In the Joy of The Lord

Psalms 119:33-35 NIV

 

“Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,

    that I may follow it to the end.

Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law

    and obey it with all my heart.

Direct me in the path of your commands,

    for there I find delight.”

 

What commands of God’s must we now obey as followers of Jesus Christ under the New Covenant? Do we still have to obey the Lord’s commands?

 

We must not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, for the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Rom 8:1-4).

 

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God” (Rom 8:5-8).

 

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, 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. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (Rom 8:12-14).

 

Basically, when we believe in Jesus Christ with God persuaded faith, we die with Christ to sin that we might live with Christ to his righteousness. Our old self is crucified with Christ in death to sin so that we might live new lives in Christ, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15, 21; 1 Co 6:19-20).

 

So, we either walk (in conduct, in lifestyle) according to our flesh, which ends in death, or we walk (live, in practice) according to the Spirit, which ends in eternal life with God (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Lu 9:23-26; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10).

 

This doesn’t mean we are perfect or that we never sin, but that sin is no longer what controls us. We now live under the Spirit’s control.

 

Psalms 119:33-35 NIV

 

“Turn my heart toward your statutes

    and not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

    preserve my life according to your word.”

 

The New Testament books are filled with instructions to us, the body of Christ, regarding how we are to live by the Spirit and how we are to no longer live according to our flesh. So, there should be no question as to what that means, for it is explained for us in much detail.

 

And it has much to do with daily, by the Spirit, putting sin to death and daily, by the Spirit, living to please our Lord in obedience to his instructions to us in the New Testament, some of which were also taught in the Old Testament. So, there is still much to be learned from the Old Testament.

 

It is a lot like this. When we didn’t believe in Jesus, we were going a particular direction with our lives. Then, when we believe in Jesus, we do a U-Turn, and we now go in the opposite direction. We turn away from our old way of living in sin and for the flesh, and now we live to please God.

 

And if we want to know what displeases the Lord and what pleases him, we need to study the Scripture in context. For, there are many instructions to us in what we are to put off and what we are to put on as followers of Jesus (Gal 5:16-26; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Phi 4:4-9).

 

Psalms 119:38-40 NIV

 

“Fulfill your promise to your servant,

    so that you may be feared.

Take away the disgrace I dread,

    for your laws are good.

How I long for your precepts!

    In your righteousness preserve my life.”

 

As followers of Jesus Christ, we still live in flesh bodies, so we still have a propensity to sin. We are still tempted to sin, too. And that is why we have many instructions in the New Testament on how to resist sin and Satan, in how to flee temptation, and in how to draw near to God in full assurance of faith.

 

But God has promised us that he has made a way and that he will make a way of escape for us out from underneath temptation to sin so that we do not yield to sin. Jesus died on that cross to deliver us out of our slavery to sin, so that by faith in him we might now walk in slavery to righteousness.

 

And he will show us the way of escape from temptation to sin if we will listen to him and if we will follow what he says to do. Many people continue in sin because they choose not to take the way out God provided for us, and they turn a deaf ear when the Spirit prompts them to not go a certain direction.

 

We are given the Holy Spirit to live within us to help, counsel, teach, guide, and empower us to live righteously and to resist Satan and to flee temptation, and we are given many instructions in Scripture on what we need to do, too, such as getting rid of things which lead us into sin.

 

So, if we want the Lord to rescue us, we have to listen to him, and we have to obey him, and we have to yield control of our lives over to him, and we must let go of the controls over our own lives. Otherwise, we are just “shooting ourselves in our own feet,” i.e., we are hurting our own cause.

 

So, we must follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and his promptings in our spirits, and we must follow the instructions we are given in the Scriptures under the New Covenant regarding the things we are to put off and the things we are to put on, and we must be doers of the word and not hearers only.

 

Then, we can walk in victory over sin. We can also walk in holiness and righteousness. Again, I am not saying we will be absolutely perfect. Even Paul said that he had to beat his body into submission and that he had not yet arrived. But he didn’t say he was yielding to sin, either, especially not as a matter of habit, contrary to what some people will tell you.

 

Basically, what we must do is yield ourselves over to the Lord, consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. In the power of God’s Spirit, we say “NO!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and then we live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return (Tit 2:11-14).

 

Daily we die to sin and to self and daily we walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. We are doers of the Word and not hearers only. We walk by faith and not by sight. We resist Satan. We flee temptation. And we draw near to our Lord in full assurance of faith. And then we are at peace and we live in the joy of the Lord.

 

Songs in the Night  

 

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

 

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

 

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

 

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

 

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

 

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

 

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

 

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

 

https://vimeo.com/379484387

Who Rules Your Life?

I am going to share these Scriptures out of order, because this first section I am sharing teaches what it means to receive Christ Jesus as Lord, and then I will follow that with the section that speaks of what comes after that.

Colossians 2:9-12 NIV

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

There are many Scripture passages in the New Testament which talk about faith and belief and that we need to have faith in Jesus Christ and to believe (be believing) on him for salvation and for eternal life with God (Jn 3:16; Jn 5:24; Jn 6:35; Jn 7:38; Ac 10:43; Rom 1:16; Rom 9:33; Rom 10:4, etc.).

But we can’t interpret these Scriptures outside of their context. Romans, for instance, is one whole letter, so we need to read all of it to get the context of select verses from within it. The same with the book of John, and even within the same chapter of John, such as John 3, for instance. We need to read verses in their context to fully understand their meaning.

For, remember what James taught. He said, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (Jas 2:19 NIV).

Also, it says in John 8, “Even as he spoke, many believed in him. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said… You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires” (Jn 8:30-44).

So, there is a difference between believing in the existence of Jesus – and even believing that he did for us what he said he did – and having the God persuaded belief that is required unto salvation from sin and to eternal life with God, which is spiritual, because it is of God.

So, when we read these Scriptures in their context we soon learn what it means to believe with saving faith and what happens in our lives when we genuinely believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of our lives.

When our faith is genuine, it results in us being circumcised (a cutting away of the flesh) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. So, this is not physical, this is spiritual, and we need to keep carrying this thought through here. 

When we are spiritually circumcised, of Christ, our whole self, which was ruled by the flesh, was put off (put to death with Christ). We were crucified with Christ in death to sin, we were buried with Christ in spiritual baptism unto death, and we were raised with him through our faith in the working of God the Father in our lives, who raised Christ from the dead.

We died with Christ to sin and were raised with Christ to newness of life in Christ that we might live new lives in Christ Jesus, our Lord, to the glory and praise of God. Our old self was crucified with Christ that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin, but that we should be slaves to righteousness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24).

Colossians 2:6-7 NIV

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

So, receiving Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives is not a cursory faith in what we might have been told that Jesus did for us on that cross. Receiving him as Lord, by faith in him, means death to our old lives of living for self, and in sin, and it means we are given new lives in Christ Jesus, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

In these new lives, we no longer walk (conduct our lives) according to the flesh, but now we walk (in practice) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God and in the holiness and righteousness of God, by God’s Spirit. Our minds are no longer set on what the flesh desires, but on what the Spirit of God desires for our lives (Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Lu 9:23-26).

Therefore, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it, but it is to the Spirit of God, to live by the Spirit, and by the Spirit to be putting to death the wicked deeds of the flesh. Then, we will live. For, it is those who are being led by the Spirit of God who are God’s children.

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

Colossians 2:8 NIV

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

So, we are to see to it that no one takes us captive through any hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ, our Lord.

Legalism, as understood correctly, which has to do with man-made rules and regulations that are external, in nature, such as restricting people in what they can eat and wear or having to do with forms of religion and religious rites and rituals or particular days in weeks, etc. is ONE FORM of this.

In today’s modern church in America, though, legalism is not a huge problem. The pendulum has swung the other direction. Now it is libertinism that is the huge danger among us, and which is prevalent within today’s modern day church gatherings.

Basically, what is being taught today is a belief in Jesus which is man-made and is not Scripturally supported, except by taking Scriptures out of their context and by twisting them to say something not intended, or by taking them out of context and thus distorting them to mean something else.

Many are teaching a cursory faith in Jesus Christ which requires no dying with Christ to sin (no baptism and no circumcision of the Spirit of God), and no resurrection with Christ to newness of life in him which is to be lived to him and to his righteousness, so no true change of mind and heart.

So, they give their adherents free license (carte blanche) to continue living in sin, only now without guilt or remorse. And many are teaching that obedience to Christ, surrender of one’s life to Christ, and the forsaking of our sins are all components of works-based salvation which they are to avoid.

But the Scriptures teach that if we don’t die (and we aren’t dying) with Christ to sin, but we continue living in sin, in deliberate rebellion against God’s commands (under the New Covenant), and if we don’t obey (are not obeying) his commands, as a matter of practice, that we will not inherit eternal life with God (Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).

So, we need to take this seriously, because time is running short. So, if you have not done so, surrender your life to Jesus Christ today, die with him to sin, and live to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15, 21).

Servant of the Lord 

An Original Work / July 26, 2012

Based off Romans 1:1-17 

Servant of the Lord;

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

Through Him, and for His name alone,

We receive His grace

To call people, Him to obey;

Coming from their faith.

Servant of the Lord,

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ;

Always praying for others’ needs;

Helping hand to lend;

Giving courage to others’ faith,

For the praise of God. 

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ.

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

In the gospel find righteousness:

Being right with God.

Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.

By faith, live in Him.

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

https://vimeo.com/119511640 

Are We Listening to Him?

Mark 4:1-9 NIV

“Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:

“‘Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.’

“Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’”

Jesus is still speaking to us today. He is speaking through the Scriptures (The Holy Bible – Genesis to Revelation). He is speaking to us through his Holy Spirit, and through dreams and visions. He is speaking to us through his servants and witnesses who are sharing the truths of God’s word with us. And he speaks to us through his created works, too, the Scriptures teach.

The question is, “Are we listening?” 

Mark 4:10-12 NIV

“When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, ‘The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,

    and ever hearing but never understanding;

otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

Who, then, were the parables for? They were for the Lord’s disciples. They were for them to search out the meaning before the Lord. They were to glean from them the deep things of God that God had for them to learn, but that the crowds were not ready to receive.

These parables were not naturally discernable. They were only discernable by the Spirit of God. So, the disciples had to depend on the Lord to teach them their meaning. Their own intelligence or higher learning would not aid them in this. They would only understand as they humbly sought the Lord for understanding.

So, what purpose did the parables serve? They were kind of like sermon illustrations, stories which pastors tell to help people connect to the teachings of Scripture, to make them practical and applicable to their lives. They are like word pictures to help us understand the meaning of Scriptures.

Well, dreams and visions can serve the same purpose today, and the Scriptures do teach that in these last days that God will pour out his Spirit on all and that his sons and daughters will prophesy, and some will dream dreams and others will have visions.

Those dreams and visions are just like parables. They illustrate for us Biblical teachings and how they are to be applied to our lives, to the church, and to the world today. In Bible times God spoke to the people about their current situations and their current world and he still speaks that way to us today if we will have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Mark 4:13-20 NIV

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.’”

So, this is the understanding of the parable that Jesus told about the farmer who went out to sow his seed. So, the seed is the word of the Lord, so the farmer is God, though he uses us humans to sow his seed. And the word went out, but it had four different receptions and responses to it.

The first people who heard the word did not receive it at all, because Satan stole the seed from their hearts. I don’t know if you have ever seen this happen before, but I have. You can watch as someone is moved emotionally to the truth of the gospel, and then their countenance will completely change and whatever feeling they had is then gone completely. It is heartbreaking to behold.

Then, there are those who are initially excited about the thought of Jesus dying for their sins so that they can be forgiven and have eternal life with God. But then reality sets in. Persecution comes, and then it isn’t fun anymore. They begin to question what they signed up for. And this is because what they thought they believed never took root in their lives, so they deserted the faith.

There are others, though, who hear the word, and I believe the indication here is that they receive it, at least on the surface, but it never bears fruit in their lives, because the things of this world choke it out. These people want to be saved and to have eternal life with God, but they never make the commitment to leaving the world behind them, so they are unfruitful.

Let me say here that the Scriptures are real clear that if we don’t die with Christ to sin, and if we don’t follow Jesus in obedience, and if Jesus is not Lord of our lives because sin is still our master, that we don’t have eternal life with God and we will die in our sins. So, the indication here is that none of the above are truly saved, and they don’t have eternal life with God.

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Rom 2:6-8; Gal 6:7-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10]

Lastly, there are those who hear the word, who accept it, in truth, who apply it to their lives, who follow Jesus in obedience, who leave their lifestyles of sin behind them, and who now walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24). 

They are not perfect people, and this doesn’t mean that they never sin, but sin is not their master, and they are, by the Spirit, putting sin to death, and they are living to please God, by the same Spirit. And they are being sanctified by the Spirit of God as they continue in Christ and in his word.

Therefore, they are bearing much fruit for God’s eternal kingdom, not because of what they do for God in their own flesh, but because of what they allow God to do in them and through them for his glory and praise. And this is where we should all be who profess faith in Jesus Christ.

Seek the Lord  

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy, and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296 

The Support Group

Psalm 86:14-17 NIV

 

“Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;

    ruthless people are trying to kill me—

    they have no regard for you.

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,

    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Turn to me and have mercy on me;

    show your strength in behalf of your servant;

save me, because I serve you

    just as my mother did.

Give me a sign of your goodness,

    that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,

    for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.”

 

Needing Healing

 

It was the early 1990s. I had been going through a time of depression and moral failure, but I was back on my feet, and I had joined a support group at my local church to help me heal emotionally and spiritually.

 

Prior to this I had worked a temp job at a local company where I had met and where I had worked with a young woman, Judy (not her real name). Judy was not a believer in Jesus, so even though I was not doing well spiritually or emotionally at that time, I knew I had to tell her about Jesus.

 

Judy and I formed a friendship, and she became part of our family, and she began attending church gatherings with us. At one of these gatherings, she believed in Jesus Christ to be her Lord and Savior, and she has been following him ever since then, as far as I know. Praise the Lord!

 

Well, Judy and I decided to join this support group together for we both had need of healing. She was timid and fearful about talking in the group, but she expressed to me that she wanted to talk, and she asked me to help her with that, and I said I would, even though I was hurting myself.

 

We had a couple of good meetings with this support group and then there was this one evening when Judy asked if I would help her talk at the group meeting. I agreed. So, when Judy began to talk that night and she got stuck, I encouraged her to not be afraid, that it was okay to talk.

 

The Next Week

 

Well, the next week at the support group meeting, the lady who was leading the group gave an announcement right at the beginning. She said they had a “new rule.” And the new rule went something like this:

 

“If your friend has something to say, let her say it, but if she doesn’t want to talk, don’t try to force her to talk.”

 

She might just as well have said, “Sue Love, if your friend doesn’t want to talk…,” for everyone in the room knew that the new rule was for me. I wanted to run and hide, but I would have had to walk past everyone, so I tried to maintain composure while trying to hold back the tears.

 

The next day, I think it was, I called the group leader, and I shared with her how that hit me, and I let her know that Judy had asked for my help and that I was trying to encourage her, not force her into anything. I wouldn’t have said anything if Judy had not asked for my help.

 

But the group leader was not receptive at all. She was convinced that I was trying to force my friend to talk when she didn’t want to talk and that I had done something wrong. And she was convinced that she had handled the situation correctly. She would not listen to me.

 

She told me I needed to speak with one of the pastors in the church who I had never met before, and he did not know me. So, I set up an appointment to talk with him.

 

The Pastoral Talk

 

That was a long time ago, but the Lord brought this man back to my memory today for some reason, and I believe the Lord is leading me to write about this today, also for some reason, but my memory is scant, so I will share what I recall.

 

I don’t remember who spoke first, but what I do remember is that the pastor told me that I was “autocratic.” I had to look up the word, for I was not familiar with it. It means “tyrannical, dictatorial.” I told him that I was not that, and I explained to him that my friend had asked for my help, so I was just doing what she had asked me to do.

 

He would not accept that. Even though he and I had never met before, he made a judgment about me, evidently on the word of the woman who was running the group, and he decided who I was and what I was about when he had absolutely no clue who I was or what I had been going through. So, he would not listen to me, either.

 

Now, for those of you who have read any of my testimony, you know that I had a rough life growing up, and that my husband and I had serious marital issues, primarily due to his sexual addiction, and as I said, I was just coming out of a time of depression and moral failure myself at this time.

 

I had been beaten down so many times in my life, and now here was another man/pastor “slam-dunking” me like I was a basketball going through a hoop. He had no compassion at all. He would not listen. He had his mind made up. And he was judge and jury and executioner, too.

 

I sat there in his office, with my husband beside me, while I just bawled my eyes out, and this pastor didn’t care. He was not moved at all by my tears. His job was just to tell me who I was and to execute the judgment against me. And my heart was ripped apart once again.

 

But God!

 

Pastor LK was arrogant and he was cruel to me without cause. He killed my heart without conscience or concern, and he was a pastor of a church. But God didn’t treat me like that. Thank the Lord! Or I would be dead!

 

The Lord was compassionate and gracious toward me, abounding in love. He turned to me, and he had mercy on me because I was showing his love to my new friend unselfishly when I was wounded and hurting myself. And he brought me out of that and other situations like that over the years.

 

But the Lord allowed me to go through that, and other such situations, because he had a plan for my life that would involve me getting rejected, mistreated, and misunderstood. And I had to learn to not run away.

 

I had to learn to be strong in the Lord and in his strength and to not let other people’s treatment of me or their opinion of me keep me from doing God’s will. I had to learn to stand strong in my faith no matter what people did to me or said about me. God was getting me ready for what he had for me to do, but at that time, I was unaware that was what was happening.

 

Then in 2004, around ten to twelve years later, the Lord called me to my present ministry of writing what he teaches me each day and of posting it on the internet. Now looking back, I can see God’s hand in my life through all that he took me through in preparing me for this ministry. So, I thank him and I praise him.

 

Songs in the Night  

 

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

 

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

 

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

 

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

 

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

 

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

 

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

 

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

 

https://vimeo.com/379484387

Hold On to What You Have

Revelation 3:7-8

 

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

 

“These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

 

These are the words of Jesus Christ. He is the one who is holy and true. And he is the one who possesses the keys to eternal life with God. He died on a cross to save us from our slavery to sin. And he was resurrected from the dead. And he lives to empower us to live to him and to his righteousness.

 

No human being can reverse what Jesus did for us on that cross. No man or woman can take that away from us. No one can alter or change what Jesus did for us on that cross, though many try. The gospel of Jesus Christ remains the same forever, even though some people try to distort it.

 

Thus, the true message of the gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed. Jesus provided the way on that cross for us to be delivered from our slavery to sin so that we can now live to him and to his righteousness. By his grace we are saved, through faith, which is God’s gift to us who believe in him.

 

So, what is that true message of the cross? It is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet 2:24; Rom 6:1-23).

 

We should have been taught, as the truth that is in Christ Jesus, to put off our old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:17-24; Lu 9:23-26).

 

By faith in Jesus Christ, we were crucified with Christ in death to sin and we were raised with Christ that we may live new lives. Our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin but slaves of righteousness (Rom 6:1-23).

 

He sets the criteria for who gets into his heaven and who doesn’t. We can’t make up our own gospel to suit our own purposes and promise ourselves heaven as our eternal destiny. What he says in his word stands! Eternal life with God is not promised to everyone who makes a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, only to those who die to sin and who obey him (Rom 6:1-23).

 

Revelation 3:9-10 NIV

 

“I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”

 

There are many liars and deceivers out there teaching a gospel other than the one that Jesus taught and that Paul and the other apostles taught. They claim to be Christians, and many of them are pastors of churches, but they deny the Lordship of Christ over their lives, they are still living in sin, and they are convinced they do not have to obey the Lord.

 

And they are opposed to the true gospel of Christ and to those of us who are teaching the true gospel of our salvation. They see us as legalists, self-righteous, intolerant, hateful (perhaps), disunifiers, stompers on God’s grace, and as teachers of works-based salvation.

 

Though presently these false teachers have been allowed to truly stomp on God’s grace by turning it into a free license for lasciviousness, they will not be allowed to continue forever. Though for now they have been allowed to attack the true gospel and its messengers, that day will come to an end, too.

 

One day these workers of iniquity and these false teachers of the gospel who are distorting, diluting, and altering the truth will be brought to their knees.

 

Regarding these words which say to this church that because they endured patiently that they will be kept from the hour of trial that is going to come on the earth, there are many interpretations of these words, some of which teach a pre-tribulation rapture of everyone professing faith in Jesus Christ.

 

But there are others who see this as God preserving and holding on to those of his who are keeping (obeying) God’s word, who are not denying his name by their lifestyles, and who are patiently enduring much persecution for their testimonies for Jesus Christ and for the sake of his gospel. He will carry us through every trial in his strength, because we have little of our own.

 

For, Scripture does not teach that followers of Jesus Christ will not have to endure suffering, hardship, or persecution. In fact, it teaches us the opposite. We are told that we will be hated and persecuted, and that some of us will be falsely accused and imprisoned and even killed for our faith.

 

[See: Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 1 Thes 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; Matt 5:10-12; Lu 21:12-19; 2 Co 1:3-11]

 

Revelation 3:11-13 NIV

 

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

 

Our hope in all of our suffering is that one day we will get to be with our Lord forever. Crying and pain will be no more. Sin will have no place where we are going. No vile or wicked person will be able to enter in, so we will no longer have people treating us badly, and we will no longer be tempted to sin. But our salvation will be complete. Amen!

 

So, we are being encouraged here to hold on to what the Lord has given to us and to not “jump ship” when things get much worse, which they will. For, according to Scripture, if we bail, and we choose to walk away from the Lord and to deny him and to return to living in sin, and that is where we remain, and we don’t repent, we don’t have eternal life (Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).

 

We must be victorious, not only over sin, but over the attacks of the enemy against us and the enemy’s attempts to get us to deny our Lord and to follow his lies, instead. We must resist him to the very end. We must remain strong in the Lord even if they beat us to death. We must be overcomers!

 

And one day when Jesus returns for his bride, we will get to go be with him forever, and forever we will be with our Lord. Amen! Oh, what a glorious day that will be when my Jesus I will see face to face and he will wipe away all the tears from my eyes.

 

Songs in the Night  

 

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

 

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

 

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

 

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

 

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

 

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

 

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

 

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

 

https://vimeo.com/379484387

If You're Struggling with Sin

 Mark 9:42 NIV

 

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”

 

Jesus was teaching on humility, servanthood, and on welcoming, in the name of Jesus, those who one might regard as less. So, the term “little ones” is not just speaking of children but of babes in Christ or of anyone regarded as insignificant, yet specifically of those believing in Jesus.

 

If anyone causes willful harm to, or causes one believing in Jesus to fall into a trap (a snare), so that the believer falls into sin or is harmed in some way, that person is going to face the wrath of God. This reminds me of this:

 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.  

 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” Matt 23:13-15

 

What I see here is the cheap grace gospel. There are many people today who are teaching that you can believe in Jesus (once), have your sins forgiven, and have heaven assured you as your eternal destiny, but it doesn’t matter how you live your life once you “believe.”

 

Some people take it even further than that and they are teaching that we are not to repent of our sins, that we are not to obey the Lord, and that we are not to submit to Christ as Lord (boss) of our lives or do what he says because, they say, that is “works-based salvation” and it is wrong.

 

So, what they are essentially saying is that to love God, to obey him, to cease to live in sin, and to give the Lord the honor and respect due him is wrong, and that what is right is for us to claim Jesus does it all for us so we can continue living in our sin, dishonoring God, and disobeying Him.

 

So, they are causing many of those who might believe in Jesus to stumble because they are setting a trap for them to fall into, which is the cheap grace gospel, which many are falling for. Or they find convincing ways to tell them that their sin is okay by calling it something other than what it is.

 

For example, as long as you put the term “struggling” in front of your sinful addiction it makes it acceptable, no matter how many years you continue to “struggle,” which usually means to habitually give in to that sin. They call themselves “recovering” addicts, so that also makes it acceptable, even though they are still addicted to sin.

 

Now, I fully realize that we don’t become perfect overnight and that our salvation (our sanctification) is a process. But that is never to be used as an excuse for continued habitual and deliberate and often premeditated sinning against God and against other humans.

 

For, the Scriptures could not be more clear. If we live in sin, and we make sin our practice, our habit, and we walk (in conduct) according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit, we will die in our sins. We will not have eternal life with God no matter what the cheap grace teachers say.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10]

 

Mark 9:43-48 NIV

 

“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where

 

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,

    and the fire is not quenched.’”

 

Now, I know this seems a bit extreme, but the principle here is this. If there are things in our lives, which may include some people, which are leading us into sin, we need to cut them out of our lives. We need to get rid of those evil influences in our lives which are leading us down a path of sin.

 

Now, we have a responsibility before God to resist the devil, to flee temptation, to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. So, this is not saying that we need to just run away from anything and everyone whenever we are tempted.

 

But if the people we are hanging out with are trying to lead us into sin, those are not the people we need to be making our best friends. I am not saying to totally cut them out of your lives, for you may still have a testimony with them, but that you need to limit your exposure to those who are pushing you into sin. So, sometimes you need to say “No!” to people, too.

 

Nonetheless, if your church pastor is teaching the cheap grace gospel and is trying to convince you that your sin no longer matters to God or that your sin (habitual) will not matter to your eternity, then I would recommend you find another fellowship of believers where the true gospel is being taught.

 

Don’t let other humans decide for you what is right and what is wrong. Study the Scriptures in context. Learn what they teach. Then obey the word of the Lord and not people if people are leading you away from the truth and into sin.

 

Also, stay away from TV shows, movies, music, video games, social media, and/or the news media, etc. where you are being influenced or encouraged to sin against God. You have probably heard the saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” If we take garbage into our minds, it will come out in our attitudes, thinking and behaviors.

 

If we do not take sin seriously, and if we play with fire, figuratively speaking, we are bound to get burned. For, again, if we walk in sin, if sin is what we practice, it doesn’t matter what we profess, we will die in our sins. We will not have eternal life with God, but we will face the wrath of God.

 

For, Jesus died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. He bought us back for God with his blood shed on that cross that we might now honor God with our lives.

 

When we believe on Jesus with God-persuaded faith, we die with Christ to sin and we are raised with Christ to newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. We were once enslaved to sin, but Jesus delivered us from our bondage to sin so that we would now become slaves of his righteousness.

 

[1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15, 21; Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Tit 2:11-14; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27; 1 Jn 2:3-6]

 

Thank You, Lord  

 

An Original Work / May 19, 2011

 

Thank You, Lord, for saving me;

From my sins set free.

Crucified and risen Lord,

They hung on a tree.

They thought they had finished You.

You came back to life;

Triumphed over hell and sin;

You gave eternal life.

 

Thank You, Lord, for victory

Over all my sin,

So that I might live with You;

You cleansed me within;

Filled me with your love and pow’r;

Give me strength each day,

So that I might live for You,

To love You and obey.

 

Thank You, Lord, for your return.

Soon You will arrive

To receive Your bride to You;

Meet You in the sky.

You’ll wipe away all our tears;

Free us from our fears;

Crown our heads in victory.

We’ll praise You with our cheers!

 

https://vimeo.com/125966333

Drink the Living Water

Summary of John 4:1-18

 

Jesus was on his way to Galilee from Judea, so he had to go through Samaria. Samaria was the shortest distance between the two places, but Jesus had to go through Samaria for another reason. He had a divine appointment with a Samaritan woman at a well.

 

Jesus was tired from the journey, so he sat down at Jacob’s well. A Samaritan woman came there to draw water. Jesus asked her for a drink of water. The woman was surprised that Jesus, a Jew, was asking her, a Samaritan woman, for water, since Jews did not associate with Samaritans.

 

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” V. 10

 

The woman then asked Jesus where he could get this living water.

 

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

 

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” Vv. 13-15

 

Jesus had an interesting response to the woman’s request. He told her to go call her husband and to come back. And it is important here that we connect Jesus’ response to her with her request, for this was not an arbitrary response on Jesus’ part. He wasn’t ignoring her request, either.

 

The woman then responded to Jesus by telling him that she had no husband, and Jesus acknowledged that she had told the truth. The fact is, he told her, that she had had five husbands and that the man she now had was not her husband.

 

Living Water and Eternal Life

 

Going back to verse 10, Jesus’ reference to the “gift of God” was really to himself. He is God’s gift to us. He is our salvation. He is our hope. He is our healing. He is our life. He is eternal life. He is God’s grace to us. Only in him can we be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God.

 

And the living water that he gives is eternal life with God, it is his life giving Spirit, it is new life in Jesus Christ by faith in him. It is our salvation from our bondage to sin, and it is empowerment of the Spirit of God to live in his holiness and righteousness for the glory and praise of God.

 

For, what do the Scriptures teach with regard to what wells up to eternal life or what results in or ends in eternal life with God?

 

·       Belief in Jesus Christ – Jn 3:16, 36

·       Partaking in the living water Jesus gives us – Jn 4:13-14

·       Honoring God, the Father and God, the Son; belief – Jn 5:22-24

·       Participating with Jesus in his death and resurrection – Jn 6:35-57

·       Listening to and following Jesus in obedience – Jn 10:27-30

·       Persistence in doing the good God requires – Rom 2:6-8

·       Living free from sin and as slaves of God – Rom 6:16-23

·       Sowing to please the Spirit of God – Gal 6:7-8

 

So, to drink this water that Jesus gives us, which wells up to eternal life, is more than a cursory profession of faith in Jesus Christ. It is full participation with Christ in his death to sin and his resurrection to new life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Lu 9:23-26; Tit 2:11-14).

 

It is honoring God by dying with him to sin and living to him and to his righteousness in the power of God’s Spirit living within us. It is listening to our Lord via the study of his word (in context) and via listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, and then doing what he says.

 

And it is walking according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, living to please God in all that we are and do and say. It is doing the works of the Spirit that he planned for us to do from before the creation of the world, as his workmanship. And it is living in freedom from bondage to sin and as slaves of God and of his righteousness (Eph 2:10; Rom 6 and 8).

 

“Sir, Give Me This Water”

 

When the woman asked Jesus for this water so that she would never be thirsty again, Jesus had an odd response to her. He told her to go call her husband and to come back. But Jesus knew she had no husband, so why did he tell her this?

 

I believe it was his gentle way with her in getting her to own up to her sins. For, this was his response to her request when she asked for the water. For what does the water represent? It represents our new lives in Christ Jesus, dead to our old lives of sin, now living to him and to his righteousness.

 

He was letting her know that the living water that he gives would give her a new life in him, not like the old life she had been living. For what he was offering her was not like her old life. This was something new, something she didn’t already have, but that she needed.

 

But it was also to reveal to her who he is, not just a prophet, but the Messiah, the Christ who was to come to save God’s people from their sins (Jn 4:25-26). He had now come, and he was offering to save her from her sins and to give her eternal life with him.

 

And he is offering the same to everyone who does not yet know him by faith in him, which includes all those who profess faith in him but who have not yet partaken of his death and resurrection, but who are still living in sin, in the flesh, and who do not have this living water welling up to eternal life.

 

He is saying to leave your lives of sin behind you to follow him in obedience to his will for your life, to die with him to sin, and to live to him and to his righteousness, by faith in him, in the power of his Spirit. And this will result in eternal life with God (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Lu 9:23-26).

 

Seek the Lord  

 

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

 

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

 

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

 

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy, and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

 

https://vimeo.com/379408296

The Powers of This Dark World

Ephesians 6:10-13 NIV

 

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

 

The Devil’s Schemes

 

What kinds of schemes? There are many. For one, Satan convinced the church at large in America, and in some other nations, perhaps, too, to water down the gospel message to make it more attractive and acceptable to the world and to human flesh.

 

They inverted the truth and turned it into a lie. Instead of teaching death to sin (repentance), obedience to Christ, and submission to Christ as Lord, they are teaching that none of that is required, and they are calling it “works-based salvation,” and they are warning people against it.

 

The church, which is Christ’s body, his church, which is spiritual, and which is a living organism with Christ as her head, has also been turned upside down, and it has been turned into a marketplace for conducting business with the world, and so it has been patterned after the world.

 

The church also unequally yoked together with the ungodly by partnering with the government in an unholy union via the 501c3. And they brought government worship into the gatherings of the church via the pledge of allegiance to the government, via patriotic songs of worship to the government, and via the honoring of our military as our heroes.

 

So, now we have many people calling themselves Christians who are still living in sin, doing what they want to do, refusing to obey the Lord, thinking they don’t have to, so refusing to give God the honor he deserves. But they are honoring and worshiping the government via their vows of fidelity and via their undying loyalties and devotion to government leaders.

 

And this is why our nation (the USA), and perhaps other nations, too, are in the mess that they are in because the church stopped being the church, and it stopped being the light which cannot be hidden, and it stopped being the salt of the earth, and it got involved in marketing and in politics, instead, and it became one with the world instead of one with Christ.

 

And Satan is laughing, and he is rejoicing, because he talked the church into denying their Lord and into following him, instead. He convinced them that good is evil and that evil is good, and many bought into his lies. For he persuaded them that sin was good and that righteousness was evil.

 

Be Strong in The Lord

 

So, what must we do to be strong in the Lord and to fight off the devil’s evil schemes against the church? First of all, we must listen to the Lord and to his word (in context), and we must stop listening to liars and deceivers and stop following after their lies while rejecting the truth.

 

Then we must put the word of God into practice in our lives, but not just cherry picked Scriptures taken out of context, but the whole counsel of God which Paul said he taught, which he did. So, we need to study the Scriptures in context so that we know what they are teaching.

 

Then we need to obey the Lord and the teachings of Scripture under the New Covenant, some of which are in the Old Testament, too, according to where the same teachings from the Old Testament are repeated for us under the New Covenant, which many are.

 

And one day at a time, as the Lord shows us the lies we are believing, we must put those off and put on the truth in place of them and apply that truth to our lives by putting it into practice. And, depending on where we are in relationship with the Lord, this may require cutting many things out of our lives and replacing them with the things of God and with doing his will.

 

The Spiritual Forces of Evil

 

If we are at all in tune to the voice of God’s Spirit because we are walking in holiness and righteousness in the power of God, and because we are not giving the devil a foothold in our lives, we should be well aware of these forces of evil and these powers of this dark world.

 

We should be able to spot them, to identify them for what they are, and we should not be taken in by them now, even if we once were. Yes, Satan is behind them all, and he is our true enemy, but he has many humans who work for him, even many who disguise themselves as servants of righteousness but who are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

 

But we don’t fight evil with our own flesh, for flesh can’t drive out flesh or the devil, and we don’t fight evil with the weapons of this world, as many try to do. And that is not including just physical weapons of warfare, but that includes psychological weapons of warfare, too, which we are not to use.

 

We also must not allow other humans, especially those who are living worldly lives, to determine for us what or who is evil. We must let God show us who or what is evil based on the truth of his word and not on the criteria set down by humans in their deceitful scheming.

 

One of Satan’s evil schemes against us is to manipulate our minds into believing his lies, and he does this through the media (TV, movies, music, video games, the internet, social media, and the news media, and smart devices, etc.). And those who are consumed with the media are most likely being hypnotized into believing lies without even realizing they are.

 

So, this is where we must pull away from media consumption and spend much time in the word of God, in prayer, seeking God’s face, and asking him to reveal to us what the lies are so that we reject them and we don’t follow them. For they are many, and they are subtle and very deceptive.

 

Especially now, with all that is going on in the world and in our individual nations we must be people of much spiritual discernment, which we are not going to be if the media is what we are following instead of the word of God. For the media lies to us, but God does not.

 

The Full Armor of God

 

Again, we are not going to be able to put on the full armor of God if we are putting on the full armor of men in their deceitful scheming. If we are those who believe everything we hear coming from the news media or from specific politicians or political platforms, or even from some preachers, we are ripe for falling prey to the devil’s schemes against us.

 

So, again, pull away from media consumption and get alone with God as much as possible and feed on his word and let it sink into your minds and hearts and begin to obey it as the word speaks to you, if this is not yet your practice. Let the Holy Spirit open your mind and heart to all lies you are believing and begin to now believe and live the truth of God’s word.

 

When Satan tries to trap you or trip you up or to deceive you, use that armor of faith, righteousness, truth, the word of God, the gospel, and your salvation (according to the truth of Scripture) and fight off his lies, and proclaim and live the truth of God’s holy word. And don’t let the devil have a foothold in your life, for your life is now hidden in Christ, who is your life.

 

Thank You, Lord  

 

An Original Work / May 19, 2011

 

Thank You, Lord, for saving me;

From my sins set free.

Crucified and risen Lord,

They hung on a tree.

They thought they had finished You.

You came back to life;

Triumphed over hell and sin;

You gave eternal life.

 

Thank You, Lord, for victory

Over all my sin,

So that I might live with You;

You cleansed me within;

Filled me with your love and pow’r;

Give me strength each day,

So that I might live for You,

To love You and obey.

 

Thank You, Lord, for your return.

Soon You will arrive

To receive Your bride to You;

Meet You in the sky.

You’ll wipe away all our tears;

Free us from our fears;

Crown our heads in victory.

We’ll praise You with our cheers!

 

https://vimeo.com/125966333