Freedom from Addiction

Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Lay it Aside

Are you addicted to porn? You don't need a 12-step program to get you free. You need to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, abandon your lifestyle of sin, and in the power of the Spirit of God, walk in the ways of the Lord. Then you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (See Gal. 5:16).

And, yes, I do know what I am talking about. This is not theory. This is in practice. Too many of these porn addiction recovery programs keep people still in bondage to sin, dependent on other humans, rather than on God, repeatedly failing, and always a step away from the next failure. But you can be free!

Addiction is enslavement, pure and simple. We are all enslaved to sin before we believe in Jesus, but via God-given faith in Jesus Christ, we are delivered from our enslavement to sin so that we now become slaves of God and of his righteousness. Thus, it is a lie which says you can't be free (Rom. 6:1-23).

It is also a lie which tells you that it could take years, and many books, and therapists, and support groups before you can live in victory over your addiction, too. And, it is a lie which keeps you dependent on therapists and support groups to keep you "sober" sexually so that you don't fail.

But, let me say this here. You will not be free if you don’t truly want to be free. Saying you want it, and truly wanting it are two different things. Saying you have repented of your sins and truly repenting are also two different things.

Also, confessing is not the same as repenting. Confessing is just admitting the sin. Repenting is turning away from it and now walking in obedience to the Lord. But you can’t repent of what you won’t admit. If you aren’t willing to allow God to show you what is in your heart, and if you aren’t willing to have all that sin removed from your heart and life, you will never be free.

So, what I am getting at here is that porn is often just the symptom of a deeper sin issue, like pain might be a symptom of a broken bone, or dizziness might be a symptom of a sinus infection, or shortness of breath might be a symptom of lung cancer. Porn addiction is a symptom of having no fear of God.

Not saying that porn addiction is not sin, but that there are underlying sins that need to be dealt with first if one is to ever experience true freedom from their slavery to sin. For example, if we are fearful, it is a sign of lack of trust in God and in his sovereignty.

So, if your solution is just to try to not look at porn any longer, but your heart hasn't changed, and you still hate, and you don't fear God, and you have unforgiveness and resentment and bitterness in your heart, those have to go, too, if you want to be free. You must confess those sins and turn from them and allow the Spirit of God to truly set you free.

In other words, we can’t dress the sin wound as though it is not serious. We can’t put Band-Aids over deep sin issues and expect them to be healed. We have to dig out that cancer, and we have to cast it away in the power of God’s Spirit at work in our hearts.

For, if you hate, then you resent, and if you resent, then you devalue, and if you devalue, then you abuse, and if you abuse, then you use, and you take advantage, and you feel entitled, and so you go to porn. So porn addiction isn’t just about lust, like rape isn’t just about sex. It is about power.

Let us Run

Too many people are trying to run the race that God has set before us, but they are still weighed down with multiple sins and with many triggers which lead them into sin, because they are unwilling to cooperate with God’s plan of salvation for our freedom.

And that plan is that we must die with him to sin so that we can live to him and to his righteousness. We must surrender our lives to him, turn from our sins, allow the Spirit of God to transform our minds and hearts, and then we must walk in obedience to our Lord in his power and strength.

And, we must remain focused on Jesus and on his plan for our lives. Daily we must die to sin and self and follow our Lord in obedience to his will and to his word. We must be in his word, studying it, taking it into our hearts and minds, and then by God’s grace, we must apply its truths to our lives.

We can’t be spending our days, when we are not working, just playing games, surfing the Net, watching videos, TV, and movies, and playing on social media, etc. We can’t be taking into our minds, hearts, eyes and ears, the filth and the junk of this world, either. For out of what is stored in our hearts comes all kinds of evil behaviors.

If we want to live in moral purity, then not only must we be surrendered to the Lord, dying to sin and living for God daily, but we must be putting into our minds and hearts what is of God – what is pure, honest, moral, upright, godly, and decent, etc.

And, then we can live morally pure, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return. We can run that race that God has marked out for us, because we have cast off those weights of sin and those hindrances to our walks of faith which lead us into sin, and because we are walking in obedience to our Lord, according to his will and purpose and in his power.

So, if you have not yet done so, I pray that today, by faith in Jesus Christ, that you will surrender your life to Jesus, that you will turn from your life of sin, and that you will turn to the Lord Jesus to follow him in obedience one day at a time, by his grace and in his strength, and under his direction.

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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Boldness to Keep Speaking

Acts 4:25-28 ESV

“’Why did the Gentiles rage,    and the peoples plot in vain?The kings of the earth set themselves,    and the rulers were gathered together,    against the Lord and against his Anointed’— “for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.”

A Gentile is a non-Jew. Prior to Jesus’ death on that cross for our sins, the world was divided into two groups of people – Jew and Gentile. The Jews were God’s chosen people, and the Gentiles were all who were not Jews. But, “Gentile” was also a term used to describe all non-believers in the one true God.

In Jesus’ death on that cross he destroyed that barrier between Jew and Gentile, and he made them one in Christ, via God-given faith in Jesus. So, the world is no longer divided as Jew and Gentile, but as saved and unsaved, believer in Jesus and unbeliever. So, Gentile now means the nations or non-believers in Jesus, and Israel means all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

So, what this means now is that Jews who don’t believe in Jesus are now part of the nations (the Gentiles) and only those who believe in Jesus are Israel. There is no other Israel of God but those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, and it is important that we realize that.

We also need to know that all who deny that Jesus is the Christ are antichrist. So, all Jews or Gentiles who deny that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah of Israel, they are antichrist. For by denying Jesus is the Christ they deny the Father, and therefore they don’t believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, even if they are a Jew by physical birth.

So, no believer in Jesus should be a supporter of the nation of Israel, which is antichrist. For if you are, you are supporting the antichrist, not the people of God. You are not to stand with the nation of Israel, but you are to stand with God’s people who are only those who believe Jesus is the Christ, and who have surrendered their lives to him, making him their Lord and Savior.

For, just as the nations and the Jews worked together to put Jesus to death on that cross nearly 2000 years ago, so they are uniting again to put believers in Jesus Christ to death, for they want to put the gospel of Jesus to death. So, they will either attempt to convert us to their way, or they will persecute us, and they may also kill us, too.

[Rom. 9:6-8; Gal. 3:10, 16, 26-29; Gal. 4:22-31; Eph. 2:14-18; 1 Jn. 2:22]

Acts 4:29-31 ESV

“’And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

Now, it is important to note here that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” is true Israel. Not everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ is a true follower of Jesus Christ. So, included in those who are “antichrist” are also many who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are against the gospel of our salvation as taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles.

So, among our persecutors are Jews who don’t believe in Jesus, the godless of the nations, and all who give lip service only to our Lord but who are railing against him and against his gospel, and who are fighting against his servants, his messengers, and against the fullness of the teachings of Scripture regarding our salvation and our eternal life with God.

And, some of these persecutors may even be pastors and elders and deacons of local fellowships of the church. For, many of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing, or they are living immoral lives, and so they have bought into and are teaching the cheap grace gospel which demands no repentance, no obedience, and no submission to Jesus Christ as Lord.

So, if we are teaching or sharing the gospel, as Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught it, we are going to have enemies, even within the church, and even coming from the leadership, too. Many will oppose us, and they will try to convince us that what we are teaching is “works-based salvation.” For, they want to silence us. For, they want people to believe the lies.

They want people to believe the lies because they want to coddle them in their sins, instead of speaking the truth in love to them in hopes that they will surrender their lives to Jesus and be delivered from their bondage to sin. And, that is because Satan is behind this cheap grace gospel which convinces its adherents that they can be “saved,” be going to heaven, and yet continue living in their sin, only now without guilt.

A Strong Force

This is a strong force against the truth, and it is very widespread, and it is taking the church by storm. And the vast majority of those who profess the name of Jesus, at least here in America, appear to have bought into it.

So, if we are teaching the truth, we are going to be opposed strongly by those who are teaching and are believing in this cheap grace. So, we need the Lord to look upon our opposition and to grant us who are his servants the boldness with which to keep speaking the truth of the gospel.

For, this is serious spiritual warfare that is going on here. So, we can’t do this in our own strength or by following our own emotions. We have to be prayed up, and we must be in tune with the Spirit’s voice, and it is imperative that we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, too, to give us the words to say, for many are out there laying traps for us to fall into.

So, we need to not be casual about the things we write on Christian discussion sites, or in blogs, or on social media, especially, or we may get ground up. And, if the Spirit prompts us to not say something, we need to listen to him, and we need to delete it, and we must not press forward with saying whatever it is we think needs to be said. For we could fall into a trap.

We don’t have to answer everyone. We need to pray for wisdom to know when to just let things alone or when to respond. For Satan is a roaring lion lying in wait, just waiting for us to slip in order to devour us. So, more than any other time we must be operating in the power of the Spirit and not in the power or strength of our own flesh.

So, don’t let down your guard. Don’t give in to opposition. Be bold in your faith in the power of God’s Spirit and keep on speaking the truth in love. Trust the Lord with your life and with your opponents, and just keep listening to the Lord, doing and saying what he says to do and say.

And, when this is all over, one day soon we are going to be with our Lord forever and all this pain and suffering will be over. And, sin will be no more. God will wipe away all the tears from our eyes, and we will be forever with our Lord in glory. Amen!

There’s a Stirring

By Annie Herring

There's a stirring deep within me
Could it be my time has come
When I'll see my gracious savior face to face when all is done
Is that his voice I am hearing?
'Come away, my precious one'
Is he calling me?

I will rise up, rise up
And bow down
And lay my crown
At his wounded feet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yocTjkB6hV8

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What God Requires

Malachi 1:11-14 ESV

“For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. But you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.”

Profaned His Name

How is today’s church in America, overall, profaning the name of God? They are profaning him and his name by treating him and his divine character and will for our lives as though he/it is unimportant, or as though he/it is even to be disregarded and/or to be discarded, in actuality.

Even though Scripture is quite clear on the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection, that it is so that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, many are saying we don’t have to do this. We don’t have to forsake our sins and follow our Lord in obedience. We don’t have to submit to the Lordship of Christ. Thus, they profane God’s name.

They are teaching literally that, as Christians, we can despise the cross of Christ and Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, and that we can ignore the bulk of teaching in the New Testament regarding why Jesus died for us, and regarding our responsibility, in light of what he did for us on that cross.

And, they are being encouraged to grumble against (snort at) the true gospel of our salvation, to call it “works-based salvation,” or “judgmental,” or “self-righteous,” etc. And, they are being led to believe that faith in Jesus Christ means that they can continue living in sin while being promised heaven as their eternal destiny.

The Resulting Effect

Many people are professing faith in Jesus Christ on the promise of heaven when they die, but also on the guarantee that they can continue living in sin and that it won’t impact their eternal salvation one bit.

Now, some people will be rather blatant about the whole thing, outwardly proclaiming that God’s grace covers all their sins, so they don’t have to repent, obey the Lord, or submit to his Lordship. They call the true gospel “works-based salvation,” and so they feel they have an “out.”

Others outwardly will act as though they believe the true gospel, and they may even proclaim the true gospel with their lips, but it is lip service only, for by their lifestyles they deny him.

But, they want people to believe they are living righteously, so they will put on an act, a performance, so that they appear as though they are following the Lord, while secretly they are living in immorality, hiding their addiction, hoping no one will know about it. And then they cover it up with many lies, which keep piling on, one on top of the other on top of the other.

They think no one sees, but God always sees. Even though many are teaching that God no longer sees when you sin against him, once you are “saved,” that doesn’t alter the truth that he does. Clearly, he does see, which is evidenced by all the epistles in the New Testament which are directed at the church, some words encouraging, while others correcting error and calling for repentance.

Because they are living a lie, hiding their sins and their lies, and piling them high to the heavens, and because they are not repenting, and not obeying the Lord, they are in the process of moving totally away from the Lord. They are in the process of departing from him for good, renouncing him fully so that they can live how they want, doing what their flesh desires.

They want to live in self-indulgence, living by their feelings, satisfying their flesh with what is of this world and with what is sinful. They want to live lives which are out-of-control, for they refuse to submit their lives to the control of God. But they want, right now, to cover it up with outward performances of righteousness which are all a pretense.

They will not bow to God as Lord, and they will not walk in obedience to his commands, and they will not forsake their idols, their addictions, their sins, because they prefer them to God – to a pure relationship with Jesus Christ. So, they will sacrifice to God only what they are willing to sacrifice while withholding from him what he wants from them. So, they cheat him.

And, this is a whole lot like a man or a woman cheating on his/her spouse with “another lover,” which could be porn, masturbation, sexual idolatry, and/or romantic or sexual affairs, etc.

But then he/she would try to prove his/her “love” to his/her spouse by doing dishes, taking out the trash, cooking a meal, and/or buying him/her something special, like flowers or candy, etc. And this would be done, expecting that his/her spouse should see it as “love.”

But it isn’t love. It is cheap substitute for love which has nothing at all to do with love but everything to do with utter selfishness and with the lust of the flesh, idolatry, and with hate. And, this is the same with the cheap grace gospel which also has nothing to do with love for God, but with idolatry.

What God Requires

But God has a standard he has set down for us, which he expects us to abide by. He is not going to be satisfied with what we are willing to “give” him. He wants our all on the altar of sacrifice laid with our hearts under the control of the Holy Spirit of God. He accepts nothing less.

Jesus Christ died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. He died that we might forsake our former lives of living in sin, that we might be transformed of the Spirit of God in heart and mind, and that we might now follow him in obedience (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Lu. 9:23-26).

If we continue living in sin, his word teaches, we don’t have eternal life with God guaranteed us. We have eternal death in hell awaiting us, instead (Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8; 2 Co. 5:10).

So, if you are believing the lie that you can live in sin and still have eternal life with God, I pray today that you will repent of your sins and turn to the Lord in submission, and follow Jesus in obedience from this moment forward. Then, you will have the hope of heaven and eternal life with God.

To Be Like Him 

An Original Work / March 16, 2014 

Based off Scripture

Crucified you are with Jesus.

To be like Him, oh, you’ll be,

Because He died at Calv’ry,

So from sin you’d be free.

Oh, what joy He brings into your life,

Giving life with Him endlessly.

Oh, what plans He has for your life.

Share the gospel faithfully.

Show the people He loves them.

Now His witness you’ll be.

Tell the world of sin about Jesus,

How He died for them on a tree.

Purifying hearts, He saves them,

Who believe on Christ, God’s Son.

Turning now from their idols,

New lives they have begun.

Jesus saves from sin; we’re forgiven.

Over sin, the vict’ry He won!

When He comes again to take us

To be with Him evermore,

There will be no more crying.

Gladness will be in store.

Heavens joys will now overtake us:

We’ll be with our Lord evermore.

https://vimeo.com/89237609

Distancing from God

An Original Work / July 26, 2020

Distancing, distancing from their God,

Many, many are a fraud.

Turbulent, turbulent, round and round,

Many ne’er get off the ground.

Honoring, honoring not their Lord,

Idols, idols they adore.

Sacrifice, sacrifice to their gods,

Idols they, instead, applaud.

Minist’ring, minist’ring, not in faith,

They trap people with their bait.

Multitudes, multitudes all around

Not the true faith they have found.

Witnessing, witnessing lies untold,

Masqueraders very bold.

Trickery, trickery, so deceived,

Many, many have believed.

Wakening, wakening many’s faith,

God have mercy on this date.

Conquerors, conquerors now surround,

In hopes Christians will be bound.

Penitence, penitence, that’s the goal,

So your idols you will fold.

Following, following now your Lord,

Faith in Jesus, one accord.

I Pledge Allegiance

Malachi 1:6-8 ESV

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord's table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.”

These are some very good questions which I believe the Lord is asking his church today, or he is asking of those who profess faith in him today, at least here in America. If God is truly our Father, where is our honor for him? Where is the fear of the Lord in our hearts? Do we honor him as Lord? Do we walk in the fear of the Lord? Do we even know what it means to fear God?

What he is saying here is that if truly he is our Father, then it should be evident by how we honor him as Lord (owner-master). And, this means that we must respect and revere him by obeying him and his commands. And, we must submit to his Lordship over our lives, and do what he says, and we must not to do what he says not to do, as a matter of our life course.

But so many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ today do not honor God as Lord and as Master of their lives. They do not submit to him, nor do they walk in obedience to his commands. They believe they don’t have to. But this is not just Old Testament teaching. This teaching is repeated for us all throughout the New Testament, too (Rom. 6:1-23; 1 Jn. 2:3-6).

Yet, how many professing Christians today believe they don’t have to obey God, but they will pledge their undying devotion to the government or to their political party? They will wave their national flags with pride, and vote in elections, and they will promote their political candidate as though he is the answer to what ails us, while they despise God and his commandments and thumb their noses at him.

But, it isn’t just that individuals who profess faith in Jesus Christ are despising the Lord’s commands, but it is that it seems as though most of the leaders in these “churches” are leading the people to despise the Lord’s commands. They are telling the people to despise the altar of God, which is both the sacrifice of Christ for our sins on the cross and our dying with him to sin and living to him and to his righteousness by his grace, through faith.

For, they are teaching a false faith in Jesus Christ which is a mere flirtation with God, but with no real commitment to him. They have a casual interest in Jesus Christ, but not enough to surrender their lives to him. For, they don’t take God and his word seriously. They just toy with faith in him.

They think faith in Jesus is a free ride to heaven so they can escape hell. But they have gotten in the wrong vehicle. They think it is all about what God can do for them without consideration of what God requires of them or what the true purpose of our salvation is, which is to deliver us from our bondage to sin and to free us to walk in Christ’s holiness (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Lu. 9:23-26).

1 John 2:19: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

And, this has nothing to do with people leaving the institutional church, which is not the church at all. This has to do with people leaving the right way, the way of the cross of Christ, the way of holiness and righteousness, which is the narrow way that leads to life with God eternally. They have left the right way to follow the way of man and of the flesh, so that they continue living in sin without conscience or guilt.

And, this wrong vehicle they have gotten into is pacifying them in their sin, instead of confronting sin. It is telling them that they can believe in Jesus and have heaven guaranteed them, but that they don’t have to walk in the fear of the Lord, and they don’t have to honor God as Lord, and they don’t have to leave their lifestyles of sin behind them, and that they don’t have to obey the Lord’s commandments, but that they can keep on in their sin.

Malachi 1:9-11 ESV

“And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.”

So many people want God’s grace. But how they want it is like wanting the resurrection of Jesus without his death on the cross. They want forgiveness of sin without repentance. They want the blessings of God without obedience. And, they want to spend eternity with him in heaven while they ignore him and his commands while they still live on the earth. For, what they want is a genie in the sky to grant them their every request. They want God to do everything for them and for them to have to do nothing.

They have, thus, cheapened his grace to appease human flesh, and to coddle people in their sins. And, they have turned the church into a marketplace to be marketed to the world like any other business. And, thus they have altered the gatherings of the church to appeal to the world and to the flesh of man, and they have diluted the gospel so that people can keep on in their sin while claiming heaven as their eternal destiny.

“Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.”

The Lord did, indeed, shut the doors to these “churches” who refuse to honor him as Lord, and who refuse to obey his commands, and who teach a cheap grace gospel which permits its adherents to continue living in sin without guilt. Some of them are reopening, but it is not the same as it was before, and I suspect it will never go back to what it was, which is a good thing, if what they are teaching is the cheap grace gospel.

Now, not all congregations of the saints of God have dishonored God in this way, but the vast majority seem to have gotten in the wrong vehicle and they are going the wrong direction, and they are leading many people astray. And, that is deeply concerning to our Lord.

For, as his people, we are to honor him as our Lord and Master. We are to give our allegiance to him, and to him alone. He is to be our only Lord, not the gods of this world. We are to honor him with our lives, not continue to live for the flesh. And, we are to give to him pure offerings coming from pure hearts which submit to him as Lord and which follow him in his ways. For, he is to be honored, and our lives are to be for his praise and for his glory.

Carousel of Life

Words & Music by Gerry McClintic

Carousel of life I see you turning round,

People everywhere are sad and wear a frown,

Is there an answer to give this troubled world?

Can there be peace found within and love unfurled?

There once lived a man who bled and died for you,

To a troubled world He came to see us through,

He has the answer my friend, so hear my song,

God made Himself into man to right our wrong.

This man was Jesus, He is your friend,

Find peace and new love that has no end,

A life that’s filled with all these things,

Has joy that never dies, new faith that satisfies!

See the carousel of life keep turning round,

Still some people here are sad and wear a frown,

They won’t take one chance to see what God can do,

If they will put trust in Him, He’ll see them through.

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The Lord is My Portion

Psalm 119:57-60 ESV

“The Lord is my portion;

    I promise to keep your words.

I entreat your favor with all my heart;

    be gracious to me according to your promise.

When I think on my ways,

    I turn my feet to your testimonies;

I hasten and do not delay

    to keep your commandments.”

The Lord is my all in all, my everything, my all sufficiency, my joy, my satisfaction, and my peace. He is my life, in other words. He isn’t just part of my life. He isn’t someone I spend a little bit of time with each day and then I go do whatever else I want to do. He’s it! I am his and he is mine.

His word is not something I read for five minutes a day so I can say that I had my devotions or my quiet time with God. His word is implanted in my mind and in my heart. I breathe it in each day, and by God’s grace, and in his power and strength, I am walking the walk and not just talking it.

I need God’s grace to make it through every day. I am human. I live in a flesh body. I face difficult situations. I don’t always know what to do with them. Sometimes I must reflect over something I did or said and ask the Lord if that was the right thing or not. And, sometimes I must make corrections. And, sometimes not. I need his wisdom to guide me always.

Yes, I must ponder my ways, too, to make certain they are in line with the word of God and that I am listening to him well, and that I am doing what he wants me to do, and that I am saying what he wants me to say, and that I am not going it on my own or following my own thinking or emotions.

And, as the Lord counsels me, and even corrects me, by his grace I do turn my feet to his testimonies, to the teachings of his word, to guide me in the right way so that I don’t go in a direction the Lord does not want me to go, which may not be his best for me, or which could be a trap.

I don’t hesitate to follow my Lord in obedience. Disobedience is not an option for me. It is not something that I play with. I can’t afford to, and I don’t want to. I don’t vacillate on matters of obedience, purity, truth, righteousness, and holiness. I am fully committed to obey my Lord. All glory to God – only by his grace.

Psalm 119:61-63 ESV

“Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,

    I do not forget your law.

At midnight I rise to praise you,

    because of your righteous rules.

I am a companion of all who fear you,

    of those who keep your precepts.

Though the wicked lay snares (traps) for me – like the Pharisees did to Jesus, when they harassed him continuously and they tried to trip him up with his words – I hold on to the truth of God’s word. I answer lies with the truth. I answer the twisting of Scripture with the truth of God’s word.

For, my opinion doesn’t matter. My opinion could be wrong. What I think isn’t important when it comes to biblical truth. So, I diligently search the Scriptures so that I can answer with what the word of God says, not with what I think, unless someone is asking for my opinion, and then I may or may not give it, especially if giving it might lead to another trap.

So, all the time I am having to seek the Lord for wisdom to know how to respond to people so that I don’t react with my own thinking or emotions when I need to be responding with the word of God.

And, I am not saying I have arrived here. I am continually growing in this area, continually learning better ways of communicating. But I am learning, and I am growing.

Literally, I do rise to praise the Lord at midnight or in the early hours of the morning. I am his servant. I work for him full-time. So, he gets me up at different hours of the night when he has something he wants me to write, because what he has me write is going to people across the globe, and they aren’t all on the same time schedule as what we are here in SC (USA).

Oh, and I do so enjoy the fellowship with other believers in Jesus who are walking in the fear of the Lord, and who are walking in obedience to his commands, and who are not willfully and habitually living in disobedience to the Lord.

There is a sweetness of fellowship among believers in Jesus who are walking in the ways of the Lord, and who are desiring to follow him in his ways, and in his truth, to the glory and praise of God. We encourage one another.

Psalm 119:64 ESV

The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;

    teach me your statutes!”

Our Lord is so loving. I have really been focusing much on his love of late, and on how he communicated that love to others. I have been having discussions with other believers about how Jesus approached unbelievers, and how he was not harsh with them, but he still spoke the truth to them.

Jesus wasn’t manipulative or charming. He was not a smooth talker. He didn’t water down or sugar-coat the truth of the gospel any to spare people’s feelings or to not offend them with the truth. But his approach with sinners was not harsh and condemning. He was kind and compassionate in how he presented the truth to the ones who knew they were sinners.

Now, he approached the hypocritical self-righteous leaders in the temple a different way. He spoke differently to those who were opposing him, and who were trying to trip him up with his words. He was more confrontive with them because of their positions in the temple, and because of their influence over the people, and because they were so full of themselves while they were secretly committing all kinds of atrocities. He was stronger with them.

But, to the woman caught in adultery, and the woman at the well, and the one who wiped his feet with her tears and anointed him with perfume, he was very gentle. He wasn’t harsh and condemning with any of them. He had great compassion on them. But he didn’t dilute the gospel, and he didn’t tell them that they couldn’t help themselves, to show that he understood.

Jesus never compromised the gospel message to make people feel good, but he also was not harsh with those who were broken, hurting, and who knew they were sinners, and who were willing to listen to what he had to tell them. He had no reason to be harsh with them. But that doesn’t mean he went soft on sin or that he didn’t tell them the truth. He always spoke truth.

And, we don’t need to be harsh with people to tell them the truth of the gospel, either. But this doesn’t mean we soften the truth, either. We can be both kind and truthful at the same time. For, the truth is kind. Lies are not kind at all. They never are!

We can proclaim the truth of the gospel, that Jesus died on that cross so we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. We can even warn of divine judgment, and call people to repentance and to obedient faith in Jesus Christ, and still not be harsh in our tone with them.

Yet, love is not about making people feel good about themselves. Love is about pointing people to faith in Jesus Christ so they can be free from their sin.

But, as we are out there sharing the gospel, we are going to be opposed. What surprised me so much the last couple of days is how much I got opposed because I said we need to be kind and not harsh with sinners. And, I was even accused of being soft on sin and of diluting the gospel because I spoke against undue harshness and I called for a loving approach.

Now, that was a new one to me. Usually I get attacked as being judgmental and unloving because I teach the full gospel message and I don’t water it down at all. So now I am getting attacked from both sides.

But, to God be the glory! I just pray that he gives me the wisdom and the discernment to respond to people as I ought, and that I don’t respond with my emotions. For, I want to represent my Lord well in all that I do, and I want to continue to love others the way in which he loves all of us.

Eternal Father, Strong to Save

William Whiting

Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm does bind the restless wave,

Who bids the mighty ocean deep

Its own appointed limits keep;

O hear us when we cry to Thee

For those in peril on the sea.

O Trinity of love and pow'r,

Your children shield in danger's hour;

From rock and tempest, fire, and foe,

Protect them where-so-e'er they go;

Thus, evermore shall rise to Thee

Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BrcQ9_sV3M

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Can't Trust Your Feelings

Romans 6:12-14 ESV

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

Believers in Jesus Christ, we are NOT to continue living in sin. We are NOT to let sin have dominion (rule, control) over our lives. Not one of us should be addicted to sin. We are NOT to give in to the sinful passions of our flesh. We are NOT to obey the passions (desires) of our flesh, especially habitually.

God’s grace to us is NOT freedom to continue living in sin without guilt. His grace instructs us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14).

Jesus died on that cross, not just to forgive us our sins, and not just to promise us heaven when we die. He died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, and that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15).

Jesus died for us on that cross to deliver us from our bondage to sin and to free us to walk in his righteousness in the power of God’s Spirit living within us. Our lives (minds, bodies, hearts) are to be his vessels of righteousness, not of unrighteousness (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24).

Romans 6:15-16 ESV

“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

The “church” at large in America is not just “the church.” Its gatherings and memberships are comprised of the government, wolves in sheep’s clothing, the ungodly, the unbelieving, the people of the world, the lecherous, the self-indulgent, the adulterous church, the obedient church, those who demand what they believe are their rights to live however they choose, and those who will coddle them in their sins, and who will refuse to confront them, or to call for repentance, out of fear of offending them.

The church in America, overall, is being modeled, not after Christ, and not after the Scriptures, but after business models for how to “grow” your “churches,” i.e. businesses called “church.” Thus, the model or the design for the American “church” of today is that of a playground or an amusement park, catering to the feelings of people and their fleshy passions (desires).

So, rather than confront people with their sin, they entertain them, and sometimes that entertainment includes what is fleshly, worldly, and even sensual. For, they might have women dressed sensually, swaying their hips, singing like bar singers in very sensual tones. Or they may show movie clips from movies which contain much sensuality, immorality, and even nudity.

Pastors will sometimes make jokes about the Bible which mock the Scriptures, or they will make lewd and inappropriate remarks which should not be something coming from the mouths of spiritual leaders. Many pastors have turned into clowns and actors to entertain the people and to keep them laughing and coming back for more of the same. This should not be.

They are living outside God’s design, will, and purpose for his church, and thus they have fallen into much immorality and wickedness. And the church, overall, is on a massive spiritual and moral decline. And, that is because they refuse to accept our Lord’s plan of redemption, and they have sought out their own cheapened version of his gospel of grace.

Sympathy vs Harshness

I am finding that there are those, of the legalistic churches, who pick out specific sins, while ignoring others, and they treat those sinners much like the Pharisees treated the woman caught in adultery. And, then the pendulum swings the other direction, and there are those who are so concerned about people’s feelings that they will never tell them the truth of the gospel but will dilute it to make sinners feel good about themselves.

Jesus didn’t swing either direction. He was direct, but he was loving, kind and compassionate, too. He spoke the truth in love, but he said it with grace, and he seasoned it with salt. We can be loving to people and still get the seriousness of the truth of the cross of Christ across to them. We can be compassionate but not coddle them in their sins.

So, we don’t have to compromise the truth of the gospel to spare people’s feelings or to show them sympathy. And, we don’t have to hit them over the head with a hammer to get the truth across, either.

But now there are times when that might be called for, and that is when people claim to be Christians, but they are living hypocritical lives and are leading others to sin, and when they are living in open rebellion against God and are refusing to repent by continuing to live in rebellion. For, they are hurting other people and are damaging lives, much like the Pharisees did.

But, the point of the gospel, and the point of our salvation from sin, is to deliver us from slavery to sin, and to empower us to live godly, holy, pure, and unadulterated Christian lives. And, part of that is also that we must love God, and we must love other people. And, love is neither overly and unnecessarily harsh, nor is it lenient and bending towards freedom to sin.

The reality here is that we are slaves of the one whom we obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness. So, if we walk according to the Spirit, we will live eternally with God. But if we walk according to the flesh, according to our own fleshly desires, we will die in our sins. We will NOT have eternal life with God. Truth! In love!!

Feelings / Greg X. Volz

Feelings come and feelings go

But feelings are so deceiving

I place my faith in the word of the Lord

Nothing else is worth believing

If it feels good, they say it can’t be wrong

But love is more than a Kaliope song

How can I get back to where I belong?

Get off this Farris wheel; you’ve got to trust what is real.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIPxSL6Uzlg

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