The Lovers

Friday, October 31, 2014, 4:13 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “For Our Nation.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Timothy 3 (NASB).

Lovers of Self

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.

The “last days,” from what I understand, actually began with Jesus’ life on this earth, and yet it is also a reference to the final days on this earth before Jesus Christ’s return for his bride. Although what is described here concerning people’s attitudes, mindset, and behaviors has always existed, because we are all born with sin natures, the indication here is that, near the end of time, this type of evil will be much more prevalent.

I believe one of the main reasons for the increase in wickedness in our day is that our generation has been inundated with sinful attitudes and actions, and worldly values and perceptions, via TV, movies, the internet, music, and social media sites, et al, and especially due to the proliferation of home computers, tablets (IPads) and smart phones in people’s homes and now in their pockets and purses. Even children now have smart phones and IPads and have around the clock access to the internet, oftentimes unguarded and unprotected against all the evil available to them at their fingertips.

Handing a child a smart phone or an IPad, and thus giving them private internet access, even in their bedrooms, is a lot like handing them a stack of pornographic magazines to take with them back to the privacy of their bedrooms. Even if a parent is conscientious enough to put parental controls on these devices, children are a whole lot smarter than us in knowing how to use these devices, and there are always ways around these types of controls. As well, semi-pornographic images can be found most anywhere on the internet, including on news sites, YouTube, social media sites, and even on Christian song lyrics sites.

This evil has always existed, yet because we now live in a generation where all sorts of evil is so readily available to people of all ages 24/7, and in the privacy of their own homes, and because so many people spend so much time on these various devices and on these various media sources, many people, even those who claim to be followers of Christ, have adopted the mindset, attitudes, values and behaviors of this ungodly world. As well, all this has infiltrated into the church, and the church is disseminating much of this ungodliness and worldly attitudes and behaviors, too. The church is barely recognizable as the church anymore, and there is not much difference between the church and the world at all. And, the thing is, this has been so gradual and so subtle that many are deceived and have become desensitized to all the evil they are taking into their minds and hearts day in and day out.

My husband and I attended a marriage retreat a year ago. The retreat center was in the mountains and it had facilities which appear much like hotels with hotel rooms. Most public hotels supply TV sets in every room they rent, so for someone who has never been to a Christian retreat center, but who has stayed in a hotel, the expectation might be that the rooms would have TV sets, but they did not. One young couple sat at dinner with us and exclaimed, “There is no TV in the room! What will we do?” They were serious. And, that is the sad reality of so many in our generation. When the power goes out, and thus the TV is off, many don’t know what to do. I have been there before, so I know.

Because the church itself has adopted the ways of the world, and because so many professing Christians within the church are so worldly, and because they take in the ways of this world daily into their minds and hearts via these various devices and media sources, is it any wonder that so many professing followers of Christ today have a form of godliness but are denying its power in their lives? Yet, how can we have the power of God in our lives if what we daily take into our minds is the garbage of this world, and we spend so little time with God in his word, in prayer and in obedience to all that he teaches us? It is time for the church of today to evaluate their lives and practices against the word of God and see if how they are living is what the word teaches the Lord’s servants with regard to holy living.

Lovers of God

Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Sometimes I think it would be a blessing for the church here in America if we lost all electrical and cell phone power and we no longer had access to the internet, TV, tablets, and smart phones, and we had to return to how things were a long time ago. People would be forced outside their homes into being with other people, working with them, talking with them. Families would actually talk with each other instead of sitting and eating together around the TV set. Certainly this would not put an end to all evil, but if the church had all of these inputs removed, and if they began to spend that time with the Lord and in his word and in obedience to him and in ministering to the needs of others, instead, then the church would no longer have a form of godliness but deny its power in their lives. I believe we would begin to see the church revived, drawing on the power of the Spirit in their lives.

Then the people of God, free from all these other inputs which often fight against the Spirit, and which often crowd out the input of the Spirit in our lives, would follow the teachings of Christ and of the apostles, and would desire to have the conduct, purpose, faith, and love, etc. which is in line with the word of God and with the character of those who live godly and holy lives pleasing to God. Yet, the church revived here in America, and on fire for God, and out sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, will also be a persecuted church, much like the church throughout the rest of the world. But, persecution can be a good thing in that it stimulates us and moves us to be even more serious about our Lord and to follow in his ways. Through persecution, the gospel will spread more rapidly, as well.

Yet, evil will go on until the day when Jesus Christ returns to judge the earth and to take his bride to be with him. Nonetheless, the less time we spend taking in the ways of this world, and worldly attitudes and values, and the more time we spend with our Lord in prayer, in his word, and in obedience to what his word teaches us, the less we will be desensitized to evil, and the more we will be able to recognize evil and will be able to discern lies from truth so that we are not easily deceived, and so that we won’t follow imposters, thinking we are following those who are truly walking in the ways of the Lord. I can tell you from personal experience that getting rid of our TV six years ago was a very good move. I have not missed it at all, and I have found that I have been much more sensitive to the Spirit’s voice without all the junk we were taking into our minds via the TV, mainly via the News.

So, if we want to walk in the ways of the Lord, and continue in the things we have learned from him and from his word, and we want to have the wisdom of God guiding us in how we conduct ourselves on a daily basis, then we need to take the time to evaluate our lives and how we live them. We need to pray through all the things we do each day, and what we daily take into our minds and hearts, and inquire of the Lord Jesus as to what conflicts with our walks of faith and what enhances our fellowship with him. We need to cease filling our minds with the garbage of this world, which works against the Spirit, and we need to spend more time in the Word, in prayer, and in following our Lord Jesus wherever he leads us. His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Through the word we gain wisdom, knowledge and understanding. His word teaches, reproofs, corrects and trains us in righteousness, so that we may be complete, equipped for every good work.

For Our Nation / An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

http://originalworks.info/for-our-nation/

Recalling Your Tears

Wednesday, October 29, 2014, 7:20 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Timothy 1 (NIV84).

Fan Into Flame

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. ⁴ Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. ⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, a fellow worker (laborer) and servant of the Lord and of the (full) gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe the Lord Jesus has given me a practical understanding of this passage of scripture which can be applied to today, to both men and women, and for the purpose to encourage his faithful servants to keep pressing on in spite of severe persecution, opposition and abandonment, as well as to exhort the unfaithful to return to their Lord and to pure and unadulterated fellowship with him.

The Lord Jesus, I believe, wants to encourage his faithful servants here that he is interceding for us, that he sees our tears, that he cares about what we are going through, and that he longs for us and desires fellowship with us even when humans abandon us. In other words, he will never leave us or forsake us, even if humans do. Thus, when we enter into that fellowship with him, he encourages and strengthens our hearts, and he fills us with much joy, as well as he finds great joy in our communion with him.

He also encourages us to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in us. I believe he is referring to the Holy Spirit, and subsequently to the fruit and to the gifts of the Spirit. This may present a challenge to those who are suffering much persecution, even within the organized church, because they may feel that, since humans (even in the church) have forsaken or have rejected them, that God cannot use them. I remember a time in my life when I felt that way. But, God is not limited by humans’ limitations, prejudices, and roadblocks which they erect to halt the pure word of truth from getting into people’s minds and hearts. If humans put up roadblocks, then God makes another way.

For example, in today’s modern church here in America, much of the church has gone the way of the world. They have turned the gospel and our times of worship of and fellowship with our Lord, in prayer and in his word, upside down, and they have reversed God’s plan of salvation to make it into something else, opposite of what it was. As well, they have added what is false to the foundation of our faith, in order to make the gospel “fit” with today’s culture.

In other words, the church is supposed to be the body of Christ, with Christ as the head and as the chief cornerstone, and the gospel and our faith built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. Instead, much of what is called church here in America is made up of businesses of humans, business marketing schemes, entertainment, and seeks to please the customers, and thus compromises the gospel to make it more acceptable.

So, what this means is that the Holy Spirit is shoved out (kicked out) of most of our churches because they refuse to let him lead, and humans are in control, instead. Although the Lord invites them to his table to have fellowship with him, they ignore his invitation and they go their own way instead. So, what this also means is that the Lord’s servants, who are following the leading of the Spirit in their lives, and who are fanning into flame the gift of God within them, may find themselves ostracized, rejected, abandoned, ignored, and kicked out right along with the Holy Spirit. Yet, that doesn’t stop God, and it doesn’t mean the Lord is finished with those servants. He will make a way where there seems to be no way. For me, he sent me to the internet to share what he is teaching me through his word. That didn’t stop the persecution, but it is a place where, for now, I am able to use the gifts God has placed within me, and which he intends for me to fan into flame.

Not Ashamed

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹ And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

So, when we are persecuted, rejected and ostracized or abandoned because we stand on the truth of the Word of God, because we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and because we proclaim the full gospel of Jesus Christ, we should never be ashamed to testify about our Lord, no matter how much we are mocked, criticized, falsely accused, betrayed, abandoned or rejected for our testimonies for Jesus Christ. Instead, we should accept the fact that we will be called upon to suffer for the sake of Christ and his gospel. And, we should rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for him and for his gospel.

Yet, many within the church are ashamed of the gospel, or else they have been convinced that it is not polite or nice to confront people with the full gospel message. And, so much of today’s church is teaching, instead, that believers in Christ should immerse themselves in the culture, and that they should just be nice to people, and that suffices for their testimonies. And, yet even the unsaved can do that. Truly we are to love others, and we are to be kind, as Jesus was kind, and we are to show mercy, grace and compassion. Yet, we must also stand on the Word of Truth, we must stand against what is evil, we must confront what is false, and we must teach what is truth so that people can be saved.

You see, we were not saved just so we could escape hell and just so we could go to heaven when we die. We were saved and called by God to a holy life. Holy means: separate (unlike; different) from the world and set apart to (like) God and to his service. Holiness is rarely taught anymore. Instead, the church is blending in with the world and the culture and so they are compromising truth in order to be acceptable and liked by the world, which is why, if you stand on the Word of Truth, they will not only be ashamed of the gospel, but they will be ashamed of you, too, especially if you are called of God to point these things out to them. Yet, Jesus died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us. He died that we might die to sin and live holy lives pleasing to him (See: Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14 and 1 Jn. 1-5).

Sound Teaching

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. ¹⁷ On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. ¹⁸ May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

Most of the church here in America has abandoned this pattern of sound teaching, and have, instead, gone after what pleases the masses. God has been calling to the church to return to him, i.e. to return to pure, unadulterated fellowship with him at his table, and to put away their defilement of the gospel and their quenching of the Holy Spirit in their midst. Yet, no matter how many times he calls, most have refused his voice. And, they have continued to walk in the ways of humans and of this world, instead. In fact, many leaders within the church partake in cords of sin, wickedness and deceit, which is why they do nothing to confront sin or to call for holiness or to support and defend the truth of God’s holy word and the Lord’s servants who are sharing the truth.

Yet, as followers of Christ, we should keep the pattern of sound teaching as was taught us by Christ and the apostles, and we should abandon all that is false. We must examine everything we see, read and hear against the Word of Truth, and we must follow what is true, even if it is not popular. There may be times when we may feel as though we are standing alone, because all others may desert us and not stand with us because they don’t want to be rejected, too, yet we must continue to stand, realizing we are never alone. I guarantee there will be times when it will be hard to do that, especially when you are mocked, falsely accused, slandered and are rejected by the majority, and when the pressure is on to compromise because they try to convince you that there is rightness in numbers and wrongness if you end up standing alone. Yet, the Holy Spirit will help us to guard what has been entrusted to us, so that we do not falter.

I know there are Christians throughout the world who are suffering severe persecution for their faith and for their testimonies for Jesus Christ, and that many are being put to death because they refused to compromise. I believe that many who are being persecuted have had their Bibles removed from them, and perhaps even their hymn books or song books, too, and they may feel lost without them. Yet, they cannot take the Holy Spirit from us or our faith or prayer, so we can continue to commune with our Lord and to worship him, and to praise his name, and to share his truth because his Spirit lives within us giving us all we need to live godly lives, holy and pleasing to God. We just have to trust him.

Have Thine Own Way, Lord / Adelaide A. Pollard, 1862-1934

George C. Stebbins, 1846-1945 / Tune: ADELAIDE, Meter: 54.54 D

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me I pray!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o'er my being absolute sway.

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me! 

He Will Strengthen You

Tuesday, October 28, 2014, 7:20 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “For Our Nation.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Thessalonians 3 (ESV).

Honored and Delivered

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

We all need prayer, and we all need to pray for one another. I like it that Paul was a man of prayer, and that he talked much about that subject. It encourages my heart to hear his prayers, too, because they are specific, heartfelt, and thus meaningful. And, that is how I believe we should engage in prayer for one another. I think too often our prayers are either recited (routine or canned), too general, limited to just one or two subjects, or else they are too surface level.

I have been in attendance in church meetings nearly since birth (nearly 65 yrs), and so I have sat through many prayer meetings. In some churches I found the prayer meetings to mainly cover only physical or financial needs, but to not hit on people’s spiritual needs at all. And, the prayers were often “God bless so and so,” but never really asked God for anything specific to be done in people’s lives. So, we need to let down our masks, and we need to ask our brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for our specific needs.

I would ask the same prayer for myself, and for others who are sharing the gospel, as what Paul asked for here for himself and for his fellow workers in the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ten years ago the Lord Jesus told me I was to write down what he teaches me through his word and that I was to give it to a “runner” so that the runner could “Run With It” (based off Hab. 2). In time I learned that the “runner” was the internet, and that I was to do this nearly daily. So, I would ask that you pray that what I share from my times with the Lord each day will be used for God’s intended purposes in the lives of those whom he chooses, and for the glory and honor of God. I would also ask for deliverance from wicked and evil human beings who oppose the full gospel message of Jesus Christ, for not everyone has faith. As well, pray that I will be strengthened and protected from the evil one, as well as pray this for all who are proclaiming the true message of our salvation. Although I don’t know all of you, you are in my thoughts and in my prayers.

I found great encouragement in reading this passage of scripture this morning, as it touched on what I am going through personally. I know that my Lord is faithful, and I know that he will give me strength. This morning I was talking with him specifically about a situation in my life where I need his strength, wisdom and grace in knowing how to respond to those who oppose me. So, when I read this, the Lord Jesus answered my prayer by reminding me of his faithfulness, and that he will strengthen me and protect me from the evil one. Amen! And, then he encouraged me further with these words “We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.” As well, I prayed for myself that God will direct my heart into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance, because some days it is tough to keep going, and/or to know how to respond or what to say.

Warnings

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

This is a difficult command for many of us to keep, I believe, either because the church does not teach or practice this, and thus we think this does not apply to us, or because we think it would be unkind to do so, and so we ignore it. Or, perhaps there are some situations which are just unavoidable, or else maybe we just don’t understand practically how this is supposed to work. Yet, this is not the only time in the New Testament that this is taught, so we should not ignore it or avoid it just because it does not make us comfortable.

So, who is this talking about? I believe this is talking about those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, but they don’t practice what they say they believe. They don’t walk according to the Word of God but still according to their own fleshly wills, desires and appetites. As well, they are slothful (lazy) and do not work, but must be trying to live off of others, or else they would starve to death for lack of food. Or, this could apply to those who have jobs but who lack integrity on the job, i.e. they are lazy workers. I don’t believe this is saying that both husband and wife must have paying jobs, as scripture also teaches that wives should be keepers at home (See: Tit. 2:5). Yet, women should not be slothful at home, either, but must be busy at home, pure, self-controlled, kind, subject to and loving their husbands, and reverent in the way they live, teaching what is good.

If the church does not practice this command here, it may be impossible to entirely avoid those who profess faith but who walk according to the flesh, as we are to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Or, if we are married to someone who professes one thing but lives another, we cannot avoid our spouse. We cannot entirely stay away from people with whom we work or with whom we live or who are members of our own family. Yet, we can limit our participation with them in certain things so as to not give the impression of our approval. And, certainly we should pray for wisdom and understanding in each individual situation to know just how we are to respond or to act so as to make certain we are obeying our Lord in all things, and that we are living holy lives pleasing to him. I believe, in general, that this passage teaches that we should not hang out with and/or make our best friends and social companions those who profess Christ but live just like the world instead.

Not Weary

As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Walking in faithful obedience to our Lord can sometimes be difficult and/or complicated, i.e. sometimes scripture gives us general commands that do not cover each and every situation, so we need to pray for wisdom and discernment to know how to apply the scriptures to our specific circumstances without ignoring, denying, or excusing away these commands.

As well, when evil humans come against us, not only do we need strength and endurance to keep going, even in the face of much opposition and persecution, but we need wisdom from above to know how to respond to their evil attacks. Sometimes the attacks don’t come in forms that are all that black and white, either. What I mean is that Satan is clever, and he is manipulative, conniving, deceiving and uses trickery to try to trap us and to trip us up, so we need wisdom to discern his tricks so that we don’t fall prey to them.

When the opposing force is straight forward and obvious, we can more easily fight off the lies with the truth. Yet, when it is conniving and manipulative, this takes much more discernment to know exactly how to respond. And, so it also takes much more prayer, strength and endurance. Yet, we should never give up, no matter how hard things get, but we must keep on keeping on doing what God has called and commanded us to do, believing him to work it all out for his purposes and for his glory. Amen!

For Our Nation / An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

http://originalworks.info/for-our-nation/

Already At Work

Monday, October 27, 2014, 6:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “For Our Nation.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Thessalonians 2 (ESV).

The Rebellion

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Upfront, just let me say that I am no expert on End Times prophecies. I cannot say with any certainty the precise time in which we now live in relation to these events, other than I believe we are in the season in which these things are beginning to take place. In other words, I believe there are many signs indicating that this Day of the Lord is very near, so I believe we should take notice of these signs, not so we can win arguments, but so it will transport us out of any complacency or apathy we may presently be experiencing, and so we face the reality of these events taking place in our day and time, so we know how to pray, and also so we know how we should be living, realizing that the time is near.

Ok, it says here that this day will not come until the rebellion occurs. This word translated as rebellion comes from the Greek word “apostasia” which means: “defection; revolt.” It also means to “leave, depart (away from); departure (implying desertion); a leaving from a previous standing” (Source: biblehub.com). Another word for “revolt” is rebellion. A rebellion can either be “an organized attempt to overthrow a government or other authority by the use of violence,” or it can mean: “opposition to or defiance of authority, accepted moral codes, or social conventions” (Source: Encarta). I believe it is both, and that we are seeing the signs of this taking place in our present time in history BIG TIME!

First of all, I believe the USA, underneath the authority of the New World Order (alias, the Beast) is leading the charge in overthrowing the various governments of independent nations throughout the world, including inside these United States of America. The Bible told us this time would come, so this should not catch us by surprise. Yet, this is also a great time of deception, too, and many throughout the world, and/or particularly within the USA, are being deceived by their own government leaders, by the news media, and even within the church by their church leadership. The people are being lied to, and many are believing the lies here that our government are the “good guys” who are going throughout the world “rescuing” people from the “bad guys.” The truth, however, is that we are the “bad guys” going throughout the world terrorizing, consuming, and conquering other nations.

Secondly, within the church here in the USA, in particular, there has been a definite and serious departure (desertion) from a previous standing. I have become aware of this defection just since 1999. And, since then I have watched as the church has taken a serious nose dive spiritually and doctrinally. Jesus Christ is no longer the accepted “head” of the church, but humans are in charge. Marketing 101 has replaced the Word of God and the leading and power of the Holy Spirit within the church, as the church has moved away from being the body of Christ to being a business of humans, run like any other business. And, entertainment has replaced true worship, humanistic philosophy has replaced the truth of scripture, and human marketing schemes have replaced divine intervention and leading.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is being diluted to where it barely resembles the true gospel any more. Not long ago the Lord Jesus gave me a picture of this when he helped me to see that what they have done is to divide the gospel in half, and to only teach the first half, but to hide the truth concerning the second half. In other words, most churches still teach that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, took on human form, died on a cross for our sins, rose again, ascended to heaven, and sent his Holy Spirit to indwell the lives of his followers. They teach that we are saved by grace, through faith, and not of works, yet what they don’t teach, in most cases, is what that faith looks like. Many leave out the fact that coming to Christ by faith means we die with Christ to our old lives of living for sin and self, we are transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and that we are given new lives in Christ, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” [See: Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; & 1 Jn. 1-5]

Added to this, at least here in the USA, is that the church has incorporated underneath the US government, which makes the government the “head” of the church in place of Christ, and it means that the church has partnered with the ungodly of this world, too. So, in a sense, our government, which is evil, has taken its seat of authority in the temple of God, the church, proclaiming itself to be God in the sense that the government has assumed Christ’s rightful position as head of his church. And, the government has no problem at all exercising that authority, either. I believe it is going to get worse very soon. As well, I believe that because the church partnered with the ungodly, that it opened itself up to bringing the ways, means and methodology of this sinful world into the church so that the church could be more appealing and acceptable to the world. This is a HUGE departure from God’s design for his church, over which he is the ONLY TRUE HEAD.

Added to that, I believe that the US government, under the authority of the New World Order, alias the Beast, is not only conquering the nations and governments of this world, consuming the world’s resources, but that they are directly or indirectly involved in the persecution and murdering of Christians throughout the world. I cannot prove this, but there is much evidence of this which can presently be found on the internet. For instance, I believe ISIS is supported and financed by the US government, and I have read articles on the internet which support this belief. Yet, my primary source of information is the Holy Spirit, who dwells within me, and who has been revealing these things to me.

Already at Work

Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The first part of this passage of scripture has varied interpretations. I will not attempt here to give one only to say that our God is completely sovereign over all things, including over powers and authorities, dates and times, etc. The lawless one is restrained by God in one way or another, and he will only be allowed to exercise his authority on this earth because God allows it or causes it to happen, and only in God’s perfect timing.

Paul said here that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. A mystery is something which is hidden or secret, and thus deceptive, which is why some things must be revealed to us only by the Spirit of God, because they are hidden and are covered over with lies. If the Spirit within us did not reveal these things to us, we might be easily deceived, and we might follow after the lies, thinking that what we are following is truth. So, this is why we should not be in the practice of just believing everything we read, hear or see, especially with regard to anything we see, hear or read in the news, because most of that is lies, and it is for the intended purpose to deceive naïve and unsuspecting minds. So, check out everything you hear, read and see against the Word of Truth, and with the Spirit who lives within you to counsel, guide, reveal, teach, lead, convict, encourage, and empower you.

I do want to revisit this idea here of someone restraining the man of lawlessness until the one restraining is out of the way, as I am praying and am asking the Lord for understanding here. To me, only God has the true power to restrain lawlessness, so it appears to me that somehow God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – will somehow have to be removed. So, how could this happen? I looked up this passage in the Interlinear (biblehub.com) and the way it is worded there is that there is one restraining, at present, “until out of the midst he might be gone.” If the Holy Spirit is the one restraining, I would suggest here, not that he will leave the individual lives of true followers of Christ, but that he is being shoved (kicked) out of the corporate (rebellious) church, and that when the church no longer yields control to the Holy Spirit in its midst, but pushes him out the door (example: church of Laodicea), then he is no longer present to restrain lawlessness, because the church will no longer submit to the Lord’s authority, but has chosen human authority, instead.

Stand Firm

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

So, what should our response be to all this? I believe we should each one spend some time on our knees before our Lord in prayer asking the Spirit within us to reveal to our hearts any areas of our lives where we are no longer in submission to the Holy Spirit, but where we have invited (shoved; kicked) the Holy Spirit out of our lives (no longer in control), and where we have chosen to walk again in the flesh and to follow after other gods, humanistic philosophy and the lies of the evil one in place of the truth. Then, we need to repent of any rebellion, submit to our Lord, and follow our Lord Jesus in wholehearted devotion, in love, and in submission to him and in obedience to his word. In this way we can, thus, stand firm in our Lord, in his Word, and on the gospel of our salvation, daily putting on the armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against us.

For Our Nation / An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

http://originalworks.info/for-our-nation/

In All Persecutions

Sunday, October 26, 2014, 5:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “For Our Nation.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Thessalonians 1 (NIV84).

Perseverance in Faith

Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. ⁴ Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

Although it is true that much of today’s modern church, particularly here in America, can be compared to the church in Laodicea (See: Rev. 3:14-22), this is not true of all believers in Jesus Christ in the USA or throughout the world. There are many dedicated followers of Jesus Christ who love him with their whole hearts, who are faithful in service, committed to obedience, and who are walking daily in Christ’s righteousness and holiness. These faithful followers of Christ are also committed to the sharing of the full gospel message of Jesus Christ and our salvation with the world around them in order to see as many as possible saved before the Day of Judgment. They hold fast to the word of God and they do not deny Jesus Christ. As well, they are devoted to loving others with the love of Jesus Christ.

Because of our testimonies for Jesus Christ and for his gospel, and because we stand firm on the Word of God, and we do not compromise our faith, or blend in with the world, and we stand out as different, we are persecuted. The sad reality of the situation here in America, though, is that the strongest and most severe persecution is not necessarily coming from those who do not believe, but from those within the church who profess Christ as Savior, and even from those who are in leadership positions within the church. The reason for this is that so much of the church here in America has blended in with the culture of the world in order to be culturally relevant and to not offend people, and so anyone who does not conform to the new way of “doing church” is often ostracized, kicked aside, forsaken, mocked, falsely accused, rejected, and treated like an enemy of the church.

Yet, not all persecution comes from within the church, though this has been where I personally have faced most of mine. There are many in the world who take offense to our beliefs and who do not comprehend faith in God, belief in Jesus Christ, or the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit within us. They think we just create this stuff in our own minds, or we have preconceived ideas of what we want to believe, which some do, and thus they think we find scriptures to support what we want to believe in order to justify what we say are our beliefs. Granted, there are people who do this, but not every follower of Christ does this. So, those who do not believe will strongly come against us with their insults, mocking, false accusations, and will tell us to mind our own business, to not be judgmental of others, and to stop confronting them with the Word of God, in particular the parts they don’t like.

Because You Believed

All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. ⁶ God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you ⁷ and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. ⁸ He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power ¹⁰ on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

We can be encouraged, though, because God has allowed these times of trial in our lives for a purpose. One of the purposes is to strengthen us in our faith, and to develop within us godly character, and perseverance, etc. Another purpose is so we learn to not rely upon our own resources or on our own strength, but so we learn to put our trust in the Lord Jesus and to depend on him for all that we need. As well, when we go through difficult times, and we are comforted by the Lord in our trials, we learn sympathy and compassion for others who are going through difficult times so that we can comfort them with the comfort we received from Christ (See: 2 Co. 1; Ro. 5:3-4; Jas. 1:3-4).

We can also find encouragement in knowing that all this suffering is temporary, and that one day our sorrow will be over and we will get to be with our Lord forever, and then there will be no more pain or crying. Amen! All those who now persecute us will be stopped, one way or another. Yet, we certainly find no comfort in knowing that those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ will be punished with everlasting destruction, and shut out from the presence of the Lord. We should grieve over that fact. In fact, this should be what motivates us to share the gospel, because we want as many as possible to be saved before our Lord returns. Just the mere thought of so many people dying and going to hell should move us to compassion, and that concern should spur us to share the gospel, in spite of our suffering.

Every Good Purpose

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. ¹² We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is so encouraging to know that others are praying for us. We may not even know who those people are, and/or we may not even have specific knowledge of their prayers for us, but it helps to know we are not alone in this battle. So, it is critical we pray for one another.

No matter how long some of us have known the Lord Jesus Christ, we have not yet reached perfection, because as long as we live in flesh bodies, we will still battle the flesh, yet we can be encouraged because Jesus Christ already won this battle for us! Amen! All we have to do is to yield to his Lordship in our lives, submit to his will and purposes, walk in his love and in obedience to what he teaches us, and resist Satan, flee temptation, and draw near to God in full assurance of faith. We don’t do any of this in our own strength, though, but only in the power and working of the Spirit within us, who gives us all we need to live godly and holy lives in this present age while we wait for our Lord’s return.

So, because none of us are yet perfect, even those of us who have known the Lord a very long time still need prayer, and we still need prayer that God would make us worthy of his calling, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13 ESV). To live a life worthy of his calling means to submit to his Lordship, walk in his love, believe in his promises, trust in his mercy, put off the deeds of the flesh, and walk in the Spirit so that we do not gratify the desires of our flesh.

Also, we need prayer that by HIS power God may bring to fruition (completion) our every desire for goodness and our every deed prompted by faith. First of all, these can only come from the Spirit within us, for in our own flesh we have not the desires or the deeds which are in line with God’s word and with his holiness and his purposes.

For each one of us, these desires and deeds will vary depending upon our faith, and depending upon our specific calling, ministries, gifts and assigned parts within the body of Christ, though as followers of Christ we should all desire to see people saved and for them and us to walk in truth and to live holy lives pleasing to God.

For me personally, God has called me to write out what he teaches me each day from his word, and from my time with him in fellowship and in prayer, and to place it on the internet so that a “runner” may “Run With It.” He has also called me to speak to the church here in America, to talk with them about what it means to be a believer in Jesus Christ, to share the FULL gospel, to point out the false teaching that is being passed off as truth, to warn of wolves in sheep’s clothing, and to talk about idols, complacency, spiritual adultery and willful sin, and to call the wayward back to a right relationship with their Lord; to call them to repentance, and to warn of judgment (divine discipline). Yet, the Lord Jesus has also given me a promise of his church revived, so I believe him that he will bring that to fruition.

For Our Nation / An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

http://originalworks.info/for-our-nation/

How To Live

Friday, October 24, 2014, 6:55 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Give Me Jesus.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-10 (NIV84).

Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. ² For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, ⁵ not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; ⁶ and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. ⁷ For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. ⁸ Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. ¹⁰ And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.

Please God

Some people today teach that we don’t have to live to please God, because God is already pleased with us just because we invited him into our lives, no matter what else we do. I don’t believe scripture teaches that. Certainly God is pleased every time a sinner turns from his or her sinful ways and he or she gives his or her life over to God, by God’s grace, and through faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, I believe there are times in the life of the Christian when God is not pleased with us, and so he speaks to us about our behavior, attitudes, and sinful indulgences, in order to invite us to repentance and to walk faithfully in obedience to him and to his word. As well, he instructs us in how to live in order to please him, so obviously he gets pleasure out of our obedience, and he is displeased when we choose to go our own way and we disregard his teachings and the promptings of the Spirit within us (See: 2 Co. 5:9; Gal. 6:8; Eph. 5:10; Col. 1:9-11; 2 Tim. 2:4; Heb. 13:6; & 1 Jn. 3:22).

To me, this would be like marrying someone and then telling our spouse that we don’t have to do anything to please him or her because we married him or her, and that should suffice. Along those lines, there is an old saying that goes something like this, “I told you I loved you when I married you. If I change my mind, I will let you know.” Some people think that is funny, but it is not funny, either for a marriage or for our relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When we marry someone, it should be because we love that person, and if we truly love someone, we will want to do what pleases that person, as long as it is not something sinful. And, that is how we should feel about Jesus, too. He is our husband, and we should love him as the husband of the church, and we should desire nothing more than to do what pleases him. So, we need to find out what pleases him, and then do it.

Be Sanctified

All throughout the writings of the New Testament books we read about things we need to forsake, or to put off, and about things we need to put on (Ex: Ephesians 4-5; Heb. 12:1). Coming to faith in Jesus Christ is not just about making a one-time decision at an altar in order to escape hell and gain heaven. Coming to faith in Jesus Christ means we die with Christ to our old lives of living for sin and self, that we are transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and that we are given new lives in Christ to be lived out in his righteousness and holiness (See: Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Jn. 1-5). Jesus said that if anyone wants to come after him, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow him. The Christian life is an everyday experience of choosing to follow Jesus Christ with our lives and to not give in to the desires of our flesh.

It is God’s will that we should be sanctified (made holy; purified). To be holy means: To be separate (unlike; different) from the world and set apart to (like) God and to his service. So, when Paul wrote here that it is God’s will that we be sanctified, he was not speaking merely of the cleansing of sin which takes place when we accept God’s invitation to his salvation, but he was speaking of an ongoing and continuous process in our lives of us willingly letting go of living to please ourselves, forsaking sin, and us yielding the control of our lives over to the working and the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We are continually being conformed into the image of Christ as we cooperate with the Spirit’s work.

Put Off

So, what kinds of things should we be putting off or cutting out or throwing off from our lives daily? We are given a list here. The first on the list is sexual immorality, which includes any sexual relations outside of marriage, homosexuality, any kind of sexual perversion, pedophilia, incest, adultery, lust, and romantic affections and attentions (flirtations; affairs) with someone(s) to whom we are not married while we are married to another. This can also include sexting, stories, pornography, and fantasizing, et al. I find that too many people think if they are not in a physical sexual relationship with someone that they are not cheating on their spouse, for one, and/or that they are not really sinning. That is not true! If we are going to be able to throw off the sins which so easily entangle us, it begins by us honestly evaluating our lives before God, and not making excuses for sin. The biggest excuse I am hearing these days is that “I am under grace, and God’s grace covers it all.”

As well, we should put off anything that truly wrongs another human being, yet not by the world’s standards of what “wrongs” another, but by God’s standards. Some people think if we teach the truths of scripture and we teach about sin that we are harming other people. Yet, that is loving them, not harming them, although they may see that differently. Yet, what this is speaking about is not hating, biting, devouring, slandering, gossiping about, cheating on, stealing from, and lying against one another. I have found that so many of these grievous sins against others go hand-in-hand with sexual addiction or any kind of sinful addictive behavior. So, if the problem goes deeper than just a singular act of sin, then we need to do a heart examination before God and find out what ugliness is in our hearts that keeps us repeating these multiple offenses over and over again.

Put On

We should learn to control our own bodies in a way that is holy and honorable. I hear so many professing Christians claim that they just can’t help themselves; that they are not able to stop, as though they are helpless victims of sin. They may be victims, but if they are truly in Christ, they are not helpless. The Bible teaches us that no temptation has overtaken us except what is common to humankind, and God is able to provide a way of escape so that we can stand up under it. He may or may not keep Satan from tempting us, but he promises to provide the way out from us giving in to temptation so we can stand against sin, and not give in to it, but we have to take his way out, and so many do not.

In other words, if my problem was sexual or romantic temptation, and I chose to look at pictures, or read stories, or watch TV shows, movies, music videos, and/or cartoons, and/or to listen to music and/or to play games with even a hint of sensuality or sexual sin in them, and/or if I made friendships with people of the same or opposite sex who I knew were attracted to me, and/or with whom I shared intimate information about myself, such as sharing my thoughts and feelings while not talking with my spouse about those things, then I would be setting myself up for a fall. We can’t play with fire and not expect to get burned. We can’t play with sin and then wonder why God doesn’t rescue us as he promised.

Jesus Christ made the way out for us when he died on the cross for our sins. All we have to do is to take that way out by faith and by cooperating with the Spirit’s work in our lives by not tempting fate, i.e. by not doing what is counterproductive to holy living. He will give us all we need to live holy lives pleasing to him. We just have to let go of our sin and yield to his control. The Bible says that God’s grace is not a free license to continue in willful sin, but his grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age while we wait for his return (Tit. 2:11-14).

Love Others

We are to put on love. Love is the opposite of selfishness. We sin because we are selfish and because we want to do what we want no matter who gets hurt in the process. So, we need to reject our selfish desires and refuse to let them have a hold on our lives, so that we can truly love others with Christ’s love. True love does not do acts of “kindness” for what it can get out of it, but it always has the benefit of the other person in mind. Jesus didn’t die on the cross for our sins so we would think he was a swell fellow, or to make a reputation for himself. He died because he cared more about us than he cared about himself. The benefit we would gain was what was uppermost on his mind. So, he willingly gave up his life so that we would go free, and that is the perfect example for us of what it means to love.

In James 4 it talks about fights and quarrels among God’s or all people because of hedonistic desires which rage (battle) within them. They fight, quarrel, kill and covet in order to feed and to satisfy their self-indulgent devotion to pleasure and happiness as a way of life. They seek self at the cost of others. They desire and choose pleasure over God. In today’s culture, which is extremely pleasure-driven, this is a serious problem. It is one which ruins entire households, breaks up marriages, and destroys our relationships with our Savior and God, Jesus Christ. And, it is epidemic in today’s world.

So, what should our response be to all this? What is the solution to this problem? The remedy for lives given over to selfish and pleasure-driven desire at the cost of all other relationships is to desire Jesus Christ, his love and mercy, his forgiveness, his restoration and renewal and a walk of faith in him that is undivided in loyalty and commitment, which puts Jesus first and which chooses to love others as we love ourselves and as Christ loves us.

Give Me Jesus, Oh, What Gladness!

An Original Work / December 2, 2013

Give me Jesus. He’s my Savior.

I’ll walk with Him in His favor.

I’ll abide in His love always;

Follow His ways to the end.

Jesus is the Son of God.

He died upon a cruel cross.

He’s forgiven all my failures

By His mercy and His love.

Give me Jesus – His compassion,

And His mercy; loving kindness.

Let Him teach me how to love Him,

And to please Him. He’s my friend.

Jesus died for all our sin

So we could have eternal life.

He will free you from your bondage

If you trust Him with your life.

Give me Jesus. Let me trust Him.

May I listen to His teachings.

May I follow where He leads me

In His service. He’s my Lord.

Jesus Christ will come again

To take His bride to be with Him.

Oh, what gladness; free from sadness

When I meet Him in the air.

http://originalworks.info/give-me-jesus-oh-what-gladness/

To Know Christ

Wednesday, October 22, 2014, 8:30 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Oh, To Be Like Thee.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Colossians 2 (NIV84).

All The Treasures

I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. ² My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. ⁵ For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. ~ Col. 2:1-7

I identify with Paul’s words here. I feel the same way about my readers, although so many of you I do not know, I have never met, and I probably will not meet until we all get to heaven one day. I feel the same way about the church as a whole, throughout the world, but especially about the church here in my own country, and in my own town, and among my own family members. My heart is so burdened. I so long to see the church revived!

I also share in Paul’s purpose for the church. My goal in writing what I do each day is first of all to obey my Lord, but it is also to see my fellow Christians walk in Christ’s love, putting on the full armor of God with which to fight off the devil’s schemes against us, walking in truth and in Christ’s holiness, having a powerful testimony for Jesus Christ, and living and walking in the freedom he has given to us. I also long to see the church encouraged in their faith so that they may follow Jesus Christ in everything that they do, no longer conformed to the ways of this world, but radically transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and on fire for Christ and his gospel wherever they go, and no matter who they are with.

I also have a strong desire to see the people of God truly know Christ, not just in their initial commitment to make him Lord of their lives, but to get to know him in all his fullness. For instance, when we first marry someone, depending upon how long or how well we knew them before we married them, we may not really know that person until we live with him or her and until we spend time with them, working through problems, sharing experiences, having kids together, uniting in purpose and direction, and ministering, working and even playing together, etc. The more time we invest in other people’s lives the greater our knowledge and understanding of them should become, if truly we are seeking to know them. People can live in the same house as each other and still not know each other. This takes work, and it takes time, and we have to want it, or it won’t happen.

The same is true of our relationship with Jesus Christ. We don’t work to earn or to deserve Christ or his salvation. We don’t work to gain brownie points with God. We do want to please him, though, because we love him, which is why we work at our relationship with him. We do so because we are eternally grateful for all that he did for us, and because we believe in who he is and so we honor him, glorify him by our lives, and we purpose in our minds and hearts to grow more and more in love with him, and to follow him wherever he leads us. We also work at this relationship because Jesus is our best friend and our husband and we want to become intimately acquainted with him, and we want to know all about him.

Not Captive

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. ~ Col. 2:8

Going back for a minute to this first section of scripture, Paul said he told his readers all that he had told them about the importance of truly knowing Christ because he did not want them to be deceived by fine-sounding arguments. This can happen, though, when we are not grounded in the faith and in our relationships with Jesus Christ. In other words, when we first come to Christ by faith, we are just getting to know him. Most of us don’t know the Word of God, except for what was presented to us in the plan of salvation, perhaps. Some of us may have grown up in the church, so we had at least some foundational knowledge of Christ before we accepted him as Lord, but this is probably not the norm. Yet, we don’t really and truly know Christ until we enter into relationship with him by faith.

Yet, if we merely make a profession of Christ but our hearts are not transformed of the Spirit of God, or if we truly came to know him, but then we don’t continue to live our lives in him, probably because we had no one teaching us that we must do that, or how to do that, and thus we don’t know the Word, either, we can easily be led astray by these fine-sounding arguments which have an appearance of wisdom, but are truly hollow and deceptive philosophies which have no power to give us life, to change our hearts, or to lead us to walk in Christ’s love and righteousness. So, we must work on getting to know our Lord and his word by investing the time with him to get to know him and his word. Then we will be able to discern what is truth and what are lies, so that we are not led astray.

So, what are some of these “hollow and deceptive” philosophies which depend on human tradition which the church faces today? I believe one of them is this idea that is taught that an institution of man, run by humans, operated in the flesh, and guided by human marketing schemes and humanistic philosophy is “church” just because they call it “church.” So, if we don’t attend one of these human institutions, and we meet with the true church in other places, we are often looked down upon as though we are “unchurched” and almost classified with the ungodly of this world. Going along with that is this idea that a physical building is the house of God and is his temple, and that a human-built ‘sanctuary’ is a holy place where God dwells, and that for us to be “in church” means that we must go to one of these places, we must believe we are entering ‘God’s house’ there, and that we must do so primarily on Sunday mornings at a designated time, because tradition dictates this.

Nonetheless, since Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sent his Holy Spirit to indwell the lives of his followers, the church is the people of God, we are his temple, and the Holy of Holies now dwells within our hearts. So, we no longer have to go to a certain building on a particular day in the week to be with the church or to worship our Lord. We can meet with the church anywhere at any time of day on any day of the week, and we can worship our Lord God and be in his temple 24/7. Awesome, isn’t it! We are continually in his holy presence when we know him.

In Christ

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. ~ Col. 2:9-12

So, what does it mean to be “in Christ”? When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we die with Christ to our old lives of living for sin and self, we are reborn of the Spirit of God to live new lives in the power of his Spirit within us, and thus we are now created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (See: Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14 & 1 Jn. 1-5). To be holy means: to be separate (unlike; different) from the world and set apart to (like) God and to his service. This is how we are to live our lives in Christ, by the power and working of the Spirit within us, no longer conformed to the ways of this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can discern and approve in our lives God’s good, perfect, and pleasing will (See: Ro. 12:1-2).

The World’s Principles

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: ²¹ “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? ²² These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. ²³ Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. ~ Col. 2:20-23

There is a HUGE difference between us following the teachings of scripture on holy living, which forbid us to partake in sinful thoughts, attitudes, behaviors and activities, and us following after the teachings of humans, which try to persuade us to forsake what we have been taught by Christ and his word, and to follow after their humanistic philosophies and traditions. We are not to handle, taste and touch what the Word (NT) calls “sin,” but we don’t have to obey human rules and regulations with regard to what we are to abstain from if they are not based in the Word of Truth, but in human philosophy and tradition. So, we must be discerning about these things, so that we don’t put ourselves back under a yoke of slavery. No matter how many of these external things we might do, they do not have the power to change our hearts or assist us in restraining from sensual indulgence. Only Christ Jesus, God the Father and his Spirit within us can empower us to live godly lives. Amen!

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer / Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

By God's Commission

Tuesday, October 21, 2014, 11:23 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “For Our Nation.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Colossians 1 (NIV84).

Bearing Fruit and Growing?

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— ⁵ the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel ⁶ that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. ⁷ You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, ⁸ and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. ~ Col. 1:1-8

So, what about the church here in America? Does this describe us? Is our faith in Jesus Christ so strong, and our testimonies for him so powerful, by our lives and by our words, that we have a reputation of being on fire for God all over the world? Is our love for one another so powerful and so effective that we have a worldwide reputation for our acts of love and kindness, one for the other? – Acts and words demonstrating the love of Christ, in like manner as he loved us, and consistent with his gospel of salvation? Is the true gospel of salvation bearing fruit and growing all over our nation because of our commitment to the gospel, to being Christ’s witnesses, and to making disciples of Christ of peoples of all nations? Or, is the church in America conjoined with the world, conked out on their sofas, unresponsive to calls to repentance, and ignoring that the world is going to hell?

A Life Worthy

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ~ Col. 1:9-14

Oh, how my heart aches for the church here in America! I pray for the vast majority of the church here to have her eyes opened to her spiritual condition, to see herself through God’s eyes, and to know how much God’s heart aches for his children who are conjoining themselves with the world, who are complacent with regard to a world dying in its sins and going to hell, and who is, for the most part, completely ineffective in reaching the people of this nation with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. How can we, as a church, be the light to the world and the salt of the earth, if we are checked out, joined at the hip with the world, and we are not even paying attention to the fact that so many are headed straight for hell, and that our nation is going down the toilet?

The church here in America needs to return to her first love. She needs to understand that Jesus died to call her out of darkness into his light. He died so she would no longer live for herself, but for him who gave himself up for her (See 2 Co. 5:15). He died so she could die with him to her old life of living for sin and self and so she could walk in the Spirit, no longer fulfilling the passions and desires of the flesh, and so she could walk in his righteousness and holiness in the power of the Spirit within her (See Ro. 6-8; Eph. 4:17-24). In fact, his grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age while we wait for Christ’s return (See Tit. 2:11-14).

I pray, too, for the church, that she might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so she might live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. But, in order for her to do that, for the vast majority of the church which has been compromising the truth of scripture, diluting the gospel, and blending in with the world in order to be culturally relevant, she must first humble herself before God in repentance, turn from her idols, and decide to follow Jesus wherever he leads her. She must come out from the world and be separate, and be set apart to God and to his service. She must love God more than she loves herself, and desire him above all else.

The Head

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. ~ Col. 1:15-20

Jesus Christ is not just the Son of God. He is God the Son, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He was with God in the beginning, and he is God, and he is our creator (See John 1). He is completely sovereign over all things. And, He is the head of the true church, the body of Christ, although you might not know that if you visited many places in America which call themselves “church.” So much of what is falsely called “church” these days, although some true believers exist within these organizations, is not really the true church at all. So many of these organizations are just man-made businesses, and conducted just like businesses, too, with marketing schemes replacing the power of the Spirit, humanistic teaching replacing the Word of God, entertainment replacing true worship, and man attempting to replace Christ as the true head of his church. Yet, he who died for us so that we could be free will have the supremacy.

By God’s Commission

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. ²⁵ I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— ²⁶ the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. ²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. ²⁹ To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. ~ Col. 1:21-29

You know, it just breaks my heart to see so many who profess the name of Jesus as their Savior barely give him the time of day. Even though Jesus Christ died on the cross to set them free from the control of sin over their lives, many have drifted back into following after the ways of the flesh, of man, and of sin. Some never were even delivered from their sin because they bought into a lie that told them they didn’t have to turn from their sin and they didn’t have to obey Christ and his Word, and that they could still have their ticket into heaven. They were given a false hope of salvation. And, yet scripture is so clear that death to sin is required of the believer as part of believing faith, and that if they say they have fellowship with God or that they love God, but yet they continue to live sinful lifestyles, they are liars and God does not even know them! (See 1 Jn. 1-5)

This scripture, and many others like it, though, paints a different picture for us from what many of these modern churches are teaching. We are taught here that we are reconciled to God by his grace through faith IF we continue in our faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel (cf. John 8:31-32; Romans 11:17-24; I Co 15:2; II Tim 2:10-13; Hebrews 3:14-15; I John 2:24-25). The parable of the sower speaks to this issue, as well, when it talks about the person who received the message initially with joy but the person’s faith never took root, so the person gave up and abandoned the faith. In other words, not everyone who prays a prayer to receive Christ is truly saved. True faith is faith that continues, as well as it is faith which puts what it says it believes into practice. If we believe Jesus died to save us from sin, thus, how can we live in it any longer?

Paul was called to be a servant of the Lord and of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although we are not all called to be Paul’s, I do believe God has commissioned his church with the spreading of the gospel of salvation, in its fullness, throughout the world. Yet, God also has very specific assignments for each one of us within the body of Christ. Mine is to write down what he teaches me each day from his word and to place it on the internet so that a “runner” can “Run With It.” And, God takes it from there. I believe, as well, that I have been commissioned by God to present to the modern day church in America her spiritual condition, as he sees it, to call her out of her complacency, to call her to repentance, and to encourage her to walk with Christ in his holiness, living lives pleasing to him. “To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” Amen!

For Our Nation / An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

http://originalworks.info/for-our-nation/