A Secret Slanderer

Psalm 56:1-7 ESV

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;

    all day long an attacker oppresses me;

my enemies trample on me all day long,

    for many attack me proudly.

When I am afraid,

    I put my trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,

    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

    What can flesh do to me?

All day long they injure my cause;

    all their thoughts are against me for evil.

They stir up strife, they lurk;

    they watch my steps,

    as they have waited for my life.

For their crime will they escape?

    In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

They injure my cause

The beloved of God, His saints and His messengers, are under attack from the enemy of our souls, Satan, and from his messengers and his servants. But, in actuality, it is God (Jesus Christ) who Satan is persecuting, and it is the gospel of our salvation which our enemy is fiercely coming against.

Satan, via his false shepherds, who disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, is on an all-out attack against the character of God (of Jesus), and of his gospel. And, he is out to destroy the Lord’s servants, too. For his goal is to stop the spreading of the gospel, as taught by Jesus and his NT apostles. And, so he is attacking the truth of the gospel, and he is trying to discredit it, and then he is replacing it with a cheap substitute.

Yet, this cheap grace substitute for the truth of the gospel is a lie from hell. And, it is a difficult and perplexing situation. For, it is a way of salvation that is void of the truth as to the true way for us to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God. So, it is laden with deception, malice, filth, immorality, and slander. And, it is a secret plot to destroy people’s lives and their character, and to promise them heaven, while sending many to hell.

And, the sad reality of it all is that so many professers of faith in Jesus Christ are far away from God (from Jesus) in their hearts because they have bought into the lies, and because they have accepted this alternate gospel message.

A secret slanderer

For, this cheap grace gospel is a secret slanderer that is deceiving the minds and hearts of people by the masses, i.e. this is an onslaught against the truth. And, this alternative gospel has no room, no availability for the true biblical Jesus or for his true gospel, which is a gospel of repentance.

This cheap grace substitute for the true gospel of grace also has no allowance for the full gospel message, the whole counsel of God. For, what they teach is a half-truth gospel, and they leave out the second half.

They are perfectly okay with the idea of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dying on a cross to save us from our sins. They are fine with the fact that he was resurrected from the dead, too, to give us new life in him. But, what they don’t allow for is that his gospel demands that all who would come to faith in Jesus Christ must die with Christ to sin, and must be resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him, which is to be lived to Christ and to his righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

So, Satan’s false shepherds and teachers are taking up a position against those who defend the truth of the gospel; against those who uphold the truth, who are champions and advocates for the truth of the gospel.

And, so they are not only trying to discredit the gospel itself, but they are coming against its defenders, too, to try to destroy them, or to try to persuade them to abandon the way of holiness and to follow the way of the flesh once more, which is also a way to destroy them.

Where we are headed

And, this is the direction that the state church (church + government) is headed here in America, away from the truth of the gospel and toward adopting this cheap grace substitute, instead.

And, the church itself is headed for some severe persecution against those who are still defending the true gospel message. And, this onslaught against these defenders of the faith is going to include slander, malice, backstabbing and what is low-down dirty in order to attempt to discredit them so that the gospel will come into disrepute. For, this was foretold in scripture.

It is already here in America, and across the globe, but in America and in the world, as a whole, it is going to get even more severe. And, a lot of this is going to take place via internet censorship of whatever these wolves in sheep’s clothing deem is not “unifying” with the whole world.

Our leaders in the church and in the government have been talking about this for many years. The Pope in the Catholic church is particularly a strong and persuasive voice against the true gospel and for the cheap grace gospel, for he is also for the unity of all religions into one, i.e. the one world religion.

Walls and bridges

The Pope’s central message is that division of any kind is bad, for it builds walls instead of bridges, and that we need to be those who build bridges, not walls. For, he says, division builds walls which divide people, and it sows fear, and it is of the devil, the father of lies, that it is not Christian and it is not promoting the gospel, either (1).

But, Jesus was a wall builder, for he said he is the only way to God the Father, and he is the only truth, and the only life. He says if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily and follow (obey) him. He said that 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 for the sake of Jesus (die with Christ to sin), then we will have eternal life with God (Lu. 9:23-25).

Jesus said he didn’t come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword, and to turn even our own family members against us, because we follow what Jesus taught us, and so they will hate us.

So, he came to divide us, to call a holy people out from the world separate unto him, and unified with him and not with the world. But, he built a bridge, too, a way for us to be delivered out of our slavery to sin and to have eternal life with him, but he restricted the way to this salvation to those who would leave their lives of sin behind them to follow him in obedience to his commands (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24).

Psalm 56:8-11 ESV

You have kept count of my tossings;

    put my tears in your bottle.

    Are they not in your book?

Then my enemies will turn back

    in the day when I call.

    This I know, that God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise,

    in the Lord, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

    What can man do to me?

Yes, we do not need to fear the plots of the enemy against us. God is still on the throne. Amen! He is still in control. He is absolutely sovereign over all powers and authorities. Nothing, absolutely nothing can thwart God’s plans for us. He is going to work all things for good for those who love him, who are called according to his purpose, so we need to trust him (Rom. 8:28).

Psalm 56:12-13 ESV

I must perform my vows to you, O God;

    I will render thank offerings to you.

For you have delivered my soul from death,

    yes, my feet from falling,

that I may walk before God

    in the light of life.

We must hold fast to the truth of the gospel, too, and not give way to the intimidations of the enemy of our souls. For, it is only the truth which will set us free. And, it is only the truth which will lead us to salvation from our sin and to eternal life with God.

And, the truth is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. The truth is that faith in Jesus Christ means we die with Christ to sin and we are resurrected to new life in him, to be lived to him and to his righteousness, for we were created in Christ to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15; Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24).

His grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts (worldly passions and desires) and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14).

And, we are all going to reap what we sow. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction (decay, death). But, if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:7-8).

So, know the truth, and live the truth, for only the truth is going deliver you out of your bondage of sin and to put you on a path of righteousness.

Rejoice in the Lord Always!  

An Original Work / January 26, 2013

Based off Phil. 4 & Col. 3

Rejoice in our Lord God always.

I say again: “Rejoice always!”

Let your love and kindness show forth.

Our Lord Christ will soon appear.

Do not let yourself be troubled.

Do not fear your circumstances.

In all of life’s complications,

Pray to God with thankfulness.

God will give you peace and rest.

Set your minds on things of heaven:

What is true and right and lovely.

Do not focus your attention

On the things that pass away.

Therefore, put to death your old self.

Clothe yourselves with God’s compassion.

Put the word of Christ in practice.

Let God’s peace rule in your hearts.

Sing songs of praise unto God.

In all of life’s circumstances

I’ll learn to trust; be contented.

Whether I have none or plenty,

I will give thanks unto God.

I can live my life to please Him,

Because Jesus gives me His strength.

My God will meet all of my needs,

From his treasure chest in Christ.

Glory, praise be unto God.

https://vimeo.com/117317580

Thursday, May 30, 2019

(1)       https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/25/americas/pope-walls-panama/index.html

Giving it All

Psalm 103:1-5 ESV

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and all that is within me,

    bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity,

    who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit,

    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

who satisfies you with good

    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

To bless the Lord is to praise him on bended knee – in humility, submission, and in honor of him, in devotion to him, and in sincere worship of him. And our sincere worship of him is us giving our lives to him fully, holding nothing back, to live lives which are holy (set apart from the world and unto him) and pleasing to him – no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but transformed in heart and mind away from sin to follow Jesus Christ.

Our praise is not to be merely with our lips, but it is to be from the very depths of our being – from our heart, mind, body, and emotion, i.e. from all that is within us – our whole being, our whole lives and faithfulness. For, our praise of our Lord is not just with our minds, but with the way we live each day. The way we conduct our lives is to be for his glory, honor and praise.

We also bless the Lord with our thankfulness for all that he has done for us, and for all that he is yet to do for us. For, Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on a cross so that we might be delivered out of our slavery to sin (the pit), and so we might walk with him in victory over darkness. And, he fills our lives with all good things – love, joy, peace, purity, and holiness, and his faithfulness, compassion, counsel, guidance and forgiveness, etc.

Psalm 103:8-10 ESV

The Lord is merciful and gracious,

    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

He will not always chide,

    nor will he keep his anger forever.

He does not deal with us according to our sins,

    nor repay us according to our iniquities.

We are not saved from our sins because of our goodness. No amount of good works that we might do will ever save us from our sins. We can never earn nor deserve our own salvation. For, it was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us. It is only because he shed his blood on that cross for our sins, and because he rose from the dead in victory over sin and the grave, that any of us can be forgiven our sins and have life eternal with God.

Yet, this should never be taken to mean that what we do does not affect our eternal security. But, it is not what we do in the flesh that matters. What matters to God is our heart response to his call to us to leave our lives of sin behind us to follow him in obedience to his will and to his ways. But, even our ability to do this comes from God, for we can only come to faith in Christ if the Father first draws us to Jesus. And, even the faith to believe in him is a gift from God (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24).

So, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin, who draws us to faith in Jesus Christ, who then moves us to surrender to Jesus, who then transforms us in heart and mind, and then who empowers us to walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness. What we do is just surrender. We let go of our selfish desires, and we let God take over the control of our lives. And, we just follow him wherever he leads us – but only in his strength within us.

Psalm 103:11-14, 17-18 ESV

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children,

    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame;

    he remembers that we are dust…

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

    and his righteousness to children's children,

to those who keep his covenant

    and remember to do his commandments.

So, who are the recipients of all these benefits bestowed upon us because of God’s grace to us? Three times here it tells us that the recipients of God’s love, his grace, his forgiveness and his delivering us out of the pit, out of our bondage to sin, are those who fear him. And, to fear God is not to be afraid of him, but it is to honor, value, worship, obey, respect and adore him.

Yet, we don’t do this to earn or to deserve his salvation. But, we can’t be delivered out of our bondage to sin unless we surrender our lives to him, and unless we submit to his purposes for our lives, and we yield control to our Lord. But, remember here that we can only do this if the Father first draws us to faith in Christ, and he gifts us with the faith to believe. So, all this is for his praise and glory, and we get no glory for ourselves.

And, the last time that it mentions “to those who fear him,” it adds, “to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.”

Now, I am well aware that this passage of scripture is in the Old Testament, and that this was written when God’s people were the Jews, and when they were under the Old Covenant Relationship between God and his people.

But, the Bible teaches that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17). So, what we do when we read the Old Testament is we interpret it and apply it to our lives today in light of the New Covenant.

New Covenant Teaching

So, does the New Covenant teach the same? Yes, it does! We are taught in the New Testament that God’s mercy is for those who fear him, and that those who fear him and who do what is right are acceptable to him. We are also instructed to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

And, we are instructed to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. In addition, we are taught to offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Lu. 1:50; Ac. 10:34-35; 2 Co. 7:1; Phil. 2:12-13; Heb. 12:28-29).

On the subject of his commandments and keeping (obeying them), we are taught that if we love Jesus, we will keep his word, and that obedience leads to righteousness. We are instructed that Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. And, we are taught that we have been chosen for obedience to Jesus Christ, and that the way in which we know that we have come to know him, and that we love him, is if we keep his commandments (Jn. 14:23-24; Rom. 6:16; Heb. 5:9; 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; 1 Jn. 5:3).

So, we need to humble ourselves before our Lord, bow before him, worship him, surrender our all to him, and follow him wherever he leads us.

Praise Be Told!  

An Original Work / December 28, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

He was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for all our sin.

Our chastisement was upon Him.

By His stripes, we now are healed.

He has witnessed all our trials,

And the sins we choose to wear.

Yet, while we were dead in our sin,

Jesus died, our sins to bear.

He himself bore all of our sins

In His body on a cross,

So that we might die to our sin,

And live for His righteousness.

By faith in the pow’r of Jesus

And His blood shed for our sins,

We can be forgiven our sin,

And have life with God in heav’n.

He will lead us and He’ll guide us

In the way that we should go.

He will comfort and protect us,

Because Jesus, we do know.

Though He disciplines for our good,

He will heal us – Praise be told!

Do not fear, your Lord is with you.

Just have faith in Christ your Lord.

https://vimeo.com/112335646

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

The Big Lie

Romans 12:1 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

Do you know that our salvation from sin is not a one-time experience which then guarantees us eternal life with God, no matter what? We don’t “get saved” and then we live our lives, and then one day we get to go to heaven. And, do you know that the faith that we must have to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation is also not a one-time event in our lives, which then guarantees us heaven? Yet, this is what many have been teaching for a long time.

Yes, there is a point in each one of our lives when we make that initial decision to trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, but that is just the beginning, but it doesn’t necessarily guarantee the ending. For, the scriptures teach that it is those believing (present tense) who have the hope of eternal life with God. And, it teaches us that the faith to believe is initiated by God, is persuaded by God, and is a gift from God. And, if from God, then it submits to God (to Jesus Christ), to his will and to his ways.

Also, our salvation is not completed at the moment we believe in Jesus. Scripture teaches that we are saved (past), we are being saved (present), and that we will be saved (future) when Christ returns and our salvation is complete. But, it won’t be complete unless we are walking by the Spirit, according to the Spirit, and no longer according to the flesh, daily dying to sin and self, and daily surrendering to the Lordship of Christ in our lives. For, we must continue in Christ until the very end of time, to have eternal life.

[Lu. 9:23-25; Jn. 6:35-66; Jn. 8:31-32; Jn. 10:27-30; Ac. 26:16-18; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Co. 6:20; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 2:8-10; Eph. 4:17-24; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:24-25; Rom. 11:17-24; 1 Co. 15:2; Col. 1:21-23; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; & 1 Jn. 2:3-6]

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Also, do you know that separation from the world is not optional? For, we are commanded in scripture that we are to be holy as God is holy, and for us being holy means being separate (unlike, different) from the world with its lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And, it means being separate (set apart) unto God to live holy and godly lives, pleasing to him, living to Christ and to his righteousness in the power of God within us.

We are not to participate in worldliness and what is unholy and ungodly and unrighteous. We should be guarding our hearts against such evil as this. For, if we are truly a child of God, it means we are being led of the Spirit of God, that we are walking (in practice) according to (in agreement with the Spirit), and that we are not walking (living) to fulfill the desires of our flesh. And, it means that Jesus is our Lord (owner-master), and that we are now bond-slaves of his righteousness, sold out to our Lord to obedience to Christ.

And, the whole goal of all of this is that we might not only discern the will of God – that which is holy, righteous, pure, honest, moral, and upright – but that we might put these things into practice in our daily lives, in our daily walks of faith with our Lord. For, when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we surrender our lives to our Lord. Our lives are no longer our own to be lived however we want, but they are now to be for the honor, glory and praise of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Eph. 1:3-4; Eph. 5:25-27; 1 Thess. 4:7; 2 Tim. 1:9-101 Pet. 1:14-16; 1 Pet. 2:4-5; 2 Pet. 3:10-12; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 12:25; Jn. 15:19; Jn. 17:16; 1 Co. 2:12; Gal. 6:14; Eph. 2:2; Jas. 1:27; Jas. 4:4; 2 Pet. 1:4; 1 Jn. 2:15]

Romans 12:9 ESV

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Discerners of Good and Evil

Thus, we must be discerners, not only of the good God has for us, but we must discern also what is evil so that we don’t end up getting trapped by the devil’s lies, and end up on the broad road that leads to destruction rather than on the narrow road that leads to eternal life with God.

For, there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing, many liars and deceivers, thieves who have come into the sheepfold by another way, who are there among us only to steal, to kill and to destroy. And, they have inserted into the gospel of our salvation “the big lie” which is targeted for our destruction. And, that big lie is teaching that we can be saved from our sins, be bound for heaven, but that it doesn’t have to impact our lifestyles much at all.

But, this is not accidental. This is purposeful, and this is of Satan. He has spun his webs of deceit within the church over many years, slowly and stealthily inserting his lies and deceptions and manipulations of truth one little bit at a time so that they were barely noticeable. And, today this is not just about teaching a half-truth gospel, but this is about the blending of Christianity in with the world and with other religions and alternate lifestyles.

He and his servants, who disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, have very intentionally been lying to you, twisting the truth to their advantage, and altering (adulterating) the gospel of our salvation, fully intending to destroy your lives and to send you straight to hell, while promising you heaven. For, their goal is to overpower you and to defeat you and the gospel of Jesus Christ so that people reject the truth for the lies.

And, the reason behind all of this is Satan’s bitterness, his anger, and his hatred toward God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – which he has also passed along to his servants. Thus, this is spite, it is malice, and it is revenge. This is Satan getting even with God, and it is getting even with the Lord’s servants, too, for God stealing people away from Satan’s control.

So, they are on a full attack against the gospel and against the Lord’s servants (See Rev. 12-14) to either bring people back under Satan’s control, which is the primary objective, or else to silence them from sharing the gospel in any way that they can, even through false accusations and the murdering of the Lord’s servants and messengers.

Know The Truth

So, they are either poisoning people’s minds with lies regarding how we are saved from our sins, and with regard to what constitutes eternal life with God, or else they are poisoning people’s minds against the Lord’s servants so that people will reject the truth and believe the lies, believing the lies are truth and that the truth is a lie.

But, their Big Lie which tells people that they can be saved from their sins and have heaven guaranteed them on the basis of some one-time confession of Christ as Savior but with no requirements for repentance, obedience or submission to Christ, is leaving people still addicted to sin, and thus they are bound for hell, not heaven, and one day they are going to stand before God and he is going to say, “Depart from me. I never knew you.”

So, their gospel of salvation from sin frees no one from their sins, and thus it forgives no one, cleanses no one, and secures heaven for no one. For, you can’t save people from their sins based on a lie which leaves them still in slavery to sin with no hope of eternity with God. For, if we have not died with Christ to sin, and if we have not been raised with Christ to newness of life in Christ, to be lived to his righteousness, then we are not in Christ.

So, please know the truth, for your eternity depends on it. For, scripture teaches that if we walk (in lifestyle, in practice) in accord (agreement) with our flesh, then we are going to die in our sins, not have eternal life with God. And, you can tell yourself all the lies that you want to console you in your sinful addictions, but no lie is going to save your soul from hell, either.

So, know the truth, and live the truth, for the truth will set you free. For, scripture says that what we sow we are going to reap. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction (decay, death). But, if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:7-8).

Praise Be Told! 

An Original Work / December 28, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

He was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for all our sin.

Our chastisement was upon Him.

By His stripes, we now are healed.

He has witnessed all our trials,

And the sins we choose to wear.

Yet, while we were dead in our sin,

Jesus died, our sins to bear.

He himself bore all of our sins

In His body on a cross,

So that we might die to our sin,

And live for His righteousness.

By faith in the pow’r of Jesus

And His blood shed for our sins,

We can be forgiven our sin,

And have life with God in heav’n.

He will lead us and He’ll guide us

In the way that we should go.

He will comfort and protect us,

Because Jesus, we do know.

Though He disciplines for our good,

He will heal us – Praise be told!

Do not fear, your Lord is with you.

Just have faith in Christ your Lord.

https://vimeo.com/112335646

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Keep Watch!

Acts 20:21-24 NIV:

“I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

Paul was opposed by people who proclaimed faith in Almighty God, and who went to the temple, they believed, to worship God, some of whom were leaders within the temple, who taught the Word of God.

So also we who are proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ – who are calling people to leave their lives of sin behind them to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands – we are being opposed and persecuted by others who also claim faith in Jesus Christ. And, this persecution is being led by those in high up positions within institutionalized Christianity.

In an effort to destroy the gospel of our salvation, and its messengers, they are telling lies about us, and about the true gospel, in order to discredit us and the gospel so that people will not listen to the truth, but so that they will believe the lies. Thus, they are calling what is truth lies, and they are calling what are lies truth.

They are claiming that the true gospel is teaching works-based salvation, that it is legalistic, and that it is to be avoided at all costs. Some are taking it further than that, though, and they are claiming that it is hateful, intolerant, bigoted, unkind, unloving, judgmental, not of God/of Christ, of the devil, and extremist. And, it is to be obliterated, and its messengers silenced.

They may even go so far as to try to dig up people’s pasts, and to twist that to their advantage, or to try to trip them up with their words, which is what the Pharisees did to Jesus all the time. And, this is one reason why we who are proclaiming the gospel need to remain transparent. And, I believe that is one of the reasons why the Lord led me to write my testimony at different times, for my past is basically out there on the internet for anyone to read.

And, I make no claims to sinless perfection, either. I know I am not living in sin, and I know I am not holding on to any sins, and I know that I am walking by the Spirit in surrender to my Lord, so my conscience is clear. But, that doesn’t mean that I am perfect, or that I never fail in anything that I do or say. But, when I do fail, I repent of it and I keep following my Lord. And, I learn from my mistakes, and I keep growing to maturity in Christ, too.

Also, when I said “Yes” to Jesus’ call on my life, I knew what I was signing up for. I knew I was saying “Yes” to rejection, persecution, false accusations, and the like. I know that every day that I write what the Lord teaches me through his Word, and that I expose the lies, and that I proclaim the truth, that I am in danger of being rejected, persecuted and discharged.

Yet, I echo Paul’s words here. My aim is to follow my Lord in obedience and in surrender to his will for my life, and to continue to proclaim the gospel of our salvation, and to expose the lies. And, this is so that many people will be delivered from deception, and they will be delivered out of their addictions to sin, and that they will walk in freedom from their chains, and in Christ’s righteousness, until the day Jesus comes to take them home.

And, I know I am not alone, but there are many followers of Christ out there who are teaching the truth, and who are exposing the lies, and who are facing all kinds of persecution and rejection for their obedience to their Lord.

Acts 20:25-28 NIV:

“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”

I can declare, as well, that I have not hesitated to proclaim to you, my readers, the whole will (or counsel) of God. Even when I knew that I was likely to be rejected or persecuted for what I shared, I didn’t hold back from sharing with you the whole will of God with regard to our salvation and with regard to our spiritual walks with the Lord Jesus.

For, I know that there are many liars and deceivers out there who are telling you lies, cleverly disguised as truth. I know that there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing in the pulpits in the churches, or at least in the institutional churches. And, that they are feeding people half-truths (which are lies), and they are convincing many people that they can “believe” in Jesus but that it costs them nothing, and that God requires nothing of them – no obedience, no repentance and no submission to Christ and his Word.

I know that many of them are twisting the truth to their advantage by taking scriptures out of context to make them say what itching ears want to hear. Many of them are blending the Christian faith in with New Age philosophy, with teachings from other religions, and with humanistic philosophy, too.

And, I believe that many of them don’t really believe what they are teaching, but this is all a trick of Satan, and it has to do with thieves who have secretly slipped in among the sheep in the sheepfold in order to steal, kill and destroy. It is not that they believe their own lies, but the lies are for the very purpose to turn people away from the truth, and away from Jesus Christ, so they won’t have eternal life with God while they believe they do.

For, Satan is behind this, and he doesn’t want anyone saved from their sins and going to heaven. So, he devised this clever plan to disguise his lies as truth by inserting them inside the gospel message so that he could deceive the masses into following his cheap grace gospel which saves no one from sin but that sends them straight to hell while promising them heaven.

For, the truth of the gospel of our salvation says that, if we want to have eternal life with God, that we must die with Christ to sin and live with Christ to righteousness – all in the working and power of God’s Holy Spirit within us as we submit to Jesus Christ and we allow the Spirit to do his work in our lives and in our hearts (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14).

And, the truth, too, is that, if we choose to not die with Christ to sin and to not live to him and to his righteousness, but we go on living for sin and self, as a matter of course (of practice), that we don’t have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven, but we have a fearful expectation of hell (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

Acts 20:29-31 NIV:

“I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”

Savage wolves have already come in among the church and they are not sparing the flock, but they are out to kill, steal, and destroy the church and the gospel message, and they are leading many people astray.

Even many who we may think are Christians, and we think are following the Lord, are teaching lies cleverly disguised as truth. For, they are very good actors. They are very good at appearing righteous while they insert their poison right into the teachings of God’s Word and they deceive the immature and the naïve into following after their lies, thinking they are following truth.

So, we definitely have to be on our guard. But, we can’t be on guard if we are filling our minds and hearts with the garbage of this world. And, I am not speaking here of what is obviously evil, although many professing Christians take blatant evil into their minds and eyes and hearts on a regular basis, and on purpose.

But, if we are taking in a lot of social media, television, movies, secular music, some YouTube videos, video games, etc. and if we are spending little time with the Lord in his Word and in prayer, and then in following him in obedience, we are not going to be able to guard our minds and hearts against all this deception. We won’t see it.

So, we need to make Jesus Christ truly Lord (owner-master) of our lives, and us his bond-servants, in surrender to him and to his will, and we need to be bathing our minds on what is pure, lovely, honest, etc. And, we need to be testing everything we hear against the Word of God (in context). And, in this way, we will be able to guard against Satan’s lies and we will be able to follow the truth.

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

Monday, May 27, 2019

My Testimony (in book form):

https://walkingwounded.blog/i-married-my-dad/

Making it Our Practice

John 3:16 ESV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God the Father loved the people of this world so much that he sent his Son (God the Son) to the earth to take on human form, and ultimately to die on a cross for our sins. When Jesus was crucified on that cross, he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Co. 5:21). Thus, when he died, our sins were put to death with him. And, when he rose from the dead, he rose in victory over sin, death, Satan and hell.

All this Jesus did for us on that cross so that we, by faith in him, might die with him to sin, and live with him to righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. For, on that cross, via his blood which was shed for our sins, he bought us back for God that we might now, by faith in him, be God’s possession, and that he might be our Lord (owner-master), so that our lives would now be lived for the glory of God (See: 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Co. 6:20; 2 Co. 5:15; Tit. 2:14; Eph. 2:10).

But, to have this eternal life with God, we must be believing (present tense) on Jesus Christ. Not one of us is saved from our sins on the basis of past belief. Our faith must be current. And, scripture teaches that it must endure to the end (1 Co. 15:2; Col 1:21-23; II Tim 2:10-13; Hebrews 3:6, 14-15).

So, what is this faith we must have? Well, the word “faith” or “belief” has to do with being persuaded of God, i.e. this faith comes from God, and thus it submits to God (to Jesus), and it follows the Lord in obedience. For, not one of us can even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless the Father first draws us to believe in Jesus (Jn. 6:44; Ac. 11:17-18; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Eph. 2:8-10).

So, when we believe on Jesus Christ for our salvation, because this belief comes from God, and it is persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, therefore we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-25).

Thus, this is what it means to be “born again” (ref: Jn. 3:1-15). Our old life of living for sin and self must die and be buried with Christ, and then he raises us to new life in him, born anew of the Spirit of God. He transforms us in heart and mind away from a life of sin to now living our lives by the Spirit of God, in following our Lord Jesus in surrender to his will and to his ways.

John 3:17-18 ESV

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

When Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth the first time, he came to save people from their sins, not to eternally condemn them for their sins. That will happen at his second coming, when he returns to the earth both to judge the people of this world (all who did not believe in him), and to take his bride (his followers, his saints) to be with him for eternity.

But, we should not misinterpret this passage to mean that Jesus, when he walked this earth, made no judgments regarding sin. He most certainly did! He talked much about judgment, and about hell (eternal damnation), and he called for people to repent of their sins, i.e. to leave their lives of sin behind them to follow him in obedience to his will for their lives. And, he was quite clear on the subject of what will happen to us if we don’t walk with him in obedience, and if we don’t leave it all behind to follow him.

He said that if we want to come after him, we must deny self, take up our cross daily, and follow (obey) him. He said that if we want to hold on to our lives (of living for sin and self), that we will lose them for eternity, but that if we lose our lives for his sake (die with him to sin) we will have eternal life (Lu. 9:23-25; cf. Jn. 6:35-66; Jn. 8:51; Jn. 10:27-30; Jn. 14:23-24).

John 3:19-21 ESV

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

What I have come to learn over the years is that it all comes down to what we practice, but not in our flesh, but in the power of God’s Spirit at work within our hearts and lives. For, Jesus died on that cross that we might be delivered out of our slavery to (making a practice of) sin, and so we might now become bond-slaves (making a practice) of his righteousness.

Over and over in the New Testament we read that it is those who are walking by the Spirit, and who are being led by the Spirit, who are the children of God, and who have eternal life with God. And, it is those who are walking (living in practice) according to the flesh who are eternally condemned and who have no hope of eternal life with God (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8; etc.).

For, our faith in Jesus Christ is not head knowledge only, but it is what we believe being put into practice in our daily lives. Jesus didn’t die on that cross merely to forgive us our sins and to promise us heaven when we die. But, he died to deliver us out of our addictions to sin so that we might now walk in his righteousness and holiness.

So, if we make a profession of Jesus Christ as Savior of our lives, but we think that is all there is to it, and that faith does not have to impact our lives all that much, then we need to think again. For, it is not God-given faith if it doesn’t submit to Jesus Christ as Lord, and if it doesn’t walk with him in obedience to his Word. It is of the flesh, and it will end in death, not life.

But, this is not to say that we will never sin again. Scripture indicates that it is still possible for a believer in Jesus to sin (1 Jn. 2:1-2), but that Jesus is our advocate to the Father when we do sin, so that we are not condemned. Nonetheless, this is not free license to continue in our sinful addictions and to think that heaven is still our eternal destiny.

For, it doesn’t matter what we profess with our mouths. If we hate the light of truth and we love the darkness instead, we are lying to ourselves if we think that we are truly saved from our sins and bound for heaven. For, if we live by the flesh, we will die in our sins, but if we walk by the Spirit, we have eternal life with God (1 Jn. 1:5-9; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

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

*copyright status is public domain

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Are We Listening?

James 1:19-21 ESV

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Listening to One Another

If we were all to follow this good counsel, at all times, imagine how much better we would all communicate with one another. If we truly listened to what people say, not just with our ears, but with our minds, and with our hearts, giving them our undivided attention, showing genuine interest in what they want to communicate with us, imagine how much less frequently we would have misunderstandings. I still am a work in progress here.

When I was in college 50 years ago, I took a class in communication. I think it was an English course. The main thing I learned in that class, which I still have to remind myself of, at times, is that communication does not take place until the speaker speaks, the listener responds with what he thinks he heard, and then the speaker responds back to acknowledge a “Yes,” or to clarify any misunderstandings so that the listener truly heard the speaker.

Too many times we listen halfheartedly, for many reasons, but often it is because we are distracted or our minds are somewhere else. So, we have to consciously be aware of when we are not fully listening, and then we need to engage our minds and our hearts in what the other person wants to communicate with us, and we need to put away all distractions.

For, all too often people walk away from conversations deciding what the other person said or intended, and then sometimes that turns to anger, and that then turns to bitterness. For, they misunderstood, and they made a false judgment, and they decided something that wasn’t true, and then they treated that other person badly, as though it was true. And, many relationships are ruined because of lack of good communication where we truly listen and we respond to make certain we heard the other person correctly.

Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that we have to listen to obvious or known lies or to abusive speech. And, righteous indignation is sometimes called for in the case of someone repeatedly using abusive language or repeatedly telling the same lies over and over again. For, God hates lies, and we should, too, but we should not assume lies unless they have proven to be lies, i.e. we have to be careful that we don’t falsely accuse others.

Listening to the Lord

We especially need to be quick to hear and slow to speak when God is speaking to our hearts through his Word, or through his Spirit living within those of us who are his by faith in Jesus Christ. And, we should never get angry with the Lord, though sometimes we have, or we do, usually because of misunderstandings about who God is and how he works in our hearts and lives, and with regard to wrong thinking with respect to his sovereignty.

We need to have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us all day and every day, too. For, too many people compartmentalize their relationship with Jesus Christ, and they feel they have done their duty if they give him a segment of their day, or one day a week. But, the Lord wants us 24/7 with our all on the altar of sacrifice laid, our hearts does the Spirit control (1).

So, before we can be doers of the Word, we need to be good listeners, but not just with our physical ears, but fully engaged with our hearts and our minds to hear what the Lord wants to say to us, and with willing minds and hearts to obey what he is teaching us.

Anytime we are reading the Word, we should ask the Spirit of God to speak to our hearts individually to make certain we are listening to it, and doing it, before we talk with others about listening, too. Yet, I’m not saying we have to have arrived, but that we are daily listening when prompted of the Spirit, and we are not quenching the Spirit’s voice by refusal to listen and to obey.

James 1:22-25 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

When it comes to truly listening to the Lord, doing what he says will follow as a matter of course. For, we don’t just listen with our ears, but listening involves a desire to hear and to understand and to obey. Listening involves so much more than just hearing words, but it has to do with hearing the heart of God, too, and caring deeply about what he wants to teach us.

For, scripture teaches us that Jesus’ sheep (his followers) listen to his voice, he knows them, and they follow (obey) him (Jn. 10:27).

So, it is possible to hear the Word of God but to not truly listen to it, because we are not fully engaged in it with a desire of our hearts to understand what it says and to obey our Lord. Our minds may be engaged, but our hearts are not, and that is why it does not result in obedience. For, we listen intellectually to gain knowledge, but we don’t really hear God’s heart because we aren’t really listening, because we are distracted with other things that have our attention more than God’s Word does.

So, we need to not just be those who hear with our ears, but we need to be those who are truly listening to the Lord, to hear his heart, so that we can truly do what his Word teaches us. And, then we need to put that Word into practice in our daily lives, not just talk about it, and not just hear it with our physical ears, or strictly with our minds. For, God has called us to be doers of the Word, who put the Word in practice in our daily lives.

Yet, there are many people who like to fill their minds with all kinds of knowledge, including the knowledge of scripture. But, when the scripture speaks deep into the recesses of their hearts, and points out sins, or exposes their secret sins, and calls them to obedience, they walk away and willfully forget totally what the Lord just showed them about themselves. They also block out of their minds what he showed them concerning what they need to do in the way of obedience to rid their lives of those sins and to walk righteously before their God. And, then they will pretend ignorance.

Some people who profess faith in Jesus Christ don’t like this word “law,” for they associate all “law” as something bad that is to be discarded. But, that is not what scripture teaches. Yes, we are no longer under the law in the sense that we don’t have to obey all of those Old Covenant rules and regulations. But, scripture is also clear when it says that faith upholds the law. For, the true spirit of the law is that we love God with all our hearts, and that we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Love is the fulfillment of the law.

Yes, we do not have to follow all those Old Covenant regulations, for we are under the New Covenant, but that does not mean we don’t have to obey Christ’s commandments. Scripture makes it clear that we do. For, his commandments to us don’t have to do with legalism or with following a bunch of rituals or ceremonies, but they have to do with righteousness and holiness and changed hearts and lives, and they have to do with us being free from our chains of sin to now be bond-servants of righteousness (See: Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; Gal. 6:7-8).

So, this law, which is the perfect law, which is the law of liberty, we are to follow, for it liberates us from our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin and it empowers us to live holy lives pleasing to God. For, this is why Jesus died, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (See: 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; 1 Co. 6:20; Tit. 2:11-14; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

James 1:26-27 ESV

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

The whole point of this section of scripture, I believe, is that true faith in Jesus Christ is not some intellectual acknowledgment of Jesus Christ and of what he did for us in dying for our sins. It is not some emotional decision we make at a church altar. It is not some words we repeat after someone else after which we are congratulated that we are now part of God’s family and that heaven is guaranteed us and that nothing can take it away.

True faith in Jesus Christ, which is God-given, and which is divinely persuaded, submits to the Lordship of Christ, and it walks in obedience to his commands, not in absolute sinless perfection, necessarily, but as a matter of course, as a matter of practice (lifestyle). True faith in Jesus Christ, thus, results in action. Our faith is proved genuine by what we do, in other words, in obedience to our Lord and in following him in his ways.

True faith in Jesus Christ is not words only, in other words, but it is in action and in truth. It puts our feet to where our mouths are. It listens to Jesus, and it follows (obeys) him. Again, this is not saying we will never fail in this, but it should be what we practice. For, if what we practice is wickedness and unrighteousness, then scripture says we don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and we don’t have eternal life with God (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17).

Song: “I AM” (based off multiple scriptures):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCXSKgh8z5E with lyrics

Saturday, May 25, 2019

(1)       https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Is_Your_All_on_the_Altar/