Drop Your Rocks!

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:3-11 NIV

Sin is sin--no matter what act a person commits and the Bible is very specific about the acts of sin--any deliberate act that opposes God's Word.

Being stupid or "extremely careless" is not a crime. If being stupid was a crime, there wouldn't be enough room in Texas, Florida, or California to hold all the stupid people. In fact, there would probably be more people locked up than free and then what would happen to our economy and military?

We tend to cry foul about some things because we want to draw attention to ourselves--especially those running for elected positions. How many times have we seen and heard--public outcry from politicians about the behavior of one and then have the tides turned upon them and all the cameras were facing them--for the same judgment--the same thing they were quick to condemn others for? I could take the time to list them, but it would be pointless--and their misdeeds are a matter of public record so anyone can search for them.

The point to all of this is--the FBI cleared Clinton of any criminal intent--saying she was "extremely careless" (which amounts to being stupid), but had not committed any crimes. Therefore, all those crying foul--should be silent a moment and think about their own lives and see if they, too should be indicted for being stupid.

Not one person reading this blog--unless they had access to all the facts--is in a position to judge the situation--not the director's decision or Clinton's actions. Anything and everything we say--including her opponents in this election cycle--is a matter of speculation and opinion and our opinions matter not--when facts are more important.

Of course, the media won't let this rest because it's a matter of ratings--who can be more sensational than another station or newspaper. I don't care what anyone else says, "extremely careless" is not a condemnation, but a reprimand and there is a difference in the definition of the words. But we understand--the stronger the language used--the more abhorrent the act seems--and everybody is picking up their rocks to throw.

Think about it--if you've ever done anything stupid, or were "extremely careless" about a decision or act--negligent if you will--drop your rocks. I can guarantee that anyone crying foul and wants to see her indicted, will soon have the cameras on them--facing possible indictments for real crimes--not imagined ones. History--always repeats itself--and when we don't learn from history--we keep making the same foolish decisions.

Drop your rocks and think about your own life and then determine within yourself--that you will seek wisdom before speaking--or judging another with opinions and not facts.

Without God In The Midst!

“Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge. But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame, Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace. Though they have officials in Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes, everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them, who bring neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace.” Isaiah 30: 1-5 NIV

Seeking understanding to explain what's happening in our society today, we see in The Word, there is truly nothing new under the sun.

Then, as now, whenever people sought "other people or places" as a means to change things for the better--without God, they inevitably made a mess of things and people ended up in worse shape than they were in from the beginning.

Looking at Pharaoh--the iconic symbol for government--one in a position of ruling the government and Egypt as the seat of government--we see the parallels that exist in our system of government--supposedly a democracy, but its foundation of lies and hypocrisy leads us to where we are today.

If we seek salvation from a president--we delude ourselves; especially if that person does not know God and cannot make decisions for us based upon The Word. If we seek deliverance from all the woes we see--economic distress, political unrest, and a general lack of respect for others--we waste our time expecting relief or change from a place--namely Washington, DC--the seat of government.

Without consulting God--we can do nothing worthwhile and we are like the proverbial ship without a sail and doomed to fail at all we do.

Without consulting God--Supreme Court Justices openly defy and alter God's plan for mankind--making a mockery of the first institution established by God--marriage.

Without consulting God--legislators decided to remove prayer and kick God out of the schools, leaving the door open for the devil to create havoc and chaos for all.

Without consulting God--our current President endorses predatory behavior by claiming that anyone can use any bathroom--"whatever they feel like they are."

Without consulting God--we the people--by popular proclamation--are considering electing people who have not consulted God--to benefit the people.

Since God is not being consulted--for any number of things--we open ourselves to the consequences of sin--heaped upon sin.

Any time, people--from times past to the present--have proceeded to plan anything without God being in the midst--we leave ourselves prey to all the evil the enemy has planned and then we wonder why--things are falling apart all around us. It is no mystery that the world is headed in the wrong direction, for we're looking for deliverance from people, and not God.

It's time for us to head in the right direction, but that can only happen when we allow God's plans to unfold in our lives. And the only way we can know God's Plans is to get into His Word, seek His Wisdom, and do things--His Way!

Wickedness and Strange Weather!

Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright. Proverbs 14:9 NIV
The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. Proverbs 14:11 NIV
There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12 NIV
The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good rewarded for theirs. Proverbs 14:14 NIV
The wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure. Proverbs 14:16 NIV
Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. Proverbs 17:19 NIV

No matter how many times or how many ways we see in God's Word the warnings about sin, some still tend to ignore the consequences.

In fact, our society has become mockers of sin because they do not believe that sin has consequences simply because they don't believe God. The truth is about to overtake us and many will see what sin achieves.

God is not blind, deaf or forgetful. He does not change His Word or His intent for mankind simply to appease the whim of men's thinking. Everything He called sin, is still sin and no matter what men and women do--sin in God's sight is still sin.

The problem is people tend to mistake lust for love and think God is fooled. God is love and He knows better than any of us what love does and what love does not do. Love is not lust and lust is not love.

Love only wants the best for all involved yet lust only wants to satisfy a feeling for the moment.

Love steers people onto the path of doing the right thing at all times.

Lust steers emotion and physical need along the path of satisfaction at any cost.

The bottom line that many may not want to acknowledge is that in the end, God has the last word and when we refuse to accept correction and get back on the path of righteousness, He removes His hand of protection and we get what we get.

The unusual weather is simply a sign of God's displeasure with our behavior and greed. When making money is more important than preserving resources, we have problems as we see with the effects of global warming.

The disregard for the safety for the vulnerable is about to explode and the courts will be filled with lawsuits, but lives will be changed forever because of a few who chose not to see the danger of not thinking or seeking the wisdom of God.

Whenever we choose to ignore God and do what we want to do, subscribing to that old adage, "If it feels good, do it," we open the door to the evil that is constantly lurking on the other side.

How do we avoid the consequences of sin? That's easy. We seek God and obey His Word and promote His goodness to others. It's not rocket science; it is simply living by faith in His Word.

On The Journey--RESH!

Consider my affliction and deliver me,
For I do not forget Your law.
Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me according to Your word.
Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they do not seek Your statutes.
Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD;
Revive me according to Your judgments.
Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.
I see the treacherous, and am disgusted,
Because they do not keep Your word.
Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.
The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. Psalm 119:153-160 NKJV

The 20th letter and stanza--continued recognition of the need to keep God's Word and awareness of how others fare when they don't.

When we have the Word hidden in our hearts and have a desire to please God, things change on the inside of us--we are forever mindful of our need for God in our lives and we should be disgusted with the ways of those who live in opposition with God's Word. Now, "disgusted" is a little strong, but the intent serves a purpose.

Every Believer should be disgusted with sin--when we see it in others and in ourselves. We should hate sin with enough diligence to want to see it eradicated--never to be seen again; but we should never hate the sinner.

How do we separate the sin from the sinner? Sin is an act or action that is contrary to God's Word; the sinner is the person committing the act. God hates sin and so should we; but He loves the sinner and so should we.

If God hated sinners--where would we be? Lost in our sin--hated and tainted by others. It is God's mercy, and enduring kindness that has brought us into a knowledge of who He is and how He wants us to live--not that we were so good, but that we all--at one time--were headed in the wrong direction. But His love--sees beyond our faults and brings us to a place where we are able to realize our potential--the purpose He has for our lives.

Throughout this Psalm, the writer refers to himself--always in need of God's direction and grateful for His statues and precepts--understanding His purpose in our lives. And though it appears that the writer is scornful of the wicked, he also intercedes on their behalf when he points out their shortcomings and acknowledges God's lovingkindness.

What we should not miss is that no matter how many times or ways others tried to destroy him, persecuted him, and taunted him for keeping God's Word, he stood firm.

Can we say the same? Or do we allow the enemy to entangle us with the deeds of the wicked by responding in kind when we are mistreated? Are we able to rise above the fray in the midst of a torrent of hatefulness directed at us and say, "Lord, I love to keep Your Word?"

I am reminded of the current political climate in which we see more kindergarten attitudes than maturity in the mudslinging. I am so tired of politicians who have no platform--nothing to say about their own strengths, but are always in "attack mode." If this is the best we can do, Heaven help us all!

And while we wait for His glorious return-we pray-and continue to praise God for His goodness and for loving us enough to bring us into the knowledge of who He is and how He wants us to live.

On The Journey--TSADDE!

Righteous are You, O LORD,
And upright are Your judgments.
Your testimonies, which You have commanded,
Are righteous and very faithful.
My zeal has consumed me,
Because my enemies have forgotten Your words
Your word is very pure;
Therefore Your servant loves it.
I am small and despised,
Yet I do not forget Your precepts.
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And Your law is truth.
Trouble and anguish have overtaken me,
Yet Your commandments are my delights.
The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting;
Give me understanding, and I shall live

The 18th letter and stanza of this acrostic expression of the writers deep-seated emotions about their circumstances.

When we do everything we can to do what is right, do we get tired when we see our efforts fall short?

This is what I'm getting out of this stanza--the writer knows that God's laws are right, he's trying to live by them, but all around them, people are living by their own standards and codes of righteousness. He's getting tired--of being harassed because of his zeal to do things God's way, instead of the way people consider to be just.

I've often felt that way myself. Not that I'm so perfect, but when I try to live according to God's Word and then watch all those who don't--appear to prosper--my flesh gets weak and I want to angry and want to tell people off. However, when Holy Spirit speaks to my heart, I calm down and continue to seek God's Word, with my mind made up to do things God's Way.

I know many Believers who have encountered some of the same things I have in this regard--we are criticized, ridiculed, and persecuted because we refuse to go along with the status quo--accept everything everyone does and ignore God. We won't do it.

Our opposition--or at least mine--has come from two primary sources--those who don't believe in God and those who promote living in opposition to God's Word because it is politically expedient.

Though I get weary and spiritually weak in this continuing fight, I won't give up. I won't allow those who choose not to Believe, to deter me or dissuade me. They have a right to believe or not believe just as I do. When they choose to cite science as a standard, I know they have forgotten--if they ever knew--that God created all that was ever created and the goal of science is to try to explain--why--science does not create anything from nothing, which is why scientists are yet puzzled by Creation and are forever trying to discover--the how and why. That's what they do--discover--not create.

On the other hand, I am appalled at Believers--those who proclaim to be Christians or at least know something about The Word--those who encourage living in opposition to God's Word and promote ungodliness. It is this group that has the most to worry about when they stand before God on That Day. It is because of sin running rampant and approved by Supreme Court Justices and any other legislative body or persons--who refuse to see the benefit of God's Word as His intent for mankind that the world is in the shape it is.

We must call sin--sin! Liars (and this covers most politicians) are sinners! Thieves--in high places and low places are sinners! All sexual behavior outside the parameters of marriage as God defines it--is sin! Having respect of person (giving people advantages over others for no reason other than association)--is sin! Allowing self-pride--in thinking we know more than we do to reign--is sin and usually leads to problems! When we don't know something, we should own it, and seek to learn it.

This is what the writer has concluded--without God's Word to guide him, there can be nothing but chaos and destruction. Have we reached that conclusion? Are we going with the status quo--anything goes? Are we cementing our relationship with the God of Heaven or the god of this world?

We have choices to make--if we haven't already made them--and I choose to Believe God and live according to His Word--not the dictates of man. What about you?

Forewarned Accountability!

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked person, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself." Ezekiel 3:17-19 NIV

The role of watchman--to warn people to change before they are consumed by their own acts--is the same today as it was then. God is yet speaking to people, warning them to tell others to "change course" and seek Him and when we do not speak as God speaks, He will hold us accountable for what happens to others. When we do speak what He speaks and people ignore us, they are responsible and held accountable for their actions, not us for forewarning them.

When loving parents instruct, guide, and set boundaries for their children, it is to keep them safe from harm. But if the children ignore the instructions and do what they want to do, they are responsible for the consequences of their actions. However, if children come to harm and parents have never provided them with any guidance, it is the parents who are responsible and should be held accountable for their negligence.

For it is negligent--on the part of anyone--to see a dangerous situation and not warn others. It is negligent to know that ignoring instruction and rules could lead to other problems. It is negligent to know truth and allow people to believe a lie, without warning them of the consequences of their actions.

We live in a society where many are afraid to speak truth--about any situation--because they do not want to offend others or get on their wrong side. That's amazing to me. People are more concerned about offending mere mortals than they are about offending God. When we do wrong, no matter what the wrong is--we must be willing to accept the consequences for our actions.
Whether it is the president of the United States or the president of another entity; whether it is the justices of the Supreme Court or the judges in the lower courts; whether it is the pastor of the church or the congregants of the church--wrong is wrong--and God makes no distinctions between sin or those who commit the sin.

Lying is sin. Circumventing authority is sin. Being a pot-stirrer--always trying to stir up emotions in people in a negative way is sin. Having respect of persons is sin. We tend to pay more attention to sexual sin than other sin, but sin is sin and there are consequences for it all.

If we only concerned with pleasing God, the likelihood of our being held accountable for what others do significantly decreases, but their accountability remains the same. We are accountable for what we do and don't do--especially when we are forewarned and refuse to speak what God tells us to say.

Reading some of my fellow-bloggers lets me know that they understand the role of accountability and I count it a joy to be found in that number--a watchman not afraid to speak God's Truth as He reveals it to me. I pray more people will realize the importance of speaking God's Truth instead of trying to promote our own as it pertains the end results for all. I certainly don't want the blood of anyone else on my hands.

Time To Clean House!

When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, "I will return to the house I left." When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven others spirits more wicked than itself and they to in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. (Luke 11:24-26 NIV)

The most hilarious explanation of this parable I've heard is from those who hate housework as much as I do.  I love a clean house; I just hate cleaning one. But anyway, I've actually heard people say, this is why they shouldn't clean house--for evil spirits will come in and take up residence there. That's not what Jesus was saying, and while it's good for a laugh, it's not so good for a house that's never cleaned.

When people are delivered of bad habits and wickedness, they must be careful to "replace" the bad with good. If they are empty--with voids in their lives--Satan returns and brings with him more evil and wickedness than the person knew before. Evil spirits thrive in people who are empty and don't know which way to turn. But the joy of The Lord--fills us to overflowing.

When cleaning house--the only way to keep it clean is to pay attention to every detail on a consistent basis--never allowing the dust to accumulate to the point they form shapes and move at will. The longer we allow to dust to stay, the more particles from the air it attracts and builds a covering--keeping natural beauty hidden and only the dust is seen--mocking all who see it.

Has anyone ever noticed that if we keep paper laying around, more paper accumulates? Garbage attracts more garbage and the longer it takes us to get it out of our houses, the worse the stench becomes. And sometimes, the stench becomes so strong, it permeates every piece of furniture or curtain and the stench wins if we don't do something about it.

This is the way sin wins in the lives of many people. They may stop doing one thing, but if they are not vigilant in making sure sin has no means of accumulating again, they'll attract other sinful things to do. The way we keep our spiritual houses clean is to wash ourselves with The Word on a daily basis. We should be so saturated with the Word in our hearts that sin doesn't have a chance to enter and entice us to do evil. When our faith is solidly built on our resurrected Savior and our obedience is immediate, Satan doesn't have a chance. For with The Word, we have a defense against the enemy's lies, and our with faith sustained in Jesus, we have the power to withstand any dart the enemy launches against us, but we must remain vigilant--never thinking for a moment that he won't try to get back into our lives and make a bigger mess of them than they were before.

Let's face it--we all have had a time in our lives before we met Jesus and got to know Him when we did whatever we wanted and didn't care. Satan was not concerned about us then--he had us. But when we came into knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ and accepted Him as our personal Savior, Satan had to pull out all of his tricks to get us back in line with him. The only way Satan wins in our lives is when we allow him to do so.

Let's clean house and dust-proof and stench-proof our houses (mind, body, and soul) with a constant washing with The Word of God, so the enemy will never be welcomed.

Is It Time, Yet?

"Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. I said to myself, God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed." (Ecclesiastes 3:15,17 NIV)

Most Believers who actually study The Word know the beginning of this chapter--a time for everything--and we often quote it in the midst of things we don't understand, but know that God has a purpose in allowing everything we experience to happen. But when we become familiar with certain passages of scripture, do we keep reading and wondering what was on Solomon's mind or for that matter, any of the others to whom God spoke?

God--who is without beginning or end--infinite in mercy and grace--who created all things knows that since the beginning of time--people would continue to do what has already been done--for there is truly nothing new--about the character of human beings--that God has not seen. We--who have only been around for a specified amount of time--have been allowed to see some things--some which amaze us and some which appall us, but we see them nonetheless.

We are amazed with the technological advances of men--whose minds have been ignited and imaginations fueled into creation of things not seen before by us, but where were we when God inspired those of ancient times to build irrigation systems and engineer buildings that are yet standing? The same God who inspired the ancients will inspire any and all who are willing to hear Him and for those who have never understood that inspiration--we will continue to be amazed.

We are appalled at the violence and societal decay that leaves such a stench that many of us can hardly breathe without inhaling the malodorous aura of a civilization rotting from the core of its being. This is nothing new! Civilizations have time after time--created havoc with God's plan and He allowed it so they would see the devastation they wreaked upon themselves. We have but to look at history--and how men who seek power over others because of greed--always decimate the masses and themselves in their folly.

Many people were (and still are) up-in-arms about the decision of the Supreme Court Justices who apparently have no understanding of history repeating itself and certainly do not demonstrate having a relationship with God. None of what we experience is new to God--He's seen it all before and in His timing--He has dealt with all of it. Most of those who choose to live in opposition to God's Word do not like the reference to Sodom and Gomorrah, but the truth of the matter is--they were not the only cities destroyed because of sexual sin, or any other sins and neither will they be--the only cities/regions destroyed because of sin.

When we choose to sin and then blatantly flaunt sin--we set ourselves up for judgment here on earth--and then comes the determination of our eternity--at the throne of God. At any given time--we will see the consequences of our actions--before Jesus returns. And if we see with spiritual insight as He reveals it to us--we see it now.

So, in His timing--the world--people from all walks of life, who operate in various roles and practice numerous religions--all will see God's wrath poured upon the earth and some--as in times past--will remain to share the experience with others for not all will perish--God must have a witness until it is time for His return to exact the final judgment upon the righteous and sinner alike. The question we must ask ourselves--is it time, yet?

Consider This!

"Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it. Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what He has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other, therefore, no one discover anything about their future." (Ecclesiastes 7:11-14 NIV)

For if we function with the wisdom of God leading everything we do, we shall see all the good things that He has in store for us, but if we have not His wisdom, and simply rely upon the knowledge we obtain, we are subject to erring along the way.

God's wisdom is certainly greater than any mere mortal's imagination and if we ever get to a place where we truly understand this, the world will be in a better place. Yes, we learn things from trial and error, reading books written by mortals, exploring and discovering, but think about how much we could accomplish if we sought God--before we did anything--and allowed Him to lead us.

One of the most amazing things we see today is the "discovery" by some--who believe they were born in the wrong bodies. With this discovery after living as God intended them to live, they now want to change what God has done. "Who can straighten what God has made crooked?" People can try to change the externals of their existence, but the intrinsic, nature of God poured into each being, will never change. When we "think" we know better than God, we have succumbed to the enemy's influence and it was because he thought he was greater than God that he was thrown out of heaven. How can the creation ever become greater than the Creator? 

When we acknowledge our positional relationship with God, we obtain the benefits and advantages, but we also know that when it rains on one side of the street, it will also rain on the other--unless a person lives in Houston (I've watched it rain on one side of the street and not the other--fascinating). The point here is when the good times roll--economically and spiritually--for all the saints--it rolls for the sinners as well and when the bad times come--especially for those who were not wise enough to know--they would come--the sinners and saints have to deal with the consequences.

Economic downturns affect everyone--the good and bad alike. Nature's storms affect all--good and bad alike. Even if the affect is not a direct hit--the impact of radiating disaster affects all--and we all see the increase in food cost, fuel cost, energy cost and insurance rates--whether we live in an affected area or not. The effect of legalized sin affects all--from the change in marijuana laws to same-sex marriages and we see it on a daily basis. Because no wisdom was exercised before legalizing sins--we will now see the unfolding and revealing of the true nature of the beast and then--when the final effects are felt by all (the domino effect)--we'll understand that without God's Wisdom reigning over all we do--disaster is sure to follow.

Now, consider these things: seek God, and move in His wisdom! Will we be wise or will we be foolish? The choice is entirely ours to make.

Defeating Grace!

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that ALL of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:1-4 NIV).

What shall we say--about sin and the grace given to us--when we didn't deserve it--giving us another chance to get living right for God? What shall we say about God's mercy--that kept us from receiving what we did deserve--when we knowingly opted to live in sin and yet, He loves us so much He was not willing to let us lay in the muck and mire we created for ourselves? Do we really understand that when we deliberately keep sinning--after all He's done for us--we defeat the entire purpose of grace?

There are many--who profess to love The Lord--who have no idea of the purpose of grace--they tend to get grace mixed up with forgiveness and that God will forgive us for what we do--so they keep living in sin--attempting to justify it, by saying, "God forgives!"

Oh yes, He does forgive us when we repent--turn away from doing all things that dishonor Him. But if people are simply mouthing a request to Him to forgive their sin when there has been no change of heart or turning away from what brought them into position to seek forgiveness--they waste their time. God is not deceived and He knows when they open their mouths, hearts have not been renewed in Him.

And this is what we see in our society's celebration of sin--against God--not man and the tragedy is that they refuse to see the sin; they justify it, and celebrate it, and see no need to repent. Without repentance--there is no forgiveness of sin. No court in the land on earth can ever determine what is sin and what is not. They may legalize  what God has called sin, but they can never redefine sin. And what mere mortals have forgotten is that no matter how many times they change what is legal or what is not--God never changes. Since He is the only person who can determine our place of eternity, I'd rather look to His instructions than man's.

For by grace--God's favor towards us--unmerited, unearned--have we been saved by the finished work on the cross. There is no more need for God to come down to offer Himself a sacrifice for us--that was completed over a long time ago--on the Old Rugged Cross, where He gave His life--took on sin so we would not have to suffer the consequence for sin--death. For the wages--the payment, final consequence of sin--is death. Accepting the finished work on the cross in the person of Jesus Christ, puts us into a position to develop a right relationship with Him and to know and understand more about how He wants us to live our lives--sin-free--honoring the grace He has given.

To continue to live in sin and celebrate it as a lifestyle defeats the grace given and we make a mockery of the finished work on the cross. Jesus sacrificed Himself in vain for some since they do not recognize the benefit of His sacrifice. For all who will not repent, they have only the lake of fire to expect as their eternal resting place. What a shame!

But for those of us who understand, let's move forward, maintaining our faith in Him and living to please Him so He will give us the desires of our hearts and stamp our names on our mansions in heaven--the place prepared for those who obey God. We accept the grace given and will not allow its purpose to be defeated in our lives. Hallelujah!

Taught To Love By God!

"Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God's family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your life ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." (I Thessalonians 4: 9-12 NIV).

Now, if we have been taught by God how to love--open to receiving His love and in hearing His voice and acting in obedience, we truly know how to love others--unconditionally.  This should be true of every Believer--no matter what banner or domination they espouse, the color of their skin, or nationality. Baptists should love Methodists and Methodists should love Catholics and Catholics should Pentecostals and Pentecostals should love Baptists--a circle of love should truly light up the world of--unbelievers because of our love for one another.

But does it happen this way? Probably not--and the reason that it probably doesn't is because human nature dictates what we do, rather than the Spirit of God in that everyone wants to be superior to everyone else. No one is, but that doesn't stop us from trying to be.

Time is far spent and we are closer to His return than ever before--whenever that occurs. While we yet have a chance, we should spend the time wisely, loving one another, promoting the Gospel--not gossip and rumors--so that everyone who sees and watches us will be convinced that we have been taught to love by God--unconditionally.

Loving others unconditionally does not mean we condone sin of any nature. We love the sinner and hate the sin and try by living a sinless life to convince them to love as God loves and obey Him. This is where the naysayers get it wrong. They think because we "hate sin" (all sin), that we cannot love those who sin. If God can love us in spite of our sins, who are we to deny another love? God doesn't approve of our sin and there are consequences when we choose to sin, but He never stops loving us.

Real love--for another person--always means that we want the very best for them. No one can receive God's best for their lives if they refuse to obey Him and when we obey Him out of love, rather than fear, He sees and rewards our faith in Him that motivates us to love Him and others.

When we love--we know how to approach others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ--with love, not aggression and violence, and browbeating. That is not to say our message should be sugar-coated, but we can indeed win more souls to Christ with kindness than we can by condemning them.

People living in sin are already condemned by their consciences--they don't need us piling on more weight to their already heavy burden.  Look at the those who kill others and then kill themselves--their consciences troubled them enough to commit suicide. Some would say that suicide is a cowardly act--and in most cases I would agree, but even being a coward is a result of self-condemnation.

Until we learn to love ourselves--it is impossible to love others--the way God loves us. So, if we really want to learn to love, we must allow God to teach us to love--unconditionally, learn to love ourselves and then we can demonstrate the love we've been taught, by loving others in the same way.

Offering Our Complete Selves to God!

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness."(Romans 6:11-13 NIV)

When we are "dead" to sin, we do not allow its stench to be a part of our lives. We know sin has a horrific odor because anything that is dead stinks--and when death occurs of any fleshly thing--the flies gather and other insects that feed off dead things. But with the death of sin--no longer allowing it to reign in our lives--because we are yet alive, physically--there is a sweet fragrance--pleasing to God--that emanates from us and is seen in everything we do. And we offer up ourselves to Him--in total submission to all He has said--the sacrifice of praise for living a Godly life and He rewards us with an eternity with Him.

When our whole beings-- our minds, our mouths, our tongues, our ears, our eyes, our hearts, our hands--our entire bodies--especially those parts that are ignited and stirred by thoughts of sin--are submitted to Him, our focus is Him, not us. When our focus is Him and not us, He gives us the power to resist participating in sin and when we submit to God, we can ignore the enemy and he will flee from us.

How do we submit to God--completely? We repent of any sin in our lives and get into The Word. We read The Word--everything--one segment at a time and then meditate on what we've read. When we understand The Word, we begin applying The Word to our daily lives. We pay attention to what we read--and will not allow our eyes to stray to ungodly images or communications by any means. We will not watch television shows or movies or videos that promote sin, enticing us to return to the evil.

We pay attention to the music we hear and we will not listen to people or music that could return us to the stench we given up--once and for all.

We keep our minds on things above and not those below--without becoming so heavenly minded we are of no earthly good.

We submit our hearts to the circumcision needed to cut away anger, malice, bitterness, jealousy, envy, and hatred and allow God to fill us with His love to overflowing.

We submit our tongues and mouths to saying only those things that please God and will not grieve Holy Spirit with filthy language that only demonstrates who is really reigning in our lives.

We submit and hands and feet to sharing the good things God has given us with others in promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We submit our hormones to Him to be used in the righteous act of sexual activity--marriage with one man and one woman--and we will not allow the masses of public opinion persuade us to do otherwise.

When we offer ourselves completely to God, He will direct our paths and on His paths--the journey leads to greatness and success in all we do.

What are we waiting for? It's time to offer our complete selves to God--so all glory is His!

When Hurt Feelings Lead To Repentance!

"Even If I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it--I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while--yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." (2 Corinthians 7:8-10 NIV)

For all the blog posts, articles, and scripture references that have been used to encourage obedience, ignite repentance, and inspire desire to please God--we should all be thankful.

Why should we be thankful when people hurt our feelings--according to The Word? Because sometimes, we are so caught up in doing what we want to do--those things that please flesh--we forget that the desire of a Christian should be to please God and that means--when we get off track, someone has to be courageous enough to remind us of truth--even if it hurts--for a moment.

Let's face it--no one who thinks they know how to cook appreciates being told their food is lousy. No one who thinks they know how to write appreciates being told their writing stinks. And no one--especially women--likes being told that what they're wearing is not flattering, when they think it is.

Encouraging people to live according The Word to please God is an arduous task--one not many will undertake because they know truth hurts--even the one speaking truth is often stung by it. But if The Word stings--and hurts and slices and dices our consciences, then The Word is doing its job. Usually--for people who really want to please God--once we get over getting our feelings hurt and own up to what we've done or are doing--we repent and get back on track--the path which God had set us upon from the beginning.

When Jesus said, "Do not suppose I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34). The sword--God's Word is a two-edged sword--cutting into our consciences when heard  and spoken. Jesus knew that even though He is The Word, He had to speak The Word--to ignite sorrow and repentance.

If we never tell our children what they are doing is wrong, they never have to repent of wrong-doing. However, as children of the most High God, when we read The Word, explication of The Word, or hear The Word, if there is any sin in our lives, our hearts should pricked (our feelings hurt) and we should repent--once we get over our hurt feelings. Just as most parents love their children enough to correct their behavior, God loves us even more--since He is our heavenly Father.

It's time to grow up--man-up/woman-up--and take correction as provided in The Word, get over our hurt feelings and repent of all our wrong-doing. When we make a decision to please God, He gives us favor and the desires of our heart.

Over the past few months--there have been a number of articles written about the Supreme Court decision regarding gay marriage. I have written some of them--not to bash people because of their lifestyle, but to slice their consciences with The Word, reminding them what God said--not me and hopefully, leading them to repentance after they got over feelings being hurt.

The role of every Believer is to seek opportunity to share the Good News--though we may have sinned, we have a Savior who loves us enough that He died for us, that we would have opportunity to reign with Him, forever. If we are not willing to repent of our sins, we cannot reign with Him and our destination for all eternity has already been prepared in the lake of fire. My desire is to see everyone I know and even those I don't know--saved from the lake of fire--and living to please God, not man or flesh. So, if I've hurt some feelings along the way, good. If the hurt feelings have led to repentance--even better. For without repentance, we cannot enter into 
 Heaven. 

 
myBook.to/Normal and myBook.to/TurningForce speaking truth according to The Word, igniting Godly sorrow, leading to repentance!

No Ethnicities In Christ!

"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." (Colossians 3:9-11 NIV)

"Liar, liar pants on fire." Remember that one? Usually the target of this phrase had just been caught in a lie, but what does one say to self when we lie to ourselves? Is there a voice telling us, "liar, liar, pants on fire" or are we just deceiving ourselves into believing a lie? If the enemy is telling us that God doesn't have a problem with sin--ANY SIN--then we need to remind him, that he's a liar, the father of liars and there is no truth in him.

For if we have put off--literally shed the skin and practices of the old man--the one who didn't know any better before receiving Christ into our lives, then we are brand new--with a new attitude and a new wisdom regarding the attributes of Christ. We can walk in our newness by facing the fact that God is color-blind, has no respect of persons, and LOVES US ALL THE SAME! When we sin--after knowing how He wants us to live right before Him--He still loves us, but He's not happy with our choices.

When children disobey their parents, most parents--at least those with a little common sense and love of Christ in them, don't kill or maim their children because they're upset. They don't like the disobedience and there is usually an unpleasant consequence the children have to deal with. Since God is our heavenly Father, Jesus our Lord and Savior, and Holy Spirit our counselor and comforter, we have no excuse.  We cannot claim not to know--when we have received Him into our lives, giving Him reign over our lives and allowing Holy Spirit to do His job. He never stops loving us, but there is a consequence for our actions for He has said, "the wages (the payment/the penalty) of sin is death" and for some a spiritual death is worse than a natural death. For if we die naturally, then sin has no more authority over us; however if we die spiritually, we continue in our sin and eventually see no wrong with what we do.

Now, the real problem for many is that they like to make distinctions between who is in Christ or who is not based upon one's proclivity to categorize people--in an effort to be superior to them. I've heard so much garbage lately, that it is really sickening and saddening to know just how much racism and bigotry there is yet in the world. God knows no distinctions between any people--we are all the same in Him--so why must we use misrepresented information to try to make others feel inferior? Ham's curse--as related in Genesis--was not about his descendants being black! That is a misconception taught by those who think they are superior to others. The first man--Adam--was a person of color--his origin of creation on the continent of Africa. People did not begin to "pale" until they started migration into colder climates.

Really? Can this be true? Don't take my word for it--check out the history of man's migration from Africa--Asia--and other parts of the world. None of us are superior to others--by race, gender, ethnicity, or education. In Christ we are all one blood, one world of human beings and we need to start acting like it!

None of us has ever walked this journey in life in perfection. All of us have fallen short--sinned in some manner and many who claim to know Christ are still living in sin. It's time we stopped lying to ourselves and realize we all need the Risen Savior, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit guiding us in all we do--according to God's Word--not according to our own limited knowledge of anything. There are no distinctions between people in Christ; we are all one--loved by Him who is Love, saved by Him who is the Savior, and guided by Him who is--the guiding Spirit of Christ.

Now that we know we are one--let's love one another--casting away our old nature and walking in the new with Christ Jesus!

Why Jesus Said, "I'm Praying For All Who Will Believe!"

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (John 17: 20,21 NIV)

In order to really get the gist of this prayer, we have to understand just how much God loves us.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." John 1:1,2) The explanation of who Jesus is.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16). How we know just how much God loves us.

He came down from heaven, in the likeness of sinful flesh, born of a woman who had known no man--but by the incorruptible seed--the spirit of the living God, who knew know sin and was not subject to sin as man was. He knew that man would not keep His Law regarding the atonement of sin, so He made it for all who believe--that they would have eternal life.

And now, while Jesus is in the Garden praying, once more, He demonstrates His love for all who will believe as He prayed for us.

In the sixteenth chapter of John, Jesus warned His disciples that in "this world" you will have trouble, but that He had overcome the world. And right after telling them that, He looked toward Heaven and prayed.

Though many think the model prayer He gave His disciples was His prayer, it is not. The model prayer found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11 is the "model or guide" to prayer: acknowledging who God is and what He represents in our lives, acknowledging our dependence on Him, repentance of sin, and seeking forgiveness, and securing His direction for our lives. We know that He did not intend for people to simply "repeat" the model as a prayer because the model does not do what He later tells us to do in John 14, to ask "in His name."

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be gloried in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14: 13,14 NIV

Notice, that He does not say that in the model prayer because He never intended for people to just repeat those words. And many people wonder why they do not see prayers answered; it is because they have not believed in the power of asking in His name, aligned with The Word.
But back to His Prayer--the one He prayed. He acknowledged who His Father is and acknowledged the purpose for His journey to earth. He acknowledges His obedience in doing all that was required of Him while here, and then He asks the Father to protect those who have believed Him and those who will believe in Him because of the message they would teach.

John 17:15-19

v. 15 MY PRAYER is not that you take them out of the world that you protect them from the evil one.
v.16 They are not OF THE WORLD, even as I am not of it.
v.17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is Truth.
v.18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
v.19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

And we know from our focus scripture that we who believe today, were included in that prayer, asked of the Father, over 2000 years ago. Now, that's love! He thought about us before we were ever born--before our parents and grandparents and their grandparents--were ever born. He wanted for us--what those with Him would have--access to eternal life through belief in Him and the work on the cross. He wanted us to be one--in purpose and intent--as He and the Father were one--in purpose and intent--the share the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ--repentance of sin and salvation through Him.
If there is no repentance--turning away of sin--there can be no salvation, no access to heaven.

Though there are many groups who have REWRITTEN God's Word to support their own agendas--to continue in sin or to control others, God's Word is revealed in us with the experience we have with Him, when He reveals Himself to us through that experience, cementing our relationship with Him for all times. 

For those who think "changing His Word" will benefit them, they are in for a rude awakening. When God says that judgment will begin at the household of faith, He meant it. Those of who proclaim to Believe God and yet will not live according to His Word, will stand to be judged first and the consequence--the lake of fire--is already prepared; along with His pronouncement, "Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you." (Luke 13:7) Notice that He does not say, "I don't know you" in the present tense as we stand before Him; He uses the past tense--never knew you. In other words, nothing you have ever done was done to glorify me. These are not the words I plan to hear from Him.

Although I don't always understand why God speaks to my heart and has me share what He's given me, I won't worry about it. I know that I don't have to understand the whys of what He does, but just obey and I will see the blessing of obedience in my life. Living a life based upon The Word has its challenges, but the rewards are so great, that I choose to continue to live my life according to His Word and encourage others to do the same.

It was through this passage of Scripture--that I finally understood just how much I was loved and I pray, in Jesus' name,  you will understand it, too and choose to live in obedience to His Word.

Why Jesus Said, "The Spirit of Truth Will Remind You!"

"But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you." (John 16:13-15 NIV)

The promise of Holy Spirit, our Advocate, Comforter, and Counselor--to those who follow Christ was not just for the disciples of that day, but for all who believe Him because of them. At the time Jesus was telling them about the role of Holy Spirit, He did so because He knew His time here on earth was just about up, but He didn't want His disciples to be discouraged in His physical absence. A number of things led up to this conversation, but what makes it worthwhile is knowing, we also have access to all Jesus promised through Holy Spirit. But this is why He said it.

John 16:7-12

v. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you.

v.8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:

v.9 about sin, because people do not believe in me;

v.10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;

v.11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

v.12 I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear."

The time was now at hand which the prophets predicted. Jesus was about to submit Himself for the ultimate sacrifice for sin and it was time for Him to return to heaven. But He wanted His disciples to know, they would not be left without benefit of His continued guidance in all things.

Everything He had told them about sin--Holy Spirit would bring back to their remembrance and they would see the results of sin because people did not believe Him. What most people do not understand about what Jesus said about sin was He included all sin, not the variations of sin. When the religious leaders brought the woman who was supposedly caught in the act of adultery, He told her to go and SIN no more. He did not make a distinction between fornication, or other sexual immorality or anything else. He did not say, don't commit any more SINS, He said SIN no more. Don't do anything that is a sin according to God's Word! For those who know His purpose in being here, we know that's what He meant. And that is why He said, there would be this continuous debate about sin, because people don't believe Him. If we love Him, we'll obey Him.

He said Holy Spirit would guide all who believe Him in righteousness--not self-righteousness-but leading all to be in right-standing with God. In order to be in right standing with God, one must know what God has said and be willing to stand on His Word for all times--no matter what current trends may abound. In fact, Paul tells us we are not to conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ Jesus. Paul understood that the enemy first attacks and influences the minds of people and then behavior follows the thoughts of their minds. If we have the mind of Christ--through relationship with Him, then we stand on God's Word and will not fall prey to the enemy's deceptions.

Then, as for judgment--judgment has already made against the prince of this world--the god of this world, Satan, the prince of darkness (always influencing people to try to hide their wrong-doing), the devil--by whatever name he is known, the lake of fire has already been prepared for him and now he seeks to influence others so he won't burn alone.

Because He understood that He had given His disciples much to think about and He knew they did not fully understand, He decided not to overwhelm them with more teachings, but assured them that Holy Spirit would continue to teach them and remind them of all they had been taught and show them things to come.

I can imagine that every person who has ever read the Bible in its entirety, more than once--has been overwhelmed by the abundance of information. And most people have their own method of reading and reading in order to get the most out of it the content and understanding the intent. All of the sins--as God gave them--are enumerated in Deuteronomy 28--which I refer to as the book of blessings and curses. Of course they are explained in detailed throughout Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, as well as the rest of Deuteronomy. But as I said, there is much than can overwhelm
and simplicity usually leaves its mark.

The bottom line is this--God has a blueprint for our living--designed to put us in a position to prosper, not harm us so we would have a future and our children's children would have a great future as well. We were meant to have generational blessings, but for those who won't obey, they have been destined for generational curses. It's time to break the curses, but it can only be done out of obedience to God's Word, not political correctness, or succumbing to Satan's agenda.
Holy Spirit is here--to remind us, to guide us, to comfort us and to be our Advocate when we need Him.

More about what Jesus said and why, next time.

Why Jesus Said, "Keeping His Commands Shows Our Love For Him!"

"If you keep my commands, you remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in His love." (John 15:10 NIV)

This entire segment in the 15th chapter of John is Jesus talking, most of the 16th chapter and all of the 17th chapter which is His prayer (I'll expound on that later). The point I'm making here is that Jesus had a great deal to say and the only way ANYONE can know that is by reading "all of His Word" and not just selected phrases that appear to justify a person's behavior. If I was to take the time to expound on every verse noted of Jesus speaking, I'd have more to write than time to write since I probably won't live that long.  I have chosen the selections used to make a point--to refute what groups of people are saying that Jesus just said, "love" and "don't judge." I know when they say such things, they have no clue as to who He is or His purpose in our lives. 

But getting back to His teaching--using the analogy of the vine and branches, something the disciples walking with Him, understood and so would most gardeners. It's about relationships that grow, with correction and instruction.

John 15:1-9

v.1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

v.2 He CUTS OFF every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he PRUNES so that it will be even more fruitful,

v.3 You are already clean because of the WORD I have spoken to you.

v.4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit UNLESS you remain in me.

v.5 I am the vine; you are the branches, If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; APART from me you can do nothing.

v.6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers, such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and BURNED.

v.7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

v.8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, SHOWING yourselves to be my disciples.

v.9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

Walking with Jesus--in the spirit--since He is no longer physically here walking with us--means that we demonstrate our love for Him, by keeping His commands (obeying His Word) to love God and love one another. Of course, in order for anyone to understand this, they must be in relationship with Him--accepting His love and knowing who He is and how He wants us to live.

It's not enough to accept God's unconditional love--if we truly love--we know that love is reciprocal--we must love Him. If we love Him, we must be willing to accept the occasional pruning, His correction, so we'll become more like Him. If we reject His correction and instruction, we reject His love and risk missing spending eternity with Him.

I'm not a gardener, but I have rose bush in my back yard that for some reason, has a mind of its own. The branches dry out and break off and when I have the time, I cut them back to a spot where I can tell there is still life (green on the outside and pulpy on the inside). No matter how much of the branch I end up cutting off, they grow back and roses blossom. As long as I prune off the "dead" part, this rose bush will live.

When God uses His messengers--then and now--to correct people about their behavior, He's trying to cut off the DEAD part (the rebellious part) so we can have life and blossom under His guidance. Teaching His Word in truth, not selectively distorting it, is about a love relationship--not judgment as some believe. Actually, I don't believe they think we're judging them, they just need something to say in an attempt to justify their opposition to living according to God's Word. Deep down, they know--that sin is killing them on a daily basis and if they will not heed righteous instruction, they will die off and nothing will be left of them in the earth.

When people know they are wrong--they are quick to justify their actions--as we can see with lawsuits, false claims of discrimination against those who will not support a celebration of sin. And now, the great oxymoron of them all is the production of the "Queen James Bible" which removes any reference to homosexuality as a sin. If they didn't know they were in sin, they would have had no need to "re-write" the bible. The very production of the book demonstrates they KNOW they live in sin, but they want to "feel" better about it.

People have been "adjusting" The Word for generations--so much so that not many even know which translation is right. I can tell which translation is right--THE ONE IN WHICH GOD HAS REVEALED THE TRUTH OF HIS WORD TO EVERYONE IN RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. An experience with God, reveals who He is and how we are to live. We don't need a book to validate us--we need to know truth to grow and bear much fruit. For the Believer, the experience with Him, leads us to insight and revelation and He'll show us which Bible speaks Him.

If we truly love Him, we make no excuses and choose to live right because our desire is to please Him, not people or our flesh.

More about what Jesus said and why, next time.

Why Jesus Said, "Whoever Lives By Belief In Me Will Never Die!"

"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25,26 NIV)

Within John's record of the life of Jesus, Jesus says, "believes" fourteen times and in the rest of the New Covenant, it is mentioned eleven other times. Of course in the King James Version, the word believeth is used (meaning the same thing) and occurs in both Old and New for a total of forty-five times. Since I'm expounding on what Jesus said and why, let's take a closer look at why belief is so important.

Whatever a person believes--has immoveable faith in--good or bad, that is usually indicative of how a person lives. If they believe in a horoscope--they live their life according to the horoscope. If they believe Oprah Winfrey is wiser than God, they live their life according to Oprah. If they believe than one political party is superior to another, they live their life supporting that party and criticizing the other. If people believe they'll become rich by gambling, they gamble on a regular basis (and the lottery is gambling). If they believe that God's Word can ever be changed to pacify fleshly dictates, they live their lives doing whatever they want because they do not understand--God's Word never changes and neither will His judgment. 

But let's get back to what's taking place in Jesus' life when He said what He said. He had been that Lazarus was sick and instead of going to him immediately, Jesus delayed his departure. He told his disciples that Lazarus was sleep and they thought he was just asleep because of sickness. Jesus then told them, he was dead.

John 11:15-24

v. 15 And for your sake I am glad I was not there, so you may believe. But let us go to him.

v. 16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

v.17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

v. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,

v 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.

v. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

v. 21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died.

v. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

v. 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

v. 24 Martha answered, " I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

And after Jesus asked her the question about what she believed, she said, she believed. I can imagine the heartache Martha felt over losing her brother and some have said (their interpretations of her statement) that she was accusing Jesus of waiting too long to come to them. She didn't understand the magnitude of what was about to happen, but she believed that Jesus would take care of it and He did.

Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead and buried so that all who observed Him would witness the miracle and share it with others. He simply looked unto His Father and then commanded Lazarus to come out of the tomb and he did. Faith--can move mountains, cause the dead to rise and the sick to recover--if we will only believe--have immoveable faith in Him.

Lazarus rose from the dead to live again, but we don't know how long he lived until he succumbed to natural, then. What we do know is that all are appointed a time to die, naturally, but those who believe Jesus is the resurrection and when He returns, the dead shall rise and the rest of us caught up with Him, shall live for all eternity in heaven.

We simply have to believe--having faith in Him--and not man's suppositions about death and dying, sickness and disease, sin and holiness. If we believed and lived our beliefs in Him, the world would be in a much better place. Do we believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do we believe that His blood, shed on the cross at Calvary, was shed for us--that we might have access to heaven, through Him? Do we believe that we have the power--through Holy Spirit--to live without sin in our lives? If the answer is yes, we believe, then why aren't we living what we say we believe? Our active obedience to God demonstrates our love for Him and our belief--our immoveable faith in Him. Lord, help us!

More about what Jesus said and why, next time.

Why Jesus Said, "If You Were Blind, You Wouldn't Be Guilty."

Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." (John 9:41 NIV)

Once again, because of a miracle on the Sabbath, Jesus healing a man who had been born blind, the religious group in their self-righteousness threw the man out the temple, because he dared to challenge them about who Jesus was. To keep this in context, we must understand the back-story (John 9:1-34). Whenever a person was healed, they were to go to the priests (the Pharisees in this case) to confirm their healing. In this particular miracle, when the Pharisees started questioning the blind man's healing, they accused Jesus of being a sinner and certainly not from God. The man dared to refute what they said and he was prohibited from attending the temple. Now, let's eavesdrop on the conversation between the healed man, some Pharisees and Jesus.

John 9:35-41

v. 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out and when He found him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

v. 36 "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in Him."

v. 37 Jesus said, "You have now seen Him in fact, He is the one speaking with you."

v. 38 Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped Him.

v. 39 Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

v. 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind, too?"

The entire point of this conversation was to let the Pharisees know, they were spiritually blinded--they claimed a belief in God, yet refused to accept what was right in front of them--God in the flesh--working miracles for the benefit of those who would believe.
The world hasn't changed much in the last 2000 + years. There are still some--both religious leaders and carnal Christians--who are spiritually blind. They claim to know God, yet they refuse to obey God and have in essence, created even more religions that have no basis or foundation in Him who created all things and without Him, nothing was ever created. The religious group would rather adhere to their traditions than to allow Holy Spirit to lead and guide them--in all things. And since they are the leaders in the churches today, not many in their congregations ever witness miracles because their unbelief inhibits the movement of Holy Spirit.

If every church, in every city, all over the world, would allow Holy Spirit His rightful place in any service--people would be healed of cancer, blind eyes would be opened, the lame would walk, and all manner of diseases would dissipate for those who believe. For The Word says, "These signs shall accompany those who believe: In my name: they will drive out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands (to discard them) and when they drink deadly poison (not intentionally), it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:17,18 NIV)  Now, once again to keep this in context, Jesus said this-after He rose from the grave and was included in the instructions given to those who followed Him to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. And as in so many other places, we see the conditions or qualifiers if you will, under which the signs shall follow. "Whoever believes and is baptized and for those who don't believe, they will be condemned." (v.15, 16)

So, now the question for all to consider is, "Are we yet blind even though we say we Believe?" If we are spiritually blinded by the traditions of the world and political correctness and fleshly desires, will we ever truly Believe God and obey? If we remain spiritually blind, will we ever be able to accomplish all that Jesus said we would, for those who Believe?

Spiritual blindness opens the door for Satan and all the demonic forces he employs to deceive and manipulate. For this reason, sin abound in the earth and all manner of sickness and disease run rampant because those who say they believe, don't practice obedience and in operating in the Spiritual Gifts Holy Spirit has for each of us, to lay hands on the sick and watch them get well.

More about what Jesus said and why, next time.

Why Jesus said, "I Have The Authority to Judge."

"And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of man." (John 5:27 NIV)

Who gave who authority to judge? God the Father, gave God the Son the authority to judge based upon the Father's Word. Lots of Word today since I know most reading this blog won't read the entire chapter for themselves, but I'll try to make it as concise as I can, without distorting the intent.

John 5:19-26 (some paraphrased for brevity)

v.19 The Son can do nothing by himself; he can only what He sees his father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does (or says).

v.20 The Father loves the Son and has shown Him all He does...

v.21  Just like the Father raises the dead as gives them life, the Son gives life to whom He pleases.

v.22 The Father judges no one, but trusts all judgement to the Son.

v.23 So all may honor the Son as much as they honor The Father. If they don't honor the Son, they don't honor the Father who sent Him.

v.24 Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

v.25 A time will come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live (for eternity).

v.26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.

In a nutshell, Jesus was responding to the religious group once again, who were trying to kill Him because He dared to heal on the Sabbath. He told them that they shouldn't be amazed at the things He did because He was only doing what The Father said do. If they believed God the Father, then they should believe The Son whom the Father had sent to give people a choice for eternal life.

Basically, what He was saying is that if you believe God, then believe me because I don't do anything of my own accord, but have been given authority by the Father to say and do what must be done--even to the point of judging who receives eternal life and who is not.

He goes to talk about those who will be judged--those rising after death to live and those rising after death to be condemned.

v. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear (what the Father says), and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him to who sent me.

The most important lesson we can learn from Jesus is saying is that, if we believe God the Father, then we should believe God the Son and if we don't believe the Son, we can't believe the Father.
Instead of doing all we can to please ourselves (and pacify people), we should be more concerned about pleasing God and in doing so, assuring our eternal resting place in heaven.

It's not rocket science and we don't need academic degrees to understand this. We simply need to have a right relationship with God and allow Him to speak to our hearts so we'll understand--by faith--all He says in His Word. That requires having an experience with God so He can reveal Himself to us and convict us of sin, so our desire will be to please Him.

It is not having a religious affiliation with any group that will save us. We are saved from eternal condemnation by receiving Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives and understanding the work on the cross--His blood shed for us--the ultimate sacrifice and demonstration of love, by Love.

If we claim to know God without knowing and understanding His Word, we lie. If we claim to know what Jesus said and meant without knowing God, we lie. When we know Him--Father and Son--we understand how He wants us to live by understanding His Word, and we will not promote sin as right--nor will we live in sin, expecting not to be judged. 

More about what Jesus said and why, next time!