See His Footprints

The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord;He turns it wherever He wishes.Every man’s way is right in his own eyes,But the Lord weighs the hearts.To do righteousness and justiceIs desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.Haughty eyes and a proud heart,The lamp of the wicked, is sin.Proverbs 21:1-4 NASB

When the US was a group of 13 colonies, and they decided they wanted to be independent of Great Britain, God allowed it, and/or he moved them in this direction, by his providence. He took this nation, this people, by the hand and he guided (pointed) them to walk in his ways and in his truth. He showed this people the way to worshiping him as their only God, and he instructed them in the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

This is not saying that everyone followed his guidance or his direction, but that he pointed them in the right direction.

Over the years, he gave them many men (and women) of God who taught them the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he sent many people from this nation into other nations with the gospel of our salvation from sin, too. So, this nation came to be called a “Christian” nation, not that our government was founded alone on Christianity, for it wasn’t, for it was very syncretistic and eclectic religiously from the very onset. But, even this was in the providence of God for our nation.

God had his hand on this nation from even before he created the world. It was in the providence of God that this nation should be created and that it should serve God’s purposes in this world. The Bible teaches us that it is God who raises up kings, and removes kings, and that all the authorities that exist have been appointed by God, and that includes good kings and bad ones, good judges and bad ones. God is not the creator of evil, but he allows evil to exist, and he uses it to accomplish his purposes in people’s lives.

A man who wanders from the way of understandingWill rest in the assembly of the dead.He who loves pleasure will become a poor man;He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,And the treacherous is in the place of the upright.Proverbs 21:16-18 NASB

At some point in time, though I don’t know exactly when, the people of this nation began to move away from Christian principles, and away from God, and to fall into error. The church largely (though not all) began to compromise with the world and to dilute the gospel message to make it more appealing to human flesh. The church at large was now beginning to no longer be the light of the world, for they were now becoming one with the world in order to draw the world into their gatherings.

I am 68 years old, and I have seen much of this transition take place in my lifetime. I think a lot of this can be attributed to the invention of movies, then TV, and the unholy union of the church with the US government, i.e. the incorporation of the church, turning it into man-made businesses. Then, came the invention of home desktop computers, the internet, then laptop computers, tablets (like IPads) and then smart phones.

Although some of these things have good uses, and God has used some of them for good, for spreading the gospel message of salvation throughout the world, many of these devices have also opened up the whole world of evil to children and adult alike, at their fingertips, in the privacy of their own personal space, even in a room full of people. Statistics now have it that a large percentage of American males regularly indulge in pornography, and many women and children, too, and pastors and elders of churches, as well.

Our nation, and the church in this nation, have been on a moral and spiritual decline, at least in my lifetime, if not before. The church, overall, is barely recognizable as the temple of the living God anymore, for entertainment and marketing schemes and a false grace gospel have replaced true worship of God, and the Word of God, and the grace of God. A false or adulterous faith in union with a false (cheap substitute for) grace have now born the America we see today, which is far from God, and largely living in utter wickedness.

“Proud,” “Haughty,” “Scoffer,” are his names,Who acts with insolent pride.The desire of the sluggard puts him to death,For his hands refuse to work;All day long he is craving,While the righteous gives and does not hold back.The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,How much more when he brings it with evil intent!Proverbs 21:24-27 NASB

This adulterous faith, in union with a cheap substitute for God’s grace, has produced a people, a nation, which is proud, insolent, scoffing, slothful, addicted to sinful practices, selfish, pleasure-driven, adulterated, deceived, and blinded to their own sins, and the sins of their leaders.

So, God has been sending her messengers with his messages, and he has been calling her, for some time now, to repentance. He has been pointing out her sins, and the sins of her leaders, and he has been cautioning her that she needs to watch her steps, i.e. the way in which she has been walking, and that she needs to be looking straight ahead and not meandering off to the right or to the left. He is telling her that she needs to pay attention to the path she is on, and examine it before God, and she needs to walk in the straight way, the way which is upright, honest, unadulterated, unmixed, holy, pure and righteous before God.

Yet, although the connection is broken between the way in which this nation is walking and the God it claims to trust in, the nation, as a whole, but not to include everyone, is turning a deaf ear to God’s calls for repentance. And, the reason is that they have bought into this false grace gospel, i.e. this union of an adulterous faith with a cheap substitute grace. They believe that they can be children of God, saved from their sins, and bound for heaven while they continue in willful sinful practices and are truly bound for hell.

For, this false faith produced by a false grace gospel doesn’t permit its followers to be delivered from slavery to sin, to be truly set free from their addictions. For, it doesn’t believe that repentance and obedience to Christ are necessary for salvation. And, it does not believe it must submit to Christ and to his cross. It teaches, instead, in some type of non-descript belief which seems to be nothing more than an emotional decision or a mere acknowledgment of the existence of Jesus Christ or of what he did for us in dying for our sins. And, then it teaches that one can just accept God’s grace and forgiveness and now they have the hope of eternal life with God and are part of his family, no matter how they live from that moment on.

Because there is no repentance, i.e. no turning from or death to sin, and thus no resurrection to newness of life, and living to righteousness, there is also no freedom from slavery (addiction) to sin. So, they hold on to this false faith and false grace and false hope of salvation and eternal life with God based on a lie. And, therefore, heaven is not their eternal destiny. For, God’s word teaches us that if we live in sin, if we make it our practice, we will die in our sins, not have the hope of eternal life with God. So, those who are teaching this false grace gospel are literally keeping its followers away from union with God and with his salvation.

They make our salvation totally God’s responsibility, as though we have no part in it at all. But, that is not what God’s Word teaches us. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap corruption. But, if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:8; cf. Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-25; Gal. 5:19-21).

A false witness will perish,But the man who listens to the truth will speak forever.A wicked man displays a bold face,But as for the upright, he makes his way sure.There is no wisdom and no understandingAnd no counsel against the Lord.The horse is prepared for the day of battle,But victory belongs to the Lord.Proverbs 21:28-31 NASB

Those false shepherds and false teachers who are teaching this false grace gospel, as well as this false grace gospel, are going to perish. They will not remain. But, the Word of God (the Word of Truth) will remain forever. Amen!

God is going to judge this nation, and he is going to take us through some hard times. The true church, the saints of God, will suffer persecution and are already suffering persecution and rejection at the hands of those who are holding on to this false grace gospel, and who think they don’t have to repent of their sins or obey God. They are heaping abuse upon God’s servants and witnesses who are still teaching the truth of the gospel of our salvation, and this will begin to get much worse.

But, we don’t have to fear what man may do to us, for God is with us, and he will take care of those of us who are his. He is still completely sovereign over all that he has made, and his purposes will be accomplished in human hearts. So, we need to trust him. And, we need to rest in him. And, we need to keep following his lead. Humans may look like they are the ones in charge, and that they are being successful in their evil plans, but God is the victor, and our enemy is already defeated. So, as things get worse, which they will, just keep trusting in the Lord, for he will guide you all the way.

He Keeps Me Singing  

Luther B. Bridgers

There’s within my heart a melody

Jesus whispers sweet and low,

“Fear not, I am with thee, peace be still,”

In all of life’s ebb and flow.

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,

Discord filled my heart with pain;

Jesus swept across the broken strings,

Stirred the slumbering chords again.

Though sometimes He leads through waters deep,

Trials fall across the way,

Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep

See His foot-prints all the way.

Soon He’s coming back to welcome me

Far beyond the starry sky;

I shall wing my flight to world’s unknown,

I shall reign with Him on high.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus –

Sweetest name I know,

Fills my every longing,

Keeps me singing as I go.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018, 6:57 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from your word. May you bring it home to our hearts.

By Way of the Flesh

We read in John 10 about false shepherds of the people who have entered the church, but not through Jesus Christ. They have snuck into the church stealthily and secretively by another way other than the true way, i.e. they have not entered by way of the cross of Christ, but by way of the flesh. They are strangers to the true church, i.e. they are not true sheep, but they are disguised as sheep (as believers in Christ). They pretend that they are there for good purposes, but truly they are there to steal, to kill and to destroy.

They are not true servants of the Lord, but they are thieves and robbers who come to try to steal us away from our pure devotion to Jesus Christ and to try to get us to be followers of man (of human flesh), instead. They are immoral, vile, devious, tricky, manipulative, persuasive, conniving and convincing. They are false teachers and false believers whose goal it is to try to get us to deny our Lord and to return to walking in the flesh (in sin).

“This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves” (Gal. 2:4 NASB).

Some people will see these false sheep as harmless, because they are fooled by them, but they don’t realize that if they join in (unite) with them that they are in danger of being “stung” by them; in danger of being strongly influenced by them away from God to living again by the flesh.

These false teachers and false believers are not followers of God, but they are followers of man, and of their flesh, and thus they teach a fleshly humanistic gospel absent of the cross of Christ in the life of the believer. The authority for what they teach, too, is not Jesus Christ, but it is man-made religion, which is based more in pleasing the flesh than it is in pleasing God. This false authority, i.e. this man-made authority which replaces the authority of Christ in the church, is what is behind human minds which are spiritually asleep.

This man-made teaching is a false grace gospel which promises people a false hope of salvation and of eternal life with God. It is related to the true gospel, in that it is half true, but they leave out the other half which is essential to true faith and to true hope in Jesus Christ. They leave out the part that says that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and the part which says we must walk according to the Spirit, and no longer according to the flesh, for if we walk according to the flesh, we will die in our sins. But, if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, then we have eternal life.

They leave out this part, too:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” (Tit. 2:11-14 NASB).

Jesus didn’t die on that cross just to set us free from hell and to promise us heaven when we die. He died to put sin to death in our lives so that we might walk in his righteousness and holiness. His grace is not a free license, thus, to continue in sinful practices without guilt and without remorse. His grace leads us to say NO to sin and to say YES to God.

Counsel of the Lord

The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;He frustrates the plans of the peoples.The counsel of the Lord stands forever,The plans of His heart from generation to generation.Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.Psalm 33:10-12 NASB

God does not approve of these false teachers and false sheep who are trying to lead his people to a false gospel and to a false hope of salvation. He invalidates their counsel, i.e. he exposes the lies and the deceptions and the manipulations of truth for what they are, and he fills the minds of his people with the truth, which stands forever, and which is based off the teachings of Christ and those of his NT apostles.

But, the problem is that these false teachers are still within the church teaching their false messages, and the other problem is that God’s people are still intermingling (uniting) with the world in these institutional churches, most of which are nothing more than human-originated businesses of men which they call “church.” So, even though he is pouring the truth into his church, oftentimes from the outside (See: Rev. 3:14-22), many teachers (counselors) within the “sheep pen” are contradicting his truth and thus they are leading God’s people astray, and they are convincing them that they can live in sin and still have heaven guaranteed them when they die.

Yet, God’s truth, his counsel, his Word is everlasting, and it will stand forever, whereas these false sheep and false shepherds and false gospels of men are doomed to perish. They will die off, but God’s Word will remain.

The plans of His heart will always remain, no matter what lies these false teachers are telling to the churches. Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him. He said if we hold on to our old lives of sin we will lose them for eternity. But, if we lose our lives (die with Christ to sin) for the sake of Jesus Christ, then we will live with Him for eternity (See: Lu. 9:23-25; cf. Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 4:17-24).

So, the Lord is speaking to his church concerning all of this, i.e. with regard to the lies they are believing, and he is exposing those lies, and the fruit of those lies in the life of his church. He is also exposing the pride of the church, particularly here in the USA, like he did with the Corinthian church (See: 1 Co. 5) when sexual immorality was allowed to go on within the church unchecked and undisciplined, and yet the church was full of pride. And, he is showing them what needs to be fixed (See: Rev. 2-3), and he is calling his adulterous church to repentance and to renewed faith in him.

And, yet, many within the church are rejecting the wisdom and counsel of God in favor of the wisdom and counsel of men (of humans). They are rejecting God’s gospel, the whole counsel of God, because it is too harsh, severe or stern, in their estimation. They reject the wisdom of God in favor of the teachings of humans because it gives them more “wiggle room,” so to speak. This way they feel they have more freedom to continue in their sinful addictions and they don’t feel any pressure to have to give them up. They reject God’s counsel, his gospel, because it requires dying to sin and living to righteousness in order to have eternal life with God in heaven.

Those Who Fear Him

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,On those who hope for His lovingkindness,To deliver their soul from deathAnd to keep them alive in famine.Our soul waits for the Lord;He is our help and our shield.For our heart rejoices in Him,Because we trust in His holy name.Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,According as we have hoped in You.
Psalm 33:18-22 NASB

When we share the counsel of the Lord with others, and we give them the full gospel message, and not the half-truth gospel, some people will receive it with joy, but many will reject it, because they will see it as too strict, for the reasons noted, and because they want to continue in their sinful practices unhindered. Not only will they reject the message, but they will reject the messengers, too. And, this is because their hearts are filled with pride, and they want to be able to continue to control their own lives. They do not want to submit to God or to his will and purpose for their lives.

The sad reality of this, though, is that this includes much of the church which is also rejecting the true gospel out of pride and out of a selfish desire to continue in their sins unhindered. And, so God will come in judgment against his adulterous and prideful church one day, and against all those who reject him, his messengers and his message. A time of tribulation, of famine, of financial decline, of trouble and of hardship will come upon the earth as a result of the people of this earth, and his adulterous people, rejecting his counsel over and over and over again.

But, for those of us who walk in the fear the Lord, who do not reject his counsel, he will keep us in his love, and he will bring us safely home to his eternal kingdom. Although we may be uprooted, due to a time of depression, or financial hardship, and we may have to be relocated to someplace else, he is still completely sovereign over our lives, and his faithful hand will guide us in the way he will take us. No matter what happens, he is with us, and he will walk with us through every storm, through every trial, and through every hardship, and he will use us along the way for his purposes and for his glory. And, he will provide for our every need. We can count on HIM!

It All Depends

Jerry Nelson / Don Marsh

Would I leave the place

Where I have lived and settled down?

It all depends on where He needs me,

For where he leads me my feet must go.

His faithful hand will always guide me.

He’ll walk beside me, let come what may.

Lord, I Need You

Songwriters: Christy Nockels / Daniel Carson /

Jesse Reeves / Kristian Stanfill / Matt Maher

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You…

Without You I fall apart

You're the One that guides my heart

Monday, February 5, 2018, 4:04 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from your Word. May you bring it home to our hearts, I pray in Jesus’ name.

Calm Reassurance

Have you ever gone through something that you felt was just too overwhelming for you, and you didn’t know how you would survive? Something, perhaps so devastating, that you just didn’t know which way to turn next?

You wondered how you would make it. Perhaps you even wondered if God was with you, and if he was going to carry you through it all. Satan was filling your mind with all kinds of doubts and fears, but you resisted him, and you put on the armor of God, and you trusted in the Lord, even though you could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. And, then the Lord visited you with his calm reassurances of his love and care and watch over you, and then you were at peace in knowing your God was with you, and that he would, indeed, carry you through it all. You just had to trust HIM.

My Strength

“I love You, O Lord, my strength.”The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,And I am saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-3 NASB

The Lord is our strength all the time, but in those difficult times, those times when life just doesn’t seem to make sense, we can be comforted in knowing that, when we are weak, we are strong in his mighty strength within us. We can win this battle against our enemy Satan, because Jesus already won it for us, and because he lives within us, and he will give us everything we need to endure. We just need to not give way to fear, but we need to keep trusting our Lord through it all, and keep believing that he has it handled.

Satan is not our only enemy, though. We do have physical enemies. We have people who are against us, even who may rage against us. Satan is behind it all, and our real struggle is against him, not against flesh and blood. But, we will have people who will hate us, persecute us, and who will oppose us when we are following the Lord Jesus in obedience and in surrender to his will for our lives. We just have to know this is a spiritual battle, not a physical one, so we are to fight it with the armor of God.

So, we call on the Lord for help instead of trying to resolve it ourselves, with our own strength, and with our own resources. We take refuge in the Lord, too, and not in the wisdom of man, nor in food, in drink, in fantasy, in escape mechanisms, in entertainment or in whatever else we, as humans, might turn to instead of turning to the Lord for our comfort.

And, when we call on the Lord for help, and we put our trust in him, he will save us from our enemies. He may or may not physically deliver us from them, but he will save us in the sense that we don’t live in fear of them and what they might do to us. We don’t cower in the corner, afraid to do anything, for fear of what they might do, but we, in the strength of the Lord, keep on in what he has called us to do in sharing the love, grace, and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of his message of deliverance from sin.

A Cry for Help

The cords of death encompassed me,And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me.The cords of Sheol surrounded me;The snares of death confronted me.In my distress I called upon the Lord,And cried to my God for help;He heard my voice out of His temple,And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.
Psalm 18:4-6 NASB

Have you looked at the world around you? Do you follow the news? Do you know that you can’t trust in what the newscasters tell you? Do you realize that you can’t trust in what politicians and public figures tell you, either, and that includes many pastors, too? Do you see all the wickedness prevailing in your society, and even within the church? Have you noticed the huge spiritual and moral decline of your society, and even within the church? Do you realize that porn addiction is at epidemic proportions in the culture of today, and even within the church? Does it ever look to you like darkness is all around you? And, that godlessness is everywhere you look?

We are living in the last days before the return of our Lord, and these things are a reality we can no longer ignore. Families and marriages are being torn apart by sin. The church, which is supposed to be a beacon of light to the world, has largely embraced the world and the culture of society in order to attract the world to its gatherings. The gospel has been diluted to appeal to human flesh, so that people can feel as though they are saved from sin and bound for heaven while they are still enslaved to sin and bound for hell.

So, what can we do about it? Can we do anything? We can pray. We can call on God to intervene. We can pray for wisdom and guidance, and for peace, but not the kind of peace the world gives, but the peace of God within us. We can expose the fruitless deeds of darkness, and we can tell people the truth of God’s Word, and what it teaches us we must do. We can share with the people of this world, too, God’s love, grace, truth and mercy, but not in words only, but in our actions, too. Yet, in all of this, we must rest in the Lord, and in his perfect timing, and trust in his sovereign grace.

He Delivered Me

He sent from on high, He took me;He drew me out of many waters.He delivered me from my strong enemy,And from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.They confronted me in the day of my calamity,But the Lord was my stay.He brought me forth also into a broad place;He rescued me, because He delighted in me.
Psalm 18:16-19 NASB

When we call on the Lord in our distress, and we call on him in truth, and in humility, and with clean hands and pure hearts, committed to him and to his ways, he will lift us up out of our distress. Again, he may not physically deliver us from our circumstances or from our physical enemies, but he will spiritually deliver us out from underneath the burden of it all. He will take that burden for us as we learn to put our trust in him, and as we rest in his love and in his sovereign will for our lives. And, he will lead us in the way he would have us to go.

This “broad place,” to me, where he has taken me, is a place of peace, calm reassurance, and trust in the Lord despite our circumstances and everything else that is going on all around us. It is a place of comfort, healing and godly counsel, encouragement, and hope in the Lord and in his Word. It is a place where we can cry out to God in our distress, where he hears us, and where he brings tender words of his love to our hearts. It is a place, too, where we release to him all our fears, and where he comforts us with his truth and with his promises. It is a place, too, where we are able to rest in him, even if all hell is breaking loose all around us. In other words, it is a place (position, condition) of complete peace and total trust in our Lord.

We can rest assured, in this place, that, even if the world deserts us, that our Lord will never leave us or forsake us. Even if others reject us, persecute us, and say all manner of evil against us, our God is with us, and he will never let go of us who love him, and who are following in his ways.

You Never Let Go / Matt Redman

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

Your perfect love is casting out fear

And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life…

My God is with me…

Lord, You never let go of me…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pn4KQqSrrA

Sunday, February 4, 2018, 3:03 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these words of comfort, healing, peace, and calm reassurance of your watch and care over us, and of your help and strength you give us to endure unjust suffering.

Let's Face It!

We all have enemies, let’s face it. No matter how nice we are, there are always going to be people who won’t like us, and who will rise against us, just because we are not like them; just because we are different.

Yet, for those of us who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, who are following him in obedience, and who are surrendered to his will, we will have even more people who will hate us, because of what we stand for, and because of the gospel of Jesus Christ being lived out through our lives. Our faith in Jesus Christ is an offense to them, because they want to continue in their sin without guilt and without remorse.

Deliver Me

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.Deliver me from those who do iniquityAnd save me from men of bloodshed.Psalm 59:1-2 NASB

There are no guarantees, when we follow our Lord in obedience, that we will not suffer at the hands of those who do not like us. In fact, scripture teaches that we will, and that this will increase in severity as we draw closer to the time of our Lord’s return. So, the Lord may or may not physically deliver us from such circumstances as what would bring about rejection, hatred, and mistreatment from others into our lives. But, he will always deliver us inwardly, in our hearts and minds, from fear, worry, unforgiveness, bitterness, emotional pain, and doubts, etc., if we will let him, and if we will give these things over to him and let him carry our burdens for us.

An Attack Against Me

For behold, they have set an ambush for my life;Fierce men launch an attack against me,Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord,For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.Arouse Yourself to help me, and see!You, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel.Psalm 59:3-5a NASB

First of all, we must bring to mind that our real enemy is Satan, and he is the one behind these attacks against our lives. He uses humans to come against us, for certain, but this is a spiritual battle, and thus we must fight this battle with the spiritual weapons of warfare at our disposal.

The enemy is going to try to make us afraid, and to feel as though we are without recourse. He will put doubts in our minds to get us to question God and where he is in all of this. When people rise up against us, the enemy is going to try to make us feel as though he is the one in control and as though he has real power over us, but he doesn’t! Nothing can happen to us but what God allows it, he allows it for a purpose, and he will give us all we need to endure, to persevere, and to know how to respond to these attacks against our bodies, our minds and our hearts.

God Laughs

They return at evening, they howl like a dog,And go around the city.Behold, they belch forth with their mouth;Swords are in their lips,For, they say, “Who hears?”But You, O Lord, laugh at them;You scoff at all the nations.Psalm 59:6-8 NASB

Our God is not the least bit intimidated by those who would try to intimidate us. In fact, he laughs at his enemies, for their foolishness in thinking they can outwit God. Just because the enemy growls at us does not mean God is not still on his throne. He is! Just because our Lord is very patient, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, does not mean God is soft on sin or that he will not one day have his recompense. He will one day judge his enemies, and they will pay for what they have done in the flesh, and against God and against his servants. Our enemies may feel like they are getting away with something now, but they will have their day in court when they will have to account to God for their actions.

My Strength!

O my Strength, I will watch for you,    for you, O God, are my fortress.My God in his steadfast love will meet me;    God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.Psalm 59:9-10 ESV

When we go through trials and tribulations which test our faith, and when we have enemies hotly pursuing us, attacking us, trying to trip us up, trying to make others not like us, and trying to frighten us, we can turn to the Lord. He is our strength and our fortress at all times, but especially at times when we are being mistreated by our enemies and forsaken by our friends and family members. None of this has caught him by surprise. And, we are not without recourse. Our God is absolutely still in control! We have nothing to fear.

Will we have to go through hard times? Surely! But, this is all part of the process taking place in our lives in God purifying our hearts, making us more like him, maturing us in our walks of faith, and strengthening us in purpose, mind and will to stay the course with our Lord in following him in obedience and in surrender to his will, doing what he has called us to do.

Caught in Pride

On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,Let them even be caught in their pride,And on account of curses and lies which they utter.Psalm 59:12 NASB

Since our Lord has asked that we love our enemies, that we pray for them and do good to them, and that we hope good things for them, not in the flesh, but that they know the Lord, too, then we should not be quick to call on God to cut our enemies off from the face of this earth.

However, I do believe we can pray for them to be caught in their sin, not because we want to see them punished, but for their sake, that their eyes would be opened to the truth of what they are doing in living a lie. The purpose in such a prayer would be that they would be humbled before God so as to repent of their wickedness and turn their hearts to the Lord in humble surrender to his will for their lives. But, also that they would cease to do harm to others. In this way, this would also be a prayer for deliverance for those who are being harmed in any way by them.

I Shall Sing!

But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,For You have been my strongholdAnd a refuge in the day of my distress.O my strength, I will sing praises to You;For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.Psalm 59:16-17 NASB

One of the greatest ways I have found to defeat the enemy in my mind is to sing praises to God. Our enemy wants us to be afraid, to cower in fear, and to cease doing what God has called us to do. So, fear is one of his biggest tactics he uses against us; that, and doubt. He wants to get us to question God’s calling on our lives or his purposes for the things he allows in our lives because he is hoping he can convince us to give up. So, he will put the pressure on us from all sides, sometimes. But, we must not fear him!

Instead, we must turn to our Lord for our comfort, aid and support. We must persevere in following our Lord in obedience, and in surrender to his will, for we are in a spiritual battle here, and the battle is for the souls of humans. Satan wants to draw all people back to him, and so he will fight to keep them still in bondage to sin, and he will even convince them that God’s grace allows for that, and that God smiles on it, in fact.

So, we have to fight this fight as part of the Lord’s spiritual army in order to break these chains which bind human hearts. But our weapons are faith, truth, salvation, prayer, praise, our testimonies and the Word of God.

Lord, I Need You

Songwriters: Christy Nockels / Daniel Carson /

Jesse Reeves / Kristian Stanfill / Matt Maher

Lord, I come, I confess

Bowing here I find my rest

Without You I fall apart

You're the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness…

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

Saturday, February 3, 2018, 4:30 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these words of hope, healing, comfort, salvation, peace and assurance in Jesus, our Lord.

Image Makers

Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit? Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame. Is. 44:9-11 NASB

There are people in this world of ours whose lives are consumed with their idols which they have made for themselves. Some of these people, or perhaps many of them, have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and some of them may even be pastors, deacons and elders within our church congregations. Yet, they are “image-makers,” in the sense that what they portend about themselves is a lie. They are pretenders, actors in a play, whose goal it is to deceive and to take advantage of others who are not wise to their deceptive tricks. They especially prey on the innocent and the naïve.

They are fallen, immoral, bitter, liars, adulterers, haters, insolent, and corrupt. They are driven by the flesh, feeding only themselves, acting as though they are free in Christ while they are still bound in slavery to their sins. Their graven image is that of themselves as good, moral and upright, all the while they are living a lie, and are lying about the evil things they have done and are doing. They are sowing to please the flesh and not the Spirit, and they are sowing seeds of discord by the lies they tell others.

Is There Not a Lie?

They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!” He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” Is. 44:18-20 NASB

They will sometimes make a show of following the Lord in obedience, but they are still being controlled by the flesh. They may even hear the Lord speaking, and they may even begin to move his direction, but will stop short of full obedience, because that would mean revealing more about their lives than what they are willing to admit. They are not willing to leave it all behind to follow Jesus, but they put limits on what they will allow God to do in their hearts and lives. Thus, they are those who quench the Holy Spirit as soon as the Spirit of God gets too close to their idols which they are holding on to.

There is a phrase which describes this type of behavior, and it has to do with throwing someone a bone, which means “Do something to appease someone, typically by making a minor concession” (Oxford), while withholding something they are not willing to reveal or to own up to, i.e. “to provide (someone) with a usually small part of what has been requested, especially in an attempt to placate or mollify” (thefreedictionary).

But, we can’t throw God “a bone.” He is not interested in our minor concessions or confessions; with us only providing a small part of what He has requested. If we only confess a small portion, we are still living a lie, while holding out on God and what he has asked of us, which is death to sin and living to righteousness. He is not ok if we give him just a little bit of our lives. He wants it all, surrendered to him, on the altar, as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our reasonable and acceptable worship of him.

“Remember these things, O Jacob,And Israel, for you are My servant;I have formed you, you are My servant,O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.“I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloudAnd your sins like a heavy mist.Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”Is. 44:21-22 NASB

Many of these people were brought up attending gatherings of the church or they are presently attending worship services with a local congregation. They go through the motions of religious exercise, but their hearts are far from God, and their worship of him is lip service only. They know the truth. They have heard and are hearing at least some of the truth.

Like I said, some of them may even be Bible teachers, pastors, deacons or elders within a local church fellowship. They are not lacking in knowledge, though, but they are lacking in obedience, for they have told God, “This far, but no farther!” They have said “No!” to the Spirit, and have held tight to their idols, their images of themselves, or their secret sins, and the lies they have told themselves and to others.

Many of them know the way of salvation from sin but have bought into the lie, instead, that allows them to keep sinning, or to not own up to sin, for they use God’s grace as a scapegoat to keep them from having to be honest about their sins, and to give them permission to hold on to their idols.

So, even though Jesus Christ died on that cross, and poured out his blood for us so that we could go free from our addictions to sin, many, although pretending to accept his sacrifice for their sins, shun his invitation to be cleansed of their sins and to have pure hearts and minds given over to the Lord to walk in his ways and in his truth. They want their idols more. They want the slave woman more than or in place of desiring the free woman. So, they say “No!” to God and they remain in their prisons still captive to their sin and not able to breathe the breath of life that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord. For, they are still dead in their sins.

Let sleeping dogs lie

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb… “It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’And I will make your rivers dry.”Is. 44:24a, 27

These people who resist the Holy Spirit and who choose the lie over the truth, and their idols over God, and the slave woman over the free woman, because they are not willing to let go of their images they have made for themselves, are in deep water, i.e. they are in trouble, and one day God will judge them. My hope is always that, when they are judged by God, that they will repent of their sins, and that they will turn their hearts to Jesus Christ, even if it is the last minute as they are snatched from the fire and are saved.

But, we can’t force obedience in anyone. And, God does not force people to obey him, either, though certainly he will judge, and he will bring people down from their lofty positions. So, sometimes he lets sleeping dogs lie, and he turns them over to their own devices, hopefully to knock sense into their stubborn minds and wills. If people put their hand up to God and say “Stop!” he will stop trying to move them to obedience. And, he will let them go their own way and suffer the consequences for their rebellion and their bitterness.

But, we all have a choice, don’t we? We can either listen to God and obey him and do what he says to do, or we can resist him, and tell him “No.” We can either choose life, or choose death; the way of salvation from our sin, or enslavement to sin. When he shows us the way of salvation, though, we should take it, for only in him will we truly ever be free from our prisons.

Because He Lives

Matt Maher

I was dead in the grave

I was covered in sin and shame

I heard mercy call my name

He rolled the stone away

Because He lives

I can face tomorrow

Because He lives

Every fear is gone

I know He holds my life my future in His hands

            

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqj286qACLA

Friday, February 2, 2018, 5:03 p.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from your word. Bring it home to our hearts, I pray, in Jesus’ name.

What Voices?

What voices do you listen to? Who do you go to for counsel and advice? What books do you read the most? Who is your favorite politician or government official? Your most desired preacher? Your most beloved sports figure? Your preferred news show? Who do you believe the most? The least?

The Power of God

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. 1 Co. 2:1-5 NASB

So many people who call themselves Christians may begin well with God, but then they revert right back to following the flesh and to nurturing the flesh rather than the Spirit. And, so the voices they are listening to are also of the flesh of humans rather than of the Spirit of God. They put far more trust in the words of humans than they do in the Words of God. For, humans can say to them what their itching ears want to hear, whereas God is going to tell them what they need to hear, which they may not want to hear.

Not everyone who calls himself a preacher of the gospel is operating in the Spirit and not in the flesh, and is telling you what is of the Spirit rather than what is of the flesh. Many preachers, in fact, are very fleshly, and worldly, and many are even addicted to or are engaging in sinful practices. Many are smooth-tongued, who charm you with their words and with their worldly persuasions, but truly they are feeding only themselves as they are busy building their fleshly and worldly kingdoms which they call “church.”

Those who are truly men of God, men of integrity, humble servants of the Lord, who are walking in the Spirit, and who are preaching in the power of the Spirit of God, and not in the flesh, appear to be few and far between. Those who are preaching the whole counsel of God also seem to be few in number. So many have gone the way of the world and have diluted the gospel message to make it more appealing to human flesh in order to gain followers after themselves, rather than to gain followers after Christ.

Godly Wisdom

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,And which have not entered the heart of man,All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Co. 2:6-9 NASB

This is the wisdom we should be listening to, rather than the wisdom of this world, which is often disguised as godly wisdom. If Christians would understand and would heed this wisdom, they would not live like they have not been delivered out of slavery to sin.

For, they would understand that Jesus Christ died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. They would realize that he died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who gave his life up for us. And, they would know, as well, that Jesus went to that cross for you and for me that we might walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit of God and no longer according to our flesh. For, if we walk according to our flesh, we will die in our sins, no matter what we profess with our lips.

Taught by the Spirit

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 1 Co. 2:10-13 NASB

This is so critical that we get this! We need to make certain that we are being taught by the Spirit of God and not by the flesh of man. So, how do we know the difference? Well, if we are truly in Christ, by faith in him, and we have died with him to sin, and we have been raised with Christ to newness of life, to be lived to his righteousness, then the Spirit lives within us. And, the Spirit teaches us all things pertaining to Christ and to holiness. But, everything he gets is from the Father and the Son, which he then passes on to us. So, it should also agree with the Father and the Son, too.

Yet, most everyone reading this probably has a Bible, too, or they have access to the Word of God via the internet, which is where this is being posted. And, so we must be in the Word of God daily, too, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. And, when we listen to men (or women) teaching the Word, we should be testing what they teach against the Word to make certain what they are saying is the truth. But, we can’t do this by pulling a few scriptures out of context. We need to read scriptures in context so that we get their full meaning, and so we understand what God really has to say on any given topic, but especially with regards to our salvation.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Co. 2:14-16 NASB

If a person has never made a profession of faith in Christ, he is natural man. Yet, many who have made professions of faith in Jesus Christ are also natural man, for they are still living according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit, and thus they don’t accept the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness to them. Those who walk according to the flesh will often feel the need to be in control of their own lives, to take matters into their own hands, and to try to resolve their own problems, their own way, instead of submitting to Christ and to his ways. Pride keeps them from this submission.

But, we who are Christ, by faith in him, should no longer be operating in the flesh, doing what our flesh desires, and thinking like natural man with the same types of attitudes, beliefs and reactions to life’s situations. For, because God lives within us, we have the mind of Christ also living within us, speaking to our hearts, guiding us into all truth, and teaching us to walk in the ways of the Lord and no longer according to the flesh.

So, because we have the mind of Christ, and the Spirit lives within us, we should also be in tune to the Spirit’s voice, and when we hear God speak, we should listen and then we should follow (obey) him in doing what he says and in going where he sends us and in saying what he gives us to say.

My Sheep / An Original Work 

June 24, 2012 / Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263

Friday, February 2, 2018, 12:58 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from your Word. Help us to listen and to obey you in all things. Amen!

Furnace of Affliction

Why do we go through trials and tribulations? What purpose do they serve? What should our response be to them when we are going through them? Should we try to escape them, to run away from them? Sometimes, if we can, the Lord may lead us to do that, such as he counseled his disciples that if they were persecuted in one place that they were to flee to another.

But, other times we are encouraged to not flee, but to stand strong in the Lord, and in his mighty power, and to put on the armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us. In these times, we are encouraged that these trials are for our good, to purify us, to make us holy, and to mature us in our walks of faith, for we were destined for them.

“You have heard; look at all this.And you, will you not declare it?I proclaim to you new things from this time,Even hidden things which you have not known.”Isaiah 48:6 NASB

What have we heard? We have heard the prophecies of scripture regarding the last days and these final days before our Lord’s return. Some of those prophecies are in the Old Testament and some of them are in the New Testament. Matthew 24 comes to mind, as does the book of Revelation, in particular Revelation 13.

We read in these passages that we should expect to be persecuted for our faith in Jesus Christ, that we will be delivered over to tribulation, and that we will be hated by all nations, and that some of us will even be martyred for our faith and testimonies for Jesus Christ.

We also read that many false prophets and teachers will arise and will mislead and deceive many, and that lawlessness will increase, and that the hearts of many will grow cold. Many will fall away and will betray and hate one another. But, the one who endures in their faith in Jesus Christ to the end will be saved. And, the gospel of our salvation will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

We also read that a beast, which I believe is comprised of the wealthy and powerful of the world, who are forming a one-world government and a one-world religion, will arise and will conquer nations and peoples and will make war against the saints of God and will overcome them. Many will go into captivity, and many will be killed by the sword. This calls for much perseverance and faith on the part of the saints of God, Christ’s followers.

Where are we in this?

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.“For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;For how can My name be profaned?And My glory I will not give to another.”Isaiah 48:10-11 NASB

So, where are we presently in all of this? I believe we are there. Some of this has obviously been happening ever since Jesus was killed and then rose again from the dead and then ascended back to heaven and sent his Holy Spirit to indwell the lives of his followers. Throughout the past 2000 years, Christians have gone through what is described here, yet American Christians have known little of this type of severe persecution, though it is already here, to some degree, and it is going to get much worse.

But, much of what is prophesied in Matthew 24 and in Revelation 13 is here in spades in our day and time. This beast has risen and is still rising and is conquering nations, peoples and followers of Christ. The US government and their NATO allies work for this beast in conquering nations and in persecuting and killing Christ’s followers, his saints. We are being delivered over to tribulation, and we are being hated, and many are being imprisoned for their faith or are being killed for their testimonies for Jesus Christ.

There are tons of false teachers within the church spewing forth false doctrine and false gospels, giving people a false hope of salvation from sin. And, many hearts have grown cold. Even within the church lust addiction has soared to new heights, to the point of being an epidemic, even among pastors and elders. I believe this is a big part of why they have diluted the gospel to turn it into the broad road which leads to destruction in place of the narrow road which leads to eternal life with God, to excuse their sin.

So, if you are a follower of Christ who stands on the Word of God, the Word of Truth, and you don’t compromise with the world, and you are living a holy life committed to Christ and to obedience to his Word, even in America you may be going through persecution at the hands of those who have compromised with the world and who are living to gratify the cravings of their sinful flesh. And, you probably are being hated, rejected, and mistreated, even by church people, and even by pastors and elders who are given over to addictions and to gratifying their sinful cravings.

But, what is your response to all this? What is God doing in your life?

For Your Profit

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit,Who leads you in the way you should go.“If only you had paid attention to My commandments!Then your well-being would have been like a river,And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.“Your descendants would have been like the sand,And your offspring like its grains;Their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence.”Isaiah 48:17-19 NASB

This “furnace of affliction” has come upon the whole world. The world has come under the control of this beast, who is still rising, and who is still conquering peoples, nations and Christians, and America is beginning to get a taste of that, too. But, more severe times are in order for us, for we, as a nation, will not escape this. God is allowing all of this to happen, as was prophesied in scripture, though, to fulfill his purpose, which is to turn hearts to him, or back to him, and to purify his saints, to make them ready for his return.

But, involved in the fulfilling of that purpose is the spreading of the gospel throughout the whole world. So, when we, as Christ’s followers, are put through the fire of trials, it moves us to call on God in our suffering, and to humble ourselves before him, and it moves us to obedience to him and to his Word. And, it also moves us to want to share with others the hope, healing, forgiveness, comfort, strength and encouragement we have found in Christ, our Lord. Our trials have a way of motivating us to follow our Lord and to want to stand against evil and lies, and to desire the truth.

In my life, I know this has been true, and as a result of the trials and hardships I have been through, I am much more convinced of the need to get the truth of the gospel out to as many as possible before the end comes.

So, the Lord has been having me write out what he teaches me each day through His Word and to post it on the internet in various places so that the gospel truly is going throughout the world to many nations. And, I know I am not alone in this work, but that many followers of Christ have been led to do the same, to get the gospel out to the ends of the earth. I have no control, though, over where it ends up going or how many receive it. My job is just to obey my Lord in getting it out there, and he takes it from there.

I am assured, though, that lives are being impacted for Jesus Christ, and that as a result of what God has called me, and others to do, in sharing the gospel on the internet, that it is bearing fruit in people’s lives, and that it is bearing much spiritual offspring, which comes from the Lord, not me; not from us, for we are just the messengers. Only God can produce the fruit.

I know, though, for myself, and I am assuming this is true of others, as well, that if it had not been for the “furnace of affliction” the Lord has taken me through, and is still taking me through, that I would not be doing what I am doing today, and I would not be spreading the hope and assurance of deliverance from sin, and I probably would not be as passionate as I am about getting out the message that Jesus died to set us FREE from slavery (addiction) to sin, not just to forgive our sins and to promise us heaven.

So, affliction has been for my good, to teach me God’s ways and his truth, so that I might walk in them, but also that I may share with others how they can also walk in the ways of the Lord and be free from bondage to sin.

I Will Uphold You 

An Original Work / November 4, 2011

Based off of Isaiah 41:8-20; Ephesians 6:10-18

You are My servant; I’ve chosen you.

I’ve not rejected you; I’ve been true.

Do not be fearful; I am with you.

Don’t be alarmed, for I am your God.

I will give you strength, and will help you.

I will uphold you with My right hand.

All who’re against you will be disgraced.

Those who oppose you, they will perish.

Enemies you search, but will not find.

They war against you; nothing will be.

I am your Lord God, who takes your hand;

Says, “Do not fear, for I will help you.”

The poor and needy, water they need.

Their tongues are thirsty; no drop to drink.

I will give answer; not forsake them.

I will make rivers flow from within.

My living water I will outpour

On those who seek Me; and Me adore.

Jesus provided the sacrifice;

For our sins blood bought; He paid the price,

So we’re forgiven all of our sins,

When we invite Him to come within.

He cleanses us from our impure hearts.

His life within us gives a new start.

https://vimeo.com/125863758

Thursday, February 1, 2018, 8:02 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these words of encouragement today to my heart. I pray it will bless the hearts of many others today who are in that “furnace of affliction,” to know that You have a purpose for this in their lives, and it is for their good, and it is for the spreading of your gospel, that many people will turn their hearts to Christ.