Archive for the ‘Fruits of the Holy Spirit’ Category
Change, Church Growth, Jesus Revolution Movie, Revelation, Revival, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Chage
In Agape Love, Biblical Principles, Change, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Church Growth, Disunity, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Revolution Movie, Lifestyle, Reformation, Religious Freedom, Revival, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Change, Spiritual Remnant, Unity on March 4, 2023 at 5:19 pm
Saw Jesus Revolution yesterday. I literally cried three quarters of the way through the movie. It was only the last half an hour or maybe that I did not cry big buckets of tears.
It reminded me in many ways, not particularly the hippie thing, but the closeness and openness of the people, it reminded me of the churches that I helped start back in the late 1990s and the early to mid-2000s (based on guidelines God had given us in the late 90s for the types of churches in our lifetime that he would bless and grow substantially). After I came here, Florida, I never found any places like those again, or any spiritual leader who truly wanted to create one.
No offense because I was born here in Florida and grew up here, but compared to a lot of the other places in the country I have been to, this place is so spiritually repressed and I’m talking about godly Christian spirituality. The Body of Christ is supposed to be a family but here in Florida or at least Northern Florida and West Florida, I lived over in Pensacola, it doesn’t seem like a real godly family (then ministers wonder why their churches don’t grow or their ministries aren’t operating the way they should or they are not being used).
The churches that the movie reminded me of…we were so close, we were truly there for each other, we invested our lives in each other, we corrected each other, we helped each other, we loved each other, we truly had agape love for each other. I have not found that to exist here on a deep level, everything the ministry and the relationships are very superficial. Sadly, change can only be on the horizon once people recognize those things and are willing to do something about them, just like in the movie, until that man recognized why his church was so small and so void of the True Spirit, nothing changed.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Actions, Choices, Evil, Godliness, Life, Proverbs, Proverbs 11:18-19, Reaping and Sowing, Rewards, Wickedness, Wisdom
In Actions, Advice, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Decision Making, Evil, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Godliness, Holiness, Lifestyle, Obedience, Proverbs, Righteous Living, Righteousness, Uncategorized, Wisdom on August 3, 2022 at 6:41 pm
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Hebrew or Greek definition(s).
18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
19 As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.
Your Fruit Your Choice
Death and life in the figurative, moral, mental, emotional, physical (to some degree) and spiritual (to a small degree) are in your hands based on your choices you make each day. In these verses we see a contrast between evil and righteousness, between deceitfulness and uprightness and the resulting fruit of each.
Wickedness is deceitful, plain and simply. Many of their wicked acts require deceit.
“deceitful” in the Hebrew language is defined as:
8267. שֶׁקֶר sheqer, sheh’-ker; from 8266; an untruth; by impl. a sham (often adv.):— without a cause, deceit (-ful), false (-hood, -ly), feignedly, liar, + lie, lying, vain (thing), wrongfully.
8266. שָׁקַר shâqar, shaw-kar’; a prim. root; to cheat, i.e. be untrue (usually in words):— fail, deal falsely, lie.
Deceit takes on many forms but at its heart is something rooted in being dishonest with someone about something in order to gain an advantage in some manner. It is wicked to be deceitful despite what some might think; to lie, to scam a person, to mislead them, to deal with them in a manner that is morally wrong, or to cheat them in some manner. To be less than genuine or real, which is what “feignedly” means, is also deceitful. Deceitfulness has an air of vanity about it because people feel they are somehow entitled to treat others with such contempt.
Righteousness on the other hand is just the opposite. It knows that our true worth is only found in Christ and in obeying Christ’s Will for our life.
In the same language “righteousness” is defined as:
6666. צְדָקָה tsedâqâh, tsed-aw-kaw’; from 6663; rightness (abstr.), subj. (rectitude), obj. (justice), mor. (virtue) or fig. (prosperity):— justice, moderately, right (-eous) (act, -ly, -ness).
6663. צָדַק tsâdaq, tsaw-dak’; a prim. root; to be (caus. make) right (in a moral or forensic sense):— cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just (-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be, turn to) righteous (-ness).
Righteousness wants to see justice done, to make or cause things to be put right, hungers for virtue, is moderate in its dealings, actions, and lifestyle, seeks goodness and decency, which is what “rectitude” means. Righteousness wants to cleanse itself and wants to see the world cleansed from wickedness. Righteousness produces prosperity, not just monetarily but mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally, etc. in so many manners.
That prosperity is there, a result, a fruit, of what is written about in verses eighteen, where it states that the righteous “shall be a sure reward” or shall have a sure reward. Righteousness is a reward to the person who is acting in a righteous manner and a reward to all who have the privilege of dealing with someone who lives their life by a morally righteous code based on God’s Word.
The Hebrew defines “sure” as:
571. אֶמֶת ˒emeth, eh’-meth; contr. from 539; stability; fig. certainty, truth, trustworthiness:— assured (-ly), establishment, faithful, right, sure, true (-ly, -th), verity.
539. אָמַן ˒âman, aw-man’; a prim. root; prop. to build up or support;
And the Hebrew defines “reward” as:
7938. שֶׂכֶר seker, seh’-ker; from 7936; wages:— reward, sluices.
The righteous person knows they can depend on the rewards of God. They will receive the wages for their faithfulness. Those rewards will flow to them from heaven’s throne to their daily life.
Righteousness will bring life to your life, just as evil will bring death to your life (v.19). Righteousness or evil are a choice, a choice that will bear fruit, a choice that must be made.
Throughout this study, if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Illness, Information, Insomnia, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Neighbors, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Compassion, Decision Making, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, Forgiveness, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Godly Counsel, Hatred, Learning, Marriage, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on July 11, 2018 at 12:05 pm
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. 29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. 30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
What of Your Neighbor
First, I pose the question, “Who is your neighbor?” It is not just the people who live next door to you, it is also those individuals with which you come into consistent contact on a reasonability normal basis. Your neighbor is not everyone in the world however. A neighbor must be a person within your community or sphere of life. The Hebrew language regarding the word “neighbour” as found in verse twenty-eight defines a neighbour as “an associate (more or less close):— brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, neighbour.”[1] Therefore, once again, a neighbor is a person with which one has some connection either through relationship or a shared area of living, working, recreation, church, etc.
The ”good” represented in verse twenty-seven is good in a wide variety of application in the “widest sense.” However, this good is to be done to “whom it is due” and according to the definition in the Hebrew language that is inclusive of only a spouse or someone individual with whom you are obligated such as an employer or overseer of some sort that has personal authority over your life granted to them through relationship, such as the head of an organization you volunteer for, the head of a committee you sit on, the person[s] in authority over you at work, etc. Verse twenty-seven does not apply to everyone a person would consider a “neighbour” and that is important to remember. Any good it is within your power to do for your spouse or your employer should be done as God prompts and directs. Yes, I know how difficult the last statement I made is to carry out in practical life. Good cannot always be granted to those who have repeated abused the goodness offered to them. A person must pray and allow the Holy Spirit to guide their actions.
Separately verse twenty-eight deals with helping our neighbor in need. If we have what our neighbor needs, and they ask us for what they need, it is not right in God’s eyes to withhold what they need from them. If we can help our neighbor with a true need, a need that is rare and not reoccurring due to our neighbor’s personal mishandling, and we can give said help without neglecting our own household then godly wisdom dictates that we should be willing to give that help without delay.
You and your neighbors should be able to feel they can live in community together without harm being done to each other and without a desire to perpetrate evil upon each other. We should not want to hurt or do harm to anyone, most especially those within our closes associations. That includes taking their lunch or soda from the frig at work, liberating aka stealing office supplies, taking the neighbors newspaper, borrowing from your neighbor with no intent of returning or repaying what you borrowed, etc.
If people have done nothing to us, then we should not seek to be disagreeable with them. We should not seek to argue for argument sake. However, verse thirty clearly reads that we should not seek to strive with another person “without cause” implying that there are times when there is cause to disagree or strive with another person, especially if they are doing us harm or seek to do us harm. We defend ourselves if we are harmed but when we are not harmed we seek to live in peace.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Health, Illness, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Agape Love, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Courage, Decision Making, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fear, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Learning, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on March 18, 2018 at 9:11 am
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Give to God
The word “honour” in the Hebrew language gives the sense of in good times or bad times, during plenty and during lack, when it is a burden or when it is easy we are to honour God with what we have to give, with “thy substance.”
“and with the firstfruits” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
7225. רֵאשִׁית rê˒shı̂yth, ray-sheeth’; from the same as 7218; the first, in place, time, order or rank (spec. a firstfruit):— beginning, chief (-est), first (-fruits, part, time), principal thing.
“of all thine increase” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
8393. תְּבוּאָה tebûw˒âh, teb-oo-aw’; from 935; income, i.e. produce (lit. or fig.):— fruit, gain, increase, revenue.
“with plenty” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
7647. שָׂבָע sâbâ˓, saw-baw’; from 7646; copiousness:— abundance, plenteous (-ness, -ly).
7646. שָׂבַע sâba˓, saw-bah’; or
שָׂבֵעַ sâbêa˓, saw-bay’-ah; a prim. root; to sate, i.e. fill to satisfaction (lit. or fig.): — have enough, fill (full, self, with), be (to the) full (of), have plenty of, be satiate, satisfy (with), suffice, be weary of.
If you are giving to truly honor God you will be fully satisfied with what you have, you will not crave and want things beyond God’s plan for you. If you are giving to get from God, then you hunger and crave for more and more without finding lasting contentment or satisfaction.
Prosperity, copiousness, is not just about money, it is about quality of life and satisfaction of life.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Church Growth, Prophecy, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Word
In Apostasy, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christianity, End Times, Exhortation, False Doctrine, False Teaching, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Jesus, Prophecy, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on March 10, 2018 at 8:58 am
This blog will alternate weekly between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
You see your church is not growing, so now what? It is time for those who can see to begin to speak to the church about why it is not growing and what God wants done about this sad reality. The next few years between 2018 and 2021 are going to be critical for The Church, The Body of Christ, Jesus’ People as God begins a powerful transforming move of His Spirit.
Are you personally ready to face Truth, to face God and what He is saying to His People? Is your group, your church, ready to embrace a move of God that will transform lives and your church permanently? If you are, then I recommend you follow this blog (at the bottom of the page is a “follow” button to sign up for email delivery), then buckle your spiritual seatbelt, take off your blinders, unplug your ears, and get ready to face Truths that will change you and your church in almost every area.
God has something to say and do – encourage every person you know to listen, and watch God do what only God can do!
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Fear, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christ, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Courage, Decision Making, Devotional, Discretion, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Learning, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on January 12, 2018 at 1:15 pm
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: 12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; 17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. 18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. 19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. 20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Death or Life – A Choice
The willingness to walk in wisdom is a heart matter. It is a matter of choice. We either desire a life filled with life, godliness, and wisdom or we do not. If we do desire life, godliness, and wisdom then we embrace the knowledge of wisdom for it is through wisdom we shall make room for Jesus to bring about all three in our existence. (v.10)
Discretion in action in daily life will keep us from the snares of life, and keep us on the path of righteousness in Christ. Our intellect needs to be a part of that process as we use our mind to think and reflect upon choices and our spirit to discern the proper course of action. (v.11)
Wisdom, discretion, and godly understanding will help us discern evil people thus avoiding evil people and the actions that come with them. Evil man’s “forward” ways are filled with perversity and fraud, which is the meaning of the word “forward” in verse twelve. There are ways that man devises that are evil. They leave what God considers good (uprightness) and pursue what God considers evil (darkness). Godly people avoid such ways. (v.12-13)
Not only does evil man leave the paths of God and pursue evil, he enjoys the pursuit of evil. This can be difficult for godly people to believe, that people would actually enjoy doing evil, but they in fact do enjoy their evil deeds. Reasoning with someone consumed in their evil ways is almost impossible. (v.14)
There is no way someone like this can be trusted in any capacity. They are not honest and will use words to manipulate individuals. Being naively trusting is not being godly. We can love people, help people, respect people, and guide people while extending trust wisely. (v.15-16)
We may be dealing with an individual we knew when we, and they, were young, but they are now living an ungodly life. They may not be the same person you once knew. Their choices may have carried them far from the godly instruction that you know they once received as a youth. Wisdom makes the choice to pray for them, deal with them as they are now, and wait for God to bring them back into the fold. (v.17)
The ways of evil only lead to death. The houses of evil are filled with death and no place for a godly person. Evil brings death in all forms, literal, figurative, spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, physical, intellectually, etc. Evil leaves a trail of loss and heartache wherever it goes. The small pleasures evil “appears” to bring are only for a fleeting moment and then the bill comes in the form of some brand of death, loss, destruction, etc. Avoidance of evil is the best plan of action, as breaking free evil once it has you in its grip is extremely difficult. (v.18-20)
The wise godly person is able to stand firm in their life, dwelling safely in the land/life that God has provided for them. It is only “the perfect” individuals who can remain in this type of life. In the Hebrew language “the perfect” are those individuals who have by means of choice and practice developed “literal, figurative, and moral integrity” based on “truth and sincerity” those living an “upright” life before God – all of which requires daily choices, multiple choices, over and over and over again – choices that please God and are inline with His Word. (v.20-21)
The life of the wicked evil person on average is very short, unproductive, and unfruitful. It is not a life of quality and substance but instead a life of shallowness that never quite satisfy them. (v.22)
We can choose a real life, or we can choose a life of death, it is our choice. We need to choose well and allow God to grant us the wisdom to do so.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Change, Godliness, Growth, Maturity, New Years, Resolutions
In Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Decision Making, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Jesus, Learning, Prudence, Renewal, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on December 30, 2017 at 6:00 am
Before you take action to make all those resolution about what you are going to do or not do, who you are going to be or not be, take a moment and reflect on God’s method of change.
Read the thoughts of a young woman desiring honest change in her life, and my response to her.
Quote = “When I pray and read the Word and worship as I have been recently, i am experiencing more of a closeness and a love… like i am coming back to my first love. I do not think I am explaining it well but I want to live a righteous life and spend time with my Father becuase I love Him and want to, not because there is this list of "do’s and don’ts" to follow.” = End Quote.
You need not worry sister…you are not going to live a “righteous life” without it being a manifestation of God’s grace in your life. Any desire you have for God is a manifestation of God’s grace in your life.
Some thoughts…
A ship is not going to move along steady by being propped from the outside. In order for a ship to be balanced, it must have ballast within the ship in order for the ship to move along steadily. The same is true for us as God’s children. Nothing on the outside of us is ever going to make our lives steady and balanced. It is only through and by the grace of God that our lives ever become consistent, steady, and balance. All three of which God wants for us and all three of which He is more than willing to shed out His grace in service to perform.
Therefore, God’s grace becomes our ballast. Ballast being:
bal·last
1. stabilizing heavy weights: heavy material carried in the hold of a ship, especially one that has no cargo, in the keel of a sailing boat, or in the gondola of a balloon, to give the craft increased stability
2. something that gives bulk or stability: anything that serves no particular purpose except to give bulk or weight to something or that provides additional stability
3. foundation material: stones or gravel when used as a foundation for a road or railroad track
4. industry gravel used in making concrete: gravel used in making concrete and in earthworks
5. electrical engineering circuit limiting current flow: a circuit that limits the current flow in a fluorescent lamp
Encarta ® World English Dictionary
A play on the definitions and a connection to God’s grace.
1 – God is the weight that holds us steady when life blows and blows; only He and His grace provide us stability.
2 – Grace is simply there to bring stability to our souls, our spirits, and our lives.
3 – Grace is the foundation of our relationship with our Savior Jesus.
4 – The endless grace of God turns our liquid hearts and jelly backbones into faith stronger than concrete.
5 – God’s grace is always poured out in just the right dose at just the right time so that we might not become overwhelmed spiritually.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Crime, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Exhortation, Fairness, Fear, Godly Fear, Growing, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Courage, Decision Making, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fear, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Learning, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on October 27, 2017 at 5:15 pm
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
Guarded Paths
Again, in these verses, we see the father urge the son (v.1-4), as God urges us, to obtain and use wisdom in all his dealing so that life might go well with him. In so doing the son, and we, find a “fear of the Lord” and “knowledge of God” that stabilizes our life. The “fear” is both a moral reverential fear and an authoritative fear of oversight and correct (v.5). The “knowledge” is an awareness that comes with observation of how God interacts with His people, deals with His people, knowing God’s character, and His principles (v.5). Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding all come from the Lord (v.6).
Those individuals who choose to walk the narrow path (Matt. 7:14) that Jesus spoke about, those who desire to be empowered by Jesus to walk in righteousness find the wisdom of the Lord to be their guide and to provide a Guard around their life (v.7). Verse seven states that the Lord is a “buckler” for those individuals who choose to walk uprightly. To be a “buckler” is to be an “armed defense,” to be a source of “protection,” to be a “protector” and a “shield.” However, interestingly enough it also means to be a “ruler” over the one who is being protected.
When God is allowed to be Ruler of our life we are able to walk “uprightly” because we walk in the power and strength of Christ because of our choice to obey His directives. Once we choose to obey Christ, the power of Christ is able to work through us. Thus, as Paul said and meant in context, ‘it is not I but Christ in (through) me.’
Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
What it means to walk “uprightly” (v.7) can be deduced from the meaning of the word “uprightly” as found in the Hebrew language.
“uprightly” in the Hebrew language =
8537. תֹּם tôm, tome; from 8552 (be clean); completeness; figuratively prosperity; usually (moral) innocence:— full, integrity, perfect (-ion), simplicity, upright (-ly, -ness), at a venture.
Thus, we can determine uprightness (v.7) means to clean our lives from habitual sin, to understand our completeness in Christ, to live a blessed life that prospers in all manners that are intangible and perhaps some tangible ones as well, to be innocent in our dealing, live and act with integrity, to be mature (perfect) in Christ, to live with simplicity (the good type of simplicity), to act with uprightness in our dealing, and to enjoy a full life as found in Christ’s Purpose for us.
God grants us the ability make the correct judgements in life (v.8), thus resulting in wise decisions when we choose to walk uprightly with Him. He also, states He will “preserveth the way of his saints” that choose to walk uprightly and use wisdom (v.8). Therefore, let us examine what it means to have our way preserved.
“and preserveth” in the Hebrew language =
8104. שָׁמַר shâmar, shaw-mar’; a prim. root; prop. to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc.
“the way” in the Hebrew language =
1870. דֶּרֶךְ derek, deh’-rek; from 1869; a road (as trodden); figuratively a course of life or mode of action, often adv.:— along, away, because of, + by, conversation, custom, [east-] ward, journey, manner, passenger, through, toward, [high-] [path-] way [-side], whither [-soever].
God will place a guard around us, a hedge of protection that will keep what is not His Will from us. That hedge is made of thorns that prick the forces that come at us that are not a part of God’s plan for us. God will attend to what concerns us, to what touches our life, and protect us from what will not serve His Plan and Purpose for us. Therefore, if it touches the life of the upright, it does so because God has a Plan and Purpose for it doing so.
When I referred to “our life” in the previous paragraph and based upon the Hebrew definition of “the way” our life is inclusive of the road God has chosen for us to travel. Our course through this life and our method of action in each situation. God is there for the upright to preserve and protect their conversations, their practices, their manner of living, and to preserve and protect them wherever they go. What a blessed assurance for those who choose to follow wisdom, who choose to obey Christ, who choose to walk uprightly with their God. They find the beauty in life that can only be found in living in harmony with God (v.7-9).
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Crime, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Exhortation, Fairness, Fear, Godly Fear, Growing, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Parents, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Decision Making, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Peace, Prayer, Proverbs, Prudence, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on October 20, 2017 at 3:26 pm
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Fruit of Rejecting Wisdom
Let us look at what the verses above have to say about the fruit of rejecting wisdom when it calls out to us. When we do not regard wisdom, it means we refuse to accept and apply wisdom. In this state the person has “avoided” and “dismissed” the counsel of wisdom. The individual has refused to listen to reproof and correction.
When wisdom is rejected “calamity” is sure to come as verse twenty-six states. Calamity will be followed by fear, not just any fear but according to the Hebrew language a fear that grows toward terror.
“calamity” in the Hebrew language means:
343. אֵיד ˒êyd, ade; from the same as 181 (in the sense of bending down); oppression; by impl. misfortune, ruin:— calamity, destruction.
I know of no person who enjoys oppression, misfortune, and destruction. Nevertheless, if we choose to ignore wisdom we can expect each to follow in growing degrees.
Once the fruit of rejecting wisdom begins to pile up, distress and anguish will wash over the person driving them back toward a desire to seek wisdom. However, at that point wisdom will not come to them as easily (verses 27-28).
We MUST choose to follow the Lord’s Ways, the Lord’s Wisdom and Will early on, not just after trouble has come upon our life (verse 29). We need to embrace the Lord’s correction and counsel not reject it (verse 30) for in doing so we find life and wholeness, not death and brokenness.
We must not blame the Lord for our destruction, ruin, hardships, etc. when we refuse to follow wisdom, for it is not a personal punishment from God but instead a consequence of one’s own choice not to follow wisdom (verses 30-31). If we seek our own “devices,” our own “counsel,” and “purpose” as the Hebrew language defines it, then the very best fruit we can hope for in life is our own fruit, which is substandard in all ways to the fruit of The Holy Spirit, the fruit of Wisdom.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Exhortation, Fairness, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Spirituality, Strength, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Decision Making, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Revival, Truth on September 9, 2017 at 6:37 pm
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
4 To give subtilty (prudence) to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
Being simple in this verse means something totally different than most people would imagine. In this verse, the meaning in the Hebrew language of being a “simple” person is to be a person who makes room in their life, and even invites, both mental and moral silliness and foolishness, which leads to silly and foolish behavior. Believe me there is no joy, fulfillment, or productivity in being a simple person. Simple people waste their lives. Do not be a simple person. Choose to be a person who is wise and lives by disciplined choices.
Wisdom is needed for an individual to have the ability to govern their lives properly. One must obtain knowledge regarding wisdom and biblical principles to come to the place where they are equipped to live with prudence aka subtilty and discretion, two quality our society is in desperate need of currently. If you want to stand out among your peers have prudence and discretion.
Let us examine what prudence and discretion are as defined by the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary.
Prudence =
Main Entry:
pruydence
Pronunciation:
‚prü-d„n(t)s
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin prudentia, alteration of providentia — more at PROVIDENCE
Date:
14th century
1 : the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason
2 : sagacity (aka wisdom) or shrewdness in the management of affairs
3 : skill and good judgment in the use of resources
4 : caution or circumspection as to danger or risk
Application of definitions.
1 – One must stop and think before they act. Does what they are going to do line up with their principles, moral code, God’s desires for them, etc.? Have they thought about the pros and cons of the situation? Has the outcome of the situation been considered?
2 – Does what the person wants to do line up with godly wisdom?
3 – Is this the best use of the person’s times, money, talents, gifts, etc.?
4 – What will happen if this choice is made? What will the potential outcome be? What are the risk involved and are the risk worth the reward?
Discretion =
Main Entry:
disycreytion
Pronunciation:
dis-‚kre-sh„n
Function:
noun
Date:
14th century
1 : the quality of being discreet : CIRCUMSPECTION; especially : cautious reserve in speech
2 : ability to make responsible decisions
Application of definitions.
1 – What is the impact of what the individual is about to say or do on both other people and themselves?
2 – Does the person’s behavior line up with responsible behavior?
You obviously want to find favorable answers to all of those questions when making a decision or choice that can affect your life, and almost every choice affects our life to some degree. Making life’s choices with prudence and discretion through the application of wisdom will radically transform a person’s life into success beyond measure – the abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.
John 10:10 (KJV-AV)” The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Do not allow the Enemy to steal your life through unwise choices.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Decision Making, Devotional, Encouragement, Exhortation, King Solomon, Peace, Proverbs, Renewal, Spirituality, Strength, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Courage, Devotional, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fear, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Impatience, Jesus, Peace, Prayer, Proverbs, Renewal, Revival, Truth, Uncategorized on July 12, 2017 at 1:20 pm
Please note:
There are six points to be explored when it comes to making godly decision. In each posting we will explore two points for a total of three posting on the matter of guidelines for making godly decisions. Each part in this series will begin with the following question and answer followed by a review of two new guidelines you can use to examine how you are making your decisions.
Here is a question someone once asked me that will to bring us to the topic of this study.
Question:
When you want something or want to do something really bad, something that on the surface is not bad, and you have different emotions about it, how do you discern between what God is telling you to do, and what the devil is trying to get you to do?
Answer:
Without a specific example of the “something” referred to in the question this can be a hard question to answer. The reason it can be difficult to answer is that we use so many factors to discern if the prompting and leading we are sensing is truly from God, Satan trying to trick us, or even just our own desire. There are some things to keep in mind however, when trying to discern which it might be.
We will have peace about whatever it is that we feel led to do. God will not lead us into something we do not have peace over. We may feel a bit scared, inadequate, or intimidated but we will not be at spiritual unrest over the matter. If we have spiritual unrest, we should question whether God is the source of the prompting.
John 14:27 NKJV
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (Jesus speaking)
Psalm 107:20 (AV)
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
If confusion is present that is a sign God is not influencing that part of the decision.
1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV
For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
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In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Devotional, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, False Doctrine, False Gods, False Teaching, Fear, Forgiveness, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Hate, Hatred, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Idolatry, Jesus, Loss, Love, Marriage, Media, Mental Disorder, Mental Illness, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on June 14, 2017 at 4:45 pm
This piece, will be the last in our review of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. This book and review of it has been such a blessing to my readers and myself, we are so grateful that God led David Kupelian to write the book.
To effectively combat an enemy, one must understand both their enemy and themselves. Seek to gain godly wisdom and understanding. Act and respond in accordance with that godly understanding and godly wisdom. How one responds to the evil and hated that is unleashed in our society and world is a key element in how well they are able to resist both and be a godly spiritual activist for Truth.
Control of oneself and one’s own actions is essential to being powerfully effective. As the author points out, ‘there is a world of difference between righteous indignation and seething hatred.’ As Christians, we want to possess righteous indignation but we do not want to enter into that realm with our Enemy, and enemies, who reside in seething hatred. The author also points out that righteous indignation is based on a strong sense of justice. However, seething hatred is always found to be self-destructive, out-of-control rage. We must rise above the temptation to hate those who hate us so we can embrace a truly righteous passion to right the wrongs we see strangling God from the consciousness of our country.
There is a universal human imperfection that we all suffer from. However, we cannot allow our own imperfects to render us mute when it comes to what God wants from us as a people. I have said more times than I can count, ‘Just because we do not live up to God’s Standard does not mean His Standard changes or that we have a right to try and pull God’s Standard down to our level so we can feel better about ourselves.’
There is a moral compass, the needle of which is our conscience, and every individual is born with one. We must employ methods to jump-start people’s conscience whenever possible. There was a saying that went around years ago within the Body of Christ, ‘Stop trying to be the Holy Spirit for people.’ This was a most destructive statement for the spiritual well-being of the Body of Christ. Why? Well my brothers and sisters the Book of Hebrews was written to address the issue of apostasy, and command Christians to cling close to Christ and God’s principles. Our part in seeing that takes place is exhorting one another toward living out God’s principles. You cannot very well do that if you see sin and never say anything about it to anyone, you never call sin sin and call for repentance from sin and a return to God. A novelist George Orwell has been often quoted as saying, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
Hebrews 3:12-15
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
We must be willing to act when necessary as well, not just talk. There are those individuals who are so disconnected from their conscience that Truth does not compel them to do the right things. That is when the application of proper pressure done in godly way becomes necessary. Even after that there will be some individuals who will still remained unmoved.
To quote the author, Kupelian, in the last sentence of this book, “Truth is enough – because when properly honed and targeted, it is more than sufficient to annihilate all of their grand seductions.”
When Jesus was answering Pilate, He stated the following.
John 18:37 (NKJV)
Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”
Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Are we supposed to do something different from what Jesus stated here He came to do, “bear witness to the truth” – yes or no? No, I do not believe so, nor does the author of this book. We are God’s people and as God’s people we should stand for Truth forever!
How Evil Works
http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works
Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.
Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
The Marketing of Evil
https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption Disguised/dp/1942475217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483474172&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Marketing+of+Evil
Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Bible, Biblical Principles, Christian, Christian Activism, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Darkness, Devotional, Encouragement, Evil, Exhortation, False Doctrine, False Gods, False Teaching, Fear, Forgiveness, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God’s Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Good, Hate, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Idolatry, Jesus, Light, Mental Disorders, Mental Illness, Narcissism, Political Correctness, Prayer, Pride, Psychiatric Drugs, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Satan, Spiritual Activist, Spiritual Fruit, Spirituality, Strength, Truth
In Agape Love, Anger, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, False Doctrine, False Gods, False Teaching, Fear, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Gender, Gender Idenity, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Idolatry, Jesus, Marriage, Mental Disorder, Mental Illness, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized on May 29, 2017 at 9:00 am
In this piece, we will begin to explore the closing chapter, chapter eleven, of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. The chapter addresses how Christians can turn the tables on evil, particularly here in America.
The author begins by stating that over the last few generations various organizations and agendas have eroded the liberty, morality, and prosperity of America. The level at which institutions from schools, churches, news media, and government have been subverted is extensive. This has brought about distorted loyalties, confusion, and demoralization among the people in our society, including Christian people.
Churches have conceded to the immoral ideas of our society becoming subverted. The only cure for such subversion is repentance. Turning back to God’s true principles in accordance with His Word. As Kupelian states, we are unlikely to win over “hard-core radicals who are leading our country astray but we can reach many of the decent but confused people they’ve seduced.” That is exactly what we need to be about doing. Expose them and their agenda, their immorality, the destruction they will bring; expose them and keep exposing them until they are so shunned by Americans that they are rendered ineffective. Christians as individuals need to repent and turn back to making TRUTH known, Truth in accordance with God’s Word, His Written Standard. We are in a battle between truth and deception, between good and evil.
What are some of these deceptions?
· Government cares about you, hand over your rights, and government will solve all your problems.
· Homosexuality is good, moral, natural, and acceptable to God.
· Abortion is good, a needed “right” in life that our tax dollars should fund.
· Per activist judges, prayer and the Ten Commandments are bad.
· God made a mistake with your gender when you born so you are free to be your own god and choose your gender.
· The name of Jesus has no place in a public forum and certainly not to be used in public prayer.
· Per public education, you have evolved from an amoeba.
· Hooking up is cool, living together without marriage is normal, and sex is not an expression of love and commitment within the marriage covenant but instead something to enjoyed with anyone and everyone you desire, whether you are married or not.
· Christian are psychologically challenged, and those who claim they can “hear from God” or hear God within their spirits are clearly mentally ill.
These lies if left unchallenged will destroy us as individuals and as a society, and that destruction has already begun.
In the next posting, we will continue with our exploration of the final chapter of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works.
How Evil Works
http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works
Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.
Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
The Marketing of Evil
https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption Disguised/dp/1942475217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483474172&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Marketing+of+Evil
Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Bible, Biblical Principles, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Darkness, Difficulties, False Doctrine, False Teaching, Forgiveness, Godliness, Happiness, Light, Love, Peace, Pride, Renewal, Satan, Suffering, Trials, Truth
In Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Gender, Gender Idenity, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized on May 23, 2017 at 8:10 pm
In this piece, we will conclude our review of chapter ten of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. This chapter has taken several postings to review, and has been a worthy investment of time.
A challenge for each of us. Really prideful people will find this very difficult, if not impossible to do. Examine introspectively your genuine commitment to Truth. Attempt to observe your thoughts and feeling honestly and you will find out whether or not you are commitment to Truth and to Jesus’ Way of life, the life that leads to a life of abundance.
John 10:10 (NKJV) – Jesus speaking.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Separate yourself from rehashing the past or worrying about the future, and instead focus on what you see inside yourself right now. This will draw you closer to God. In that quietness, God can show you with great clarity your flaws and give you the insight needed to change them. Doing what He shows you to do – doing it Jesus’ Way – will bring real change. If we spend our time rehashing the past or worrying about the future trying to figure things out for ourselves we will literally block His Divine Light that provides us with the answers we need.
Sadly, due to past event many people’s normal mental state is, to put it in the author’s words, “a turbulent, ever-churning mixture of thoughts and feeling and unconscious mental riffraff.” Evil can take root in us when we make our home outside of the Light of Christ – when we were “emotionally reacting to the cruelties and confusion of everyone around us.” We must choose to walk in the Light and we must choose to take our thought captive. Remember that any pain without its friend resentment is much easier to walk through. We can see and acknowledge our anger inside without reacting to it. Then as we calmly and steadfastly wait it will gradually yield to the Light and lose its hold on us. We can acknowledge our desire for sin without wallowing in that sin. We do not have to respond to what is inside of us, we can obey God instead.
1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV)
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
By obeying God, we are our true selves, we are who He intended us to be. We do not need to fix ourselves, we only need yield to who God created us to be. His grace is there for us to do that. It is when we attempt to live contrary to who He created us to be that we find ourselves in a struggle because there is no grace available for living in self (the state contrary to God’s intent for us). As the author sates, “When the one we reconcile with is our Creator, the result is peace with God.”
The concept of “being still” in Christ means we choose to observe “ourselves with the upmost sincerity: “watching” our thoughts, feelings, problems, and upsets, in a way that effortlessly calls out to God for help.” “Simple, honest observation of our compulsively sinful tendencies is sufficient for God to transform us through genuine repentance.” When those things rise up within us that are contrary to what God has created us to be, we call out to Him to keep us from them.
We will begin exploring chapter eleven in the next posting. This chapter deals with turning the tables on evil, especially here in America.
How Evil Works
http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works
Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.
Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
The Marketing of Evil
https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption Disguised/dp/1942475217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483474172&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Marketing+of+Evil
Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Bible, Biblical Principles, Candy Cane, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas Star, Devotional, Encouragement, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Political Correctness, Renewal, Spiritual Fruit, Truth
In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas Star, Devotional, Encouragement, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Renewal, Revival, Spiritual Fruit, Spirituality, Truth on December 18, 2016 at 1:53 pm
A bit of Christmas trivia for you. Many people do not think about it, or either do not know, but Jesus may not have been born on December 25th but it is the day we have chosen to honor His Miraculous birth. Many scholars have debated the facts over the years regarding dates, age, and time frame but here are a couple of widely accepted details.
There is a good chance Jesus was born in April or September, not December. He was also not born in 1AD but instead was born sometime between 7-2BC according to scholars. To me that is quite a gap in time and many people debate those five years but I tend to believe it was about 3-2BC when Christ came to this earth to redeem it from the power of darkness. Additionally, the wise men were not present at Jesus’ birth they came to Jesus, directed by the heavenly star, which marked the birthplace and their travels took them some time as they came from faraway lands. When they arrived, Jesus would have been about two years old, which is why Herod had all the babies two and under killed [Matt. 2:16-18] in an attempt to kill the Messiah. Nevertheless, the precious child was born and we praise God that He was willing to come to this earth and bring us the ability to have joy and peace in Christ at Christmas time.
The balance of this post will include details from a lecture done by Barry Setterfield regarding Jesus’ birth and the study of the Star of Bethlehem. Although none of us can truly pinpoint every detail of Jesus’ birth and the Wise Men’s journey, I find the following teaching to be quite creditable.
The Christmas Star Lecture
Barry Setterfield – Teaching 1993
Based on 28 years of research by historians, astrologers, and astronomers who studied of the Star of Bethlehem.
All of the following dynamics tie into pinpointing when Jesus was born and when the Wise Men would have arrived to worship Him.
Mary and Joseph both came from the line of David.
A woman giving birth would have been considered unclean because of the blood involved. If the woman was in a house during this time, the whole house would have been considered unclean and this was during a time of religious ceremonies. Hence, the use of a stable for birth.
Shepherds were in fields at night only twice a year, in spring and fall. Therefore, Jesus was born in the spring or fall of 3BC. [My note: This could be why some believe Jesus was born in April.]
Autumn 3BC Jesus was born. Between the 10th and the 25th of September.
Jesus is born September 12th then on His eight day He was circumcised, which would have been September 20th the Jewish Day of Atonement thus Jesus was shedding His first blood on the Day of Atonement. Then on September 25th, the Feast of the Tabernacle would have taken place.
If Jesus were in fact born around this time, September 10th – 25th, then His conception would have been close to the 25th of December, the previous year.
The Wise Men, the men who set out to find the New King of the Jews.
The star in the sky that announced Jesus’ birth remained in the sky for a couple, to several, years and moved guiding the Wise Men. When the Wise Men got to Jesus they went into the “house” to worship Him, house not stable [Matt. 2:11]. Above Bethlehem the star, the planet Jupiter, stopped moving and stood still for six days over the Christ Child, the day it stopped moving would have been December 25th 2BC – on that day the Wise Men arrived.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
God's Truth in Love 