“Stand Your Ground”

“Stand Your Ground”

 

Therefore, put on EVERY piece of God’s Armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.  Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.  Ephesians 6:13

 

This is the Apostle Paul’s message to the TRUE BELIEVERS in Ephesus.  It was a message that gave them instructions on how to be able to STAND their GROUND, in this SIN-DRENCHED world.  And it is VERY APPLICABLE to the TRUE BELIEVERS, today.  We live in a WICKED world, a world that is directly OPPOSITE of how the ALMIGHTY GOD wants us to live.  

 

We are to live by FAITH, and NOT by the FLESH.  And we are FULLY PREPARED, by putting on the FULL ARMOR OF GOD, the purpose of putting on this armor is to be able to STAND OUR GROUND, by being able to STAND AGAINST the SCHEMES of the devil. Without the Armor of God, TRUE BELIEVERS will be defeated by those SCHEMES.  The devil is DEVIOUS, DIABOLICAL, and DECEPTIVE, beyond measure.  The TRUE BELIEVER is NOT TO ATTACK the DEVIL, or come against him; they are ONLY to STAND their GROUND.  This battle is SPIRITUAL and NOT PHYSICAL.  The devil is trying to ROB the TRUE BELIEVERS of their SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS, that they have received from GOD. And the ONLY WAY he can do that is if we are UNPREPARED an VULNERABLE to his attacks.

 

In order to be VICTORIOUS, you MUST PUT ON the FULL ARMOR of God:  The first piece should be the BELT of TRUTH, which helps secure a believer’s INTEGRITY and FAITHFULNESS.  Then came the BREASTPLATE of RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is the SANCTIFYING, RIGHTEOUS LIVING that guards the believer’s HEART against the assaults of the devil. The believer’s feet shod with the PREPARATION of the GOSPEL of PEACE, this is to have a SURE-FOOTEDNESS from the gospel which gave them PEACE to be able to STAND in the BATTLE.  Next will be the SHIELD of FAITH, this SHIELD is the STEADFAST FAITH in the LORD that can EXTINGUISH all the flaming arrows of the devil. 

 

These pieces of the FULL ARMOR of GOD is NECESSARY to be able to STAND YOUR GROUND, and be VICTORIOUS over the DEVIL.  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, then you do NOT have this SPIRITUAL ARMOR to PROTECT YOU and HELP you to STAND YOUR GROUND.  But you are OPEN and VULNERABLE to the DEVIL’S SCHEMES, which will lead you to a HORRIBLE DESTINY, an ETERNITY in HELL, with all its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.  God is giving you the OPPORTUNITY NOW, to be able to STAND YOUR GROUND, by:  ADMITTING that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, God’s Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who gave His life, so you might have EVERLASTING LIFE. You MUST BELIEVE that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST ACCEPT His Gift of SALVATION and be ABLE to STAND YOUR GROUND, and receive HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, as your ETERNAL HOME.  Do this NOW,  while you still can.   He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

 

 

“The Dividing Wall of Hostility”

 “The Dividing Wall of Hostility”

 

For He is our Peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.    Ephesians 2:14

 

At one time there were two groups of people, JEWS and GENTILES.  And anyone NOT born JEWISH, was/is considered a GENTILE,   And there has been some CONTENTION between these two groups.  But NOW, in CHRIST JESUS, those who were FAR away from God (Gentiles) have been brought NEAR by the BLOOD of the MESSIAH, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  He came to provide a WAY for ALL of mankind, JEWS and GENTILES, to be able to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.  He did this through His ATONING ACT of becoming our SACRIFICE, in order to bring us FORGIVENESS and SALVATION by way of His DEATH on the CROSS and the RESURRECTION of His body from the grave.  He did that so He might create in HIMSELF ONE NEW MAN from the TWO (JEW and GENTILE), and to tear down the DIVIDING WALL of HOSTILITY and bring about PEACE.

 

It was this act of RECONCILIATION that brought ONE BODY, through Christ Jesus, and the Cross, to God, and brought PEACE and the DESTRUCTION of the DIVIDING WALL of HOSTILITY.  JESUS came and PROCLAIMED the GOOD NEWS of PEACE to those of BOTH GROUPS.  And through HIM we BOTH have access by ONE SPIRIT to the HEAVENLY FATHER.  That is, if you have TRULY GIVEN your HEART and LIFE to GOD, through the SHED BLOOD of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who is the ONLY WAY to have an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with All its BLESSINGS.  And to be ABLE to ESCAPE HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  Whether, you are JEW or GENTILE the outcome is the SAME.  Your RELIGION will NOT give you an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.

 

You MUST COME to GOD, through His Son, the MESSIAH, JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST COME to HIM with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  And ADMIT that you are a SINNER, in need of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL you HEART, that JESUS is the ONLY MESSIAH, and that HE DIED for YOU, and is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  And ACCEPT His Gift of SALVATION, this is the ONLY WAY for you, whether JEW or GENTILE, to be able to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God and an  ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN.  So, do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

“Look Who’s Watching You!”

 “Look Who’s Watching You!”

 

The LORD looks down from heaven; He observes everyone.  He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth from His Dwelling Place.  He alone crafts their hearts; He considers all their works.   Psalm 33:13-15

 

What a warm, sobering thought; that the ALMIGHTY, RIGHTEOUS, HOLY GOD of the Universe, is WATCHING over His Saints, His TRUE CHILDREN, those who have TRULY given their HEART and LIFE to Him, through the SACRIFICIAL ATONEMENT, of His SON, the Lord Jesus Christ.  But He is NOT only WATCHING over His Children, but also the WHOLE HUMAN RACE.  He GAZES INTENTLY on EVERYBODY.  WATCHING EVERYTHING we do, GOOD or BAD, RIGHTEOUS or SINFUL.  

 

The One who CREATED the very HEART of mankind, KNOWS EVERY THOUGHT, and INTENTION of EVERY SINGLE person.  He made the human HEART and UNDERSTANDS it MUCH BETTER than we do.  And He KNOWS our MOTIVES for the actions that we take.  

 

As a TRUE BELIEVER this can give us the ASSURANCE of His BLESSED, DIVINE CARE, from the MOMENT of our TRANSFORMATION from a DOOMED SINNER to a SINNER SAVED by His GRACE, to the COMPLETION of our SALVATION process.  For the UNSAVED person, it could be a time of RECKONING and JUDGMENT at the FINAL CALL.  Which will it be for YOU?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, through His Son, Jesus, who shed His Blood and DIED in order for your SINS to be FORGIVEN and was RESURRECTED from DEATH and the GRAVE, for you to be given an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with All its BLESSINGS, and to be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE  once you are there.  In order to have an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, and to be a part of GOD’S FAMILY, you must ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  And BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful life-style, and TURN TO GOD.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and come to the REALIZATION that NOTHING is HIDDEN from God, and be ASSURED of His UNFAILING LOVE and His DIVINE CARE.  So, do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

“Steadfast Love and Faithfulness”

 

 

Prove me, O LORD, and try me, test my heart and my mind.  For Your Steadfast Love is before my eyes, and I walk in Your Faithfulness.   Psalm 26:2-3

 

King David asked God to PROVE him. What he was asking of God, was that God would EXAMINE him and to TEST his HEART and MIND concerning David’s character and his RELATIONSHIP with the Almighty God. 

 

David COULD ask God to PROVE and TEST him, because he had a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God, and he KNEW and was EXPERIENCING God’s STEADFAST LOVE, for that STEADFAST LOVE was before David’s eyes.  He was continually EXPERIENCING that LOVE. 

 

And because of that STEADFAST LOVE, David proclaimed that he WALKED or LIVED in GOD’S FAITHFULNESS.  What a BLESSING to EXPERIENCE God’s STEADFAST LOVE and to be able to WALK or LIVE in this WRETCHED, SIN-DRENCHED, world, in God’s FAITHFULNESS.  How BLESSED are the TRUE CHILDREN of the LIVING GOD that we have both His STEADFAST LOVE and His FAITHFULNESS within our reach.  Two things that God provides for those who belong to Him.

 

If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God, by way of His Son, the REDEEMER of Mankind, who gave His LIFE, so that mankind might have EVERLASTING LIFE in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  You are destined to spend your ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  But because of God’s STEADFAST LOVE and FAITHFULNESS, He is giving you another opportunity to CHANGE your DESTINY.  To do that, you MUST ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  And you MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT His Gift of SALVATION and be able to ask God to PROVE you and to TRY you and to TEST your HEART and MIND, because you WALK in HIS FAITHFULNESS.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!   BE READY!!!

 

 

 

Are Your Feet Caught in a Net?”

 “Are Your Feet Caught in a Net?”

 

My eyes are always on the LORD, for He will pull my feet out of the net.   Psalm 25:15

 

The question is: Are your feet caught in a net of ADVERSITY?  It could be a net of HEARTACHES, INDECISIONS, AFFLICTIONS, SORROW, or just HARD TIMES in general.  If you are a TRUE CHILD of the LIVING GOD, you can have PEACE  in your HEART, just as our Psalmist said:  “My eyes are ALWAYS on the LORD, for He will PULL my feet out of the NET.   The Psalmist KNEW that he MUST FIRST have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the LORD, and so he turned his FOCUS on the Almighty God for his DELIVERANCE.  He put his TRUST in the LORD, and called on God to FORGIVE his TROUBLED SOUL.  He got his HEART RIGHT with God, because David, the Psalmist, knew that if he had SIN in his HEART, that God would not HEAR his PLEA for HELP, until David CONFESSED his SINS to God, sought His FORGIVENESS. 

 

 

If you are a TRUE CHILD of God, you MUST SEEK God’s FORGIVENESS too, and you MUST REMAIN FAITHFUL to Him, even while your feet are in the net.  Sometimes we put our FAITH and TRUST in EVERYTHING and EVERYONE, except for the ONE who can bring DELIVERANCE.  

 

 

He, the LORD GOD, ALMIGHTY is our ONLY HOPE for ETERNAL DELIVERANCE.  DELIVERANCE that will PROVIDE for us, who BELIEVE and have been WASHED by the BLOOD of God’s ONLY SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who SUFFERED, BLED and DIED, in our place, for the FORGIVENESS of OUR sins, and has SECURED our ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with All its BLESSINGS, and KEEPS us from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  

 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to the LIVING GOD, then I suspect that your feet is ALWAYS in a NET of some kind of ADVERSITY. And the WORSE kind is your ETERNAL DESTINY.  You cannot have the HOPE and ASSURANCE of HEAVEN, unless you first GIVE your HEART and LIFE to the LORD GOD, ALMIGHTY. This can ONLY happen, when you will ADMIT that you are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is NOW ALIVE, in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  And be willing to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD.  You MUST ACCEPT His Gift of SALVATION and let Him PULL your feet out of the NET.  Do this NOW, because DELIVERANCE comes to those who have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God.  And He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

“Help My Unbelief”

“Help My Unbelief”

 

Jesus said to him, “If You can?”  All things are possible to him who believes.”  Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”   Mark 9:23-24

 

Right after the TRANSFIGURATION, Jesus and the disciples that were with Him,  came down from the mountain and found a crowd of people, and in that crowd was a man who had brought his son, who was possessed with an evil spirit.  This man had asked some of the disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they could not do it, possibly because of a LACK of FAITH, because Jesus had given them the power to do such things.  Maybe their Prayer life wasn’t what it should have been, maybe they didn’t REALLY BELIEVE that it was POSSIBLE for such a miracle to happen, under their own involvement.  Whatever, their problem was they missed out on experiencing the POWER of GOD in their life, at that moment.

 

So, when Jesus came, the very desperate man came to Him, seeking Jesus’ HELP for his son.  And He said to Jesus:  “If you can do anything, have COMPASSION on us and HELP us.”  Jesus’ replied, “If You can?”  Everything is POSSIBLE to the one who believes.”  IMMEDIATELY the father of the boy cried out, “I DO BELIEVE!  HELP my UNBELIEF.”  

 

This statement exemplifies an ESSENTIAL element in the Christian Faith, which is to ADMIT that are FAITH wanes from time to time and we NEED the HOLY SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD to HELP our UNBELIEF.  We cannot SERVE HOLY GOD without the POWER of GOD, through the WORK of His Spirit, who indwells US and GIVES us what we NEED to be a GOOD and FAITHFUL SERVANT.  And to be EFFECTIVE in our SERVICE to Him.  And to be able to hear Him say:  “WELL DONE,  My GOOD and FAITHFUL SERVANT.”  

 

Those of us who are GOD’S TRUE CHILDREN, need to RECOGNIZE our UNBELIEF and like this dad, we NEED to PRAY that GOD  would HELP our UNBELIEF.  And for those who have NOT given their HEART and LIFE to GOD, and are living in UNBELIEF, you NEED to ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  And you NEED to BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT His Gift of SALVATION, and be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  And to be able to RECEIVE HEAVEN as your ETERNAL HOME.  So, do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!

 

 

                                                                   

"Obedient to the Truth"

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“Obedient to the Truth”

 

You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters.  Love each other deeply with all your heart.                 1 Peter 1:22

 

To be OBEDIENT to the TRUTH is to be OBEDIENT to the WORD of the LIVING GOD, who CLEANSED you from your sins, through the shed blood of His Only Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  The One who DIED in YOUR place, to put you on the path to OBEDIENCE and a PURIFIED LIFE.

 

One result of being OBEDIENT to the TRUTH, is possessing a SINCERE LOVE for your BROTHERS and SISTERS in CHRIST.  It is to be a PURE, SINCERE, LOVE that is expressed to each other DEEPLY with ALL your HEART.  It is NOT to be CONDITIONAL, but FREELY given to each other.  This type of LOVE expresses a CHANGED HEART, which expresses a CHANGED LIFE.  It should be from PURE MOTIVES, and should SEEK to give MORE than you TAKE.  It is a LOVE that can ONLY be possessed by a CHANGED HEART. 

 

Your CHANGED HEART and CHANGED LIFE comes from the SUPERNATURAL act of being “BORN AGAIN”.  And this act is made POSSIBLE, ONLY, through being OBEDIENT to the TRUTH, and being PURIFIED, and having that SINCERE, DEEP, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for each other, and MOST of ALL for FATHER GOD, and the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  This CHANGED LIFE will last for ALL of ETERNITY, and it is the result of GOD’S SINCERE, DEEP UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for His TRUE CHILDREN.   Have you been OBEDIENT to the TRUTH?  Do you have a CHANGED HEART and a CHANGED LIFE?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, then you are NOT OBEDIENT to the TRUTH, and you do NOT possess a CHANGED HEART and LIFE.  Instead, your ETERNAL LIFE will be spent in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, after you are there.  In order to have an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, you MUST BE OBEDIENT to the TRUTH by: ADMITTING that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  And BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  And be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful life-style, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  Then ACCEPT His Gift of SALVATION and POSSESS a CHANGED HEART and a CHANGED LIFE.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!