Flee These Things

Sunday, November 24, 2013, 7:55 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Living Water” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1Timothy 6:3-16 (ESV).

Different Doctrine

Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. Vv. 3-5

There are many different doctrines floating around these days, many of them obviously false to a Bible believing Christian, but some very subtle and smooth-sounding so as to deceive the minds of many. So, how do we know what is true and what is false? Anything that does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness is false. So, how do we know if something agrees with the teaching of Christ or with that which accords with godliness? We have to study the scriptures. Many false beliefs stem from people taking scriptures out of context to prove their theology, so we have to be students of the Word, and we have to prayerfully seek out the truth so that we are not led astray by what is false. Also, we have to obey the truth that we are given.

There is a modern movement in today’s evangelical church which I will call a “false grace” teaching, which fits with this description as to how we know if something is false. It is a half-truth gospel which presents well what Jesus Christ did for us in dying on the cross for our sins, but which does not explain what it means to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives. They promise the people salvation from sins and eternal life in heaven with God if they will just “believe,” yet absent of what the Bible teaches this “belief” entails, and that occurs largely because they take scriptures out of context to make their case, and when you lose the context, you lose the meaning of what it means to believe, as well. For example, read John 3:16 in the context of the entire chapter, and you will see what I mean.

Jesus said we have to repent of our sins if we want to have eternal life with God (Lu. 13:5; cf. Ac. 3:19). Some people like to take that word repent and say it merely means to have a change of mind. While it is true that is the meaning of the word, in scriptural context it means to turn away from sin and to turn toward God in obedience and surrender to his will. Jesus also said that if we want to come after him we have to disallow our self-life and daily die to sin and self and follow him in obedience. He said if we try to hold on to our old life of sin, we will lose our lives for eternity, but if we die to our old lives of living for self and sin we will gain eternal life (See Lu. 9:23-25; cf. Eph. 4:17-24; Ro. 6). Jesus also said that if we love him we will keep (observe; honor; continue in; obey; and carry out) his word and that he and the Father will make their home with us (See John 14:23). So, if the gospel you have accepted does not teach death to sin and following Jesus Christ in obedience and surrender to his will for our lives – all in the power and strength of the Spirit within us – then it is false because it does not agree with Christ’s teachings and those of godliness.

Wandered Away

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. Vv. 6-10

Godliness is reverence, respect, loyalty and devotion toward God, which comes only from God, and not from within ourselves, and is appropriated to our lives via the working of the Holy Spirit, as we cooperate with that work in surrender to God and to his will for our lives. If we truly reverence God, and we are loyal and devoted to him, then we will desire what pleases him, and we will submit to his will for our lives. Part of this submission means accepting and being content with wherever God has us. This is not speaking of complacency, though, for it is not God’s will that we should ever be content with just “status quo,” but that we should be continually growing in our faith, growing in our knowledge and understanding of who he is, and what he requires of us, and that we should be following him daily in obedience and surrender, i.e. daily walking in the Spirit.

The problem today is that “godliness” is not being taught or modeled for us much in the church and among church leadership. Also the church often gives a false idea of who God - Jesus Christ is, and so many have lost this reverential respect and honor (fear) of God. Instead, much of the church has gone the way of the world, and so many professing Christians fall into the same traps of the evil one as do those in this fallen world. They are not discerning about what they take into their minds, they make compromises with the world in order to please the flesh, and they often follow after the model of the world instead of the one set down for us by Christ and by his word. I believe this is largely due to the fact that so many Christians devote so much time to taking the world into their minds via TV, movies, secular books, the Internet, music, social networks, etc. and so little time is spent in God’s word, in prayer, in seeking God’s face and then in obeying what he teaches them.

The Remedy

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. Vv. 11-16

So, if we want to live godly lives pleasing to God, and we want to follow the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, and we want to keep from falling into temptation to sin and into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin, then we must flee all these false, misleading, harmful, and senseless things. To flee means to run away from something; to escape. One of the scriptures that comes to mind here is Hebrews 12:1 where we are instructed to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,” so we can “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” In other words, we can’t spend multiple hours a day taking in the ways of the world into our minds via the media provided to us by the world and then spend very little time in God’s word, in prayer, and in obedience to what he teaches us, and then expect to live godly lives. What goes in comes back out.

We need to run away from all that is contrary to God and the teachings of Christ and of godliness, and we need to pursue what is of God and is of his righteousness. To pursue means to chase, follow, hunt, practice, engage in, work at and carry out. This is a picture of repentance, too – fleeing, forsaking, and putting off our old lives of sin and pursuing, chasing after, practicing, engaging in and following after Christ in obedience and surrender to his will. Again, we cannot do this in our own flesh, but only in the Spirit of God as we yield our lives over to God and we choose to follow him wherever he leads us. Yet, so many people just try to ride the fence, or balance their lives between worldliness and godliness. The two don’t mix. We have to flee one and pursue the other or we are like the church in Laodicea which was neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. So, if you want victory over your sinful habits, cut out of your life whatever leads you into temptation, run away from it, and don’t play with fire. And, come to the Living Water, Jesus Christ, and let him satisfy you.

Living Water / An Original Work / November 21, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

My people have forsaken Me,

Their Savior, who died on a tree;

Made idols, and they worshipped them;

So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.

Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.

Those who turn away from You will be shamed;

The Spring of Living Water left behind.

Living Water satisfies.

The thirsty, let them come and drink;

Believe in Jesus as their King;

The gift of Jesus given them,

So they will never thirst again.

Indeed, the Living Water flows within.

It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.

Eternal life in heaven promised them.

Living Water glorifies.

Oh people, won’t you come to Him?

Obey Him and repent of sin.

Let Jesus come and live within.

Surrender all your life to Him.

My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?

Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.

Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?

Living Water sanctifies.

http://originalworks.info/living-water/

Living Water

Many within the church of today have forsaken the Lord Jesus Christ. They may have a form of godliness, and they may even be fully involved in religious activities, but they deny and reject Jesus Christ by their lifestyles. They have even made idols for themselves in the form of public figures, sports, TV, games, possessions, houses, cars, careers, personal intellect and appearance, leisure activities, entertainment, and/or sinful pleasures, etc. And, so Jesus Christ is barely on their radar, forgotten altogether, or else he gets only an occasional passing nod here and there.

They run their own lives, and don’t inquire of the Lord or submit to his will for their lives unless they are in trouble, and then they expect him to come through for them. They have forgotten the Living Water which springs up like a fountain within those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and they have chased after what can never satisfy. Some of them may never have truly trusted Jesus Christ with their lives, while others have, yet they have since wandered away and have gone after the things of this world. So, Jesus is calling for them to turn from their sin and their idols, and to surrender their all to Him.

Living Water / An Original Work / November 21, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

My people have forsaken Me,

Their Savior, who died on a tree;

Made idols, and they worshipped them;

So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.

Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.

Those who turn away from You will be shamed;

The Spring of Living Water left behind.

Living Water satisfies.

The thirsty, let them come and drink;

Believe in Jesus as their King;

The gift of Jesus given them,

So they will never thirst again.

Indeed, the Living Water flows within.

It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.

Eternal life in heaven promised them.

Living Water glorifies.

Oh people, won’t you come to Him?

Obey Him and repent of sin.

Let Jesus come and live within.

Surrender all your life to Him.

My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?

Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.

Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?

Living Water sanctifies.

http://originalworks.info/living-water/

http://youtu.be/3HlyE6Xthjk

Mere Talkers

Thursday, November 21, 2013, 6:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Draw Me Close to You” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Timothy 1 (NIV).

Myths and Such

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. Vv. 3-4

A myth is “a widely held but mistaken belief” (Encarta). A myth can be based in stories passed on from generation to generation, or it can be based in family or cultural tradition, or it can be merely something that is believed by many people, but that is not true. Generally speaking, those who propagate these myths are people in positions of trust and/or in public positions of authority and/or respect, such as parents, pastors, teachers, public officials and the news media. This is why the Bible tells us that we should test everything, and why it often warns us against those who teach what is false, and why it encourages us to be discerning and to be seekers of truth, and why it says we should not put our trust in humans, but in God. Not everything that claims to be true is true.

One myth I know of that is widely believed, for example, is that the church building (physical structure) is the “house of God,” and that when we go inside the physical building we have somehow now entered into the house of God or into God’s presence, and that the sanctuary (physical room in the building) brings us more into his presence, and that Sunday, particularly Sunday morning, is the Lord’s day and the day we are to worship with other believers, and inside “God’s house,” too. Yet, scripture teaches that we, the Body of Christ, are the Lord’s temple, that his Spirit dwells within us, and that we are to worship God in Spirit and in truth every day, and that the early church met from house to house and in the temple courts daily. So, the presence of God is within each one of us, not inside a physical building, and we can meet with the Body of Christ any day in the week and anywhere for teaching, prayer, fellowship and the breaking of bread, and that is church.

The main “false doctrine” I believe that is being propagated in today’s church is one of “easy believism,” i.e. a false grace absent of true repentance, dying to self and sin, and being transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God (new birth); and absent of putting on Christ in his true righteousness and holiness, following Jesus Christ in surrender and obedience to his will and commands – all in the power of the Spirit of God within us as we yield control of our lives over to Christ for him to live his life in us and out through us. This false grace teaches a diluted gospel to make it more appealing and acceptable to the world, yet what it really teaches is a broad/wide road that leads to destruction, not the narrow road that few enter which leads to salvation and eternal life with God (See Matt. 7:13-14). By leaving out these critical components of the true gospel (See Lu. 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24; and Rom. 6, Ac. 26:16-18, et al), these false teachers are giving people a false hope of salvation based upon a lie, and they are condemning their adherents to eternity in hell, because they did not tell them the truth, so that they could be truly saved. The truth is:

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. ~ Titus 2:11-14

Some Have Departed

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. 1 Tim. 1:5-7

Some have departed (deviated; diverged; strayed; wandered; or digressed) from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. Instead they have turned to meaningless, empty, useless and/or mere talk and deception. They are rebellious people who follow after their own fleshly desires, rather than following after the Spirit of Christ. Some may give off a pretense of religion or faith in Christ, but they are professors only whose lives deny and reject Jesus Christ. They have a form of godliness, but they deny its power in their lives. Some lack true conviction, so they may be easily swayed by various differences of opinion of humankind and/or may go back and forth between truth and lies, as if on a see-saw. Some may speak the absolute truth, at times, yet not know from personal relationship or experience what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm, because it is mere talk (pontificating), and thus is deception and is hypocritical. They may just be copying what they hear others say. Scripture says: “They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good” (See Tit. 1:16; cf. Tit. 1:10). And, these are oftentimes the very ones who are teaching myths and false doctrines, so be careful and be discerning.

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. Vv. 8-11

Shown Mercy

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. Vv. 12-20

Some of those who have “departed” from the true faith may be among those who are true believers in Jesus Christ but who have since strayed away from the truth to follow after the lies, and thus they need to return to their Lord in full assurance of faith and a good conscience. Yet, some of those who have deviated from a pure heart and sincere faith may be among those who have been taught the truth of the gospel, perhaps from infanthood, but who have never truly said “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and thus have never yielded their lives over to Christ Jesus in order to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the power and strength of His Spirit within them. In other words, they have not truly accepted the grace of God into their lives, but perhaps only a false grace. They may have a form of godliness in their lives, but it may be surface only. They are in need of a true relationship with Jesus Christ which understands that the gospel teaches we must die to our old lives of living for self and sin, and we must be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from sin and Satan and toward following after Christ in his true righteousness and holiness. This IS the working of the Spirit of God, and not of our own flesh or good deeds, but we must yield to his work in our lives, i.e. we must cooperate.

So, if you know that you are truly in Christ Jesus, yet you also know that you have not been living what you say you believe, and you know you have been making compromises with your faith in order to please your flesh, I pray today that you will return to your Lord Jesus with a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith which honors God with your life.

Yet, if you know that you are a mere talker, who gives lip service only to your Lord, and you know that you lack true conviction, and so you go back and forth between truth and lies as if on a see-saw, and you know that your true lifestyle and behaviors do not match what you say you believe, then I pray today that you will turn your heart and your life completely over to God/Jesus Christ in full surrender to his will for your life, that you will die to sin and self and that you will allow the Spirit of God to transform you in heart and mind so that you can live a life that is holy and pleasing to God (not perfect, but yielded and submitted).

Draw Me Close To You / Donnie McClurkin

Draw me close to You

Never let me go

I lay it all down again

To hear You say that I'm Your friend

You are my desire

And no one else will do

'Cause nothing else can take Your place

To feel the warmth of Your embrace

Help me find a way

Bring me back to You

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

Things Are Heating Up

BIG TIME

Wednesday, November 20, 2013, 9:00 a.m. – I woke up and got up the first time at 5:30 a.m. Jesus put the song “Great Is The Lord” (Ward, A.A./Michael W. Smith) in my mind. I read 2 Thessalonians 1 (NIV), and took some notes, then fell back asleep around 7:30 a.m. and slept until 9. This time, when I awoke, the Lord put the song “Unless You are Born Again” (Original Works) in my mind. I read the news and I read 2 Thessalonians 2 (NIV). Speak, Lord, your words to my heart.

Great is The Lord / Ward, A.A. / Michael W. Smith

Great is the Lord, He is holy and just,

By His power we trust in His love.

Great is the Lord, He is faithful and true,

By His mercy, He proves He is love.

The Rebellion

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. ~ 2 Thess. 2:1-4

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. Vv. 9-12

None of us knows the day or the hour of the coming of the Lord, but what we do know is that Jesus Christ will not return for us until the “rebellion occurs” and “the man of lawlessness” is revealed. This is what scripture teaches. Exactly how he will be revealed it doesn’t say, but I believe we will know it when we see it, because “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” So, what exactly does this mean? Remember that God’s temple is now the body of Christ, the true church. And, proclaiming himself to be God may not be literal, but figurative, i.e. this could have to do with him taking the rightful position of God/Christ in the church as the head of the church, which is, by the way, what the church has allowed via the 501c3 status underneath the authority of the U.S. government, but that is just in the US, not in the world as a whole.

A “rebellion” is “an organized attempt to overthrow a government, or other authority, by the use of violence” (Encarta). Now, I know that rebellions have been going on for generations. Yet, let me share with you what the Lord Jesus is showing me here. The US and their allies and the global elites of this world have been plotting the takeover of the world for some time now. And, they have systematically been taking down the governments of nations one at a time for several years now via false flag operations, man-made disasters/storms, orchestrated uprisings and internal conflicts within nations; and via the killing of innocents and Christ’s true servants and witnesses, and blaming others for their dirty work. We can’t trust anything they say or anything we read or hear in the mainstream media these days.

The P5+1 of the UN Security Council is presently meeting with Iran in Warsaw, Poland, supposedly to negotiate Iran’s nuclear program, i.e. to try to get Iran to cease with moving forward with their nuclear activities and ambitions. Nearly every time the Lord has shown me anything related to our negotiations with Iran he has shown me that what we blame Iran of doing is really what we are doing, and now the Lord is showing me that these meetings are really about stopping the progression of the gospel of Jesus Christ from spreading, i.e. the goal is to stop the proselytization of the gospel, and it is about the murdering of those who are spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, because we (and the gospel) are the biggest threat to Satan’s kingdom. And, the goal of the UN Climate Conference in Geneva, which ends in two days, is to make the nations of this world bow to the real climate change, i.e. that of the rise of the New World Order Beast to global power, and to do so through threats of and violence against people and nations, and also targeting Christ’s true servants and witnesses – “those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus” (See Rev. 6:9; 12:11, 17; 17:6; 19:10; 20:4).

Imagine with me the world of politics as a gigantic chess board. This New World Order Beast is coming into power, so for the N.W.O. to truly rule the entire earth, the opponent’s chess pieces must either be removed, taken out, or blocked from moving any further, if I understand the game correctly (I am not a chess player). The pieces are moved around on the board until all are in position and then “checkmate,” i.e. the total defeat of the kings of the world so that we are all brought underneath this one world government. And, that is what is going on presently. They will remove anyone who stands in the way of their rise to power or who presents a threat to them in any way. Many stories we read in the news, blamed on other people, are really stories of the “Opponent’s chess pieces” being removed or blocked from any further moves. And, this includes the murdering of Christians in an attempt to halt the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but that is futile. As well, they create stories to cover for their dirty work, even by blaming the dead for acts they did not commit. This calls for much wisdom and spiritual discernment.

Stand Firm

Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. ~ 2 Thess. 1:4-10

For those of us who know Jesus, and who bare testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, and put on the full armor of God daily with which to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us (See Eph. 6:10-20). We need to stand firm in our faith and in our testimony for Christ and his gospel, and we need to hold on to the teachings of the Word of Truth and the true gospel of our salvation. We do this through yielding daily the control of our lives over to our Lord Jesus and his Spirit within us, and we allow him to do his work in and through us for his purposes and for his glory. He will give us all the encouragement and hope and strength we need to endure, to persevere, and to never give up. No matter how bad things get, the Lord will see us through. We just have to call upon him and yield to his will for our lives, trusting him that he will work all things out for all of our good – to make us holy, and for the furtherance of the gospel of Christ so that many will be saved before the Lord returns.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you have bought into the lies and deceptions, and feel as though you can do without him or you can just “get by,” then I pray you realize today that you need Jesus Christ to save you from your sins, and I pray you will surrender your life to him today, while you still have today. None of us ever knows if we have tomorrow, but things truly are heating up, and time is running out. Don’t wait until it is too late. Accept his gift of salvation today and give him your all!

Unless You Are Born Again

An Original Work / November 3, 2013

Based off John 3:1-21

Nicodemus came to Jesus.

He acknowledged God was with Him.

Jesus said, “You can’t see heaven

Unless you are born again.”

“How can a man be born when he’s old?

Can he enter into his mother’s womb?”

Jesus answered, “Flesh is flesh,

So of the Spirit, you must be.”

Jesus said to Nicodemus,

“You’re a teacher, and yet you don’t

Understand of what I tell you,

Because you will not believe.

“For God so loved the world that He gave

His one and His only Son for your sin.

So, whoever believes in Him

Has eternal life in heav’n.

“Light has come into the world,

But human beings love the darkness,

Because their deeds are so evil,

So in truth, they stand condemned.

“Everyone who practices evil

Fears that the Light will expose his sin.

Yet, whoever lives his life by the Light

Does so through his God.”

http://originalworks.info/unless-you-are-born-again/

Awake and Sober

Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 5:59 a.m. – The Lord Jesus woke me with the song “My Cry For Mercy” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Thessalonians 5 (NIV).

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. Vv. 1-3

Prior to Christ’s return for his church (his bride), there will be a time on the earth called the Time of Tribulation, at which time the earth will be visited with much destruction, the people on this earth will face the judgments of God, the saints of God will be severely persecuted and martyred for their testimony for Jesus Christ and for his gospel of salvation, and “The Beast” (of Satan) will rule the entire earth for a specified and short period of time. It will be a time of great distress, sadness, loss of human life, bloodshed, famine, disease, loss of property and possessions, imprisonments, beatings and totalitarian rule. Some people may believe this has already begun, because of what they are personally suffering throughout the world at the hands of this totalitarian regime (the New World Order Beast). Yet none of us knows the exact time in which these events will actually begin. Nonetheless, it is quite apparent to those who are truly paying attention that the birth pains have begun, i.e. that this beast is presently forming, is setting up its kingdom, is taking over the nations of the world by force, and it won’t be long until the reality of it all sets in inside America, as well.

I believe we have already moved into this realm of the New World Order (the Beast), i.e. I believe most of the world now is under its authority and rule of government and that individual nations are more like states in this one world government. There may still be some holdouts, but they are being threatened into compliance by “examples” such as the typhoon that wreaked havoc in the Philippines. The Obama administration is definitely on board with this global rule, as is some of Congress, if not the whole of Congress, and as is the US/International Forces. So much of what our government spews forth is a pack of lies, much of which is intended to deceive, distract or misdirect the people of this nation into following after and believing things that are false. We are sometimes given small morsels of truth cloaked in a pack of lies for the purpose of deception - either to get us off-track, or in order to pass the blame onto someone else for our “dirty work” and our “dirty laundry.” Yet, most Americans, I believe, have absolutely no concept of what is really going on in our nation and world or of what our government and their global partners are truly capable of doing and, in fact, are plotting to do against the people of America and of this world.

Most of the media, if not all, is now under the control of this global one-world government, so it just spews forth the same pack of lies and small morsels of truth as we hear coming out of the mouths of our leaders, so it can’t be trusted. If we do put our trust in the media, and we believe what they say, and we believe our leaders who lie to us, then where does that leave us? It means we are not awake and sober, because we have been put to sleep by all the lies, and so we buy into the “Peace and Safety” message, and we think life will just continue on as it has been without interruption, except for maybe a few bumps in the road here or there. We believe that all these intrusions of our privacy are really for our good in order to protect us from “terrorists,” because we don’t realize that our own government and their political allies are the terrorists and/or they finance or hire them (private contractors, sleepers and sleeper cells, and private quasi-military police and spies of all kinds). The government’s goal is to instill fear in us so that we comply without question, so that they can continue building their evil empire unnoticed and unquestioned by most Americans.

The Church’s Role

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Vv. 4-11

The institutional church is not without fault in this, either. Much of today’s modern church movement here in America has bought into the lies, and promotes a “Peace and Safety” message rather than telling people the truth. The church often promotes a happy, fun, and entertaining atmosphere for “worship,” and dilutes the true gospel of Jesus Christ in order to make it more appealing and acceptable to the world, which they are trying to attract to their churches by their worldly schemes, programs and messages. Sin is rarely mentioned, or if it is, it is often softened with phrases such as “I just messed up.” That doesn’t sound as bad, does it? And, that is the goal.

Repentance and obedience to Christ are most often excluded from the gospel message, and a message is preached often which sounds more like the wide/broad road that leads to destruction rather than the narrow road that leads to eternal life. New “believers” then often get this notion that “belief” is nothing more than intellectual acknowledgement of what Jesus Christ did for us in dying for our sins, and/or a recognition of the fact that we are sinners in need of a Savior, because they are not taught that coming to Christ means death to our old way of life, and a radical transformation away from our old lives of living for self and sin toward walking in Christ’s righteousness and holiness – all in the power and working of the Spirit within us as we yield control of our lives over to God – him, thus, living his life out through us (See Lu. 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6; I John, et al).

So, many who have professed Christ as Savior have not been taught the crucified life, and so they have this idea that becoming a Christian is joining a community of people who love to have fun and throw parties and who are entertained by much of the same things as the people of the world, and that their “faith” guarantees them heaven without anything required of them on this earth, i.e. they are not taught that true faith involves death to sin and being made alive in Christ to a new life which follows Christ in obedience and surrender to his will for our lives, and which yields over control of our lives to him, and to his will and purposes being lived out in and through us for his honor and glory – all in his power and strength within us, not in our own flesh or human will.

They are also taught, not just to obey their leaders, but to have a worshipful attitude toward their government (see wording in pledge to flag), so many American Christians believe our government is good and that we should believe what they tell us, and that we really are going throughout the world to help people, and they have absolutely no idea what is in store for us. They also believe their church leaders who promise them “Peace and Safety” and who teach a pre-tribulation rapture, so they believe they won’t ever have to suffer what the people of other nations have had to suffer and are now suffering, and at the hands of our own government, while we wave our flags and praise our military for “protecting our freedoms” – but at whose expense?

Ask God to open your eyes to what is truly happening, so when “all hell” breaks loose, you are not caught by surprise, and so you are awake and sobered by the reality of what is truly going on in the church and in your own nation, and to the reality of your own relationship with Jesus Christ and of his Great Commission, so you can pray and witness in truth.

Many right now are crying out to God for mercy because they know the reality of what I am talking about here first-hand. May we do the same! God may not protect us from physical harm, but he will give us the strength, courage and determination needed to keep persevering in our faith, and to be courageous in giving testimony for the sake of the gospel, so that many will know our Savior and the true hope of eternal life with God. May we ask the Lord Jesus, too, to reveal to us what is truth and to show us the lies, and to teach us his ways so that we may walk in them, so we may glorify his name.

My Cry For Mercy / An Original Work / October 31, 2013

Based off Psalm 86

Hear my prayer, Lord, I am needy.

Guard my life, for I’m devoted to You.

Save me! I’m Your servant.

You are my God. I trust in You.

O, Lord, have mercy on me,

For I call to You.

Bring joy to me, for to You

I will lift up my soul.

You are giving and forgiving.

You abound in love to all who

Call upon You. Hear my prayer, Lord.

Listen to my cry for mercy.

In days of trouble I call to You,

Knowing that You will

Do marvelous things,

Because You are my God.

Teach me Your way; I’ll walk in it.

In Your truth, Lord, You will guide me.

A pure heart, Lord, You will give me,

So that I may glorify You.

Turn to me, Lord, and grant

Strength to Your servant.

O, Lord, You are my help,

For You love and You comfort me.

Teach me Your way; I’ll walk in it.

In Your truth, Lord, You will guide me.

A pure heart, Lord, You will give me,

So that I may glorify You.

http://originalworks.info/my-cry-for-mercy/

God Is Love

Monday, November 18, 2013, 5:13 a.m. – My Lord Jesus awoke me with this song:

Children of the Heavenly Father

Karolina W. Sandell-Berg / Ernst W. Olson / Oskar Ahnfelt

Children of the heav’nly Father

 Safely in His bosom gather;

 Nestling bird nor star in Heaven

 Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;

 In His holy courts they flourish;

 From all evil things He spares them;

 In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever

 From the Lord His children sever;

 Unto them His grace He showeth,

 And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,

 God His children ne’er forsaketh;

 His the loving purpose solely

 To preserve them pure and holy.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:

 Your Protector never slumbers.

 At the will of your Defender

 Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Thessalonians 4 (NIV).

Please God

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

There is a popular teaching in American culture among evangelical churches that says that God is pleased with us no matter what we do, which means he is pleased with us even when we sin. The point of this teaching, I believe, is to alleviate the conscience from feeling any remorse over willful sin. This teaching is often coupled with a belief that we don’t have to turn from our sins, and we don’t have to obey Christ in order to be saved, yet the Bible teaches just the opposite (See Lu. 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6; 1 John; Gal. 2:20). The Bible says that we should make it our aim to please the Lord. In 1 John 3:22 it says, “And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” Gal. 6:8 says, “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” And, Eph. 5:8-10 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.” So, as believers in Christ, we should live to please God.

Live Holy

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

To sanctify means to set apart; consecrate; declare holy; purify; cleanse (free) from sin. Jesus Christ gave his life up for us by dying on a cross for our sins. When he died, he took the sins of the entire world upon him, crucifying our sins with him. When he rose from the dead, he conquered sin, the flesh, Satan, death and hell so we could go free from eternal damnation, free from slavery (bondage) to and the control of sin over our lives, and so we could be free to walk and live in his righteousness and holiness in his power within us. When we believe in him as Lord and Savior of our lives, his righteousness is credited to our account so that we are pardoned from our sin and we are declared holy in his sight. Yet, the Christian life is a process of sanctification until the day he returns and our salvation is complete. So, daily we put off the sins of the flesh, we die to sin and self, and we put on Christ and his life within us and his armor in order to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us. We find out what pleases the Lord, and we walk in his truth and in his righteousness.

Some people think that sexual immorality is just having physical sex with someone with whom you are not married, but it is so much more. Most all sin begins in the mind before it is ever carried out in our bodies. Jesus said if someone looks at another lustfully that he or she has already committed adultery in his or her heart. The Bible says we should also avoid even the hint (suggestion) of sexual immorality. This “suggestion” of sexual immorality is often tolerated by Christians via TV, movies, video games, Internet sites, magazines, books, friendships outside of marriage, light flirtations, jokes, lustful glances, suggestive conversations, romantic thoughts, romance novels, etc. So many Christians tolerate a “little dirt” for what they believe is the benefit of the whole, but if we play with fire we can get burned. We should not allow even the smallest amount of dirt to come into our minds and lives, but we should be set apart for God, for his will for our lives, and to live holy lives pleasing to him. And, we should no longer live like we did when we were outside of Christ.

“The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.” This is written to Christians, not to the unsaved. Jesus said that those he loves he rebukes (corrects) and disciplines (chastens; punishes) (See Rev. 3:19), so we should “be earnest and repent.” To chasten means to “correct by punishment or suffering; to purify; to prune of excess, pretense or falsity; refine; to cause to be more humble or restrained” (Webster). Yet, today’s modern-Christianity tends to give people a carte blanche (complete freedom) to do whatever they want, and promises them, not only that God is pleased with them, and that they have the assurance of heaven, but that God will never punish them. And, so people today have lost the fear (honor; respect) of God, because they have been given an “entitlement” concept of their relationship with God, i.e. that he is just there to dole out blessings, to grant their every request, and to protect them from all suffering, but he requires nothing in return other than just to “believe” in his Son. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal. 6:7). Jesus said that if we want to come after him we must disallow our self-life, die to sin and self daily, and follow him in obedience and surrender to his will (See Lu. 9:23-25). He will discipline us in order to purify us and to make us holy, yet he will do this because he loves us.

Love Others

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

When you think of loving one another, what comes to mind? I think we often have this concept of love that it involves only making other people feel good at all times. And, so we get this misguided concept that love is only expressed in terms of affection, feel-good words, and hand-outs. And, this carries over into our concept of God, too. Many people picture Jesus as this person who just went around “loving on everyone,” to use today’s vernacular, and who made everyone feel good about themselves, exactly where they were.

God is love. He is kind, thoughtful, generous, giving, forgiving, merciful, full of grace and compassion, etc. Yet he loved us so much that he gave his life up for us so we could go free from slavery to sin, not so we could continue to wallow in our sin. And, he loves us so much that he will rebuke, correct and discipline us, just like a loving parent. And he will speak the truth in love to us in order to get us back on the right path. And, we need to love others with this same balanced love. Love should be kind, but it should also be truthful. If we tell people they are saved and going to heaven, when they might not be, and that God is pleased with them no matter what, so he will never punish them, then that is lying to them, and it is unkind. We need to learn how God loves us, and that is how we should love one another. He does not indulge us, but he satisfies us with all good things. He does not always do what is pleasing to our flesh, but he fills us with his peace and joy. He is good, but he is God! True love considers what is truly best for the other person.

He is Coming!

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken / Henry F. Lyte / Mozart/ Arr. Hubert P. Main

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee;

Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou, from hence, my all shalt be.

Perish every fond ambition, all I've sought, and hoped, and known;

Yet how rich is my condition, God and Christ are still my own!

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too;

Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like man, untrue;

And, while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might,

Foes may hate, and friends disown me; show Thy face, and all is bright.

Man may trouble and distress me – ‘Twill but drive me to Thy breast.

Life with trials hard may press me; Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.

Oh, ‘tis not in grief to harm me, while Thy love is left to me;

Oh, ‘twere not in joy to charm me, were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Go then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!

In Thy service pain is pleasure; with Thy favor loss is gain.

I have called Thee, Abba, Father, I have stayed my heart on Thee;

Storms may howl and clouds may gather; all must work for good to me.

Haste then on from grace to glory, armed by faith and winged by prayer;

God's eternal day's before thee, God's own hand shall guide thee there.

Soon shall close thy earthly mission, swift shall pass thy pilgrim days,

Hope shall change to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Destined For Them

Sunday, November 17, 2013, 6:12 a.m. – In the course of the morning, and me spending time with the Lord in prayer and in his word, he put at least 4 songs in my mind: “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross,” “I Am Bound for the Promised Land,” “They’re Coming to Take Me Away,” and “Oh, To Be Like Thee Blessed Redeemer.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 1 Thessalonians 3 (NIV).

These Trials

So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.

The U.N. Talks on Climate Change have now entered their second week. I read a news story about these talks, which I will reference below. I believe the Lord Jesus is using this news story to show me these present-day trials and persecutions which are going on in our world, as well as what we can yet expect to take place, specifically here in the U.S.A. I will paraphrase portions of the article in terms I believe the Lord Jesus is showing me here:

~ The UK’s Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) said Typhoon Haiyan was a foretaste of the future for millions who will be at personal jeopardy from life-threatening global political climate conditions, i.e. from the formation and global rule of the New World Order (Beast). In other words, man-made storms via the N.W.O. and other types of devastation and personal and global disaster, at their hands, are in the world’s immediate future. The British agencies argue that dangerous climate events such as Typhoon Haiyan follow an increasing form of threat which indicates strongly towards global political climate change. In other words, the storm was man-made and for the purpose of threatening the governments of the world to bow to the demands of the N.W.O., and to eliminate competing forces, i.e. the gospel of Jesus Christ and its messengers, and lower level forms of government. “Haiyan has struck and affected around 12 million people.” This man-made storm and its purposeful devastation should thus awaken those who have not yet taken the New World Order (Beast) seriously, i.e. this should force them into compliance via threat of loss of life. ~

I believe very much that the Lord Jesus has been showing me for the past 7 years that we are coming into this time of great devastation, persecutions, being martyred for our testimonies of faith in Jesus Christ, and this rule of the beast of Revelation (see Rev. 13). He has been showing me how this N.W.O. Beast (including much of the U.S. government) has been taking over the nations of the world one at a time via false flag operations, unnatural (man-made) disasters, orchestrated uprisings and internal conflicts in nations, war, lies, manipulations, and deceptions, etc. This N.W.O. (U.S. Gov. + allies) first creates the scenarios, such as “terrorist” acts, disasters, etc., and then they go into these nations (including inside the U.S.) as “saviors” to try to help assist or to resolve conflicts, et al. And, in the process they exercise military power, and they form a new government of the “International Community,” alias N.W.O. Beast. And, if we do not comply, they are coming to take us away, yet for those of us in Christ, we have the promise and hope of heaven.

Encouragement in Persecution

For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.

But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

There is always the danger that, in such times as these, believers in Jesus Christ might become disheartened and discouraged by these severe trials and persecutions. Yet, Jesus Christ told us that if we followed him that we would be treated like he was treated, so it should come as no surprise to us. Knowing this, nonetheless, does not make it any easier. These are perilous times in which we now live, and it is only going to get worse. The Bible tells us so. So, we need to encourage one another in our faith so that we don’t become disheartened and lose faith.

One of the biggest ways in which we need to encourage each other is in telling each other the truth in love. If we give people the notion that the Christian life is a party, fun and games, we are preparing them for a big fall, potentially. So, we need to let people know what the Bible teaches about what it means to follow Jesus Christ. We must die to our old lives of living for self and sin, we must be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and we must put on our new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See Eph. 4:17-24; cf. Lu. 9:23-25). And, we must follow Jesus Christ wherever he leads us, even if it means to the death for the sake of the gospel.

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

When in The Stillness / An Original Work / September 26, 2011

When in the stillness

Of this moment,

Speak to me, Lord,

I humbly pray.

Be my desire,

Set me on fire,

Teach me to love always.

Help me to walk in

Fellowship with You,

Listening to You;

Sit at Your feet.

Whisper Your words to me,

Oh, how gently,     

Guiding me in Your truth.

While we are waiting

For Your blessing,

Lord, in our hearts

Be King today.

Help us to live for

You ev’ry moment,

List’ning to what You say.

May we not stray from

Your word within us,

Help us obey You,

Lord, in all things,

Walking each moment,

Lord, in Your presence,

Our off’rings to You bring.

Help us to love You,

Lord, our master;

Be an example

Of Your love,

Helping the hurting,

Lift up the fallen,

Showing them Your great love.

Teach them to love You,

Follow You always,

Bearing their cross and

Turning from sin;

Walking in daily

Fellowship with You,

Making You Lord and King.

http://originalworks.info/when-in-the-stillness/

News Reference: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24975106