God is Not Dead!

An Original Work / November 30, 2021

God is not dead! He is alive!

Only in Him will we survive.

Morning or noon, late in the day,

All on His alter to Him we lay.

Loving our Father, who is in heav’n,

Jesus, our Lord, our lives are giv’n.

Forsaking sin, walk in his love,

Blessed by His mercy, gift from above.

Fellowship now with Him in truth,

Loving His word – sink in your tooth.

Eat of His bread, drink of His cup,

Feasting on Him, never enough. 

Walking with Him where’er He leads,

He will meet all, all of our needs.

Go where He sends, do as He states,

All of His truth, never forsake.

Prayer Request

Prayer request: I was at my son's house on Sunday with my husband and the rest of my family (most of them). I walked out to the car, put some things in the car, stood up and my right knee suddenly gave out. I can't walk now without the aid of a walker. Prayers would be appreciated.

They Cannot Please God

Romans 8:1-4 ESV

 

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

 

Many people read this first verse and then stop there, and then they claim that they are “in Christ” because of some confession of faith that they made, and therefore they also claim that they are no longer under condemnation. So, then many of them assume that their sins no longer matter to God, and so it doesn’t matter how much they sin, for their assumption is that all their sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, and therefore they are not guilty.

 

Now, there is an element of truth to what they say, yet, just like many lies, they are a mixture of truth and lies, largely as a result of teaching Scriptures out of their context and presenting them in a way that is not accurate to that context, with regard to biblical doctrine. So, we can’t build our doctrine of salvation around just this one verse. We need to keep reading on.

 

And then we read that God condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk (in conduct, in practice) not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Now we have a much clearer picture of what is going on here.

 

Yes, Jesus died on that cross to forgive us our sins, to remove the punishment of sin from our lives, and to give us the hope of eternal life with God. But that is only half of the story. He died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, and that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us, and so we would now honor God with our lives (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15; 1 Co 6:19-20).

 

Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For, he said if we save our lives (hold on to our lives of living for sin and for self) we will lose them for eternity. But if we lose our lives for his sake (die with him to sin and live to righteousness), we will have eternal life (Lu 9:23-26).

 

[Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 12:1-2]

 

Romans 8:5-8 ESV

 

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

 

And now the picture becomes even more clear. If we claim to have faith in Jesus Christ but we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and we walk according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit, not in righteousness, our minds are not set on God/Jesus Christ or on things above, but our minds are still fixed on our flesh and on the things of this sinful world.

 

So, if we walk according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit (in righteousness), this will end in death. And this is not speaking of physical death which we all will face unless our Lord first returns. This is speaking of spiritual death. We will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God if sin is what we practice and if righteousness is not our practice.

 

So, if our minds – our thinking, believing, attitudes, philosophies – are set on the flesh and not on the Spirit, it means that they are hostile to God. They do not submit to God’s law. They are not capable of submitting. So, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. And yes, we still have commands of God we must submit to, that we must obey, and yes, we must live to please God and not ourselves or we don’t know God.

 

We can’t continue in deliberate and habitual sin and have eternal life with God. We can’t go on living in idolatry, adultery, fornication, sexual immorality, thievery, lying, cheating, slandering, and abusing others. God does not look the other way when we sin. He sees if you are looking at porn or if you are in an extra-marital affair, or if you are refusing to let go of your past and to get rid of all the hate stored up in your heart.

 

He can see what you do when the door is closed behind you and you think no one else is looking. He knows all that you do every moment of every day, and he knows every thought that you think and every evil deed that you conspire against him and against others. He knows it is “lust” when you call it “love” and when you are walking by your flesh and not by the Spirit.

 

And he knows, too, if you are conspiring to do evil to those who are walking according to the Spirit, and who are following the Lord in obedience. He knows the jealousy that is in your heart. He knows the bitterness you won’t let go of and the resentment towards those who are godly, who are living in freedom from sin, and who are living to please the Lord. So, don’t think you can “pull the wool over” God’s eyes.

 

For, it is those who live according to the Spirit who have God’s divine approval. For, they are those who are setting their minds on the Spirit and not on the flesh, and not on the pleasures this world has to offer. They are the ones who will experience life and peace in the Spirit. For they are the ones who are living to please God. It doesn’t mean they are perfect, but they are conducting their lives according to the Spirit as their life practice.

 

So, if your mind is still set on the flesh and the things of this world while you are claiming “who I am in Christ” in order to alleviate your guilty conscience, please take this passage of Scripture to heart, and others like it. For, if you continue in living to please your flesh, and not to please the Spirit, it will end in death. You will not have eternal life with God.

 

[1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Matt 7:21-23; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

 

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.

 

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

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Your Word to Me

Luke 1:26-38 NIV

 

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

 

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

 

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

 

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

 

We who are followers of Jesus all have the Savior of the world living within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. God is living within us, not physically, but spiritually. So, we all carry God’s Son in our bodies, in our lives. We have all been called of God to carry his Son. The Lord is not only with us, but he is living within us. We are all favored of God, for we have received his grace.

 

And how does this happen to us? Well, God has to call us, too. He has to draw us to faith in Jesus Christ. He has to persuade us as to his divine character and will for our lives and of our sinful condition. Then he has to convince us of our need of salvation from sin, and of our need to repent of our sins and to obey him, and then he births in us the faith to believe in Jesus, which is birthed of God’s Spirit (Heb 12:1-2; Jn 6:44; Eph 2:8-10).

 

And when we believe in Jesus, we all become servants of the Lord, too. And if Christ truly is in us by God-given faith in Jesus Christ, and we have been born anew of the Spirit of God, because we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we have been raised with Christ to newness of life in him to be lived to his glory, for the old has gone and the new has come, then we will echo Mary’s words “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15; 1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Rom 12:1-2; Tit 2:11-14; Jn 15:1-11]

 

Servants of the Lord

 

Going back to the story of Mary’s calling of God, think with me practically for a moment what that might have looked like for Mary, especially under the Old Covenant and in that day and time. Now she was pregnant. She was engaged to Joseph, which back then was a marriage contract, but they had not yet consummated their marriage, so she is pregnant out of wedlock.

 

She could have been stoned to death, as far as my understanding of the Old Covenant law goes, or Joseph could have had her put away. But an angel visited Joseph and told him what had happened to Mary, and so he believed the angel, and he did not put Mary away, but he did not consummate his marriage with Mary until after Jesus was born.

 

But still, Mary had now become pregnant. And people are going to naturally assume that she did something wrong, and so she was probably shunned and called all sorts of names, perhaps out in public, too, and perhaps Joseph was too, for since he did not put her away, people may have assumed he and Mary had had sexual relations. But what else were they to think? They didn’t understand that this child was the Son of God.

 

Now, let me parallel that to our lives. When we believe in Jesus with God-given faith, and we die with Christ to sin, and we are reborn of the Spirit of God, and now we walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, and the Spirit of God lives within us, it should be as apparent as Mary’s pregnancy. It should show on the outside.

 

And if we have biblical faith and a true transformation of the Holy Spirit whereby we truly forsake our former lives of living for sin and for self and where we now walk with the Lord in obedience to his commands, not only should it be evident outwardly (by our fruit), but people who have not had that experience should not understand the transformation that took place in our lives, and many of them may mock us and call us names, too.

 

For, Jesus said that if we love him, and if we follow him, and if we, thus, come out of living according to the flesh and according to the ways of the world, and we now live (walk) according to the Spirit, the world (and worldly Christians) will hate (persecute, reject, despise) us. They won’t understand us, we will be an offense to them, they won’t like the message we are bringing to them, and so they typically will not want anything to do with us.

 

And since so much of today’s church, at least here in America, has gone the way of the world in order to attract the world to their gatherings, they won’t want us in their gatherings lest we might offend someone with the truth. And that is because they don’t allow the Holy Spirit in their gatherings for he would convict people of sin and call them to repentance and to obedience, and he would warn them of divine judgment if they did not obey the Lord.

 

Let it Be to Me

 

So, we need to have Mary’s attitude about all of this, too. If we are going to carry the Son of God in our lives, which will be evident by the fruit we bear, we should accept the fact that we will be shunned, hated, rejected, persecuted, falsely accused, and called all sorts of names. We should expect the church which is following the ways of the world to reject us, too.

 

They will reject us because we are not of the world and most of them are. They have joined forces with the government, with the world, and with big business to now turn the gatherings of the church into a marketplace to be marketed to the flesh of man. Thus, they have also diluted the gospel to where it does not require repentance, obedience, or submission to Christ as Lord. But it gives out feel-good messages to appease people’s consciences.

 

So, if you are one who is still holding on to the truth of the gospel, and who is teaching that we must die with Christ to sin and live to Christ and to his righteousness, you will not be welcome in these institutional market-driven and flesh-driven gatherings called “church.” But that’s ok, because God has called us to come out of Babylon so that we don’t share in her sins and in her punishment.

 

So, you need to go where the Lord sends you. The Lord sent me to the internet seventeen years ago, and that has been a blessing in my life. I am finding true Christian fellowship there and so far I am able to share the truth of the gospel there. And the messages are going to people all over the world. All glory to God. So, where doors may close in our faces, God has something else for us, and so we need to go where he sends us.

 

Breath Of Heaven (Mary's Song)

 

Songwriters: Amy Lee Grant / Chris Eaton

 

I have traveled many moonless nights

Cold and weary with a babe inside

And I wonder what I've done

Holy father you have come

And chosen me now to carry your son

 

I am waiting in a silent prayer

I am frightened by the load I bear

In a world as cold as stone

Must I walk this path alone?

Be with me now

Be with me now

 

Breath of heaven

Hold me together

Be forever near me

Breath of heaven

Breath of heaven

Lighten my darkness

Pour over me your holiness

For you are holy

Breath of heaven

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6VGVXjGLBQ

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Being Led by the Spirit

Galatians 5:16-18 ESV

 

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

 

Our walks have to do with how we live. They are our deeds, our works, the things that we do or don’t do. They are how we conduct our lives day in and day out. They are our habits. And they are the things that we say. But what we do and say comes from what is within our hearts, so they have to also do with our mindset, our thinking, our values, our philosophies, our attitudes.

 

So, if we conduct our lives by the Spirit, in all that we are and say and do, it means that our minds, hearts, and deeds will be being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. We will desire what he desires. We will do and say the kinds of things he did and said in the power of God. And we will live lives which are separate (unlike, different) from this sinful world.

 

If we do this, in the power of God’s Spirit, we will not gratify the desires (sinful cravings) of the flesh. For, the reason that so many professing Christians are living to gratify the desires of the flesh is because they either do not truly know God, because they did not and are not dying with him to sin, and/or they have returned to walking according to the flesh.

 

Another big reason why so many professing Christians today are not walking by the Spirit, but they are living to gratify the sinful cravings of the flesh, is because they have bought into a cheap grace gospel which is telling them that they don’t have to repent of their sins, nor obey Jesus, nor submit to Christ as Lord (owner-master) of their lives.

 

But the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other. So, how can anyone believe that Jesus’ plan of salvation for you is only to forgive your sins and to promise you heaven when you die, and that he saved you from your sins so now you don’t have to feel guilty when you do sin?

 

For, Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. And he shed his blood on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) so we would now honor God with our lives and with our bodies (1 Peter 2:24; 2 Co 5:15; 1 Co 6:19-20).

 

Galatians 5:19-21 ESV

 

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

 

A lot of people are teaching today that once you believe in Jesus that all your sins are forgiven, past, present, and future, so it no longer matters to God if you sin. In fact they claim that God can’t even see when you sin and that all he sees is Jesus when he looks at you, even if you are engaged in all manner of evil against him.

 

But if that were true, then we could throw out most of the New Testament, in particular Paul’s writings, because Paul could see when they sinned, and he called them out on their sins, and he warned them of the consequences of continued sin, and he let them know that if they made sin their practice that they would not inherit eternal life with God.

 

Many professing Christians today, including some (or many) pastors, are leading double lives, confessing faith in Jesus Christ on the outside, going through the forms of worship of God, praying out loud so people can hear them, and quoting Scripture so that they sound righteous, but while they are engaged in all sorts of wickedness and immorality.

 

Sexual immorality, porn addiction, extramarital affairs, adultery, fornication, sex texting, child molestation, child porn, self-gratification, self-pleasure, watching sexually charged movies or videos or listening to music of the same nature have run amuck (in a violently raging, wild, or uncontrolled manner) in today’s church culture and in society, in general.

 

People living by their feelings, hardened to the truth of God’s word, lying, hardened to God’s moral standards for us to follow, pleasure seeking, following the ways and thinking of this sinful world, living in rebellion against God, disrespectful, disobedient, self-gratifying, and mocking and masquerading righteousness and holiness is prevalent even in the church.

 

And then if they begin to feel guilty about their sin, they are being taught to just “claim who you are in Christ” to alleviate the guilt. For, they separate what we do from who we are. But what we practice is who we are. If lying, we are liars. If stealing, we are thieves. If adultery, we are adulterers. And who we are in Christ is not just dependent on what Jesus did for us on that cross, but it is dependent on us dying to sin and living to righteousness.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:22-25; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Matt 7:21-23; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10]

 

Galatians 5:22-24 ESV

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

 

The fruit of the Spirit is the result, the outgrowth, the produce of the Holy Spirit, and it is also the result and outgrowth of a life committed to Jesus Christ, dying with him to sin and to self, and walking in obedience to his commands in the power of God’s Spirit. When our lives are under Holy Spirit control and no longer under the control of sin, we should bear this fruit.

 

Now, this is not saying that we are going to be instantaneously perfect and that we will never sin again (see 1 Jn 2:1-2), but the Scriptures do teach that if we don’t obey the Lord, and if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness is not what we practice, that we will not inherit eternal life (1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rom 2:6-8; Gal 6:7-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10).

 

But if we are walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, then we should be displaying the fruit of the Spirit. We should be loving people with the love of God, and showing God’s grace to people, and be being faithful to God and to his word, and we should be exercising self-control and not be living out-of-control lives.

 

And this will be the result of lives which truly belong to Christ Jesus, who have, by the Spirit, by God’s grace, through God-given faith in Christ, crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Yet, this is not saying that we will be absolutely perfect in everything that we do, but lack of perfection should never be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin.

 

Footprints of Jesus

 

Lyrics by Mary B. Slade, pub. 1871

Music by Asa B. Everett

 

Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling,

Come, follow Me!

And we see where Thy footprints falling

Lead us to Thee.

 

Though they lead o’er the cold, dark mountains,

Seeking His sheep;

Or along by Siloam’s fountains,

Helping the weak.

 

If they lead through the temple holy,

Preaching the Word;

Or in homes of the poor and lowly,

Serving the Lord.

 

If Thy way and its sorrows bearing,

We go again,

Up the slope of the hillside, bearing

Our cross of pain.

 

Then, at last, when on high He sees us,

Our journey done,

We will rest where the steps of Jesus

End at His throne.

 

Footprints of Jesus,

That make the pathway glow;

We will follow the steps of Jesus

Where’er they go.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug0g048Nqes

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Let's Bow Down and Worship

Matthew 2:11 NIV

 

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

 

How does Jesus Christ want to be worshipped today?

 

First of all, Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self and take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him (in his ways and in his truth). For, he said that if we save our lives (of living for sin and self) that we will lose them for eternity. But if for his sake we lose our lives (die with him to sin) we will have life in him (Lu 9:23-26).

 

Secondly, we read in Romans 12:1-2 that we are to present our bodies (our lives) to God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable (or pleasing) to God, which is our spiritual (or reasonable service of) worship of him. So, we worship Jesus by surrendering our lives to him as living sacrifices to him, holy and pleasing (acceptable) to him.

 

This means that our lives are now given over to God and he owns us and we are his possession, “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). We belong to him and he is now our master. For Jesus shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) so that we would now honor God with our bodies (1 Co 6:19-20; cf. 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15).

 

And now we are living holy lives, and holy means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made into the likeness of Jesus Christ. It means we don’t live any longer like we did before we believed in Jesus. We no longer live according to the ways of this sinful world, but according to the Spirit of God. And we are no longer enslaved to sin but we are enslaved to Christ and to his righteousness.

 

[Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Php 2:12-13; Jn 15:1-11; Gal 5:16-24]

 

This is what he wants from us in the way of worship. He does not want false accolades. He doesn’t want lip service only. He wants us fully surrendered to him with our lives on his altar, dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus, no longer living for the pleasures of our sinful flesh, but now living to please the Lord Jesus in all that we do and say, in obedient walks of faith.

 

And what gifts does he want us to bring him?

 

He also does not want false forms of worship of him, especially ones he did not require or that were created in the minds of humans and/or that are a mixture of pagan worship and false attempts at worshiping God, too. He did not ask for us to make manger scenes showing him as a baby alongside the worship of a false god called Santa (Satan) whose handlers have given him a great number of the attributes and character traits of God.

 

Just think with me about this for a moment. Here is little Jesus in a manger scene, a helpless baby with no apparent power or influence or words that he can speak, for he is a ceramic baby. And then next to him is big Santa, full of life, talking, singing, and making promises he can’t fulfill (cause he is a false god), talking with the children, making them like him, telling them to send him letters with their requests (kind of like prayers to Jesus).

 

And who are the children anxiously awaiting his return? It is not the return of Jesus they are anxiously awaiting, but the return of Santa, for Santa will ride through the air on a sleigh and he will deliver presents to all good little boys and girls on a single night, magically appearing inside all their homes while everyone is asleep. This is what children are going to get excited about, not figurines of a helpless, lifeless baby in a manger.

 

And let me tell you that this is purposeful. When you look at all the parallels between the character of God and this character called “Santa” you can easily see that he was created to be an “anti-christ,” i.e. to be a replacement (a supplanter) of Jesus Christ in the minds and hearts of young children and even some adults, too. And do you think the Lord wants to be celebrated in this way alongside this false god? NO WAY!

 

In fact, God talked much with his people about how they were trying to combine pagan worship with worship of him, and he told them that was not acceptable to him. They couldn’t drink from the cup of demons and from the cup of the Lord at the same time. Either they worshiped God in truth, in the way that he required, or they didn’t. And it is still the same way today.

 

If we want to celebrate Jesus Christ, we need to do it in the way that he requires and that is acceptable and pleasing to him, not make up our own forms of worship of him based on pagan traditions and expect him to then be pleased with them, or for us to just assume he is pleased when he is not.

 

There just is no biblical basis for this worship of Jesus on this holiday called “Christmas.” Jesus is NOT the reason for the season, for if he was, Christmas would not be celebrated in the way that it is. We would have a revival, instead, with people throwing out all their idols, getting rid of most of their movies and games, with people on their knees truly repenting of their sins and honestly making the choice to make Jesus their only God.

 

And they bowed down and worshiped him.

 

What does it mean to “bow down”? It means to show respect. It also means to obey, to pledge allegiance, to submit one’s will to someone, and to yield sovereignty to someone, who in this case would be God/Jesus Christ. And this is exactly how Jesus wants to be honored, not with pagan celebrations supposedly in honor of him.

 

So, if you want to celebrate Jesus Christ and to give him honor, please do it in the way that he requires, for it means nothing to him if you are following a set of human traditions thinking he will be pleased with them, and especially if your lives are not surrendered to him, and especially if you are just living your life to please yourself, and if you are still deliberately and habitually sinning against him in direct defiance to his commands.

 

Choose today to surrender all to him, to do things his way, not your way, to yield control of your life over to him, to honor him by living holy lives, pleasing to him, no longer under the control of sin but as slaves of righteousness. Choose to walk in obedience to his commands. And please show him respect by searching the Scriptures and by seeking his face with regard to your participation in these yearly pagan celebrations.

 

There’s a Stirring

 

By Annie Herring

 

There's a stirring deep within me
Could it be my time has come
When I'll see my gracious savior face to face when all is done
Is that his voice I am hearing?
'Come away, my precious one'
Is he calling me?
Is he calling me?

I will rise up, rise up
And bow down
And lay my crown
At his wounded feet

Is that His voice I am hearing?
'Come away, my precious one'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yocTjkB6hV8

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By Telling You the Truth

Have I Become Your Enemy?

 

The passage of Scripture is Galatians 4:12-20, which is a continuation of the previous section of verses 8-11. I taught on vv. 8-9 a few hours ago in a post titled, “He Died to Free You!” And the subject matter of that post was of Christians, whom Jesus had delivered from their slavery to sin, turning back to idolatry, immorality, wickedness, lying, cheating, etc., i.e. turning back to being enslaved by sin all over again even though Jesus had set them free.

 

And then Paul gave a defense of his ministry to those who were returning to slavery to sin, stating that, at first, they did him no wrong, but they were supportive of him, even though his bodily ailment was a trial to them. They did not scorn or despise him, but they received him as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. And he testified to them that, if possible, they would have gouged out their eyes and given them to him. But then he asked them:

 

“What then has become of your blessedness?” And

 

“Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?”

 

For, they were no longer listening to him. Now they were listening to other voices which were convincing them to go back to idolatry. So, he feared that he may have labored over them in vain.

 

Galatians 4:16 ESV

 

“Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?”

 

An Advocate for the Unprotected

 

I am an advocate for the abused, the innocent, the unprotected, and the vulnerable, not in a legal sense, but in a moral sense. The Lord Jesus led me to begin a blog titled, “Walking Wounded,” back in January of 2018, so nearly 4 years ago, in order to address such issues of adultery, abuse, lying, addiction, manipulation, forgiveness, healing, deliverance, and the like.

 

Now, I do post a variety of posts on this blog, but the primary purpose of it is to talk about these issues mentioned, and to give examples, sometimes, too, of such situations, so that you can relate to the subject in a very personal way. I do not skirt around issues, for then the writing serves no purpose. I am frank in these discussions because if we don’t face these issues for what they are then we can’t find true healing and deliverance.

 

The Lord Jesus led me to share my own testimony in the form of a book titled, “I Married My Dad,” and with my husband’s endorsement and approval I published this book on this blog and it can be downloaded for free. The beginning chapters detail what our life situations were, and then the bulk of the book is focused on remedy, on healing, and on deliverance.

 

So, if you come to this blog expecting some “nicey-nice feel-good” devotions to make you feel good about where you are in life, then you have come to the wrong place. This is a place where we are going to talk turkey about real life situations regarding abuse and addiction (and what all that entails), etc. I will not name names except by permission, or unless they are public figures. So, if you think you know who I am talking about, please keep that to yourselves.

 

We accomplish nothing if all we do is talk around subjects or so generically that no one is touched by them at all. Jesus didn’t dilute the truth and neither did Paul, and neither will I. And before you go on the all out attack and start accusing me wrongfully, please know that I will not publish such comments as those on my blog. You may ask questions. You may test what I say against the Scriptures. But please be respectful.

 

Galatians 4:17-20 ESV

 

“They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.”

 

From Deep Love and Concern

 

The reason I write what I write is the same reason that Paul wrote and said what he wrote and said. And that is out of anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. It is out of deep love and concern for the hurting, the vulnerable, the abused, and the unprotected, but it is also out of deep love and concern for the addicted, the abusers, the liars and the adulterers who are trapped by sin’s deceitfulness and who are refusing the way out.

 

I see, not only what sin does to those being sinned against by others, but I see what sin does to the lives of those who are living in addiction to sin, who are refusing to come into the light lest their evil deeds be exposed, and who are continuing in their sinful practices even though they have been shown the light. It breaks my heart. I weep over these situations. And so did Paul. And that is why he addressed such issues, out of deep love and concern, and with a hope that what he wrote might move them in the right direction.

 

But the reason we are where were are as the church right now, and as a nation (America, for me), is that so many have deserted the faith to go after the false gods of this world, and to go after these “feel good” messages which don’t confront them with their sin, and which don’t call them to repentance, and which don’t insist on obedience to the Lord’s commands.

 

So many church gatherings, or gatherings of what is being falsely called “church,” are being pastored by men (and some women) who are altering the gospel message to appeal to the flesh of humans. And so they are telling them that they can “believe” in Jesus and have their sins forgiven and have heaven guaranteed them as their eternal destiny, but that they don’t have to obey the Lord or forsake their sins or submit to Christ as Lord. Or else they are just telling them that their sins no longer matter to God.

 

And what is the result? Statistics have it that as much as 65-75% of Christian men are regulars of pornography viewing, and many of them are addicted to porn and to sexual idolatry and immorality. Many women have joined their ranks, as well, and a large number of children now are viewing porn and are involved in sexual sin in various other ways. And statistics have it that 35-50% of pastors now view porn, too. And the church is proud!

 

And what is the result of all this? Dad’s are not leading their families to walk in holiness and righteousness, but they are leading them to walk in wickedness. Some of them are abusing their wives and their children, too, because they are filling their minds with all that filth, and the church is largely doing nothing about it, but they are actually granting permission for them to continue in their idolatries and in their sexual immoralities.

 

So, child abuse and spousal abuse, especially in the area of sexual abuse, is now rampant in the church and in our homes and in our communities. But we aren’t supposed to address these issues because it might offend people. And if we do address these issues, we are considered “the bad guy.” We have now become the enemy because we are telling the truth, and we are exposing the lies and the sin that is running rampant in the church, for we are calling “help!” for someone to come to the rescue.

 

But we need to talk about these things because they are killing the family of God, they are destroying the church, they are killing marriages, they are breaking apart families, and they are ruining the lives of the young and vulnerable. I once was one of those abused children, so I know what it feels like, and I am the spouse of a man who is still dealing with addiction to sin, so I feel these situations from personal experience, and I care.

 

There’s a Stirring

 

By Annie Herring

 

There's a stirring deep within me
Could it be my time has come
When I'll see my gracious savior

face to face when all is done
Is that his voice I am hearing?
'Come away, my precious one'
Is he calling me?
Is he calling me?

I will rise up, rise up
And bow down
And lay my crown
At his wounded feet

Is that His voice I am hearing?
'Come away, my precious one'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yocTjkB6hV8

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Jesus Died to Free You

Galatians 4:8-9 ESV

 

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

 

Before and After

 

Before we trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives we were all enslaved to sin. We were idolaters, liars, thieves, slanderers, gossipers, haters, immoral, impure, sensual, out-of-control, and godless. We did what we did by our sin natures. We lived for ourselves, and we were against God. And therefore we came up short of being approved by God (Rom 3:23).

 

But when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we died with Christ to sin that we might live to Christ and to his righteousness. Our old self was crucified with Jesus that we might no longer live under the control of sin but now as slaves of righteousness. For Jesus died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15).

 

So, we are to no longer live the way that we did before we came to know Jesus Christ (God the Son) as our Lord and Savior. For he set us free from all of that so that we would now follow him with our lives, that we might follow in his footsteps, and that daily we might die with him to sin and to self and walk in obedience to him and his commands (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 8:1-17).

 

The Sad Reality

 

The sad reality of this is that many who have professed faith in Jesus Christ have gone back to those weak and miserable ways, or else they never left those ways to begin with, for their professions of faith in Jesus Christ were not genuine. So, they are living in idolatry and in sexual immorality, and they are liars and thieves and adulterers, and therefore they’re hypocrites.

 

Instead of running to God, they are running away from God. Instead of following him and his commands, they are ignoring and scorning his commands. Instead of owning up to their sins and repenting of them, they are hiding them in secret, and they are hoping to not get caught in their sins. And they are lying about who they are and what they are doing, hoping that no one will know what they are doing when no one else is looking.

 

Some of them are involved in extramarital affairs, either with people of the same sex or opposite sex, but who they are pining over, and who they are wishing they could be with instead of being with their spouses. They are obsessed with these other people, and they can’t get them out of their minds. They dream about them and about being with them continuously.

 

But since they are married, they feel like they are in prison and they can’t get out, and so they are torn between the ones they are in love (in lust) with and are pining over, and the ones with whom they are in the bonds of holy matrimony. And in some cases they are appealing to God for him to give them permission to forsake their spouses to join with their “soul mates.”

 

Therefore, they are on a “never-ending road to Calvary” because they refuse to die with Christ to sin and to live to him and to his righteousness. And so they are buying into the lie which tells them that they will always be addicted to sin and that they will always be trying to get out of that addiction. And so rather than face their pasts, they run from them, they hide from them, and they put on a disguise, and they fake freedom when they are not really free at all, for they are still living according to the flesh.

 

The Battle for Truth

 

So, there is a fierce battle here going on for truth and for righteousness which is against all these lies and deceptions which are trapping people in their sins. And those who are buying into the lies of Satan, and who are following after these false gospels, which leave them still in bondage to sin, are fiercely fighting against those who are proclaiming the truth and who are exposing the lies of the enemy.

 

For, those who are proclaiming the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ are teaching that we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin and that sin should no longer have mastery over our lives. Jesus died not just to forgive us our sins, but he died to deliver us from our slavery to sin so that we would now be enslaved to him and to his righteousness. And so we are to walk in that freedom in obedience to our Lord’s commands.

 

But many who are still trapped in sin, or who have left the truth of the gospel to return to living in addiction to sin, are strongly opposing those who are teaching the truth, and so they are attacking them verbally, falsely accusing them of things they did not do, accusing them of character traits which are not theirs, and/or of intentions which are not theirs. For every attack has as its goal to silence those who are telling the truth.

 

And there are casualties of this war. Marriages are being broken apart. Families are being destroyed. Many people are being led astray. Professing Christians are living no different from the world. Those who are following the Lord are now the hated, the despised, the abused, and the rejected, even by others who call themselves Christians but who are wanting to be able to continue living in their sins without someone telling them that they can’t.

 

And in some cases, those who love their sin will literally put to death anyone who stands in the way of them fulfilling the lusts of their flesh. And if they don’t murder them in the flesh, they will murder them in their hearts by all the false accusations and cutting remarks that they will throw at them in order to silence them so that they will stop speaking the truth and so that they will stop exposing the lies. They stomp on their hearts continually.

 

Addiction to sin is powerful! And people who are addicted to sin who don’t want to let go of their sin or who don’t want to own up to their sin will do all sorts of evil to others to protect their addictions and their lies so that their sins will not be exposed. They will not take personal responsibility for their actions but they will blame others for the things that they did.

 

But we who are called to teach the truth of the gospel, which involves exposing the lies and calling sin what it is, and which involves calling people to repentance and to obedient walks of faith in Jesus Christ, must continue. We must not let the enemy’s attacks against us discourage and dishearten us, but we must persevere, for our perseverance in getting out the truth and in exposing the lies is for the salvation of human lives.

 

So, we must be willing to die, if need be, in order to share the truth of the gospel which will save people’s souls from hell and which will give them new lives in Christ Jesus to be lived for his glory, and which give them a new hope of freedom from slavery to sin and the empowerment of God’s Spirit to walk in holiness and righteousness and in purity of devotion to Christ. For, you don’t have to remain an addict! Jesus died to set you free!

 

Footprints of Jesus

 

Lyrics by Mary B. Slade, pub. 1871

Music by Asa B. Everett

 

Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling,

Come, follow Me!

And we see where Thy footprints falling

Lead us to Thee.

 

Though they lead o’er the cold, dark mountains,

Seeking His sheep;

Or along by Siloam’s fountains,

Helping the weak.

 

If they lead through the temple holy,

Preaching the Word;

Or in homes of the poor and lowly,

Serving the Lord.

 

If Thy way and its sorrows bearing,

We go again,

Up the slope of the hillside, bearing

Our cross of pain.

 

Then, at last, when on high He sees us,

Our journey done,

We will rest where the steps of Jesus

End at His throne.

 

Footprints of Jesus,

That make the pathway glow;

We will follow the steps of Jesus

Where’er they go.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug0g048Nqes

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A Cup of Suffering

An Original Work / November 27, 2021

Clean in heart from the start,

Your new life in Christ.

Crystal clear what is dear,

Faith not taken heist.

Sin not found in your life,

For you died to all.

Christ in you, all things new,

Christ is ALL IN ALL.

Crucified Him to sin,

His blood shed for you.

Walk with Him, holiness,

To Him say, “I do!”

Read the Word thoroughly,

Bow to Him and pray.

Give your life all to Him,

Each and every day.

Go with Him where He leads,

He’ll meet all your needs.

Share his Word everywhere

His sheep you do feed.

Know the cost, suffering

For your Lord and Christ.

Persecute, they’ll do you,

All throughout your life.

Don’t let fear get to you,

Trust in Christ your Lord.

Righteousness, follow it,

And to sin abhor.

Mockery, that they do

Of His gospel truth.

Hold out light, shine it there,

To those who’re uncouth. 

By Reputation Only

Revelation 3:1-6 ESV

 

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

 

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

 

I Know Your Works

 

Do our works still matter? Some people think not. But the NT Scriptures teach that they do. They teach that we who believe in Jesus Christ are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. And that Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Eph 2:10; Tit 2:14).

 

And they teach that we who are obeying the Lord are 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 to be walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him. And we are to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord our labor is not in vain (Php 2:12-13; 1 Co 15:58; Col 1:9-14).

 

And they teach that we must forsake our lives of living in sin, that we must be transformed in our hearts and minds of God’s Spirit, and that we must be walking no longer according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. And we must die daily to sin and to self and walk in obedience to our Lord. And we are righteous if righteousness is what we practice (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10).

 

As well, the Scriptures teach us that we will be judged by our works, and that if we make sin our practice, we will not inherit the kingdom of God. And they teach that if we don’t obey the Lord that we don’t know him and that we are liars if we say that we do know him. And that for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury (Rom 2:6-8; Gal 6:7-8; 2 Co 5:10; 1 Co 6:9-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Rom 6:16; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 2:3-6).

 

So, when Jesus said that he knew their works, he was talking about these works and more that are talked about in the Scriptures. He knew if their works were the works of God, which God prepared in advance that they should walk in them or if they were the works of the flesh and human effort to try to gain God’s approval, or if they were works of the flesh such as idolatry, adultery, sexual immorality, lying, cheating, and stealing, etc.

 

A False Reputation

 

There are many people today, in particular in America, who are making false professions of faith in Jesus Christ, some of them perhaps out of ignorance, and others out of a desire to appear righteous to others for their approval or so that they can claim heaven as their eternal destiny, but also so that they can continue in deliberate and habitual sin without conscience, without guilt, and without the fear of punishment.

 

Also, the word “alive” with regard to today’s modern churches has a different meaning than being spiritually alive. It just means that they are exciting, fun, entertaining, non-threatening, come-as-you-are, non-judgmental, modern, upbeat, positive, not negative (no talks of sin), etc. But then these are not the church, for the church is those who are following Jesus with their lives. These “churches” are businesses of men called “church.”

 

These gatherings of these “churches” do include true believers in Jesus Christ, although many of them are presently being deceived into compromising their faith and convictions in favor of the modern way of “doing church,” and in favor of “not offending” the people of the world. But these gatherings are a mixture of true believers and non-believers and false professers of faith in Jesus Christ, most all of whom are worldly.

 

So, a gathering of people today, in America, which is being called “the church,” if it has a reputation of being “alive,” most likely it is not a reference to being spiritually alive, for being spiritually alive is now frowned upon. It is considered old fashioned and boring and legalistic and judgmental and out-of-touch with the world, etc. So, I think in our world today this would have more to do with people falsely confessing Christ as Savior.

 

So, although they claim to be “spiritually alive” in the sense of being “saved” from their sins, they are still spiritually dead, because they never died with Christ to sin, and so they weren’t raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, and so they were not reborn of the Spirit of God, and God’s Spirit is not living within them, and so they are not walking in obedience to his commands in God’s power and strength. They are spiritually dead.

 

Now, we do have people who did believe in Jesus with genuine faith but who have since wandered from that faith for various reasons, most of which usually has to do with falling back into sin and/or a desire to be accepted by the people of the world, and out of a desire to not be rejected by the people of the world, including by worldly Christians. For, if you walk in obedience to the Lord, in today’s Christian culture, you will be hated and rejected.

 

Repent and Turn

 

So, this is the call here. If this is where you are, either making a false confession of faith in Jesus, based on a lie, or being one who did genuinely believe in Jesus, and for a while there was fruit, but since then you have gotten trapped in the ways of the world, you must turn away from your sins and turn to the Lord Jesus to follow him in obedience to his ways. This is your only true hope of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God.

 

If you do not repent of your sins, and if you continue in deliberate and habitual and even premeditated sin against God and against others, heaven is not your eternal destiny. Hell is! Please go back to the beginning of this writing and read those Scriptures under the heading, “I Know Your Works.” For we are all going to be judged by our deeds. If we did not turn from sin, and if we did not walk in obedience to the Lord, we will die in our sins.

 

But to you who are walking in faithful obedience to the Lord, keep on following him, and don’t be dissuaded by persecution or false accusations or by people mistreating you or by them falsely accusing you of being “legalistic” or “judgmental.” Take their accusations to the Lord in prayer, and in the word of God, and let God speak truth to your hearts. Change where God says to change and then continue on in the ways of the Lord.

 

Mary, Did You Know?

 

Songwriters: Greene Lee Rufus / Lowry Mark Alan

 

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Would one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy

Has come to make you new?

This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you

 

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy

Is heaven's perfect Lamb?

That sleeping child you're

Holding is the great, I Am

 

Mary, did you know?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPsgIhlYQmM

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Tempted by the Devil

Led up by the Spirit

Matthew 4:1 ESV

 

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

 

Compare this to this passage of Scripture in Isaiah 53:10:

 

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

 

And also compare this to Job 1:6-12 (quoting vv. 8 and 12):

 

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” V. 8

 

The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” V. 12

 

God does not tempt us to sin, but he allows us to be tempted of the devil to sin. He allows us to go through times of temptation in order to test our faith. He allows us to suffer for righteousness’ sake. He permits us to be persecuted, rejected, hated, mistreated, scorned, oppressed, lied to, lied about, cheated on, slandered, ridiculed, and falsely accused, etc.

 

And sometimes it is for the salvation of lives. For, when we go through times of difficulty where Satan puts on the pressure, it tries our faith, and it moves us to call on God for help, and we learn to rely on God and not on ourselves. And it is so we grow to maturity in Christ, and so we learn perseverance and steadfastness, and so we share God’s holiness, and so that we who have been trained by the Lord’s discipline may yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

 

And having gone through these times of difficulty, and having our faith strengthened and our hearts purified, we are much more passionate about the Lord and his word, and about obeying him, and about walking in his holiness and righteousness. And we are much more passionate about resisting the devil, fleeing temptation, and drawing near to God.

 

And so we are also much more passionate about sharing the truth of the gospel with others and warning them against complacency and against falling back into sin. And we are much more passionate about calling people to leave their lives of sin behind them and to follow Jesus in obedience to his ways. For we know Satan’s schemes against us, and we know how much sin destroys lives, and we know that God means what he says and that he will send people to hell, too. So we are passionate about saving lives, too.

 

And God the Father allowed his only Begotten Son to suffer and to die for us on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us; and so we would now honor God with our bodies because Jesus shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us).

 

To Be Tempted by the Devil

Matthew 4:2-11 ESV

 

And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

 

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

 

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

 

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

 

and

 

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,

    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

 

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

 

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God

    and him only shall you serve.’”

 

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

 

The “IF” Statements

 

When you read this dialogue between Jesus and the devil, what stands out at you the most? What are some key elements of this encounter that you see that you believe are significant? How does it speak to you?

 

The first thing I noticed were the “if” clauses. “If” is a word used a lot in the New Testament to say that what follows is conditional, such as “if” this is true, then this is what follows, or “if” you do this or that, these are the results that you can expect. “If” is also used a lot to suggest that something may or may not be true, or it can be used to cause someone to doubt, question, or examine the truth of something.

 

In the case of the devil’s first two “if” clauses, he was trying to tempt Jesus to question the truth: “If you are the Son of God.” He was trying to tempt him to feel as though he had to prove himself to be who he is. But Jesus did not bite. And then the third “if” phrase was a conditional one: “If you will fall down and worship me,” as though all the kingdoms of the world did not already belong to Jesus Christ. So, this was to get him to doubt, also.

 

But Satan loves to try to get us to doubt God and his word, and to doubt who Jesus says he is, and to get us to doubt if God really said this or that, like when he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. He loves to try to get us to doubt our relationship with the Lord, too, and who we are as God’s children, but let me interject this here:

 

Just because we say we are “in Christ,” it doesn’t mean we are “in Christ,” for “in Christ” has stipulations, requirements, and conditions for being “in Christ.” So, we can’t live in sin and in order to not feel guilty for our deliberate and habitual sin then “claim who we are in Christ” as a way to justify sin or to appease our guilty consciences.

 

So, when I say that Satan will try to get us to doubt our relationships with the Lord, I am speaking of who we are in Christ which is evidenced by how we live our lives. For “in Christ” means we are walking no longer according to the flesh but now according to the Spirit, and by the Spirit we are in the practice of putting to death the deeds of flesh and obeying our Lord.

 

But if we are walking with the Lord, in obedience to his commands, Satan will definitely come against us with “if” statements to try to get us to doubt God and his word and our own relationships with him and perhaps our own sanity, at times, too, when others call us “crazy” for following Jesus Christ in faithful obedience to his commands and to his calling on our lives.

 

The Biblical Responses

 

The second most prominent thing that stood out to me here is how Jesus responded to the devil’s temptations with the truth of God’s word. For, Satan wasn’t just trying to tempt Jesus to sin, but he was trying to get him to say something in order to discredit him, to try to get him to get angry or to doubt and fear and thus to take matters into his own hands.

 

And the devil works the same way in our lives, too, and he uses other humans against us to try to get us worked up over things, to get us stirred emotionally, to get us angry or afraid. And if you are on the internet much, such as on social media, in the blogging world, or on Christian discussion sites, etc., you will find that many people are on these places just to play the devil’s advocate, i.e. just to get responses out of people.

 

And so you will get a variety of responses from people when you post or share or tweet something on the internet. Some of them will be positive responses, and some of them not. Some of them you will learn are trolls, people who just like stirring things up, or they are just trying to get a reaction, or they will get nasty and make hateful and cutting remarks – all hoping to get you to respond in your flesh and to thus “blow it.”

 

So, when you are sharing the teachings of Scripture and people oppose you, answer back with Scripture. Challenge them to point out what Scriptures they think you are misusing, and usually they won’t, because they are just making vague accusations not based on anything you really said, lots of times. So, don’t let them get you in a tizzy. Respond with truth.

 

Don’t be afraid of being challenged and be willing to give an answer for why you said what you did, but let it be Scriptural if what you are teaching is truth.

 

For, the biggest thing Satan is attacking right now is the truth of the gospel of our salvation, so this is where especially we must respond with Scripture and not with opinion. For Satan wants to say that we don’t have to stop sinning or obey Jesus, but Jesus died to deliver us from our bondage to sin and to make us into new creations in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 12:1-2; Jas 1:22-25; 1 Jn 1:5-9]

 

Mary, Did You Know?

 

Songwriters: Greene Lee Rufus / Lowry Mark Alan

 

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Would one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy

Has come to make you new?

This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you

 

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy

Is heaven's perfect Lamb?

That sleeping child you're

Holding is the great, I Am

 

Mary, did you know?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPsgIhlYQmM

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