Monday, November 23,
2015, 5:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “A Believer’s Prayer.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Jeremiah 39-40 (Select vv. NASB).
Disaster, Not
Prosperity (39:15-16)
Now
the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was confined in the court of
the guardhouse, saying, “Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying,
‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to bring
My words on this city for disaster and not for prosperity; and they will take
place before you on that day.
Economics is not my strong suit. I have great difficulty
wrapping my mind around that subject, i.e. I have great difficulty understanding
it, though I do attempt to understand. I have never understood the stock market
or how that all works. What I do understand, though, is when it affects my
pocket book (my purse or wallet). The Lord, several years ago, did teach me
much about the Federal Reserve and how that all works, but my mind has trouble
maintaining that kind of information. It doesn’t stick with me. Yet, what I do
know is the Federal Reserve is privately owned by the people who run the world,
primarily by Jews. It is owned by private banks. Every dollar it prints and
puts in circulation in the USA has no backing to it whatsoever. It is an IOU.
The Federal Reserve then makes money by collecting interest on the money they
loan us. And, so the US government has put this nation so far in the hole
financially that we will never be able to crawl out of that hole.
In the news today was a story about the Federal Reserve
getting ready to hike interest rates, which they have not done for seven years,
apparently. Supposedly the dollar then rose but commodities were hit and stocks
and bonds were in trouble. In another story, oil prices fell, but this had
something to do with Saudi Arabia. Those of you who understand this subject
would do better than me in interpreting what all this means.
Ok, notwithstanding the fact that I have little knowledge of
economics and how all this financial stuff works, I do believe the USA and the
world are headed for financial collapse. It is inevitable, for the powers that
are taking over this world are the ones who own the banks, and they are the
ones who control the money. The Bible teaches that the beast will conquer all
people on the earth, including followers of Christ, and that no one will be
able to buy or sell unless they take the mark of the beast. So, the plan is to
bring us all under a one-world totalitarian government and a one-world
religion, with a one-world currency, and a one-world bank, etc. The people who
rule the world must destroy the riches of the rich, not including themselves,
of course, in order to bring us under their totalitarian and communist control,
i.e. so that they bring about financial (income) equality among the ordinary
people of this world, which is what Obama and the Pope are preaching right now.
Because You Sinned
(40:1-3)
The
word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan captain of the
bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains
among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. Now
the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your
God promised this calamity against this place; and the Lord has brought it on
and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the Lord and
did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you.
The reason all this is happening to us, or will yet happen
to us, and will continue to get much worse, is because the people of this
world, including or most especially many who call themselves Christians, have
not listened to God, they have not repented of their sins, and they have not obeyed
their Lord. So, God is bringing upon this world all the calamity that he
promised, as was prophesied in scripture.
The church, which is to be the light to the world and the
salt of the earth, and is commissioned by Jesus to go and to make disciples of
Christ of people of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey Christ’s
commandments, has largely failed in this area. Instead of taking the gospel to
the world so that many will be saved, the vast majority of the church here in
the west has brought the world and its worldly ways into the church, and is
entertaining sinners instead of teaching them the way of the cross of Christ. As
well, they have diluted the gospel of Jesus Christ to make it more appealing
and acceptable to human flesh, and thus they are giving people a false hope
based on a lie.
This diluted gospel teaches that all one has to do is pray a
prayer or make a confession of Christ as Savior and bam, they are saved, and it
doesn’t matter what they do with Jesus from that point on. They can live
however they want and still claim their ticket into heaven, and claim that
nothing can ever take that away from them. They teach that God does not require
repentance (turning from sin) or obedience to his commands, and that anyone who
teaches repentance and obedience are those peddling works-based salvation. As
well, they teach that God is pleased with them no matter what they do, that he
never gets angry with them, and, in fact, he delights in them and smiles on
them even when they are living in sinful rebellion against him. If they are
steeped in sin, many are told just to claim who they are in Jesus Christ, and
they are told that sin does not define who they are, and that they really are
good people, even if they are willfully and consistently doing what is harmful
to others and what is opposed to God’s will and purposes for their lives.
Yet, scripture does not teach that. Jesus Christ said that
if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, and take up his cross daily
(die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him. He said his sheep know his
voice, they listen to him, and they follow (obey) him, and they are the ones
who can’t be snatched out of his hands. He says if we hold on to our old lives
of living for sin and self, we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our
lives (die to sin and self) we will gain eternal life (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Jn. 6:35-66;
10:27-30). Peter said that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). Paul said that coming to faith in Jesus Christ
means death to sin, being transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God,
and putting on our new lives in Christ, “created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness.” He said that Jesus died that we might no longer
live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us. This is the goal of
our salvation (See: Eph. 4:17-24; Ro. 6:1-23; 2 Co. 5:15; cf. Ac. 26:16-18;
Gal. 2:20; Tit. 2:11-14).
Paul also reiterated what Jesus taught when he said that
Jesus died that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us
who walk not after the flesh but according to the Spirit (See: Ro. 8:1-14). So,
what does this mean? The righteous requirement of the law is sinless
perfection, i.e. that we must obey the law 100% or we are still under its
curse. Since no one could obey the law perfectly, Jesus Christ became our
sacrifice for sins so that through faith in him we might be made righteous in
God’s sight and might have the hope of eternal life with God in glory. Yet, as
part of believing faith, which is essential for us to have such a great
salvation, is that we turn from sin and we follow our Lord in obedience, i.e.
that we no longer conduct our lives after our sinful flesh, but that we walk in
the Spirit, and by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh
(dying daily to sin). Paul said that if we walk according to the flesh, we will
die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we
will live. True faith involves repentance and obedience.
The Call
So, God is calling out to his wayward people right now, and
he is confronting them with their sins of adultery and idolatry, and he is
calling them to repent (turn from their sins) and to obey him, not in their own
human flesh, but in the power and working of the Spirit of God within them, as
they cooperate fully with the Spirit’s work of grace in their lives.
He is asking that we give our lives to him as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is our reasonable service of
worship of him, and that we be not conformed to the ways of this world, but
that we be transformed in the renewing of our minds so that our lives are
evidence (proof) of what God’s perfect, good and pleasing will is for our
lives. As well, he has called us to be holy, set apart (unlike, different) from
this sinful world, because we are becoming like Jesus. His grace is not free
license to continue in sin without guilt and without remorse. His grace, which
brings salvation, teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions
and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s
return. If we say we have fellowship with God, but we walk in darkness (sin),
then we are liars, and the truth is not in us (See: Ro. 12:1-2; Tit. 2:11-14; 1
Jn. 1:6).
So, if you are believing a lie, and you are walking in the
flesh and not according to the Spirit, get your life right with God today.
Repent of your sins and follow Jesus Christ.
A Believer’s Prayer
/ An Original Work / July 31, 2012
With my whole heart,
Lord, I pray to be Yours,
And Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You, and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.
Love You, Jesus,
You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.
Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride,
I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.
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