"Carnally Minded or Spiritually Minded?"

“Carnally Minded or Spiritually Minded?”

 

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.      Romans 8:6-8

 

A CARNALLY minded person is a person whose mind is SET on the things of the flesh, the things that the flesh desires or lusts after.  A person who is NOT a TRUE BELIEVER, one who has NOT come to God for the SALVATION of their soul, one who seeks after worldly, fleshly, and ungodly things, which is enmity, or hostile against God.    And because they are CARNALLY- MINDED, in the FLESH, they CANNOT please God.  And their destiny is a place called Hell, which is devoid of ANYTHING that is GOOD and GODLY for ALL of ETERNITY, this is DEATH, SPIRITUAL DEATH, as well as the PHYSICAL DEATH.

 

A SPIRITUALLY minded person is a person whose mind is SET on SPIRITUAL things, they are those who have come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSED their sins to Him and have sought His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING that Jesus died for them and is ALIVE in Heaven making intercession for them.  They have been made RIGHTEOUS in God’s sight, and are PLEASING to God.

 

Now, the difference between the CARNALLY-MINDED person and the SPIRITUALLY-MINDED person is that the CARNALLY-MINDED person is one who lives their life according to the desires of their sinful nature, and usually they have NOT received the SALVATION of their soul.   

 

The SPIRITUALLY-MINDED person LIVES their life according to the desires of the HOLY SPIRIT, who indwells them and helps them live according to the WORD of the LIVING GOD.  They may fall into sin, occasionally, but they come under conviction, and then they CONFESS their sin to God, who is FAITHFUL and JUST to FORGIVE them of their sins.  The SPIRITUALLY-MINDED person DOES NOT live in their sinful-nature, but they are a NEW creature, one that has been REDEEMED by the blood of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and they have the HOPE of an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.

 

The question is:  Are you CARNALLY-MINDED or are you SPIRITUALLY-MINDED?  If you have NOT come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, then you are CARNALLY-MINDED, and your destiny is a place called Hell, but because of God’s LOVE and AMAZING GRACE, you NOW have the opportunity to come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sin to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become SPIRITUALLY-MINDED.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Perfect Unity"

“Perfect Unity”

 

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.        Colossians 3:13-14

 

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!        Psalm 133:1

 

UNITY:  Oneness, harmony, unified group or body.  These are all attributes of UNITY.  UNITY in relationships helps the relationship to prosper, and to bring cohesion to a group or body of people with different mind-sets.  For instance, in families you have many different opinions and mind-sets, but when they each have it in their HEART to work TOGETHER for the good of the family, then there is UNITY, and the family functions TOGETHER and promotes a HEALTHY and PROSPEROUS relationship.

 

The same is TRUE in God’s Family.  It is His desire that we, BEAR with each other, FORGIVE one another, and if anyone has a grievance against someone, they should FORGIVE as the Lord FORGAVE them.  And with all these virtues, we SHOULD put on LOVE, which is the glue that holds us TOGETHER in PERFECT UNITY.  Can you imagine, what it would be like in our churches, in our NATIONS, and in our FAMILIES, if we, who profess to be TRUE BELIEVERS, would be OBEDIENT to the Word of God, and to put into practice UNITY in our relationship with each other?   JUST THINK ABOUT IT!

 

Psalm 133:1 says:  How GOOD and PLEASANT it is when God’s people LIVE in UNITY!  This is God’s DESIRE, for ALL of His TRUE CHILDREN to LIVE in PERFECT UNITY, and this is only feasible through, BEARING with each other, FORGIVING each other, and LOVING each other.  As a TRUE BELIEVER, are you doing your part, in having PERFECT UNITY within the Body of Christ, by being OBEDIENT to God’s Word? 

 

You MUST NOT be one who causes dissension, stirring up trouble, among God’s Children, or back-biting, slandering, and gossiping, with malice in your heart.  If you are practicing such behavior, you might want to check your relationship with God.  These are NOT His ways, and it could be that you are NOT a TRUE BELIEVER, or that you are allowing Satan to use you to bring harm to God’s Family.

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are NOT a part of God’s Family, and you probably are NOT experiencing PERFECT UNITY in ANY of your relationships.  If this is the case, then you are in DANGER of spending an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of UNENDING torment, torture, heartache, pain, agony, and despair, with NO WAY of ESCAPE.  Your ONLY HOPE is to come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become a part of God’s Family, a TRUE BELEIVER, who will work to provide PERFECT UNITY in His Family.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Faith by Itself is Dead"

“Faith by Itself is Dead”

 

…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his actions were working, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  

You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

James 2:17, 21-22, 24, 26

 

TRUE FAITH brings about RIGHTEOUSNESS, and TRUE FAITH is exemplified by its deeds. It’s one thing to PROFESS your FAITH, and another to actually POSSESS it.   Your actions or deeds are CONFIRMATION to a STRONG TRUE FAITH.

 

Abraham, through his OBEDIENCE to God, exemplified his TRUE FAITH, by carrying out God’s command to sacrifice his son, Isaac on the altar.  Through Abraham’s OBEDIENCE to God, we see his TRUE FAITH and his actions were working together, and because of this his FAITH was made complete. 

 

The Scripture tells us that because of Abraham’s FAITH and ACTIONS, he was considered RIGHTEOUS.  Of course, God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, and provided another sacrifice.  But Abraham’s OBEDIENT ACTIONS, exemplified his TRUE FAITH, and he was considered RIGHTEOUS.

 

As the body without the spirit is dead, so FAITH without DEEDS is DEAD.  If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, how is your FAITH?  Is it accompanied with ACTIONS or DEEDS?  If not then it is DEAD.  God expects us to put our FAITH to work and make it a TRUE, VIBRANT FAITH that is working with ACTIONS, which produces OBEDIENCE and RIGHTEOUSNESS before the Almighty God. 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are LOST and DYING without Jesus Christ.  You do NOT possess a TRUE FAITH in the Living God, and your ACTIONS are NOT the ACTIONS of a TRUE BELIEVER.  Your ETERNAL destiny is a place called Hell, the place of UNENDING, torment, torture, heartache, pain, agony, and despair.  However, God in His INFINITE MERCY and AMAZING GRACE has provided a way of escaping Hell, and gaining Heaven.  You MUST come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and put your FAITH into ACTION and be considered RIGHTEOUS before God.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"Righteousness by Faith"

“Righteousness by Faith”

 

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed---a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written:  “The righteous will live by faith.”     Romans 1:17

 

RIGHTEOUSNESS is a RIGHT relationship with God.  The “gospel” is the “Good News” that Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God came to earth to REDEEM fallen mankind from their sins and from the condemnation of being sentenced to an ETERNITY in Hell.  

 

When one comes to God, in FAITH, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and is FORGIVEN of their sins, then they are made RIGHTEOUS before God.  In other words, they have a RIGHT relationship with God, because of their FAITH in His Son. 

 

It is a FAITH that will last from first to last, or from start to finish.  It is a TRUE and STEADFAST FAITH, which will ENDURE through any situation, and just as it is written in Habakkuk 2:4, “The righteous will live by FAITH.”  Living by FAITH will produce GODILY RIGHTEOUSNESS, which can ONLY be achieved through FAITH in GOD’S SON, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

If you have NOT given your Heart and Life to God, then there is NO WAY for you to be made RIGHTEOUS in God’s eyes.  You cannot have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him, nor an ETERNITY in Heaven, unless you come to Him by FAITH, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and through His Son, Jesus Christ, He is the ONLY WAY.  So you need to COME to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be made RIGHTEOUS by FAITH, RECEIVING SALVATION by FAITH, and LIVING by FAITH.   Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"The Rapture"

“The Rapture”

 

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.   Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

 

This is one subject that thrills the HEART and SOUL of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER, or at least it should.  Because it is the beginning of the finality of our SALVATION and SANCTIFICATION.  It is the time that we look forward to with ANTICIPATION and CONSOLATION.  Our HEARTS and SOULS rejoice, knowing that we will be spending ALL of ETERNITY in Heaven with God, our Heavenly Father, and His BLESSED Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

How will all of this begin?  The Apostle Paul tells us that; the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven, He will come in the clouds, and will NOT descend to the earth.  There will be a SHOUT, who will shout?  The Scripture says it will be the voice of an ARCHANGEL, what he will shout, we do not know.  Then the trumpet of God will ring out.  And the dead in Christ will rise first, those who have died, BELIEVING and ACCEPTING God’s gift of SALVATION, before their last breath.

 

No matter, the nature of their death, God WILL be ABLE to reunite them with their bodies, which will be changed in the TWINKLING of an eye.  Then we, TRUE BELIEVERS, who are ALIVE and REMAIN, shall be CAUGHT UP, raptured, with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the AIR.  The bodies of those who are alive will be CHANGED to GLORIFIED bodies also. 

 

This is COMING SOON!  No one KNOWS the day or the hour, when it will take place, but we can be ASSURED it WILL HAPPEN.  Paul believed that it would happen in his life-time.  We know this because of verse seventeen.  In this verse Paul included himself as one who would be alive, but it was not meant to be.  God in His INFINITE MERCY and AMAZING GRACE, is giving EVERYONE the opportunity to ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, by holding back this CLIMATIC EVENT.

 

When He is READY, He will gather His TRUE CHILDREN, and sweep them up to Heaven, where they will ESCAPE His wrath, which will be poured out on this SIN-SICK, DEPRAVED, WICKED world, this time will be known as the TRIBULATION.  Will you be one that will be CAUGHT UP in the air to FOREVER be with the Lord?  Or will you be one who will suffer the horrors of the TRIBULATION PERIOD, and may even end up spending an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of UNENDING HORRORS?  What will your destiny hold? 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you could very well spend an ETERNITY suffering in Hell, unless you TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and look forward to the RAPTURE, and spending ALL of ETERNITY with the Lord.  Do it NOW, while you still can. DON’T DELAY, you are RUNNING OUT of time.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Spiritual Fullness or Hollow, Deceptive Philosophy?"

“Spiritual Fullness or Hollow, Deceptive Philosophy?”

 

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus  as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

Colossians 2:6-8

 

We live in a world, where we are given many choices, which, a lot of times, will alter our lives, both physically and spiritually.  For the TRUE BELIEVER, the Apostle Paul gives some advice for living our lives to their SPIRITUAL FULLNESS.  He tells us that IF we have received Christ Jesus as LORD, then we SHOULD CONTINUE to live in Him. 

 

The TRUE BELIEVER should be ROOTED and BUILT UP in Him, which means that our SPIRITUAL LIVES should have a STRONG and HEALTHY root system, one that runs DEEP in Christ Jesus, and will produce STRONG, HEALTHY plants that exemplifies where the HEART of the plant is anchored.  And those STRONG HEALTHY PLANTS will produce the FRUIT of the SPIRIT.

 

However, there is always a THREAT to the WELL-BEING of the plant, THE TRUE BELIEVER.  The THREAT is the HOLLOW and DECEPTIVE PHILOSOPHY of this SIN-SICK, DEPRAVED world.  Pushed at the TRUE BELIEVERS by the FALSE TEACHINGS of the FALSE TEACHERS, those who are led by Satan to try and DESTROY the BELIEF SYSTEM of the TRUE BELIEVER, and to thwart the influence of their witness concerning the SAVING KNOWLEDGE of Jesus Christ, who is the CURE for this LOST, DOOMED, SIN-SICK, DEPRAVED WORLD, which is hurling at break-neck speed, to an ETERNITY in HELL, the place of UNENDING, torment, torture, heartache, pain, agony, and despair.

 

As a TRUE BELIEVER, you NEED to make SURE that you are ROOTED and BUILT –UP in Christ Jesus.  Make sure you are STEADFAST and SECURE in your FAITH, and headed for ALL the GLORIES of an ETERNITY in Heaven.  Don’t be DECEIVED by HOLLOW AND DECEPTIVE PHILOSOPHY.  Where do you STAND?  ROOTED and BUILT-UP, or DECEIVED and DOOMED?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are DECEIVED and DOOMED.  You are being hurled at break-neck speed  towards that HORRIBLE place called HELL, for ALL of ETERNITY, with NO WAY of ESCAPE, unless you TURN AWAY from your SINFUL lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and receive the SPIRITUAL FULLNESS of CHRIST.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"Pressing On Toward the Goal"

“Pressing On Toward the Goal”

 

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

 

Paul’s letter was written to the Philippian believers some thirty years after his conversion on the Damascus Road.  So the Apostle Paul had fought and won MANY spiritual battles.  Yet he was determined that the Philippian believers know that he had NOT yet reached his GOAL, which God had set for him. 

 

He had NOT yet obtained the relationship with Christ Jesus that he was striving for.  He wanted to KNOW Christ on a more intimate level.  He wanted to KNOW the POWER of the resurrection of Christ, and to PARTICIPATE in His sufferings.  Sufferings that came with living a DEDICATED Christian life.  He desired to become like Christ in His death.  Christ died FOR sin, the believer dies TO sin.  In other words, Christ died FOR the sins of ALL mankind, to obtain their SALVATION, the believer dies TO sin, to be SEPARATED FROM their sin.  And Paul wanted to attain the RESURRECTION of the dead.  Should he die, before the RAPTURE, Paul KNEW he would be RESURRECTED with ALL the other SAINTS of God.

 

Yet Paul knew that he had NOT reached his GOAL, but that he MUST PRESS ON to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus had taken hold of him.  The ONE thing that Paul knew was that he HAD to FORGET his PAST and STRAIN toward what was ahead.  He had to PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL, in order to win the prize for which God had called him heavenward, in Christ Jesus.  His SANCTIFICATION and SALVATION would then be COMPLETE.  He then, would have reached the GOAL.

 

So it is with ALL TRUE BELIEVERS, today, we MUST PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL that God has called us to in Christ Jesus.  We MUST, like Paul, desire a more INTIMATE relationship with Christ, to KNOW the POWER of His resurrection, and to be willing to SUFFER for the cause of CHRIST.  We MUST die TO our sinful lifestyle, and be RESURRECTED to a NEW life in Christ. In order to do this we MUST FORGET our PAST and STRAIN towards what is ahead.  We MUST PRESS ON TOWARDS THE GOAL, God has set before us, in order to WIN the prize.  Are you in the RACE for the PRIZE of spending ALL ETERNITY in Heaven?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God then you are NOT in the RACE, and are headed towards an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of UNENDING torment, torture, pain, agony, heartache and despair, with NO HOPE of ESCAPING.  However, God has provided a way for you to ESCAPE HELL, by coming to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and enter the RACE, PRESSING ON TOWARDS the GOAL, which God has set before you.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Running the Race"

“Running the Race”

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.      Hebrews 12:1

 

The Author of Hebrews, whom I believe to be the Apostle Paul, is speaking to the TRUE BELIEVERS, especially in this chapter.  He is comparing our walk with the Lord to a foot race.  He says that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, in my opinion, I believe what the Author was indicating is:  This ‘cloud of witnesses’ were the Old Testament Saints, from chapter eleven, those who had ALL been commended for their faith, and because they were witnesses of God’s POWER and LOVE, which they experienced first-hand, they knew about the RACE, and they were EXAMPLES of what PERSERVERANCE and a STRONG FAITH can do to help us be VICTORIOUS, and to win the CROWN that awaits those who are FAITHFUL to the END.  I do not believe that they are up in Heaven watching us run our race, but their PERSERVERANCE and FAITHFULNESS serves as an example to us and to our success in this RACE we have before us. 

 

The Author tells us that we NEED to THROW OFF everything that hinders us, and ALL the sin that so easily entangles us.  In other words, DO NOT look BACK, but PRESS ON towards the goal we have before us.  We are to run with, PERSERVERANCE and FAITHFULNESS the race that is marked out for us and we are to FIX our eyes on JESUS, who is the PIONEER AND PERFECTER of FAITH.  It is ONLY through Him that we are even able to PARTICIPATE in this RACE.  He has PIONEERED and PERFECTED FAITH, and ONLY through the ACCEPTANCE of His SACRIFICE for the SALVATION of MANKIND, are we able to RUN and WIN. 

 

In order to be VICTORIOUS, we MUST FIX our eyes on Him, and NOT WAIVER or become UNFAITHFUL in our relationship with Him.  We MUST RUN to WIN, and NOT GIVE UP, but to PRESS ON towards the prize that is set before us.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God then you are NOT even in the RACE, but you are headed down the wrong track.  You are HEADED for HELL, and the ONLY prize that is awaiting you is UNENDING torment, torture, pain, agony, heartache and despair, unless, you come to God, NOW, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be a VICTORIOUS RUNNER in the RACE for the PRIZE that AWAITS you in HEAVEN.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!! 

"He is Able"

“He is Able”

 

But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood.  Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.

Such a high priest truly meets our need---one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.  Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people.  He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself.  

Hebrews 7:24-27

 

He, Jesus Christ, is ABLE, actually He is MORE than ABLE to meet all of the requirements for the office of HIGH PRIEST.  It was the obligation of the High Priest to offer up sacrifices for the sins of themselves and for the sins of the people.  The first unique attribute of Jesus is that He is SINLESS, ALWAYS HAS BEEN and ALWAYS WILL BE.   He is ETERNAL, ALWAYS HAS BEEN, and ALWAYS WILL BE.  And because He is ETERNAL, He has a PERMANENT PRIESTHOOD. 

 

He is ABLE to SAVE COMPLETELY, those who come to God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, through Him, by coming to God, CONFESSING their sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, then Jesus becomes their HIGH PRIEST, who is ALWAYS INTERCEDING for the TRUE BELIEVER.

 

This HIGH PRIEST TRULY meets our need.  He is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, He is exalted above the heavens.  He is ABLE!  He does NOT need to offer sacrifices DAILY, for His own sins, because He has NONE, and neither does He need to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people, because He is our SACRIFICE.  He SUFFERED, BLED and DIED, then HE was RESURRECTED from the dead, and is ALIVE, and at the RIGHT HAND of God INTERCEDING for us, because even though we are TRUE BELIEVERS, we still sin, and NEED someone to plead our case.  That ONE is JESUS, He is ABLE!!

 

Are you READY to come to the ONE who is ABLE to SAVE you COMPLETELY?  If you are, this is what you MUST do to obtain God’s gift of SALVATION.  You MUST come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be COMPLETELY SAVED, by the ONLY ONE who is ABLE to SAVE you and KEEP you.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!! 

 

 

"Troubled By My Sin"

“Troubled By My Sin”

 

I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of His wonders, they did not believe.

Their hearts were not loyal to Him, they were not faithful to His covenant. 

Yet He was merciful.  He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them.

Psalm 38:18, 78:32, 37, 38

 

The problem with the condition of the world, today, is that the Crown of God’s Creation is NOT TROUBLED BY THEIR SIN.  As a matter of fact, they are quite comfortable with it.  In spite of ALL the miracles that God has performed in their lives, the many times He has rescued them from their dilemmas and even to the point of sparing their lives.  They STILL do not BELIEVE in Him or His ability to save their souls from the ETERNAL FIRES of Hell, their eventual destiny, unless, they TURN AWAY from their SIN-FULL lives and CONFESS their iniquities, and become TROUBLED by their SIN. 

 

When mankind, looks at their sins and are TROUBLED by the direction they are headed in, and will ACKNOWLEDGE their iniquities before the Living God of this Universe, God will then have MERCY on them and He will FORGIVE their iniquities and will NOT destroy them.

 

Are you TROUBLED by your sin?  Have you given your HEART and LIFE to God?  If “NO” is your answer to both of these questions, then you are sealing your fate to an ETERNITY in Hell, the place of UNENDING torment, torture, pain, heartache, agony, and despair, with NO WAY of escape.  However, you can CHANGE your direction, by, coming to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, being TROUBLED by your sin, and CONFESSING your iniquities to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT God’s gift of SALVATION, and become TROUBLED about your sins, RECEIVE God’s MERCY and GRACE, be FAITHFUL to Him, and He will SECURE your ETERNITY in Heaven.  So, do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Trespass of One Man = Death, The Grace of God = Life"

“The Trespass of One Man = Death, The Grace of God = Life”

 

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!        Romans 5:17

 

When Adam DISOBEYED and SINNED against God, in the Garden of Eden, along with his wife Eve, who enticed Adam to commit the FIRST SIN against God, DEATH was brought into the HEARTS of mankind.  They were/are born with a SINFUL NATURE.  Therefore, mankind has a NATURAL inclination to SIN against God.  WICKEDNESS, PERVERSION, DEPRAVITY, and ALL manner of EVIL is birthed in the HEARTS of mankind.  So it is, that by the TRESPASS of ONE man, Adam, DEATH reigns over mankind.

 

Oh, but it doesn’t end there.  God in His INFINITE WISDOM, and DEEP ABUNDANT LOVE, and His AMAZING GRACE for the Crown of His Creation, mankind, has a PLAN, which will do away with DEATH’S REIGN over mankind.  That PLAN, is known to us as, The Plan of SALVATION, which is carried out by ONE MAN, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose act of REDEMPTION, provides the gift of RIGHTEOUSNESS and FORGIVENESS to REIGN in LIFE for those who ACCEPT God’s GIFT of GRACE, and becomes His Child for ALL of ETERNITY.    What is your destiny, ETERNAL DEATH, where you will spend ALL of ETERNITY in Hell, the place of FOREVER torture, torment, agony, heartache, pain, and despair?  Or is it ETERNAL LIFE, where you will spend ALL of ETERNITY in Heaven, the place of ETERNAL bliss, with NO MORE torture, torment, agony, heartache, pain, and despair.  NO MORE DEATH, physical or spiritual, ONLY PEACE, LOVE, JOY and LIFE EVERLASTING?  An ABUNDANT LIFE, like you have NEVER known.

 

The ONLY WAY for you to receive ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven, is if you come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins, to Him, asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and TURN AWAY from your SINFUL lifestyle, and TURN TO God, in order to receive ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

His Salvation, His Righteousness, His Judgment"

“His Salvation, His Righteousness, His Judgment”

 

The Lord has made His salvation known and revealed His righteousness to the nations.

…He will judge the world in righteousness and the people with equity.      Psalms 98:2, 9b

 

In Noah’s time, God saw how great the wickedness of the human race was, on the earth, and that EVERY inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was EVIL ALL the time.  The Lord regretted ever creating the human race.  So God decided to destroy ALL that He had created, because of their WICKEDNESS.  However there was one man who found favor in the eyes of the Lord, and that was Noah, Noah was a RIGHTEOUS man, he was BLAMELESS among the people of his time, and he walked FAITHFULLY with God.  God saw how CORRUPT and VIOLENT the world had become and He said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to ALL people, for the earth is filled with VIOLENCE because of them.  I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.  So make yourself and ark.” 

 

Noah was OBEDIENT to God and built an ark.  The Lord made His SALVATION known to Noah.  God kept His word and destroyed the WICKED, CORRUPT, DEPRAVED, VIOLENT world with a flood, but Noah and his family were SAVED from the WRATH of the RIGHTEOUS God.  The Bible tells us that this world in which we NOW reside, will one day, be destroyed by FIRE, which will probably be sooner than most people think.  It will be destroyed because of it being WICKED, CORRUPT, DEPRAVED, and VIOLENT. 

 

God is making His SALVATION known to mankind, today, through the preaching of His Word, through the ministry of the missionaries, and through the WITNESS of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER.  God’s SALVATION, today, comes ONLY through ONE WAY, and that WAY is coming to the OLD RUGGED CROSS of Jesus Christ, for FORGIVENESS of your sins.  Jesus Christ is our ONLY SALVATION, He is our ONLY WAY of ESCAPING the WRATH of the RIGHTEOUS God.

 

When He comes to JUDGE this WICKED, CORRUPT, DEPRAVED, VIOLENT world, He will JUDGE it in RIGHTEOUSNESS and He will JUDGE the PEOPLE with EQUITY or FAIRNESS.  We do NOT know when He will come, but He WILL come.  Are you ready to face the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are NOT ready.  Those who have REJECTED God’s Son, Jesus Christ, will be JUDGED and found GUILTY, and will be SENTENCED to an ETERNITY in HELL, the place of UNENDING, torment, torture, pain, heartache, agony and despair, with NO WAY of ESCAPE.  However, God, in His MERCY and GRACE, is offering you one more opportunity to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and KNOW His SALVATION, His RIGHTEOUSNESS, and ESCAPE His JUDGMENT.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"God's Sufficient Grace"

“God’s Sufficient Grace”

 

…Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself.  Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me.  But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”  Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may reside in me.  So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.            2 Corinthians 12:7-10

 

The Apostle Paul, in this part of his second letter to the Corinthian believers, was cautioning them on BOASTING about themselves and their own accomplishments.  He made the statement that in order for him to NOT exalt himself, he was given a thorn in his flesh.  He called it a “messenger of Satan,” that would bring torment to him in order that he would NOT EXALT himself.  Some think that this “thorn in the flesh” was his eyesight, and some believe that Paul had back problems, nevertheless, whatever it was, it kept the Apostle from BOASTING about himself.

 

When Paul pleaded with God to take this “messenger of Satan” from him.  God gave Paul this answer, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”  God’s AMAZING GRACE is SUFFICIENT to supply ALL our needs, even a thorn in the flesh.  When we submit ourselves to God, we become weak and His power is able to work in us, therefore, providing the STRENGTH and POWER of the LIVING GOD, which is used by His Spirit, who indwells us. 

 

Instead of Paul BOASTING about his STRENGTHS, he says he will BOAST about his WEAKNESSES, so that the POWER of Jesus Christ may reside in him.  He says that he takes PLEASURE in his weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions and in pressures, because of Christ.  For when he is WEAK then he is STRONG. This STRENGTH and POWER comes from his submission to God’s SUFFICIENT GRACE. 

 

What do you BOAST about?  Is it about God’s SUFFICIENT GRACE and POWER that sustains you through ANY and ALL situations that you might encounter, and that becomes a “thorn in your flesh?”  Or are you so vain that you BOAST on your OWN abilities? 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you CANNOT BOAST about His SUFFICIENT GRACE and POWER, because you do NOT POSSESS it.  And you will STRUGGLE through ALL the torments of this earthly life, alone, without His SUFFICIENT GRACE and POWER.  Your ETERNITY will be spent in Hell, the place of UNENDING torment, torture, heartache, pain, agony and despair, unless you TURN AWAY from your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT his gift of SALVATION, and experience His SUFFICIENT GRACE and POWER in your life.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"When I Am Old and Gray"

“When I Am Old and Gray”

 

Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.  Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things.  Who is like you, God?       Psalm 71:18-19

 

The Psalmist was aging and he realized that his time to be a MIGHTY WARRIOR or even a GREAT and POWERFUL KING was becoming a thing of the PAST, and as he contemplated his future, he had one VERY IMPORTANT request of the ALMIGHTY God.  He asked that God would NOT FORSAKE him, till he had the opportunity to DECLARE God’s POWER to the next generation, and NOT just His MIGHTY POWER, but also His MIGHTY ACTS to those who were yet to come.

 

As I find myself, like the Psalmist, aging, and with each year that passes I, like the Psalmist, wish for God’s presence to be CONTINUALLY with me.  I find myself, hungering MORE and MORE for enlightenment of the Word of the Living God.  And I want to SERVE Him, with every OUNCE of strength I have until the day I leave this earth. 

 

However, I KNOW that I am WEAK and in NEED of a HELPER, the ONLY WAY that I can serve the LIVING, MERCIFUL, LOVING, ALL POWERFUL, God is to FULLY RELY on the HOLY SPIRIT, which indwells me and will CONTINUE to indwell me until my APPOINTED TIME to leave this SIN-LADEN, DEPRAVED, WICKED World, for ALL the GLORIES of Heaven. 

 

While I’m waiting for that time to come, I want to be SERVING God, and able to SHARE ALL His WONDERFUL, MIGHTY ACTS, and His MIGHTY POWER with the NEXT GENERATION, this would be the MOST MAGNIFICENT thing to do.  To be able to HELP MOLD their minds and PLANT seeds of FAITH in their HEARTS, and to help SET their course of DESTINY. 

 

Because the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God reaches to the heavens, and His MIGHTY ACTS and MIGHTY POWER is INCOMPARABLE. There is NONE like Him, there NEVER has been, and NEVER will be.  He is OMNISCIENT, OMNIPOTENT, AND OMNIPRESENT.  He is the ALPHA and OMEGA, the BEGINNING and the END.  He is ETERNAL, He has ALWAYS BEEN, and ALWAYS will BE.  He is the CREATOR and the SUSTAINER.  There is NOTHING that has been CREATED, which has NOT been CREATED by Him.  HE IS IN CONTROL!!  He is MERCIFUL, GRACIOUS, LOVING, FORGIVING, and FAITHFUL.  These are reasons why I LOVE Him SO, and why I want to SERVE Him, even WHEN I AM OLD and GRAY. 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are SERVING the devil and your destiny is an ETERNITY in HELL, the place of ETERNAL torment, torture, pain, agony, heartache, and despair, unless you TURN FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TRUN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your Heart, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and let your destiny be an ETERNITY in Heaven, and let the Holy Spirit USE you till you are OLD and GRAY.  Do it NOW, while you still can. He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

 

"Instructions for Living a Christian Life"

“Instructions for Living a Christian Life”

 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.         Ephesians 4:29-32

 

These are instructions concerning the behavior of those who profess to be a CHRISTIAN, which the Apostle Paul gave to the TRUE BELIEVERS in Ephesus.  They are instructions for the TRUE BELIEVERS of today, as well. 

 

Some of these things might prove to be difficult for some, nevertheless, we MUST STRIVE to live the way GOD wants and expects us to live.  The first thing he tells us is:  Do NOT let ANY UNWHOLESOME talk come out of your mouths, but ONLY what is HELPFUL for BUILDING others UP according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  In other words, DO NOT use ROTTEN, FOUL, UGLY language, DON’T say things INTENTIONALY to hurt or BREAK DOWN or CRUSH a person’s spirit.  But use words that will ENCOURAGE, EDIFY and BUILD UP another person.  Then those that are around you will LEARN from your GODLY EXAMPLE.

 

The next instruction, which Paul gives is:  Do NOT grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the Day of Redemption.   Now, you might ask:  “How can you GRIEVE the Holy Spirit of God?”  Well, first of all, you GRIEVE the Holy Spirit by being DISOBEDIENT, the Holy Spirit helps guard your speech, and whenever you use UNWHOLESOME, DEGRADING, ROTTEN, FOUL, UGLY, or DECEPTIVE WORDS, you are being DISOBEDIENT and you are GRIEVING the Holy Spirit of God, and you will be held ACCOUNTABLE for EVERY IDLE word you speak. 

 

Paul tells us to GET RID of:  ALL BITTERNESS, RAGE, and ANGER, BRAWLING and SLANDER (telling a lie about someone in order to CRUSH them), along with EVERY FORM of MALICE (ill will, the desire to harm another, spite), (Webster’s Dictionary).  These are things that will GRIEVE the Holy Spirit of God. 

 

Paul then says that we SHOULD:  Be KIND and COMPASSIONATE to one another, FORGIVING each other, just as in Christ, God FORGAVE YOU.   If you are a TRUE BELIEVER, you NEED to be STRIVING to follow Paul’s INSTRUCTIONS for LIVING a CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are NOT a TRUE BELIEVER, and you are LOST and without the FORGIVENESS of God.  You are living a DOOMED LIFE, one that is headed for an ETERNITY  in Hell, unless, you TURN AWAY from your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and FOLLOW THESE instructions, so you are NOT GUILTY of GRIEVING the Holy Spirit of God.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Pure and Undefiled Religion"

“Pure and Undefiled Religion”

 

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.  Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.        James 1:26-27

 

These verses of Scripture, instructs us as to what is TRUE, PURE, UNDEFILED RELIGION is and what it is not.  James starts off with what it is NOT.  He tells us that a person who believes he is religious and does NOT bridle his tongue, in other words, does not CONTROL his speech, his religion is WORTHLESS.  Now James also tells us in 3:6, that “the tongue is a FIRE, a world of UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.  The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.”   Now you know why it is SO IMPORTANT for a person to have a TIGHT rein on their tongue. 

 

If they do NOT have a TIGHT rein on their tongue, then they DECEIVE their own heart, and their religion is WORTHLESS.   With the tongue a person can HURT, INCAPCITATE, and COMPLETELY DESTROY another person’s faith, and their will to serve God the way God desires.

 

Isaiah 1:15-17 says:  “When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.  Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”  God does NOT want a lot of WORTHLESS rituals and FAKE worship.  He desires a CLEAN and CONTRITE HEART, a RIGHTEOUS SOUL, whose RELIGION is PURE, and UNDEFILED by the UNRIGHTEOUSNESS of one’s HEART, but one who is WILLING to put their RELIGION to work by SERVING others, and NOT GRUMBLING and COMPLAINING about having to SERVE.  FAITH without WORKS, is DEAD. (2:17)

 

How is your RELIGION?  PURE and UNDEFILED?  Or are you trying to worship the HOLY, RIGHTEOUS GOD with an UNRIGHTEOUS, SIN-STAINED, HALF-HEARTED, ritual of a WORTHLESS RELIGION.  Well, now is the time to STOP deceiving yourself and BEGIN a religion that is WHOLE HEARTED, PURE and UNDEFILED, by putting your FAITH to work for God.

You may even be LOST and without any religion at all.  If you have NOT TRULY given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are facing an ETERNITY in HELL, the place of UNENDING torment, torture, pain, heartache, and despair.  Unless you come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of Salvation, and WORSHIP Him with a CLEAN and CONTRITE HEART, SERVING Him with a RELIGION that is PURE and UNDEFILED.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!