God's goodness and love is His word that instructs us, empowers us, to strengthen our hearts and establish us in His peace. Our attention is by watching and keeping alert by the intimate relationship we treasure to know the One who sets the captives free, preserve us, gives us dreams and walk in righteousness all the days of our lives.
Unity is not about unity of many people in one church gathered. Unity is about the unity of believers in Jesus Christ in one place. You may gather with many males and females, but not all are believers in Christ, the anointed of God. Gathering for the sake of just gathering does not make you one with God. It just means you are gathered with a group of people. And who are we gathered to? Are you gathered to being a "Sanctuary" state for certain individuals who choose to break the law by killing and maiming others?
Was reading in a book my husband got me for Christmas. In this I am reading of the Greek for words used in the Bible. It is so interesting to learn the meanings of these words God saw fit to use through those who would believe in Jesus. In the years before Jesus' appearing on earth, produced by Greek theater, people would gather in a circle around the specific play as such. In those centuries, it was discovered that in ancient synagogues that have been uncovered by archaeologists, that a platform called a "bimah" was found in the center of these main auditorium. It was the "center" where the word of God was given. In this message only truth is given. The teachings were kept in what is called "know before Whom you Stand". The scrolls kept in this area were concealed in a cabinet. It was written for all to see that each of us should know before whom we stand.
Today, many have their own doctrine. They have the kingdom of music, the kingdom of body parts, the kingdom of foul mouths and the kingdom of lazy, do-nothing doctrine,
My question today: Is there worship for Destructive Doctrine? 1 Peter 2:1-2 NKJV
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all
evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may
grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Following I Peter 2:1, in which he admonishes us to rid
ourselves of the fruits of spiritual junk food, Peter lists evidence of a mind
afflicted with a poor spiritual diet:
1.Malice is ill will, the desire to inflict
pain. ( woman used her vehicle to inflict pain on an I.C.E agent. He had internal injuries when hit on roadway in Minneapolis)
2.Deceit
is lying or crafty, seductive, and slanderous activity. ( changing the news to fit a narrative is wrong in so many ways)
3.Hypocrisy
is pretending to be what one is not.
4.Envy is the strong desire to possess what
belongs to another. ( people want free stuff and debit cards with 10,000. dollars on them monthly.)
5.Evil
speaking is using the tongue to gossip, deceive others, or destroy reputations.The pure milk of the word helps us to grow! (leaders not secure in their positions are using cursed words to show their courage or strength....I think not)
Peter proceeds to encourage us to crave God's Word
just as a baby craves milk. He is not encouraging us to desire elementary
spiritual food but emphasizing the energy we should exert to get good spiritual
food. Babies demand milk as if their very life hangs in the
balance at each feeding.
1.Exertion
to reach forthe Lord’s ways. Reach to
hear Him, stretch out to take hold of each of verse the Lord gives us. Reach for His goodness!
2.Kings
search outa matter:Proverbs 25: 2 It is the glory of God to
conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
3.Romans
11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the unsearchable are His judgments
andHis ways past finding out!
4.God’s
glory is displayed in His sustaining power. He continues to give and it comes
out of a plan from the beginning of time!
The apostle Peter gives God's Word as pure,
meaning uncontaminated. It is unpolluted by fraud or deceit.
God's Word is truth (John 17:17 NKJV Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is
truth.
Yet, today in some church sermons, you will find that which points to only one race of people. You find many teaching and some most unusual things are spoken about that Jesus brought to us! We are to crave God's word to abide in His truth. And know His truth, not some made up fantasy! We are not to abide in the word of this culture we see today. Justice has been turned upside down. And that which is truth we are to stay bound to! Isaiah 59:14 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. 15 So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.
(This nation is submerged in injustice, oppression and falsehood. People have created their own problems. And today they blame their neighbor.) Does this sound familiar to this day and hour? Pray!
With all the chaos in
the nation, the only answer for this nation is found in God’s Word the Bible! The
blame game prevails and tragically lives are lost by the selfishness of men or
women who are angry with life, with themselves and others. Hate appears in
words and violence. Graffiti spells out
hate in the form of that which is against the Jewish nation and most likely
our neighbor and often times points out to one race. But God made us all with
one blood and the color is still red. Whatever your outside package, you will still bleed out red! Fear not man but fear Him who can cast into hell!
Prayer is needed! And may we all know the falsehood and stop it before
going to the streets! Most certainly we have seen women forget to the count the cost of changing their identity for another. They are choosing to police the police and agents of this government themselves. They give their babies and children to strangers to go stand in the street and fight with cursed words and clubs!
Our country was built on the foundation of God’s words and through time we have seen a broken fellowship with Him. If we truly expect to be God’s children and not just His
creation, we must know God and love Him as He loves us. In this the 21st century, we have
abandoned His truths & sought out to
make our truths the right way.
Matthew 12:18-21 NIV 18
"Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will
proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not quarrel or cry out; no one
will hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed he will not break, &
a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he leads justice to victory. 21 In his name the nations will put their
hope."
So it is the willing
and the obedient who eat the good of the land. And it was Jesus WHO was the Servant to whom God had chosen and HE was going to
proclaim justice to the nations. He did it by the Holy Spirit.
Having
our identity in Jesus, then we
1. Make an impact in our neighborhoods, in our
communities and the world.
2.Turn
from the old man and his old ways, we follow Jesus with every spoken word of
God.
3.In
that is justice of God revealed. It
is God who desires us to deal what is right and just in every situation, in
every conversation, in dealing with people day to day….we are expected to be the honorable person!
Does mercy live in our hearts? For mercy speaks in kindness and does not
manipulate or seek cruelty to others! For tenderness to appear, we must find ourselves
in that love of God. For us to love others it will only come through knowing Him who loved us first. This nation was built on
the Constitution & the Bill of Rights.
Documents that godly men wrote were to establish this nation. And now
men are trying to change those very things that prospered this nation for over
two hundred years.
A quote from an unread portion of George Washington’s
inaugural speech of 1789 …: “ America would endure until the people of America
shall have lost all virtue; until they shall have become totally insensible to
the difference between freedom and slavery; until they shall have been
reduced to such poverty of spirit as to be willing to sell that pre-eminent
blessing, the birthright of the freeman, for a mess of pottage. In short, until
they have been found incapable of governing themselves & ripe for a
master.”
Today, we have many people, and every color bowing to flesh creature. It is not the character of people we see, it is the madman who is strung up by his own flesh creature. They expose their body parts to parade falsehood in the streets. They show their brain is empty of any wisdom of God!
Will Penn spoke this: “Those who will not be governed by God
will be ruled by tyrants.
May Malice, Deceit, Hypocrisy, Envy, and Evil speaking be removed from us. These are of a kingdom not of God. We should know that it is "The pure milk of the word helps us to grow"!
We are finding that the garbage dump fire is burning day and night around this old world. Seen in Mark 9:43-48, the worm did not die there. Yes, maggots went through their life-cycles, as all were feeding on the trash there. Through these many centuries, that place known as the Valley of Hinnom is a fitting picture of resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:29)
Let God arise today and let His enemies be scattered!
Teaching at: Voice of Prayer
Visit my You Tube channel Voice of Prayer for more teaching
Proverbs 14: 5 An honest witness will never lie, but a deceitful witness lies with every breath. 6 The intellectually arrogant seek for wisdom, bu they never seem to discover what they claim they are looking for. For revelation-knowledge flows to the one who hungers for understanding. 7 The words of the wise are like weapons of knowledge. If you need wise counsel stay away from the fool. For the wisdom of the wise will keep life on the right track, while the fool only deceives himself and refuses to face reality. 9 Fools mock the need for repentance while the favor of God rests upon all his lovers. 10 Don't expect anyone else to full understand both the bitterness and the joys of all you experience in your life. 11 The household of the wicked is soon torn apart, while the family of the righteous flourishes. 12 You can rationalize it all you want and justify the path of error you have chosen, but you will find out in the end that you took the road to destruction. The Passion Translation
When Cain slew Abel, he saw his way as the right path. Yet we are told only one was working righteously and the other was not.
Genesis
4: 6-8 NKJV So the LORD said to Cain, “Why
are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother, and it came to pass, when they were in the filed, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him."
Sin lies at the door: the language personifies that sin is a demon crouching! In the New Spirit Filled Life Bible it regards it or gives the description of a "crazed animal" at Cain's doorstep. Cain was out for revenge but had made no point of repentance. For the rest of his life ( which probably lasted several hundred years ) Cain would have to wander about as a marked man and he cried out to the Lord that his punishment ( not his guilt ) was more that the could bear. (Genesis 4:9-13) a huge difference between sin-sorrow and guilt-sorrow.
Cain
in this manner had no Sin-sorrow in his heart attitude for in that sin-sorrow
will produce reformation, an eagerness to provide restitution, as necessary,
and a determination to glorify God in every aspect of life. Cain
did not have a change of heart resulting in complete agreement with God over
this serious matter.
Genesis 4:9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know, "Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.' 13 And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!" 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face, I shall be a fugitive and vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.
From history we are told Cain's relative Lamech was even more depraved than him. He killed a young man for merely hurting him. ( Genesis 4:23-24) Cain chose to plant seeds, but Abel raised the sheep. Abel had the sacrifice that God required and Cain did not. Heard recently of a teaching about where Abel was killed. It was a sacrifice to the gods Cain worshiped. And it was an opening in the ground Jesus addressed when He came to earth. He went to the grottoes where other gods had been worshiped, like Pan. I am still working on this teaching indeed and learning all scriptures from Old Testament.
But one thing is certain God requires our attention to what He desires in worship. And if our neighbor is bothering us....maybe we should pay attention to the right path of which God provides.
Proverbs 13: 19 When God fulfills your longings, sweetness fills your soul. But the wicked refuse to turn from darkness to see their desires come to pass! 20 If you want to grow in wisdom, spend time with the wise. Walk with the wicked and you will eventually become just like them. 21 Calamity chases the sin-chaser, but prosperity pursues the God-lover.
Is that not going on today where you live? Are not those looking for wicked ways aligning with calamity where sin-chasers work? But prosperity will be seen in righteous home. Amen!
Teaching at: Voice of Prayer
Uphill with Jesus Christ: The Witness that Glorifies God
Amos
8:11-12 NKJV11 "Behold, the days
are coming," says the Lord GOD,
"That
I will send a famine on the land,
Not a
famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water,
But of
hearing the words of the LORD.
12 They
shall wander from sea to sea,
And from
north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall
not find it.
About fifteen years ago, there was teaching going out for people to null their crop that was sowed in the time of the "unrepentant heart". So many teachers went about teaching others to call their crop a failure and told them to speak of the failed crop, act like they were beginning anew, but what was truly required, was a heart change toward God. What ever we sow with our mouths, we will reap! So sad that many discover the judgement upon them when the evidence is revealed in tumult and anguish where they have no peace. Is that not what we see today in world leaders who lead by their quivering lips of anger because of what either occurred in an election or a change in those coming into leadership within companies? What was sown last year, or even what was sown some 15 years ago is undoubtedly that we see today! When truth is not given, then what you have is confusion and that is of the enemy. It amounts to destruction and famine of God's word that is life to us.
In this passage above we find a famine. And in this famine we are told,
"They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they
shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it"
(Amos 8:12).
From sea to sea is most likely the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, east to
west, and adds "north to east," describing a triangle with the south
direction left out. Why would he do this? When actually looking at the map of the land mass from the Dead Sea in the east, the Mediterranean to the west then most certainly the
nation to the north would that of Israel. And what lies to the south is Jerusalem, where the
truth was! In Amos' day, the truth was taught in God's Temple in Jerusalem. The Israelite's
wanted to be known as seekers of the truth, but in reality they did not want
it. Their pride would not allow them pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the truth,
for that meant they would need to humble themselves before the Word of God.
Do we humble ourselves to the word of God?
From verse 12 to wander means they scatter, and it also means that they quiver or waver in what is spoken. They wander through life, staggering with those quivering lips because they are so angry and possibly so fearful they become the one unable to speak. And do we not see agitated people today? People want answers but they are looking to man instead of God for the answer they require! Their response to any answer, if it is not the one they seek, they blow out in anger, and vehement hate. We can see today when people choose to make their own rules and expect everyone to live by them. But that is why we have the system of putting people into leadership that makes for right ways to bring safe passages for people to benefit from for life.
Interestingly enough, wise men came from the east to find the star that led them to the city of David. The men of Israel that day did not notice anything other than when the entourage appeared in asking where the birth of the new king was at! Now remember there was those times when the merchants from other countries came into the city with their wares to make those business deals. But these men did not come to make business, they were seeking the new KING!
Of course, we know how they, the wise men would have known that mystery of the star in the sky as the teachings of Daniel would have given to people of Babylon to instill truth in a pagan society. You know that when the teenage boy, Daniel in 605 B.C. was deported to Babylon, he would most like give the word of God to those who would hear. The treasures of of Solomon's palace and temple would have been transported as well when Daniel was moved to another region. It is certain that when Daniel saw those very articles used by others of another culture and country that had been used in the temple worship to his God or that which spoken of Solomon in all his wealth, his mind would turn to the greatness of God who grants wisdom. And in his time of prayer, he would be the man who would influence a king and much more. The things concerning Jesus would have been given to him like the kingdom being established on the earth: Daniel 2:44-45, Daniel 7: 26-27, the false prophet was given in Daniel 7:8,20-21, Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 11:36-45.
And those of Babylon studied the stars.We know the Magi were Eastern Astrologers. Theirs
was the sophisticated science at this period of time and their visit emphasized Jesus' identity as KING. They were those who exposed the truth of His birth in Bethlehem. They emphasized their faith and worship that was in contrast to the Jewish
hostility. Yes, these bearers of the message of the newborn king represented a great threat to Herod who was king at the time of the Christ's birth!
So Israel was visited by Magi, those regarded as an elite
political and spiritual force that had exercised authority since before the
time of Daniel, who was appointed as one of their number (Daniel 2:48; 5:11). These
were the same considered as those who were the interpreters of dreams (Daniel 2:2;
4:7) and possessors of secret knowledge of the planets & the stars (see
Esther 1:13). Owing to the presence of the exiled Jewish community in Babylon
during the captivity, the Jewish Scriptures had become part of the magi’s vast
accumulation of knowledge. Daniel was noted as a 'wise man" in Daniel 2:48 then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.
Wise men came to worship the new King who was born king of the Jews, yet they neither looked for Jesus or expected Him. Herod
did not know this vital information and was troubled by what the Magi told him. And even Herod
then inquired of the priests and scribes where the Christ was to be born that it was in
secret, he called the Magi to determine what time the star appeared: yes he was
a sneaky snake! His only plan was to be rid of this thing he did not want to know nor hear about a coming king!
This group came in with gifts for the newborn king! They
worshiped Him as their God:they brought frankincense, as their King they gave
Him gold, and the myrrh for suffering and death that Jesus would experience.
The Frankincense, that fragrance of a sweet perfume symbolizes Christs obedience not only to the Cross, but also His intercession through the saints that brings this scent of prayer to pleasing the Father.
It is mentioned in Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Another is found in Revelation 5:8 Now when He had taken the scrolls, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Another is found in Revelation 8:3-4: Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar, He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. From this we see that the prayers of all the saints avail to bring upon the Earth the judgments of God. This is revealed to be upon the rebellious to come to repentance and then to cause also a partial vindication of God's justice.
Yes, this was the offerings of the wise men to the infant Savior we read about in Matthew 2:11! Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
It was men who came from the east to seek Him out while his own did not make an attempt to look for
HIM, yet the prophet revealed His coming from Matthew 2:5. We should not be borrowing truth, but know the truth that was manifested to us: His name is Jesus!
Was hearing a teaching this last weekend by Dr. Robert Jeffress out of Dallas, Texas. His teaching was profound to me in that he taught many believe Jesus will spend all His time with them when they get to heaven. But what he taught that would not be so. He taught that if we do not call on Him today in prayer, what makes you think you can will have a picnic lunch with Him when you get there? People must call on Him now and know Him! It is by faith we fight the war with the enemy. Either we will believe Jesus and pray or we will accept the enemies verdict and continue to stagger, to quiver and lose to anger and those stakes are high to lose one's life! Should not that sweetness be revealed in our speaking, our giving as in tithes and offerings, to doing something for another like even sending a card to someone to mention something that touched your heart, to touch theirs? A young friend of ours has written many songs of worship to our Father God. She has many that just come as she worships before prayer and even after prayer. We have had opportunity to hear some of them, but one was of profound worship of a heart renewed to God. In her singing of this worship, she sings of the Keeper of the Flame and within that much is revealed of a sweetness from one who keeps prayer active in her life. It is because the heart will reveal that which is sweet unto the Lord, from the Lord and is pleasing to God our Father. Do we exude sweetness? Do our words speak healing or are our words to harass and cut down another? For when we speak those words with no life they continue to cut our own heart and then, that given reveals bitterness of anger, bitterness of pride, a bitterness of hate. What came out of Babylon was not to be a part of Daniel when he went there as the youth. He was steadfast in faith to God in and by prayer. For it is a Jezebel spirit that came from there, that cult of the goddess from Babylon where Ishtar was worshiped with its immoral rites by hands of men and women. It is this spirit that endorses the lusts of the flesh and neglects the worship of our Lord in spirit and in truth. The Jezebel spirit operates in the false and fraudulent, though believable to the weak in spirit, you know those who do not want the Lord in the spirit and in the truth!. No this spirit is one showing the skill in achieving one's end by deceit or by evasion. Have we not seen that in today's society? Let's be those who come to Jesus, seek to know all that He came to give us for ultimately it was a great cost to Him, but should it not be a cost to us to remain with Him? How about the cost to humble ones self to pray for others? And I close with this: My sister sent me testimony of a man who died but came back to life equipped with a message from the Lord. Now this was many years ago and he and his wife believed the duty was to go to many states, many churches to deliver the message from the Lord at that time, and even today he continues to still speak and teach. In these last months he spoke, "people are still indulging in their wealth and pleasures". In his speaking and teaching he said: " Jesus did not say take up your roses and follow Me, He said to take up his cross and follow Him"! The other thing he mentioned was this from verse 28-30 of Chapter 12 in the book of John: Father, glorify Your name. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." 29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, " An angel has spoken to Him." 30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Yes, let's know that God has a voice and it can sound like thunder and that which was given at that moment on that day Jesus heard His Father speak. But the thing I would point out is verse 31-32 "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 'And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself." Exalt Jesus in your life and in your service to draw men to Him. We are to practice citizenship that is of heaven, but it is the world's system that is opposed to the kingdom of God. Glory was seen in Jesus, in Daniel, but will it be seen in us?
James 1:19-27
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. NIV
Interesting James wrote this to those who have the Word of God. (verse 21)
When our daughter was young as well as our grand-child, the two had something very common to most "kids". They both liked mud puddles to jump in. They both loved that one "special" one and where to find it as soon as the rain slowed enough to get outside. For our grandchild, it was only a few forty steps probably from their front door. Although a paved road, there was a radical dip in the road, and it held water every time it rained. We could get our rain jackets on, and the dog's leash for a walk in the rain. What a delight, and what laughter a child could exude in those first moments out the front door. Oh yes, the child was gracious to allow the dog that walk out to their perfect "potty" place, and we could certainly walk the block around, but that puddle was going to be dealt a blow, a stomp, and maybe both feet before heading back to that front door of the house. It hopefully would prove that a lot of stomping could rid that puddle of its rain, leaving the grit and debris behind.
In writing this today, I think of what we could get into that would pollute us.
Romans 12:2
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. NIV
Yes, it is God's will that we seek. Not our own way, but His which is one of wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:30
Weymouth New Testament: But you---and it is all God's doing---are in Christ Jesus: He has become for us a wisdom which is from God, consisting of righteousness and sanctification and deliverance.
Again we have James below: as we saw from the James 1 and this in James 4, we can see what sin can do and where it comes from. In this day of super-grace, my thoughts are what do those super-grace teachers do with the book of James. He surely spent much time writing on sin and that which pollutes man!
In verse 9 we are told to mourn and grieve because of sin. But when we humble ourselves before God, repent of pointing that finger to "Joe" on the I-5 corridor, we can move closer to God. I do not know about you, but I desire to be close to God and hear Him when He speaks to me!
James starts out in James 4 talking to those "adulterous" people. Yikes, adulterous people!
James 4:4-10
4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. NIV
Any idea what the proud look like? It says that God opposes the proud, but will give grace to the humble. Well anything that comes from self-righteousness is being proud of our own accomplishments. It is a self-worship! It speaks " I did this with no help from anyone!" " I got this big house and fancy car without help." " I play this guitar with no help from anyone!" "I made my millions by "my own hand."
Yes, that pride thing is a really bad thing..............and then to have evil behavior and a perverse speech with it, too!
Proverbs 8:13 tells us.....13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. NIV
The Living Bible states this: Proverbs 8:13
13 If anyone respects and fears God, he will hate evil. For wisdom hates pride, arrogance, corruption, and deceit of every kind. TLB
WISDOM hates pride, arrogance, corruption and deceit of every kind! So wisdom will not dwell with those things. Every decision where those things reside, will cause us to make very bad mistakes concerning our lives, our children's lives, those in the workplace and out on the roadway!
Psalm 4 teaches this from the Living Bible: 4 These wicked men, so proud and haughty, seem to think that God is dead. They wouldn't think of looking for him! 5 Yet there is success in everything they do, and their enemies fall before them. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. 6 They boast that neither God nor man can ever keep them down-somehow they'll find a way!
7 Their mouths are full of profanity and lies and fraud. They are always boasting of their evil plans. 8 They lurk in dark alleys of the city and murder passersby. 9 Like lions they crouch silently, waiting to pounce upon the poor. Like hunters they catch their victims in their traps. 10 The unfortunate are overwhelmed by their superior strength and fall beneath their blows. 11 "God isn't watching," they say to themselves; "he'll never know!" TLB
BUT God does know and He keeps watch on the evil and the good: Proverbs 15:3: 3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. NKJV
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. NIV
NO CONTAMINATION
Being without spot might seem hard! But in reading on in 1 John 2 we find some things to keep in mind. I have heard some say that they believe once saved, always saved. I do not believe this is true. I have seen people in the church, who loved the Lord and when that windfall come in, they traded His glory of that new home and new car...........to never return to worship Him in the corporate worship. I have seen those who just refused to do the word of God...........who started out strong or so it appeared and move farther away from Him. I believe we are to guard our eye gate, ear gate, and especially that mouth gate. For James even mentions the importance of guarding the tongue too! James 3:5-6
5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. NIV
Remember, James wrote that it was the last hour. If it was the last hour when he lived, how much closer are we to THE coming of Jesus Christ now? Those that remain, who receive that implanted word that saves our souls is done for His glory and brings blessings to us. Those who remain the committed to God and His Word are knowing that Christ is near to His coming, indeed!
John said that the anointing from the Holy One causes us to reside in truth. It is in that "special" place, we recognize that which is the lie. Because no lie comes from the truth. We are to reside in truth.
Anyone today who denies that Jesus is the Christ, is the one who denies the Father and the Son. (John 2:20-25)
Eternal life is for those who have the Father and the Son. We are to guard that which remains in us.
There are too many today stepping aside and not giving the scripture about truth concerning those things that seem to plague the news. There are those who try to find a group of people who will agree with them about men with men and women with women. Yet I have not found that in the Bible. Those who participated in that were talked about as in Sodom and Gomorrah. Hailstones and fire rained down on those from what we find in the Old Testament..........Genesis 19:23-28
23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah--from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities--and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. NIV
Now remember that God loves people. They are created in His image, but the sin He certainly hates. Read on: Proverbs 6:16-19
16 These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren. NKJV
The Living Bible states this: Proverbs 6:16
16 For there are six things the Lord hates-no, seven: haughtiness, lying, murdering, plotting evil, eagerness to do wrong, a false witness, sowing discord among brothers. TLB
haughtiness: self-importance, pride
lying: being untruthful about someone or something, giving false statements
murdering: without excuse or without justification
plotting evil: planning to hurt someone, devising something wicked against another
eagerness to do wrong: passionate for the wrong thing, intent of going against rules
false witness: a perjurer, a liar, a false testimony
sowing discord:planting those seeds of strife, disagreements, feuds
1 John 2:29.....
In the writing John has here, is that which is of God is the truth, He also states that when Jesus returns for His own, that we would not be ashamed at His coming. Our confidence is to be in God ......that He is righteous, and then we do right...........we have been born of Him. (verse 29)
Will any of us be ashamed at His return? Does He not see and know what we are doing?
I surely love what John wrote in 1 John 3. He speaks of the great love the Father has lavished on us to that we should be called the children of God. Amen.
The world does not know God, so the world will not know us. In His appearing for us, His own, we shall see Him as He is. And everyone of us.............who has this hope of His return, purifies ourselves, just as He is pure. But anyone who lives according to the world, and lives not according to His Word sins against God. For John goes on in 1 John 3:4.....of the lawlessness which is sin. For anyone who lives in Christ Jesus will not keep on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.
THEN John adds: do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one born of God will continue to sin. This clearly shows that which is a child of God and that which is the child of the devil. For anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
Yes, it all comes back to love others. It is about loving everyone above ourselves. It is loving our neighbors, any person of any age and any color. We are to love our family members even we do not understand them. In truth, our lives should mirror that of God's Word. If it does not, then we must find out why it does not do that!
We are not to conform to the pattern of this world. Not sure anyone would remember paper dolls and their clothes. But they were precisely cut out........and you could dress the doll in whatever clothes you had at the time. They were printed out or stamped with cutters to give the outline of an outfit, a coat, a hat or even mittens, and boots or shoes. But there was no other lines. There could be no movement in arms, in the legs or even with the head. That is what I think of as anything that pertains to the world. It will do anything for you, not take you anywhere except further into more sin. And that sin will hold you there! It will dress you, and keep you there. It will try to help you remember all the party times but not the tragic moments of those party times when making a wrong decision.
Transformation is key! Transformation applies to any job, any thing we work at, any thing that can be transformed as to.....our own lives, our families, our marriage, our job, a new God idea for creating something new as to the workplace, even a new God thing applying to ministry and prayer! It is finding out how God does things..........and............Transformation is.......a change, a conversion, revolutionary move, a turn around that moves us from mediocrity and the mundane to the living an adventurous life with God. We are not to be conformed to the way the world does things, but become those empowered by God to bring and revolutionize in a dramatic and far-reaching way of touching people with God's love. Our minds are to be renewed to change and most people hate change. But we can see the rotation of the earth that brings on the 4 seasons. That spin on things brings changes like it or not.
There are certainly a lot of folks jumping in those mud puddles today, they are jumping into things that God hated, but He sent His son of Love to bring love to a dying people. We are to find that Love by looking into the perfect law of liberty. We are to submit to God, resist the devil and come near to God. For when we seek God with our whole hearts, He comes near to speak with us. We are to purify ourselves of the things of the world. Not be double-minded............walking both in the world and with God.....that does not and will not work.
Walking on that fence between the world and God is dangerous. A book still out that has lasted several years is a good one to read. It is " 23 Minutes in HELL" by Bill Wiese....It is one man's story about what he saw, heard and felt in that place of torment.
This being October and seeing how those "horror" flicks flood the viewing audience, especially on a few channels, I wonder what their thoughts, those who truly love the "horror" flick would think about hell knowing that hell is real and that it is forever. After reading through this book again, I am thankful for Jesus and that He wanted me and you to be with Him for an eternity..........in heaven and not in hell!
Our desire should be to leave the world behind. For everything in the world----the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes, and the the boasting of what he has and does----comes not from the Father but of the world. THE MAN WHO DOES THE WILL OF GOD LIVES FOREVER. AMEN.
We are not to change His Word, but follow it. We are to adhere to truth and leave the false. We are to abide in Him, and as we do.........we are transformed into the man and woman He planned for us to be!
People must know truth to not only survive but thrive in this world today! Our expectation, yes our hope, is in the One True God who made heaven and earth. Who gave us His Son, the Son of His love for us to have a life with HIM forever. I hope to see you there!..........in eternity with Him! Shelley
You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV
