Thursday, August 08,
2013, 4:05 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with this song:
Do Not Fear / An
Original Work / June 2, 2013
Based off John 14
Do not let your hearts
fear.
Trust in God. Trust in
Christ.
“In My house you will
find
Many rooms I have
Prepared for you,
And I will come back
And take you to
heav’n.”
“I will take you to be
with Me;
You’ll be where I am.”
“I am the way and
The truth and the
life.
No one comes to the
Father,
Except he comes
through Me,
So put your faith in
Me,
And do all of what I
command.”
“Whoever has My
commands
And obeys them loves
Me.”
“I did not leave you
as orphans.
I sent you the
Counselor;
The Holy Spirit to
live in you.
He teaches you all
things,
And He reminds you of
Me.”
“My peace I give to
you,
So do not fear, trust
in Me.”
Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 4 (ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204&version=ESV
Arm Yourselves
Since
therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of
thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to
live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for
the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles
want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking
parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you
do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they
will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ~ 1
Pet. 4:1-5
When Jesus Christ suffered in the flesh on the cross, he not
only suffered physically, but he took upon himself the sins of the entire
world, so that when he died, our sins were crucified with him, buried with him,
and then remained in the grave when he rose from the dead. He put to death the
power of and the ultimate penalty (judgment) of sin so that we could be set free
from slavery to sin; free from its control day-to-day and set free to walk in
Christ’s righteousness and holiness (See 1 Pet. 2:24; cf. Lu. 9:23-25; Eph.
4:17-24). Thus, when we come to faith in Jesus Christ and we are crucified with
him, our old life of living for sinful pleasure should also die with him, so
that we can live and walk in his righteousness. So, we need to put on this way
of thinking which says belief in Jesus Christ means death to sin and
resurrection to a new life in Christ, yielding to his Lordship (to the cross).
We should no longer live for sinful passions, desires and
pleasures, but for God’s will. We should be done away with living for sin and
self. That should all now be a thing of our past, not still in our present. We
should no longer be involved in any way just doing what we want to do without
regard for God and the teachings of Christ. Living in sensuality or
participating in what is sensual, seductive, adulterous, evil, out-of-control and/or
idolatrous should not be part of the life of a follower of Christ Jesus. This
includes participating through viewing and/or listening to these things for
entertainment purposes. Jesus went through a horrible death on the cross to set
us free. How can we live in sin any longer? Or, how can we agree with it by
participating in it through entertainment? We are to come out from them and be
separate. We are not to partner with those who are still walking in darkness.
Yet, when we do come out from them, and we do separate
ourselves, not from people as a whole, but from participating in what is evil
and what is sinful, those who still follow the ways of this world and who still
partake in its “delicacies” - i.e. in what is sinful or in what gives approval
to what is sinful - may be surprised, offended, and/or disgusted with us. They
may also take to mocking us, criticizing and/or gossiping about us, accusing us
falsely with the intent possibly to cause us harm, thinking we are crazy for
our stand for what is right and what is true, and for our stand against all
that sets itself up against Christ and his word. They may even tempt us or try
to shame us into returning to some of our old ways. But we should not fear
their rejection of us or what they might say about us to others. They will have
to give an account to God one day for what they did, and God will be their
judge.
The End of All Things
The
end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for
the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since
love covers a multitude of sins. ~ 1 Pet. 4:7-8
The end of all things could happen very soon. Not one of us
knows the day or the hour, but the Bible says we should know the season by the
signs. I believe we are in the season, but only God knows when the end will
come. Yet, with the end of time in mind, knowing that we will all stand before
God one day, we should be sober-minded about our relationship with Jesus
Christ. I am not against having fun or laughter. I laugh a lot and I enjoy what
God has given us to enjoy within the boundaries he has provided for us for our
protection against evil. Yet many professing Christians live as though life is
a big party and that church is just supposed to be fun and entertaining, and
they have lost the awe and respect of God and of his word and the seriousness
we should all have about what is holy and right.
Above all we should keep on loving one another “since love
covers a multitude of sins.” Lest we take this in the wrong way and fail to
interpret this phrase in light of the rest of scripture, let me say here that
love never placates, approves, allows for or overlooks sin in the life of a
believer in Jesus Christ. It is not loving to our brothers and sisters in
Christ if we just act like life is just fun when we know they are caught in the
trappings of sin. True love tells the truth in love. That does not mean we go
around condemning everyone for every little thing, but god-like love speaks the
truth in love to each other about willful sin in our lives, calls us to
repentance, and reminds us that we must obey our Lord Jesus. And, true love
forgives and does not seek to punish the offender. And, it restores where
repentance has taken place and there is a desire to see change of life in the
power of the Spirit. This way the “covering” for sin is not a “cover-up” but is
God’s grace at work in desiring to see people set free from slavery to sin and
the power of Satan so they can walk in Jesus’ light.
The Fiery Trial
Beloved,
do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as
though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you
share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory
is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed,
because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you
suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone
suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that
name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it
begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel
of God? ~ 1 Pet. 4:12-17
As followers of Jesus Christ we are destined for hardships,
persecutions, rejections, etc., just like Jesus was. These have come to test
our faith, to strengthen us, to give us resolve and perseverance, to make us
holy, to conform us to the image of Christ, to develop godly characteristics
within us, to purge us of all anomalies (deviations) and to purify us. The
Bible says we will go through difficulties in life to test our faith, so we
should not be surprised when these times come. In America we have suffered
little persecution for our faith in comparison to the kinds of persecutions
Christians throughout the world have had to suffer for generations, yet I believe
our time is coming, and it is not far off. Yet, in many ways this may prove to
be the best thing for the church in America in order to get her to return to
her first love, and/or for the spread of the gospel and the salvation of souls.
For those of us who are truly being persecuted because of
our faith in Jesus and our testimony for him, we should rejoice that we are
counted worthy to suffer for the sake of the name of Jesus and to share with
him in his sufferings he went through for us. So, if we are insulted, mocked,
ridiculed and rejected for the right reasons, we are blessed. Yet, if we suffer
because we have done evil, then we cannot claim we are suffering because we bear
the name of Jesus. Yet, if we are persecuted and falsely accused because we
obeyed Christ, then we have no cause for shame, but only for rejoicing!
Judgment (divine discipline and correction) comes in many
forms and at various times. Jesus said he disciplines those he loves and that
suffering is a part of that discipline. Yet, he also promises divine correction
of some kind to the wayward church in Rev 2-3. Many of the prophets of old told
of the church going through a time of great persecution prior to the Lord
pouring out his wrath on those who caused her suffering. So, we should expect
such a time to take place if it hasn’t already. Revelation speaks of the
purpose of this as a time when Christ purifies his bride and makes her ready
for the wedding consummation. So, we should not be surprised if the Lord Jesus
does not rapture out his church before such a time takes place here in America.
Yet, we should not fear such a time, for our Lord will never leave us or
forsake us, and he will give us all we need to endure such a time if we will
but yield to him, submit to his Lordship and to his sovereignty, and just trust
him to work it all out for our good and for the salvation of human lives.
Abide in Him / An
Original Work / July 31, 2013
Based off Ps. 27:14; Is. 40:31; Jn. 14-15
If you wait for the
Lord,
Put your hope now in
Him,
He will give you His
strength
And endurance within.
He will renew your
strength,
So you will not lose
heart.
You will soar on wings
like eagles,
Never depart.
“If you abide in Me,
And My words live in
you,
You will walk with Me
daily
And follow what’s
true.
I will live now in you;
Give you peace now
within,
If you obey My
teachings
And turn from your
sin.”
“If you listen to Me,
And do all that I say,
I will give you My
comfort;
Be with you always.
I will heal all your
pain;
Life with Me now
you’ll gain,
If in fellowship with
Me
You always remain.”
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