What Concerns Me

Thank You, Jesus!

Psalm 138:1-3 NASB

I will give You thanks with all my heart;

I will sing praises to You before the gods.

I will bow down toward Your holy temple

And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.

On the day I called, You answered me;

You made me bold with strength in my soul.

No matter what is going on in my life; no matter what trials may come my way, I must still give praise to God. I must still thank him, because I know that he works all things for good for those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose, not according to our purpose.

I know that he is God, and that he made me, and that he always has my best interest in mind, and that he has a plan and a purpose for everything he allows in my life. I thank him and I praise him for his love for me, and for his salvation, and that he did not leave me in the pit of sin, but he rescued me, and he gave me a new song to sing.

I thank him for his Word, and for his Spirit, and for how they minister to my heart, and how they direct my path and lead me in the way that is right for me. I love, too, how they encourage and comfort me when life has its troubles, and how they urge me to be strong, and to be of courage, and to keep pressing on, because my work for the Lord will be rewarded.

He Regards the Lowly

Psalm 138:4-6 NASB

All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Lord,

When they have heard the words of Your mouth.

And they will sing of the ways of the Lord,

For great is the glory of the Lord.

For though the Lord is exalted,

Yet He regards the lowly,

But the haughty He knows from afar.

The Lord regards the lowly, i.e. the humble and the submissive. I believe this includes those who are also among those regarded with low esteem and value by the people of the world, and who are treated with contempt and with disdain because they don’t measure up to the world’s standards. And, this includes, as well, those who are being persecuted for righteousness’ sake, who are being hated and mistreated because they share the gospel of our salvation, which is an offense to many who reject the gospel.

He regards us, i.e. he shows favor and value to us. He honors us and has concern for our well-being and for what troubles our minds and hearts. He looks out for us with a warm affection, like the affection of a parent for his or her child. He watches over us day and night, and he guides us in the way he would have us go. And, he strengthens us and helps us in all ways and in all situations which we may encounter in this life here on this earth.

The haughty, i.e. the proud, conceited and self-important, who are neither humble nor submissive to his will, nor do they submit to his Lordship, he knows, as he knows all of us, but he does not know intimately. He has no personal relationship with them, because they are unwilling to humble themselves, to repent of their sins, and to trust him completely with their lives. They are not willing to accept the truths of scripture into their lives, but they choose their own path to travel, which is the way of sin.

Though I Walk

Psalm 138:7-8 NASB

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;

You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

And Your right hand will save me.

The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;

Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Those of us who are the lowly, who have humbled ourselves before God, who have repented of our sins, and who have submitted to Christ’s lordship over our lives – we live among the haughty who have no or little regard for our Lord and for his ways and for his truth. And, so the haughty among us may persecute us and treat us with contempt, because we stand on the Word of Truth which they reject and which they refuse to obey.

Yet, even though we walk in the midst of trouble, our Lord revives us daily with His Word, through His Spirit, and via the body of Christ whom he gives us to encourage and strengthen us, and to spur us on to love and good deeds.

I am so grateful to the Lord for my relationship with Him and how he speaks words of strengthening, comfort, guidance and courage to my heart on a daily basis. Yet, I am also so thankful for the body of Christ and how they minister God’s love and grace to me, as well, and to the rest of the body, and on a daily basis, too, and for how the Lord uses me to minister God’s love and grace to them, as well. We have such sweet fellowship together.

Sometimes the Lord does physically rescue us from evil and wicked people, but not always. But, he always rescues us from the effects of what we often must suffer at the hands of the ungodly. He does this by teaching us to rest in him, to not fear, to trust in his sovereignty, and to believe he is working all things together for good in our lives. And, he teaches us to trust him that our godly efforts will result in changed lives if we do not give up hope, and if we keep pressing on in doing what He says.

So, even though we have not yet seen answers to all of our prayers, and that some days things may look pretty dark or even hopeless, we have to keep believing, keep trusting, keep singing, keep speaking, and keep praying and following our Lord in obedience. And, we have to keep on praising our Lord and thanking him for all that he has done for us. And, we must never give up hope, for our God is completely faithful to fulfill all that he has said that he would do. Amen! So, believe him!

Only in Him  

An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

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

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

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

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

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face.

https://vimeo.com/87181019

Friday, June 29, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for these encouraging words. Help us, the lowly and the despised, to keep looking to you. Amen!

When Miracles Don't Happen

An Original Work / June 28, 2018

When miracles don’t happen

Exactly when we hoped,

And things go on as normal;

We don’t know how to cope;

When troubles, disappointments,

Are foll’wing us around,

And sadness starts to linger,

And gladness turns to frowns;

When all the world around us

Is turning upside down,

And honesty is missing,

And faithfulness not found;

When liars and deceivers

Are pulling all their tricks,

And people start believing

Those who are really slick;

And, many who are faithful,

Are being treated bad,

Because they share the gospel,

And it makes people mad;

Then, we must look to Jesus.

He is our King of kings.

He is our Only Savior.

To Him our praises bring!

Our Lord will bring us comfort,

And He will show the way

That we must go to follow

Our Lord throughout the day.

We’ll trust Him with our future,

Believe He really cares,

Submit to all He purposed,

Our lives to His cross bear;

Believe in all He promised,

Surrender to His will,

And all that He has purposed,

He surely will fulfill.

Our Lord, completely faithful,

Has what is best in mind.

We will not be forgotten,

Our peace, in Him, we’ll find.

To Stimulate our Minds

Stirring Up

2 Peter 3:1-2 NASB

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

This is a wake-up call! The purpose of this is to wake us out of a sleep, much like someone might drink a cup of a caffeinated drink to wake themselves up when they feel sleepy. Only this is not talking about trying to energize our bodies and minds physically, nor is the source of stimulation artificial. But, this is referring to arousing, motivating, inciting and inspiring us spiritually, and the wake-up call is coming from the Holy Spirit.

This says, “Pay attention! This is critically important that you get this!” And, the object is to point us to the Word of God, and to remind us of what the prophets of old and the New Testament apostles taught us with regard to holiness, purity, righteousness, honesty, godliness and integrity. The purpose of this is to stimulate our minds to wholesome thinking.

Mockers Will Come

2 Peter 3:3-7 NASB

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

A mocker is someone who derides, scorns, taunts, and makes fun of what they don’t understand. They treat people or a subject with contempt and ridicule. Mocking defies and challenges; to make sport of. “It implies a deliberate often malicious belittling” (M-W), intended to put people down or to put down what they say, or what they believe. It is intended to insult. Sometimes it is used as a knife to the heart of someone when the person mocking feels challenged or is confronted about a sinful lifestyle.

This is definitely talking about mockers who feel confronted with their sins and of their need to repent of their sins. They are unwilling, and so they mock the whole notion of divine judgment and that one day they will be held to account for their actions. They want to follow after their lusts, and they don’t want to forsake their idols, and so they mock whatever makes them feel uncomfortable or anything which suggests that judgment may one day befall them because they chose their lusts over love and over God.

What this translation fails to bring out is that these mockers willfully choose to forget. It willfully escapes their notice that God once destroyed the earth and the people of the earth with a flood (with the exception of Noah’s family), and that one day he will destroy it again, only this time with fire. Since they want to go on in their lusts, following the idols they have made for themselves, they willfully choose to deny the truth and to believe the lie.

Lord Not Slow

2 Peter 3:8-10 NASB

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

But, just because the judgment anticipated has not yet arrived, don’t fool yourselves into thinking it will never happen. And, this is not just about the final judgment, either, for a time of judgment will come on the earth over a period of time at which time people will still have the opportunity to believe in Jesus, and during such a time when the church will be revived, I believe, i.e. speaking of true believers in Jesus making themselves holy, as a bride prepares herself for her wedding day (See: Rev. 19:7).

But, there is no guarantee that anyone will physically survive the time of tribulation that is to come on the earth, of which we are definitely experiencing those birth pains. To some, they may feel as though that time is already here, for they are going through great suffering for the name of Jesus. So, don’t put off giving your lives to Jesus, thinking you can wait until the last minute, for none of us knows when death will come knocking at our door. We should always be ready to meet our Lord. That way, when he comes, we will not be caught off guard and not be ready for his return.

In Holy Conduct

2 Peter 3:11-13 NASB

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

There are a couple of factors working against the church making herself ready for her husband, and they both involve false teaching, I believe. One of them involves this teaching that says that once you pray the sinner’s prayer that you are saved forever, and it can never be taken away from you, no matter how you live your life while on this earth.

And, this comes from a misinterpretation of scripture, I believe. For, the scriptures make it quite clear that our salvation is not complete until Christ returns for us, and that it is contingent on our walking according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. It is contingent on us continuing in Christ and in his Word, and us not living sinful lifestyles and engrossing ourselves in sinful practices (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:19-21).

Another factor going against the church living in holiness is this teaching that says the church will be taken up before the tribulation. That is really an American belief, primarily, from what I understand, which did not come into being until the 18^th century, and then was popularized in the 20^th century in the USA (source: Wikipedia).

So, many who call themselves Christians feel as though they can indulge in their lusts, because they believe the judgments of God on this earth will not touch them. And, their salvation and eternal life, they feel, is guaranteed them. So, they have no (or little) motivation to live holy and godly lives, because they think they have no reason to believe that they will not go to heaven when they die.

Be Diligent

2 Peter 3:14-18 NASB

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

You see here that our salvation is a process, which will not be complete until our Lord returns. I am NOT teaching works-based salvation here. Let me make that perfectly clear! We can do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation. It is totally by God’s grace, through faith, that we are saved from our sins and we have eternal life with God.

But, we need to understand what that means. God’s grace is not free license to continue in sinful addictions without guilt or without punishment. His grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to say “No!” to ungodliness and worldly (fleshly) passions (lusts) and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14).

God’s grace does not merely forgive our sins. His grace eradicates sin from our lives. His grace puts sin to death in our lives so that we can, in his power, live to his righteousness. This is why Jesus died (1 Pet. 2:24). So, if we are still living sinful lifestyles, we must know here that we are not promised eternal life with God, but a fearful expectation of judgment.

And, our faith is not an experience. It is our lifestyle. It is being divinely persuaded of God as to his will for our lives, so that we submit to his will. And, it is God-given, so it is based in living in purity and in holiness. Believing in Jesus is continuous, and it must endure to the end. But, it is also not the works of the flesh, but of the Spirit, as we yield to the Lordship of Christ in our lives and do what our Lord tells us we must do.

Yes, God’s grace, his salvation is a free gift, but the “free” part has to do with what Jesus did for us on the cross so that we don’t have to die in our sins. And, it is the faith to believe, but that faith involves repentance and obedience and submission. But, God gives us the empowerment to do that, too, for he has already moved us to want to obey him, if truly our faith is from God and not from our own flesh.

Broken and Contrite 

An Original Work / May 13, 2012

I come before You, Lord, my Savior,

With humble heart and crushed in spirit.

I bow before You, I implore You,

Heal my broken heart, I pray.

Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,

You are the King of my heart.

Lord, purify my heart within me;

Sanctify me, whole within.

Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully

The words You’ve spoken through Your Spirit.

I pray You give me grace and mercy,

Strength and wisdom to obey.

Father God, my heart’s desire,

Won’t You set my heart on fire?

Lord, cleanse my heart of all that hinders

My walk with You, now I pray.

Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,

My heart cries out for understanding.

I want to follow You in all ways,

Never straying from Your truth.

Holy Spirit, come in power,

Fill me with Your love today.

Lord, mold and make me;

Your hands formed me;

Live Your life through me, I pray.

https://vimeo.com/118841304

Thursday, June 28, 2018, 4:44 a.m. – Lord Jesus, help us to take this teaching from Your Word to heart and to apply it to our lives. Amen!

Clay Vessels

We read in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

Basically, what this means is that God, by His grace, via our faith in Jesus Christ, has placed his Spirit and His Word within humans who are frail, weak, subject to failure and with decaying bodies. He has done that so that we can take no credit for what he does through us, but so all the glory goes to Him.

Of Little Faith

Matthew 16:5-12 NIV

When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.” Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Because we are jars of clay, or earthen vessels, and we live in flesh bodies, there may be times when our faith is not as strong as other times, or when we get caught up in the moment of a situation and we forget all that God has done for us previously. And, God may have to remind us sometimes of all that he has done and continues to do for us. And, he may have to nudge us sometimes and say, “Don’t be afraid! I’ve got this one!”

There are times, too, when God is speaking to us and we don’t get it, because we have our minds on earthy things or we are thinking like humans instead of having the mind of Christ. We see things merely from a human or earthly perspective and we don’t realize the bigger picture, and that our Lord is trying to teach us something. So, we need to pray for ears to hear and eyes to see from a spiritual perspective, so that we don’t miss all that God has for us and that he wants us to learn from the situations in our lives.

BUT… This is not to be confused with those the Word of God describes as those who hear the Word or who read the Word, but they don’t do what the Word says. They willfully walk away and forget what they look like in the mirror, because they don’t want to obey what God says. They may have the appearance of being righteous because they know the Bible and what it teaches, and they may even be able to preach great sermons, too, but they don’t apply the Word to their own hearts and lives, because they want to remain in their sinful addictions (See: James 1).

Blessed Are You

Matthew 16:13-20 NIV

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

When we are listening to the Lord, and we are following Him with our lives, and we are in His Word daily, and we are practicing what it says, we will have greater insight into the truths of God’s Word, and greater discernment and perception into the things of the Lord. And, this is because we are in tune to the Holy Spirit and He is the one revealing these things to us.

And, God will be able to use us to build up the body of Christ in faith and in perseverance because we are listening to the Lord, and thus our words should agree with His. We will be empowered of the Spirit of God to impact lives for Jesus Christ and to encourage the body of Christ to walk in holiness. And, we, in the power of the Spirit, will be able to strengthen and give courage to those who are being persecuted for righteousness’ sake, too.

A Stumbling Block

Matthew 16:21-23 NIV

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

But, when we have these times when we are particularly in tune to the Lord and we are sensitive to hear the Spirit’s voice, and God is using us mightily in the lives of others, we must be on guard for the enemy who will try to trip us up. Satan does not like it when we are following Jesus and we are being used of Him, so He will try to confuse our thoughts and will attempt to get us off track and to think more like humans rather than with the mind of Christ.

He will try to get us focusing on our circumstances rather than keeping our minds on what is not of this world. He will also try to instill fear in our hearts to where we doubt God and his sovereignty over our lives, and we feel we need to use our own human resources in order to make things work the way we think they ought. And, when we listen to Satan, even unconsciously, instead of listening to the Lord, then we get off base, and we miss what the Lord is trying to show us.

So, again, we need to pray for open eyes and ears to hear the Lord and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and also discernment concerning what voices we are listening to so that we are not deceived by the enemy.

Take Up Your Cross

Matthew 16:24-27 NIV

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

So, daily we must die to sin and self, and daily we must lay our own lives down for the Lord, and by the Spirit we must be putting to death the deeds and the mind of the flesh. It is critical that we are daily in the Word of the Lord, that we listen to what the Lord shows us, and that we do what he says, in his power and strength within us.

And, it is critical, as well, that we guard what we daily take into our minds and into our eyes and ears and hearts. We can’t have the mind of Christ, in other words, if we are regularly filling our minds with the philosophies, attitudes, behaviors, morals, values and culture of this sinful world. For, they are counterproductive to what the Lord is trying to do in our lives.

So, yes, we live in flesh bodies, and we are clay vessels, and this is to show that the things God does through us are from him and not from us. But, we should never use this as an excuse for continued willful sin against God. For, if we truly want to be followers of Christ, we must die to sin and self daily and follow (obey) our Lord. For, if we choose to hold on to our old lives of living for sin and self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But, if we die with Christ to sin, then we will save our lives for eternity with God.

So, if you are still living in sin, and you are excusing your sin by saying “I’m not perfect,” then I pray you will repent of your sin today and submit your life to Jesus Christ, and let him truly be Lord and master of your life.

Broken and Contrite 

An Original Work / May 13, 2012

I come before You, Lord, my Savior,

With humble heart and crushed in spirit.

I bow before You, I implore You,

Heal my broken heart, I pray.

Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,

You are the King of my heart.

Lord, purify my heart within me;

Sanctify me, whole within.

Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully

The words You’ve spoken through Your Spirit.

I pray You give me grace and mercy,

Strength and wisdom to obey.

Father God, my heart’s desire,

Won’t You set my heart on fire?

Lord, cleanse my heart of all that hinders

My walk with You, now I pray.

Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,

My heart cries out for understanding.

I want to follow You in all ways,

Never straying from Your truth.

Holy Spirit, come in power,

Fill me with Your love today.

Lord, mold and make me;

Your hands formed me;

Live Your life through me, I pray.

https://vimeo.com/118841304

Wednesday, June 27, 2018 – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from Your Word. I pray that you will make this real in our hearts today. Amen!

Speak to Them

Say to Them

Leviticus 19:1-2a NASB

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them… (Cf. 1 Co. 14:1-3; Eph. 4:14-16; Eph. 5:18-20; Heb. 3:12-13; 1 Thess. 5:11)

It is not just the prophets and the pastors and teachers and elders who are to speak to the congregations of the saints of Almighty God. We, as the body of Christ, are to speak to one another for our edification, exhortation, strengthening and comfort.

We are to speak the truth in love, one to the other, so that we will grow to maturity in Christ, and no longer be tossed back and forth by various winds of doctrine and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. As we each do our part, which God has assigned us to do, we will help one another to be encouraged in our walks of faith with our Lord.

We, too, are to be filled with the Spirit of God, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. The songs do not have to be ones which are professionally recorded or performed, or only those which are considered worship songs. But, they can simply be scripture put to music or to poetry. And, they should have a message for us, the body, and not just be songs of praise to the Lord, for we are to speak them to one another for our mutual encouragement and strengthening in the Lord.

And, why do we need this? So that none of us has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. And, so that none of us may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. And, too, so that we are not easily led astray by those who would try to deceive us, or so we don’t give up.

Be Holy

Leviticus 19:2b, 4, 5 NASB

‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. (Cf. 1 Pet. 1:14-16) ‘Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the Lord your God. (Cf. 1 Co. 10:14; Eph. 5:5) ‘Now when you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. (C.f. Rom. 12:1-2)

To be holy means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made into the likeness of Christ. And, it means to be separate unto God and to his service, to live for him in doing his will.

It means we no longer live for sin and self, but we live for the honor and pleasure and praise of our God. So, we don’t behave in all the same ways we did before we believed in Christ, for Jesus Christ set us free from our slavery (addiction) to sin.

Thus, if we are living lives which are separate from the world, and separate unto God, that means we will not make the people or the things of this world our gods (our idols). For, Jesus died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (2 Co. 5:15).

Basically, to be holy means that we give our lives over to our Lord as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our acceptable worship of him. And, we are no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we are transformed of the Spirit of God in the renewing of our minds, that we may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Revere God

Leviticus 19:12, 14b NASB

‘You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. (Cf. Matt. 23) ‘But you shall revere your God; I am the Lord. (Cf. Heb. 12:28-29; 2 Co. 7:1; Rev. 11:18; Rev. 14:7; Rev. 19:5)

If we revere the Lord, we will honor him for the holy God that he is, and we will honor his Word, and we will do what He says. We will worship him in spirit and in truth. We will be devoted to him and to his service. We, too, will fulfill our duty to him. For…

“We have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:12-13).

We will not dishonor our Lord by making false pretenses of living spiritual lives while we hide our secret sins inside. We will not use God as a cover up for evil, either, neither will we act all spiritual to impress others, while behind closed doors we are living in gross immorality. We will not knowingly instruct others in the right way while we are willfully doing what is wrong.

But, we will take God and His Word seriously, and we will endeavor, in the power of the Spirit within us, to do what it says. We will purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for our God. And, we will walk in integrity, in honesty and purity before God and before our fellow humans, both in obedience to our Lord and as our witness as to God’s saving grace which has taken place in our lives.

Love Your Neighbors

Leviticus 19:11, 16-18 NASB

‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. (Cf. Rom. 13:9; Eph. 4:17-32) ‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the Lord. (Cf. Eph. 4:31) ‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. (Cf. 1 Jn. 4:20) ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord. (Cf. Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30)

If we truly honor and love our Lord, and if we revere him and his Word, then we will love our fellow humans with god-like love. This love prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, honest, pure and just, so it will do no harm to its neighbor.

Thus, we will not steal from, kill, slander, abuse, trick, manipulate, hate (despise), or lie to one another. We will also not lust after, envy, accuse falsely, commit adultery against, or otherwise do others harm. And, when we are wronged by others, we will not get even, nor will we hold on to bitterness and unforgiveness.

But, we will forgive as God forgives. But, we need to remember here that when God forgives our sin, he does not turn a blind eye to further sin, nor does he give us permission to continue in sin without guilt. He does not comfort us in our sin, but he helps us to put sin to death. And, he sets boundaries for us, and he gives us the law of love to follow. So, forgiveness does not give someone permission to continue sinning against us.

And, we will be honest, trustworthy, kind, generous, thoughtful, considerate, helpful, honorable, faithful, moral, pure and loving toward one another. We will consider others’ needs above our own, and we will do what we know to do, and as God directs, to help meet others’ needs. And, this includes that we will share with them the gospel of our salvation, but the whole gospel, not gospel lite, so that their greatest need will be met, which is to have union and fellowship with their God and their Lord Jesus Christ.

Keep the Word

Leviticus 19:19a NASB

‘You are to keep My statutes.’” (Cf. Jn. 14:23-24; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Jas. 1:19-25)

Bottom line, if we obey the Word of God, and we do what it says, and we don’t just walk away and forget what it says and then go about doing our own thing, we will live holy lives, we will love our neighbors, we will revere and honor our God, and we will speak to one another for our mutual edification, encouragement and strengthening in our walks of faith with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Your Servant Witness  

An Original Work / March 13, 2012

Humbly I bow, Lord, before You,

Bringing my requests to You.

May I listen; hear You speaking.

May I follow You in truth.

Gently lead me in Your service.

Guide my steps and strengthen me.

Fill me with Your love and mercy.

May I live for Thee!

Let me be Your servant witness,

Telling others of Your grace.

May I always share the gospel

With those I meet face to face.

May I show the love of Jesus,

Caring for the needs of men;

Be Your servant witness always

For my Lord, Amen!

My desire to be like Jesus,

Living for Him ev’ry day.

May I obey all His teachings

Given me, so I’ll not stray.

Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master.

You are the King of my heart;

Follow You where’er You lead me;

Not from You depart!

https://vimeo.com/125493983

Tuesday, June 26, 2018 – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from Your Word. May You bring it home to our hearts. Amen!

My Heart is Broken

Full of Adulterers

Jeremiah 23:9-10 NASB

As for the prophets:

My heart is broken within me,

All my bones tremble;

I have become like a drunken man,

Even like a man overcome with wine,

Because of the Lord

And because of His holy words.

For the land is full of adulterers;

For the land mourns because of the curse.

The pastures of the wilderness have dried up.

Their course also is evil

And their might is not right.

The leaders within our churches, the ones who are leading God’s people, and who are proclaiming the Word of the Lord, are being called to account here for their actions and for their words which they speak to the people.

God is speaking here through his servant who loves the Lord, and who is committed to proclaiming the truth of His Words so that many people will be saved from their sins and have eternal life with God.

The servant is brokenhearted over all that he is seeing among God’s people and their leaders, who purportedly are God’s messengers to the people. He is seeing all the lies, the adulteries, and the twisting of truth, and this burdens him greatly. He sees the deceptions and the manipulations and the course of evil that so many have taken, and how their hearts are not right with the Lord, but yet they are still leading the people of God. And, this grieves him tremendously. I identify with this servant of the Lord.

Wickedness in God’s House

Jeremiah 23:11-12 NASB

“For both prophet and priest are polluted;

Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord.

“Therefore their way will be like slippery paths to them,

They will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it;

For I will bring calamity upon them,

The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.

I don’t know when this all began, and perhaps this has been going on for a very long time, but I first became aware of some of it in 1999. A faith movement began to sweep across the USA, and into other countries, as well, and it was cross-denominational. But, really it was a business plan for how to grow churches (businesses), and it has been very successful.

It is built largely off of business plans and marketing schemes, and it has turned the church, at large, upside down. Books on how to grow your church (business) have replaced the Bible as the sole authority for the church and its operation. “Growth” is not measured in spiritual terms but in marketing terms, and it is the people who facilitate the growth, not the Holy Spirit.

Worship services have been turned into stage productions which entertain the masses. Even preachers have turned into clowns and entertainers to keep the masses coming out for more of the same. Books written by mere humans are often studied in place of the Bible, but are given the same authority as the Bible. But, the worst of it all is that the gospel has been diluted to make nice with the world so as to not offend the “customers.”

Walking in Falsehood

Jeremiah 23:13-14 NASB

“Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing:

They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.

“Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing:

The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood;

And they strengthen the hands of evildoers,

So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.

All of them have become to Me like Sodom,

And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

Basically, the gospel of God’s grace has been turned inside out or upside down. They have it all backwards, in other words. They make God’s grace out to be nothing more than forgiveness of sins and a promise of heaven when we leave this earth. But, they miss entirely the meaning of God’s grace, for it is not free license to continue in willful sin against God, without guilt, while claiming God’s grace covers it all (See: Tit. 2:11-14).

God’s grace to us is divine persuasion as to God’s holiness and righteousness and of our need to repent of our sins, to be reborn of the Spirit of God, and to walk in holiness and righteousness in the power and working of God’s Spirit now living within us. God’s grace frees us from our slavery to sin, it does not console us in our sin. It puts sin to death in our lives so that we might be resurrected with Christ to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24).

Some even go so far as to tell their listeners that God’s grace requires nothing of them – no repentance, no submission to the cross of Christ, and no obedience to the Lord and to His Word. If it is not said directly, it is implied by the fact that repentance and obedience are not included in the gospel message at all. And, so those who believe this message have not been turned from their sins, but they feel empowered to keep sinning.

Do Not Listen!

Jeremiah 23:16-17 NASB

Thus says the Lord of hosts,

“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.

They are leading you into futility;

They speak a vision of their own imagination,

Not from the mouth of the Lord.

“They keep saying to those who despise Me,

‘The Lord has said, “You will have peace”’;

And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,

They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’

So, the instruction here is that we should not listen to those who are preaching this false grace gospel which requires no death to sin or living to righteousness. For, what they are preaching is futile, because it leaves its adherents still bound in slavery to sin, still struggling daily with sin’s addictive behaviors, and still bound for hell, not for heaven.

What they are teaching is not what the Word of God says, but what they know people want to hear. It is partially true, but partially false, and thus it is a false gospel. They are lying to the people, and people are believing their lies by the masses, because their lies console the people in their sin and make no demands whatsoever on the “believer.”

They promise them no harm will come to them, no matter if they continue living in sin, but that heaven is guaranteed them, no matter how they live their lives. But, these are lies, because God’s Word says if you walk according to the flesh, you will die in your sins, and if you make sin your practice, you don’t have eternal life, and that you will reap what you sow. So, believe the Word of God, not these liars and deceivers.

(See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

Can You Hide?

Jeremiah 23:23-24 NASB

“Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord,

“And not a God far off?

“Can a man hide himself in hiding places

So I do not see him?” declares the Lord.

“Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.

Our God is ever present. Once we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, God does not turn a blind eye to our sin. If you read the New Testament of the Bible, Matthew to Revelation, word for word, that will become abundantly clear. There are warnings after warnings after warnings in the New Testament given to the church about the dangers of continued willful sinful practices, and numerous calls for repentance to believers.

One of the lies these false shepherds of the people are telling their congregants, though, is that when we believe in Jesus that God only sees Jesus when he looks at us, and he no longer sees our sin. That is just not biblical, for if that were true, you could wipe out most of the New Testament. For, most of Paul’s letters have warnings to the church against continued sin and its consequences, so obviously God can still see our sins. He is God!

Therefore, if you claim to be a believer in Jesus Christ, but you are still walking (living, conducting your life) in sinful practices, know that God absolutely sees everything you are doing, even if no one else does, and he is taking note of it, too. If you are truly a believer, he will discipline you in order to bring you back to right communion with him. If you are just claiming faith in Christ, but you never died with him to sin, then please repent of your sin today and trust Jesus with your life, and stop listening to those liars and deceivers who are giving you a false hope of salvation.

Be Still

To you who are God’s servants and messengers, who are teaching the truth of the gospel of our salvation, who are combatting the lies of the enemy, and who are proclaiming the truth to all who will listen:

Be encouraged! I know that your hearts have to be broken over all the evil that you are seeing within the gatherings of the church. I know you are grieved over all the lies and the adulteries going on within the church and within the leadership of the church. And, I know that you are probably facing a lot of rejection and persecution for your stand for the truth and for righteousness and purity. Don’t give up just because things are dark right now. Not all is hopeless! God is still on His Throne! Amen!

Trust that the Lord has this all under his control, and that he is working, even when we can’t see what he is doing. His timing is not our timing. He is very patient, because he wants all to come to repentance before the day he comes to judge the people of this earth. So, keep looking up, and keep on doing the work to which God has called you, and has equipped you, and believe that God will change human hearts, and turn hearts back to him.

Be Still  

An Original Work / February 29, 2012

Based off Psalm 37 and 46

God’s our refuge and our strength,

An ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,

Though the mountains fall into the sea.

The Lord Almighty is with us;

God of Jacob is our fortress.

“Be still, and know that I am God;

Exalted I’ll be.”

Trust in the Lord and do good;

And delight yourself in the Lord,

And He will give you your heart’s desires.

Commit your way to the Lord.

Trust in Him and He will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine

Like the dawn, the justice of your

Cause – the noon-day sun.

Be still before the Lord,

And wait patiently for Him; do not fear.

Fretting only leads to evil.

Put your hope in Jesus Christ.

If the Lord delights in your way,

He makes your steps firm and steady.

The Lord upholds you with His hand,

So you will not fall.

https://vimeo.com/125494284

Monday, June 25, 2018 – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from Your Word. Bring it home to our hearts, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!