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My First Blog Post

I don’t want to write a quote, but I cannot figure out how to turn it off.

— Oscar Wilde.

My First Blog Post

    

This will be my first blog post, as the title states. I wanted something that sets the stage for what follows. Something that will explain my goals, my desires and explain where I’m coming from.      
     

The first thing I want to do is help people. This world is a dark place, and I want to overcome evil with good. I am going to be a light for others. That is what each of us should be trying to do in our lives. To live with God, and to be a breath of life for others.       
    

This blog will be many things. I am a jack of all trades, and always have been. I simply cannot stay focused on one thing for long. However, I love learning and I enjoy sharing what I have learned. Even though I have had trouble with focus, there are certain things that consistently permeate my life. Spiritual things of all kinds have always been there. Even when it was the farthest thing from my active mind, it was there. The Outdoors, Travel, and Adventure of all kinds, are peppered throughout. I have also been dealing with Recovery from the things of my past. The addictions to substances, drink and negative things in life. God is healing me, and I’m interested in real health, Spiritual, Mental and Physical. Health that permeates all aspects of life.       
    

This blog will often use my life experiences, as a tool to teach, help and encourage others. I am going to talk about my travels, as limited as they might be at this time, and my adventures. I am going to talk about my life events. I’m going to talk about my growth from being a failed, violent, alcoholic, ex-con to something better. I am going to talk about healing, spiritual things and liberty. I will speak about the issues that effect us all at times, and freedom lots of freedom. But overall, I want to be real. I want to climb higher and bring others with me.       
    

I hope as you read my writing you’ll realize that I’m just a normal working guy. Anything I do, you can do also. I’m not a superstar. I’m not one of those million dollar people who don’t know what the average person deals with.     
     

I have been in the darkest places of the mind and soul. I have done terrible things. I have failed. I have been hurt. I’ve gone through many of life’s worst issues. Just like you. God has led me through and has grown me. I have overcome through Him. That leads me to want to awaken and lift up others, so they can restore their broken lives, and thrive in this fallen world.      
     

I want to encourage others to turn to God, and let Him save you, grow you and guide you to be who He created you to be. I am just a servant. I want to help you in your journey. Have a great day.

The Coming Persecution

A Look at Matthew 24

“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.“—Matt. 24:9-13

The Lord tells us here that there will be great persecution of the Saints, at some point in the last days before His return.

I do not use the term, “believers” or “Christians” here. I use “Saints” to separate those who are saved and know the Lord, from those who are not. I do this because it seems that scripture teaches that there are many who claim to be Christians or think they are believers, but find out they are not. They betray the saints. They sell their fellow Christians into bondage.

The saints are really saved and know Him. They will stay with Him till the end, despite everything the devil throws at them. Not because of their own will or power, but because God will protect them, strengthen them and keep them.

I want you to understand that I am not giving you a prophecy. I am just pointing out what the scriptures seem to teach on this subject.

It appears that there will be tough times to come, and that the persecutions will begin after that tough time.

It seems that the tough times, will be the four horsemen of the seal judgements. (Rev. 6)

Jesus says:

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

 All these are the beginning of sorrows.“— Matt. 24:7-8

This matches the four horsemen, who bring deception, conflict, economic collapse, and wide spread death.

Many teach that the white horse, is the Anti-Christ. I do not believe that to be the case. COVID showed me that the white horse could be some kind of deception. It might even be another alleged “Global Pandemic”, which leads to nations and kingdoms fighting. This leads to economic collapse and vast levels of death.

The first time nations submitted. The second time, many will not.

That is just an example of a possibility.

But after this comes the persecution. In Revelation it is the 5th seal. After the four horsemen has created havoc. It is quite possible that Christians are blamed for what occurs during the ride of the horsemen (Matt. 24: 9-13, Rev. 6:9-11)

When we read Matthew 24, we see that this persecution leads to the greatest preaching of the Gospel in the history of the World.

Persecution has always worked to spread the Gospel. (Matt. 24:14, Rev. 7)

This persecution and killing of the saints will also lead to the great falling away as false brethren leave the church and reject Christ, in order to avoid persecution.

This persecution will also lead to the rise of the Anti-Christ, as the saints are overcome, and the Holy Spirit or restrainer in them is taken out of the way through this persecution. (2 Thess. 2, Rev. 13:7, Daniel 7:21, 25)

According to the scriptures, the Abomination of Desolation will occur at this time. Which is the Anti-Christ sitting in God’s temple in Jerusalem and declaring Himself God. (Matt 24:15, Dan. 9:24-27, 2 Thess. 2)

This is when all hell breaks lose.

My focus is on the coming persecution, because it is what will impact the Saints during these last days.

Revelation, Daniel, and many other places give more details of what will occur. We can see that there will be a temple built in Jerusalem, which the Anti-Christ will sit in. We see that the Anti-Christ will make war with the Saints and over come them. We see that the saints will be removed, giving freedom to the Anti-Christ to do his work. We know he will institute the Mark of the Beast and control all buying and selling.

We do not know the exact timing of these things or the exact order. But, we do know it will happen.

My purpose is to prepare the Saints for the persecution to come. The second cleansing of the temple.

When Jesus was on the Earth the first time He chased out the money changers twice. Once at the beginning of his ministry in the Gospel of John and once at the end, after the triumphal entry in Matthew. (John 2:13-17, Matt. 21:12-13)

I think this is showing the persecutions at the beginning of the church and in these last days.

This coming persecution will drive out all those who are not really saved. Those who use the church for money or power or position. Those who have never really known Him or had a relationship with Him. Those who have not grown. They have no oil of faith in their lamps, because they never really believed.

Turn to the Lord. Do not trust the pre-tribulation rapture lie. There will come a time when the deception, will be so bad that it will be impossible to turn to Him. There will be strong delusion. There will be persecution and death.

If you cannot turn to the Lord in the good times, how will you do it in the bad? (Luke 23:29-31)

There will be a global religion from the false prophet which the entire world will flock to. It will be perfect and answer every question, even science will agree. Christians will join this church in droves to escape persecution and tribulation. This is the Great Falling Away and they will reject Jesus Christ as the Lord. (2 Thess. 2)

Jesus said,

“ Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.“— Matt 24:32-36

Do not believe false teachers or prophets who try to claim when the Lord is coming or tell you He is in the desert or He is over there. This includes people who teach pre-tribulation rapture.

The Lord will come when He comes, and it will be quick and a surprise. But, there is no indication that He will come twice. Once to get His Church and once to set up His Kingdom. He only returns once, and that is in glory, and all eyes shall see Him. (Rev. 1:7, Matthew 24:29-31, Matthew 25,)

The false teaching of the pre-trib rapture will lead to many falling away, when the Anti-Christ rises and the persecutions begin.

“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

Why would a Christian say “My Lord delays His coming?” Because they never really knew the Lord and believed the Lord would come and get them before tribulation and the Anti-Christ. So, the only answer for them will be that He is “Delaying”.

 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

This will lead them to betray the saints and to turn them in to the authorities, delivering them to death.

The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.“–Math 24:48-51 (compare to the parable of the foolish virgins and all the parables of Matthew 25)

The coming persecution will weed out the people who do not know Him. The people who do not have the Holy Spirit.

There are those who will claim that these verses refer to believers who will rise up after the pre-trib rapture. Do not trust this view. Do not let anyone trust this view.

There is a time coming when strong delusion and deception will keep people from being saved. There will come a time when as in the days of Noah, and Lot, the door will be shut and those outside, will be struck blind. They will not be able to find the door or get saved.

Do not wait. Turn to the Lord now.

The coming persecution will be the time when the Gospel will be spread, greater than any time. It will be a last chance to receive the Lord. But, it will also be a witness. A final witness to those who have rejected. (Matt. 24:14)

Jesus speaks of it,

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.“–Math. 10:16-22

The Saint’s own children, educated in Luciferian controlled schools and colleges; taught to hate Christ and all things Christian will turn their own parents in to be killed during the persecution to come.

Your own family will betray you. Your pastor, and even your friends, will turn you in to be killed.

The Saints will move from place to place to survive, spreading the Gospel and worshiping in hiding. Destitute; unable to buy or sell because of the Mark of the Beast. (Matthew 10)

Those who abide to the end shall be saved.

This persecution is coming. Look at the hate of this present day. It will only grow until the forces of hate and murder are unleashed. Satan and his demons are building the system, and preparing their slaves.

Do not be deceived. Do not wait. Turn to the Lord today, and let Him grow you and build your faith.

Cover photo by pexels

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The Coming Persecution

A Look at Matthew 24 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive…

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How Are We Tempted?

It’s important to understand. In order to resist temptation, we must understand what is going on. If we miss an aspect of it, we cannot really resist it. We just shift it around or suffer through. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with…

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How Do I Turn To God?

What does that look like? It’s so simple anyone can do it. That is how God designed it. I’m going to avoid magical theological words and just give it straight. As we go through life things happen to us. Good things and bad. We have excitement over good things. We celebrate victories and enjoy time…

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How Are We Tempted?

It’s important to understand.

In order to resist temptation, we must understand what is going on. If we miss an aspect of it, we cannot really resist it. We just shift it around or suffer through.

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”— James 1:13-15

God does not lead us into temptation or use temptation. Temptation comes from demons who speak into our mind or lives and uses the flesh and our own lust to get us to sin. If we live our lives never being washed in the Blood of Jesus, being cleansed of sin, we face eternal death. Which is separation from God in hell and the Lake of Fire.

How does this work?

First, you must consider your family and surroundings from birth. All of it has impacted you. Demons have impacted family members who have impacted you. This is a fact. We do not live in a vacuum. It is not an excuse for our behavior or failure, but it is a fact.

Consider a parent who was terrible to you, or did bad things around you. They got it from someone when they were young, and have spread it to you. These are generational curses. They destroy families and keep them in bondage. Again, it’s not an excuse for our sinful actions but it is a fact.

Do you spread it to your kids?

Probably.

Second, you are born with corruption within you that came from your parents, and lineage. I will say DNA, because we understand that term, but it is deeper than that. It is a spiritual plague which infects us.

Next come the demons that are around us everywhere, all the time.

They start working on you the minute you are born. They desire to create habits and beliefs that they can poke at for the rest of your life.

Consider fear.

Kids can see into the spirit world, I believe.

So, when kids speak of monsters under the bed. Maybe it is.

Maybe the demons are seeking to create fear in you as a child, so it can be used by them later in life for all kinds of purposes.

These are buttons, put into place which can be used to tempt us later and keep us enslaved.

We have fear and it leads to lying to protect ourselves.

We get exposed to things and are tempted, and give in. This opens doors for more temptation and more sin.

As we grow we are enslaved by what the demons have tempted us with, and what we have allowed.

Can you think of the first time you lusted? The first time you lied? The first time you were jealous or envious or desired to have what was not yours? The first time you hated someone and got revenge? The first time you stole candy from the store?

All of it started a path way in your life. It opened doors and set buttons to trigger it again.

The more you did it, the more those doors opened.

This is why its important to discipline kids. So, they stop opening doors of evil that demonic entities can use later.

If they will listen.

Kids grow into adults with the same problems. The same sins and demons riding on their back.

Demons who know how to trigger their human slaves.

God seeks to turn us to Him and get us saved, while those demons keep fighting to keep us from turning and knowing God.

If we get saved, Christ forgives us of all sin. past, present and future. We are washed. we are clean. We will be with Him forever.

But, those demons keep working on our flesh. They keep hitting those buttons.

When we get saved, Christ sets us free from those attachments. But sometimes we open doors again, knowingly or unknowingly.

Those demons no longer control us, we have power over them if we exercise the authority we have in Jesus name.

Sometimes we do. Sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we don’t realize what we are doing. We don’t see what we are saying or doing until the Holy Spirit points it out.

James says,

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”— James 1:2-3

When we are tempted we can actually rejoice in it. Because it shows that we are saved and free. Before we got saved, we never noticed the temptation. We never noticed the way demons manipulated our lives to lead us into temptation.

But, when we get saved and set free, we see the truth and have power to resist. We see how hard the enemy works to get us and it gives us faith. Because we see the truth, and the truth sets us free. (John 8:32)

Whether we succeed or fail, the attempts of the enemy to tempt us works to grow us and build our faith and patience. We will face temptations our whole lives and we will get stronger as we resist and endure and fail and try again.

It is the battle between the spirit and the flesh. It is spiritual warfare. (Gal 5:16-17)

“ Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”—James 1:12

We are blessed by God as we endure these temptations. Whether we fail or succeed. We grow closer to God because we are His and “ALL things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

This is not about succeeding in resisting temptation. Jesus already did that. He already lived the perfect life for us. The temptation is to continue to abide and endure in Christ. The devil wants you to give up if you are saved.

Because if you give up, you are no longer serving God. You are no longer fighting in the war.

Not that you lose or win your salvation. That’s already settled when you confess Jesus as your Lord. You are saved, but not fighting or doing your job. That is just as good to the devil, as having you enslaved. If you are not serving God in the gifts God has given you. If you are not following the Holy Spirit, then you are not waging war. The devil wins.

When you are tempted and fail. Because you will fail. You will sin. It is a fact.

Turn to the Lord. Never run away. That is the devil tempting you. He wants you to feel alone and in shame or fear, so he can devour you like a roaring lion. (1 Peter 5:8)

James says,

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.“—James 4:7-10

Turn to The Lord. Confess your sin to Him. We are tempted by demons and we fail. We sin. Confess it to the Lord. Every time. No matter how many times. Ask the Lord to help you overcome. It will eventually work itself out of you.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

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

 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”— 1 John 1:8-10

Do not believe the lie that you will lose your salvation. God does not cast us aside. He died for us and worked hard to get us to turn to Him. If you are saved. It is forever.

Turn to Him and confess. He will help and continue to work with you.

God will correct you. He does not cast you out.

“My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:

 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.“— Prov. 3:11-12

Do not believe this has to be some kind of bad thing. God is able to correct us, and bless us at the same time.

But, He does not cast us out. He corrects. He grows. He teaches. He heals.

Remember, we have demons, wounds, trauma, buttons, doors and pathways that have been a problem for us since childhood.

God heals those things. God closes those doors when we are ready to hold on. He helps us.

Turn to God and cast out those demons in Jesus name. Draw more into God. Resist the devil and he will flee. Eventually.

Do not listen to the lies from preachers who never mention spiritual things. They tell you to resist the flesh. But, never mention demons or your past traumas, or the buttons that get pushed.

The scripture clearly speaks of demonic entities. That preacher cannot help you because he doesn’t believe. You can do battle in the flesh, but it is only half the battle.

Turn to God always.

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The Gathering

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The God Who Answers

He is there and will answer. We live our lives in this world, where we seem to have no control. Where we look every where for answers. Everything seems hard and we have sorrow, working our selves to death. We seek answers from gods, idols and wisemen. We seek answers from deep within ourselves. We…

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How Do I Turn To God?

What does that look like?

It’s so simple anyone can do it. That is how God designed it.

I’m going to avoid magical theological words and just give it straight.

As we go through life things happen to us. Good things and bad.

We have excitement over good things. We celebrate victories and enjoy time with family or friends.

We also suffer through hard times. Terrible tragedies, that destroy our lives or lead us into dark places.

If it’s good, we might feel led to thank God.

If it’s bad, we might feel led to call out to God for help.

No matter what it is, if we feel or think about God at all, it is because He is calling us.

Humans in our natural flesh filled state do not seek God. We seek food, sex, money and freedom from pain. We do not seek spiritual things. (Rom. 3:10-18)

So if we start to wonder about God, or get interested in spiritual things, or find ourselves in trouble, and God is our only hope. He is calling us. You might hear a preacher preaching and it speaks to you. You might read a Gospel Tract and it opens your eyes. If you are reading this, God brought you here to read it. He is calling you.

It’s like when Jesus called to the disciples. He just said “Follow me” and they turned and followed Him

When you realize God is calling you. Just pray and talk to Him plain. He knows you and loves you. (Rom. 1:6, Rom. 8:30, Rom. 9:24, 1 Cor. 1:9)

Just ask Him to save you. (Matt. 7:7, Acts 2:38, John 5:24, Acts 2:21, Acts 16:30-31)

“Lord, please save me and help me. I make Jesus the Lord of my life and I believe in Him. Please change me and show me what to do. For it’s in Jesus name I pray. Amen.” (Rom 10:9-10)

These aren’t magic words. Try the best you can to mean them. He is real and He is listening and He will move. Trust Him.

Believe He hears you. Watch Him move.

The same guidance you got that led you to pray will guide you in other ways. You’ll be led to start reading your Bible. You will be led to certain people or church. You will see your life changing. Things will be removed and other things brought into your life.

Keep believing and keep praying. Turn to God in everything. It’s not just one prayer. It becomes a relationship. He becomes your life.

This is salvation. God has saved you, if you turned to Him and called out to Him. The Holy Spirit will come to dwell in you, and change you and grow you. He will lead you in Sanctification. (Acts 2:38, John 14:26, Luke 11:13)

That is the work God does on us throughout our life.

You have to understand. We are saved the instant we turn to Him and ask. But because of the fall and our own sins, we are so corrupt, that it takes time to fix us in this life. God does it in the proper way so it does not ruin us. He is a master builder. He is The Great Physician, and He is healing us. (Gal. 5:16-18, Prov. 3:11-12)

Read the Word of God, and believe it. No matter how crazy it makes you look to the world, friends, family or co-workers. Believe the Word. God takes this belief and makes us righteous. Nothing else can happen if we do not first believe. Nothing. We can hear the call and turn to Him, but if we do not believe what He tells us it will die on the vine. (Rom. 4:3, Matt. 13, )

Our belief or faith leads us to seek more of Him and to serve Him, as the Holy Spirit leads us. We learn that we should love God and others. We learn about baptism and communion. We learn about giving and helping others. We desire to tell people about Jesus, so they can be saved. We want other people to experience the great things God has done for us. (Mark 5:1-20, Matt. 10:32-33, Mark 16:15-20)

We pray to the Lord in Jesus name, and bring everything to Him. We see Him move in our lives and our faith grows with the relationship. (John 14:13-14, Prov. 3:5-6)

We find our life is changing. We find that we are changing. The things we used to struggle with are gone, and we have new things we struggle with. We have stories of how God has helped us and those stories encourage us and others.

God works to break us and correct us and change us as we confess our sins to him and let Him cleanse us. We walk in the spirit as we confess our sin and work these things out. He heals us of our trauma and destroyed lives. He brings us new hope and abundant life.

All of this is part of knowing Him. Knowing Him is the most important thing in our life. That relationship is really all that matters. He becomes our first love. (Mark 12:30-31, Matt. 10:37)

That doesn’t mean we don’t get angry, or hurt or question, or say things we shouldn’t. But, we turn back to Him. All relationships have friction. As He helps us get lined up with what He desires for us, we will face friction. We will endure trouble. We will face an enemy who seeks to drive us from God. (1 Pet. 5:8)

But, we abide. We keep turning to Him and letting Him grow us. We seek to build the Kingdom and get others saved. We let God work through us and love others and love Him.

It seems hard. But, its not because He is with us the whole way, and actually does it all Himself, if we let Him. (Heb. 13:5)

Just turn to God and ask. He will save you, grow you, teach you and open your eyes to things you never knew.

Then, you will be with Him forever.

Cover photo by pexels.

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The Root Of All Evil

A Deeper Meaning

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.“—1 Tim. 6:10

People often misquote it as “money” is the root of all evil.

But it’s not.

Money is a tool. Like a hammer or a gun. It can be used for good or evil.

But, the verse says “the love of money”

Then it says is the “root”.

And here is where the key lies. 

Things are going to get a little twisty here, so hang on.

A root supports a plant and helps feed it and waters it. A root draws moisture from the soil so the plant can live. No roots. No plant.

You can grow a plant with artificial light and without soil in water. But without roots the plant dies.

So, what happens? People start to do evil things. After a while they discover that they can do more evil, and enjoy it more. If they have more money.

So, the demon guiding these thoughts and actions starts to develop a love for the money which is helping to support the evil actions.

When we do evil, we are tempted by demonic forces which plays on our corrupted nature and our flesh. They get us to act in an evil way. When we do, it opens a door making it easier for the demonic to tempt us further.

That is how it works. It even works that way for Christians. Satan tempts us and we listen and fall into sin. Pretending like you are immune to this process is dangerous. As believers we have power through the Holy Spirit and the Blood of Jesus, but the scriptures warn us of our enemy Satan for a reason. (1 Peter 5:8)

When I say evil, we often think of serial killers and child molesters. But, I am referring to The Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eye and the Pride of Life. (1 John 2:15-17)

The Lust of the Flesh leads to the sins described in Galatians

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 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. (Gal 5)

The Lust of the Eyes, are covetousness. You want what others have. You want what is physical instead of spiritual. You want treasures on Earth instead of treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21)

The Pride of Life, is basically trying to keep up with the Jones. You want to look good to others, you want the best job and clothes and car and home, so you can show off to others, and prove you made it. You love going back to the High School reunion so you can show how well you have done, and to see how much weight Sally SpecialGal has put on.

Many of these sins are very subtle. You might be able to argue them away or act like its not that bad. You might even go to a church where this is never taught.

But, all evil and sin is equal. There is not a degree of better sins. (James 2:10)

We think these sorts of things all the time and do not even realize it. This is because we have a corrupted nature and need Jesus to save us. We cannot keep it all straight.

We know we should give to others and help build the kingdom. But, we want our McDonald’s coffee too. We know we should help the neighbor and tell them about the Lord, but we have kids soccer practice, then cheer, then the ballgame. We really hope little Johnny can get that scholarship, so he can go to the really important school and have a career that pays well.

None of this is evil, but it can open doors and creep along, until we notice that it has been years, and we never did anything to build treasures in heaven. We got the brass ring at work, but we lost our soul and our kids are ruined.

We try to do everything but we end up being double minded and trying to serve God or do right, while trying to succeed in life. We make the choice to serve money and profit, instead of God and do not even realize we had a choice.

That is life. We fight to keep our families together and our marriages together in the midst of a world that strives to destroy us. We see lust every where and hear of God no where.

Do you understand?

All of this opens doors for demonic influence. It gives the enemy a chance to work in our lives, and compete with what God is doing.

So, we lust for things. We lust for more. We lust for power.

So, guess what helps us achieve these things?

Money.

We understand this even if we don’t realize it. Money provides us with the things we lust after.

So, Satan develops a love for money or a desire for more money, or a fear of not having enough money, in us. In order to feed those lusts or evils.

Do you understand.

That’s why 1 Timothy says to be content with what we have. (1 Tim. 6:6-8)

The love of money is the root which feeds the growth of all the evil or lusts in our lives, just like roots feed plants.

But it doesn’t stop there, because it grows into greed which impacts our culture, society and world.

We have people with five homes while others walk the streets with nothing. We have people who own land larger than a small country, while others get chased off park benches. We have billionaires with more money than entire countries, where kids die from disease due to unclean water.

All of it is greed and a love of money. Our system even thrives on people loving money, and looking after their own self interests, while telling themselves how altruistic they are, while getting tax breaks.

The system forces people to enslave themselves to the wealthy so they can earn a few pennies and struggle to get rich themselves. People dream of winning the lottery so they quit being a slave, and tell their boss where to go.

We all do it. We are all a part of the wicked system whether we like it or admit it or not.

Trust me, I tried for years to stay out, but it becomes impossible to live. You can go off grid. You can hide in a cave with your wife and kids for decades. But eventually the system will catch you. Your wife and kids will want to connect. Your grandkids will want to connect. The authorities will demand that you obey certain rules, or go to jail or lose your kids.

It’s part of the last days scenario and the Love of Money helps feed it. That is why we need Jesus. We cannot win. We cannot save ourselves. We can stop sinning in one place, and it pops up in other ways in our lives. That is why we need to turn to the Lord, and let Him saves us and help us to overcome.

When the Lord returns He says “What you’ve done to the least of these you have done to me.” (Matt. 25:31-46)

When we listen to the Lord and let Him work in our life we find ourselves helping others, spreading the Gospel and being content with what we have. We trust God more.

I’m not saying we should all be poor. But, we can be content and let the Lord do what He desires in our lives.

The Bible warns about wealth, and if you have ever had money you know that the responsibilities of it builds up. (1 Tim. 6:9)

Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mark 10:25)

Why?

Because when we have wealth we tend to turn to our money, instead of to God. We are tempted to forget the need we have for Him. So, we do not turn to Him. We do not seek Him. We do not see Him working in our life, and we do not grow in faith.

When you have nothing but God, you see Him answer prayers and your faith grows. You really believe, because you have seen. But, if you have money you can just pay to have your problem solved, and never see the deep workings of the Lord.

I’m not saying rich people cannot be saved. I’m saying wealth works against it. If it’s not bad for the person, then possibly for their kids who grew up rich and have never needed to cry out to God for anything.

Remember, wealth is relative. A middle class American is richer than most of the world’s population. Do not think you are poor, until you see real poverty.

The answer is to be content. Live a minimalist life and be content serving the Lord.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.“— 1 Tim. 6:6-8

The Lord can help us to overcome. If we turn to Him and ask.

Because please understand that in these last days, we are heading in to, our desire for the things of this world, and our lack of trust in God, will be used to destroy and overcome us.

When the Mark of the Beast comes, and you cannot pay your bills, or buy food, or clothes or anything. (Rev. 13)

Will you be content with a dirty blanket on a park bench with a bag of Cheetos, while your kids beg?

Or will you sell your soul and get the Mark.

The Love of money is the root, which feeds the beast. It feeds your lusts, and the greed of the world.

Learn contentment. Praise the lord and thank Him for what you have. learn to say no to desires. Fasting will help.

Turn to the Lord in all things and remember He is the only way to be saved, and He holds you in His hand.

Cover photo by pexels.

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I Am Legion

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The Gathering

What is it?

Let us rightly divide 2 Thessalonians 2, and come to some conclusions about the near future.

This book was written by the Apostle Paul. He is speaking of the last days, which we are in. I’m using the KJV.

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,” 2 Thess. 2:1

Gathering together unto Him?

What is it?

He is speaking of the rapture. He is speaking of the spirits/souls of all the saints from all time, being gathered together to Him, in the twinkling of an eye.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”— 1 Thess. 4:16-17

And again

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”— 1 Cor. 15:50-52

The rapture is where all saints. All real believers are changed into spiritual bodies. It is called “The Gathering Together”. The Lord gathers us together with Him. (1 Cor. 15:35-49)

Now we look at the next verses in 2 Thessalonians 2.

“That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Paul is saying that times will be tough, there will be deception, but rest assured the day of Christ’s return is at hand. It is imminent. His return, not a pre-tribulation rapture lie. Not this idea that He will sneak us away and we will wait in heaven for seven years, then come back. But, His actual return as promised.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”

This verse plainly states that the Gathering Together or Rapture will not occur until there is a Falling Away and the Anti-Christ is revealed. The Anti-Christ will wage war on the saints. The Word plainly states it. This is not some “tribulation saints” it is all of Christianity. It is the real saints. the real believers. (Rev. 13:7, Daniel 7:21, Daniel 7:25)

There will be terrible persecution in these last days against Christians. This persecution will cause many who have been in church but never really known Christ to fall away. They will want to avoid persecution and suffering. They will reject the Lord, and form the Apostate Church. This church will follow the False Prophet, and the New Religion he will create. (Rev. 6:9-11, Rev. 13)

Real believers will not accept the Mark of the Beast. They will not reject Christ. They will suffer and starve and be rounded up and killed. Just like the saints of the first church. Jesus cleansed the Temple twice during His earthly ministry. That is a picture of the early persecutions and the latter. Where all the chaff is removed. Where all the false ones are revealed and leave the body of the church. Because they never really believed or knew Him. They were just in church for tradition, fear, appearances or some other reason. But, they were never really saved. (Rev. 13)

The next verse in 2 Thessalonians,

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

We see here that the Temple will be built at this time, before the Gathering together (Rapture). Before the return of Jesus. The Anti-Christ will sit in the Temple and call Himself God.

And the false prophet will teach that the Anti-Christ is God. It will be taught that He is the Messiah. That he is the latest of many souls who have come throughout history from beyond to lead us into the next step of our evolution. That we are being led by the Spirit to “be as gods” through evolution. The same lies Satan told Adam and Eve. (Rev. 13, Gen. 3)

As the Word says, there have been many anti-christs. “Instead of” Christs. False Christs. There is a spirit of antichrist from Satan who has worked to help build the Anti-Christ’s Global Kingdom since the Fall of Man. That spirit has used many people to move us along. The False Prophet will claim this is a good thing, from beyond and is part of our evolutionary process. But, it is not. (1 John 2:18, 1 John 4)

Next we see in 2 Thessalonians 2

“5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”

In these verses it speaks of the Restrainer. Someone who restrains the Anti-Christ.

This has been rightly understood to be the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the real believers. The Saints of the real church of Jesus Christ.

But, the false belief has been that the Holy Spirit will be removed in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, when all the saints have been removed with Him as well.

But, that is clearly not correct.

The Holy Spirit will be “taken out of the way”, because the Anti-Christ will have waged war against the Saints and overcome them. All the Saints, will be dead, locked up, underground, in hiding, and destroyed.

God allows this. Just like he did to the early church. Remember, persecution is not a bad thing for the believer. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”—Psa. 116:15

The removal of the Saints does not reveal the Anti-Christ. The removal of the Holy Spirit does not reveal the Anti-Christ. The Holy Spirit is not removed. He dwells in His people, but the influence He has at this time will have been taken out of the way with the saints, because they will have been killed or in hiding.

The saints and Holy Spirit being taken out of the way doesn’t reveal the Anti-Christ, because He will already be on the scene. But it reveals “That Wicked”.

It reveals that the man who is the “Anti-Christ”. The man the world has accepted and worshiped. The man who is considered a savior from all the troubles and problems that come from the seal and trumpet judgements, is not really a Christ. But is Satan in the flesh.

And all hell breaks loose. (Rev. 12:7-12)

Next we see in the verses of 2 Thessalonians,

 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Deception will be bad. With AI, and all powers and news and preachers, and doctors and scientists, and politicians and experts, and movies and music; backing Him up. The lies will be every where. We can see it today, but it will be worse.

As the Lord says “ For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matt 24:24)

There will be no truth. If you do not already know the truth. If you do not already know Jesus Christ, and the truth of God’s Word and promises. You will not be able to break through the deceptions, to see truth.

There will be strong delusion that prevent those on the Earth from being saved, because they cannot see the truth. The Anti-Christ and the forces with Him. The spirit of anti-christ, Satan, the fallen angels and demons of hell, will even use the things of God to bring this deception.

And God will allow it. There are things in place that God has sent, which will be used to help with the delusion.

His Saints and the Holy Spirit with them will have been overcome and taken out of the way. The truth has been twisted in every way possible. There will be no one to refute the lies, or resist the enemy.

God has given the Gospel to everyone on Earth. They have heard and know. But, have chosen to reject. They hold the truth of who Jesus Christ is, in unrighteousness. They hold the truth of Jesus Christ and have chosen to not be washed by it. They have chosen to not believe it and be made righteous and be saved. They refuse to confess Him as Lord, and have chosen Satan. (Matt. 24:14)

As the Lord says

1 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. —Matt. 24:21-22

Because the Lord returns, and ends the horror.

“29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”—Matt. 24:29-31

The Gathering Together, as spoken of in 2 Thessalonians.

 “Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;

2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you.

3 Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.”—Zeph. 2:1-3

We are hid in Christ. We are hid in the cleft of the Rock. We are hid in the Ark. We are washed clean in the Blood.

If we know Him. If we turn to Him and Confess Him as Lord before He comes. Before we are so deceived and twisted that we cannot see truth. (Rom. 10:9-10, Rom 14:11-12)

Be not one of those who turn to the Anti-Christ, and join the Apostate Church. The temptation for Christians in those days will be severe. They will lose everything, even life unless they turn from Christ. But, those who really know Him will be able to endure.

“35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”— Heb. 10:35-39.

As the Lord says

“9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” —Matt. 24:9-13

Many false brethren will turn and join the Apostate Church and will help the Anti-Christ kill and overcome the Saints. We endure, not by our works, but by abiding in Him. We abide in Him, by knowing Him. By confessing him as Lord. By the relationship we have with Him.

As the end of 2 Thessalonians 2 says,

“ But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”

Behold He comes quickly.

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

(This has been an interpretation of what is to come. Like most prophecy we cannot put our foot down and say “Thus sayeth the Lord”. I am not doing that. I could be wrong. But, through time and study, I believe I have been led to this conclusion of what will occur. we shall see.

Cover by pexels

The God Who Answers

He is there and will answer.

We live our lives in this world, where we seem to have no control. Where we look every where for answers. Everything seems hard and we have sorrow, working our selves to death.

We seek answers from gods, idols and wisemen. We seek answers from deep within ourselves. We seek solutions from doctors,sorcerers, experts, scientists and alchemists. We seek to join pop culture and the knowledge of our world. But we continue to flounder in the dark.

In the Bible, there’s a story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings Chapter 18)

Evil had taken over the land. The government was corrupt. The religion had become corrupt and wicked. There was drought and famine in the land and all the people were corrupted as well.

But God called Elijah to challenge the enemy. And Elijah went. He told the prophets of Baal.

“Let us pray over the alter of sacrifice and the God who sends fire is the real true God.”

The prophets of Baal cried out to their god. They tried everything they could but nothing happened.

Then Elijah told them to pour water on the altar. Then more water. Then Elijah prayed, and fire fell from heaven consuming the sacrifice, altar and even the water.

The Lord, is the one true God, and He is the one who answers.

Our lives are broken and we’ve tried everything; and nothing has helped. Everything has failed. We mess up again and again and it just seems to get worse.

God is calling you to turn to Him and ask Him for help. You’ve tried everything else, why not God?

It doesn’t matter how evil, how corrupt, or how much water you have poured on the troubles of your life. God will come as a consuming fire and save you. Then, He will change your life, if you give yourself to Him. (Acts 2:21 KJV)

Just call on Him. He is waiting. He is seeking you. Just ask Him to save you and confess that Jesus is the Lord, and you want Him to be your Lord. (Romans 10:9-10 KJV)

Believe in Him. Learn of Him, and trust Him and His promises.

The Word says that He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Heb. 13:5)

He is with us always even until the end of the earth. (Matt. 28:20)

And if God is with us, then who can hurt us? Who can remove us from His hand? Who can get Him to stop loving us?

No one.

God hears our every word and thought. Believe it.

He hears your prayers and is moving. Trust Him.

No matter what happens, He is seeking our good. (Rom. 8:28)

Remind yourself of this.

Do not let the enemy get you to think God doesn’t care or is not listening or is punishing you.

God is with you.

Trust Him.

The Princes Of This World

Who really rules?

Let’s talk about some conspiracy and spiritual truth for a moment. Because you must understand that there is only ONE conspiracy. And that’s the spiritual battle behind the scenes, that we all can see parts of, and have a feeling about, but cannot completely prove.

The people who rule this world are controlled by spiritual forces, whether they know it or not. So, let me show you some verses from the scriptures that speak of the true nature of our world behind the veil.

 Let’s start with this one.

“Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”— 1 Cor. 2:8

This verse in  1 Corinthians is very interesting and says a lot more than what it appears.

If you recall the story of Jesus’s crucifixion in the Gospels. You have to ask the question. “What princes?”

The story tells of Pilate who is an administrator not a prince. He might be of aristocratic bloodlines, but he is not a prince.

King Herod is not a prince. He also did not actively put Christ to death.

The religious leaders are not princes, although they are called the children of the devil, which could make them princes, possibly.

So, who is the verse talking about?

I believe it’s talking about Satan and his fallen angels who rule this world with him.

In second Corinthians……  Satan is described as “the god of this world”

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”–2 Cor. 4:4

In Ephesians it speaks of him ruling again

“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”— Eph 2:2

He is the ruler of this world and has been from when he stole dominion from Adam in the Fall.– Genesis  chapter 3.

God gave Adam dominion, and when Adam chose to obey Satan instead of God. He handed that dominion over to the enemy.

That is why there’s so much evil in the world. Satan has authority and is building his kingdom for his messiah, the Anti-Christ to come.

So, how do I know this?

Well, we have this verse in Ephesians, that seems to be referring to demonic forces that rule the world, and do so through their human slaves.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”— Eph 6:12.

Also, in the book of Daniel,  Chapter 10. Daniel is praying but the prayer is delayed because of demonic activity. 

The passage speaks of the Prince of Persia, and the Prince of Grecia, who hinder the prayer.

It seems that these are demonic leaders who rule over these areas and people groups.

These verses seem to imply a global demonic network that rules everything.

This is what Christ came to set us free from. Our Sin and the Dominion of the Enemy.

When you look at history you can plainly see the workings of the enemy as he uses humans to conquer and set up systems of control.

You can see how he keeps people enslaved and in poverty. Deceiving the masses and building the structures that will allow his messiah, to have the power to rule.

Satan desires to be worshiped as the most high God, and works to dethrone God everywhere he can.

Watch what is happening in the world today, and filter it through the idea of these control structures, and let the Holy Spirit open your eyes to what is really going on.

Cover photo by pexels.

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Overcoming Anxiety And Fear

It is a demon. Cast it out.

Jesus said, “Fear Not” (Matt. 10:31)

He said it many times.  Actually, it’s a theme throughout scripture.

Fear at its most basic level, is a lack of trust in God and His promises.

That is a harsh saying, especially when we are dealing with anxiety. Because, often times anxiety occurs without any real grounded reason. Or sometimes, it happens without any practical realistic reason, at all.

Sometimes, anxiety is over nothing. You just have a feeling of dread.

Battling anxiety is tough. But, please realize that it is a spiritual battle. 

The Word says God has “not given us a spirit of fear, but if power, love and a sound mind.”( 2 Tim. 1:7)

So, let’s rightly divide what this is saying.

First, there is a spirit of fear. It is not from God. We are His children and He is with us. 

He has given us a Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. We already have it, if we know Him. It’s the Holy Spirit.

We forget this, and let the enemy overcome us. But, we must remind ourselves who we are in Christ, and that He dwells in us. It’s a spiritual battle. A Spirit of fear is trying to take us, and lead us down a dark path. So, we speak truth into the world to combat it.

Speak it out loud to yourself.

“I am saved and the Holy Spirit dwells in me. Power, love and a sound mind dwells in me. Begone, spirit of fear in Jesus name.”

This is a promise from God. He is promising us that He did not give us this fear. We speak it out loud and believe it to remind ourselves and inform the spirit of fear, what the truth is. The promise empowers us.

Ok, consider this. If we speak negative hateful things to a child its whole life, the child will be impacted by that. It is a fact that the things we hear go into our mind and soul and settle there whether we want it to or not. So speaking truth out loud, serves many purposes at the same time. It gets truth into the world for the enemy to know, and it penetrates the mind, and it acts as a prayer to God.

“…faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”—Rom. 10:17

Speaking God’s Word out loud builds our faith. It strengthens us. It is the Sword of the Spirit, and drives out demons.

Speak God’s promises out loud in faith and watch them manifest in your life. Here are a few good ones. Speak them. Believe the promise in Jesus name.

Verse: “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”— 2 Thess. 3:3

Say: “God is faithful. He will establish me and keep me from evil, in Jesus name!”

Verse: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”—Isa. 54:17

Say: ” No weapon will hurt me and whatever they say against me God will deal with. I am a child of God. I believe His Word and He’s got this in Jesus name!”

Verse: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”— John 14:13

Say: “Jesus said ‘whatsoever I ask in His name, He will do’ I have prayed in Jesus name! God is moving. I trust Him. He is coming. In Jesus name.”

Learn more promises. Memorize them. Believe them. Believe God. Trust Him, and speak His Truth.

Let’s break this verse down more.

1. Power.

The Spirit in us allows us to speak to the Father. We have power in prayer and praise. The Spirit translates our concerns into words for us and intercedes for us. 

He gives us the power to cast out demons and have faith in the promises of God. Cast out those demons in Jesus name. Speak out loud and stand on the promises of God.

That’s power.

2. Love. 

“Perfect love casts out fear.”  ( 1 John 4:18 )

Remember God is Love. The Holy Spirit is God, so we have love dwelling in us. 

Often times we have anxiety because we are focused on our desires instead of God’s. We want our way, not God’s. 

When we die to self and love God and others, a lot of our anxiety will go away.

Course, sometimes we don’t know what God wants. We can’t accept His will because we don’t know it.

Imagine you are one of the Israelites, coming out of Egypt. You don’t know where you are going, or what’s going to happen. It’s scary.

All you see is a pillar of fire and smoke. When it moves you must move and follow it. You have everything in your life. Ready to grab and go to follow Him.

And it’s concerning. You might be tempted to murmur and complain about going back to your old life. You might think it was easier when you lived in the world, without Christ.

But, if you wait and trust you will see God move and know that He loves you and will come through. He will provide and protect as you wait upon the Lord.

That Love drives out fear. Remember when He has moved, and loved you. By remembering the things He has done for you in the past, you can speak these things and drive out fear.

3. A Sound Mind.

The Holy Spirit leads us into ALL truth. ( John 16:13) That helps us to see clearly through the deception, the spirit of fear is casting into our hearts and minds. The Holy Spirit can bring verses and the good things of God to our remembrance.

Is there a rational reason to be concerned? Is this fear even possible? What is the worst case scenario? What are God’s promises? God has protected us before and will again. But, even if He doesn’t, He is with us.

What is the Truth? Jesus Christ is Truth and He rules ALL.

Anxiety is an attack by the enemy. Fear is not from God. But, neither are accusations. Satan is the accuser of the brethren.

So, anyone accusing you because of your anxiety is serving the enemy. If they were serving God, they would love you, and that love would drive out fear.

Ultimately, turn to God and let Him work in you and through you. He is with you and in you. Remember this.

The enemy will try to get you to turn from God, and not trust Him. Remember, Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. ” ( 1 Peter 5:8)

A lion roars, and it causes fear in the Sheep. So it causes some to run and separate from the Shepherd. This spirit of fear is a roar trying to drive us away from God. God is our only real protection.

We turn to all kinds of things to help alleviate this fear. Drugs, philosophies and distractions.

But always turn to God. He is our only hope. 

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As If By Fire

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The Thief On The Cross

A picture of us all

   The thief on the cross, spoken of in the Gospels of our Lord Jesus, stands as an extreme view of salvation in the eyes of some.  The man who did what appears to be absolutely nothing, yet Jesus himself saved him declaring, “Today you shall be with me in paradise”.  But, it is my belief that the thief is not an extreme example, but that he is the norm.  We are all thieves on the cross; we just refuse to see it as such. (Luke  23:26-43)

     
     Every one of us stands condemned before God.  We know this in our hearts.  Whether we understand it or not, we know that something is wrong and that we need help.  We desire to know the one who made us, yet we cannot.  It is because we are filled with the plague of Sin from birth, which causes us to live lives apart from God.  It causes us to do the things we do, that we know are wrong.  Like a plague, it works in us to bring about symptoms of evil.  It causes us to knowingly rebel against God, and to reject the helping hand He offers us. 
     
     Therefore, we stand condemned, whether we think it is fair or understand it or not.  We have been nailed to a cross to die like condemned criminals, dangling above the fiery pit of eternity. We are like the thief on the cross.   ( The Book Of Romans)                        
    
      When Jesus was crucified, he was executed along with two thieves; one on each side of  Him.  This event was prophesied hundreds of years before when Isaiah said “…because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered among the transgressors” (Isa.53:12b)
    
      So, how does this apply to us? We are all thieves on the cross.  God Almighty came to Earth in the form of Jesus Christ and was crucified with us in our sin and wretchedness.  He took it all upon His shoulders, and paid the price for us; so that we would not be eternally condemned.  We are to suffer death in this life, but not eternal damnation.
     
     We see our salvation experience in the crucifixion. Jesus Christ was made sin for us. (2 Cor.5: 19-21) This is symbolized when the soldiers put a scarlet (red) robe upon him and a crown of thorns upon His head. Both are symbols for Sin. (Matt. 27: 27-38) This shows that Sin itself was crucified. Sin was judged, while sinners were set free.
     
     He was crucified between two thieves; One on the right and one on the left. Both of the thieves mocked Him, at first. This is how all humans are. We reject God.  We reject His love and His Lordship of our lives. We choose Sin and the World system. We choose Satan, whether we know it or not. We make Lucifer our Lord, and reject the salvation that God freely offers.
      
     But, one of the thieves comes to the realization of who Jesus really is. The Holy Spirit spoke truth to his heart and he believed the Word given to him. The thief was mocking, but suddenly a change occurs. He saw the truth. He believed. That is faith. God called Him by His grace, and through faith the thief believed and was made righteous, at that instant. That is the same with us. We live our lives, and something happens that wakes us up. God comes to us and calls us and speaks to our hearts and we believe. We are saved at that instant.(Eph. 2:8-10)
       
     Next, we see the awakened thief witnessing to the unsaved thief.  He tells him that Jesus is not worthy of death but the thieves are. Just like when we witness of Jesus Christ we tell people that Jesus came to die for us, the innocent for the guilty. Jesus said “If you confess me before men, I will confess you before my father” ( Matt. 10:31-33 ) This thief was confessing Jesus before men.
       
     Next we see the thief speak to Jesus and he says “Lord”.  He confesses Jesus is The Lord. As it says in Romans 10:9-10.  “that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”  He believed that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah and confessed Him as Lord. This is what each of us is called to do. (Acts 8:26-40)
      
     The thief said, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  The thief believed upon Jesus, and put his future hope in Him, for a better day. A hope for something greater beyond this life, and wicked world. This hope is the same hope the prophets, the great men of old, believed in. It is the same hope we have. (Heb. 11:8-16, 11:32-40)
     
     Jesus Himself, said “Verily I say unto you, that today, you shall be with me in paradise.” Many take this to mean that since they died that day, they went to paradise together. This is certainly true. But, it also means that on this day, in this instant, you are saved. You will be with me in paradise, or heaven, forever. This is the same with us. We are saved forever, the second we first believe, and confess Him as Lord.
      
     The thief was not baptized. He did not go to church. He did not give money to charity or churches. He did not behave himself perfectly for 80 years of his life. He did absolutely nothing, but believe in Him, Confess Him as His Lord, and witness to the lost. That’s it. That’s all that is needed for salvation. After our salvation we seek to know God’s will for our lives by studying His Word. We are baptized, take communion, and gather with other believers. We give, and show love to others, as God works in our lives. We learn of the gifts He has given us, and we use them to build His kingdom. We struggle with our old nature, letting the new man come forth as God works. We deny the world system of Satan, and build God’s kingdom.
    
     We are all thieves on the cross. We are wretched sinners, just one step from death and destruction. The only thing saving us is Jesus Christ. Believe it, and Tell others.

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Are You Really Following Jesus?

Make sure.

What does it mean to follow the real Jesus?

Well, let’s look and see.

Jesus’s ministry was a ministry of healing. This should tell us something about what we believe in regards to the Gospel and how we are to serve God.

Because we want to be like Him. That is real godliness.

After Jesus fasted in the wilderness and was tempted of the devil.

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”— Luke 4:16-21

Is this how you are following Jesus? Are you preaching the Gospel to the poor? Are you healing the blind and broken-hearted? Are you setting the captives free? Are you fulfilling this mission in His footsteps? Are you letting the Holy Spirit do this work through you?

Let me show you something.

In the book of Matthew Chapter 25, Jesus tells us what will happen when He returns. One of the stories is the the Judgement of the Nations.

He asks about what we did for the hungry, naked, thirsty, strangers and those in jail?

Then He says, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”—Matt 25:40

He doesn’t ask about your sin. He doesn’t ask about your sexual immorality or your politics. Because if you know Him, those things are washed away. He asks about what you did with your talents, and your gifts. Did you serve others? Did you tell others about Jesus? Did you show love and help people? Did you help those people everyone else rejected?

Because when we know Him, that is what we do.

If we live our lives in church and never know Him we are virgins without oil. We never put our faith in Him.

Do you really follow Him?

Jesus gave most of his condemnation to the religious leaders who were all about forcing people to obey the law, but did nothing to help or love others.

He says,

“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”—Matt 23:13-15

He spoke consistently against the religious leaders while healing the sinners.

He drove out the money changers from the temple. Twice.

This is prophecy and shows us the persecutions of the early church and of these latter days, where the Lord will cleanse His temple of those who do not believe.

Jesus came to heal people and set them free. He did not come to preach the law, and condemn sinners.

When you understand what sin really is, your mindset will change to match what Jesus came to do.

Sin is a corruption that get into us and makes us commit sins. It came from Adam, it corrupts our nature and makes us totally depraved. There is nothing good in us because of this spiritual plague.

And it is a plague. We can look at the law and see the description of leprosy. Leprosy, blindness, and all of these diseases are pictures of our corrupted nature.

Leprosy like sin, is contagious. It makes us unclean and filthy. It rots our flesh and kills us slowly, and we no longer go around healthy people and cannot go to the temple.

Look at how the pharisees treated the lepers, and blind and poor. They treated all of them as sinners punished by God. Is that how your church leads you to treat people? Is that how you view others who are not as good as you? Be honest with yourself. This is important.

When was the last time you sat down and talked with a dirty, smelly foul mouthed sinner? When was the last time you gave money to help someone in need. Not sterilized giving, where you are twice removed from the wicked. But, actually helping someone? Looking them in the eye as they lie to you, and you love them anyway and give them money without judgement?

Just like Jesus gives to you.

Jesus came to heal us and set people free from the bondage of Satan and Sin.

He died for us, who do not deserve it.

Jesus said “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

That is what following Jesus looks like.

It’s a daily self sacrifice, to live to help others and tell them about Jesus. It’s a daily mission to fulfill what Jesus came to do. Save others, help others, and set them free.

Is that what your church leads you to do? Or do you just sit around singing songs?

There is no song singing crown in glory.

Our worship is based upon what He has done for us, it leads us to want to help others.

Time is drawing short. The Lord is coming.

Listen to the Holy Spirit as he guides you.

“My sheep hear my voice” Jesus said.

He will lead us into all truth and help us to know how to serve and follow. We often hear His voice, then let the devil or fear talk us out of what Jesus is calling us to do. He might want us to do something to help people. Then, we tell others and they talk us out of it, or discourage us.

We are at war. The devil doesn’t want you to follow Jesus. He wants you to sit at church and do nothing. Listen to that still small voice. That urging to help or speak or serve. Learn to hear Him and follow.

We are saved and called to be a part of His mission.

Are you really following Him?

or are you following the pharisees?

Cover photo by pexels