Focus

God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed in the Garden.


Gen 2:8-9

And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Notice that even the Tree of Life was available for them among the variety of other trees that were good to eat from.

Gen 2:15-17

And the LORD God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die."


Next, notice that all satan had to do was to get their attention off of everything else that God had provided them and on to the one thing they didn't have.


Gen 3:1-7

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, "Yea, hath God said, `Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" And the woman said unto the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, `Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it,lest ye die.'" And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and ate, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he ate. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together, and made themselves things to gird about.


Adam and Eve had a perfect environment, a perfect relationship, and all of their physical, soulish, and spiritual needs met. I believe that since He is the same yesterday, today, and forever that they could even ask any questions of Him that they wanted during their cool of the evening walks and He would gladly share His wisdom.

James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.

Yet instead of focusing on and being grateful for everything they had that God had freely and liberally given them, they got focused on the one thing they didn't have, and ended up loosing everthing.

Compromise

Folks today are so quick to compromise. We practice compromise daily on little things, and get far too comfortable just going along with the crowd. Is it really difficult to imagine that many who consider themselves christian will give little thought to compromising even in the last days even when the warning is clear and the
ramifications undeniable?

Rev 13:16-18
And he [the beast] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

How will we provide for our families if we can't buy or sell? If we do not believe that God is our source and provider now, then how will we believe that God will provide for us if we choose not to take the mark?


Rev 13:9-11
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.


Rev 16:1-2
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.


Rev 19:20
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Foolish Comparisons

Probably the most damaging, stress and contention causing behavior we can engage in is comparing ourselves to other people...


2 Corinthians 10:12 (KJV)

For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.


2 Corinthians 10:12 (AMP)
Not that we [have the audacity to] venture to class or [even to] compare ourselves with some who exalt and furnish testimonials for themselves! However, when they measure themselves with themselves and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding and behave unwisely.


Instead we need to examine ourselves and the only comparison we should make is ourselves to Jesus...

2 Corinthians 13:5 (AMP)
Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you--unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected?

Treasure

Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Luke 6:45 (Whole Chapter)
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil; for of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaketh.

Matthew 12:35
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.


What you dwell on and focus on becomes your treasure.


Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Inoculation

I heard Billy Graham talking about how he would have to get cholera shots before going to some foreign countries. He described how the shot would give him just enough cholera to keep him from getting the "real thing".

He went on to say that many folks who call themselves Christians are like that. They get just enough religion in them to keep them from getting the Real Thing.

Stumbling

Proverbs 4:19
The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble.

When you walk in darkness, you know not at which you stumble

Renewing Your Mind

Most folks think that they spend time on what they desire.

The reality of the situation is, you build a desire for what you spend time on.

Whatever you give attention to, that is what you are going to desire.

Attend to the Word. Seek the Kingdom of God.

Spend your time and attention on the Word and renew your mind, renew your desires.

Change what you give attention to and your desires, appetites, personality, and entire world view will change.

Opposite of Love

Up until yesterday, I had always thought that the opposite of love is hate.

It isn't.

The opposite of love is selfishness. Love is the focus on giving into the lives of others.

Interestingly enough, hate can actually be a component of love. If you love God and people, then you will hate things that hurt God and people.

No Worries

God is not the author of confusion. We are not given a spirit of fear.

If you are confused then you are trying to figure something out yourself and have crossed the line from attentive concern into "worry". If you are in fear, then you aren't trusting God.

When you realize you are confused and in worry, you should stop yourself and cast your cares on Him.

How do you cast your cares on Him?

Casting your cares on Him is not the same as "blowing it off". Casting your cares on the Lord is taking action in Faith and Trust that God will be there to help you through it. More often than not, a solution will present itself or come into your mind that you would never have considered by yourself.

1. refocus your mind on God, He will keep you in perfect peace
2. pray, ask God for His wisdom in dealing with the situation. He gives wisdom liberally to all who ask
3. praise God, worship God
4. thank God that He is there for you to help you
5. get the focus off of yourself, refocus on loving others
6. seek God and His kingdom first, and everything else will be added to you
7. encourage yourself in the Lord
8. when you know not how you ought to pray, pray in the spirit\

1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1Co 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

1Jo 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Judges 20:22 - And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

1 Samuel 30:6 - And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

Jude 1:20 - But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost

Romans 8:26 - Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Philippians 4:6 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Who's Your Daddy?

There is a choice of either life or death.

You are either of the Father which art in heaven, or a child of the father of lies, satan.

There is no in between. You can either submit yourself to God, and let God reveal to you who He created you to be, or you are wandering around letting the world tell you what you want and who you are.

We only operate at optimum efficiency if we function in the way we were created to function. We can only find satisfaction and peace if we are functioning the way we were designed to function.

Character of Love

Love suffers long
Love is kind
Love does not envy
Love does not promote self
Love is not puffed up
Love does not behave unseemly
Love seeks not its own
Love is not easily provoked
Love thinks no evil
Love does not rejoice in iniquity
Love rejoices in the truth
Love bears all things
Love believes all things
Love hopes all things
Love endures all things
Love never fails

Abide in Faith, Hope, and Love; and most of all, in Love

1Cor 13:4-8,13

Evil Communications Part 2

1Cor 15:33 - Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

If you think that listening to, reading, or watching evil communcations has no effect on you, then you are deceived.

Now, don't go and blame television or the media for your behavior. Don't blame your gossiping friends or your complaining coworkers for your bad attitudes.

Don't shift blame and responsiblity for your thoughts and behavior to anyone or anything else.

Now that you know that these things will impact you, you now know you need to take action to minimize that impact.

Even if the evil communications provided the seeds you have a choice in how far they develop.

There is a process in which seeds develop into weeds. They get distributed, planted (exposed but not resisted), germinate (concieve the idea), develop roots (impacts thoughts, overrides your resistance and rationalizes), develop leaves (begins impacting speech and behavior), and finally bear fruit (result in sinful behavior).

The earlier you interrupt this process the better.

First, in the vast majority of cases you have the choice in whether you expose yourself to corrupt seeds. If you are never exposed to it, then you are never tempted by it. The things you see or hear the most will dominate you.

Being that we are in the world, we cannot expect to prevent all exposure. We can still interrupt and reverse the process.

To prevent the seeds from developing into weeds, you must first recognize them as counter to God's Word. To do this, you must actually know what God has to say about the subject by having spent time in the Word. Once you recognize it as wrong, then remind yourself repeatedly of God's view on the subject.

Additionally, you must starve out the weeds by not feeding and watering them. Repeated exposure, daydreaming wrong things, or idle conversations go to reenforce and grow the weeds.

(Updated 3 Aug)

Part I

You Reap What You Sow

Galatians 6:7 - Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Did you realize that "what goes around, comes around" was a biblical principle?

If you think you can go around sowing contention and strife and not have it come back to you, then you are deceived.

Additionally, whatever you sow will always come back to you multiplied.

If you sow a kernel of corn, you will get several ears worth of corn and thousands of kernals back in return when it comes time for harvest. Same goes for a grain of wheat, you get a header of wheat that has hundreds and thousands of grains just in that one plant.

Different kinds of seeds give different kinds of harvests. Corn and wheat cycle just for one season. Other kinds of seeds, like apple seeds, can result in trees that give multiple harvests over many seasons for the lifetime of the tree.

Be careful what you sow, it will come back to you. If you want to harvest love, you need to sow it.

Evil Communications

1Cor 15:33 - Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

You can turn this around and say it another way:

"If you think you can listen to, read, or watch evil communcations and not be effected, you are deceived."

Just turn on the television, listen to the radio, or flip through a magazine at the supermarket. Within in 5 minutes you will be exposed to more perversity and obscenity that most folks might have been exposed to in an entire lifetime not 50 years ago.

All around us, every form of media seeks to push the limits and go to another level of extreme in order to get our attention. The reason they have to keep going to extremes to get our attention, is that we get desensitized to what we are repeatedly exposed to. A side effect is that once they sink to a deeper level of depravity or go to another level of extreme, we become desensitized to what once we had an emotional reaction to.

Desensitized simply means that we are no longer sensitive to it, that it no longer provokes the emotional reaction it once did.

Desensitized DOES NOT mean that it no longer has an impact on us. To the contrary, it merely means that our guard is now totally ineffective, and we now let these media messages come pouring into our minds without any check or balance.

Things that were once abhorrent are now the subject of sitcoms that we blithely laugh along with the prerecorded audence to. All the while our minds are being conditioned to accept and even support things that are an abomination before God.

Rom 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!


Part II

Train Up a Child

Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

The bible says that a child needs to be trained in the way they should go.

God puts responsibility for training up kids in the hands of parents.

Children don't come out of the womb knowing right from wrong. Children come out of the womb instinctively self-centered and ruled by thier appetites, needs, feelings, and emotions.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

We, as parents, are the ones who have to show them right from wrong. We are responsible for managing their "appetites" until they learn to do so for themselves. We are responsible for helping them learn to manage their emotions and desires.

Prov 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

Children have a natural tendency from the flesh to want sweets and junk. Unchecked, they will fill themselves with empty calories that will rob them of health.

We are responsible for training their tastes to appreciate more healty forms of food. Without our intervention, they would never develop a taste for what will build them up.

So it is with what they spend time doing. Without any external guidance, they will have a natural tendency to spend time watching and doing things that feed the flesh instead of their spirit.

Many of the things of God require time and repeated exposure in order to develop a taste for them.

As Godly parents, we must make sure our children are being exposed to the Word of God and things that are pleasing to God.

Otherwise, our children will grow up without ever having developed a taste for those things and learn nothing other than how to gratify the flesh.

Part II

Fear Hath Torment

1Jo 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment, He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

God is not a tormenter. Satan is the tormentor. If you are overlording over someone, or use threats and fear tactics to get your way with someone, you are working the works of satan and tormenting them. You might get temporary compliance, but you are planting seeds of contention and strife that will reap an evil harvest in your home.

What possesses you?

Deuteronomy 11:16 - Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

How much time do you spend upset about "things".


You know how strong a hold "things" have on you by how much time they occupy in your life.


How many idols have possession of you?


We are instructed to "take heed of ourselves". Otherwise it is up to us to continually keep ourselves in check in order to keep ourselves free from making an idol out of commonplace things. If we are not watchful, then according to this verse we will be deceived.

5 Things Not to be Deceived About

Deuteronomy 11:16 - Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;


Luke 21:8 - And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.


1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.


1 Corinthians 15:33 - Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.


Galatians 6:7 - Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Priorities

Think about it. On your death bed, what will you be thinking? Will you be regretting not having more money? How about having watched more TV? Putting more hours into work, watching sports, getting one more promotion, getting the fancier car, spreading more gossip?

Will you be regretting time wasted on things instead of people?

On your death bed, what you will regret will be lost opportunities to build more and stronger relationships.

You can't take money, jobs, cars, or TV with you when you die. These things are temporal and do not last.

The only thing you can take with you are the relationships you have built. The only thing that lasts forever are the time and efforts invested in developing relationships. Your relationship with God, your spouse, your kids, your relatives and friends will last on into eternity. Relationships with saved loved-ones will last forever in heaven.

Your #1 priority while here on earth is building these relationships. You will not find satisfaction in any other activity.

Satan and the world continue to try and sell anything and everything else as *the* source of fulfillment. These things may provide distraction or pacification for a short time. However, they cannot provide a source of fulfillment, purpose, and strength.


1. The first relationship you need to build is with God.

God has an unlimited supply of strength for you to draw on. He is your source of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If you expect to draw love from anyone else, you will drain them and sap the strength out of them. Your relationship with God must come first, in order for you to be continually filled to overflowing with love that in turn you can pour out on others around you.


2. Your next priority is to minister to your spouse.

The bible says that husbands should love their wives (Eph 5:25, Col 3:19). Notice this is not optional, nor does it say "love your wife when you feel like it". God wouldn't tell us to do it without giving us the ability to do it. You must decide and make a commitment to love your wife regardless of your feelings. Once you make the commitment and take action on it, your feelings will catch up. Loving your wife is your most important ministry. You need to treat your wife better than you treat anyone or anything else. You need to speak highly and kindly about your wife to other people whether she is around or not.

God's kind of love must be learned. (Titus 2:3-5) The natural, fleshly kind of love centers on self fulfillment and is only concerned with what it wants. God's love is not concerned about self, and instead is more concerned about the other person.

When the husband/wife relationship is out of balance, then there is strife and contention in the home. This strife is like a cancer that destroys everything else in the home and steals any and all blessings that God wants to pour out on the family.

Children look to the parents for love and security. If the parents do not have a loving relationship, then they cannot strengthen each other, and the parents do not have anything left to pour out on the children. The children then become a drain.


3. Train up your children

Next is to pour your love and attention into your children. Time is the most valuable asset we have. Children value time and attention higher than anything else. Too often we bend over backwards trying to buy the best, latest, and greatest toys out of guilt for not having spent enough time with our kids when all they need is your attention.

Train up your children in the way that they should go. If you do not maintain discipline over your children, you are setting them up for failure. They need to learn there are consequences for behavior. They need the consistency and security of a stable, firm, loving home environment. You provoke your children to wrath by being inconsistent with your discipline, or spoiling your children by not disciplining them. They are provoked to wrath because they gain an expectation of being able to get away with bad behavior and then resent being disciplined for things they have gotten away with in the past.

Children learn more from watching you. They learn how to develop relationships by watching how you develop relationships. This again leads back to the importance of a healthy husband and wife relationship in the home.


4. Know your role

God has especially created us to fulfill certain roles. We are "coded" and tailor made to fulfill specfic purposes in our lives.

Satan and popular culture have sold most of the world lies that fulfillment only comes from a career and accumulation of possessions. Those who buy into this lie, end up bitter and/or depressed due living an unfulfilled, aimless life.

We will only truly enjoy the things that we have been created to do.

The role of a husband is to submit to and willingly love and obey God, love his wife, and love his children. After that, his next priority is to provide for his family. The bible says that if a man doesn't provide for his family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1Tim 5:8).

Only Human

Too often I hear believers say "Well, I'm only human."

If that is what you believe, then all you will ever get is human results.

The statement "I'm only human" is not true for a disciple of Jesus. You are no longer "only human". The bible says you are a new creature. If you have accepted Christ as savior, then you are born again in the spirit and one-third of you is "wall to wall" Holy Spirit.

If all you look at is in the natural, then all you will see is natural results.

Let God be true and every man a liar. Choose to believe God's Word and walk in the Spirit. Walk by faith and not by sight.

The Good News

There is a concept that pops up every now and again that the "Gospel" somehow overrides or is a more reliable revelation than the Bible. That the introduction of Grace somehow makes the rest of the Bible merely interesting reading. That the Gospel allows for us to go about and do whatever feels good and go about our business without any thought of consequences.

Unfortunately, this is a serious misrepresentation that leads many folks astray and away from all the awesome things God has laid out for us.

The truth is, the Gospel isn't one or two verses taken out of context, nor is it one or four books taken by themselves. The truth is, the Gospel is revealed through an understanding of the entirety of God's Word. The Old Testament points to and describes Messiah, the New Testament fulfills prophecies about and reveals Messiah.

The Gospel is not about being free to feed your selfish feelings, the Gospel is about being freed from your selfish flesh and being led by the Spirit. (Gal 5:16)

Feeding selfish desires only brings temporary and fleeting pacification that lasts only for the moment. Walking in the Spirit leads to ongoing peace and joy that are independent of circumstances and sources of strength not that are not only for the here and now, but have benefits that last into eternity.

Instead of serving your flesh and emotions, your body and emotions become your servants.

The Bible gives us the foundation for understanding the good news of salvation and prosperity. The entirety of God's Word is there for us to maintain balance and to use as a standard by which we can test the plethora of messages that are out there.

2Tim 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.

Seek and You Will Find Part 2

Truly unbiased and objective science is a good thing. The eventual answer to science's questions and observable fact based reasoning will ultimately point to the laws that govern the universe.

We are supposed to seek, and keep on seeking for truth with the hope that eventually we will indeed find it. This is not arbitrary hope, but hope based on God's promise that if we seek and keep on seeking we will find. If we knock and keep on knocking, the door will be opened.

The problem comes when we "shop" for the truth that best fits our own designs. Too often we stop when we find the answer that we want to hear, instead of continuing until we find the truth. Too often we believe what we want to believe, and ignore anything and everything that doesn't fit into our neat little model of how we want the universe to function.

Shopping for truth has its consequences:

Pro 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end of it is the ways of death.

The world tends to go through several "flat earth theory" phases. There will be times when some ideas seems reasonable to cursory observation and become very popular. However when taken in the whole body of evidence (geology, physics, mathematics) it just doesn't add up right. Eventually, as we learn more about our universe, we will grow out of this phase -- and very likely right into another.

An advantage that we as believers have the Bible as a foundation and the benefit of a Helper who will lead and guide us into all truth.

Joh 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak. And He will announce to you things to come.

Seek and keep on seeking, and as you seek keep the bible as your foundation and plumb-line to keep you on the straight and narrow.

Strength to Fly

I have not been able to track down the original source of this. I wouldn't base a theology on these kinds illustrations, but they can be thought provoking.

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force it's body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened!

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life struggling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved it's freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

And we could never fly.

What God thinks about Witchcraft and Divination

What God thinks about with Witchcraft and Divination...

Lev 19:31
Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.


Lev 20:6
And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.


Mic 5:12
And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:


Deu 18:10-12
There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, an observer of clouds, or a fortune-teller, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or one who calls to the dead. For all that do these things are an abomination to Jehovah. And because of these abominations Jehovah your God drives them out from before you.


2Ki 21:6
And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times and used fortune-tellers. And he dealt with familiar spirits and wizards. He worked much wickedness in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke Him to anger.


2Ki 23:24
Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.


1Sa 15:23
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.


1Ch 10:13-14
So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.


2Ch 33:6
And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.


Isa 19:3
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.


Jer 10:2-6
Listen most carefully: "Don't take the godless nations as your models. Don't be impressed by their glamour and glitz, no matter how much they're impressed. The religion of these peoples is nothing but smoke. An idol is nothing but a tree chopped down, then shaped by a woodsman's ax. They trim it with tinsel and balls, use hammer and nails to keep it upright. It's like a scarecrow in a cabbage patch--can't talk! Dead wood that has to be carried--can't walk! Don't be impressed by such stuff. It's useless for either good or evil." All this is nothing compared to you, O GOD. You're wondrously great, famously great.


Jer 27:9-10
"'So don't for a minute listen to all your prophets and spiritualists and fortunetellers, who claim to know the future and who tell you not to give in to the king of Babylon. They're handing you a line of lies, barefaced lies, that will end up putting you in exile far from home. I myself will drive you out of your lands, and that'll be the end of you.


Isa 8:19-22
When people tell you, "Try out the fortunetellers. Consult the spiritualists. Why not tap into the spirit-world, get in touch with the dead?" Tell them, "No, we're going to study the Scriptures." People who try the other ways get nowhere--a dead end! Frustrated and famished, they try one thing after another. When nothing works out they get angry, cursing first this god and then that one, Looking this way and that, up, down, and sideways--and seeing nothing, A blank wall, an empty hole. They end up in the dark with nothing.


Zec 10:2
For the family idols speak iniquity, and the diviners have seen a lie and have told false dreams. They comfort in vain; therefore they wandered like a flock; they were troubled because there was no shepherd.


Nah 3:4
Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well favoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.


And in case anyone thinks anything changed from old testament to new...


Act 8:9-24
But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.


Act 13:6-12
They traveled the length of the island, and at Paphos came upon a Jewish wizard who had worked himself into the confidence of the governor, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man not easily taken in by charlatans. The wizard's name was Bar-Jesus. He was as crooked as a corkscrew. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul in, wanting to hear God's Word firsthand from them. But Dr. Know-It-All (that's the wizard's name in plain English) stirred up a ruckus, trying to divert the governor from becoming a believer. But Saul (or Paul), full of the Holy Spirit and looking him straight in the eye, said, "You bag of wind, you parody of a devil--why, you stay up nights inventing schemes to cheat people out of God. But now you've come up against God himself, and your game is up. You're about to go blind--no sunlight for you for a good long stretch." He was plunged immediately into a shadowy mist and stumbled around, begging people to take his hand and show him the way. When the governor saw what happened, he became a believer, full of enthusiasm over what they were saying about the Master.


Act 19:19-20
All kinds of witches and warlocks came out of the woodwork with their books of spells and incantations and made a huge bonfire of them. Someone estimated their worth at fifty thousand silver coins. In such ways it became evident that the Word of the Master was now sovereign and prevailed in Ephesus.


Gal 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Why Sex and Witchcraft sell: Why are shows about witchcraft and divination so popular right now? Note that witchcraft is listed as a "work of the flesh" right along with sexual sins and idolatry. While men are most often plagued with sexual lusts of the flesh, women are most often plagued with a fleshly lust for spiritual power (witchcraft). It is an easy sell if marketers target built-in appetites and lusts, stuff the bible calls "works of the flesh". Praise God that we no longer have to be servants to the flesh because of Jesus. We can choose to walk in the Spirit which is life, and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh wherein is death.


1Co 10:19-23
What then do I say? That the idol is anything, or that an idolatrous sacrifice is anything? But I say that the things which the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not desire that you should have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of a table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? All things are lawful to me, but not all things profit. All things are lawful to me, but not all things build up.

Note that no matter how pretty the idol looks or who it looks like, there is a demon behind it.


1Ti 4:1-2
But the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, being seared in their own conscience,


Rev 9:20-21
And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and golden, and silver, and bronze, and stone, and wooden idols (which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk). And they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.


------------
Exo 22:18
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Lev 20:27
A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

Should we kill them? Do like Paul and cast the demons out of them!

Act 16:16-18
And as we went to prayer, it happened that a certain girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by divining. The same followed Paul and us and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, who are announcing to us the way of salvation. And she did this many days. But being distressed, and turning to the demonic spirit, Paul said, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out in that hour.


Why bother seeking after lying spirits? They are a cheap immitation of the Holy Spirit. Why settle for a spirit of fear, when you can have a Spirit of Love, Power, and a Sound Mind?

Mat 22:32
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

You can change your tastes

The more I read the bible and listen to bible teachings, the more I want to read and hear more. The more I feed the spirit, the more the spirit has influence over me.

When our daughter became ready to start on solid foods, we would puree fresh and cooked vegetables and make our own baby food. Of course at first our daughter did not always like the concoctions. We found if we would spoon feed her and put a little on the roof of her mouth, she would have to work her tongue over it again and again to get it off. Eventually, she developed a taste for and liking of vegetables and salads that persists to this day.

Even if you have trouble "getting into" the Word of God at first, keep spending time in it. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Ask Him to reveal His Word to you and bring to rememberance everything He has said through His Holy Spirit. Ask Him to plant a desire in your heart to learn more about Him. One day you'll find God's Word "jump" inside you with revelation and power, and you will find that you want more and more.

Go and Sin No More

Consider the following:

John 8:3-11

And the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman taken in adultery. And standing her in the midst, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such should be stoned. You, then, what do you say?

They said this, tempting Him so that they might have reason to accuse Him. But bending down, Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger, not appearing to hear.

But as they continued to ask Him, He lifted Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.

And again bending down, He wrote on the ground.

And hearing, and being convicted by conscience, they went out one by one, beginning at the oldest, until the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

And bending back up, and seeing no one but the woman, Jesus said to her, Woman, where are the ones who accused you? Did not one give judgment against you?

And she said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I give judgment. Go, and sin no more.

Jesus forgave the woman of adultry, but he did not say anything about adultry no longer being a sin. He told her to go and sin no more. This both acknowledges that adultry is still a sin, and even after we are forgiven we are not to go about doing it again.

Another example can be seen in John 5:14 where Jesus had told the lame man at the pool of Bethesda to take up his bed and walk.

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, Behold, you are made whole. Sin no more lest a worse thing come to you.


Recently, I've seen where some folks are going around saying that sin has ceased to exist because Jesus has forgiven us all of everything no matter what.

I definitely agree that we are saved by grace and not by works. God has done His part, and there is nothing we can do to earn or deserve it. However, we still have a part to play. We still need to confess our sins for what they are and repent of them, and then receive the forgiveness of our sins that has already been purchased for us. Note that this is not a religious work, but an act in faith to recieve what God has promised.

Grace does not stop sin from being sin. God's forgiving a sin does not mean that the behavior is not longer a sin, only that the eternal consequences of the sin are no longer held against us.

Sin is still sin. Just because we are living in grace does not mean that anything that was once considered to be sin, an abomination, a work of the flesh, or rebellion has stopped being so.

God still hates sin and will not tolerate it to exist in His presence. It is because He loves us so much that He made a provision for the forgiveness of our sins through the sacrifice and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, the Lamb of God without spot or blemish.


Do not cover sin

Those who try to rationalize and redefine behaviors as not being sin are only trying to cover or hide their sin. Something is sin because God's Word has called it sin.

No group can vote to make something no longer a sin, no TV personality can casually laugh it away, no popularity poll can change God's opinion of it, no court can redefine it, and no psychology can help you cope with it.

Psa 32:5 I confessed my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, I will confess my transgression to God; and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.


Repent of sin

Repentance is turning away from the sin and not returning to it.

When we repent of our sin, God wipes away the eternal consequences of sin; however, we may still have some immdediate consequences to deal with. There are always consequences to sin. There are both temporal and eternal consequences to sin. When we sow to the flesh (sin), we reap of the flesh.

Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

The most effective way to repent of sin and not repeat it, is to develop the same attitude toward it that God has.


Exhortation

It takes faith to please God. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Faith works by love. Love motivates us to want a closer relationship with God. Love motivates us to not let other junk (sin, rebellion, lusts of the flesh, doubt, unbelief) get in the way and come between us and God.

Even when we don't necessarily feel love, we can choose to continue to act in love. This is the prime aspect of believing -- the acting on the basis of what the Word of God says instead of what our flesh desires.

We have been delivered from slavery to sin, don't let the flesh try and convince you otherwise. Having been delievered from this bondage gives us a choice.

It is utterly foolish to dabble in petty sins and give place to satan to come in and steal, kill, and destroy all the blessings that God has in store for us.

God has so many good things laid out on the table for us through His Spirit. Anything that the flesh has to offer pales in comparison!

God has written His law on our hearts. When we seek Him first and act in Love, when we are consumed with His purposes, the temptations to sin loose their hold.

Taste and see that the Lord is GOOD!

Traditions

The Gospel is not about denominations or traditions of men. It is about God's grace and mercy. It is about faith, hope, and love. It is about us repenting of our sins, accepting that Jesus paid for our sins, and chosing to live for Him.

Typically, there is nothing wrong with a tradition that does not go against God's Word. Traditions can be good and healthy so long as they do not come between the individual and God. You can have basically a variety of traditions or no traditions at all. If you were to want to follow some traditions, I would recommend looking for traditions that are described in the bible -- particularly traditions that Jesus practiced. Just don't fall into the trap of exhalting traditions above having a direct, close, daily relationship with your heavenly Father.

Benefits of Traditions:
1. Develops and maintains an identity.
2. Serve as a reminder to keep God and His Word at the forefront of the person's mind.
3. Most effective means of teaching principles to children, new believers, and, well, pretty much everybody.


Any traditions you choose need to meet the following criteria:

1. Does not go against or violate God's word
2. Glorifies God, points to God, or points to principles from God's Word.
3. Does not come between the worshipper and God.
4. Never be viewed as a way to impress God, earn "spirit" points, salvation, or holiness.
5. Does not take the place of love and is not used as a basis of judging others. (1Cor 13:1-13)
6. Does not stop you from doing what Jesus has commissioned us to do, particularly in terms of ministering to people's needs and taking the gospel to them.

Sanctification

We are a new creature. From spiritual death, we are reborn in the spirit. We have the mind of Christ available to us after rebirth. We are then able to choose death or life. To live carnally after the flesh is death, to live after the spirit is life. Crucify the flesh, choose to follow the spirit.


-- What you fill yourself with gains influence over your heart.

Your heart softens to what you spend time on. What you spend time doing, reading, hearing, or watching. Your heart hardens to what you do not spend time on.


-- What you dwell on gets greater influence over your heart.

You tend to become what you focus your attention on.

Your flesh will occassionally "ping" your conciousness with an appetite, lust or desire. Even though your flesh is dead and crucified with Christ, it still tries and convince you otherwise by "pinging" your senses and injecting thoughts (fiery darts) into your mind.

1Co 10:13 No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.

In addition to the wiles of the flesh, satan communicates with you through your flesh. Even after you have victory over the lusts of the flesh, he will continue to try and tempt you through these lusts. While the flesh is dead, it still tries to act like it isn't.

The difference between the old man and the new birth is that now you have a choice. Your are no longer a child of satan, instead you have a Heavenly Father. You can make the choice NOT to allow those thoughts to take hold by choosing not to dwell on them.

If you dwell on appetites and desires of the flesh, then those appetites and desires get stronger.


-- What you feed gets greater influence over your heart.

If you cater to and feed the flesh, the flesh grows in influence over your heart. Every time you give in to a fleshly desire, that reinforces that desire and it will come back stronger next time.

For example, I have had a history as a nervous eater. I tend to eat when I get nervous about something even when I'm not hungry or have just eaten a regular meal. Every time I give in to an urge to eat when faced with these feelings, I reinforce those feelings and they come back stronger again and again. When I resist these urges, they start off "strong" and eventually weaken the longer I resist them.


-- Resist satan, and he will flee

If you resist evil thoughts and lies that attempt to exalt themselves against the wisdom of God, then they will retreat. The more you resist them, the harder your heart becomes toward them and the weaker they will become.


-- Flee from tempting situations

While you are to resist satan, don't purposely hang around in situations where temptations abound.

Don't get yourself into or remain in situations where temptations could become overwhelming. Follow Joseph's example and flee from temptation.


-- You can change your tastes

The more I read the bible and listen to bible teachings, the more I want to read and hear more. The more I feed the spirit, the more the spirit has influence over me.

Amalykites

Amalykites were a problem for Israel while they were in the wilderness. Turns out they were were also in the promise land along with a whole bunch of new giants and enemies.

Just when you are about to get a taste of the promise, all the enemies old and new are standing between you and the promised land.

The 12 spies returned from the promised land, 10 of 12 saw only the natural, and had a natural reaction to it. They said "we were in our own sight as grasshoppers". All 12 saw the same things, but had different reactions to it. The spies only considered their natural capabilities (instead of trusting God's capabilities). The 10 spies are in effect saying God is foolish for giving them the opportunity to enter the promised land.

Saul did not kill off the Amalykites once and for all when he had the chance, so they continued being a problem.

Praise and Worship

If I were truly holy, then I would not need to raise my hands in worship of the God who loves me in spite of my imperfections. I raise my hands and give a sacrifice of praise to the God who has shown me mercy when I have deserved wrath, and grace that I have not earned.

If I were truly "spiritual" at all times, then I would not need to pray in the spirit. I pray in the spirit for edification, for greater sensitivity to the spirit, for building up that connection to the spirit. When I pray in the spirit, I am feeding my spirit instead of the flesh. I am drawing closer to and in greater communion with the Spirit of God.

If I knew what to pray at all times, then I would not need to pray in the spirit. When I pray in the spirit, the spirit gives me utterance and I give thanks well, I pray as I ought. I will pray in the spirit and with understanding.

So many people have it backwards. Raising hands, singing spiritual songs, praying, and excercising spiritual gifts are NOT badges of spirituality or a measure of how "good" a christian I am. They are a means of drawing closer to God. I do these things because I am not as near to God as I want and need to be -- NOT because I want to show off I am somehow closer to God than other people.

I bring in the sacrifice of praise. I enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise. I do these things whether I feel like doing it or not. I do these things the same whether I am alone or in a group of people. I do these things because God has prescribed them in His Word as means to draw closer to Him.

Granted, there are people who do these things as an act of trying to show off in front of other people. They do it for the admiration of those around them. Verily, they have their reward. The praises of men are temporary, fleeting, and quickly forgotten.

Praising and worshiping God brings a reward that is both immediate and everlasting. I draw closer to God, I build a stronger sensitivity of the spirit. Even if I don't feel like praising and worshiping, I do it anyway and eventually my feelings catch up.

Last Minute Saves

Consider the following scenario:

A rapist and murderer lives their whole life in sin and rebellion, and there on their deathbed they repent and decide to recieve Jesus at the last minute before they die, then they go on to heaven and eternal life.


I agree that on the surface the possiblity of this can be very frustrating for those who have tried to live thier lives as a "good person" and do the right things. I do not know anyone who hasn't at one time or another felt similar to the brother of the prodigal son as in Luke 15:11-32


"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, 'Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast--barbecued beef!--because he has him home safe and sound.' "The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!' "His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours--but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'" Luk 15:25-32 (MSG)

Of course when we feel this way, we are forgeting that we are not saved by works, we are saved by Grace.


For we ourselves also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, slaving for various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Tit 3:3-7 (MKJV)


This is a very good thing. I would not even want to get in the business of trying to somehow earn salvation. It would be a whole lot of work for nothing, as earning salvation is quite simply impossible. It has already been given as a free gift, all we have to do is repent and recieve it in faith.


Last minute saves are a small "price to pay" for it to be possible for us to recieve God's mercy (not giving us what we deserve) and God's grace (giving us what we don't deserve).

Plus, we too quickly forget that by living for God in this life we have victory, provision, health, and abundance even on this side of eternity. On top of that we are building up treasure in heaven and have an inheritance awaiting us. Those who live in bondage to sin and repent at the last minute, even though the eternal consequences are forgiven, they still have the temporal consequences to deal with in this life in addition to having spent their inheritance.

Salvation

But what does it say? "The Word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart"; that is, the Word of Faith which we proclaim;

Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation.

For the Scripture says, "Everyone believing on Him shall not be put to shame."

For there is no difference both of Jew and of Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call on Him.

For everyone, "whoever shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Rom 10:8-13 (MJKV)

Hypocrites

I heard this one today on Jerry Zirkle's radio show:

"If all that stands between you and God is a hypocrite, then that puts the hypocrite closer to God than you are."

That puts to words something that has been rolling around in the back of my mind the past couple of days.

Basically it relates to the fact that we should always look to Jesus and seek Him, and not let the antics of those around us be a distraction. If they cause someone to stumble, they will get their "reward" down the line--and it won't be pleasant!

I have been recently saying:

The best witnesses for God are Christians, and as it turns out, the best witnesses for satan are "christians" too.

There seems to be so many self-righteous, judgemental, gossipy people out there. No matter what church you go to, you will always find some. It never fails that they are the ones that end up in the news and on tv shows as they are far more entertaining. These are the "tares" that grow up among the wheat. (Mat 13:25-30).

Expect to meet them. Pray for them and love them the same as you would anyone. Whatever you do, don't let them stand between you and God.

Making Decisions

When it comes to making a decision between several options, you can often readily eliminate any options that go contrary to scripture.

When more than one option is left and you are not sure which way to go, that is when you pray a prayer of dedication and surrender of your choices to God. You ask God to reveal which road He wants you to take.

At that point the solution will either:

1. Become really obvious which choice to take. Somehow God will communicate which road to take, usually by opening doors and making the way before you.

-or-

2. If you don't hear anything specific, then as long as you routinely delight yourself in the Lord, you can follow the desire in your heart.

Placebo Prayer

So many people see prayer as something you do just to make yourself feel better.

The bible does not teach this.

The bible teaches to pray:

1. based on knowledge of God's Word
2. with confident expectation of an answer
3. effectual and fervent
4. pray in the spirit and in understanding

You should pray expecting results.

Bless those who curse you

We are instructed to bless those who curse us.

The devil has a seemingly endless of supply of people to send across our path to cause us pain.

When we do not take control of our reactions to these people, we are in fact allowing them to control us.

As long as we allow this to happen, it remains an effective means for satan to control us, and he will continue to use this method.

However, we are given a Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control.

No matter what happens, we always have a choice in how we react. We no longer have the excuse of "I just couldn't control myself".


When we excercise our faith and respond with love, we are standing aside and trusting that God will intervene on our behalf.

If every time someone tries to hurt us, we instead pray blessings for that person, eventually satan will get the hint that his efforts are backfiring.

Love is Not Tolerance

The world teaches that love is all about "tolerance" and acceptance of people's behavior. The world teaches that people "are what they do", and that in order to accept them, we must accept their behavior.

That is utter baloney.

The Bible teaches us to love one another and not to sit in judgement of one another. We are to love people and we are not supposed to judge people.

The difference between what the Bible teaches and what the world teaches is:

God is in love with us, not our behavior.


God loves us unconditionally. He sees us separate us from our behavior because of Christ.


At the same time, God hates sin.


We are to love people. But loving someone does not imply a blanket approval or acceptance of their every decision. You can love a person and at the same time hate the sin, curse, addiction, ignorance, and disease that plagues their life.


Judgement means that you judge a person as "good" or "evil".

Judgement is reserved for God's use only. For us, judgement is a "no no". We'll be judged by the same measures we use to judge others with.


We don't have to judge behavior. Wrong behavior, sin, the curse, sickness, and disease are evil because God has said they are evil. God hates sin. It stands to reason that we should hate the same things God hates because we have been reborn in the spirit with His nature.


Saying that sin is wrong is NOT passing judgement on a person, it is merely agreeing with God's Word.

Withholding your love from a person, gossiping about them, condemning them, ostracizing, and so forth IS passing judgement on a person.


One way that we show our love for God and worship Him is by loving other people.


The bottom line: Love God, love people, hate sin.

Known by Love

I've been following a conversation where they have been debating on the best way to witness. In particular debating about coming on too strong with "christian-ese" or trying to play up to people trying to share common interests with them until you get an opening to share your faith.

These, and other points have all been very worthy considerations, though I think the point gets a little muddied when a person spends too much time worrying about how other people will take them, or if they will somehow make a mistake and turn people off of Christ.

I'm just as guilty of forgetting a very simple point: the fact that we are commissioned to go out into the world and "be a witness", NOT that we are to "go and witness". It not as much about what you "do" as it is about what you "are".


Jesus said that the witness of Him would be based on love.

Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.


Look also for what motivated Jesus. He was moved by compassion.

Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Mar 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

Mat 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

Mar 1:41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.


Do you think that the burdeon of winning converts lies soley on the effectiveness of your effort? I say to you, you are not the one that saves people. Don't quote verses or beat people over the head with the bible.

You cannot save anyone. Jesus is the one who paid the price, and it is the Holy Spirit that leads a heart to salvation.

Your part is to go out and live your life as a witness to others. Speak the Word out of the abundance of your heart in due season. Speak the truth in love.

If you are moved by compassion, acting in love, and what you do draws attention to Jesus and the Father (instead of yourself) then you can not go wrong.


One thing to note though, even though you go out and sincerly act in love to others, there will still be some people who will not accept or like you. Keep in mind, that it is not you they are rejecting, they are rejecting Jesus.

Joh 13:16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
Joh 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

So don't measure your sprituality based on people's acceptance or rejection of you. Any measuring should be done only against God's Word.

Desensitization

Being continually surrounded and bombarded with every sort and form of evil and filth, it is no wonder that we become desensitized to it.

What we don't realize is that desensitization just means that we are not necessarily taking active and conscious consideration of everything that we see and hear.

Being desensitized does not prevent the foul seeds from being planted in your mind.

Matter of fact, it is a point where your guard is completely down and there is nothing to prevent the filth from coming in, taking root, and making itself at home.

Do not be surprised that this desensitization decreases as you learn more of the word, grow in Christ, and become more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

This is because as you gain deliverance from and dominance over the flesh, your heart becomes sensitive to the right things.

After the initial rush of freedom that deliverance brings, you will come to a place where you start vacillating between the old fascination for things that the flesh tries to hang on to, and a growing revulsion for those same things.

This is where you have a choice to make. Before your deliverance, you didn't have a choice. After Jesus became the focus of your life, you do have a choice.

If you ignore the revulsion and/or cater to the flesh's fascinations, you will again be allowing those fouls seeds to get replanted.

Realize that it is up to you to master your flesh. Whereas before you were spiritually dead and a slave to the flesh, you are now spiritually reborn and given a Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. You no longer have the excuse "I couldn't help it" or "I couldn't control myself".


2Cor 10:3-6

For though walking about in flesh, we do not war according to flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, pulling down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ; and having readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.


Notice that God did not leave us unarmed! We have mighty weapons in God's Word. When the flesh rises up and tries to convince us that we are still enslaved to it, we have God's Word that says otherwise. All we have to do is decide which we believe more: our flesh or God's Word.

Collisions

If you never bump into the devil, it means your probably both going in the same direction.

Job's Wife

Job's wife has gotten a lot of bad press.

In Job chapters 1 and 2 we see that Job's wealth, family, and health have been destroyed. The only things spared are Job's life and his wife.

It has been said that Job's wife "loses what faith she might have had". Additionally, it has been joked (by myself included) that satan took everything but left a nagging wife behind to further torture Job.

After rereading the book, considering it as a whole, and particularly considering the latter chapters, I would like to offer another possibility.

I've seen that even though Job's actions and speech appear to be upright and without sin early in the story, deep down in Job's heart he is actually self-righteous.

Early on, Job mouths lots of very good sounding words. However, when we get down to the core, we find him saying what he really thinks in his heart. Both Elihu and God rebuke Job because he is righteous in his own site.

In light of this, consider that in Job 2:8, Job is off sitting in a corner having a pity party and feeling sorry for himself.

Consider also that Job's wife probably knows more about Job than any other human in the story.

Frustrated with Job's self-pity, I can imagine Job's wife saying in 2:9 something to the effect of: "If all your going to do is sit there and feel sorry for yourself, why not get it over with and curse God and die."

STRANGER WITHIN

Every once in a while, I get one of those emails that circulate about the net that are actually worth keeping.


STRANGER WITHIN (Author Unknown)

A few months before I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.

The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it.

But the stranger?; He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to her room and read her books. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home ... not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in the home, not even for cooking. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger.

Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked ... and NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you were to walk into my parents' den today you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?

We just call him TV.

Seek and You Will Find

There is nothing wrong with questions. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be sure of the truth. You need to not be afraid to ask questions. You need to verify things for yourself.

Where we get into trouble is when we stop at the question.

We are admonished to "Seek and You Will Find" and to "Knock and It Will be Answered". When we have questions we need to do something about getting an answer.

Don't stop at the question. Notice that in order to find the answer, you need to seek it out.

For your faith to work, you must be absolutely sure beyond a doubt.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

There is no such thing as "blind faith". Faith is based on knowledge -- but not just any kind of knowledge, knowledge of God's Word.

The next step is to believe and act on your faith. This is knowing that God's Word is true no matter what your senses tell you about your circumstances. Let God be true and every man a liar.

What can hold you back? Doubt and unbelief. Any doubt in your heart can hinder or nullify your faith.

If you have questions, you need to do something to get them resolved one way or another. Let not any who is double-minded expect anything of God.

If you don't have time and need an immediate miracle, then in the meantime get others to agree with you in prayer.

Do whatever you need to do to be certain. This process will be different for every person, but the first step for everyone is to open yourself up and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into the truth -- whatever that truth may be, even if it flies in the face of some of your favorite pet theories. The next step is to get into the Word and read in the bible what God has to say about the subject. Dwell on it, think about it, meditate on it. To supplement your personal study, find good bible-based books/tapes that teach on the subject.

It is not wrong to question as long as you do something about getting your questions answered and resolved.

Dwell in the Secret Place

Do you know how to meditate? Many are surprised to hear that everyone is born knowing how to meditate effectively.

We all know how to worry. Well, basically worry is just meditating on fear, doubt, and unbelief. Early in life we become expert at this.

It is not so much that you need to learn how to meditate, you just need to change what you meditate on.

Get Stirred Up

The devil wants us to be complacent. It supports his plan for us to be depressed, sick, and/or impoverished. As long as we live in a defeated state, we are a poor witness of the love, power, and grace of God.

The best witnesses for satan are defeated christians.

We have doctors, counselors, chat show hosts, tv shows, and magazines all advising us that we should just "accept" our situation and let it run its course. If we don't do this, they look down their nose at us and say we are "just in denial". The world says to just give in when all natural remedies fail.

The thing is, we do not have to accept defeat.

God on the other hand provides a way, even when in the natural there does not seem to be any way. All we need to do is just receive what He has already done for us.

Instead of just "learning to accept" how we percieve our condition to be, we need to get stirred up about what God has to say about our condition. Get indignant about it. How dare sickness attack your body when Jesus already bore the sickness for you. How dare the devourer rob you of the riches God has for you, when Jesus was made poor so that you could be made rich.

The best witnesses for God are victorious christians.

Where the Heart Lies

One thing that never fails to rub me the wrong way is to listen to people whine and go on about "Why doesn't God bless me?", or "Why does 'so-and-so' get blessed and not me?".

These are the same people that spend between one hour a day or one hour a week going to church or reading the bible, if that...

They then turn around and spend 4 to 12 hours a day filling themselves with doubt and unbelief by watching whatever garbage happens to be on the TV, radio, in some magazine, the latest gossip, or the like.

Then they have the audacity to wonder why their faith is not working?

You see, God has already done everything He's going to do about solving your problem. He knew about your need long before you ever knew you had a need. Like any loving parent, He is more interested in seeing you prosper than you are.

God has provided a solution to your problem by His Grace.

All that is left to do is receive His Grace.

To receive what God has already given you, you must do so in faith.

First you need to know that God has already provided for you, and there is nothing you can do to earn it. This is how you get faith, it comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Once you have the faith, the last thing that stands between you and the answer is doubt and unbelief.

The key is in overcoming doubt and unbelief. The best (and to my knowledge, only) way to do this is to:

1) Starve it out. Starve it out doubt by not feeding it. Eliminate avenues of doubt and unbelief into your life.

2) Drown it out. Keep God's Word continually before your eyes, in your ears, and coming out of your mouth. Replace the unbelief with the surety that God is faithful to perform His word.

Taste and See

Psa 34:8 O, taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.

Reflecting on Relationships

What will you be thinking of on your death bed?

Think about it...

Will you be thinking "I sure wish I would have watched more television"?

Will you be thinking "I should have bought another house", "worn more designer clothes", "I should have worked more overtime", or "gone shopping just one more time"?

Or will you be thinking about the relationships in your life?

Will you regret the hours you were too busy to spend with your children? Your wife? Loved ones, friends?

Now, ask the question: "What is most important in my life?"

Watch and Be Calm

Remember without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

You are all the sons of light and the sons of the day.

We are not of the night, or of darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us watch and be calm.

For those sleeping sleep in the night, and those being drunken are drunken in the night.

But let us, who are of the day, be calm, having put on the breastplate of faith and love and the hope of salvation for a helmet.

For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we watch or sleep we should live together with Him.

1Th 1:3-4, 5:5-10

Fear is the Expectation of Evil

fear is the expectation of evil

fear nullifies power in our lives
fear nullifies love in our lives
fear robs us of a sound mind

we are not to be full of fear (fearful), but full of faith

full of faith is expecting something good is going to happen

God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind

Boldness

Pro 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursues; but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Ministry of the Comforter

Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.


Eph 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
Eph 1:18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength
Eph 1:20 which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies,
Eph 1:21 far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age.
Eph 1:22 And He has put all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.


Jam 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.

Waiting for the "Right Time"

Ecc 11:4 He who watches the wind shall not sow; and he who pays attention to the clouds shall not reap.

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.



Pro 22:13 The lazy one says, There is a lion outside; I shall be killed in the streets.

Any excuse will do to put off doing something.

Getting in the Way of Change

Change has to come from the heart.

When we batter, badger, nag, or threaten a person, we are doing two things:

1) We are in effect saying to God: "Sorry God, I can handle it from here, I don't need your help in effecting change in this person." This is the opposite of acting out of faith and does not leave any room for the Holy Spirit to work.

2) God is Spirit, and he communicates to us spiritually via our spirit and into our heart. His is the "still small voice". When a person is being inundated with offensive words, it will take some time for the person to get past the offensive words and get back to a point where they are not hardened to God's voice. Badgering hardens the heart and even if the person wants to change, constantly nagging can slow them down while they deal with the nagging or threatenings.

Every time you interfere, you prolong the behavior. As soon as you step back in faith that God will take care of it, then the Holy Spirit can go to work.


I have been on both sides of this issue. I hate to admit that there's been times that I've been judgemental and badgering. It is something I try to be very concious of now. Also, I've been the target of nagging and threats. I had to learn to not use the other person's nagging as an excuse, but instead to look past it and try to see what the real source of the problem is.

Soul-Mates

Between all the movies, songs, culture, and pop stars, everyone is convinced that there is some special "soul mate" out there somewhere that will fill all the empty spots in their lives and that it is impossible to be happy without them.

All the songs sing about "i just can't live without you"and all that rot.

The truth is, a relationship cannot be based on need.

If you find yourself saying "I need this person to be happy", that is not love, it is co-dependency.

A relationship has to be based on what we can give into it

If both people are expecting the other person to make them happy, then they are both taking from the relationship and constantly tearing it down.

A relationship can only be built when both people are giving something into it.

Giving

In the natural, if all you have to give is yourself, you will eventually "give yourself out".

The difference, is that there is an unlimited supply of love from God.

Draw everything you need from God, and from the overflow, pour that love into your relationships with others.

Good Soil

A teacher took two bowls, one bowl with very little dirt in it and another bowl almost full of dirt.

She put tomato plant seeds in both.

The plant in the shallow bowl sprouted very quickly, and grew very tall in just a few days.

It then started to yellow and died.

All before any sprout at all was seen in the deep bowl.

All this time the plant in the deep bowl was growing roots all unseen under the dirt.

It grew into a full strong plant and gave fruit.

Always wanting what is not

I finally found this, it was something that I could remember my grandmother once quoting.

As a rule-man is a fool!
When its hot
he wants it cool
When its cool
he wants it hot
Always wanting what is not!