What images are conjured up in the imaginations of people at that sacred word of holiness?  Monks segreatated from society? Nuns bound to a life of celibacy? Catholic priests with long robes or popes with jewel studded mitrates upon their head? Images of the virtuous Madonna with a babe at her breast?

Holiness is a hotly debated issue among the religious. Some say to live holy is impossible, contradicting the word of God which tells us that without holiness, no man will see the Lord. [Hebrews 12:14]

Yet many inwardly recoil at the thought of being holy themselves for we have come to accept the human perception of holiness as the way of God. “Set Mother Mary in a picture frame and burn candles in honor of her fidelity, but leave me alone to live my life as a normal human being.”

The famous King David echos through the corridors of time, “O worship the LORD in the BEAUTY of holiness.“ We blink our eyes in a blank stare-for his words fall on hearts void of understanding. Why would this ruddy young warrior who slayed Goliath and cut of his head, bought his first wife with 100 foreskins from the philistines, was crowned the second King of Israel, adored by the multitude, sung from the lips of hopeful virgins- why would he display such a passionate love for the beauty of holiness?

I wonder what scenes passed through David’s imagination while worshiping the Lord, as a young lad out in pastures,  amidst hundreds of sheep, when he sung about the beauty of holiness.  King David lived thousands of years before the day of Catholicism, Mother Mary and other insipid displays of that sacred word of holiness that we see in our world today.

Zacharias prophesied at the birth of his son, John the baptist, that Christ would usher in the day where God’s people would once again be set free to serve God in holiness and true righteousness. [Luke 1:75]

To be holy is to be like God. To be a Christian is to be holy. But what does that mean? We read the word of God and search and ponder and wonder about that perfection of heart, and we see Christ. . . The Lord Jesus Christ. Have we left him as a babe in a manger? or a sacrifice on a cross? Or have we pulled back the curtains of our own human thinking and let the glorious beauty of his holiness penetrate our heart?

Pull back the curtains, and see him walking among his disciples, from city to city, teaching about God, training his disciples how to live, love and work for God. He ate with them, slept and worked among them. And his disciple yearned to be holy- to them, holiness was an exalted position walking in long robes and being called of men Rabbi, Rabbi! And Christ tells them, do not any of you be called master amongst yourselves, but if you would be great, serve one another. But still longing for more they must know, and so they ask, “LORD, tell us, who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

A silence falls amongst them. The moment of truth has come. They hold their breath. Will Christ recognize the leadership qualities in them? Will he point to one of them as an example of perfect exaltation? Jesus looks around about him. How shall he bend the minds of these earth-bound, fleshly creatures to the heavenly heights of exaltation? Where on earth will he find a lesson that might help them understand the very nature of God? What earthly source could acquaint their darkened hearts with the true beauty of God’s holiness?

And then, just beyond them his eyes meet with the unwavering eyes a small child-windows to the very face of God. Jesus calls to him and the child comes running with great eagerness. Jesus picks him up in his arms and carries him to his disciples and gently sets him down in the midst of them.

The disciples look on, amazed. A child? And Jesus says to them, “Here is a truth that I am going to tell you; unless you change and become as little children, you will not even enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself, like this little child, that is who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.“ And Jesus draws the child up again in his arms and continues, “And whoever receives a little child such as this, receives me. But whoever would cause even one of these little children that believe in me to sin, it would be better for that man to have a millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. . . Take heed, that you do not despise even one of these little children that believe in me; For their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven!“

The eyes of a child are like windows to the holiness of God. Would we but put away all our preconceptions of holiness and find a very young child, even a babe and gaze upon its frail and untainted countenance; We would just begin to see the true beauty of holiness. And who of us who have held a little baby in our arms have not been moved with a desire to shield that beautiful innocence form the ugly ravages of sin?

You see, true holiness is not in a man or a woman who hold a certain position in a church. Its not in long dresses, certain hairdos or don’ts. But the true beauty of God’s holiness is found in;

“whatsoever things that are true, whatsoever things that are honest. . .

whatsoever things that are just. . .

whatsoever things that are pure. . .

whatsoever things that are a good report. . .

If there is any virtue, if there is anything praiseworthy. . .“
[Philippians 4:8]

True holiness is the absence of sin, darkness and everything hateful and ugly. The beauty of true holiness can only come to us from Christ- to those who would humble themselves as a little child- when he calls, they come running; True holiness comes when our sins are washed away in the blood of Christ, and we become as little children-Gods little children; True holiness is BEAUTIFUL!

DELUSION:

a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary; also : the abnormal state marked by such beliefs.

IN THE DAYS OF NOAH, the whole world was deluded. Yet, the whole world tried to make Noah feel he was deluded as he, under the supreme direction of God, built and ark of safety and escape from the wrath to come. Noah was faithful to warn the people. He told them, “repent, for the end of all things is at hand;” and so the message continues today. Faithful and true men and women of God are still sounding the alarm, “Save yourselves from this untoward, (wicked) generation.” Acts 2:40

Yet so many go on in their delusion. Many are very religious, quoting scriptures, putting on “good deeds” or an “amiable” personality when around others. Yet their past is full of putrifying sins, unrepented of, and sin still resides in their hearts- seeping out of their masks of delusion, showing what is truly there.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

Christ has amply warned us of this day- a time that would be as the days of Noah, when people would be living life to the fullest, full of their own ways, their own thinking, full of delusion; and like the world in the days of Noah- until sudden destruction came upon them.

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1 Thess. 5:3

To be deluded is to persistently believe you are a child of God, when you are unholy, unsaved and sinning. Contrary to popular belief, not every body is a child of the true and living God:

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 1 John 3:7-10

Christ warned us that there will be many that will be deluded about what God truly thinks of them, believing that they are going to depart from this world and go straight to heaven simply because they believe they are “a good person.”

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matt. 7:22-23

But unfortunately, too many have taken refuge in lies. They soothe their fears of judgement and hell, with strong delusions. That way they can have what they desire no matter what God thinks of it, and still feel that they are a child of God:

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thess. 2:11-12

The day is coming, when the refuge of lies will be swept away:

Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.  Is. 28:15

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.Corinthians 5:10

There is still time to “get on the ark” of God. There is still time to let the refuge of lies be swept away from our hearts and to enter into the true refuge from the day to come. Jesus is still calling men and women today, boys and girls, to repent- to turn away from all sin and wickedness; to have all their past sins washed away by his blood atonement he shed on the cross; and to be given a new spirit- a spirit of true righteousness and holiness- the Spirit of Christ.

If you are professing to be a child of God, but sin comes floating out of your life- curse words come easily out of your mouth- evil sensual desires occupy your ambitions, and trying to be like the world dominates your life-style- these are all signs of delusion; True repentance through Christ will deliver us- set us completely free from these things.

The deluded join hand in hand with the deluded. They band together to speak against the upright in heart and strengthen their delusion. But God says:

Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. Proverbs 11:21

Don’t live in delusion, when you can live a life of truth and peace. Be prepared to meet the Lord. Do not put it off any longer. For someday, sooner than you realize, sudden destruction is coming. It may be the end of the whole world, or just the end of your life. Any way you look at it, it will be over and you will have to face the consequence of your delusion.

***If you have any questions about how to be saved and ready to meet the Lord,  feel free to leave me a comment and I will do my best to answer sincere inquiries.

And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. . .
Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition
Mark 7:9, 13

In the Christmas Season, there are many traditions that are practiced in which, if we as Christians are not careful, we can make the “word of God of none effect.”

Idolatry:  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10:14

Idolatry is taking something that is not real and making it to be reverenced and worshiped. To worship something is to give it power of influence over your life. We have to be careful we are not putting this stumbling block in our innocent children’s path with Santa Clause. We are not teaching them that Santa is the rewarder of Good and evil- that he is the one we must please.  Which leads to the next area of making the word of God of no effect-

Lying  and deceiving: Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:25 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:13

Telling your children that Santa Clause is real, is lying to them, hands down! It is deceiving them and that is against the Spirit of Christ. We can tell our children the story of Santa- as a myth. Be honest with them.  You wont deprive them of any joy and they will always adore and respect you for your honesty.

Coveteousness:  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Ephesians 5:3

The word of God puts coveteousness right in with fornication and uncleaness. To have coveteousness is to strongly desire something you really dont need. It is to think about it a lot. The dictionary says: “To wish for longingly.” Our tradition of having our children make a list of what they want needs to be tempered so that it does not lead to coveteousness. It is okay to want something, and to give something. But we need to be careful not to breed a spirit of coveteousness in them. Make sure they realize we are giving gifts to one another in honor of Jesus’ gift to us. Make sure they are involved in giving as well as getting.

It is in times like these that we prove our faithfulness to Christ. Christ is not a “fair weather friend.” There are times when we must forsake and sacrifice in order to follow him, and that includes forsaking some popular and well accepted traditions. Christians are always talking about putting CHRIST back into Christmas. The best place to start is by being faithful to his word. Traditions can be fun and something to look forward too. Make new ones! Make traditions that honor the Lord Jesus Christ!

lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:20

CHRISTMAS is the perfect place to start:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

NO MATTER what happens in this world, a child who has Jesus in his heart has a wells-spring of hope:

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:79

Of Joy and Peace:

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:10-14

WHEN you give your children Christ, you give them confidence in a world of turmoil and uncertainty:

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 1 John 5:14

PEACE in a world of  fighting and war:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

And you give him value in a world that can be so demeaning and belittling:

But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

Your little children are looking to you to answer for them;  “Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose?”

WHEN you give your child faith in Christ, you answer these questions for him:

Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Is. 43:7

AND most of all, when you give your child Christ, you give him hope beyond this dark world. You give him eternal life!

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 13: 1-3

SO this Christmas season, don’t teach your child to believe in Santa Clause. Tell your child Santa Clause is a myth, but Jesus is for real and he loves you so much, he was willing to come to this earth and give his life so you could be saved and some day live forever with him.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

THEN on Christmas Eve, when your child looks up into the beautiful starry sky, he can wonder at the magnificience of Almighty God:

AND instead of searching for Santa Clause, who really, will never come, he can look for Jesus, who always has been there, always will be here and someday will come back for his people!

Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Matthew 10:14

MERRY CHRIST-mas! To the MASSES that Love JESUS CHRIST!

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. Matthew 23:15

The dictionary defines proselyte as “a new convert to a doctrine or religion.” Jesus was rebuking the religious leaders of his own people and saying that the ones they were converting, they were making them even two-fold more a child of hell, than themselves. It was in the middle of him calling them hypocrites. He was telling these ones, that thought themselves to be the great spiritual leaders of God, that they were children of hell, and that their converts were twice more so. That is pretty strong judgement for a world that is always bantering the “dont judge me” banner.

I have wondered for a long time about this “two-fold more the child of hell.” A closer look at these scriptures will render to every man a good warning to heed.

In Matthew 23, Jesus tells us why these ones are hypocrits. Verse 5-“But all their works they do for to be seen of men:” It was not just some of thier works, but ALL of their works. They were not doing what they do for God at all, but rather to be lifted up in the eyes of men:

• they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
• they love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
• they love the greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
• they devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer:
• they are blind guides,
• they ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith:
• they strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
• they make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
• they are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
• they outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

So why would the proseleyte be two-fold more wicked than these? Its because the proselytes are bowing down to these religious leaders and their systems. The proseleyte is not being converted to worship God, but rather to worship these men of pretense and hypocrisy.

Verse 13 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.”

It is so important to know that we are proselyting to Christ alone- not to a religious  system, or to a man, or even to ourselves.  The Lord Jesus is Christ is alive- just as much as you and I. When we bow to him, and worship him, we are bowing to a very person that is the best friend one could ever have, that is the only begotten Son of God, and that was sinless and paid the penalty for our sins that we might be set free. Christ wants a very intimate and close relationship with us, and when we have that with him, we have that with the Father, for they are one in the same. He will talk to us and when he does, we prove our faithfulness to him, by our obedience to what he shows us.  It is very personal, and each one of us is given specific instructions from God:

He told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and take up his cross and follow him. But he told the man from the tombs to go home and tell what God had done for him. He instructed Peter to feed his sheep,  but the disciple John was to tarry till he comes.

Religious organizations will not get you to heaven. Following great religious leaders, dead or alive, will not get you to heaven. Rather, if you are not careful, they will proselyte you into a child of hell. Looking to the Lord Jesus Christ, seeking him with all your heart, and obeying his voice alone, is the only way to heaven. He is the straight gate; He is the narrow way. Worship Jesus!

This morning I went to SI and Math Lab. SI is a tutoring offered for math and then Lab is where we do work and quizzes assigned by our teacher, on the computer. We have a folder that we pick up and work out of and then return before we leave. It gets corrected by the staff and the next time you come, you are supposed to continue where you left off. You also have the option of correcting any homework the staff marked wrong.

Every time I get my folder back, I have at least three problems marked wrong that I have to go back and redo, and usually I can see what I did wrong and fix it. So it is when I get this back, or a test/ assignment from my teacher, the wrong answers have big dark lines through them. That is all you notice- the big black lines. Never mind the other 25 questions you got right, you only see what you got wrong. It can feel frustrating and discouraging. I felt like I was so careful and sure that I did them all right.

Each time I go over the material again, I slow down even more and am all the more careful with each necessary step, checking and then rechecking to make sure I don’t get it wrong again.

As you go along, your SELF-confidence continues to drop and you realize the importance of paying very careful attention to each little detail- the importance of taking the RIGHT steps all along the way. Math problems can be very long and just one tiny mistake changes the outcome- the one tiny mistake makes the difference in whether the answer turns out right or wrong. You also realize that all the math RULES, though at times cumbersome, yet they help insure success. It is all set up, so that we can thoroughly learn one level, and have a strong foundation to move up onto the next level. If that first foundation is not carefully laid, and its lessons well learned, the higher math will get harder and harder and you will have much greater difficulty being able to keep up.

AND SO IT IS IN SERVING GOD. God wants us perfected. (Revelations 3:2, James 1:4, 1Peter 5:10) He wants Christ (the perfect Lamb of God) to be formed in us. (Galatians 4:19) And so we try and try. We start out self-confidant. “Oh I get it. No problem!” We rush through, knowing we know this stuff. But then we go to the Bible, or we go to Church, and we see marks- big black marks of imperfection. Never mind anything we are doing right. All that we can see is what we are doing wrong. And so we sorrowfully go back over each step, the next time more carefully, prayerfully; checking and rechecking. We learn by practice, quizzing, testing that every word of God does count. We learn GOD-confidence instead of self-confidence. We learn that it is all for our good, though it may feel frustrating and discouraging at times. But the whole point is to make us ready for heaven- to make us a jewel- to perfect us. We are part of the Lambs wife, and she is to be without spot or blemish- perfect! (Ephesians 5:27)

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:5-13)

Jesus taught his disciples to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”  There is a human tendency to focus only on one side of the coin- wise as serpents. Why? Because we are all naturally self-protective.  When I read this scripture and think of myself as being a sheep among wolves, that can sound pretty intimidating. But I must remember, I have a shepherd who is watching over me, and leading me. If we put too much emphasis on being “wise as serpents” we may forget the other important part of Christs admonition; Be harmless as doves. Doves are a pretty harmless bird and are commonly known as the “Bird of Peace.”

Harmless: Inoffensive;  not causing harm or damage

Harm: (1) To injure physically, morally, or mentally; (2) moral evil or wrongdoing.

It is interesting to me that the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove. (Luke 3:22) and that one of the fruits of the Spirit is gentleness (Galatians 5:22)

I believe this subject is of paramount importance in order to be a proper representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. There has been so much misrepresentation of Christ and mainly because people are not laying down their lives in truth; they are not truly crucifying self. It takes a crucifixion- a dying to self, to be able to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. We have to forsake the self-preservation, knowing that our life is hid in Christ, and it is eternal. Physical death cannot take away the life we have in Jesus Christ.

Our job as a Christian is not to condemn the world; the world is already condemned: That is why God sent his Son, Jesus Christ. (John 3: 16-21)

Our job is reconciliation- in reaching for the lost, that should be our central focus. When we say we want souls to be saved, we should essentially be saying, that our burdened is to reconcile all the world to the one and only true and living God, through his intercessor the LORD Jesus Christ.  We want people to be reconciled- brought to a right relationship with God-restored. That should be our only goal in discipling souls. If we keep that focus clear, and are prayerful and careful, we will be harmless.

In 1 Corinthians 13, we read how charity, or love, is the way of the Christian. Without it, all our efforts are vain.

Charity suffers long, and continues to be kind; charity doesn’t envy others; charity does not brag about itself not is arrogant, does not behave in a rude way, is not self-seeking, is not easily provoked, doesn’t keep accounts on every evil someone does;  Charity does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; … 1 Cor. 13: 4-6

The way of the Holy Spirit is harmless. Jesus was harmless. There were times when he called out wrong for what it was, because repentance is necessary to be reconciled and souls need to know that there is a way that seems right but it is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12) But Christs objective was always reconciliation to the Father.

***Remember, people will not always remember what we say or what we do, but they will never forget how we made them feel.

In our world today, and throughout time, Christ has been so misrepresented and his name has been misused and abused. We will give an account to God one day for how we represented him. It is a serious thing to name the name of Christ.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

“One is evil, which is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

“The other is good, which is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

This parable illustrates well the battle between the Spirit and the flesh.  We could easily ask, “Which one are you feeding?”

“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof.”  Romans 13:14

Provision: the providing or supplying of something, especially of food or other necessities.

This scripture is telling us, “Do not feed your flesh anything. Do not provide anything that will keep it alive.”

Paul made this statement after he wrote Romans 7, that so many like to go to that they may justify sin in their life.  But Jesus came to condemn sin in the flesh,  and justify us in the Spirit.  Romans 8:3-4

But we have a part. We must feed the Spirit and starve- mortify the flesh.  Romans 8:13

Let’s look at Romans 7 and 8 utilizing the marginal readings and modern English:

Romans 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am fleshly, sold under sin. (“I” – my fleshly body) [15] For that which “I” do “I” do not understand: For what “I” (my flesh) wants to do “I” don’t do.  [16] So then, if “I” do that which “I” don’t want to do, I agree with the law that it is good.  [17] Now then it isn’t anymore “I” that does it, but “sin” that dwells in me.  [18] For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh)  dwells nothing good: For I am always willing to do good; But how to perform (live out the good that I want to) I find not.  [19] For the good that I want to do, I don’t do; but the evil that I don’t want to do, that I do.  [20] Now if I do what I would rather not do, it is no more “I” but “sin” that dwells within me.  [21] So I have found a law (of nature) that when I want to do good, evil is present with me.  [22] For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man:  [23] But I see another law in my members (my fleshly body) warring against the law of my mind (that wants to do good) and bringing me into captivity (I am bound, no freedom from this evil law) to the law of sin which is in my members.  [24] O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death? (WHO? Who will set me free from this captivity???)  [25] I thank God through JESUS CHRIST our Lord.  (Jesus Christ sets us completely free John 8:36)  So then with the mind I serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Romans 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in CHRIST JESUS (our deliverer from the captivity of the law of sin)  who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (who do not feed the bad wolf, but the good wolf) [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me FREE from the law of sin and death. (no longer a captive)  [3] For what the law could not do, because it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Christ had complete victory over the sinful flesh. He didnt feed it. When it was hungry, when temptations came, he starved it and rather fed the Spirit instead; See Matthew 4)  [4]  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us (In our flesh) who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  [5] For they that are after the flesh set their minds on the flesh (they make provision for- feed the flesh)  but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (They feed the Spirit)  [6] For to be carnally minded (fleshly minded- to feed the flesh) is death; But to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  [8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  [9] But you, (the saved and sanctified- the ones that are “born again” of the Spirit)  you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, IF so be that the Spirit of God dwells within you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (He is not a Christian)  [10] And if Christ is in you, the body (the flesh) is dead because of sin. But the Spirit is life (or alive) because of righteousness… [12] Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.  [13] For if you live after the flesh, you will die: but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you will live. 

So, which “wolf” are you feeding? Before Christ came, we only had one wolf within- the bad wolf.  But Christ brought us salvation, and sanctification. Salvation justifies us, sanctification gives us  God’s Spirit, (the “good wolf) so that, through His spirit, we can put to death sin in our bodies. (the “bad wolf)  But we must not make provision for the flesh. We must not feed the bad wolf any longer.

Paul said in this same book, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21

To make provision for- to feed the flesh, is to say it is okay to sin a little bit everyday; God understands. When you do that, you are feeding the bad wolf- and you will not have victory in your life, and you will not be ready when Christ returns. But with the Spirit of God, which God is willing to give to all men freely when they repent-when they are truly sorry for sinning and desire to be free from sin, the Spirit will give us the power to put to death the bad wolf and set us FREE from sin. Praise God for that!

“Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkeness, not in chambering and wantoness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Romans 13:13-14

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.  ~Jesus

O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt? 1Chronicles 17:20-21

And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. Jn. 6:2

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. Jn. 2:23

But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: Jn 11:46-48

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Acts 6:8

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. Acts 8: 5-7

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Acts 2:22

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Jn. 14:12-13

And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. Acts 4:24-20

There is only one true God, one creator, one intercessor- Jesus Christ. He is not in a melting pot, mixed up with all the Gods of the earth. He is high and lifted up. He is King over all the other Gods of the earth. He is all powerful, almighty. He is judging the earth by his. Do you know what his word says? Do you know he wants to save you from your sins, make you clean and pure within and make you his child? But you cannot just say, he is just another belief, another God among the Gods. You cannot just accept the teachings and beliefs of the world. If you are to bear his name, you must come his way and then, the miracles will begin. Forsake all the lies this world is telling. Sin-going against the word of God, will NEVER be okay with God. Build on the true ROCK- Jesus Christ!

I wasn’t there by the shores of Galilee,
When Jesus touched those blinded eyes and made them see
And though I did not see the empty tomb that day
I still believe
For I know what Jesus did for ME!
I BELIEVE there is POWER in the BLOOD of the LAMB
I BELIEVE there is healing in the touch of his hand
But the GREATEST of all miracles was when Jesus saved me;
YES! I KNOW what JESUS did for me!!!

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.

And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great. Job 3:11-13

I think often about Jobs comforters who have been notorious examples of what not to do when trying to help one through a terrible grief and heartache. Yet these friends had every good intention in their heart when they came. They sat with him for seven days, saying nothing. That is commitment. But what happened? I believe the answer is very important to us in so manyways.

My first thought is that it was not their pain. They could see his grief was very great, but they had no idea how it felt. And so in their minds seven days should have been sufficient to see a shift in his grief and a “beginning to put it behind him.” But instead, something completely different happens. Sitting with him those seven days had not diminished his grief at all as we see when Job finally speaks:

After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months. Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein…[read more]

It was after Job spoke, that his friends began to speak and to upbraid him for not handling his trial better and eventually accusing him of sinning and bringing it all upon himself. What happened? Where did that first initial care and concern go?

Job said, “To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.” Job 6:14

I believe they became weary of his trial. They wanted to speed it along. They did not want to sit any longer with him in this misery. They forsook the fear of God- the fear that they themselves could at any point be in this same position, that “the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.”

I see this as a very human tendency in all walks of life. That is where phrases such as “misery loves company” and philosophies such as “its all your attitude” have been born- born of ones who had not the patience to allow the work of true healing of a broken heart.

When the Good Samaritan took the one who was beaten to an inn, he told them, “Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” He knew that injured man was not going to heal overnight.

How many broken hearts are unhealed because of the impatience of others. And even,  as in the case of Job, are broken further by thoughtless advice. Why is that? The sacrificial love that Christ showed must be born by the strong and those that are able. It means that we must suffer- we must get out of our comfortable lives and suffer with the suffering. Not many are willing to do that. The Bible tells us that Christ was touched with our infirmities. He felt them. That is why he came, so he could be a compassionate intercessor. He had to feel the affliction- and it did not feel good. He was willing to suffer.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 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. 25:34-40

We all pray for a revival. But how earnestly do we want to see the world saved? Christ wanted it badly- so badly, he had not where to lay his head. So badly, he was willing to be beaten, mocked, and crucified. So badly, he commanded us “go out quickly into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in…” [Luke 14:23]

Sacrificial love. True warmth and affection. Revival. All beautiful words that ring sunshine into the soul. But do you know these things begin in the wilderness of temptation and end in a crucifixion?

Are we willing to find the thirsty, and give them a drink? To notice the hungry and share our bread? To not know somebody very well, yet take them in and care for them? Do we clothe the naked? or like Noah’s son Ham, are we just going to exploit them to others? There are a lot of sick people, heart sick, spiritually sick and physically sick,  that need someone to visit them, and many are imprisoned with chains from years of sin. Are we going to go to them?

We sing, “We need eachother brethren, for only love will carry us through…Lord give us true warmth and affection, when one fails help us rescue his soul, he’s not heavy for he is my brother, let us cry as we carry his load.”

We need to pray for more true warmth and affection, more sacrificial love, more longsuffering. I believe as we do and as we being to rise and see the harvest- the poor, maimed, blind and halt, and put our shoulder to the plow, not looking back,  a revival will come speedily and powerfully, and “The Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings.”

These are thoughts that God has put on my heart in the midst of my own very grievous battles. They are challenging me so I thought I would share them.