The Testing of Your Faith

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6-9 NASB1995)

A Parable of Sorts

The Lord Jesus is giving me a physical illustration of this today, with a spiritual parallel, so this will be kind of like a parable of sorts. And here is the physical situation:

About two weeks ago I started having very sharp pains in my chest, on the left side, where a tumor has been located in my lung for the past 11 years. It had not grown in the first two years, so they never looked at it again. Nine years later it has now been discovered that the tumor is nearly doubled in size, and that the sharp pain in my chest is located in the exact location of the tumor. But I also have labored breathing and chest pressure, so it is under consideration that the tumor could be what is causing all of this.

A series of tests was ordered for me by my doctor, and yesterday I had my first test, which was a breathing test. I am breathing at 44% of 100% breathing capacity, and so the doctor diagnosed me with COPD, stage 3. But this was without considering the tumor and its role in my breathing issue. And today he wants to run a more vigorous breathing test, and I just realized last night that he wants to give me a drug in this process, but after I had already told him that I don’t take medications, so that has to change. 

Next week I am lined up for 4 more tests including an MRI of my brain, an ultrasound of my thyroid, an ultrasound of my heart, and a PET scan of my entire body to check for cancer. All these involve some kind of electronic imaging or radio waves, and the last one involves them putting a radioactive tracer in my body to show up any potential areas of my body where cancer might be detected. I had this done 11 years ago, and I survived it then, so I pray I will survive it again, but 4 of these in a row might be quite rough.

The Spiritual Parallel

The passage of Scripture speaks of being distressed by various trials which test our faith to see whether or not it is genuine God honoring faith which will result in genuine biblical salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

So, here is the parallel. I have a particular set of symptoms that I am aware of, but without these tests I have no way of proving they exist so that they can be resolved. Yes, I know that my God is my healer, and he could choose to just heal me, but that is not the course he has decided on for me at this moment. And these tests will have an element of pain and risk involved in them, but they are necessary in order to discover what is really going on inside my body, in order to make a correct prognosis, in order to know the correct way in which to resolve these issues, all under God’s direction.

And this parallels over to what this passage is teaching. We need our faith to be tested so that we can see where we have issues that need to be resolved so that we can find the correct solutions (biblical solutions) and to put those into practice. For some people, although they profess faith in Christ, they are still walking in sin, in sinful addictions, and the only way they will ever be free of their addiction to sin is to go through a painful process of testing and examining what is in their hearts so that they can get victory over darkness.

And yes, that will be a painful process, but without the examinations which look closely at what is going on inside the person, and to identifying the problem (the cancer, the tumor, spiritually speaking), and to learning the correct path for getting the sin cancer removed from the heart, there will never be victory over sin and freedom from bondage. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person (see Luke 6:45; Matthew 15:17-20).

Masking The Sin

Now, going back to my situation for a moment. I just realized last night that  the additional breathing test scheduled for today is intended to be followed by an unknown (to me) medication to see if that improves the breathing. Now, I have been pharmaceutical dependent free for 17 years, by the grace of God, and I made clear to them yesterday that I do not take medicines, for drugs can be harmful, especially since it is known that I have a lung tumor, and it can just mask the situation and then not really deal with the problem.

And this, sadly, is what is often being done on a spiritual level to solve sinful addictive practices, to mask over the problem and then to not really get to the root of what is causing the sin issue. And this might be done via the use of literal drugs (narcotics) or via psychology or false teachings and false gospel messages which give people a false hope of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God. And they do this via diluting the gospel to make it less offensive and more comfortable for the sinner to continue in deliberate sin.

But the only way to true biblical freedom from our slavery to sin is to do the heart examination, to see what is in our hearts which is preventing us from surrendering our lives to the Lord in walks of obedience to his commands, and then to follow God’s biblical instructions on what we must do to be free from our addiction to sin. And his only resolution is that we must, by God-gifted faith in the Lord Jesus, die with Christ to sin, and now follow him in obedience to his commands. We must repent of (turn away from) our sins and have a change of heart and mind resulting in a change of behavior.

For if we continue to hold on to whatever is stored in our hearts, i.e. that which is against God and his holiness, and which is leading us into sin, then we will never be free from our slavery to sin, and so we will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. But if we let the Lord show us what is stored up in our hearts, and if we follow his solution for getting the evil out of our hearts, and so we repent of (turn from) our sins and we now obey our Lord and his commands, in practice, then we have life in Christ.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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The Testing of Your Faith

An Original Work / October 3, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

By The Sanctifying Work of The Spirit

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:1-5 NASB1995)

Who are the chosen (the elect) of God? We are the selected of God, chosen out of our slavery to sin to now follow our Lord in walks of surrender to the will of God for our lives, in obedience to him and to his commands. We are the called of God to deny self, die with Christ to sin, and to obey him and his commands in holy living, in submission to the will of God for our lives. And the sanctifying work of the Spirit in our lives involves our cooperation with God in being progressively transformed by God into his likeness of character.

And to be holy means to be unlike (different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of character of our Lord, by the grace of God, in the power of God, via our full cooperation with God in his work of grace in our lives. For the faith to believe in Jesus does not come from our human flesh, but from God, and it is gifted to us by God. And it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin and to walk in obedience to his commands. 

In other words, not one of us can come to faith in Jesus Christ of our own accord, according to our own flesh, because the faith to believe in Jesus must come from God, and the word “faith” means to be persuaded, in this case to be persuaded of God. And so we cannot give our own definition to the word “faith,” which is defined by God and by the teachings of the Scriptures, taught in their appropriate biblical context. And so our “faith” must align with God’s will and purpose for our lives, defined Scripturally.

[John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; Acts 26:18]

And to be “born again” has to do with us now having a spiritual birthing of the Spirit of God which is only made possible by Jesus Christ (God the Son) shedding his blood for us on that cross, and by his bodily resurrection from the dead. So, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, and in his power, we are now be able to deny self, die to sin, and live to God and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to our Lord, and in surrender to the will and purpose of God for our lives, in daily practice. This, then is what gives us the hope of salvation (deliverance) from sin and of eternal life with God.

But now please make certain you read verses 4-5 in the full context of this passage of Scripture. For this is not teaching that a verbal profession of faith in Jesus Christ once in your life assures you of forgiveness of all sins and heaven as your eternal destiny. This is talking about obedience to God and holy living and a process of biblical sanctification in our lives. And to be “born again” means we are now different, unlike the world, because we are being made into the likeness of character of Christ via our surrender to God.

For we are protected by the power of God through faith which is not of our own doing – not of the will of the flesh – but which comes from God, and which aligns with God’s expressed will and purpose for our lives. And it is persuaded of God that we should die with Christ to sin and now walk (in conduct, with purpose) in obedience to his commands in holy living and no longer as slaves (addicts) to sin, for a salvation “ready to be revealed in the last time.” Our salvation will not be complete until Jesus returns and only if we die to sin and obey God in practice, and not continue in deliberate sin.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

Caution: This link may contain ads

By The Sanctifying Work of The Spirit

An Original Work / October 3, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Fear of Man

“An angry man stirs up strife,

And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

A man’s pride will bring him low,

But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life;

He hears the oath but tells nothing.

The fear of man brings a snare,

But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.

Many seek the ruler’s favor,

But justice for man comes from the Lord.

An unjust man is abominable to the righteous,

And he who is upright in the way is abominable to the wicked.” (Proverbs 29:22-27 NASB1995)

There is a lot of craziness going on in the USA today, where I live, and with our government and military heads. I can’t say that I understand it all, but to me it is looking more and more like we have been taken over and that we are now becoming a police state. And I believe the reason this is happening is because the church at large (not everyone) here in the USA has gone the way of the world and has turned their gatherings into businesses being marketed to the people of the world, and so they have lost their witness.

They have partnered with the government in an unholy union, forbidden by God. And they have convinced the church to give their worship to the US government via the pledge of allegiance to our government and the singing of patriotic songs of worship of our government, forbidden by God. And they are marketing the church to the world, also forbidden by God. And they have altered and diluted the gospel of Christ to make it more attractive and acceptable to the ungodly who they are attracting to their gatherings, also forbidden by God. And I believe the USA is under the judgment of God.

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5] 

I used to be one of those who pledged my allegiance to the government, by habit, as taught from early childhood, and who sang the patriotic songs of worship of our government, and who believed the government and what they told me, and who believed the news media, and who believed my pastor and what he taught as the gospel. And although he taught obedience and holy living, I didn’t realize that the gospel of salvation he was teaching, and was having us share, was not the biblical gospel but a compilation of various Scriptures taught out of context giving out a false gospel message.

But then the Lord began opening my eyes and heart and mind to see what I was previously blinded to, and I began seeing the lies, the deceptions, the manipulations, and the mind control so much of us had been under and where so many people still are today. And we have been lied to and misled so much from our government, from the news media, and via the institutional market-driven churches which are in partnership with the government and with the world. And so many of us were taught a diluted gospel, and so many more today are being taught a false faith gospel.

But Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

That the gospel message we should be following. So we need to be testing everything we see (or think we see), hear, or read against the Scriptures, taught in their appropriate biblical context, comparing Scripture with Scripture so that we get the whole picture, for so much is false. And we need to realize that the Scriptures prophesied as to the kinds of things which are going on today, and that they teach we are not to put our trust in human beings, and that we are not to worship humans as though they are gods. So, if you are not doing so, start asking the Lord to show you what is truth.

And in all this craziness that is going on in the USA, and in the world, we who put our trust in the Lord Jesus are not to fear what is coming upon us. We are not to fear what humans might do to us if we do not cooperate with the powers that be in their wicked schemes (Read Revelation 13). We are to stand strong in our faith and on the teachings of the Scriptures, and put on our spiritual armor given to us by God in order to fight off the attacks of the enemy against us. And then we need to obey God and follow his lead.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

What the Lord Says  

Based off Isaiah 43:1-44:5

An Original Work / February 24, 2014 

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

This is what the Lord says to you:

Fear not, for I have chosen you.

I have summoned you by your name.

You are mine. I died, you to save.

When you go through your trials, so deep,

I will be with you; you will not sink.

You are so precious always to me.

Trust in your Lord, Savior and King.

This is what the Lord says to you:

He who gave salvation to you;

Who delivered you from your sin;

Takes your burdens now upon Him:

Forget the former things of your life.

Give of your heart not now up to strife.

See all the new things I have for you.

Walk in vict’ry. Trust in what’s true.

This is what the Lord says to you:

He who made you; who will help you:

Do not fear what humans may do.

Walk in freedom. Follow what’s true.

Drink of my Spirit given for you.

Trust in my mercy, for I love you.

I have a plan for all of your life.

Follow my ways. Do what is right. 

https://vimeo.com/87634334 

Fear of Man

An Original Work / October 2, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

In Need of Prayer

My human body has been having some physical issues which have come to a head, and which now have led to my primary physician ordering a bunch of tests to determine what is going on inside of my body and to make recommendations as to what he believes needs to be done to reconcile these issues. My life is in the hands of God, and I trust my Lord fully in this that his plan for my life will be accomplished through it all and that he will give me the wisdom that I need to follow HIS plan of action in all ways.

Today I will be meeting with a Pulmonary Doctor who will test me in two different areas, but I am not sure yet of the nature of the tests, only that this is in relation to my lung where I have a tumor causing me issues. Next Tuesday, and all of this is Lord willing, the plan is for me to have an MRI of my head/brain, and an ultrasound of my thyroid. On Thursday I am scheduled to have an ultrasound of my heart, and on Friday I am scheduled to have a PET scan of my entire body, looking for possible cancer, I believe. So the Lord is leading me this morning to ask for prayer during these tests.

Thank you to all who pray for me!

Sue J Love

Christ’s Free Servant

Love Wisdom, Hate Evil

Proverbs 29 Select Verses NASB1995

“A man who hardens his neck after much reproof

Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.

2 When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,

But when a wicked man rules, people groan.

3 A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad,

But he who keeps company with harlots wastes his wealth.

6 By transgression an evil man is ensnared,

But the righteous sings and rejoices.

10 Men of bloodshed hate the blameless,

But the upright are concerned for his life.”

Now I have personally witnessed in my life men and women who had hardened their necks after much reproof, but who continued with their hardened necks and their hard hearts for 50 years or longer, some right up to the point of death. Some of them did repent, and some did not. And that grieves me that some of them remained hardened right up to the point of death. One of my biggest prayers that I pray regularly is for changed hearts that surrender to Jesus Christ in obedience and in putting sin to death in their lives, that they might have true hope of eternal life with God.

For so many people today are believing the lies which tell them that all they have to do is to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all their sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed them when they die, but regardless of how they live. Or they are being told that all they have to do is to ask God for forgiveness of their sins and now they are saved and on their way to heaven. But the Scriptures teach that, by faith in Jesus Christ, if our faith is of God, we will die with Christ to sin and now walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, or the faith we think we have is not biblical faith.

Now, the truly righteous in the eyes of God are those who, by faith in Jesus Christ, have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, in holy living, by the grace of God. They are those for whom living righteously is what they practice, not necessarily with absolute perfection, but as a matter of life course. Sin is no longer their practice, their habit. But obedience to God and to his commands is what they put into practice in their daily lives. They want to obey God!

But I don’t see much rejoicing in our world today over the truly righteous who live and who teach the critical nature of death to sin and walks of surrender to God in obedience to his commands. I see a lot of rejoicing over a fake diluted and altered gospel message which teaches people that they can be saved and on their way to heaven by lip service only which makes no requirements for putting sin to death and for walks of obedience to God. And I do see a lot of professing Christians rejoicing over a wicked man who rules while there are others who do groan over this same wicked man.

And it appears from all outward appearances that the majority of those professing faith in Jesus Christ, at least here in the USA, are not people of God who love the wisdom of God and who follow after his wisdom. But they love the teachings of humans who dilute and alter the gospel truth in order to appease humans in their sins so that they won’t feel guilty for their sins, and in order to not offend the ungodly of the world who they are trying to attract to their gatherings. And so a lot of them are those engaged in sexual immorality, especially in the area of addiction to pornography. 

Now, if by the grace of God, because of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, you have put your faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, that should automatically result in you dying with Christ to sin and having a change of heart and mind away from sin to now desiring to obey the Lord and his commandments, in practice. But if this is how you are living, and if it is the truth of the gospel you are sharing, don’t be surprised if you are hated, rejected, mistreated, and cast aside as unwanted, even by others who profess faith in Jesus Christ, some of whom are pastors of “churches.”

But we should be those who love those who hate and misuse and abuse us and who want nothing to do with us because of our walks of faith in obedience to the Lord, and because of our testimonies for Christ and for the truth of the gospel. And we should pray for our persecutors and for those who do evil against us that they will surrender their lives to Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands and in dying to sin daily, by the Spirit. And we should demonstrate the love of Jesus to them, a love which speaks truth to the people for their salvation from sin, not the lies that tickle itching ears.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

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

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

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 

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Love Wisdom, Hate Evil

An Original Work / October 2, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Let Your Light Shine

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16 NASB1995)

When we are the “salt of the earth” we are those who maintain, uphold, continue in, protect, safeguard, and defend the essential character of Jesus Christ and of the truth of the gospel by what we say and by how we live our lives. But if we lose our taste, that would indicate that we are no longer doing those things. We are no longer showing forth the essential character of Jesus Christ and of the truth of the gospel of our salvation by the words that we speak and by how we live in truth and in daily practice. And this is bad!

And when we are the “light of the world,” we are to be shining forth the truth of the gospel of our salvation by the words that we speak and by the way in which we live. And we are not to be those who hide the truth of the gospel from the people of the world out of fear of rejection, persecution, or concern about what other people will think about us. We need to be more concerned about the salvation of human lives than we care about our own reputations and whether or not we are liked and/or approved or disapproved of.

Light is Jesus Christ. It is the gospel truth, and it is righteousness, holiness, and godliness. So, in essence, we are to be Jesus Christ to the people of this world, i.e. we are to be like him in character, and we are to be doing and speaking the kinds of things he did and spoke to the people. And we are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness (sin) into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9), which is righteousness, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and obedience to God. And in this way we are the light of the world.

Yet we are still clay in the hands of the Potter (God) being made into the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, a work of God’s grace in our lives which will not be completed until Jesus returns and he takes us to be with him for eternity. We are not perfect as Jesus was. But lack of perfection is never to be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord. For if sin is what we obey, in practice, and not obedience to God and to his commands, then we are not saved and we don’t have eternal life with God. 

The Gospel According To Christ and His Apostles

Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

And we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments, in practice, we are liars. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

So, please take this to heart. Believe and live the truth of God’s Word.

The Lord’s Anointed  

Based off Isaiah 61

An Original Work / December 16, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;

Anointed to preach the Good News;

Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;

Proclaim freedom for the captives.

He sent me to preach release for pris’ners

Who are walking in sin’s darkness;

Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll listen;

And tell them about God’s judgments;

Comfort all who mourn;

Give crowns of beauty;

Oil of gladness and thanksgiving. 

They will be called oaks of God’s righteousness,

A planting of our Savior, God,

For the display of our Lord’s splendor, and

They will rebuild God’s holy church.

God will renew them, and will restore them,

And you’ll be called priests of the Lord.

You will be ministers of our God, and

You will rejoice in salvation.

The Lord loves justice;

He is faithful to 

Reward those who are seeking Him.

I delight greatly in the Lord;

My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.

He has clothed me with His salvation,

And in a robe of His righteousness.

He has given me priestly garments to wear, 

As the bride of Jesus Christ.

As the garden of our Lord and Savior, 

He causes us to grow in Him.

He makes righteousness, 

Praise, and thanksgiving

Spring up before all the nations. 

https://vimeo.com/114836524

Let Your Light Shine

An Original Work / October 1, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Treat your Enemies with Love

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12 NASB1995)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48 NASB1995)

I live in the United States of America. It’s not looking good for my nation right now, from all outward appearances. We have a commander in chief who seems bent on military control over the people of our nation, and we have a government which, as of today, has shut down (for how long we do not know – could be permanently – always a possibility). More and more this is looking like a dictatorship, and less and less like a democracy. Nations are rising against nations, but our commander in chief appears to be rising against some of his own people who he regards as “the enemy within.” 

Already we have had many pastors and parishioners of said “churches” turn against and persecute those who are holding on to the gospel taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles, calling us teachers of “works salvation,” and even “messengers of Satan,” because we teach the truth of the Scriptures and we have not succumb to the lies of the enemy. Already the enemy of our souls has manipulated the truth of the Scriptures, and the people, to conform them to the lies disguised as truth and to reject the truth as the lie, instead. And it appears to be getting worse as the days go by.

It does appear that severe persecution of the church, the true body of believers in Jesus Christ, is on its way to the USA, not that it is not already here, for it is, but it is not yet at the level that the Scriptures prophesy is coming in these last days before the return of Christ. But I do believe that hate for “Christians” has increased of late due to many people willfully misrepresenting Christianity and the gospel of our salvation and using Christianity as a tool to manipulate and control the masses, which has then turned many away and even to hating and despising the name “Christian.”

All of this, which is a present reality in my nation, and in the world as a whole, too, is the work of Satan to destroy the church and to destroy independent nations, and to bring us all under the rule of “The Beast” and the “New World Order.” We are already seeing the signs of the mark of the beast and of severe changes to the world as we know it, which appear to fit perfectly with Revelation 13. For they are already talking about some digital currency and having to have digital IDs in order to buy and sell, or in order to travel on airplanes. And it could happen very soon, from all appearances.

But don’t let their lies turn you one against another, especially Christian against Christian. Don’t believe everything a particular political party is selling you, and don’t believe the news media or the government heads or even most pastors, sad to say. For lies and liars and charlatans abound. As Christians be discerning people who pray for wisdom to know truth from lies. And be those who study the Scriptures in their full biblical context and who test what you hear against the Scriptures taught in the correct context. For many charlatans are twisting the truth to teach lies and to deny the truth.

And please do not succumb to this “hate your enemy” philosophy. Yes, if we are followers of Christ, we will be and are being persecuted for the sake of righteousness. And if you are being persecuted, according to the Scriptures, rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven. Then love your enemies and pray for them and do good to them and speak words to them which are for their spiritual good. Yes, refute the lies of the enemy, and speak the truth, but do so in love, and not in hate, and not in anger or violence. And then continue to obey God and to forsake sin and to live righteously in the power of God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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Treat your Enemies with Love

An Original Work / October 1, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love