“The Civil War”

“The Civil War”

 

So, I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.  Galatians 5:16-17

 

The Apostle Paul was concerned about the conduct of the Galatian Believers. And so, he gave them instructions about what they NEED to do concerning the BATTLE that rages within each believer.  So, this information is for the TRUE BELIEVER of our day and time, also.

Since, God’s Spirit and the Sinful Nature are opposite in the WAY a believer LIVES their lives.  If the BELIEVER will FOLLOW the LEADERSHIP of the HOLY SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD, then they will be able to AVOID sinful desires. In Matthew 6:24, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, tells us that: “No one can serve two masters.  For you will HATE one and LOVE the other; you will be DEVOTED to one and DESPISE the other.”

If you WALK (live) by the Spirit, then you are NOT FULFILLING the DESIRES of the FLESH. And you can achieve this because you have the Spirit of God within you. There is something terribly WRONG if a BELIEVER of GOD is FOLLOWING the DESIRES of their FLESH.  Now, let me be clear, a BELIEVER, is NOT PERFECT, they are STILL in the FLESH, and there WILL be times when they will give-into that DESIRE of the FLESH, but if they are FOLLOWING the SPIRIT, they will REPENT and LEAVE that DESIRE alone. 

However, there are some who fail to CONTINUE FOLLOWING the SPIRIT and may spend MORE TIME FOLLOWING the FLESH then they WANTED to or INTENDED to.  It is a TRAGIC thing to happen.  There is a DIFFERENCE between SOMETIMES DOING the DESIRES of the FLESH and like the UNBELIEVER, who is PRACTICING them.  A TRUE BELIEVER will be MISERABLE, while they are FOLLOWING the FLESH, and the HOLY SPIRIT indwelling them will CONVICT them of the way they are LIVING. And the TRUE BELIEVER will RETURN to the FOLD. 

If YOU are a TRUE BELIEVER, and you have fallen into doing the DESIRE of YOUR FLESH, you CAN BE FORGIVEN, and RESTORED, along with the UNBELIEVER, who maybe TIRED of the SINFUL LIFESTYLE they are PRACTICING.  This is what you MUST DO:  ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who SUFFERED, BLED and DIED, so, you might have ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN and ESCAPE HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and WIN this CIVIL WAR within YOU by FOLLOWING the HOLY SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD that INDWELLS EVERY TRUE BELIEVER!!!  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

“No Other Name”

 “No Other Name”

 

“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.”   Acts 4:12

JESUS, JESUS, there’s SOMETHING about that name. SOMETHING that is POWERFUL, yet KIND and COMPASSIONATE.  It is AUTHORITATIVE, yet LOVING and TRUSTWORTHY. And it is the ONLY NAME under heaven by which MANKIND can be SAVED!! 

When the birth of a child is expected, the soon-to-be parents, get excited to pick out a NAME for their little bundle of joy.  They generally choose a name that they hope will REFLECT their PERSONALITY.  Throughout the ages people have conjured up ALL KINDS of names.  And they work at making their child conform to their given name.  But that wasn’t the case for Mary and Joseph, the NAME was already CHOSEN, by the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.  In Luke 1:31, it tells us that an Angel appeared to Mary and told her she would give birth to a Son and was to NAME him JESUS. And that He would be VERY GREAT and be called the Son of the MOST HIGH.  And an Angel appeared before Joseph and told him that Mary would give birth to a SON and they were to call His NAME JESUS, for He will SAVE HIS people from their SINS. The NAME MEANS: Yahweh is SALVATION.  And He is called the ANOINTED ONE, or MESSIAH.  And that is EXACTLY Who He IS!!

Now, you see there is TRULY something about THAT NAME. Because there is SALVATION in NO ONE ELSE!! There is NO other NAME under heaven GIVEN by the ALMIGHTY GOD by which WE MUST be SAVED.  Have YOU called upon the LORD JESUS CHRIST for YOUR SALVATION?  KEEP in MIND:  THERE IS NO ONE or NOTHING ELSE that can SAVE your SOUL from an ETERNITY in HELL and can GIVE you an ETERNITY in HEAVEN. 

This is what YOU MUST DO: CALL on the NAME of JESUS and ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, the ONLY ONE who is ABLE to SAVE YOUR SOUL. You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, You MUST CONFESS your SINS to HIM and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and CALL ON JESUS, He LOVES YOU SO MUCH, that HE GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your SOUL. So, do this NOW, while you STILL can!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!!  Don’t be LEFT BEHIND!!

 

 

“Who Do You Identify With?”

 “Who Do You Identify With?”

 

So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female He created them.  Genesis 1: 27

In the Book of Genesis, we see the book begins with the very FIRST of Creation. The Almighty God, in His INFINITE WISDOM, CREATED (made) ALL that is or ever has been.  He made HUMAN LIFE in His IMAGE; this IMAGE was passed on to HUMANS ONLY.   

“IMAGE” here, is used FIGURATIVELY, because God does NOT have a HUMAN FORM.  It means that MANKIND, shares, though they are IMPERFECT and FINITE, in the NATURE of GOD, which are life, personality, truth, wisdom, love, holiness, and justice.  And this means that they have the ability to have SPIRITUAL FELLOWSHIP with their CREATOR.

The “IMAGE” of GOD in MEN and WOMEN, has been MARRED by SIN.  But because of GOD’S MERCY, GRACE, and UNFAILING LOVE for MANKIND, He has a WAY for them to REPENT and COME to Him through the BLOOD of His ONLY SON, JESUS, the ONLY WAY to be SAVED from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. 

HELL was NOT meant for MANKIND, but MANKIND REBELLED AGAINST GOD.  And because of the REBELLION and UNCONFESSED SIN, it will become their ETERNAL DWELLING PLACE. 

I think Satan, the devil, heads up that group of people.  We can SEE and FEEL the effects of his handiwork.  If you have NOT GIVEN your HEART and LIFE to GOD through His SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, then Satan is who you will IDENTIFY with, and HELL will be your FINAL ABODE. However, you have an OPPORTUNITY NOW, to CHANGE your DESTINY. 

To do that, you MUST COME to JESUS and ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and is ALIVE in HEAVEN at the RIGHT HAND of God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and IDENTIFY with the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and spend your ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“A Heavenly Homeland”

 “A Heavenly Homeland”

 

All these people died still believing what God had promised them.  They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.  They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.  Obviously, people who say such things are looking FORWARD to a country they can call their own.  If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone BACK.  But they were looking for a better place, a HEAVENLY HOMELAND.  That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a CITY for them.  Hebrews 11:13-16

“These people” were the Old Testament people of FAITH, they ALL DIED in FAITH without receiving the PROMISED DIVINE BLESSINGS. But they gradually were able to see them from a DISTANCE.  However, these PROMISED DIVING BLESSINGS would be FULFILLED on the other side of the grave.

These Old Testament Saints, as their life drew to an end, WELCOMED the PROMISED BLESSINGS with MUCH ANTICIPATED JOY.  Since, they AGREED that they were FOREIGNERS and NOMADS here on earth, they LOOKED FORWARD to a PERMEANT, FOREVER HOMELAND, one that was NOT an EARTHLY ONE, but one that was a HEAVENLY HOMELAND.  One they COULD call their OWN. 

If they were HOMESICK and wanting to RETURN to the LAND from which they came, they could have gone BACK. But they were LOOKING FORWARD to that HEAVENLY HOMELAND. And they were looking FORWARD to having a BETTER PLACE, one they could call their OWN for ALL ETERNITY.

And because of their FAITH and HOPE, GOD was NOT ASHAMED to be called their GOD, for He has PREPARED that HEAVENLY HOMELAND, a CITY NOT made with HANDS.  NOT an EARTHLY ONE that would be TEMPORARY, but a HEAVENLY ONE, that would REMAIN their HOME, their CITY for ALL ETERNITY. 

Are you LOOKING for that PROMISED, PERMANENT, HEAVENLY HOMELAND?  In order to receive that PROMISE and MANY OTHERS. You MUST become a CHILD of the LIVING GOD.  A person who will come to God through His ONE and ONLY SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who GAVE His Life to SAVE your SOUL from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there, You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  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.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  YOU MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and be ABLE to ENJOY the HEAVENLY HOMELAND, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“Why Seek Godly Wisdom”

 “Why Seek Godly Wisdom”

 

For the LORD grants wisdom!  From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.  He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.  He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him.  Proverbs 2:6-8

 

The Book of Proverbs was written by King David’s son, Solomon.  And his intentions were to show us the PURPOSE of PROVERBS, and that PURPOSE is to GET WISDOM.  The way to do that is to take God’s viewpoint and make it USEFUL application.  Dr. Tony Evans says: “It’s spiritual UNDERSTANDING applied to EARTHLY LIVING” Some, who have a lot of “Book Learning” are SLACK in COMMON SENSE.  WISDOM is ESSENTIAL in GOOD decision making, because it is the ABILITY to APPLY the KNOWLEDGE we possess.

In chapter one, verse seven, it tells us that: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”  The word FEAR here doesn’t mean to be AFRAID of God, but we SHOULD REVERENCE Him, and to take Him SERIOUSLY.  In order to do this, you MUST have a TRUE RELATIONSHIP with Him and His SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

All TRUE WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE is ROOTED in GOD and HIS WORD.  KNOWING GOD opens the door to SPIRITUAL WISDOM which will enhance our RELATIONSHIP with God.  And it makes living this life easier and being able to live in a GODLY MANNER. 

This is IMPORTANT because, our lifestyle has a lot to do with our WITNESS of the RELATIONSHIP we have with the ALMIGHTY GOD.  And the WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE we have will be ROOTED in GOD and HIS WORD. 

Evil people will turn AWAY FROM GODLY WAYS to walk down DARK paths.  They take pleasure in doing what is WRONG, and they ENJOY the TWISTED WAYS of EVIL.  Their actions are CROOKED, and their ways are WRONG. (Vv 12-15) SEEK GODLY WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE.  “For the LORD grants WISDOM!  From His Mouth come KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING.  God grants a treasure of COMMON SENSE to the HONEST. And He is a SHIELD to those who WALK with INTEGRITY.  He GUARDS the PATHS of the JUST and PROTECTS those who are FAITHFUL to HIM” (Vv 6-8)

God is GOOD and He is TRUE WISDOM; you can’t go wrong by putting your FAITH and TRUST in Him.  He LOVES HIS CHILDREN with an UNFAILING LOVE, He is TRUSTWORTHY, FAITHFUL and NEVER FAILS.  He LISTENS and will ANSWER in His OWN WAY.  All you have to do is SEEK HIS SON, JESUS, and ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the ONE and ONLY ONE who can provide GOD’S GIFT of SALVATION for the WRETCHED SOUL.  You MUST BELIEVE that JESUS DIED for your SINS, 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.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL lifestyle, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and SEEK HIS WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING, then you will be able to spend your ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS. And you will be able to ESCAPE HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE ONCE you are there.  So, do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“Important Things God Has Revealed”

“Important Things God Has Revealed”

 

God has spoken once; I have heard this twice: Strength belongs to God, and faithful love belongs to You, LORD.  For you repay each according to what they have done.                   Psalm 62:11-12

 

This Psalm was penned by King David, and written with EXHORTATION, David proceeded to tell the people he addressed in verse 8, to not dwell on the prosperity of the wicked.  Life, on earth, is TEMPORARY and mankind is LESS than a VAPOR.  Therefore, we SHOULD NOT put our HOPE and TRUST in SINFUL ACTIONS, such as OPPRESSION, and ROBBERY, as a source of providing our SECURITY.

This tells us that the way we CONDUCT ourselves within SOCIETY, could determine our DESTINY.  When we LIVE and EMBRACE  WORLDLY WAYS, with NO RESPECT or THOUGHT for the ALMIGHTY GOD, we have NO HOPE for an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, it’s pretty plain, what we SAY and DO labels us as either a TRUE BELIEVER of the HOLY GOD of the UNIVERSE, or an UNBELIEVER, who does NOT have the CONFIDENT HOPE of an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, but will spend their ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once they are there.  Be ASSURED that God alone can give us the SECURITY that we NEED in this LIFE and in the LIFE to come. 

WEALTH cannot deliver you FROM an ETERNAL LIFE in HELL. So DON’T SET your HEART on it.  Don’t depend on your status in this LIFE to DELIVER you. Don’t depend on what the MATERIAL things can do for you BUT ONLY what GOD can do. 

God has declared that STRENGTH and UNFAILING LOVE belong to HIM.  And because of His LOVE and MERCY, He has the POWER for COMPASSION towards those who NEED to COME to Him with a CONTRITE, REPENTANT HEART.  To be able to do this, you MUST COME TO Him by coming to His SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who GAVE HIS LIFE to SAVE our SINFUL SOULS from an ETERNITY in HELL. And to PROVIDE for us an ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  You MUST ADMIT to Him that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR. 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.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL lifestyle and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and LIVE LIKE you BELONG to HIM and NOT of this SINFUL, CORRUPT, GREEDY, WORLD.  DO, THIS NOW, while you STILL CAN.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“Till He Comes “

 “Till He Comes”

 

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures.  We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.   Titus 2:11-13

 

Titus was a Greek Convert of the Apostle Paul, which means that he was a GENTILE.  But that made NO DIFFERENCE with Paul, in CONTEXT with the SALVATION, of Titus.  Titus was   ENCOURAGED by Paul to TEACH the BELIEVERS how they SHOULD LIVE as the FOLLOWERS of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  Paul had left Titus at Crete to organize the church.  And since they were SAVED by GRACE, they were SAVED unto GOOD WORKS. 

Christian living should be SOUND and LIVED OUT to be a LIFE of GODLINESS, not one that is INFLUENCED by WORLDLINESS.  It is the GRACE of GOD that leads a TRUE BELIEVER, to LIVE a GODLY LIFE, and to exemplify it by accompanying it with GOOD WORKS.  In James 2:26, James tells us that: “Just as the body is DEAD without BREATH, so also FAITH is DEAD without GOOD WORKS.”

In 1 Peter 2:9,11, the Apostle Peter tells us that those who are SAVED by GRACE are a CHOSEN PEOPLE, and we are God’s very OWN POSSESSION.  Therefore, we can SHOW others the GOODNESS of God, for He called us out of the DARKNESS and into HIS WONDERFUL LIGHT. In verse 11, Peter tells us to BE CAREFUL to LIVE PROPERLY among our UNBELIEVING NEIGHBORS.

One of the Great Theologians, Dr. Warren Wiersbe, tells us that: “There are two “poles” to the Christian life:  we look back to the Cross (v.14) and ahead to the COMING of CHRIST (v. 13) These two poles help keep us STEADY in our Christian Walk.”

Many True Believers, look FORWARD to the RETURN of our LORD JESUS, with GREAT ANTICIPATION and ABUNDANT JOY.  We are LISTENING for the CALL, which will RAPTURE us AWAY into the CLOUDS and into our HEAVENLY HOME, to LIVE for ALL ETERNITY, with the ONE who made it POSSIBLE, our LORD JESUS CHRIST.  ARE YOU READY?

In order for you to GO, when HE CALLS, you MUST COME to the CROSS of CHRIST and ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, the ONE and ONLY SON of the LIVING GOD.  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.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE-STYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION, and start LIVING a GODLY LIFE, that is SEASONED with GOOD WORKS, UNTIL HE COMES!!!  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON.  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!