On the Precipice

Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 7:00 a.m. – The Lord woke me this morning with the song, “Jesus, Lead Me,” playing in my mind. I also woke this morning from several dreams, yet the Lord led me back to the two dreams he gave me yesterday:

DREAM ONE: I was walking with my grandfather down what appeared to be Goodyear Blvd. in Akron, Ohio, toward my house. The road was downhill. We were traveling north to south. My grandfather only made it a few steps. He could not go any further, so we stopped and sat on someone’s front steps on the west side of the road while I called for help. We may have gotten a ride home from someone, but I’m not sure about that. END

DREAM TWO: A toddler was running through a room, and he ran up to a railing in the northeast corner of the room. I feared the child would go beyond the railing. I now had the child in my hands. We were in a carpeted room. I stood with him up against the railing in the room, beyond which a carpeted area of the room was, that appeared to be a hall. Yet, I saw the area beyond the railing as a street on which cars passed. So, I instructed the child that he should never ever go beyond the railing for his own safety. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 1 John 3:11-24 (NIV 1984):

This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

My Understanding: I read several news stories which I will reference below. From the first news article concerning Israel accusing Iran of bombings, the Lord used these dreams to show me that the railing in my dream, beyond which point was a path that the child was not to venture upon, represents these bombings against Israeli diplomats. I was behind this railing, so I (Obama/his administration/USA) was behind these bombings, not Iran. The article said that Israel stopped other assaults from taking place. In the dream, I stopped the child from venturing beyond the railing, because I was concerned for the child’s safety. So, it appears to me that I may also be representing the nation of Israel. This all took place in a carpeted room with the railing serving as a divider between this “road” and the rest of the room. In other words, what we read in the news is a covering for what is really taking place, so we can’t go by what we read in the news but must pray for spiritual discernment.

In the second news article concerning Obama’s budget, Obama is said to not be doing enough to assault… and that his new budget will be involved in assaulting… Rep. Paul Ryan said something to the effect that they are taking the task for dealing with the drivers… Ok, here is where this passage of scripture comes into play. I was concerned about the child going beyond this railing, which represents these bombings (assaults), and that the child might venture out into this road where vehicles (driven by drivers) were passing. A railing is a barrier or a boundary line, yet it can also mean “attacking or protesting.” Beyond the railing these vehicles were passing. The scripture says:

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.

So, this path (road) beyond the railing thus represents this passing from death to life, i.e. it symbolizes spiritual birth, i.e. people coming to faith in Jesus Christ. A driver is one who provides impetus or motivation, so if the road represents those who are turning to faith in Jesus Christ, and are thus on this path to heaven, the drivers would be those who are spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to these people of various nations throughout the world. So, these attacks are serving as a barrier or as a boundary line beyond which people are being warned that they should not cross. And, these attacks are serving as the warning, as the boundary line, and are these leaders’ way of “dealing” with the “drivers,” i.e. with those who are spreading the true (whole) gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

In this same article it spoke of Obama’s financial scheme for the budget year that begins Oct 1. The plan projects a shortfall for this year. This brought to mind the dream where I was walking down (decline; shortfall) “good year” boulevard with my grandfather, and he only took a few steps (shortfall) before he had to stop and sit on some steps while I called for help. My grandfather died in 1974. He would have been born in the late 1800’s. He represents our ancestors and the history of our nation and the world. In a parallel article about Greece, I saw my grandfather as representing troubled countries throughout the world who are being dragged down this hill (shortfall) by the government leaders of this N.W.O. Yet, I also saw another picture of my grandfather as representing past government leaders in the USA, and perhaps in the world, who were actually party to this dragging down of the nations of the world. So, some leaders in countries are actually party to the fall.

In yet another article about a trial for a supposed Midwest militia, who are accused of planning to overcome the US government, and of being anti-government in fighting against leaders who belong to the New World Order, I saw my grandfather as this “militia” group who was being “taken down” by authorities (me, i.e. Obama/federal authorities). Yet, the article also spoke of a jury being seated, and it was my grandfather and I who sat on these steps while we waited for help. This militia group is accused of planning to attack (the railing) a funeral procession, yet I was the one behind the railing (the attacks). And, the article mentioned that the police/authorities against which this militia group is supposedly planning an attack can be found sitting alongside the road. Again, my grandpa and I were the ones sitting alongside the road. My grandpa and I both represent federal authorities.

This article also mentioned that this group characterized state police with Hitler insignia. The article also indicated that the authorities intervened because they felt the threat had gone beyond talking, i.e. beyond the railing. So, it appears to me that this article is bogus, i.e. this group is not doing, or did not do what they are accused of doing, but this is a set-up, i.e. the N.W.O. is playing both sides of this scenario in that they represent the federal authorities, the state police, the jury and the supposed “militia” group, and that both the grandfather and I represent this N.W.O. which has been forming for over 100 years, apparently, and which is a revival of a Hitler-like regime, only globally, and their true targets are true followers of Jesus Christ. As well, my grandfather (ancestor) thus represents those among the spiritually dead who hate their brothers and who murder them.

Going right along with that, the Greece article mentioned Eurozone Finance Ministers who will concentrate on all steps and measures critical to… and they want the Greek political leaders to pledge in writing to advocate the new harsh severe and grave measures necessary to save their nation. My grandfather and I were seated (in authority) on these steps (stages) of these new harsh severe and grave measures necessary to keep the nations of the world from going beyond the boundary line set by the N.W.O. And, we know that the new measures have to do with preventing people from opposing the evil of this N.W.O., and in particular they are focused on preventing the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ and people turning their hearts to faith in Christ. This sounds just like Revelation 13 coming to life. And, the N.W.O. is working to get the governments of the world to agree to these new harsh measures that will kill true followers of Christ.

This scripture passage says that we should not be like Cain who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. I believe the Lord is showing me a history of government leadership in our country who belonged to the evil one, and who murdered their fellow man. They did this, and are doing this, because their actions were/are evil and their brothers’ is righteous, i.e. they are purposefully involved in targeting Christians and killing them, and especially they are going against those who stand opposed to the evil one and his cohorts and their evil plans for the world. They stand against those who are following the Lord Jesus Christ in being his witnesses in sharing the gospel throughout the world so that people can pass from death to life and can come to know Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior.

The article mentioned government leaders driving life-threatening measures rather than trying to reach a compromise with the opposing side, politically speaking, in order to circumvent the kinds of last-minute disasters… Here I see that this is speaking of government leaders in other nations who have not compromised with the New World Order (of which Obama is a part, and I believe Israel is, too), who are the drivers of opposition to the New World Order, so perhaps opposing this work of Satan (the global order) on more of a political level rather than on a spiritual level. Because they have not compromised with the new global order, the last-minute disasters they will not avoid are the killing of people via bombs and the like. This is a threat, and it goes along with the dream where I warned the child to never ever go beyond the railing (the boundary line). In other words, we are not to oppose the US government and this New World Order, and we are not to try to share the whole gospel message of Jesus Christ with the world in need of a Savior, because on both levels (politically and spiritually) we are opposing Satan’s work, and he will fight back.

The article continued by stating that Congress drove right to the brink of the abyss, which then made me realize that Congress, or part of Congress is included among these potential drivers who are driving opposition to the New World Order and thus must be dealt with. Here I saw the child running across the room to the NE corner up to the railing and that I warned should never cross over. It appears to me that Congress has thus been warned not to cross the barrier or boundary line set by the New World Order or they, too, may face the consequences. The article mentioned that Obama would stick to his tactic that he drew (his line in the sand) in a proposal to the congressional “supercommittee,” so here I saw this congressional committee as the child who had gotten close to the boundary line and who was being warned not to cross over the barrier, but to compromise in order to keep “cuts” from taking place, i.e. this is a warning to Congress to toe the line with the N.W.O. or else.

In yet another news article about Greece, the Lord spoke to me that the rioting, the burning buildings, and the rubble in the streets in Athens were also part of this “railing” and were the “harsh” new stern (grave) measures required to “save” the nation. I believe this parallels the bombings and is also about this boundary line being drawn by Obama and by the N.W.O. and which the people of the world are being warned against crossing or else facing the consequences. We are beginning to see this take place in the USA, and it will only get worse, as these new stern (grave) and harsh measures are being applied here, too. The true protesters are thus those of the New World Order (including the Obama administration) who are blocking access to people coming to Jesus Christ and are blocking access to people standing in opposition to the N.W.O. by the use of this “railing,” i.e. these new harsh stern (grave) measures, i.e. the imprisonment, persecution and killing of people opposed to them. The governments and people of the world are being forced to compromise with the New World Order or to face these new harsh stern (grave) measures, i.e. death.

In this article it mentions a new deal in which they will disregard half of the country’s secretly held obligation. In the dream I held the child in my hands. I warned the child not to cross the boundary. The boundary represented punishment inflicted on all who did not heed the warning. It appears to me that I (the N.W.O.) hold the world and its “debt” to the N.W.O. in my hands, i.e. in my power to act should they not agree to compromise and sign on the dotted line to the N.W.O.s new “deal” of harsh, severe, and grave measures against all who do not compromise and do not bow to the N.W.O. (does this sound familiar?). Germany is definitely on board. The work has just begun. I stood with the child. Germany and other Eurozone partners must agree to the new measures in order to be able to stand with Greece (the child) with a further liberation, i.e. in preventing anyone from crossing the boundary line the N.W.O. has set for the world.

Bottom-line: We are on the precipice of the time of tribulation and the rule of the beast. So, God is using his willing messengers (servants) to get out the message that this time is soon upon us and that we need to stop acting like we belong to this world, and we need to get our hearts right with God and start following Jesus Christ with our lives. Jesus Christ laid his life down for us so that we could go free from sin, and we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow man by sharing the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that as many as possible can come to know Jesus Christ, even if it means we are killed for doing so. We are not to love just with words, but we are to demonstrate our love for others by what we do. The greatest love of all is to help others to cross from death to life, but it also includes taking care of their physical and emotional needs, too. We need to obey what Jesus Christ has commanded all of us to do, and we need to be about truly loving others with the kind of love Jesus Christ demonstrated to us when he gave his life for us so we could be free.

Jesus, Lead Me / An Original Work / July 22, 2011

Jesus, lead me all the way.
Be my hope and be my stay.
Gently lead me where I should go,
So Your Spirit, I want to know.
Open up my heart to You.
Fill me with Your love and truth.
Make my heart want to obey.
Be my Lord today. Gently lead always.

Jesus, lover of my soul,
Cleanse my heart, and make me whole;
Be transformed in my heart today,
As I turn from my sin and pray.
Make Your will known to my heart.
May I not from You depart.
How I long to hear You now,
As I humbly bow. Jesus, hear me now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTIM16o9ldg


Reference: Israel accuses Iran of bombings in India, Georgia
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ISRAEL_ATTACKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-13-08-29-34

Obama's budget headed to Congress
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_BUDGET?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-13-07-15-14

Greeks clean up after riots against austerity vote
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GREECE_FINANCIAL_CRISIS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-13-08-15-51

Trial opens 2 years after feds break up militia
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FBI_RAIDS_MILITIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-13-06-23-59

What is Right

Monday, February 13, 2012, 5:00 a.m. – The Lord woke me this morning with the song, “Do Your Best,” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 1 John 3:1-10 (NIV 1984):

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

My Understanding: A while ago, the Lord gave me an illustration of his love lavished (piled) on us as my blankets that I pile on me at night to keep me cozy and warm. I keep them closely wrapped around my body, I tuck them around my neck, and I curl up inside their comfort and warmth. This analogy not only illustrates his love lavished (piled) on us, but it illustrates what our response should be to that love in taking it upon us, in embracing it, in surrounding ourselves with it, in curling up inside of its comfort, and in wrapping ourselves inside of it, almost as though we were wrapping ourselves in Jesus’ arms.

Does not know us

“The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” The world in this sense is speaking of those outside of Christ, who have not believed in Jesus as Savior and Lord, and who are still walking according to the sinful nature. They might know us as humans or as relatives, friends, neighbors, etc., but they don’t have that kind of intimate knowledge and understanding of who we are in Christ Jesus, of what Jesus Christ truly did for all of us in dying on the cross for our sins, or of what it means to truly believe in and follow Jesus Christ with our lives. So, if we are truly following Christ, they might think us strange, and they might even reject us or persecute us for our faith in Christ, just as they persecuted, mistreated and even killed Jesus, because they did not like who he said he was, or what he stood for, or most of what he taught. The religious leaders of his day were jealous of him, for he threatened their positions of power. So, we may even face this kind of rejection from church leaders or church people who are worldly and who don’t really “know” us, either.

We shall be like him

We know that when Jesus Christ comes back for us - for those of us who are his followers - that “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” We shall be like Christ, not in that we shall all be gods, but that we shall be perfectly holy and sinless when Jesus Christ takes us to be with him. I look forward to that day! In the meanwhile, we are to strive in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit of God within us to be holy and to live lives that are not controlled by sin. We are to purify (cleanse; decontaminate) our lives from sin via our cooperation with the working of the Holy Spirit within us, and via repentance (turning from sin) and turning to walk daily in faithful obedience and surrender to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

No one… keeps on sinning

Jesus Christ died on the cross to put our sins to death, and then he was resurrected from the dead in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin. He died to take our sins away, not just so that we could go to heaven one day to be with him, but so that we would not live in bondage to sin any longer while we still live on the face of this earth. In him is no sin. If we are truly living (remaining; abiding) in him, we will not keep on doing sin or sinning. In the Greek, these words – living and sinning - are continuous action words. For something to be continuous, it means that it is incessant; nonstop; unremitting; uninterrupted; and is “continuing without changing, stopping, or being interrupted in space or time” (Encarta). Remaining has to do with endurance; to keep going; stable and constant. Other terms associated with continuing are lasting, enduring, abiding, persisting and/or persevering.

So, to truly be in Christ Jesus means that we are continuing daily in our commitments to turn from our sins, and to turn to walk in faithful obedience to Christ. It means that we daily spend time with the Lord in his word and in prayer, seeking his face, listening to him teach us, and then doing what he shows us to do. It means being in a continual attitude of prayer to where we can hear him speak to us at any moment and we can respond to his voice. In the same respect, to keep on sinning involves this same type of continuous action. Obviously we are not going to reach sinless perfection until Jesus Christ takes us home, so while we are still in these flesh bodies we will still be tempted to sin, and we will still sin from time to time. Yet, a life given over to Christ should be characterized as one who is continuing (remaining; enduring; abiding; persisting) in his or her commitments to fellowship, to obedience, and to a daily walk of following Jesus Christ wherever he leads us. And, it should not be characterized as a life that is persisting and continuing in sin.

Do not let anyone…

John was concerned that the believers might be led astray by false teaching concerning the Christian life. So, he wanted to make clear what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. That is why he addressed this issue of continuing in sin. There must have been teachers in his day, as there are now in today’s church, who were trying to tell the believers that they did not have to repent of their sins or that Christ Jesus did not require obedience of them. Jude describes these deceivers as godless men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. They speak abusively against what they do not understand (things of the Spirit of God); and what they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals – these are the very things that destroy them. They eat with us without the slightest qualm. They are shepherds who feed only themselves. They follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. They are scoffers who follow their own ungodly desires, and they are the ones who divide us, because they follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

What is right

John then said that he who does what is right is righteous. Lest we take a free license with this statement, this is speaking of he who does what is right in God’s eyes, i.e. he who does the will of God and who continues (abides; perseveres; persists) in his walk of faith and obedience to Christ, and who does not continue (persevere; persist; keep going) in a life of sin. We are reminded that sin originated with the devil (Satan), and that Jesus came to destroy the devil’s work, so why should we continue in sin? No one who is born of God will continue (persevere; persist; keep going) in sin. He cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. In other words, the Holy Spirit within us will convict our hearts and will make us miserable if we sin, if we truly have the Holy Spirit within us. So, when we do sin, we should humble ourselves before God, we should confess and repent of our sins to those we sinned against and to God, and we should begin again to walk in faithful obedience.

Do Your Best / An Original Work / November 7, 2011
Based off of 2 Timothy 2

Soprano / Bass

Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
Be strong in the grace of Christ. / Be strong in Christ.
Endure hardship for your Lord. / Endure hardship.
Your commander, live to please. / Live to please God.
You’ll receive the victor’s crown. / Receive the crown.
By the rules, run in the race. / Run in the race.
Your Lord, you’ll see face to face. / Live by the rules.
Jesus Christ, raised from the dead; / Jesus Christ was
Of your life, He is the head. / Raised from the dead.
Endure all for the elect. / Endure all for...

Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
If we died, we live with Him. / If we died, we
If we last, with Him we’ll reign. / Will live with Him.
If we disown Him today, / If we last, with
He will have to look away. / Him we will reign.
Even if we faithless be, / Disown Him and
Faithful He’ll remain always. / He’ll disown us.
He cannot disown Himself. / Faithless we are –
He’s our Lord and Savior, King. / Faithful He’ll be.
He will reign o’er ev’rything. / He’s our Savior.

Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
Do your best; present yourself / Do your best as
As one who’s approved by God. / One approved by
Work as one who’s not ashamed; / God; as one who’s
Rightly share the Word of truth. / Not ashamed of,
Wander not from what you know. / And who rightly
Destroy not the faith of some. / Handles the Word.
God’s foundation; it stands firm. / Do not wander
The Lord knows those who are His: / from the truth, nor
Those who turn from wickedness. / Others’ faith kill.

Love You, Father, love You, Lord. / Love You, Father, love You, Lord.
In a house are wood and clay, / In a house are
Gold and silver, all array. / Many items.
Some are noble, some are bad - / Some are noble.
Cleanse your life, and you’ll be glad; / Get rid of bad;
Useful to the Master’s work. / Useful you’ll be
A pure heart - in righteousness, / for the Master.
Pursue faith and love and peace. / A pure heart have -
Bad desires you want to flee. / Pursue the faith,
Gentle servant you must be. / Gentle servant.

http://youtu.be/ZDijxGceCLE

Continuing in Christ

Sunday, February 12, 2012, 6:28 a.m. – The Lord woke me this morning with the song, “The Lord’s Anointed,” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 1 John 2:18-29:

Warning Against Antichrists

18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.

26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

Children of God

28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

My Understanding: This is the “last hour.” Another phrase similar to this is “last days,” which, most commentators I have read agree, began with Jesus first coming, and will end with his return. Many antichrists have come. “Anti” means “against,” so this basically means “against Christ,” only not just against who he was and is, but against what he stands for and what he taught. Christ means “anointed,” as well as Christ is the Son of God and the Messiah, which means “Christ.”

The Antichrist(s)

Those who are “antichrist,” thus, are those who do not believe he is God the Son, that he left his throne in heaven to come to earth to take on human flesh, that he was sinless, that when he died he took upon himself the sins of the entire world, that he was resurrected back to life in conquering Satan, death, hell and sin, that he ascended back to heaven where he sits at the right hand of God the Father, and that one day he is coming again to get his bride and to judge the earth and its inhabitants.

Yet, “antichrist” goes even beyond that. I believe a person can acknowledge all of the above intellectually and still be “antichrist.” John said that the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ is the antichrist, because he denies the Father and the Son. The antichrists are liars and deceivers. Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God and is antichrist (1 Jn 4:3). So, I see two key words here that I would like to examine: 1) Deny and 2) acknowledge. Deny means “to declare that something is not true or not the case.” Acknowledge means “to admit or accept that something exists, is true, or is real” (Source: Encarta). To accept something as true means to receive it, take it on, shoulder it, assume responsibility, allow for, agree to, and/or to bow to. To deny something means to repudiate, contradict (key word here), negate, invalidate, disallow, block, forbid, and/or prevent, etc.

What I believe the Bible teaches is that it is possible to acknowledge God/Jesus with our minds and even to confess him with our lips, but that we could still be guilty of denying him by our actions and our lifestyles. The Bible speaks of people who honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from God, and it speaks of false teachers who are like wolves in sheep’s clothing who secretly slip in among believers in Jesus Christ pretending that they are “sheep” when they are really wolves. So, it is possible to acknowledge Jesus intellectually and to even confess him audibly before men, and yet not have him in our hearts, and/or for our lifestyles and actions to be involved in contradicting, negating, and invalidating what we say we believe, because our actions don’t match our confession of faith. As well, to truly acknowledge Jesus Christ means to take ownership of what he did for us in dying on the cross for our sins, by us turning from our sin, by us daily dying to sin and our own selfish desires, and by us daily following Christ Jesus in obedience to him and to his commands. To truly acknowledge Christ means to do so in all that we do and say.

John said that the antichrists went out from the fellowship of believers. They did not really belong to the family of God, for if they had, they would have remained with them, but that their going showed that none of them belonged. John could be speaking here about a specific group of people who eventually left the fellowship of believers due to a difference in belief and practice, and that their parting of the ways was evidence that they were not one with the believers in faith and practice. Yet, since the Bible also warns us of false teachers (antichrists) who have secretly slipped in among us, we cannot assume that all antichrists will leave the fellowship of believers, because their purpose in being in there, perhaps, is to deceive and to lead the believers away from pure devotion to Jesus Christ, so they will have to pretend that they also believe.

Jude describes these deceivers as godless men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. They speak abusively against what they do not understand (things of the Spirit of God); and what they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals – these are the very things that destroy them. They eat with us without the slightest qualm. They are shepherds who feed only themselves. They follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. They are scoffers who follow their own ungodly desires, and they are the ones who divide us, because they follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

I can attest to the fact that there are many such men standing in our pulpits in America’s churches today. They water down the gospel message of Jesus Christ by removing the requirements of repentance (turning from sin) and obedience to Jesus Christ, and to his commands. They follow teachings of men over and above the teachings of scripture. They follow business plans of men for how to grow God’s church, rather than following the plan of salvation in scripture. They market the church like it is a business, and use worldly means and methods to try to attract the world to the church. Yet, the church is the body of Christ, i.e. those who have truly come to faith in Jesus Christ by God’s grace via repentance and obedience, so the only way to “attract” the world to the church is by sharing with them the truth of the gospel, i.e. that it required Christ’s death for our sins, and it requires that we die to sin and self and that we walk in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that the cross is an “offense” to those who are perishing, yet many preachers today avoid the true meaning of the cross of Christ in our own lives out of fear of “offending” those who they want to “attract” to the “church.”

The Anointing

John said, nonetheless, that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, have an anointing from the Holy One (God), and that all of us know the truth, and that no lie comes from the truth. He said that this “anointing” we have received remains in true followers of Christ, and because of that we don’t need anyone to teach us. This is in reference to him warning the believers about those antichrists who were trying to lead them astray. He told them that Christ’s anointing teaches us about all things, and that it is real, not counterfeit, and because of this, just as the anointing had taught them, they were to remain in Christ.

We learned at the beginning that Christ means “anointing.” So, in one sense, the anointing that believers in Jesus Christ receive is Christ himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit, who comes to indwell the lives of Christ’s followers. The Holy Spirit’s job is to teach us all things that Christ taught and that he commands, and to serve as guide, counselor, comforter, encourager, intercessor in prayer, as well as to convict our hearts of sin. Before Jesus Christ came, the people of God had the prophets who spoke God’s words to them, yet we have the Spirit of God within each one of us who has honestly received Christ as Savior and Lord, and he teaches us. We no longer have to rely on man to be God’s voice to us, though that does not negate the gift of teaching or the need for human teachers. It just means that they are not our main teachers, and that we should check out everything we hear, and we should test it against the word of God, and against the witness of the Holy Spirit within us. Then, we should not be easily persuaded by these “antichrists.”

In another sense, though, the anointing involves a calling to be Christ’s followers and to carry on the work that Jesus began during his earthly ministry. Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 (see song below) when he said that the Spirit of God was on him, because “he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Since Jesus Christ left the earth, and he sent his Holy Spirit to indwell us, we are now Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. In other words, we are Jesus’ hands and feet to the world around us. We are his witnesses. We are to make disciples of all nations, and we are to teach them to obey all that Jesus commanded. We are to preach the good news of salvation by proclaiming to people how they can be set free from sin, only not just how they can escape hell, but how they can be free from the control of sin while they are still here on the earth. And, we are to teach them how they can walk in daily fellowship with Christ in faithful obedience and surrender to his will for their lives. This is the true gospel! And, it is the only one that brings true hope!

John told the believers not to follow the liars and deceivers who would lead them astray to a false gospel, which today is primarily this watered-down gospel that removes the need for repentance and obedience to Christ. Instead they were to follow the truth that they had been taught. Since they had this anointing from the Holy One, they should know the truth. John then exhorted them to see that what they had learned from the beginning of their faith in Christ (the truth of the gospel) remained in them. To remain means “to continue, endure, persist, keep on, and/or “to continue in a particular state without changing” (Encarta). To continue means “to last, or make something last, beyond the present or throughout a period of time;” and to “not stop” (Encarta).

In other words, they were not to give way to this false teaching, but they were to keep on in the faith that they received from the very beginning. IF they continued, they would remain in the Son and in the Father, and they would receive the promise of eternal life. If they continued in Christ, they would be confident and unashamed before Christ at his coming. Many passages of scripture throughout the New Testament speak of the importance of continuing in Christ for our ultimate salvation to be made complete at his return. We remain in Christ by continuing in the faith we received from the beginning, if it was true faith, and by not denying Christ by giving way and credence to a false gospel. To remain in Christ also means to remain faithful to him and to his word, and to continue in obedience to him. May we all be ones whose lives are characterized as though who are continuing in Christ.

The Lord’s Anointed / An Original Work / December 16, 2011

Based off Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;
Anointed to preach the Good News;
Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;
Proclaim freedom for the captives.
He sent me to preach release for pris’ners
Who are walking in sin’s darkness;
Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll listen;
And tell them about God’s judgments;
Comfort all who mourn;
Give crowns of beauty;
Oil of gladness and thanksgiving.

They will be called oaks of God’s righteousness,
A planting of our Savior, God,
For the display of our Lord’s splendor, and
They will rebuild God’s holy church.
God will renew them, and will restore them,
And you’ll be called priests of the Lord.
You will be ministers of our God, and
You will rejoice in salvation.
The Lord loves justice;
He is faithful to
Reward those who are seeking Him.

I delight greatly in the Lord;
My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.
He has clothed me with His salvation,
And in a robe of His righteousness.
He has given me priestly garments to
Wear, as the bride of Jesus Christ.
As the garden of our Lord and Savior,
He causes us to grow in Him.
He makes righteousness,
Praise, and thanksgiving
Spring up before all the nations.

http://youtu.be/PSH4DBpc__U

A Spiritual Union

Saturday, February 11, 2012, 4:45 a.m. – The Lord woke me this morning with the song, “Walking in the Light,” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 1 John 1-2:17:

The Word of Life

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
Walking in the Light

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

Do Not Love the World

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

My Understanding: John offered us here a description of Jesus Christ similar in nature to his description of Jesus as recorded in the book of John, chapter one. Jesus Christ is described here in 1 John, and in the gospel of John, as the Word, the Word of Life, from the beginning with God the Father, as God himself, having the glory of God – the One and Only – as the creator of all things, as someone who could be seen, heard and touched, as the Word who became flesh and who appeared to and dwelled among man, and as life eternal.

In other words, Jesus Christ is God the Son, one of three divine persons of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He always existed with God the Father, and, in fact, he created all things that were made. Yet, he willingly left heaven, came to earth, took on human flesh, suffered as we suffer and was tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, so that he could become our compassionate and merciful high priest (mediator between us and the Father). He was despised and rejected of men, was scorned, mocked, beaten and crucified on a cross as though he was a common criminal. When he died, he took the sins of the entire world upon him, crucifying our sins with him. When he was resurrected from the dead, he conquered death, hell, Satan and sin so that we could go free from the ultimate eternal punishment for our sin, and so we could be free from the daily control of sin over our lives.

We Proclaim

The apostles proclaimed Jesus Christ and his gospel (plan of salvation from sin) so that others, like them, could come to know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, and so they could have close, intimate relationships with Jesus Christ and with other believers in Christ, i.e. so that they could be in fellowship with God the Father, with Jesus Christ, and with those who had already come to know Christ. This kind of fellowship with Christ Jesus is described in John 15, where Jesus defined himself as the true vine, the Father as the gardener, and the believers in Christ as the branches stemming from the vine. Jesus told his followers to remain in him and he would remain in them. He said that if we remain in him, we will bear much fruit, i.e. the spiritual outgrowth of a life committed to obedience to Christ.

Then, he went on to say that if we obey his commands, we will remain in his love. To “remain” means: to continue, to endure, and to persist in our relationships with Jesus Christ. The way we do this is through obedience to his commands. There are at least twenty New Testament references to the importance of continuing in Christ, many that speak of the significance of enduring, and yet many more that talk of overcoming, persevering, holding fast to our faith, etc., much of which tell us of the necessity of continuing for our ultimate salvation when Jesus Christ returns for his bride.

Walk in the Light

We can’t be in fellowship with Jesus Christ and truly be in spiritual union with other believers if we do not have a continuous daily walk with the Lord Jesus where we spend time with him in his word, where we pray, and where we then obey the things that the Lord Jesus teaches us. True fellowship with Christ comes through development of a relationship with him on a day-to-day basis, and it involves admitting our sin, confessing it, and turning from our sin and walking in obedience to Christ. If we claim that we are in fellowship with Christ, i.e. if we claim to have a spiritual union with Christ Jesus and yet we continue to walk in darkness (sin), we are lying to ourselves and others, because we are not living by the truth. Can we get this? We can’t claim salvation for ourselves and the hope of eternal life with God if after we have proclaimed to have received him as Lord and Savior nothing in our lives changes, but we just continue “business as usual.” Salvation involves a heart transformation, and it involves turning from our sin and turning to walk in obedience to Christ and to his commands. The scriptures could not be clearer on this subject.

Yet, if we confess our sins, we turn from them, and we choose to walk in the light of truth, i.e. in holiness, honesty, love, compassion, forgiveness, and obedience to Christ, instead, then Jesus Christ forgives us our sins, his blood purifies our hearts from all unrighteousness, and we then can experience that spiritual union with Christ and with others that can only come through repentance and obedience, which comes only by God’s grace and through faith. Walking in the light is a daily thing. Jesus said that if we want to come after him we must daily take up our cross and follow him. Taking up our cross means dying to our old lives of sin, and following Christ means obeying him in doing whatever he says to do.

Yet, this does not mean we will never sin. We will, but we have a faithful and compassionate high priest, Jesus Christ, who then speaks to the Father in our defense, because he paid the price for our sins so that we could go free. Yet, God’s grace is not a free license to continue in sin, because John told us here in chapter two that if we say we know Christ Jesus and yet we don’t obey what he commands, we are liars. Ouch! Please don’t ignore this or think it doesn’t apply to you, because it does. Jesus Christ didn’t die for our sins so we would continue walking in sin while ignoring him most of the time. He died so we would be free from sin, and so we would be free to walk in obedience to him, i.e. to have that spiritual union with him that involves a close, intimate fellowship.

Jesus Christ summarized the Ten Commandments into two: 1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself. He said that all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments (see Matthew 22:37-40). We will not kill, covet, blaspheme, commit adultery, lie, steal, hate, etc. if we are loving God like this, and if we are loving others like this. And, here in 1 John, we learn that love for others is also critical to us truly being in that spiritual union with Jesus Christ. If we don’t love other people, and if we hate our fellow human beings, then we are still walking in darkness. In other words, if we continue in willful sin (lifestyle), we are still walking in darkness, and we are not in the light of Christ.

Lastly, we learn here that if we love the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does – the love of the Father is not in us. In other words, if we live for the pleasures this world has to offer, and we are consumed by sin and rebellion and doing what we want without regard for what God wants for our lives, then the word says we are not truly in that spiritual union with Jesus Christ. We must take the view of the world that all that the world has to offer us is going to pass away, but the one who does God’s will lives forever. May we be ones who truly do God’s will.

So, if you have been living for yourself, still walking in sin, ignoring the one who has offered you salvation from sin, and living in willful rebellion against God and his commands, then I pray you will take these words in 1 John to heart, that you will turn from your sin today, and that you will choose to walk in the light of truth and have fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Walking in The Light / An Original Work / November 16, 2011

Based off 1 John 1-2

When I lift up my voice, and
Sing praise unto God,
I will fellowship with my
Lord and Savior, King.
In Him there is no darkness.
He is in the light of truth.
If we walk in His light,
From sin He purifies.

If we repent of our sins,
He’ll forgive us now,
When we humble ourselves, and
Before Jesus bow.
The man who says, “I know Him,”
But does not obey His truth,
There is no truth in him.
In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin,
For it is hell bound.
If you follow the world, you’ll
Not in Christ be found.
The world and its desires
Will not last; they’ll expire.
The one who does God’s will,
Receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from
Christ remains in you.
Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and
In His Father, too.
This is what He promised us –
His eternal life with God.
So, continue in Him, and
You’ll receive a crown.

http://youtu.be/wS6ljsF6aV4

Wholesome Thinking

Thursday, February 09, 2012, 9:33 p.m. – The Lord woke me with the song, “Lord, Move Me,” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 2 Peter 3 (NIV 1984):

The Day of the Lord

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

My Understanding: Peter said that he wrote both of his letters to the believers as reminders to “stimulate” them to wholesome thinking. To stimulate someone means “to encourage something such as an activity or a process so that it will begin, increase, or develop; to cause somebody to become interested in or excited about something; or to cause somebody to become more alert or active” (Encarta). This is why the Lord woke me with the song, “Lord, Move Me,” because it is about asking the Lord to stimulate us, i.e. to arouse in us a desire and an interest and the motivation to worship the Lord only, to long for the Lord and for his word, to walk with the Lord in faithful obedience, to serve the Lord with joy, to hear what he says, to love and obey him, and to follow him wherever he leads us. Sometimes we need to be stimulated toward a closer walk with the Lord Jesus.

Peter said he wrote the reminders to stimulate them to “wholesome thinking.” Wholesome means “healthy; nourishing; sensible; honest; practical; helpful; decent; moral; and upright. This is how we are supposed to think, and what we think is directly impacted by the things we take into our minds. If we are taking in the garbage of the world, that is what we will think about. We can’t have wholesome thinking if we feed our minds with the things of this world that are unwholesome. It is hard enough to have wholesome thoughts when we don’t take any garbage into our minds, let alone try to have decent and moral thoughts if what we are feeding our minds, via TV, movies, music and the like, is filled with moral filth, things that are dishonest, and indecent. So, the first thing we have to do is to remove from our lives any sources of unwholesomeness that we are allowing into our minds, as much as is within our power to do so, that is. And, then we need to begin to fill our minds with the things of God and with his word so that our minds can think about the right kinds of things.

The Times in Which we Live

Included in this wholesome (honest, practical and helpful) thinking is the understanding of the times in which we now live, and the kinds of things and people we are up against as believers in Jesus Christ. The Bible warns us much against false teachers, deceivers, liars, and following men, etc. So, we can’t go around with blinders on, refusing to hear any of these warnings, if we are to have the right kind of thinking and responding to our world around us. God wants to tell us what is happening in our world today and how it fits with the prophecy of scripture if we will listen. There are many scoffers in our day, too, who are following after their own evil desires. Remember that many of these are liars and deceivers, so we need to pray for much discernment so that we are not deceived, and so that we don’t buy into their lies. They will mock prophecy of scripture with regard to coming judgment and the rise of a one world government, and they will think they will never see such a time, and that it does not apply to them. Peter says that such men deliberately forget the power of God as displayed in creation and in the flood that destroyed the earth, and through which only 8 people were saved. And, they refuse to acknowledge the fact that God has in store for us a day of judgment when he will destroy the earth with fire.

Peter, thus, refutes these scoffers and exhorts the followers of Christ to not forget that the Lord doesn’t keep time like we do. With him a day can be like a thousand years. He is not slow in keeping his promises as some might think. He has not yet brought about this day of judgment because of his grace, mercy, kindness and compassion toward mankind in that he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Notice the wording here, especially if you are of the belief that repentance is not necessary for salvation. Peter said that God is not willing that any should perish, but that they should come to repentance, meaning obviously that repentance is what keeps them from perishing, though not repentance alone. It is by God’s grace that we are saved because Jesus Christ died on the cross in putting our sins to death, and because he was resurrected back to life in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin. He gives us this gift of eternal life to all who believe, yet even the ability to believe and repent of sin are gifts from God. It is the Holy Spirit of God who works the change in our hearts as we cooperate with that work. All we have to do is to appropriate to our lives what Jesus Christ already did for us by cooperating with his work of heart transformation. The Bible is real clear on the fact that repentance and obedience to Christ are necessary requirements for salvation, so don’t be fooled!

Reality Check

Included in this “wholesome thinking,” thus, is the belief and understanding that we really are going to face a time of great tribulation on this earth at which time God will judge the earth and its inhabitants, and believers in Jesus Christ really will be persecuted and put to death for their faith in Christ, even here in America. God is going to really judge people and decide their ultimate fate for eternity based upon whether or not they truly believed in and followed Jesus Christ with their lives or not. We can’t go about life as if it is one big party after another and put on our blinders and forget that a day of judgment is going to come and people really are going to be in eternal punishment in a lake of fire for eternity. We can’t spend our lives making nice with the world and befriending the world without caring enough that people’s eternal destiny is at stake. We are called to come out from the world, and we are called to be lights to the world for the gospel. We have a job to do in reaching people with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we need to be about doing it.

So, we need a reality check. If prophecy of scripture is true, which it is, and a time of judgment is really coming, which it is, then what kind of people should we be? How should we be living our lives? We ought to be living holy (set apart for God; upright) and godly lives as we look forward to the Lord’s return and speed the day of his coming. We ought to be living like we really believe what the Bible teaches about eternity, and we should be sharing the love of Jesus and his gospel with the world around us, because one day we are all going to come before God and many are going to hear, “I never knew you. Depart from me.” We should live as though we really don’t belong on this earth and as though we really are strangers and aliens here, instead of living like this world is our home and that we are supposed to live for its pleasures and fulfillment. We should live as though we are looking forward to the day when we are with Jesus forever. If we ignore him while we are on the earth, why would we want to be with him in eternity? We should live with eternity’s values in view, instead of the values that this world has to offer us, which will perish.

On Guard

We need to be on our guard, not only against false teaching, but against the subtle lies and deceptions of the enemy which try to convince us that it is really ok to have a little “poop” in our brownies, and it doesn’t hurt anything. We have to guard against lying to ourselves and against putting on blinders to the things we don’t want to hear, and we don’t want to accept, because they mess with our comfortable lifestyles. We have to guard against becoming one with the world and thinking that the way to win people to Christ is by making nice with the world. I am not saying we should not be kind to people. I am saying that the Bible tells us we are not to make friends with the world, i.e. we are not to conform to the likeness of the world and we are not to act and talk like the world so that the world will accept us and like us. We are to be lights for the gospel, which means the world should hate us, not embrace us. We need to guard against watered-down gospel messages that negate our need to repent of our sins, and we need to guard against becoming followers of men instead of followers of Christ, or followers of the teachings of men over following the word of God. If we don’t guard against these things, then we might easily be caught up in them and be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from our secure position, i.e. from a pure, unadulterated (not living in spiritual adultery) relationship with Jesus Christ.

Instead, we are to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. The way we do this is through spending time with the Lord each day in prayer and in his word, listening to what he says, and then doing what he teaches us one day and one moment at a time. If we fail, we confess our sin, we turn from it, and we continue on in walking in faith and obedience. None of us is perfect, but that should never be used as an excuse for willful sin. Jesus Christ died so that we no longer have to live in bondage to sin. He conquered sin and he can conquer it in our lives, too, if we cooperate with him in his work in transforming our hearts and minds to conform us to the image of Christ. Jesus said that if anyone was to follow him, he should take up his cross (dying to self and sin) daily and follow him.

To follow Christ means to obey him and his commands and to follow his example for how to live out our daily lives on this earth. Jesus was not “one of the boys.” He didn’t just hang out with people and do the things they do so that they would like him and think he was a nice guy. He told us the truth about our sin, about our need to repent and obey, and he told us that a day is coming when God will judge. If we truly want to love people the way Jesus loves us, we will tell them the truth about their eternal destiny, and we will call them to faith in Jesus Christ, i.e. to turn from their sins and to turn to walk with Jesus in humble surrender and obedience to his will. May we all take this to heart, and may we all allow Jesus to stimulate us to “wholesome thinking” and to have him move us to follow him today.

Lord, Move Me / An Original Work / October 16, 2011

Be my desire, my heart set on fire,
Lord, move me to worship You only, I pray.
Fill with Your Spirit, my heart overflow.
Lord, may I long for You; Your word to know.
Teach me to walk with You, Lord, in Your power,
And may I serve You, Lord, right now in this hour.

Lord, how I want to obey You forever.
Help me to hear You, Lord, so I will not stray.
Teach me to love You; adore You always.
Envelope me, Lord, with Your grace today.
Meet me in my need, and show me Your mercy.
Forgive me for all things, as I humbly pray.

Counsel me, lead me, direct me, and guide me,
So I follow You, Lord, where’er You lead now.
I love to hear You speak Your words to me.
I am so grateful that You set me free.
Wash me, and cleanse me, and make me like You, Lord,
And I will live with You for eternity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K-0kezkuEg

Terrorist Suspects

Thursday, February 09, 2012, 3:53 a.m. – The Lord woke me with the song, “Walking in the Light,” playing in my mind. He also woke me from a dream.

THE DREAM: We had gained some extra children, i.e. a niece and a nephew, and possibly one other child, plus a relative and his wife were moving in with us (just the two of them). So, we moved our daughter out of her bedroom, which was located northwest of the top of the stairs, and we put her in the loft to the right (or east) at the top of the stairs, along with the other children, so that my relative and his wife could have our daughter’s bedroom. The boys kept their rooms, though. I did think about moving them in together, but decided that wouldn’t work.

We were trying to figure out how we were going to fit 3 or 4 beds, plus dressers, in the loft at the top of the stairs (east of the stairs). I think my daughter placed a child’s swing in the loft, but I said that would have to go to make room for her dresser, yet, by the time we got all the (single) beds in there, there was no room for any of the dressers.

While we were in the process of all of this, a realtor, her husband, and some other people showed up at the front door, so I let them inside. They came upstairs. I explained to them what we were doing. As we were walking around, I noticed where we had painted the wall previously, and where we had gotten some paint on the woodwork. There were vertical strips of wood in the middle of the wall in the hall opposite our daughter’s bedroom that we had partially painted over, too, with a yellow/gold or orangish color. I knew we were going to have to do some touch-up paint, but we had no money left.

I don’t think our house was for sale officially, yet it felt as though we were getting it ready to sell, or that we were open to selling it “as is,” if the opportunity presented itself. END

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 2 Peter 1:1-11:

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Making One’s Calling and Election Sure

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My Understanding: I read several news stories, which I will reference below. From these news stories the Lord gave me understanding of what this dream means, and of what the various symbols represent.

First of all, I saw that my daughter represented the underlying government of the USA being placed in among the people of the world, and particularly among believers in Jesus Christ, and as private police or as intelligence officers to spy on the people, and to report back their findings to the powers that be. The beds of the other children had their headboards against the east wall and were facing the west. My daughter’s bed, nonetheless, was north to south, it had a wooden back (wall/board) on the west side of the bed, blocking the view to the west, and my daughter was facing east. My daughter has often represented, in my dreams, the Department of Homeland Security here in the USA, which the Lord has consistently shown me is part of the New World (Global) Order, and is against the people of the US, and in particular against believers in Jesus Christ. They are a part of a revival of a Hitler-like regime that will bring the US into a police state, and will bring about severe persecution of believers in Jesus Christ. And, this is already beginning in the USA.

I read an article about the transfer of terror suspects from Cuba, which made me think of this move of the children into this loft. These “terror suspects” are considered a threat. The article also mentioned intelligence officers reporting back to the government concerning the issues that influence these suspected terrorists to reengage themselves in “terrorist activities.” I believe the Lord is paralleling this over to what he is showing me here concerning “private police” in our own country, and among our own people, reporting back to our government concerning any “suspicious” activity they see. I believe that believers in Jesus Christ are being targeted, and will continue to be targeted here in the USA, and will be tagged as “religious extremists” and “terrorists” who need to be detained.

This is somehow related to the Pentagon’s “new rules” that the Lord is showing me are moving the US government out of their covenant relationship with the people of the USA (out of the bedroom) and into a dictatorial relationship over the people to where they can halt the witness of believers and the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ via this spy network of private police among the people. The private police could be anyone we know. They could be our neighbors, family members, people we work with, go to school with or even attend church with. We just have to think Hitler and the Gestapo and his S.S. squad, and how he got children to even rat on their own parents. And, we have to think of Revelation 13 and the beast and the false prophet and the dragon, because that is where this is all headed. The government is already flexing its muscles with the church in demanding the institutional church marry same-sex couples and that the institutional church pay for birth control for their employees, though I am not certain where all this applies yet.

The loft thus represents the front lines of combat, only not just on the battle field in the Middle East, but on a spiritual battle field against Satan and against his evil forces, which are coming against true believers in Jesus Christ at an alarming rate. And, Satan is using these “private police” to do his dirty work in spying on and reporting on the citizens of countries and the people of God (true Christians) worldwide, in reality. These private police have their backs (guard/wall) against the west and are facing the east, i.e. they are against the west (America) and have their sights set on conquering the Middle East, and/or setting up their kingdom there. This is in relation to the first article about putting women soldiers in combat zones as military police or as intelligence officers, only the Lord was applying that more broadly to how our government is moving people into such positions among their own people here in the USA, as well as throughout the world. The article said that this move this direction was a “huge step” in the right course, which then brought to mind how this loft (combat zone) was at the top of a set of stairs and sat to the right (east) of the steps.

In the article about the Obama contraceptive mandate on religious organizations, it used terminology to discuss this issue that paralleled the terminology of the article about sending women into combat as intelligence officers and as military police. Instead of “new rules,” there was a “new mandate.” Instead of women being “propelled” to the front lines of battle, “social issues” have rushed to the foreground. The article mentioned moderate backers of Obama, which brought to mind this back on my daughter’s bed, representing Republicans and Democrats, not just Democrats. In fact, one article about Gingrich led me to believe, based upon this dream, that he was among the Obama administration’s backers, which really means he is a N.W.O. backer, in reality. The article mentioned Catholics as potential “swing voters,” which brought to mind the “swing” that I felt my daughter tried to place in the loft, but that I had removed. A swing voter is one who has no particular allegiance to any one political party, so the suggestion here is that there is to be allegiance to one political party, only it is not Republican or Democrat, but is more like the Nazi party.

A dresser is a chest and a chest of drawers is associated with the treasury and with the exchange of money, and there was no room in this loft for dressers, i.e. this is representing a hard time financially such as in the Great Depression, but also is reminiscent of Revelation 13 and the rest of the book of Revelation where it tells us that if we do not worship the beast, we will not be able to buy and sell. This brings me to the article about Greece. I saw the “bailout” as this move to the loft (front lines of battle), i.e. a place of endangerment. The article mentioned “debt inspectors,” who I saw as the realtor, her husband and others with them. They were from the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, all of which are part of the New World Order (Global Rule). These debt inspectors are giving Greece a timetable of 15 days. In an article about Iran it mentioned the intimidation of war as seeming to be abruptly upon us. And, that article also mentioned that time was running short. So, it appears to me that this is to soon be upon us.

Since I saw the “debt inspectors” as realtors and the like, and I had a sense that our house (the USA) was up for sale unofficially and would sell “as is,” and this fits with the timetable, then I sense that this article about Greece parallels over to the situation with our own government and nation. They have to cut programs and jobs that affect the poor people of their nation, and I believe that is coming to America, too, which is why the chests of drawers would not fit in the loft (the front lines of battle). Then, the article mentioned how the politicians in Greece were campaigning, like they are here now, and how they need to be seen by the people as combatting “until the very last drop of blood.” It said they were facing in opposition of the Germans, the IMF and the remainder of the globe, yet I saw our politicians and government with its back (wall) to the west and with its face to the east, which I believe means that our government is against its own people but is for the New World Order, at least those who are party to the New World Order apply here. And, I believe that our politicians are putting on a show for the American people until the time is up and we are fully under the N.W.O. and it is obvious for everyone to see.

This article also mentions a coalition government, which has been given many names in various countries, including a unity government (most popular name), a transitional government, etc. But what it means is the government of the New World Order (culminating in the beast of Revelation), i.e. the one rule of law for the entire world, which has been sweeping across the globe in conquering the governments and nations of the entire world. Then, the article mentioned a “neo-Nazi Golden Dawn group,” which immediately drew my attention because we had painted our walls this “golden/yellow” color and some of the paint had gotten on the woodwork. A wall is a fortification, can be a roadblock or a barrier, but can also serve as protection and as our defense. Another term for “woodwork” is goal and another is “cabinetmaking.” And, a cabinet is “a group of senior officials appointed by a president to advise on policy” (Encarta), so it appears that some of the president’s cabinet is part of this Nazi party (the Global Order). Sometimes paint means to conceal something, which this has been concealed from the American public that our government (or part of our government) is actually Nazi and part of this global agenda to take over all nations and governments of the world. Yet, I also see that it means our nation has changed colors, i.e. they have changed political affiliation and loyalty away from the people of America and toward this Nazi-like Global regime that is conquering the nations and people of the world.

In the dream, a relative and his wife were getting ready to move into my daughter’s room. This relative has been in several of my dreams, and always represents a time of tribulation to come upon us, yet he also appears to represent a change in government here in the USA. Yet, my two sons in the dream were to remain in their rooms. One son usually represents kings or a king, and the other represents the military, in particular these international (global) forces. So, it sounds as though the international military forces are to remain in power here in the US as well as a king is to remain in power. Obama is the most likely candidate to be that king, though I can’t say that with 100% certainty. What I do know is that the Lord is showing me a time of tribulation to come upon our nation where we will be in a sort of police state without maybe realizing it, as the police are private police among us who are there to spy on us and to report back what they find (learn). He is also showing me a shift in government and that our government is moving over toward this Hitler-like regime and away from loyalty to their own people. The Lord has shown me this many times.

To the Word

Peter wrote this letter to believers in Jesus Christ. He reminded the believers that God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. We are not lacking any good thing we need in order to live out the Christian life while we are on the face of the earth. Jesus did not leave us as orphans. He sent his Holy Spirit to indwell us and to be our counselor, comforter, guide, and teacher; to convict of sin, to encourage, to strengthen, to help, to empower and to lead us in the right direction. We should never have to feel as though the Christian life is too hard or that we have to yield to sin. Jesus came to free us from the control of sin over our lives. All we have to do is to appropriate to our lives what he has already done for us. We can endure this time of great persecution because He lives within us and he gives us all we need to make it through this time of tribulation and trial.

Through God’s divine power, his glory and his goodness he has given us his very great and precious promises. The greatest promise is that of salvation and of eternal life with God in heaven one day, yet he promises to give us all we need to live out the Christian life while we are still on the face of this earth, too. Through faith in the promises of God we can take part in the divine nature, i.e. we can share in God’s character, personality, and make-up. In other words we can be loving, kind, generous, thoughtful, considerate, nurturing, caring, merciful, compassionate and burdened for the lost and for our brothers and sisters in Christ, who have strayed away from pure devotion to Christ, so much that we are willing to lay our own lives down so that they can be brought back into a right relationship with God. When we participate in the divine nature of God, i.e. the more like God’s nature we become, we will be able to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. The Lord has been showing me this “corruption in the world caused by evil desires” via these dreams he gives me that tell me about our own government and church corruption in the USA.

For this reason… i.e. because of God’s great and precious promises to us which he fulfills, and because his divine power gives us everything we need for life and godliness while we are still here on the face of this earth, and because we want to participate in God’s divine nature and escape the corruption of this world caused by evil desires, we should make every effort to add to our faith… This is not works-based salvation. This is the outgrowth of a life committed to Jesus Christ by faith in his great and precious promises. The effort is not of the flesh, i.e. it is not human effort, but is supplied by the divine power that gives us everything we need for life and godliness. This is about spiritual maturity and growing in our faith so that we don’t remain babes in Christ (spiritual infants), and so that we are able to withstand this day of evil coming upon our world. Growing in our faith by taking on these godly character traits will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge (heart, not just head) of our Lord Jesus Christ, i.e. this is speaking of applied knowledge (godly wisdom). If we do not have these divine character traits at all, then we are nearsighted and blind, and we have forgotten that we have been cleansed from our past sins. In other words, the spiritual walk with Christ is one that grows and changes and matures and that leaves the life of sin behind them, and instead walks in the grace and strength and the power of the Lord. This is the only way we will survive what is coming.

So, we should examine our own hearts to see if we are really in the faith. To believe in Jesus Christ is much more than just an emotional decision made at an altar or an intellectual assent to who Christ is and what he did for us on the cross in dying for our sins. Coming to Christ involves repentance (turning from our sin), a transformation of the mind and heart by the working of the Holy Spirit within us, and a commitment to daily die to our flesh and our own selfish desires, and to walk in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ. These kinds of godly characteristic traits should be evidenced in our lives, and there should be spiritual fruit that is an outgrowth of our relationship with Christ that reveals that we are truly in Christ Jesus. If you have bought into the lie that you don’t have to repent and you don’t have to obey Christ to be saved, then I pray you prayerfully examine the scriptures, for they teach a different gospel from the one you have received. And, I pray that today you will turn from all your sins, that you will allow the Holy Spirit of God to change your heart, and that you will turn to walk in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ in the divine power he gives each and every one of us for life and for godliness.

Walking in The Light / An Original Work / November 16, 2011

Based off 1 John 1-2

When I lift up my voice, and
Sing praise unto God,
I will fellowship with my
Lord and Savior, King.
In Him there is no darkness.
He is in the light of truth.
If we walk in His light,
From sin He purifies.

If we repent of our sins,
He’ll forgive us now,
When we humble ourselves, and
Before Jesus bow.
The man who says, “I know Him,”
But does not obey His truth,
There is no truth in him.
In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin,
For it is hell bound.
If you follow the world, you’ll
Not in Christ be found.
The world and its desires
Will not last; they’ll expire.
The one who does God’s will,
Receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from
Christ remains in you.
Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and
In His Father, too.
This is what He promised us –
His eternal life with God.
So, continue in Him, and
You’ll receive a crown.

http://youtu.be/wS6ljsF6aV4

Resources: Sources: Pentagon rules shift on women in combat
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WOMEN_AT_WAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-09-01-52-11

Analysis: Obama contraceptive mandate has a price
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BIRTH_CONTROL_ANALYSIS_?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-09-01-32-20

Dwindling time, rising tension make Iran top fear
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAN_WHY_NOW?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-09-01-25-37

Greece, creditors end talks without full deal
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GREECE_FINANCIAL_CRISIS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-09-03-18-48

Gingrich hopes high road, new funds can save him
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GINGRICH_WAY_FORWARD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-09-02-19-37

APNewsBreak: GOP report questions detainee release
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HOUSE_GOP_TERROR_SUSPECTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-09-00-05-49

Don't Be Negligent Now

Wednesday, February 08, 2012, 2012, 7:39 a.m. – The Lord woke me this morning with the song, “Wake Up!” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 1 Peter 4:1-11 (NIV 1984):

Living for God

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

My Understanding: Before I read my passage for my QT with the Lord today, my husband shared his quiet time passage with me from 2 Chronicles 29:1-11. Hezekiah became king of Judah, following his father before him, who did evil in the sight of God. Hezekiah, nonetheless, did what was right in the eyes of God. Hezekiah’s father had hindered the people of God from the worship of God, but when Hezekiah came to office, he threw the temple doors open, and he repaired them. Then he brought in the priests and the Levites and had a talk with them. He told them to consecrate themselves and to consecrate the temple of the LORD. They were to remove all the defilement from the sanctuary. Their fathers were unfaithful to God, they did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and they forsook God. They had turned their faces away from the Lord’s temple, and they had turned their backs on God. They had shut the doors and put out the lamps. Therefore, God brought judgment on them. So, Hezekiah determined to make a covenant with God, so that God’s anger would turn away from God’s people. Then, he called the priests and the Levites “sons,” and he instructed them to “not be negligent now,” for the Lord had chosen them to “stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.”

Translated into today’s church, the temple of the Lord is in the hearts of true followers of Jesus Christ, and together they make up the church, i.e. the people of God, Christ’s body (not to be confused with the institutional church, which is a corporation). Many of today’s church leaders have closed the doors of the temple and have put out the lamps by watering down the gospel of Jesus Christ and by following man over God. The door (way) into God’s holy temple is by God’s grace, through Jesus’ blood sacrifice for our sins, and through faith, which includes repentance and obedience to Christ and to his commands. Many church leaders have thus closed those doors and have hindered true fellowship with and worship of God by telling people they don’t have to turn from their sins and they don’t have to obey Christ in order to be saved. This is a lie of Satan, and it is so contradictory to the teachings of Christ and of the New Testament. Thus, they have put out the lamps of the true gospel of Jesus Christ from reaching into people’s hearts and lives, and they have put out the light of the word of God and the witness of the Holy Spirit in convicting men’s hearts of sin.

So, to open the doors and to repair (renovate; restore) them means to expose the lies of the false gospel of “easy believism,” or of works-based salvation, and to preach the true gospel of repentance and obedience to Christ, as required for our salvation. And, then it is to encourage the ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ to repent of their own sins first, and of how they have neglected to preach the true gospel of salvation; and to exhort them to sanctify themselves by the Spirit of God, to reform their own hearts, to renew their covenants with God, and to do what is right in God’s eyes. Then, they can be used of God to help restore God’s holy church, by removing those idols of men from within the sanctuary of God (our hearts individually and collectively) that defile God’s holy temple (our hearts).

Those idols include the watered-down gospel message that gives people a false hope of salvation, but that tickles their ears with what they want to hear, and it includes how the church corporately has adopted the ways and means of the world and of worldly businesses in how to grow God’s church, but what they are building are businesses of men, not the true church. The true church grows through people coming to genuine faith in Jesus Christ by way of the cross in dying to their old lives of sin, and in being resurrected to walk new lives of faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, and to his commands. So, they need to stop following the ways of men, and they need to follow the ways of God. God is calling out to the ministers of his gospel to no longer be negligent with regard to the gospel and with regard to the temple of God in their own hearts and in the hearts of those to whom they have been called to minister, but they are to now stand (remain; endure; hold fast; persist; prevail; continue) strong in their faith and in their commitments to obey Christ Jesus.

Enough Time

Going right along with this teaching from 2 Chronicles is the passage in 1 Peter 4. Peter began this chapter with a “therefore,” which means you go back and read what he said before that so you know to what he is referring by his following remarks. My commentary led me back to chapter 3, vs. 18, and I concur with this thought, and how it fits with Peter’s next remarks. He said, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.”

1 Peter 3:18: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”

Ok, so the way in which Christ suffered in his body was by way of his death on the cross for our sins, in putting sin to death. He was then resurrected back to life in conquering hell, Satan, death and sin so that we could go free from the penalty of and the control of sin. He did this to bring us back into a right relationship with God. His flesh body was put to death, but he was made alive by the Spirit in raising him from the dead. So, when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we die to our own sins in the power and working of the Holy Spirit within us, and because of what Christ did for us. Our old flesh nature is therefore put to death. Yet, we are then made alive in Christ by the Spirit of God to walk in fellowship, faith and obedience to Jesus Christ and to his commands. Jesus said that if anyone was to follow him, he must deny himself and daily take up his cross and follow Christ. He said that if we hold on to our old lives of sin, we will lose our lives, but if we lose our lives (die to our sins), then we will find them in Christ Jesus, and that is so true! And, this taking up of our cross (death to sin), and this following Christ in obedience to his will for our lives is a daily practice.

As a result of this death to sin, so that sin is done away with in the life of the believer, he or she no longer lives his or her life on this earth for evil human desires. Why is it that this is not being taught much? Coming to Christ Jesus means death to sin and to our old lives of living to please our own fleshly and worldly desires. We can’t come to faith in Christ and still live like the world. We are supposed to come out from the world and to be separate. And, we are supposed to be lights for the gospel (the whole gospel) of Jesus Christ, yet so many professing Christians act, think and talk just like the world, and there is not much that distinguishes them from the world, including I am talking about the worldly church here. Instead, we are supposed to spend the rest of our earthly lives for the will of God. We find out what the will of God is for our lives by spending time with Jesus each day in prayer and in the study of His word, and by obeying what he shows us. I think we all need to do a serious heart examination of how we are living out our daily lives. Are we still living to please our own flesh, or are we truly living each day for the will of God? In everything we do we must ask ourselves, “Am I doing this for the will of God to be fulfilled in my life? And, how is the will of God for my life being fulfilled through what I do and say?”

Peter, in exhorting the believers that they should have the same attitude of Christ in doing away with sin through death to sin, told them that they have spent enough time in the past living in wickedness, corruption, dishonesty, immorality, lust, adultery, drunkenness, partying, self-pleasure, and detestable (revolting; disgraceful; shameful) idolatry. The worldly (including in the church) think it strange when we do not plunge (rush; jump; throw ourselves in) with them into the same flood (abundance; excess) of dissipation (indulgence; wickedness; and immorality). So, they will heap abuse on us when we choose to stand for Christ and to walk in obedience to him and to his commands. We will be called “crazy,” or “old fuddy-duddies,” or “hyper-religious,” and we will be encouraged to be more “normal” like everyone else and to do the things that “normal” people do. Yet, they will have to give an account to God for their actions, and we must resist giving in to them, and we must remain resolute in our commitments to purity and to righteousness and holy living.

Peter exhorted them, as well, by reminding them that “The end of all things is near.” I find the word “near” in scripture to merely mean “imminent,” i.e. forthcoming, coming up, at any time. None of us knows when our last day will be on this earth, so we must live each day as though it could be our last, and particularly as though we know it is our last, like we have just been given 24 hours to live. If we truly knew we had just 24 hours left to live, how would we live our lives? What changes would we make? Would we continue as we have been doing? If not, then we need to make those changes now. Peter said we should live our lives as though the end is truly near. We should be clear (unblemished; pure) minded and self-controlled (instead of out of control) so we can pray. Above all else, we should love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. He is not speaking about loving each other in such a way that we help others in concealing, hiding, and disguising, camouflaging or masking sin. He is speaking about the kind of love Jesus Christ has for us that exposes sin for what it is, that calls for repentance and obedience, and that offers the hope of forgiveness and restoration (the covering of Christ’s blood over our sin). This is true love, not the kind that gives pats on the back and leaves people in their sin.

In still having the mindset of the end of things is near, we should also offer hospitality to one another without grumbling, and each one of us should use whatever gift he has received to serve others. Some of those gifts are not too popular in today’s church, either. Yet, the Spirit of God gives gifts as He determines, not as we choose. And, that is why he added, “…faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” When we speak, we should speak as one speaking the very words of God, i.e. we should be so in tune with God and what he desires that we speak what he would also speak. And, in all that we do, we should do it in the very strength of God that he provides, so that in all things God may be praised and may get the glory, instead of the glory going to ourselves.

So, God is calling out to us, his temple, and to the ministers of his gospel to wake up from our slumber, to stop living like the world, and to live as though tomorrow is our last day.

Wake Up! / An Original Work / November 25, 2011

Based off Ephesians 5:1-21; Revelation 3:1-6

Wake up, sleeper,
Rise from the dead.
Your God awaits
You to do what
He says to you.
Be not conformed
To your selfish will.
Trust in the Lord.
Do what He says.
He will give you victory.
Do not walk in
Darkness; come into
The light of love.

Listen to your
Savior calling
You to obey
All His teachings.
Repent of your
Sin, and Christ will
Shine His love on you.
He waits patiently
For you to
Heed His whispers to your heart.
Will you hasten
To obey Him;
Not from Him depart?

Live your life from
This day forward,
Walking in His
Love and mercy.
Let Him cleanse you
Of all your sins.
Dwell with Him today.
Do not insult
God’s grace to you.
Do not make light of your sin.
Let the light of
His truth come and
Free you from within.

http://youtu.be/VRPINCxQluc