"An Enemy of God"

“An Enemy of God”

 

 

You people aren’t faithful to God!  Don’t you know if you love the world, you are God’s enemies?  And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.          James 4:4

 

 

In this part of James’ letter to the twelve tribes of Israel, his tone changes.  He is not addressing them as; “my brothers,” but as “UNFAITHFUL PEOPLE.”  They were allowing “worldly” actions to invade their lives.  They were arguing with each other, being selfish, self-centered, arrogant and prideful, they were even coveting what their neighbor had, to the point of killing to get what they wanted.

 

Then James confronts them with the TRUTH of the matter.  They were embracing worldly things and actions.  They were becoming friends with the world.  Doing these things produced enmity between them and the Almighty God.

 

Things have NOT changed.  We live in a society that is “WORLDLY MINDED.”   People will embrace worldly things, and bend over backwards to appease the WORLDLY MINDED, yet they will abandon their SPIRITUAL MINDSET and become friends with the world, even though it could put their children and grandchildren at RISK. 

 

The Bible clearly states things that are considered PERVERTED, DEPRAVED, WICKED, or SINFUL in the eyes of Almighty God are the very same things that the WORLD embraces.  1Corinthians 6:9-10 says:  “Don’t you know that evil people won’t have a share in the blessings of God’s kingdom?  Don’t fool yourselves!  No one who is immoral or worships idols or is unfaithful in marriage or is a pervert or behaves like a homosexual will share in God’s kingdom.  Neither will any thief or greedy person or drunkard or anyone who curses and cheats others.”  This is the WORD of GOD, and this WORLD and ALL its ways will be judged by God’s WORD. 

 

Don’t be fooled by the concept that, if you don’t agree with or support the ways of the world, you are narrow minded.  I would rather be considered ‘narrow minded,’ by this world, then to be considered an enemy of God, and end up in Hell for ALL of eternity.  Where do you stand?  Are you a friend of the world and an enemy of God?  Or are you a TRUE, FAITHFUL Child of God, who does NOT embrace the world and its ways?    You can change your mind by coming to God with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, and CONFESS your sins to Him, and ask 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 TRUE, FAITHFUL, Child of God who will share in God’s kingdom throughout eternity.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"The Most Important Decision of All!"

“The Most Important Decision of All!”

 

 

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die.  Do you believe this?        John 11:25-26

 

Jesus was speaking to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, at his burial site.  Jesus said to Martha, “Your brother will rise again.”  Martha replied: “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”  Then Jesus said to her, “I am the RESURRECTION and the LIFE.  The one who BELIEVES in Me will LIVE, even though they DIE; and WHOEVER lives by BELIEVING in Me will NEVER die.  Do you BELIEVE this?”

 

This is the MOST IMPORTANT DECISION a person will ever make in their life.  It’s NOT, “who will I marry?” or “what college or university will I attend?”  or “What profession will I have?”  Or even “How many children will I have?” 

 

There is NO decision that you will make in this lifetime that is, as IMPORTANT as, or more IMPORTANT than, BELIEVING that Jesus IS ALL that He claims to be.   Because WHERE you spend your ETERNITY will be determined on WHAT you believe and WHAT DECISION you will make concerning your belief. 

 

For those who BELIEVE that Jesus is the RESURRECTION and the LIFE, and that they will LIVE, even when they DIE, will receive ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven, and they will NEVER die.  One of the CERTAINTIES in this life is DEATH, and when you leave this earth in DEATH, the DECISION you make about ACCEPTING Jesus Christ as your SAVIOR and LORD, WILL determine your ETERNITY, HEAVEN or HELL? 

 

ALL the other DECISIONS you make in this lifetime are TEMPORARY.  They will cease to exist, when you die, but the DECISION you make about Jesus Christ is PERMANENT.  So the question you have before you, is, “Do you BELIEVE this?”  What is your DECISION?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are gambling with your ETERNITY.  You MUST make a DECISION, “Do you BELIEVE or NOT?   Come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and CONFESS 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 make the MOST IMPORTANT DECISION of your life;  BELIEVING that JESUS IS THE RESURRECTION and the LIFE, and secure your ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"A Living Sacrifice"

“A Living Sacrifice”

 

 

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God---this is your true and proper worship.                 Romans 12:1

 

 

Sacrifice:  An offering of the life of a person or animal, or object, to God. 

 

The Apostle Paul is urging the believer in Rome to offer their bodies as a LIVING sacrifice, HOLY and PLEASING to God, in view of His GREAT MERCY. 

 

In the Old Testament times a sacrifice was given to be put to death, for the remission of sins.  The Scriptures tells that “without the shedding of blood there is NO forgiveness.”  But Paul was talking about the bodies of the believers being a LIVING sacrifice.  A sacrifice that is ALIVE in Christ, SERVING and HONORING Him. 

 

ALL believers SHOULD BE a LIVING sacrifice, HOLY and PLEASING to the Almighty God, who through the ABUNDANCE of His LOVE, MERCY and GRACE, has provided a HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, SACRIFICE for the REDEMPTION of ALL mankind, that being the ONE and ONLY SACRIFICE of His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

So how do you become a LIVING sacrifice, HOLY and PLEASING to God?  You can NOT do it by your own means.  You MUST come to Him with a REPENANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU and ACCEPT God’s gift of SALVATION, and then have a WILLINGNESS to OPEN yourself up to the LEADERSHIP and CONTROL of His HOLY SPIRIT.  Then you will become a LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY and PLEASING to Almighty God, which will be your TRUE and PROPER worship.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE over to GOD, then you are LOST and you are LIVING an UNHOLY and PLEASING life for Satan, which will lead you to HELL, the place of torment, torture, heartache and pain.  You can CHANGE your destination NOW, by coming to God with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, and CONFESS your sins to Him, then ask Him for His FORGIVENESS, and BELIEVE 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 LIVING sacrifice, HOLY and PLEASING to God.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Acknowledge, Reveal, And Confess!"

“Acknowledge, Reveal, And Confess!”

 

 

Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not conceal my iniquity.  I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You took away the guilt of my sin.         Psalm 32:5

 

 

There are certain things you MUST do, in order to obtain SALVATION.  The first thing you need to do is to ACKNOWLEDGE that you are a sinner.  A person that is born with a sinful nature, and because of that sinful nature you have disobeyed God.  EVERYONE is born with a sinful nature, which is having the desire to sin.  You may be a good person, but nevertheless, you still have a sinful nature, and because of the sinful nature, you are a sinner.  Therefore, you MUST ACKNOWLEDGE that you are a sinner.

 

The second thing that MUST be done is to NOT try to CONCEAL or HIDE your sins.  God is ALL-KNOWING, there is absolutely NO WAY for you to CONCEAL your sins from Him.  He knows EVERY thought or action you have.  So you MUST be willing to REVEAL, your sins to Him.  You do that by CONFESSING to Him ALL your sins or transgressions. 

 

When you come to Him with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, ACKNOWLEDGING that you are a sinner, REVEALING and CONFESSING your sins to Him, then He will take away the guilt of your sin by giving you His gift of SALVATION.   And you are then ADOPTED into His family, and will receive the Hope of an ETERNITY in Heaven.  This does NOT mean that you will never sin again nor have to ask FORGIVENESS again.  We, who are Children of God still commit sins daily, and MUST follow the steps of:  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, REVEALING and CONFESSING our sins, and asking for His FORGIVENESS so we are able to be released from the guilt of our sin.  And He will not hold us accountable for those sins that are CONFESSED to Him.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are a sinner in NEED of a SAVIOR.  You MUST follow the steps in order to gain SALVATION.  You do that by ACKNOWLEDGING that you are a sinner, in NEED of a Savior, and then come to God with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, REVEALING and 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 released from the guilt of your sins, and become one of His Children, with the HOPE of an ETERNITY in Heaven.   Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!  

 

 

"God's Warning to a Sinful World"

“God’s Warning to a Sinful World”

 

 

God punished the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and this is a warning to anyone else who wants to sin.   Lot lived right and was greatly troubled by the terrible way those wicked people were living.  He was a good man, and day after day he suffered because of the evil things he saw and heard.  So the Lord rescued him.  This shows that the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their sufferings and to punish evil people while they wait for the Day of Judgment.      2Peter 2:6-9

 

Our days on this earth are numbered, and ONLY God knows the last day and time when we will face the Day of Judgment.  In the meantime we will be held accountable for how we live our lives on this earth, the same as the people who lived in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, cities that were filled with wickedness and depravity. 

 

When God had given them EVERY opportunity to REPENT and they REFUSED His invitations, time and time again, He punished the cities by burning them to ashes.  The Scripture says: “This is a WARNING to anyone else who wants to sin.” 

 

We are living in a wretched, sinful world NOW, and it is probably worse than the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, so if God punished the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their sinfulness, WHAT and WHEN will the nations of this earth face as punishment for the present wickedness that is prevalent throughout the land.   

 

There is ONE redeeming factor, God rescued Lot, Abram’s nephew, from destruction, because He lived right, he was a good man who believed in and worshiped the ONE TRUE GOD.  This shows us that the Lord will rescue His godly Children and punish the evil people.  I believe that we are facing some PERILOUS times and one day God will say, “ENOUGH!”  and send Jesus to come and RAPTURE His Children from this SIN-LADEN world.  Are you READY?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, and are living in sin continually, then you will experience the wrath of the HOLY RIGHTEOUS GOD of this Universe.  He will bring punishment on the wicked.  However, He is giving you the opportunity, NOW, to come to Him with a TRULY REPENTANT HEART, and CONFESS 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 rescued from the coming doom of this wretched, sinful, old world.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"How to Know You are a Child of God"

“How to Know You are a Child of God”

 

 

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the Children of God.  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.         Romans 8:14-16

 

 

The Apostle Paul was sharing with the believers in Rome, how they could KNOW that they were Children of God.  He told them that those who are LED by the Spirit of God are the Children of God.  Those who are willing to SUBMIT themselves to the LEADERSHIP of God’s Holy Spirit.  The Spirit that they had received at the time of their conversion did NOT make them slaves, like they once were to sin, but it brought them ADOPTION into God’s family, and by Him they were able to cry “ABBA, FATHER,” which is an intimate term used by God’s Children.  They were then able to approach God in an intimate way. Then the Spirit, Himself, will testify to their spirit that they are God’s children.

 

This is the same way WE can KNOW that WE too are God’s Children, through coming before God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and SUBMITTING to Him for the LEADERSHIP of His HOLY SPIRIT in our lives, and who will set us FREE from the SLAVERY of SIN, and living in FEAR from the sinful lifestyle, which we were once enslaved.   The Spirit of the Living God, then brings us ADOPTION into God’s Holy Family, and we can then come into His presence, intimately calling Him, “ABBA, FATHER.”  Then we have the ASSURANCE that His Spirit testifies with our spirit that WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN. 

 

If you have NOT come to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, and WILLINGLY SUBMITTED yourself to the LEADERSHIP of God’s Holy Spirit, then you are NOT a Child of God.  Instead, you belong to Satan’s family.  But you can change your FAMILY AFFLIATION, by coming to God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART and CONFESSING your sins to God 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 WILLINGLY SUBMIT yourself to the LEADERSHIP of His Holy Spirit, and receive the ASSURANCE that His Spirit will testify to your spirit that you are NOW a TRUE CHILD of GOD.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Mankind: A Mere Phantom!"

“Mankind: A Mere Phantom!”

 

 

What is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?        Psalm 8:4

You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before You.  Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.  Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.          Psalm 39:5-6

 

 

These two psalms were penned by David, who questions God about the origin of mankind.  In Psalm 8, He asks, “What is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”  His curiosity was aroused as to why God would care so MUCH about that part of His creation.

 

Coming to the end of David’s life, in Psalm 39, he has the answer to his question: “What is mankind?”  David realizes the fragility of life.  He states that his lifespan is a mere ‘handbreadth’ or the breadth of the palm of a human hand.  And he goes on to say that EVERYONE is but a breath or vapor, even those who SEEM secure.  It’s as if EVERYONE is like a PHANTOM, or ghost, and when they get to the point of realizing, just how fragile life is, they FRANTICALLY rush around, gathering possessions, that they will leave behind when they leave this wretched old world, without knowing who will end up with those possessions. 

 

If we were as concerned about the “SPIRITUAL” aspect of life, as we are with the “MATERIAL” part of life, we would be able to REAP a GREAT HARVEST of souls for the Lord, before our departure.  We must come to the realization that all the MATERIAL things we gather up are TEMPORARY, they will turn to RUST or they will ROT and DECAY, but the SPIRITUAL things will be kept ETERNAL:  “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matt. 6:19-21)

 

Where is your HEART?  Are you FRANTICALLY rushing around storing up MATERIAL things, but you have NO SPIRITUAL TREASURES laid up in Heaven?  Are you laying up any SPIRITUAL things for your children or grandchildren to be able to build upon?   If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you have NO SPIRITUAL TREASURES laid up in Heaven, because Heaven will not be your FINAL DESTINATION, Hell, will be your destination, and there will be NO treasures laid down there for you, nothing but, torment, torture, agony and pain, to name a few things that will be waiting for you.  However you NOW have the opportunity to change your destination and START laying up in Heaven your SPIRITUAL TREASURES.  You do that by:  CONFESSING your sins to God 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 receive the HOPE of Heaven and ALL your SPIRITUAL TREASURES that are awaiting you.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!