Confident Assurance

Ephesians 1:15-23 ESV

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

The hope to which he has called you

What is the hope to which He has called those of us who are his saints, his faithful followers of Jesus Christ? Well, first of all this hope is not wishful thinking. It is confident assurance that what we expect to happen will indeed happen. We are certain of it, because God said it, and we believe him.

But, what is the hope? What all does it entail? I mean, what has he called us to?

Well, first of all, he has called us to belong to Christ (Rom. 1:6). This means that, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are now God’s possession. For, when Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross, he bought us back for God. We are no longer our own to do with our lives whatever we want, but now we are to honor God with our lives. Jesus is now our Lord (master) and we are his workmanship, “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

We are also called to be saints, and the word “saint” is synonymous with the word “holy” (Rom. 1:7; 2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Thess. 4:7). And, that means to be set apart (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made to be like Christ. This means that we don’t act or think like the world. We don’t live like we did before we believed in Jesus Christ. We do not engage ourselves in what is unholy, ungodly, impure and dishonest. Instead, we are being conformed to the image of Christ in all that we do, and he is holy, pure, righteous, faithful, truthful, loving, kind and forgiving.

We are also called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28). And, his purpose for us is that we die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness. His purpose is that we walk in fellowship with him and no longer in darkness. His intention for us is that we walk in freedom from the control of sin over our lives. And, his objective in saving us from our sins is that our lives, i.e. how we live them, would be for his glory and praise (2 Pet. 1:3; 1 Co. 1:9; Gal. 5:13; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

Lastly, we are called out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9; cf. Acts 26:16-18). We were not called merely to be forgiven our sins so that when we die we can go to heaven and not to hell. We were called to come out of our lifestyles of living to sin and self to walk in his light, in his purity and righteousness and holiness, becoming like Jesus in all that we are and do and think and say. This is the hope to which we are called, that we no longer have to live in sin, but now we can live holy lives, pleasing to God.

The riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints

So, what is our inheritance? Some people think it is merely that we get to go to heaven when we die. But, is that all there is to it? No!

Our inheritance first and foremost is God himself. For, when we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we are no longer separated from God, but now we have become a member of his household. God the Father is now our heavenly Father, and we are his children.

God/Jesus Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit, now comes to live within us, so we are now his temple, his body, his church. Now we can come directly into God’s presence. We don’t need any human mediators between us and God. We now live in him and him in us, and thus we are in relationship with Almighty God. And, he counsels, leads, encourages, convicts, urges, and comforts us, and he shows us the way that is right for us to go. And, then he strengthens and empowers us to go the right way.

Our inheritance also is our salvation and eternal life with God. We have been delivered from the pit of despair and we have been given a new lease on life. Praise his holy name! Amen!

Sin no longer has dominion over us. Our chains are gone. We have been set free! Amen! We no longer must “struggle” with sinful addictions. Jesus’ blood already paid the price for our sin so that we could be free of sin’s grip on our lives. Now, in the power of the Spirit of God living within us, we must walk in that freedom which he provided for us.

The eternal life we have with God, as well, begins at the moment when we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord of our lives. We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to experience this abundant life God has for us in Christ Jesus. We can walk in freedom from sin while we still live on this earth. We can have an awesome relationship with our Lord where we sit each day at his feet drinking in his words, and then we go out and do what they say. Sin no longer has mastery over our lives, for Jesus set us free! Amen!

The immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe

This is what so many people who call themselves Christians totally miss. They are convinced that becoming a Christian is not much different than when they were not Christians. The only real difference for them now is that they feel that they have the assurance of a home in heaven when they die.

How do I know this? Because it seems the vast majority of Christians (or professing Christians) in America talk as though Jesus never did set them free from sin. They behave as though they are still bound in the chains of sin with no way out. They continually live in defeat, addicted to porn and movies and entertainment, etc., and they find it peculiar if you speak with them about holiness and living lives separate from the world of sin.

They are convinced that “struggling” with sinful addictions, meaning that they regularly and consistently give in to defeat, that it is the norm, and so they must try harder if they want to experience true freedom. But, “trying harder” sounds a whole lot like operating in the flesh, and not in the Spirit. For, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom! Amen!

It isn’t that we need to try harder to stop doing stuff we shouldn’t be doing and to do stuff that we should be doing instead. It is that we need to yield our hearts and lives over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and we need to surrender to his will for our lives and do what he says to do or don’t do. But, we don’t do this in our own strength, for if we try, we will keep failing. We are only able to defeat sin because of the “immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.”

We just have to tap into that power, and we have to do what the Word says to do, and we have to cut out of our lives the things which are leading us into sin, first of all, and then stop doing what we know is wrong and start doing what we know is right, in God’s strength within us. It is possible to walk in freedom. It does not mean we will never sin, but that sin will no longer be what controls or defeats us.

We just have to believe it, and to be assured (confident) of it, and then, in the power of God’s Spirit living with us, act on what we so confidently believe. And, God will give us all the power we need to be free from slavery to sin and to now become slaves (servants) of his righteousness. Amen!

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/112351857

Tuesday, November 6, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for the “immeasurable greatness of his (your) power toward us who believe.”

Here I Am

Here I am, bringing my requests before You,

Believing You that You will answer.

For, there are many burdens on my heart

That I must now lay at Your feet.

Oh, how I long to see my loved ones saved from their sins,

When they forsake their idols and turn to the Living Water,

Which is the only thing which will ever satisfy

The deep longings of their souls.

How I pray for their hearts to be turned to You,

And for them to give their lives over to You,

For You to now be their Lord and Master,

And for them to be in submission to You and to Your will.

I pray that they will let go of their stubborn wills

And their rebellious spirits, and their pious performances,

And that they will be honest and sincere

In their devotion to You, and not be hypocritical.

I pray that they will confess to You their selfish motives,

Their lies, their adulteries, their hypocrisies,

And their bitterness of spirit which rages now within them,

And which will not let them be at rest.

I pray for wickedness to be put far from them,

And that they would now walk according to the Spirit,

And no longer according to the flesh

To do what their evil consciences dictate they must do.

I pray they will surrender their ALL to You,

And that You would heal them,

And cleanse them from their guilty consciences,

And that You would purify their hearts within them.

I pray now that they would walk with You in white,

A pure bride, made right by the blood of the Lamb,

And that they would no longer struggle with hate, revenge,

Lies, deception, thievery, slander, and the like.

I pray this all in the wonderful name of Jesus,

Who gave his life up for us on that cross

So that we, who believe on him, might be delivered

From our slavery to sin and have eternal life with God.

Personal Preferences

Romans 14:1-4 ESV

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Matters of Opinion

We were all brought up in different ways. We all have differing opinions of how things ought to be done or how they ought not to be done. Every one of us has certain ways we do things, maybe because of how we were raised, or because it is just what we prefer. And, that is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on what it is, and depending upon whether or not we are trying to force our personal preferences on to other people.

Now, this is not speaking about what God calls sin. The scriptures are clear on what is sin and what is not sin. Those matters do not fall into the category of personal preferences, although some people would certainly like to dispute that matter, I am sure.

However, we can make judgments on what God calls sin and, thus, we should encourage our fellow believers to walk in God’s righteousness and holiness, and we should urge them to forsake what is of the flesh. But, that is not the subject matter here.

For, personal preferences are merely matters of opinion. And, as such, we should not try to force our ways on to other people nor should we be contentious or judgmental with them if they do not do what we do, the way we do it, when we think it ought to be done. Are you with me? Have you been there? Either on the giving or the receiving end of such judgments?

Uniquely Designed by God

God made us all different. He has given us different gifts and unique callings. We will not all minister in exactly the same ways. We will not all function within the body of Christ in all the same ways, either. And, the ways of God are not the ways of man.

So, if God assigns us a part within the body of Christ, it may not be what man would choose for us. It may not fit within the confines of institutional religion, either. And, it may seem odd to some people. Yet, we must be so careful that we don’t put God inside the box of human reasoning.

Now, God is holy, and he is pure, and he is righteous and just, so he will not do anything nor will he have us do anything which goes against his divine character and will, or against the covenant he has with his people, which is the New Covenant he has with believers in Jesus. We need to understand this. For, I know there are a lot of people “out there” who are claiming God tells them to do all sorts of things which are contrary to God’s Word and to his divine character and will. So, I am not meaning any of those.

Yet, as believers in Jesus Christ, we need to be so careful that we don’t put God inside the box of institutional religion and think that God can only work inside that box. We need to read all the scriptures and see the vast number of ways that God used his people throughout all the generations. And, we need to understand that when God assigns the parts of the body of Christ that they may not necessarily fit within the confines of what we think those assignments should be or should look like.

Thus, we need to be so careful that we don’t jump to conclusions or decide that “God doesn’t work that way,” when, in fact, he may work exactly that way. It may just not be the way we are used to, because we might think inside the box of institutional Christianity, rather than think inside the box of God’s ways and methods and will and purposes. So, be very cautious about making judgments about other people’s callings or giftedness or with regard to their personal convictions, for God made us all very unique.

Hurting One Another

When we try to inflict our ways of doing things on to other people, especially on to our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are not acting in love. Again, I am not speaking about what God clearly calls sin, but I am talking about matters of personal preference, which are just matters of opinion or culture or upbringing or whatever.

For, if we are not careful, we can do a lot of damage to people’s hearts because we either try to force them into our molds, we reject them because they “don’t fit” inside our molds, or we get angry and spiteful with them because they are not doing what we want, when we want it, the way that we want it.

And, this kind of stuff is happening a lot, and among those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ. This should not be!! We should not be judging one another based on our own ways of doing things. And, we should not get angry and spiteful with those who do not “perform” according to our own ways of doing things. That is just nasty! And, it is hateful! And, yet, many are doing this on a regular basis.

I think a lot of this is caused by upbringing and by culture and by institutional religion, all which have dictated to us and to our minds and hearts that things ought to go a certain way, and that if they don’t, we should throw a temper tantrum until we get our way.

But, that is so selfish! And, it is childish, too. And, yet many adults live like this regularly, and they call themselves followers of Jesus, too.

I see so many Christians fighting amongst themselves over such matters as when Jesus Christ is going to return – pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-tribulation. I see and hear so many of them getting into knock down fights over who is the better candidate to run this country, or what political party is better suited for this nation. And, the list goes on, and on, and on. And, this should not be! These are disputable matters, not matters of sin or salvation.

And, then I see so many who can get angry and spiteful with one another when they don’t get their own way, or when their expectations are not met. And, even family members end up disassociating with other family members, or they cut them out of their wills, because they didn’t perform like was expected. And, this is just wrong! And, it is so hurtful to those who are the objects of the resentment, bitterness and spite.

What Leads to Peace

Instead, we are supposed to be doing what leads to peace, not in the way the world defines peace, but peace as God defines it.

In other words, we never compromise the truth of scripture, or disobey our Lord, or cave to the pressure of doing what is sinful in order to make peace with other humans. We don’t flatter people with our lips, either, by telling them lies so that they will feel good. And, we don’t keep from telling them the truth out of fear of hurting their feelings or that they might not like us in return. We must remain faithful to our Lord in all situations.

Also, we are not going to please everyone. This person may have this expectation of us while another has a different expectation, so who are we going to please? This one? Or, that one? We can’t live to please human beings, for we are not going to please everyone, and we may end up displeasing God in the process. So, we can’t worry about whether other humans approve or disapprove of us, or even what they might say about us, but we just have to be who God has called us to be and leave other human beings in his hands.

Yet, that doesn’t mean we just go around and say, “This is who I am, and so get over it!” No! That is not doing what leads to peace. But, if God has called us to something, and we know this is his calling on our lives, we should not waver in opinion about that just because someone else disapproves.

So, rule #1 is we follow our Lord and His Word and His will for our lives, and we do what He says, even if other humans don’t get us, or even if they reject us, or even if they are hateful, mean and spiteful in return.

Rule #2 is that we love our neighbors as ourselves, and we do no harm to our neighbors. So, as much as it is possible, we do what leads to peace and harmony, as long as that peace does not mean we turn our backs on God in order to be liked by people. God is always first place, but loving God also means we love one another.

So, be kind. Be thoughtful. Think of others above yourselves. But, never bow to human pressure to be less than who God called you to be or to involve yourselves in sin in any way in order to make peace. And, then just leave your reputations in the hands of God, and let him work in the hearts of those who disapprove of you or who reject you because they think you should do something they think you should do, but may not be what God wants of you.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

Monday, November 5, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for this reminder to follow you in obedience, but to also love others as we love ourselves. Amen!

On Tablets of Human Hearts

2 Corinthians 3:1-3 ESV

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

A Huge Responsibility

For those of us who are Christian bloggers, or preachers, or teachers of the Word of God, we have a huge responsibility to our readers or listeners. We need to make certain that what we are teaching or what we are presenting is the truth of God’s Word, or that it is in line with the truth of God’s Word, to the best of our understanding.

For, the people who follow what we preach, or teach, or share, will bear the fruit of what we teach them, which will then bear testimony as to what is in our own hearts, as well as what is in theirs, and it will be a testimonial as to our own moral character and fidelity or infidelity.

I am not saying that everyone who hears the words we speak or write will bear the fruit of what we present to them as truth, though, but that those who follow us, and what we present to them as truth, will be our testimonial as to whether or not what we are presenting is, indeed, truth, and is, indeed, of God. And, it will reveal, too, what is in our own hearts, and will bear testimony as to our own moral fiber.

But, this doesn’t apply merely to those of us who blog or who write devotionals or who preach or teach the Bible. This applies to all who profess faith in Jesus Christ. How we live our lives and what we say to others may influence them to follow our examples or to follow what we say. So, we must be so careful in what we do or say and how we live our lives, for we may be leading others to follow suit.

If you are a parent to small children, you may understand this in that you may witness often that your children are a reflection of you and the things that you say and do. For, small children, in particular, will repeat what they hear and they will mimic what they see their parents do, especially when they are playing pretend. But, parents are not the only influences in their lives, and children are born with certain bents themselves, so not everything a child does is the reflection of the parents, but some of it is or it can be.

The Fruit of our Labors

There are many professing Christians and preachers, teachers and bloggers, etc., who are teaching or who are presenting a gospel message which gives free license for immorality (Jude 1:4). But, they are taking liberty with the scriptures when they do this, for the scriptures are quite clear on the subjects of immorality and purity in the life of the believer in Jesus Christ.

And, truly, at least here in America, that false gospel is bearing fruit in people’s lives all across this nation. The church, overall, is on a massive spiritual decline. And, immorality within the church is rampant. And, the leadership, overall, is not doing anything about it, because so many of them are trapped in sexual sin themselves.

While Christ and his NT apostles taught purity, holiness, righteousness, godliness, integrity, honesty, morality, faithfulness, and the like, as what should be evident in the life of a true believer in Jesus, too many preachers today are teaching that we can live how we want and entertain ourselves incessantly with what is immoral, and that God’s grace covers it all.

So, going back to what Paul said at the beginning of this chapter in 2 Corinthians 3. What we teach and what we live will be evidenced in the lives of those who FOLLOW our examples and who FOLLOW what we teach them. The fruit of our labors will be evidenced in the lifestyles of those who follow us and what we teach, and that will be our letter of commendation.

So, if the majority of those who call themselves Christians are following the true gospel, the end result should be that the vast majority of those professing Christians should be walking in purity, holiness, righteousness, and godliness, and they should be living lives separate from the world of sin because they are being made to be like Jesus.

They should not be “struggling” with sexual sin and regularly giving in to the temptation to look at porn, or to watch TV shows or movies or YouTube videos which are filled with filthy language or sexual content or immoral situations. They should not be addicted to needing to be continuously being entertained or to be continually partaking in what is ungodly.

But, the fact that the large majority of today’s Christians in America are very flesh driven, are needing to be entertained all the time by what is fleshly and impure and immoral, speaks volumes to the fact that what they are following is not the true gospel of Jesus Christ, but is this “cheap grace” gospel which gives them free license to live in immorality while excusing it away. For, there is no call to purity in this gospel, but rather this gospel coddles people in their sins and even resists purity and holiness.

Change that is Necessary

The true gospel, though, makes no room (no provision) for the flesh. It demands holiness, purity, faithfulness, integrity, honesty and love. It calls for us to live separate from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ. And, it teaches us that we will reap what we sow.

God’s grace to us is not free license for immorality. His grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await Christ’s soon return (Tit. 2:11-14).

All throughout the New Testament we learn that our salvation means death to sin and living to righteousness. It means that we no longer live like we did before we trusted in Christ. We don’t engage ourselves in what is unholy and immoral, and it warns us again and again that those who do (practice) such things will not inherit eternal life. Do we get this? These warnings were to Christians, not to the unsaved world!

Again and again we who are Christians are warned against listening to what tickles itching ears, and against following those who are teaching what is false. Again and again we are warned against taking God’s grace lightly and thinking that we can live how we want and still have the promise of heaven when we die. That theory is dispelled all throughout the New Testament.

For, if we conduct our lives 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 will live with Christ for eternity. This is the message all throughout the New Testament. We can’t ignore these messages for there are way too many of them. And, they are consistent. If we live to the flesh, we will die in our sins, but if we live to the Spirit, we will have eternal life with God.

True belief in Jesus Christ results in a change of heart, mind and lifestyle away from living for sin and self to living to God and to his righteousness. Not saying we will never sin, or that we may not fall back into sin for a period of time and need to be revived. But, what the scriptures clearly teach is that how we live is evidence of what we believe. Our lifestyles give evidence to what is truly in our hearts and as to what gospel we are following.

So, please don’t buy into the lies which tell you that it doesn’t matter to God how you live once you believe in him. Don’t buy into the lies which tell you that once you are “In” that nothing you do can impact your eternal security. Read the scriptures – all of them in the New Testament. Pray. Ask the Lord to show you the truth. Listen to HIM! And, follow what he teaches.

One day we are all going to stand before God. And, many are going to say on that day, “Lord, Lord,” and he is going to say, “Depart from me for I never knew you.”

Those who follow the true gospel should be walking according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. And, daily they should be putting to death those deeds of the flesh.

Those who walk according to the flesh but are convinced that it won’t matter to them for eternity are listening to the wrong gospel, and that is why the church in our nation is where it is today, in this moral decline, because too many are believing the lies instead of the truth. So, make sure today that you are following the truth, for your life depends on it.

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/112351857

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Make No Provision

Romans 13:1-5 ESV

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

As a general rule, this is what we are to follow. But, are there exceptions? Yes, there are. And, they are biblical exceptions.

First of all, I do believe that all human authorities that exist have been instituted by God. I believe he puts rulers in place, and he disposes kings, too. And, I believe we are to follow the laws of the land and obey those in authority over us, unless the laws and the rulers command us to disobey our Lord and any of his laws or commands (Biblical examples of this: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Jesus and his New Testament apostles).

For, not all authorities are good. And, our doing good is not always going to be met with approval of these rulers, either. The primary example of this that comes to mind is Jesus, and how he was put to death by both the religious leaders of God’s temple and the governing authorities, and he did no wrong at all, although they accused him of wrong. In fact, he was sinless.

Also, we read in the book of Revelation, in chapter 13, about a beast (one world government), and another beast (false religion) which are conquering peoples, nations and Christians, which is happening in our day and time.

They are going after Christians to destroy them because these beasts are of Satan and his kingdom, thus they hate Jesus Christ and his followers and his gospel of salvation. Thus, we are commanded not to bow to the beast or his image, or worship him, or take his/its mark (characteristic traits, influence, impact, sway) on our foreheads (minds) or on our hand (deeds, actions), which may also include an actual physical mark (See: Revelation 14).

So, this calls for much spiritual discernment via prayer, for this false religion beast and this one world government beast are out to deceive even the elect of God, and they are very skilled at what they do, too. And, don’t think you can’t be fooled, either. You would be surprised if you knew how much you have already been deceived, I would imagine. I know that I was. So, don’t believe everything you read or see or hear coming from anyone, really, but especially from preachers, politicians and news reporters. Pray about this.

Romans 13:8-10 ESV

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

To love as God loves is to prefer what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, good, pure, honest, trustworthy, and just (fair). This love is not based on feelings or on the basis of the good of others. It comes from God, and it is self-sacrificing. And, it gives of oneself to the legitimate needs of others what is for their good, as God defines “good,” and with regard to what God determines is beneficial for them. In fact, this is what it means to bless others, which is what we are to do even to our enemies.

We are to love all people, in fact. This doesn’t mean we will have mushy-gushy sentimental feelings about everyone on this earth, though, for that is not what divine love is all about. But, what it does mean is that we will treat others the way in which Jesus has treated us. He loved us despite our sin, and he willingly sacrificed his own reputation, time, heart and life for us so that we could be delivered from our slavery to sin and live for him.

Thus, one of the main ways in which we love other people, like Jesus did, is that we are to be the Light of Christ to them. This is like being a lighthouse, which not only lights the way for people and shows them the way to safety, but which also warns them of danger lying ahead, so that they don’t go the wrong way and get injured or lose their lives. Thus, this is about sharing the gospel of our salvation in words and in actions, and it is about telling people the truth, for it is the truth which will set them free.

It is not love, though, if we lie to people, if we trick and deceive them, and if we ignore their sinful addictions and pat them on the back and tell them they are ok. We need to warn them of the dangers of continued sin and the consequences of wrong choices. And, we need to guide them to the truth regarding holiness and righteousness, and that this is the way we should go.

We need to tell them that faith in Jesus Christ means death to our old lives of sin, and that, by faith in Jesus, we receive new lives in Christ to be lived to his righteousness. For, it is not love if we coddle people in their sin, or if we lead them into sin, or if we join in with them in their sin, or if we sin against them in any way. For, love does no harm to its neighbors (friends, family, fellow believers).

Romans 13:11-14 ESV

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

None of us can predict exactly when end times events will take place, for we don’t know exactly the timing of all these things, or even what is literal and what is symbolic in the book of Revelation, especially with regard to numbers of days. But, we are supposed to know when the time is near by the signs which we have been given.

I believe, if we are in tune to the Holy Spirit, and we are willing to have God speak to our hearts with regard to what is presently going on in our world, and what that says about the times in which we now live, that we should realize that we are nearing the end. And, that much of what has been prophesied with regard to these last days is already taking place, at least to some degree, such as is prophesied in Revelation 13, for example.

I think we can get our preconceived ideas of how this all is supposed to look by what we were taught early on in our lives in whatever church fellowship we met with. But, what if we were taught wrong? Or what if our teachers didn’t have it right? And what if we are thinking it should look one way while these events are taking place right under our noses and we don’t even see it because we didn’t expect it to look like this? I believe that is happening.

What I know from what the Lord has taught me is that this beast is formed or it is soon to be fully formed and it is still developing. But, that it has been conquering nations and peoples and Christians for a long while now, and soon we are going to see just how far along this beast is in its formation and in its readiness to truly rule the world. And, we will see that the USA has been a central part of that beast all along, and that our government leaders actually serve this beast (the all-seeing eye of the elite of the world).

But, even if that was not the case, that doesn’t change the truths written in this passage of scripture, for not one of us knows when we are going to die or if we will wake up in the morning or if our home or town will still be here when we do wake up. So, we have to live every moment as though it could be our last, realizing that our salvation is getting closer to being made complete when Jesus returns.

So, how should we be living while we wait for Christ’s return? We should be getting rid of all moral filth, lies, deception, gossip, adultery, porn, hatred, violence, envy and the like. And we should make no provision for the flesh at all, meaning we need to cut out of our lives those things which lead us to sin, too, so that we are not led into sin, and so we don’t continue in sinful addictions. And, we need to conduct our lives in holiness, in righteousness, in purity, in integrity, and in faithfulness, all in God’s strength within us.

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/112351857

Saturday, November 3, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, that you love us enough to warn us of danger ahead and to light the way for us to walk in your truth.

Holy

1 Peter 2:1-3 ESV

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As followers of Jesus Christ, because of what Jesus did for us, in dying on a cross, and in taking our punishment upon himself so that we could be saved from our sins, we should live holy lives unto God in all of our conduct. No longer should we be living to please the desires of our sinful flesh, but we should be living to please God in all that we do and say (See 1 Peter 1).

Therefore, by the Spirit, we should be putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and we should be walking (conducting our lives) according to God’s Holy Spirit, in truth, and in righteousness. Thus, things such as malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander, immorality and impurity should no longer be what we do (what we practice). We should put those out of our lives.

And, instead, we should be hungering after the Word of God and his righteousness and holiness. We should long for God’s Holy presence in our lives and His Words should be what we crave, not the things of this sinful world. We should love to be in the Word of God, listening to our Lord speak his truths to our hearts. And, then our hearts and minds should be moved to obedience to our Lord, to live holy lives pleasing to him.

1 Peter 2:4-8 ESV

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,    a cornerstone chosen and precious,and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected    has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling,    and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

The church is not a physical building. It is not built with human hands out of brick and mortar. It is not a social organization, nor is it a corporation under the federal government. It is not a church denomination. It is not a business to be marketed like any other business, either, although this is what it has been turned into across these United States of America, for the most part.

The church is the people of God who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. And, it is a spiritual building with Jesus Christ as its chief cornerstone and with us comprising the rest of the stones, which are living stones. And, it is founded upon Jesus Christ and the apostles of the New Testament and the prophets of old (of God).

The purpose of the church, too, which is us, the people, is to be spiritually built up (encouraged, developed) as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood. And, holy means to be set apart (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made into the likeness of Christ. And, a priest of the Old Testament was one who went into the presence of God, first to offer sacrifices for his own sins and then for the sins of others.

Yet, the sacrifices God requires of us are first of all broken and contrite (repentant) hearts. And, he requires that we give our lives to him wholly as living sacrifices on his altar, holy (set apart) and pleasing to him. We are to no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we are to be transformed (of the Spirit of God) in mind and heart away from living to sin and self to living to God and to his righteousness. And, this is what it means to believe in Jesus Christ, to surrender to his will for our lives.

Yet, not everyone believes. They find the truth of the gospel of our salvation an offense to them, because they don’t want to die to self or give up rule of their own lives. They don’t want to let go of their sinful practices, but they want to be able to continue to indulge in them. And, so they reject Jesus Christ and his gospel of salvation, although many of these who reject him will claim to know him. But, if we claim to be in fellowship with him, and yet we walk (conduct our lives) in the darkness (sin), we are liars (1 Jn. 1:6).

1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

But, as those who claim to be in fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ, we are no longer our own, to live our lives however we want. For, we were bought back for God (redeemed) with the blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we are to honor God with our lives, not continue to live to please ourselves. We are to live holy lives, set apart from the world, and set apart to God for his service and for his purposes for our lives.

Not only are we to be living to God, according to his will and purposes for our lives, and no longer be living to gratify the sinful cravings of our flesh, but we are also to be proclaiming him and his salvation to all who will listen. For many people are living without God and without hope in their lives and they need to hear the true gospel so that they, too, can die with Christ to sin and live with Christ to his righteousness. So, we need to be sharing his gospel in words, and also by our example, with the world around us.

And, the best way for us to share this gospel is by sharing our own testimonies of how God delivered us out of darkness (sin) and how he brought us into his wonderful light (truth and righteousness). But, this can’t be with words only, for people are pretty smart, and they can see right through us if what we are professing and what we are living don’t match. So, we need to walk the walk and not just talk the walk.

1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

I hear so many people say that all you have to do is “believe” in Jesus Christ and you are saved. That is true, but we need to understand what this “believe” means for it is not just some assent to who Jesus is and to what he did for us in sacrificing himself for our sins.

Belief in Jesus Christ is first of all of God, and it is divine persuasion as to his holiness and righteousness and of our need to forsake our sins, to be cleansed of our sins, and to now walk righteously before him, in his power at work within our hearts and lives.

As we read through the New Testament, in particular, from Matthew to Revelation, it becomes abundantly clear that our belief in Jesus is not a mere acknowledgment of him nor is it a sinner’s prayer or some emotional experience. It is a lifestyle and heart transformation away from living to sin to living to God and to his righteousness. This is why our salvation is referred to as being “born again,” because we are changed like a caterpillar is changed into a butterfly. Jesus is not added on to our old lives, but our old lives die with him and he gives us new lives to be lived to him.

Our salvation is also not a one-time experience, we are in, and it can never be taken away from us. It is those who listen to Jesus, and who follow him who cannot be snatched out of his hands. And, it is those believing (present tense) in him who have eternal life with him, who are no longer living to the flesh, but who are living to the Spirit (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Acts 26:16-18; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

So, as those who have been taken out of the world of sin, who are no longer like the world, who have been cleansed of our sins, we should abstain from the passions of the flesh, for they wage war against our souls. They destroy us, which is why Jesus died to free us from all that. And, we need to live lives which are honorable, trustworthy, honest, and pure, so that even if people speak evil against us, they will see that we are people who are walking honorably before God and man.

Again, this is not to say that we will never sin (1 Jn. 2:1-2), but that sin should no longer be what we practice. We should no longer be giving our lives over to the sinful passions of our flesh, but we should be walking according to the Spirit in righteousness, holiness and in purity.

For Our Nation 

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/112351857

Friday, November 2, 2018 – Thank You, Jesus, for loving us so much that you willingly sacrificed your life for us on that cross so that we could be delivered from our slavery to sin, and so that we could live now to you and to your righteousness. Amen!

Conduct

Ephesians 1:1-2 ESV

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This message is to the saints of God who are faithful in Christ Jesus.

Saints of God

The word “saint” here is basically the same word as “holy.” It means to be set apart by (or for) God. And, it means "likeness of nature with the Lord" because "different from the world" (1). And, God has commanded that we be holy in all of our conduct, because he is holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16).

We, as believers in Jesus Christ, are to be different (unlike) the world of sin, for God called us out from the world, so the world should no longer love us as their own. In fact, we should be hated by those who are still like the world because we are different (unique), and we don’t fit in with them.

But, we are not supposed to fit in with them, for we are to be no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world. But, we are to be transformed (of the Spirit of God) in the renewing of our minds away from living to sin to living to God and to his righteousness, in his power (See: Rom. 12:1-2).

In fact, the Bible teaches that if we love (prefer, embrace, desire, take pleasure in, esteem) the world (not speaking of the people of the world) or the things in the world, the love of the Father is not in us (1 Jn. 2:15). Do we hear this? It means the love of the Father IS NOT IN US.

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world (1 Jn. 2:16).

We need to take this seriously, and take it to heart!

Faithful in Christ Jesus

This word “faithful” means “trustworthy, faithful, believing, loyalty to faith, fullness of faith, and believing the faith God imparts, referring to persuasion,” i.e. to divine persuasion (2).

Basically, the word “faith” means persuasion. With regard to the faith necessary for our salvation, it means to be persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness and of our need to walk with him in his holiness and righteousness, for even the faith to believe in Jesus is a gift of God’s grace to us (See: Eph. 2:8-10; see also 1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 8:1-17).

And, faithful, thus, is full of this divine persuasion of God’s holiness and of our command to be holy in all of our conduct. And, it is loyalty to that faith – devoted, trustworthy, dedicated and reliable.

So, our faith is not just some thought or feeling or expression of some belief in the existence of Jesus Christ, or even of some belief that he truly did die in our place so that we could be forgiven our sins and have the hope of eternal life with God.

But, it is devoted to the Lord and to his righteousness, holiness, honor, glory, praise, purity, and love, etc. And, this is to be lived out daily in our lives by his grace and in his power at work within us, because he first loved us, and because we love him back.

Ephesians 1:3-6 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

These promises, thus, are to the saints (the holy, set apart) who are the faithful (loyal, dedicated) in Christ Jesus. We are blessed. We benefit greatly from this relationship with our Lord via our God-given faith (divine persuasion) in him. We are provided with what is for our best, i.e. what is God’s best for us that we might serve our Lord and walk in his ways.

We were chosen by God before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless before him, not just positionally, but in all of our conduct. For, Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He gave his life up for us on that cross that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him. He bought us back for God with his blood, so we should honor God by our lives in all that we do (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15; 1 Co. 6:20).

He predestined that we should become one of his children, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace.

And, what is the purpose of his will? That we should die to sin and live to righteousness; that we should no longer walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, and that we should be holy in all of our conduct, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world.

And, what is his grace to us? Certainly it is forgiveness of our sins, and it is eternity with him in glory. But, that is not all. It is deliverance from slavery (addiction) to sin so that we might now be slaves (servants) of his righteousness (See: Rom. 6:1-23).

For, his grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await his soon return (Tit. 2:11-14).

So, if we were predestined to be to the praise of his glorious grace, then we were predestined to live holy lives in all of our conduct, free from the control of sin over our lives, walking in His Spirit, and according to his righteousness, for this is the purpose of his grace to us.

Ephesians 1:7-10 ESV

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Again, these promises are for the saints (holy, set apart) of God who are the faithful (persuaded, dedicated) of God in Christ Jesus.

We have redemption through his blood. We have been bought back for God by his blood, so our lives are no longer our own to be lived how we want, because we have been bought with a price. Therefore, we are to honor our Lord in all that we do (be holy in all of our conduct). For, this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus, that we live for him, and no longer for our flesh.

We have forgiveness of sins. Our sins are no longer charged against us with regard to eternal punishment in hell. We now have the hope of eternal life with God. But, forgiveness means also “Go and sin no more!” It means the punishment for our sin has been paid for, we are no longer condemned, and so we are now to no longer live in sin but to God and to his righteousness.

And, again the message is one of according to his will and purpose and plan for our lives, which he had purposed even before the creation of the world.

Jesus set us free so that we would no longer live our lives by our flesh and to sin (Rom. 6:1-23). We have the hope of eternal life with him, thus, if, by his grace, and in his Spirit, we no longer conduct our lives according to our sinful flesh but we now live by the Spirit and walk in the ways of Christ (See: Rom. 8:1-17; Lu. 9:23-25; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

BUT, this is not to say that we will never sin (See: 1 Jn. 2:1-2). We still live in flesh bodies, and so we still have the propensity to sin against God. But, it should no longer be what rules our lives. It should no longer be what we practice. 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 will live (See: Rom. 8:1-17).

It all comes down to lifestyle, and our lifestyles are what give evidence to the fact that we are or we are not truly in Christ Jesus by faith in him. For, James says that even the demons believe and they shudder, and the demons have no hope of salvation from sin.

The crux of it all is in understanding what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and in having the correct understanding of what his grace means, as well. For, our salvation is not just deliverance from hell and eternity in heaven. It is a heart change, and a lifestyle change, and a life dedicated to living for our Lord and no longer for our flesh. For, this is why Jesus died.

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: we’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/112351857

Thursday, November 1, 2018 –

(1)       https://biblehub.com/greek/40.htm

(2)       https://biblehub.com/greek/4103.htm