let them all assemble and take their stand;

they will all be brought to terror and shame.

 

What is an idol? It is anything worshipped over and above or in place of God. And what is idolatry? It is extreme devotion to a person or a thing or any possession, like giving one’s heart, passion, and desire to a habit, an addiction, a possession, a person, or to money, fame, fortune, or hobby, or self, and/or to sin. It is to give one’s devotion, commitment, dedication, and fidelity (faithfulness, loyalty) to things created rather that to the creator who made us. And it is putting self and selfish desires above God in life practice.

 

Those who are idolaters are not true worshippers of God. For they put their idol above and/or in place of God. And idolatry is sin in the eyes of God. It is a violation of God’s commands (New Covenant). And those whose minds, hearts, emotions, passions, and desires are in the direction of whatever idol they worship are not of God. For they are the wandering and the drifting, whose thoughts and desires are outside of marriage to Christ. They are adulterers who give themselves to their idols in place of surrender to God.

 

And some (or many) are also adulterers who give themselves to their idols, whose thoughts and desires are outside of marriage to their spouses. And their idols might be addiction to pornography and/or to self-gratification, in place of becoming one flesh with their spouses. Or it could be extra-marital affairs, either in person or via the internet, etc. For they are those who are wandering from home, not necessarily physically, but in their minds and hearts and emotions. Their hearts are not really with their spouses.

 

For the lusts of their flesh rule over their minds and hearts and passions and desires. They get first place in their lives – not God – not spouse. And you can’t serve two masters. You are either devoted to God or to the flesh, but the two don’t mix. But such idols as this or any other idol in the eyes of the Lord profits them nothing. They may give them some temporary emotional high, but when the high fades, then what? All that does is to push them further away from God and spouse (if they are married) and leaves them empty trying to fill the emptiness with what will never give them peace.

 

Deluded Hearts

 

Isaiah 44:18-20 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

18They do not comprehend or discern,

for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see

and closed their minds so they cannot understand.

19And no one considers in his heart,

no one has the knowledge or insight to say,

“I burned half of it in the fire,

and I baked bread on its coals;

I roasted meat and I ate.

Shall I make something detestable with the rest of it?

Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”

20He feeds on ashes.

His deluded heart has led him astray,

and he cannot deliver himself or say,

“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

 

They do not comprehend or discern, not because they are incapable of such, but because they have willfully shut their eyes and ears to what they do not want to see or have to face. And this includes people who are pastors and elders of “church” congregations, or people who have professed faith in Jesus Christ for many years, and perhaps have even taught the Scriptures themselves, or who have gone to Bible college or seminary, so they know what the Scriptures teach. They are not ignorant, but they can play dumb.

 

So they end up bowing down to their own creations, which are the “gods” they have created for themselves to worship as though they are truly God, but which were made with human hands and were created in human minds. And that is absolutely senseless to worship what they created with their own hands or minds. And it is absolutely foolish to not worship The Creator, but themselves, which many of them do, for they become their own idol. And Paul talked about this in Romans 1:21-25 BSB (Berean Standard Bible):

 

“21For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.”

 

For their deluded hearts led them astray, and so they refuse to believe that what they are believing is a lie. They want to believe the lie because it does not confront them in their sins. The lie tells them that all they have to do is to make a verbal profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now they are forgiven all sins and heaven is guaranteed them for eternity, but regardless of how they live. But the truth says to come after Christ we must deny self, die to sin, and obey God in practice or not have eternal life with God.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

The Foolishness of Idolatry

An Original Work / August 12, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

As the Deer

 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

 

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

[A Prayer of worship of God only]

A Roadway of Holiness

Saturday, March 25, 2017, 10:32 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Seek the Lord.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 35 (NASB).

 

From Darkness to Light (vv. 1-2)

 

“The wilderness and the desert will be glad,

And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom;

Like the crocus

It will blossom profusely

And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

The majesty of Carmel and Sharon.

They will see the glory of the Lord,

The majesty of our God.”

 

Do you ever get heavy of heart over this sin-sick world? I do! I especially get burdened for my nation, the USA, and for the church here in America. I grieve and mourn over the spiritual condition of the church, overall, though not necessarily representative of all gatherings of the church in America.

 

Our nation is an affluent nation. Even some of the poorest of people here have cable TV in their houses, and not only do many of the adults in the household have smart phones, but many of the children do, too. People living on welfare or living in government subsidized housing often seem to be better off than those working for minimum wage. I think the vast majority of Americans have cell phones and cable TV. At least, it seems that way. And many of them plan their lives around their TV shows, too. And it seems most people have private (unrestricted) internet connection, too.

 

Now, I am not against these things, except for in the hands of young children who are being unsupervised by adults, or in the hands of those who are not mature enough or self-disciplined enough to choose good over bad. Yet, I can see where TV, movies, the internet, and private internet access via tablets (I Pads) and smart phones have been a great source of deception, mind control, and of spiritual decline of the church here in America. These devices have sucked in so many Christians and have captivated them to the point to where they take over their lives, and God has often been pushed into a corner and barely noticed. Yet, this is just a small picture of the spiritual wilderness that exists here in the USA.

 

Still, the Lord has been encouraging me that He has a plan of action in mind which will deliver His people out of this spiritual wilderness, and which will bring them into a time of great joy and of blossoming spiritually.

 

Take Courage (vv. 3-4)

 

Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.

Say to those with anxious heart,

“Take courage, fear not.

Behold, your God will come with vengeance;

The recompense of God will come,

But He will save you.”

 

Sometimes, when I see all the evil going on all around me, and all the Christians (or professing Christians) living not much different at all from the people of the world, I get disheartened. When I see so much of the church embracing the world of sin in order to connect with the world, and seemingly so few truly seeking after God with all their hearts, it saddens me greatly. When I know that the Word of Truth is going out to the people, and that many are hearing the truth, though many are not, yet they seem to let the truth just go in one ear and out the other so that they can continue on the same course they have been on, it tears at my heart, and I cry. And, when Christians see Christian fellowship as merely a church social where they eat and play games with each other, I groan inwardly to have true fellowship.

 

I am torn in my emotions because I want to see the church awakened to all the lies they have been buying into, and I want to see them walking in truth and purity, and serving the Lord with great zeal. But, from what I read in the Scriptures, it does not appear that this is going to happen unless we, as the church in this nation, are put through some enormous time of suffering and great trials. It isn’t as though I long for this time, though, but what I hunger for is to see the church in America revived, and God’s people set on fire for Him, and the Word of Truth going out from the revived church to the people in their communities, and people flocking to Jesus Christ (See: Isaiah 2). And so I need to be reminded to “take courage,” and to trust the Lord, and to believe Him to change people’s hearts, all in His perfect timing.

 

New Birth (vv. 5-7)

 

“Then the eyes of the blind will be opened

And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.

Then the lame will leap like a deer,

And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.

For waters will break forth in the wilderness

And streams in the Arabah.

The scorched land will become a pool

And the thirsty ground springs of water;

In the haunt of jackals, its resting place,

Grass becomes reeds and rushes.”

 

The Bible teaches us that God disciplines us for our good that we may share in His holiness, and that for those of us who have been trained by it, it will yield a harvest of righteousness in our lives. But this isn’t light stuff here. He uses the terms “scourges” and “reproves,” and He says that the discipline is painful and not pleasant, but it is for our good. Sometimes when things are going too well for us in this life we can lose sight of eternity and we can end up focusing our time and attention on the things of this world rather than on the things that matter for eternity. We end up spending our time on what is going to pass away and on what has no eternal value whatsoever. And so God has to discipline us in order to refocus our attention on what really matters, and so He can purify us and make us holy unto Him.

 

So, there are times when we need this wake-up call in order to have our blinded eyes (or deceived minds) opened to the truth, so that we do follow the truth and we don’t follow after lies. And, when the church is awakened spiritually, they will be that light of the world and the salt of the earth. They will be sharing the gospel, so that the people of this sinful world will have their spiritually blinded eyes opened, too. Thus, they will be born again of the Spirit of God and be given new lives in Christ Jesus to be lived to Him and to His righteousness. Where they were once in a spiritual wilderness (desert), now they have springs of living water flowing from within them. They have the Holy Spirit living within them empowering, encouraging, comforting, teaching, strengthening and guiding them into all truth. Amen!

 

Highway of Holiness (vv. 8-10)

 

“A highway will be there, a roadway,

And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean will not travel on it,

But it will be for him who walks that way,

And fools will not wander on it.

No lion will be there,

Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;

These will not be found there.

But the redeemed will walk there,

And the ransomed of the Lord will return

And come with joyful shouting to Zion,

With everlasting joy upon their heads.

They will find gladness and joy,

And sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

 

By God’s grace, through God-given faith, we can be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God. This God-given faith, though, is not like human faith. It is divinely convinced (persuaded) as to God’s will for our lives, and so it submits to Jesus Christ, and it chooses to walk in obedience to our Lord and to forsake the old (former) way of living in sin and for self. When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives with this kind of faith, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life, “created to be like Him in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-14; Luke 9:23-25).

 

The lives we live, we no longer live according to our sinful flesh, but according to the Spirit of God who now lives within us, and who empowers us to live such godly lives. We walk by faith and not by sight. We live to please God in all that we do, or we should. Yet, if we continue living in sin, we don’t know God. If we walk (in lifestyle) in darkness (sin), yet we claim to have fellowship with God, we are liars. If we hold on to our old lives of living for sin and self, and if we walk (conduct our lives) according to the flesh, we will die in our sins. But, if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live with Christ for eternity.

 

So, if you want to be on this Highway of Holiness, which leads to eternal life with God, then you need to believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith which yields to Jesus as our Lord, and which submits to His will for our lives, and which cooperates with His work of grace in our lives. While it is true that we do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation, and that our salvation is a free gift of God’s grace, that gift means we die with Christ to sin so that we are “born again” of the Spirit of God to live lives no longer for ourselves, but for the one who gave His life up for us. In other words, Jesus didn’t die just so we could escape hell and go to heaven when we die. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died, not just to forgive us our sins, but to free us from slavery (addiction) to sin.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

A Roadway of Holiness

An Original Work / March 25, 2017

Reposted on August 11, 2026, w/slight editing

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Seek the Lord / An Original Work / July 20, 2012

 

Based off Isaiah 55

Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

 

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

 

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy, and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

 

https://vimeo.com/379408296

Unwilling to Obey

Pleasant Words Only

 

Isaiah 30:8-11 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

8Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence

and inscribe it on a scroll;

it will be for the days to come,

a witness forever and ever.

9These are rebellious people, deceitful children,

children unwilling to obey the LORD’s instruction.

10They say to the seers,

“Stop seeing visions!”

and to the prophets,

“Do not prophesy to us the truth!

Speak to us pleasant words;

prophesy illusions.

11Get out of the way; turn off the road.

Rid us of the Holy One of Israel!”

 

This is definitely where we are today, at least where I live in the USA. So many have rejected the gospel message taught by Jesus Christ and by His New Testament apostles, taught in the correct biblical context. But this is coming from the top down, i.e. from church denominations and from Bible colleges and Seminaries and their teachers, and from business marketing training for pastors on how to grow their churches. And then it is being passed down to the church via the pastors who have embraced the lies.

 

And I am not saying that all these people are doing this, but it appears that the majority have rejected the biblical gospel in favor of the “pleasant words” the people largely prefer to hear. Anything regarded as negative is being discarded in favor of all that is considered positive, but in the eyes of humans, and not from the perspective of God and His Word. Sin is largely being accepted as just the normal course of life, and teachings against sin and calls for repentance are becoming taboo, i.e. forbidden and disregarded.

 

So, if you are someone who believes the Scriptures and who is teaching the truth of the Gospel, don’t be surprised if the majority of people professing Christ as their Savior reject what you teach, for they reject what Jesus taught. For they don’t want to hear the truth. They want to hear the “feel good” stuff which does not confront them in their sin and call them to repentance and to obedience to God’s commands. They want to hear pleasant words which give them comfort in their sinful lifestyles.

 

Not Willing to Repent

 

Isaiah 30:15 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

15For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said:

“By repentance and rest

you would be saved;

your strength would lie in quiet confidence—

but you were not willing.”

 

Jesus Christ taught that to come to Him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) Him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, in His power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

 

Repentance (turning away from sin) and obedience to our Lord’s commands are required by God as necessary components of faith which saves. They are not optional, i.e. recommended only, and they are not to be altogether discarded, as many are teaching these days. Far too many people professing the name of Jesus have bought into the lies which tell them that all they have to do is “believe” and now they are saved and on their way to heaven, but without actually biblically defining what it really means to “believe.”

 

For faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, and is not of our own doing, is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to His righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of God’s requirements that we deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to His commands. So this biblical faith is something that is ongoing and which will not be completed until Jesus Christ returns to judge the people and to take His faithful bride to be with Him for eternity. So we must stay the course to the very end.

 

The Grace of God

 

Isaiah 30:18 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

18Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you;

therefore He rises to show you compassion,

for the LORD is a just God.

Blessed are all who wait for Him.

 

God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. For Christ “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

 

So, God’s grace is not a free ride to heaven based off lip service to God only. It is not Jesus just handing us salvation, no strings attached. The grace of God sent Jesus Christ to the cross to put our sins to death with Him so that by faith in Him we will now die with Him to sin and walk in His holiness and righteousness in obedience to His commands. Grace is not freedom to keep on in your sin. God’s grace offers you the opportunity to die with Christ to sin and to now live in victory over sin, by His grace, in obedience to God.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Unwilling to Obey

An Original Work / August 11, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Search me, O God 

 

By James E. Orr, 1936

 

Search me, O God, and know my heart today,

Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray;

See if there be some wicked way in me;

Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

 

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;

Fulfill Thy word and make me pure within;

Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;

Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

 

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;

Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;

Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;

I now surrender, Lord, in me abide.

 

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;

Send a revival, start the work in me;

Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;

For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl_sd1gH6hU

 

Caution: This Link may contain ads

An Alliance Against God's Will

Isaiah 30:1-5 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“Woe to the rebellious children,”

declares the LORD,

“to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine,

who form an alliance, but against My will,

heaping up sin upon sin.

2They set out to go down to Egypt

without asking My advice,

to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection

and take refuge in Egypt’s shade.

 

3But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame,

and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.

4For though their princes are at Zoan

and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,

5everyone will be put to shame

because of a people useless to them.

They bring neither help nor benefit,

but only shame and disgrace.”

 

Woe to The Rebellious Children

 

Who are the “rebellious children” today? They are all people who make professions of faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but whose lifestyles speak the opposite. They are those who call themselves “Christians,” but in reality are not followers of Jesus Christ, for they are still living according to the sinful passions of the flesh, and not according to the commands of God. And they are not followers of Christ because they are followers of the teachings of humans who twist and distort the Scriptures to excuse away their sins.

 

They prefer the teachings of humans who dilute and alter the gospel message to make it less offensive and more acceptable to human flesh. They prefer a “Christianity” which allows them to live however they want to live without regard for what God requires of them in the way of thought and word and deed. They prefer “gospel light” because it makes no requirements of them that they must forsake their sinful practices and now live holy lives, pleasing to God, in surrender to the Lord Jesus and to His commands.

 

Alliances Against God’s Will

 

So, what kind of alliances are professing Christians making today which are against the will of God and are against His plans and purposes for our lives? Many of them have to do with joining institutional market-driven businesses of human making which are called “churches,” but which are being led by cult leaders and marketeers who are following business models for how to conduct their “churches,” rather than following the model of Christ written down for us in the Scriptures which teaches us the ways of our Lord.

 

And so many of these alliances are teaching a false grace gospel which gives the sinners permission to keep on in their sin after they have made professions of faith in Jesus Christ. So many of them are teaching that we do not have to put sin to death in our lives (repent of our sins), and we do not have to obey God and His commands, for they call that “works salvation.” So, for those who are still making sin their practice, these kinds of alliances are attractive to them, because they don’t make them feel guilty for sinning.

 

False Alliances, the People’s Shame

 

These are people who do not seek the counsel of God, because they don’t truly want His counsel, because they know what His Word teaches about sin and sinful addiction and repentance and obedience to our Lord’s commands. So they seek out other humans who will tell them what their itching ears want to hear. And they will follow them instead of following God. Because then they can live however they want, and do whatever pleases them, while they still claim to be Christians and to be followers of Jesus Christ.

 

But this will be to their shame, for it is contrary to the will and purpose of God written down for us in the Scriptures for us to follow. It will be to their disgrace that they put their trust in other humans over and above putting their trust solely in God. For one day we are all going to stand before God on the day of judgment, and we will have to give an account as to what we did with Christ and with His gospel and with the teachings of the Scriptures on what it looks like to be true followers of Christ who obey God’s commands.

 

Believe The Truth

 

For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. For Christ “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

 

And we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey His commandments, in practice, we are liars. For it is not the one who claims He is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

 

An Alliance Against God’s Will

An Original Work / August 11, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Only in Him 

 

Based off Isaiah 30

An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

 

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

 

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.

Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

 

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

 

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

 

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face.

 

https://vimeo.com/87181019

Their Hearts are Far From God

“Gospel Light”

 

Isaiah 29:13-14 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

13Therefore the Lord said:

“These people draw near to Me with their mouths

and honor Me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from Me.

Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

14Therefore I will again confound these people

with wonder upon wonder.

The wisdom of the wise will vanish,

and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.”

 

We live in a day and age, at least here in the USA we do, when what is being called “The Gospel of Christ” is often a very diluted and altered version of the true biblical gospel. The false teachers remove key Scriptures from their appropriate biblical context, and they twist them to say what they do not teach if understood in the correct biblical context. And so many of them give a false hope of salvation to the people, promising them forgiveness of all sins and heaven as their destiny, based on a verbal confession of faith only.

 

Therefore, we have multitudes of people confessing Christ as Lord and Savior who give lip service only to God, but whose lives and lifestyles do not reflect Christ and His teachings on what it means to be saved, sanctified, forgiven, and to have eternal life with God. So, although they profess faith in Christ with their lips, their hearts are far from God, which is evident in their actions, words, attitudes, and behaviors, by their practices. For what they are following are words taught by humans which are half-truths, i.e. lies.

 

Secret Sins

 

Isaiah 29:15 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

15Woe to those who dig deep

to hide their plans from the LORD.

In darkness they do their works and say,

“Who sees us, and who will know?”

 

Many of those who are following the “Gospel Light” teachings of humans, which are not of God, are believing that they can now continue in their deliberate and habitual sins against God without conscience and without remorse or repentance. Many of them are being convinced that God can no longer see their sins, and when He looks at them, even if they are in the acts of sin, all He sees is Jesus. And if they should feel guilty, they are being taught to just “claim who you are in Christ,” although they are not in Christ.

 

But none of us can hide what we do from the sight of God. He is all seeing and all knowing, and even if no one else can see, God definitely sees us both on the outside and on the inside. So he knows what we are thinking or plotting or doing or whatever. So you cannot hide from God. But many do hide what they are doing from their spouses, or from their bosses, or from the church, because they know that what they are doing is evil, and they do not want to be found out. But God sees. God knows all that we do.

 

Upside Down

 

Isaiah 29:16 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

16You have turned things upside down,

as if the potter were regarded as clay.

Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,

“He did not make me”?

Can the pottery say of the potter,

“He has no understanding”?

 

This is exactly what is taking place in this generation. Who God is and what He teaches are absolutely being turned upside down. His gospel message is being turned upside down so that good is now being spoken of as evil, and evil is being spoken of as good. And lies are being spoken of as truth, and truth is being spoken of as lies. And so those of us who are teaching the truth of the gospel are being called teachers of “works salvation,” and thus people are being told that they should ignore us and embrace the opposite.

 

But Jesus Christ taught that to come to Him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) Him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, in His power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

 

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in Him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

 

So, know the truth of what God’s Word teaches, and obey the truth, and reject the lies. For your salvation and where you will spend eternity are dependent on you believing and living the truth and rejecting the lies.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Their Hearts are Far From God

An Original Work / August 11, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Search me, O God 

 

By James E. Orr, 1936

 

Search me, O God, and know my heart today,

Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray;

See if there be some wicked way in me;

Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

 

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;

Fulfill Thy word and make me pure within;

Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;

Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

 

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;

Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;

Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;

I now surrender, Lord, in me abide.

 

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;

Send a revival, start the work in me;

Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;

For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl_sd1gH6hU

 

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Trust in The Lord Forever

Isaiah 26:1-4 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

1In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

We have a strong city;

salvation is established as its walls and ramparts.

2Open the gates so a righteous nation may enter—

one that remains faithful.

3You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind,

because he trusts in You.

4Trust in the LORD forever,

because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.

 

The strong city spoken of here, with salvation established as its walls and ramparts, is the church, the body of Christ, i.e. all those who are of biblical faith in Christ Jesus who have, by the grace of God, denied self, died to sin, and who are obeying our Lord and His commands as a matter of life practice. We, the people of God, are that strong city. We the people of God are the church. The church is not a building called “church.” And it is not a church denomination, and it is not a business incorporated under the state.

 

So the strong city, the church, is not a physical place. It is the people of God. And we, as the body of Christ, can gather together in any appropriate location, whether in person in a physical location or via a phone call or a text message or an email or a group chat or on the internet in general where we are permitted to gather as the body of Christ and to share with one another what we are being taught each day of the Lord for the encouragement of the body of Christ, as a whole. And we should meet together daily, if we can.

 

And our salvation is not a “get out of jail free card” pardoning us from all sin based off a verbal profession of faith in the Lord Jesus. Biblical faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, and which is not of our own doing, requires that we deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to His commands. For Jesus gave His life up for us on that cross, and He was resurrected from the dead in order that we might die with Him to sin and now walk in obedience to His commands in holy living, in His power.

 

If we want to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God we must be those who are living righteously, in the power of God, via submission to God. And we must remain faithful to the Lord and to His teachings and to His commands (New Covenant), in life practice. Our minds are to be set on the Lord and on doing His will, and they must no longer be set on sin. And we must continue in Him in doing His will and no longer walking in sin until the time that our Lord returns for His faithful bride and we go to be with Him.

 

Isaiah 26:5-6 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

5For He has humbled those who dwell on high;

He lays the lofty city low.

He brings it down to the ground;

He casts it into the dust.

6Feet trample it down—

the feet of the oppressed,

the steps of the poor.

 

The proud, the arrogant, the self-sufficient, the selfish, the self-indulgent, and all for whom sin is what they practice, and not obedience to our Lord, and not righteous living, even if they give lip service to God, they will be judged by God for refusing to obey Him and to surrender their lives to Him. Now, some He may cast judgment on in this life, perhaps as a means to bring them to genuine repentance, but others may not face His judgment until the end. And they who reject Him as Lord will be cast into hell.

 

Isaiah 26:7-10 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

7The path of the righteous is level;

You clear a straight path for the upright.

8Yes, we wait for You, O LORD;

we walk in the path of Your judgments.

Your name and renown

are the desire of our souls.

9My soul longs for You in the night;

indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn.

For when Your judgments come upon the earth,

the people of the world learn righteousness.

10Though grace is shown to the wicked man,

he does not learn righteousness.

In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly

and fails to see the majesty of the LORD.

 

So, it is critical that our hearts and minds and behaviors are in the right place, in submission to Christ as Lord, and in surrender to His will, in obedience to His commands. For a level and straight path is the path of godliness, holiness, and righteousness. And the upright are those who obey God and who choose to do His will. Our desire should be for God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. We should long to do what pleases Him. And, as His servants, we will face many trials and tribulations to mature us.

 

But, sadly, even though God shows grace even to the wicked, many do not turn their hearts to the Lord, but they continue in deliberate and habitual sin against God, because that is where their hearts are. That is what they crave, what they long for, what they desire above all else. Even if they have known the path of salvation from childhood, many will remain on a sinful course, living to please the flesh, denying Christ as Lord/Master, and resisting His commands. And heaven will not be their destiny. Hell will be their future.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Trust in The Lord Forever

An Original Work / August 10, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Your Heart 

 

An Original Work / October 24, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Tenderly He speaks, softly so.

Gently He calls - His will to know.

Won’t you invite Him in your heart?

Humbly accept Him now.

Bow before Him with contrite heart.

May you obey His will.

Seek Him with all your heart and soul,

And your heart, His Spirit fill.

 

Jesus died to free you from sin,

Giving you new life to begin,

Walking with Him ev’ry hour,

Obeying His commands.

Won’t you trust Him to be your Lord?

His grace you can’t afford.

Freely He gives you peace within,

When you turn from all your sin.

 

Live for Him ev’ry passing day.

Meet with Him; read His word and pray.

Serve Him in the way He leads you,

Doing all that He says.

Do unto others as you would

Have them do unto you.

Love them with Jesus love within you.

Your hearts to God be true.

 

https://vimeo.com/125864134

The Covering That is Cast Over People

Isaiah 25:6-8 ESV

 

“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples

    a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,

    of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

And He will swallow up on this mountain

    the covering that is cast over all peoples,

    the veil that is spread over all nations.

   He will swallow up death forever;

and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,

    and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth,

    for the Lord has spoken.”

 

When we read Isaiah 2 we learned that the mountain of the Lord, which was Zion, was Jesus Christ, our Messiah and Lord, and it is His body, His church. Jesus Christ is Zion and His church, His body, is Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (not the physical city of Jerusalem). Zion refers to God’s spiritual kingdom but it is also a term used to describe God.

 

Anyway, in Isaiah 2 we read about this mountain of the Lord in the latter days, the days of the Messiah, that people will flow to in order “that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” So, the mountain is a “He,” and the “He” is definitely someone people are flowing to so that we can be taught His ways and so that we can walk in His paths.” And that would be Jesus Christ, our Messiah, our God.

 

As it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame” (Romans 9:33; cf. Hebrews 12:22-24; 1 Peter 2:4-10).

 

Now, going back to today’s passage, “this mountain” is to be considered a parallel to the mountain in Isaiah 2, which would indicate that this mountain is also representing our Lord Jesus and His heavenly kingdom. And now if you read in v. 7 “and He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all the peoples,” what covering comes to mind? That reminds me of that veil of spiritual blindness because of sin.

 

So, what happened when Jesus Christ died on that cross for our sins? Jesus Christ who knew no sin became sin for us on that cross and so when He died our sins were put to death with Him so that, by God-given faith in Him, we would die with our Lord to sin and live to Him and to His righteousness. Then we are delivered from our spiritual blindness and now we can see the light of the truth of the gospel. So the covering of sin over our lives was swallowed up by Jesus in His death on that cross so that we can be free from our slavery to sin and walk in His holiness and righteousness.

 

And in His death on that cross and in His resurrection He did swallow up death forever for those of childlike faith who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and who have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life in Him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. If we are believing in Jesus Christ, and if we are walking in His ways, and not in sin, we have the hope of eternal life with God.

 

And when we go to be with Him for eternity, He will wipe away all our tears from our eyes, for there will be no more pain, sorrow, sickness, and trials and tribulations which test our faith on this earth. And sin and wickedness will not exist in heaven. There will only be righteousness and holiness and godliness in heaven. And we will be with our Lord forever, amen!

 

“It will be said on that day,

    ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us.

    This is the Lord; we have waited for Him;

    let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.’” Isaiah 25:9 ESV

 

Right now, if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine, we are saved (past), we are being saved (present active), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus takes us home to be with Him for eternity, which is when our salvation will be complete and our marriage to Christ consummated. So we rejoice in our salvation now, but we will again rejoice in our salvation when it is completed and we will be with our Lord forever.

 

But this is conditional upon us first of all dying with Christ to sin and then living to Him and to His righteousness, and then us continuing to die with Him to sin and to walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands (New Covenant) in walks of righteousness and holiness. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, then we will not inherit eternal life with God, and we won’t be saved in the end.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

The Covering That is Cast Over People

An Original Work / January 24, 2023

Reposted on August 10, 2026, w/slight editing

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

The Kingdoms of Earth Pass Away

 

Lyrics by Henry R. Trickett, 1887

Music by James H. Fillmore, 1887

 

The kingdoms of earth pass away one by one,

But the kingdom of heaven remains;

It is built on a rock and the Lord is its King,

And forever and ever He reigns.

 

The tempest may rage and its anger acclaim,

Yea, the wind and the torrents may roar,

And the strong gates of hell may assail it in vain,

Still the kingdom shall stand ever more.

 

The kingdom of God is now open to all,

E’en the vilest may now enter in;

There’s a welcome for all who will turn to the Lord,

Full salvation and pardon for sin.

 

It shall stand, It shall stand,

Forever and ever and ever,

It shall stand, It shall stand,

Forever and ever. Amen and Amen.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCAO2TpbeY0

 

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