Are You Being Deceived?

 

Here is an important question for everyone. How was Eve tricked by Satan in the garden? The same way many are being deceived today. Are you being deceived?

How was Eve deceived? Satan simply altered/changed through partial truth the words of  God. God commanded Eve regarding not eating the fruit of just ONE tree and Satan  exaggerated God's command to EVERY tree. Eve caught and corrected Satan by responding with the original truth that God said they were told not to eat of just one particular tree .. the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan, however, was determined to carry out his plan of deception by enticing her flesh, ADDING (that if they ate), "your eyes will be opened and you'll become as god's knowing good and evil."  This was a false promise of enlightenment. Again, Satan used "partial truth" because their eyes were opened, but to their own nakedness and shame. This moment marked the beginning of the fall. Just as the Word continues to be altered today. 

A. In the garden: The alteration-the lie- the enticement- the promise-the fall from grace. B. Today: the alteration- the lie- an enticement- and the promise you can be your own your own god/your own gender/anything you want. This is Satan's voice; a spirit of error - the desire for independence from God's moral authority.

When anyone rewrites, adds to, leaves out, or alters the Word of God to change and become a lie and then you believe it, you are being tricked by Satan. You cannot possibly know what's true or not true unless you study the Bible yourself. Let's take an example of altering God's Word that's relevant to today to get a clearer picture of what I mean.

There's a lot of talk in 2026 that the Bible supports gender nonconformity. Let me say conclusively, no, it does not. This is exactly how unread, un-studied, and unlearned people are misled, and making claims with zero biblical foundation. Let me be very clear, the Bible does not celebrate modern identity categories whether transgender, pangender, xenogender, genderqueer, non-binary, to name just a few. Scripture reveals who God is and then it calls us to align with Him, not the other way around.

I heard a trans person (his words in capital letters) say, "THE HEBREW PHRASE DESCRIBING JOSEPH'S GARMENT IN THE BIBLE, KETONET PASSIM, LITERALLY MEANS A DRESS WORN BY WOMEN."  This is lie, and it is what I mean by you have to diligently study the Word to discern truth from falsehood (2 Timothy 2:15). The Hebrew term used in Genesis is ketonet passim, that is correct. However, it does not mean "dress worn by women," it refers to a long ornamented robe and it's typically to distinguish authority, royalty or special favor. Genesis 37:3 -Joseph's father favored him so he made him a robe/coat/tunic of many colors. The gay community has associated and compared  this robe on Joseph to a male wearing a dress, and the "many colors"  as representing the LGBTQ+ rainbow flag (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet). Can you see the deception? The unlearned and the deceived alike seem to pull from one verse and make it transform into what they want. But you can read in 2 Samuel 13:18 a royal daughter wears a similar garment. She was royalty not transgendered. But look at the leap misguided people make today:  "SHE WORE IT. IT IS A WOMAN'S DRESS, SO THEREFORE JOSEPH WEARING IT MEANS SOMETHING ELSE". No, that is not what the Word means and that's not how context works! This is what happens when you take one verse, ignore the context, and force a modern idea into ancient text. (I will write a blog at a later date on how an ancient text can still be relevant today). What was changed here concerning the  ketonet passim (robe) worn by Joseph? The  change in the Word of God which I heard spoken was  propagating and encouraging the lie, "JOSEPH'S FATHER EMBRACES HIM FOR WHO HE WAS, DIFFERENT, QUEER AND GENDER NON-CONFORMING."  Oh my. Surprise, surprise! That is not in the text at all. Nowhere in the Bible is there even a hint Joseph was different, queer, trans, or non-conforming! Again, the Word of God was spoken in partial truth-- Joseph WAS wearing a long, colorful robe, but in no way was it a woman's dress! The untruthful language is a deception by Satan to fit the LGBTQ narrative as a whole.

Finally, what the Bible does say is that Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons (Genesis 37:3). Joseph wasn't favored because of some identity claim. He was favored because he was born later in Jacob's life, and was the son of the wife Jacob most loved. The robe was not about identity. The robe was about favoritism. AND that favoritism is exactly what caused tension between Joseph and his brothers. THIS is the pattern yet again! Take a real moment in scripture and then insert something that was never there. The unlearned man continued, "JOSEPH'S BROTHERS, HOWEVER, THEY REACTED VIOLENTLY, TRYING TO ERASE HIS IDENTITY. SOUND FAMILIAR?" No, reader, they did not try to erase Joseph's identity as this man is suggesting happening today. He is misinformed and misleading. Joseph's brothers were jealous (Genesis 37:4, 37:11), that's it.. Joseph was clearly favored. He was given status. He was set apart from them. Because of that they hated him. This is not about identity politics! This is about jealousy, family conflict, and ultimately God's plan unfolding through suffering. None of these transexual claims come from text. They come from projecting modern ideas INTO BIBLICAL TEXT and that's dangerous because it doesn't just confuse people, it rewrites what God actually says and leads other astray. Scripture warns us about people like this! They will turn away from listening to the truth and they will wander off into myths (2 Tim 4:3-4) -- a falsehood, the spirit of error. The man I pointed out today distorted scripture. You don't reshape scripture to fit your life! You let scripture reshape you! 

Until He Comes-

Pat Phillips

Sin and Iniquity

 

The words sin and iniquity are terms often used  in scripture.  Do  they mean the same thing? Yes and no. Both are related to doing bad things or going against what is considered right. They have slightly different meanings and scripture makes a  distinction  between the two, so it is important to know this difference when walking out our faith. Let's break it down.

**Sin can be defined as  a wrong action that goes against God's rule of law or His moral principles. It is usually seen as something you do, think, or feel. Sin is an individual wrong. It’s the moment  you lie, steal, commit adultery, harm someone, take the Lord's name in vain, etc. It's desire or lust turned into action. In each of these cases, a person makes the choice to do something wrong. This is the world. We are  all guilty of sin.

**Iniquity on the other hand  is a deeper and more serious kind of wrong  especially concerning a so-called person of faith.  Iniquity is when a person doesn't commit just any sin but he or she develops a likeable, intentional, repetitive cycle of that unabashed sin, continuing in it without remorse, guilt, or any forward intention of repenting or wanting to change (AND HERE'S THE KEY ) ..  it's habitual despite knowing God's law regarding what they are doing.   

Simply said:

Sin = A wrong action against the law of God. We've all missed the mark (Romans 3:23)

Iniquity = A pattern of doing wrong and repeatedly doing wrong when you know it's against God's WORD. 

Word  to the growing Christian, If you steal something once (sin) even if out of need, you might feel bad about it and not do it again. You repent, ask forgiveness, and move on. But that same Christian, if you steal something as an example, do it over and over and over knowing it's wrong and without ever feeling convicted, guilty, or repentant,  it’s more than just a bad action, it’s iniquity. A quick example might be pre-marital sex but the excuse is made, "but we're in love and we're going to get married anyway so it can't be wrong." Dear Christian, fornication is fornication. God never compromises His laws.

It's important to note, though the word "iniquity" appears in scripture several times, it does especially when God is describing judgment or punishment. God is angered by iniquity and addresses habitual or deeply ingrained sin warning it leads to judgment.  In Luke 13:27 Jesus is speaking, "Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity." Meaning? The following verse is similar: Matthew 7:23 Jesus said He will say to people who desire to be let in heavens door and who believe their on claim to have followed and believed in Him,  "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity."  Notice Jesus didn't say He knew them once, or a long time ago, He said NEVER KNEW! Habitual sinner you were never saved even if you went through all the motions. Iniquity keeps you outside the Kingdom walls. Jesus uses the words, "you that work iniquity" OR "workers" of iniquity, indicating  habitually working in sin often masking their behavior under a pretense of goodness. Further, a "worker" is someone who invests effort into doing, planning, and practicing evil deeds.. Psalm 6:8 points this out as does Matthew 7:23. It implies lifestyle of repeated active rebellion against righteousness, rather than just occasional mistakes, slips, or a temporary lapse in judgment or failure. If you claim to be Christian, faithfully going to church each week, studying the Bible, being a good person, even being baptized, yet you are habitually sinning without repentance and turning from it, you are caught up in iniquity. You need to repent while there's still time. Jesus is coming soon.

Until He Comes-

-Pat-

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

 

One of the most common questions people wrestle with has been: “Why does God allow suffering?” This question shows up everywhere—from personal tragedies to global disasters—and it can shake faith at its core. Have you ever asked yourself or heard another say, "why did she have to die like that" or " why would God allow an innocent baby to get brain cancer?" The hard truth is, we learn and grow from suffering directly or indirectly, and the Bible doesn’t give a single, simple answer, but it offers a layered perspective. It teaches that human freedom plays a role; from the earliest stories, people are given the ability to choose and with that comes the possibility of harm. At the same time, suffering is not presented as meaningless. Many passages point to growth, perseverance, and a deeper dependence on God emerging through hardship. While that may not erase pain, it reframes it as something that can be transformed rather than wasted. Examples:

Job, Joseph, and Daniel. 

1. Job lost children, wealth, and his health yet remained faithful to God despite immense suffering and pressure to curse God.

2. Joseph endured betrayal by his brothers, slavery, and false imprisonment but trusted God's providence and became second-in command of Egypt.

3. Daniel was thrown into a lions den and saved.

and there were others: Naomi, Jeremiah, Hannah, even Paul the Apostle.

These individuals often faced situations where they had to abandon self-reliance and rely completely on God, often discovering His power through their weakness 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10. The question becomes especially intense when the suffering involves people who seem to have done nothing to deserve it—children, the vulnerable, or those caught in circumstances beyond their control. The Bible doesn’t ignore that tension; in fact, books like Job are built around it. Job is described as righteous, yet he loses everything, and the story deliberately resists the idea that suffering is always a direct punishment for wrongdoing. His friends try to force that explanation, but they are ultimately corrected. The message there pushes us away from simple cause-and-effect thinking and toward humility about what we can fully understand. One way the Bible approaches innocent suffering is by placing it within a larger, broken world rather than tying it to individual guilt. From early on, it presents humanity as living in a condition where things are not as they should be—where injustice, disease, and death exist alongside good. In that sense, suffering isn’t always targeted; it’s often the result of living in a reality where freedom, natural processes, and human choices intersect in painful ways. That doesn’t make it feel fair, but it shifts the question from “Why this person?” to “Why is the world like this at all?”—a deeper and more complex issue.

Another point is that the Bible portrays God as entering into suffering rather than remaining distant from it. Jesus was described as a man of sorrows acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3), a man who weeps with those who mourn (Hebrews 2:18), and John 11:35 described as a sympathetic High Priest sharing in human weakness to provide comfort. In the New Testament, the life of Jesus Christ centers on someone who is described as innocent yet experiences betrayal, injustice, and death. That doesn’t answer every philosophical question, but it reframes the issue: God is not depicted as detached from human pain but as participating in it. For many believers, that becomes a source of comfort—not because it explains suffering away, but because it suggests that suffering is seen, shared, and ultimately not the final word. I suppose this question doesn’t have a fully satisfying  answer—and maybe it’s not meant to. Any explanation that neatly justifies innocent suffering risks minimizing its weight. What the Bible seems to offer instead is a combination of honesty and hope: honesty that suffering, even of the innocent, is real and often inexplicable; and hope that it is not meaningless or permanent. It invites trust without demanding blind acceptance, and it leaves room for lament, questioning, and even protest. Which admittedly I have done some myself. In that way, wrestling with the question may actually be part of a deeper kind of faith rather than a failure of it.

Until He Comes-

-Pat Phillips-

A Lost Sheep

 

LUKE 15:4

“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine… and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” 

When first reading this years ago, I didn't understand  leaving 99 sheep for one? It sounded like an  irresponsible thing to do. But as I've studied over the years, verses have become more clear.  Why leave ninety-nine sheep for one? It feels inefficient. But picture it in everyday terms. If a mother has three children and one wanders into danger, she doesn’t say, “Well, I still have two.” Love doesn’t calculate percentages. The value of the one isn’t reduced because there are many. The shepherd isn’t neglecting the ninety-nine; he is revealing his heart. The sheep isn’t rescued because it was the smartest, strongest, or most deserving, It was rescued because it was His.

Now think about the sheep. Sheep don’t usually rebel dramatically; they drift. They nibble a little farther, get distracted, look up , and suddenly they don’t recognize where they are. This is what happened to me. I became too distracted by Face Book, spending too many hours distracted by updates, posts, showing off my beloved dogs, visiting pages, commenting, etc.

That’s how most people wander. Not with fists raised at God, but slowly, subtly, preoccupied. And when a sheep is lost, it doesn’t find its way back by strategy. It needs to be found. The shepherd goes searching. That tells you something powerful: God’s pursuit is not passive. He doesn’t just stand at the gate hoping you’ll figure it out. He moves toward the lost.

And here’s the part that undoes people: when he finds the lost or wandering sheep, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing. Not scolding. Not lecturing. Carrying. The shepherd absorbs the weight of the wandering sheep. That’s grace. The ninety-nine represent those who already know they’re safe with him. But heaven celebrates over one who is restored. The story isn’t about math — it’s about mercy. And the heartbeat behind it is this: no one is too small, too lost, or too far for Him to go after. I know. He came for me!

Until He Comes-

-Pat Phillips-

"Cleanse me from secret faults."

Hmm, secrets faults? What are secret faults? God’s law shows what sin is (Romans 7:7; 1 John 3:4). Looking into the law helps us to see ourselves and what we need to change (James 1:23-25).

Still, David realized that we have blind spots. We may not recognize some sins in our own lives, but they are not secret to God. Asking God to cleanse us of secret sins implies more than just asking Him to forgive them. We need God to reveal them to us so we can commit to change and seek His help to overcome these sins.

The godly man is not only concerned about avoiding committing sins willfully, but also with extracting those hidden sins that are committed unknowingly: 

jealousy, arrogance, selfishness, laziness, desire for control, passive-aggression, inability to apologize, lying to avoid a conflict or protect our ego... all flaws often kept "secret."

Because we so often allow our carnal natures to dominate us, we remain blind to many of our sins and character flaws until God reveals them to us through the Holy Spirit. Sometimes “secret faults” can even be wounds, defenses, habits formed long ago that operate automatically. We don’t consciously choose them  they just run in the background.

 Notice the order in this Psalm right after asking cleansing from secret faults, David says: “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins…” (verse13). There’s a progression ... Secret faults → hidden, subtle/Presumptuous sins → willful, bold, rebellious/Hidden things, if not cleansed, grow into hardened things. And this goes right along with  Psalm 139: “Search me, O God, and know my heart… and see if there be any wicked way in me.” That’s spiritual maturity ... inviting examination. “I may be wrong in ways I don’t know. Cleanse even those.” That’s safe ground spiritually.

Until He Comes-

-Pat Phillips-

 

Neither cast ye your pearls before swine

 

Matthew 7:6 taught, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." I understand the first part, but what is meant by "lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."

This is a part of the Sermon on the Mount taught by Jesus Christ and is a metaphor (“don’t give holy things to dogs” & “don’t cast pearls before swine”). The second part "lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you" explains why. Imagery is being used. Pearls are something valuable (wisdom, truth, sacred teaching). Swine (pigs) are creatures that cannot recognize the value of pearls. Dogs (in the ancient context anyway) are often wild scavengers, not beloved pets. Let's break it down:

A. “Lest they trample them under their feet…” If you throw pearls to pigs, they don’t recognize them as valuable, treat them like dirt, and step on them or crush them. Meaning people who cannot appreciate wisdom or sacred truth may treat it with contempt, mockery, or indifference.

B. "And turn again and rend you.” The word rend means to tear apart or attack violently. The idea is that once the pigs realize the pearls aren’t food, they may become frustrated or aggressive or turn on the person who threw them. Not only will some people reject or disrespect valuable truth, they may also attack, ridicule, or harm the person who offered it. Putting the whole verse together the full thought is essentially ... don’t offer sacred or valuable things to people who are incapable of appreciating them, because they will both destroy the value and may turn against you for giving it.

You could translate the whole idea like this: don’t waste profound truth on people determined to scorn it—they’ll trash it and may attack you for saying it. Subtle point many miss. This verse isn’t saying never share truth. In the broader teaching of Jesus, it’s about discernment—recognizing when someone is genuinely open vs. hostile and determined to ridicule. Knowing when not to engage is part of wisdom. Proverbs 4:7.

Until He Comes-

-Pat Phillips-

How Do You Really Know If You're SAVED?

 If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I really saved?” You’re not alone. 

Some people are confused when it comes to this subject.  I get it. Some people will tell you it's a matter of “just believe” (just agree Jesus is your Lord and Savior). Others believe they have to do more and earn it. Still others simply believe the act of walking to the front of a church after the altar call is sufficient. So which is it? 

" Am I saved"  is one of the most important questions anyone could ever ask. And the answer isn't found in opinions or denominations. It's found in the words of Jesus Himself. Start with John 14:6. Jesus said, "I am The Way, and The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to the Father except by Me." THAT'S IT. Jesus didn't say He was "a" way, or "one of many ways," He said, " I am THE way." Salvation begins and ends with Jesus. It is not earned by your behavior. It is RECEIVED by belief! Genuine faith by the Son of God who died and rose again for you.

Here's where people get confused. Salvation is not about doing more. BUT, it is also isn't about repeating a prayer and then walking away unchanged. When you truly give your life to Jesus something inside you changes. Your desires, your heart, your direction. You don't become  perfect overnight. But your spirit is made new. That's what Jesus meant in John 3:3 when He said, "Truly truly, I say unto you, unless a man be born again, he will cannot see the Kingdom of God." The word born-again doesn't mean a checklist. It means transformation. It's the moment God takes you from spiritual death to spiritual life. And yes, real faith produces fruit (the 9 characteristics of a life led by the Holy Spirit- see Galatians 5:22 for that list).  Matthew 7:17-18 also reminds us, every healthy tree bears good fruit. Now, fruit doesn't save you, it's the manifestation you're direction has changed. You're new. Alive.  "Born-again."

So to the person wondering, Am I truly saved? Here's what to remember: you don't get saved by doing more. You get saved by surrendering more. You don't earn God's love, you respond to it. You don't climb  your way to heaven! Jesus already brought heaven down to you. If you've accepted Him, REALLY accepted Him trust what he said in John 10: 28, "I give them eternal life and they will never perish. And no one pluck them out of my hand." That's security. That's assurance. But don't mistake that grace for permission to live however you want. If Jesus is your Savior, he is also your Lord. That means we follow Him. Not to be saved, but because we ARE saved!

If you're still wondering if you are really saved, ask yourself this:  "Did I just say the words or did I surrender my life? Because when Jesus moves in, He does not rent space. He takes over.

Until He Comes,

Pat

Why Me, Lord?

 

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why me?" For whatever reason have you ever said, why did I get the short end of the stick? What did I do to be punished like this? Why does everyone else get a break but me? Why did I get cursed with cancer when there are worse people than I? What hardship, misfortune, or a health crisis are you facing that you want the "why me" answers to? Where do we start? First, are you aware these type of questions within ourselves are actually a spiritual inquiry? Think about it! Who are you really asking? God! He holds all the answers and His answers to everything lies in His Word. 

Mistakenly, people have a tendency to evaluate and judge their own behaviors by measuring the behaviors and actions of others. For example, we might attribute certain flaws in others as the very measuring stick to excuse our own imperfections! When we judge someone's actions as worse than our own then comes the "why me" when we are struck with tragedy. Understand, God does not measure sin by its severity. Read that again. Man does that! God does not. Sin is sin in God's eyes. Stealing is not more severe than rape, nor murder more than extortion, or sexual perversion more than using God's name in vain. A thief who has been caught stealing $500.00 or $5,000 is guilty of theft, and theft is a sin. Period. James 2:10 is saying, Whoever obeys and keep the whole law, yet screws up in one point, he is guilty of disobeying all the laws. For Jesus who said,  "Do not commit adultery, yet even if a person never commits the sin of adultery but commits murder, he has become a transgressor of the law and is just as guilty if he broke every law in the book." Why? Adultery or murder, all is transgression. Big or small, all is wrong. GOD SIMPLY JUDGES TRANSGRESSIONS NOT DEGREES OF IT! The Bible tells us in Matthew 5:45, "It rains on the just and the unjust alike." God's love, provision, and even  judgment extends to everyone, regardless of their moral standing.

By this we know, a person's behavior (good or bad) does not exempt us from tragedy or misfortune. Man creates his own bad luck through tragedy, adversity, hardships, etc. It's not God punishing you and overlooking the sinful person who breaks all the rules. EVERY result, mishap, disease, illness, disorder, bad-luck, misfortune, problem, difficulty or issue originates from us! Think that through. I had a lady really get angry with me regarding this subject. She snapped, "So you mean to tell me my husband purposely gave himself cancer? You're crazy." I asked, "Did he smoke? Did he abuse alcohol? Did he often dine at McDonalds or any other fast food restaurant? Did he consume a lot of sugar? We cause our own illnesses and if not purposely, then look into genetics." She was silent. Personally, I was no angel growing up either. I've committed sins I am not proud of. But I changed! From age 40 I came to Christ with my sins, repented, and began a new change. 

Life was great!! Great until 15 years later and learned I have a disease that destroys the myelin sheath around the nerve fibers in my body. Without that protection, my muscles could not and cannot receive messages from my brain to move and function properly. Peripheral nerves are now damaged throughout my body. I went from stumbling, to tripping, to falling, to a cane, then a transport chair, wheelchair, electric wheelchair, to a hospital bed unable to walk, sit up on, roll over, or move on my own. Numbness has resulted in paralysis in several areas of my body. "Why me, Lord?" Did I ask that? You bet I did. And I was sure to remind Him of many more people much more "evil" than I ever could even imagine being so why was I being punished especially after giving my life, soul, heart, and mind to Him. God wasn't punishing me while "real sinners" (I thought of them) got away with everything. No, my disorder is GENETIC. It's called Charcot, Marie, Tooth disorder (CMT for short), and named after those three doctors who discovered it. Basically, it's a screw up in a gene or chromosome caused by a mutation. I inherited mine from my dad. So see, God was not punishing me for past sins. My problems are simply a genetic flaw.

You may ask, when you were diagnosed didn't you get mad at God? My answer is no. But I did cry because up to the point of being totally disabled, I was a very active woman ... taking care of house repairs, mowing, weed-eating, gardening, swimming, hiking, camping, traveling every 3 weeks to a new place etc. Now, I have very little movement left. In fact, I have one index finger remaining that isn't completely numb I'm typing this blog with. It will take about 4 hours to complete writing. Recent discoveries have shown CMT can now move to the internal organs affecting heart, lungs, digestion, bowels. You can guess where that might lead. Am I bitter? No. Mad at God? No. When I gave my life to Jesus, I was given the promise of eternal life, a new glorified body free of disease, and the promise of an eternity with Him that will surpass anything we can imagine. This life is short and temporary. I'm preparing for the next!

Until He Comes.

-Pat-

Enabling Wrong Doing

                               

Question: If your parents approved of everything you wanted to do when you were 13 years old, would they have been loving? No, of course not. Love doesn't mean approval! Love doesn't mean enabling people to do what is wrong.  Love means You are STANDING IN THE WAY OF WHAT'S WRONG. If you approve of everything your child wants to do, you're not loving, you're unloving. You're an enabler. In fact, there is a passage from the Bible that everybody reads at their wedding, but nobody obeys, it is 1 Corinthians 13. Here is what Paul said about love: Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing. Love rejoices in the truth. Love always protects. Love always perseveres." You don't protect people when you approve of the wrong they're doing, you're doing the opposite! Hear me. In fact, Jesus who went to the cross for us gave us one new command. Do you know what that is? It is this: "A new commandment I give you, to love one another as I have loved you" (1 John 13:34). How did Jesus love us? He sacrificed Himself for us. So what is love for us?? It means sacrifice. It doesn't mean approval.

You know, when people fail to tell others what they know to be true it's because they don't want to hurt your feelings. They are afraid you'll get mad. They feel you might get your friends to disapprove of them, or you might cut them off forever. Do you know what people like that are doing? They are enabling you to do what is wrong. And a lot of times we withhold the truth because we don't want people mad at us. And do you know why we do that? We want to take the easy way. We will sacrifice them for our benefit rather than sacrificing ourselves for their benefit. That's what love is! To sacrifice yourself for the benefit of others! So you need to tell people what the truth is even if it means losing them forever. LOVE does not mean approval. Thomas Sowell once said, "When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear." How often do we tell people what they want to hear? Oh, we don't want to risk the relationship, right? What kind of relationship do you have anyway if you can't tell them the truth? 

When, as Christians of faith, we know someone's actions or beliefs are biblically wrong, we are to speak the truth in love. I recently witnessed this within my own family. Oh how it hurts to see 2 people you love drifting apart. When you see one following and standing on Christian principals and the other actually agreeing blindly to worldly concepts opposite of Biblical truth it's hard to watch. Oh how clever Satan is to ever convince us wrong is right and right is wrong. Approving a persons homosexuality is not loving that person, it enables them to believe wrong is right. Approval of an abortion is not loving that person, it enables them to believe wrong is right. So many people are mistaken that if they approve of another persons sin they are actually doing Gods will by "loving one another." This is a deception of Satan! Yes, we are to love everyone BY TELLING THEM THE GOSPEL TRUTH of these matters. Jesus told the truth and they killed Him!

It's interesting to note, scripture tells us in Paul's writings, that the devil actively blinds the minds of those who don't believe in Jesus. Notice, Paul was not speaking about the eyes when he refers to blindness. He's telling us our minds are kept in the dark from truth, from God's spoken Word WHEN WE DON'T BELIEVE JESUS. The Bible testifies that "Jesus was the WORD made flesh." Not believing therefore, means you don't believe THE WORD (the Bible), for the Word clearly states homosexuality is wrong (Leviticus 18:22) and literally calls it an abomination. It's mentioned again in the New Testament Romans 1:26-29, explaining how men change from lusting after women over to lusting after men. It's written. God said it in the Old and New Testament. If you are of the mindset (an actively blinded mind) to this truth, you are not loving that person you are enabling them to continue in the error of their way. The same holds true if you follow the crowds worldly concept regarding abortion when God has something to say about this again in both the Old and New testament. Abortion is the shedding/murder of innocent blood and once again God refers to it as an abomination (Proverbs 6:17). God knows every spirit/baby BEFORE WE ARE EVER FORMED IN THE WOMB because He is our creator (Jeremiah 1:5) and Psalm 139 refers to Gods involvement in the development of a fetus. Exodus 21:22-23 refers to the pregnant woman and the fetus as 2 separate lives. God tells us we are more than just a clump of cells. Satan has convinced the blind you are a clump of cells and nothing more. We are given life/a spirit at the moment of conception!

For those who say they are Christians yet support the worldly concept God made homosexuals the way they are have been tricked, deceived, and manipulated by Satan himself and have called the WORD of GOD (Jesus) a liar when He has said and showed us differently as I pointed out in the scriptures above. By "accepting" this lie, you are enabling sin and encouraging the person to remain there in that sin. The same goes for those who approve of abortion. Abortion is murder. Murder is different than killing. Murder is INTENT! Killing can be an accident. Murder is never an accident. Abortion is something thought out, an act one INTENDS to do: "Get this thing out of me." "If my parents find out, I'm dead." "I'm too young to be a mother." "My husband cannot find out this isn't his." "I know I'm in my 9th month but I've changed my mind. I don't want it now." All these are INTENT to do harm and end a life, and that is murder!

If you say you are a Christian, if you say you believe God's Word (do you even read it thoroughly?), if you pray for others, if you go to church each week, if you wear a crucifix around your neck but still believe homosexuality is okay, abortion is okay, if you  believe, follow, or vote for those that promote those sins you are assisting an evil work across this nation. I would encourage you to read the Bible more thoroughly and ask God to forgive the path you've been on and quickly turn to truth, READ THE BIBLE, research these subjects, renew your mind, and come to the light. Don't allow yourself to be closed minded. Only darkness hates light. Don't run from light. Read the Bible, know the Bible. See if what you believe agrees with or contradicts God's Word. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4-8). If another Christian,  spouse, friend, or even a family member asks why you support such anti-biblical ideas, they are doing so out of love. At least have a conversation. Don't close your mind. Don't shun or push them away. After all, they are sacrificing themselves. It's called love.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

Well Done My Good And Faithful Servant

 

I don't know about you, but I long to hear these words when I pass from this earth onto the next life, "Well Done My Good And Faithful Servant." I have actually imagined the exact picture you see above of myself and Jesus. When I saw this picture, I had to use it for this weeks blog! I can hardly wait to run into His arms! Have you ever questioned what Jesus meant by the three words My faithful servant?  I mean, how do you know if you're being a faithful servant? Is it by being nice to everyone you see?  Always attending Sunday services? Never gossiping, holding your temper, or your faithfulness to tithe? Jesus told us how we can know. To begin, Jesus said, "One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much" (Luke 16:10). As an example, I think a modern illustration of this might be the following:  A newly hired man was in the lunch line at a company cafeteria.  As chance would have it, he was just ahead of the CEO, but when the CEO saw the man slide a 3 cent pat of butter under his dinner role, the CEO realized the company had hired the wrong man. How could that act determine the CEO's conclusion? If the employee wasn't going to be honest enough to pay for a 3 cent pat of butter, he certainly couldn't be trusted with more. Right? Are YOU faithful in the little things?  If not, how can the Lord expect you to be faithful in the big things He wants to reveal or give you authority over?  If we're being faithful to Jesus, this means we're being faithful to His Word. It means we are obeying His Word, all of His Word, and developing the character of Christ. He said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep my Word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23). 

So you're thinking... "Okay, what are the 'little things I should be faithful in?'  They are the small things we often give no credence to! Are you faithful to commune with God on a daily basis through prayer, through reading His Word, meditating on Him or simply conversing with Him? You said you love Him, right?  Don't you commune with your spouse daily? Do you also make time for God whom you say you love? How about the disciplines of self-control or giving back to God? Do you keep the promises you made to God? Are you a faithful witness of the Truth even when remaining silent would be easier? Do you step forward to help a fellow brother even if it's an inconvenience? These are examples of "little things" which exhibit the character of a true follower of Jesus. If you cannot do the little things, how can you expect God to entrust bigger things to you? You see, small things such as these often prove a servants heart! It is in the small things that we grow into the character of Christ. We are tested in these areas. The Master is temporarily away and has given us, His servants, talents to use wisely.  We are not to hold onto them, we are to use them to gain more people for the Kingdom -- I call it spiritual interest (refer to Matthew 25: 14-30 ---parable of the talents).  Jesus said, "For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.  But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."  It's simple to understand if you use money as an allegory to this parable. Invest your money and you'll gain interest.  Invest in the Kingdom and you'll gain people for the Kingdom of God. Hide your money in a nightstand drawer and it gains no interest.  Hide the talents God has given you and no one will hear the gospel or see the character of Christ in you that the world so needs to see.  Nothing is gained!

What I share with you through my blogs can be compared to a biblical "talent"  (not a skill) that the Lord freely gave me with the purpose of investing, that if I invest, I will gain interest on my investment. Just like the Kingdom, God entrusted me with His Word and I am investing it in YOU!  Therefore, I build the Kingdom and earn interest on my investment through gaining people for Christ! Bottom line, THE PROOF OF BEING A FAITHFUL SERVANT is doing what God says. It's simple to understand.  And though none of us do it perfectly, we are still motivated by love to obey Him. Jesus summed it up, "If you love Me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15).  And it's good to keep His Word.  Why?  Because, Jesus assured, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love" (John 15:10). You can't say you love Jesus and continually disobey Him. Disobedience does not allow the character of Christ to develop in you. That makes no sense for a child of God. I think we can understand that Jesus and the Father's will are one in the same ... they always agree perfectly in everything, including the will of the Holy Spirit, so we know that the Father's will is Jesus' will, and that Jesus always did the will of the Father, so Jesus has some joyous news for those of us who do the will of the Father: "For whosoever does the will of My Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 22:50). Wow!  How about that? If you are faithful to Jesus' teachings, then you are actually being faithful to the Father's will because they are the same!  They agree on everything.  If we do what Jesus commands, we are doing the will of God and are "good and faithful servants."   Whoever does God's will is going to be blessed by God, but they will also be full of joy, knowing they are doing their Master's will. Whatever we do for Jesus, we are doing for the Father and vice versa!

What else makes us faithful?  I believe if you are a servant of Christ, you cannot help but speak about Christ. That does not mean you have to teach, preach, write books or blogs, or even have eloquent words. You can simply "speak what you have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).  If you were among your family or friends knowing you've learned something from the Word of God, and their conversation opposes WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE TRUE, you shouldn't be ashamed to speak the truth you learned from scripture.  There's no need to argue your point, simply share what God has said.  It could be one line or one scripture.  By doing so, you have stood up for the truth and spread the gospel by planting a seed in their heart. It's not up to you to harvest, just plant and God will water as He sees fit. Everything we have is from God. We are all simply stewards of what God has given us and He expects us to be faithful with what we've been given, whether little or much: 30, 60, or 100 fold (Mark 4:20). Here are some things you might consider.  

1) Do you wish you had the same knowledge and understanding of the Bible that your preacher/pastor has? How much time are you devoting to reading, learning, and searching to understanding Scriptures? It's the little things.

2) You would love to be a part of an overseas mission your church has begun involving feeding third world children. That's all good and well, but have you considered taking a couple sacks of groceries to your next door neighbor who lost his job months ago? It's the little things.

 3) You're assisting your mother who has fallen ill with cancer.  Have you ever given a donation to support the local children's hospital?  Or do you figure someone else will step up and do it? Besides, you have already given a "Sunday tithe."  It's the little things.

These are the "little things" that display the character of Christ.  If we are not faithful as Christians with the little things God has shown us and given us, how can He trust us with the bigger responsibilities of the Kingdom? We are to be faithful with what amount we were given, but also in keeping His Word wherever we go and whatever we do; doing His will and not denying His Name before others because we are all only stewards, really owning nothing at all.  It is all from God and so to God we owe all! It is our duty to be good and faithful servants, and if we are, we too will hear those precious words, "Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.  Enter into the joy of the Lord" (Matthew 25:23).  

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

A Seed Within A Seed

Want to be healthier than you are? To have more energy, boost your immunity, strengthen your bones, lower your risk of heart disease, look better, or improve your digestion?  WHAT'S ALL THIS GOT TO DO WITH A BIBLE BLOG? I'm glad you asked. The answer is EVERYTHING. Were you aware God gave us instructions of what He created and wanted us to eat? Look at the following:  Genesis 1:29 “Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

Let's look into this.

It was not until after the great flood of Genesis 6 that God allowed man and beast to eat meat. Because of the absence of death in the original creation design, eating meat would not have been possible. This is not an indication that God would have us refrain from eating meat today. We have record of Jesus eating fish and lamb. God himself asked his people to sacrifice to him the fat portions of the animal (Leviticus 3:3).

We should also take heart that God will always provide for his children. Jesus taught his disciples to pray the following prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11. I think it's amazing that God provided us with natural, healthy, groceries! What should we be eating? God instructed: “I have given you every seed-bearing plant…and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.

God has entrusted the stewardship of the whole earth to man, his delegated authority over creation. He has provided for our sustenance only those plants and fruits that are naturally digestible for us. Even apart from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17), there would be some plants that we aren’t built for eating. God knows what we need, and we can take him at his word.  God stated, “They will be yours for food.” Everything we have comes from and belongs to God and, "it is good." After each day in the creation account, when God made something, the Bible says, "God saw, and it was good." And not just good but very good.

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Let's look at Four Scriptural Comparisons of Biblical Translations from Genesis 1:29 REGARDING WHAT WE' ARE TO EAT.

1. NIV (New International Version)

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

2. NLT (New Living Translation)

Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.”

3. ESV (English Standard Version)

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”

4. KJV (King James Version)

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”

Notice a similarity in the 4 comparisons I mentioned above? God gave specific instructions of what He created for us to consume as food. That similarity is the word "seed." We are to eat any plants, eat from trees, or any fruit that has a seed within itself including food we label as "nuts" but are indeed actually seeds: pistachios, cashews, almonds, pecans, and more. Examples of fruits -a seed within a seed- apples, oranges, grapes, apricots, kiwi, cantaloupe, watermelon, lemons, limes, and many others. Examples of herbs: comfrey, chamomile, cilantro, dill, basil, parsley, sage, and so many others. Each listed fruit when cut open reveals its seed(s).

Now, let's observe the 4 scriptures above once again. 

Did anyone notice that one of those versions above IS NOT what God said at all? The wording has been changed thus changing the meaning. It is found in the NLT (New Living Translation). Read it again carefully. God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth (THAT WOULD BE THE HERBS) and all the fruit trees for your food.” No! God did not say Adam or Eve was given "ALL the fruit trees," No. God specifically said they should eat only those fruits "having a seed within a seed." Tell me, are you consuming seedless watermelon? Seedless grapes? Where are the seeds? They were genetically modified by man to develop w/o seeds! You should think twice before consuming any fruit or vegetable that's been modified if you want optimal health. Modified fruits are no longer natural as God intended and created.  Seedless watermelons are created by using different numbers of male and female chromosomes, which makes the fruit "sterile." Satan, through man, is forever trying to manipulate the genome in the cells of plants, animals, and now today in the human race! How? Through "gender-affirming" hormone therapy which causes progressive changes in DNA methylation regarding transgender people. What we are actually doing is taking something God created, manipulating it, changing it, to arrive at something we've created. We're playing GOD! Acting as the God of creation can not only be physically and mentally harmful, it is spiritually dangerous! We are going against the laws of nature AND the laws of God! This should not be. The devil wants to destroy all of God's creation.

If God wanted watermelon to be "sterile" (w/o seeds) He would have  created watermelon w/o seeds on the 3rd day of creation but He didn't. The point is, if you want an optimal, healthy life, do not consume foods with modifications, industrial manipulations, added chemicals, added colors, or added stabilizers. Eat of the trees, fruits, and herbs God gave as real food, original food, nutritious, organic WITHOUT chemicals, sprays, or alterations. Everything, absolutely everything that can reproduce itself [including human beings] God said "it is good." All others are a counterfeit; a deception. God knew what would keep our bodies functioning properly and it is: herbs, fruits with seeds (beginning as an original seed), spices ground from seeds, including some flowers and vegetables. The more you consume the better you will feel.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

Whatcha' Doin'?

The overall theme of the Bible is about God’s passion to keep His people in a close relationship with Him and He has gone to extraordinary lengths to make that possible. Even though God made a covenant in the Old Testament with His people and demonstrated His love in many ways, they wandered off the path like sheep that didn't want to follow their shepherd. They didn’t seem interested in keeping the relationship going. Still, God kept trying to bring them back to Him. The way God’s people behaved then and the way you and I behave now, makes one wonder why God didn’t just forget about this project a long time ago rather than make all that effort to bring us back to Himself. The point is, that a relationship with God requires effort, not just on God’s part, but on ours. It is a two-way relationship and God has come toward us more than half way. So, my questions for you are, “Whatcha doin'? How far have you come?” When I began to study the chapters in Zachariah, I really didn’t see how I could ever make sense out of them or even write a blog about them. But as I read and prayed, I began to see that these passages are rich in images and truth. The only problem I have now is how to share it with you in 4 short paragraphs! But, I want to challenge you to take a radical, new step towards growth.

Regardless of how far you have wandered away, regardless of how messed up your life is, regardless of how weak and inadequate you feel you are, God has a recipe for transformation and renewal. Some of you are struggling with challenges. You may feel like you are spinning your wheels in ruts you can’t get out of. You may be going through deep waters that threaten to drown you. You may feel like (as I have on many occasions) that you are surrounded by so many filthy, violent, and desperate people you don’t know where to turn. You may feel trapped in some kind of secret sin that you can’t let go of. I don’t know what you are up against, but whatever your challenges are, the verses in Zachariah offer hope. The first thing to remember is that even though it may not seem like it, God is looking out for you. By that I don’t mean that you will always find a parking space at the mall when you need one or that you will never have a bad hair day. That is not what this is about. We all know that God does provide for us in unexpected and undeserved ways. If I asked for your testimonies about unexpected blessings you have received, several of you would have something to say. But the picture I’m painting today is bigger than that. As the description of Jerusalem begins to unfold in Zachariah Chapter 12, it sounds at first like bad things are going to happen: heavy stones, frightened horses, flaming torches. But with each one, some action is added that makes clear that God will save and protect his people, making it possible to live victoriously in the midst of turmoil and threats. God looks out for his us. These verses assure us that when God has a plan, He will carry it through. When He makes a promise, He keeps it. When He offers victory, He means it. Regardless of the circumstances of our lives,  we can be assured that God will carry out his purposes. As Zachariah says in Chapter 12:8, the Lord will shield His people so that even the most feeble among them shall be like King David. That is more than we could humanly hope for. And Rom. 8:31 says, "If God is for us, who is against us?" That is the first thing to remember. God looks out for his people and He is looking out for you. Have you claimed that promise? 

The second thing to remember is that we don’t measure up to God’s standards, so we need to face up to our sin and repent. I have talked with people who know they have violated God’s intentions for them and they are ready to recognize it, repent, and let God change them. I have talked with others whose sin is as plain as the nose on their face, but they maintain they have done nothing wrong in God’s eyes. They say they are as good or better than anyone else. But as we all know, God doesn’t ask us to compare ourselves with the guy next to us. It is God’s standard that counts. Through the prophet Zechariah, God reminds us to face up to our shortcomings and recognize sin for what it is. When you read these verses, you can detect an underlying tone of sorrow and sadness. Something has gone awry. In Chapter 12:10, for example, we read about weeping bitterly and mourning. What is that about? It is a recognition that the way people have treated the God of the universe should cause them to weep because of their sins and wrong doings. We don’t know what the historical circumstance is behind verse 10 when it says, "When they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him." Scholars have all kinds of theories about martyrs, assassinations, and betrayals. Whatever it was, the people of Israel had messed up in a big way. And so have we. But the sadness about our sin gives way to healing and hope. No amount of weeping alone can remove our sin. It takes a supernatural act of God to cleanse us from sin. Right after the verses about mourning, we read in Zachariah 13:1 that a fountain shall be opened to cleanse us from sin and impurity. If there is anything the human heart needs, it is forgiveness of sin and cleansing of our stained souls. And once again, even though Zechariah couldn’t have known, God had a plan to make it possible through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Weeping over our sins is not a sign of weakness. It is the first step toward wholeness. And when Jesus came, he opened a fountain, permanently available, to wash away our sins. The thing to do with our sin and wrong doing is to face up to it and repent and accept God’s cleansing. That is why the Bible commands baptism, to symbolize God’s cleansing. And if you haven’t taken that step, God is calling. God not only looks out for us, He invites us to repent.

As I read on in verse 7, I asked why would God want his sheep to be scattered? Why would God put his people through hardship? It didn't register with me. And why would He end up with only a portion of the total number? The answer is found verse 9 where we read about the testing and refining of silver and gold. And in order to accomplish that, these kinds of precious metals need to go through the fire. Usually we think of fire as a bad thing. But, in the Bible, being put into the fire is not always bad. Remember the three friends of Daniel who were put into the fiery furnace? As the gospel song says, They didn’t bend, they didn’t bow, they didn’t burn. But they were in the fire. And Zechariah compares spiritual trials to the way gold and silver get refined. Not everyone responds the same to fiery trials. You have probably known people, who, when they experienced hardship, became bitter and may have even turned against God. And you probably have known others who became more thoughtful, humble, and repentant.  James 1 says, "Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance and leads to maturity. Finally, the third thing to remember is that God wants to refine us, to make us pure like precious gold. Don’t let anyone tell you that following Jesus is a piece of cake. Yes, God provides blessings in abundance, but once you set your feet on the path of obedience and discipleship, you will likely run into challenges and obstacles and temptations that you didn’t know were possible. You will be tested. You will be tried. Does anyone reading this blog know what I mean? One of the most comforting Bible passages I’ve found is Isaiah 43:1-3. God knows what He is doing. He knows what we can take. In I Cor. 10:13, He has promised not to test us beyond what we are able to bear. God will not drop us or abandon us. He invites us to repent, to be refined, and renewed.  So my challenge to you is, get back in the game even if you have drifted due to laziness, being uninterested, too busy with daily tasks, overwhelmed by problems, because you were overcome by some sin, etc. It's never too late to repent, pray for strength, and return to your Father.  Make the remainder of this year one closer with God by reading and  studying His Word, growing spiritually, and gratefully doing His will. 

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

Spiritual Maturity Takes Time

So many of the most beautiful things in life and in nature for that matter, don’t move, grow, or develop with great speed. Instead, their movements are slow and gradual.  Part of the wonder of nature,  is getting to see the different pieces gradually unfolding according to an order and time frame established by GOD--like a bud that opens into a flower. Flowers don't bloom overnight once planted. It's a waiting game. Another example is a tomato plant. In my experience, growing from seedling to harvest takes around 2 months. What about things that happen in us when the "seed" of Word of God has been planted in us? Do we suddenly become a perfect person? I say not. Spiritual growth is also like the growth of a plant--slow and gradual: from seed to sprout, to green vegetation, to budding, flowering, then fruit with various ripening stages.

Have you ever wish that your own spiritual growth could happen faster? That the interpretation of scriptures was as effortless as some seem to have mastered? That Satan's temptation were easier to resist? That controlling your tongue was as effortless as turning off a switch? What the Lord is telling us in His Word, right from the opening chapters of Genesis, on through the story of the Exodus, by the wanderings of the Children of Israel in the wilderness, in the many battles that they had to fight in the land of Canaan, on through the time of the prophets, and finally by way of the Lord’s own thirty-three years of life on earth …what the Bible is telling us by all of these things in their chronological order, and explicitly in Exodus 23, is that spiritual growth and rebirth, and also the growth of human relationships, are slow…and gradual…and seasonal…and majestic.

 Like the change of the seasons,

And the turning of the tide,

And the growth of a tree,

And the opening of a flower.

He’s telling us that we can’t expect to break out of dysfunctional ways of thinking, destructive tendencies, hurtful attitudes, or habits and vices of life in an instant. There is a tendency of the followers of Christ to believe that somehow any bad habit within us can be changed within a heartbeat and we suddenly become flawless.  As with ourselves, we learn about destructive forms of anger and opposite forms of love, and we don’t want to be angry people; we want to be loving people instead. And so we may begin to act like we "aren’t angry” (…and that’s a good start!) we might even think that because of our new outward behavior, that suddenly we aren’t angry any more. But does acting like we aren’t angry and thinking we aren't angry really take anger away--remove it (finger snap) in an instant? Often it doesn’t, and we end up just kidding ourselves and our anger goes on burning. The truth is, human nature can't be changed in a moment, but only gradually--as we daily learn the truth of orderly living from the Lord and then with the Lord’s help and power put that truth to work in both the inner and outer parts of our lives, refusing to do what is hurtful or "evil" to other people because it is against the Lord’s will and good intentions, and then acting on the goodness that presents itself to us as an option for our lives. “ He or she who has My commandments and lives them,” the Lord says, “ he it is who loves me; and I will come to him or her and make My home with him” John 14:21. “Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land" Exodus 23:30.  It's in keeping with this Scripture that the teachings of the New Church suggest that spiritual growth is not hurried; rather, it is slow and gradual. Everything that we have ever thought; everything that we have ever intended in our hearts; every word that we have ever spoken; and every action that we have ever done--from our earliest childhood on through to the present moment--becomes part of the composition of our lives. It helps form the fabric of who we are. Ultimately, we know that each one of us, having operated in the flesh has certain destructive tendencies and dysfunctional ways of thinking that we bring into our spiritual DNA when becoming "Christian." Though are sins are forgiven, the tendency TO SIN is still there.

So what’s the point? The point is that the growth and development and rebirth of the human spirit, isn't something that happens (finger snap) all at once. Instead, the Lord’s mercy is constantly at work with us--every moment, throughout the entire course of our Christian journey--guiding us and gently moving us with all of the love, patience, wisdom, and majesty that we see

in nature—

 In the change of the seasons;

 In the turning of the tides;

 In the growth of a tree;

 And in the opening of a flower.

God has given each believer "POWER TO BECOME THE SONS OF GOD" (John 1:12.) The life and journey of a born-again Christian is a long, day by day, month by month, year by year process

of growth, error, sin, forgiveness, hope, growth, error,  knowledge, slipping,  forgiveness, understanding, obedience, comprehension, maturity, and wisdom! Don't allow yourself to give up your Christian walk if you struggle to maintain a spotless record. No one stops cursing overnight, harnesses a bad temper, or doesn't get tempted to give into physical lust, etc. The more you read and plant the seeds of Gods words in your heart and mind for spiritual guidance and knowledge, the more you'll learn and receive power to overcome temptation and committing offenses and sins. Some of us are just a seedling. Others have vegetation and growth. There are others blooming and coming into maturity, while the remainder are producing fruit. Wherever you are in the link walking with Christ, be encouraged to continue growing, despite weakness, doubt, hardship, or failure. Just know, true repentance is more than acknowledging sin, it is turning away from sin and to God. It is not simply saying ‘Lord, I repent’ and while still seeking sin out. If you find that your desires are sinful, pray ‘Lord, create in me clean and pure desires. Take out these sinful desires in my heart.’ Be honest with yourself. You won’t get past sinful desires if you never admit that they are there. The bottom line is,  Christian living is all about glorifying God by enjoying Him and being with Him. It’s not supposed to be about trying to not sin. I’m not trying to lessen the seriousness of sin, but I am trying to magnify the importance of the pursuit of enjoying God. When you enjoy God, you obey Him more consistently because it’s based on love. And love produces a powerful kind of obedience.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

 

Why Do You Call Me, Lord?

 Luke Chapter 6, verse 46 in the Bible (any bible, any version) is a very interesting verse that I believe many Christians skim over without letting the words sink in. First of all just to be clear, I will list that same verse as written in many different but popular versions so you can see it isn't difficult to understand regardless of what account you read.

• American Standard Version (AVS) "And why do ye call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not the things which I say?"
• Amplified Version (AMP) "Why do ye call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not practice what I tell you?"
• Easy to Read Version (ERV) "Why do ye call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' but you don't do what I say?"
• English Standard Version (ESV) "Why do ye call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not what I tell you?"
• Phillips Version (Phillips) "And what is the point of calling me, 'Lord, Lord,' without doing what I tell you to do?"
• King James Version (KJV) "And why call ye me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not the things which I say?"
• New International Version (NIV) "Why do ye call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do what I say?"
• The Voice Version (VOICE) "What good is it to mouth the words, 'Lord, Lord,' if you don't live by my teachings?"

It should be abundantly obvious by the many versions I listed that Jesus, if speaking today, would have been saying something like, 'Why do you even bother calling me Lord or calling me your Savior, or why even believe you're Mine or have any part with Me when you're not doing or obeying anything I've said, taught, instructed, or commanded?'

It's also obvious by this same verse that Jesus IS NOT speaking to the world or anyone outside of genuine Christianity because "the world" consists of atheists, agnostics, non-believers, hypocrites, pagans, and infidels, and these do not address Jesus as their "Lord." Jesus, therefore, is speaking to the only group of people that claim Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives! He's directly speaking to 'Christians'. Every person who pronounces Jesus as their Lord should carefully consider this admonition. Scripture explains why it is so very important to not only be "hearers of the Word but doers also" (James 1:22). AND THAT because, Luke 6: 47-49 " Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” And again, if we simply interpret this in simple terms is saying:

'Whoever hears what Jesus has said and actually does what He has told us to do, is like a man whose faith runs deep and is built on the bed-"Rock" (Jesus).  And when any trouble of any kind rises to shake that man's faith he will not be moved because his faith was built on TRUTH (Jesus). But if a man's faith is built on any other belief, philosophy, religion, ideology, creed, teaching, or doctrine, when he is tested by any trouble of any kind he will fall and his fall will be great because his belief and faith were not invested in Jesus ... the solid Rock.

Another interesting scripture that ties into the one above, and is of an even greater concern is from Matthew 7:21-26 Jesus is speaking,  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Jesus is warning, not even the person claiming to be a Christian will enter heaven ... only those who do the will of God will enter, or in other words, only those believers who not only have heard the Word, but do it. OBEDIENCE TO GODS WORD IS NECESSARY TO ENTER HEAVEN. A person must be a doer of the Word not just a hearer. Examine this verse carefully!! Since Jesus is speaking to people "claiming" to be Christians because they are addressing Him as Lord, He is literally telling them "I never knew you" AND HE'S CASTING THEM AWAY even though these are those among us who prophesied in His Name. They even cast out demons in His Name. And they did many wonders in His Name, yet Jesus is telling them He doesn't know them? How can that be? What distinguishes them from any other person claiming Jesus as their Lord because these did the same thing yet they are rejected by Jesus? What happened?" Jesus gives us the answer, "depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." They were turned away, even though they claimed Jesus as Lord and even though able to prophesy, cast out demons etc. they KNOWINGLY, WILLFULLY, AND DELIBERATELY DISREGARDED AND REFUSED TO DO AS JESUS ASKED. They were disobedient! They may have worshipped Him in word, but their deeds proved otherwise. They despised and defied Gods law, not wanting to obey by surrendering to Gods Word and HIS will.

If you are not obeying His Word, Jesus is not your Lord. You can Prophecy, speak His name, confess you're a Christian, never miss a church Sunday, use His Word and make the devil flee, have biblical knowledge, preach or teach, be the most generous person, tithe as you choose, go to prayer meetings, volunteer in a hospital, go on mission trips, etc. but if you aren’t a DOER of Gods Word, not just a listener, hearer, or reader, and DON'T OBEY what scripture teaches, is Jesus really your Lord? 

If you don't do what you know to do, its a sin (James 4:17). This verse is meant to make  the need to obey God and is often referred to as the "sin of omission." A sin of omission is a sin of inaction, or not doing something related to God’s law. How can inaction result in sin? Is there really such a thing as a sin of omission? Hearing brings knowledge, but James confirms that knowledge is useless if no action is taken after learning it. If we are to properly follow God, knowledge cannot be the final step. In Romans 1:18-23, Paul applies this concept to people who claim to know God but fail to follow His laws. Speaking of these people in verse 21, Paul writes, “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God.” As a result, these people “became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Here we see a sobering example of people who had the knowledge of God at their fingertips—they knew who He was! Yet their knowledge was useless because it did not cause them to change the way they lived. Clearly, it is not enough to simply have knowledge of God and His way. We cannot be scholars only, failing to put His precepts to proper use in our lives. God requires that we put knowledge into action. Ultimately, everyone who learns the knowledge of God and His way of life through the Word must also choose a life of obedience to that knowledge.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

The Spirit Of Jezebel

Let's start with who is  Jezebel? Jezebel was the name of an ancient queen of Israel and notoriously one of the most evil women in the Bible. Jesus criticized the church at Thyatira in Revelation 2:18-29 for tolerating “that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess.” Jesus words were both then and now a revelation of what "spirit " Jezebel was and what animated her teaching. According to additional ancient text we know Jezebel was a power-hungry, violent, non-believing prostitute, and a teacher of the Baal religion. Normally we don't think of Jesus as intolerant but it is clear, that whatever He didn’t tolerate two thousand years ago, He still doesn’t tolerate today, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV).

Unfortunately, "the spirit" of Jezebel is thriving and has reared its ugly head in America. Her spirit is a fierce energy that seeks to destroy those her oppose "her." Today we use the term JEZEBEL to describe an impudent, shameless, or morally unrestrained person which we see materializing in new areas of our society.

Within my own living memory, American society once paid lip service to Biblical standards of sexual behavior. Now, unmarried cohabitation and unwed motherhood have become acceptable. No one blinks an eye when people flaunt multiple sex partners. Virgins are a rare find. The appalling number of sexual predators that make national headlines shouldn’t surprise anyone. They practice recently accepted behaviors on a still-unacceptable scale. Homosexuality, once acknowledged as a sin, has sadly become a political cause. It has invented the term “homophobia” to imply that any opposition can only come from an irrational fear. No earlier society, no matter how tolerant of homosexuality, ever included homosexual relationships in its definition of marriage. Not even the ancient Canaanites thought of gender fluidity. But now males “identify” as female and females “identify” as male. Newspaper editorials advise high school girls to get used to the presence of a person with a penis in their locker rooms so as not to make the transgendered uncomfortable. Sin is becoming less and less forbidden in these areas. How did we wind up here? The 

Every cell in everyone’s body proclaims what sex they are. It's imprinted in our chromosomes! XY= boys and XX= GIRLS.

Compassion for the transgendered would require helping them to accept and celebrate their actual 'at birth' assigned sex. Anyone who dares say so anymore draws down progressive Jezebel hatred. We don’t burn babies alive at  pagan shrines anymore, no, we kill them before birth in abortion clinics! And woe to anyone who dares to interfere with a mother’s “right to choose.” The reality is, there is never A RIGHT to purposely take a life. Women are campaigning and arguing for the right to kill their own offspring with no consequences. Now we've arrived at the point where some politicians even refuse to allow protection to babies that survive the abortion process. They show a Jezebel anger at the idea that killing babies amounts to murder. Our own dictionaries refute their obstinate opinion! MURDER: the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. Notice the keyword unlawful? THIS IS WHY they want a law that makes premeditated abortion legal, it's so they can escape the guilt of being labeled or judged as a murderer as Jezebel was! God said no murderer will ever enter heaven (Galatians 5:21).

The spirit of Jezebel, apparent in the "woke" section of society is also attempting to destroy true masculinity in men by belittling and condemning them by what the 'wokes' definition of masculinity is. God never intended for men to have control over or oppress women as is "their" definition:  power-hungry, narcissistic, violent, aggressive, selfish, or angry.  These thing are not true masculinity though Jezebel's spirit, which has infiltrated today's society, would have you believe men fit this description and therefore need to be stripped of their roles as leaders and  basic men. Jezebel's spirit is ranting about masculinity as if it were inherently toxic. They seem more interested in punishing men. But the true meaning of "masculinity" carries with it courage be the head, to guide, to lead, to have strength, toughness, assertiveness, and boldness, without lording it over another. If the head of the family, the one who leads at the helm, can be made to feel less of a man, the foundational strength of the family will cease to be and the family will crumble. What more could the spirit of Jezebel and Leviathan want? And then you have women. God never intended for women to have control over or oppress men either. In a marriage, women are to walk alongside the man, not behind him. She is to be a supportive figure for him, who in turn, honors and respects her supportive position.

Unfortunately, under the influence of the spirit of Jezebel, sin seems like a good thing anymore. That which was (past tense) once deemed evil is now acceptable and that which used to be considered good and wholesome is now regarded as unacceptable. Sadly, the Church in general has not made a strong, collective, response to any of the social upheavals over the last several years.  Vast segments of the American church have taken a page from the teaching of Jezebel of Thyatira. They condone sin in the name of compassion and thus Jezebel is alive and well in many American churches. They point to Jesus’ compassion but fail to live up to his example. In the only gospel story directly concerned with sexual sin, Jesus showed great compassion to the woman taken in adultery. But his last words to her were, “Go and sin no more." True believers should not tolerate abortion, homosexuality, transgendered men or cross-dressers in women's bathrooms or in our schoolrooms. As believers and doers of Gods Word, we must take a stance and come against "her" and every foul spirit before she /they consume our families, churches, and workplaces.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

 

Evil is Good and Good is Evil? Since when?

 

I have lived on this earth through enough revolutions to have observed the following:

Once a generation of "yes ma'am, no ma'am. Yes sir, no sir."

We progressed to, "right, wrong ... well, maybe."

Then we arrived at, "if it feels good do it."

To finally today, our morality has become, "what's right is wrong and what's wrong is right." We are calling that which is evil; good, and that which is good; evil.

Have we really fallen so far from our once moral integrity to have completely abandoned truth for fiction?

Unfortunately, this certainly seems to be the case and the Bible has something to say about this prevailing societal attitude. Let's look at it.

Isaiah 5:20 says, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter" (KJV)

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Let's begin with the very first word from this verse, woe. The bible specifically indicates throughout scripture the word woe" was used by JESUS to represent His righteous anger. Our Webster Dictionary describes the word woe as meaning misery, sorrow, distress, or trouble. Before any admonition, any instruction, any other word, Isaiah begins his sentence with WOE! Sounds serious, doesn't it? There is a warning of certain consequences as a result of a particular credence. Calling evil good and good evil could certainly describes today's culture saying that what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right; that black is white and white is black; bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. The world has reversed what is evil and what is good. This is one of the many ways of sin, the reversal of values.

 

In today’s perverse society free from all moral restraint this is how it is possible that many things that were considered bad/evil/corrupt/and unacceptable earlier in our existence are now hallowed as alternative life style, tolerance of being different, a fact of life, deemed "normal" and so on. Cheating on your wife/husband theoretically is considered bad, but in practice it is accepted and it is considered not too bad. There are sites where you can specifically be set up with another married person for sex in secret. Open marriages are encouraged. Poly amorous marriages and swapping partners with friends is now popular etc. Virginity is a shame to the youth these days and they are taught to lose it as soon as possible, and by any means. Swing clubs are the hottest thing while orgies are organized privately or in swing clubs. Pedophilia, homosexuality, and transgenderism are considered "simply diverse lifestyles" and the moral side of society must embrace it otherwise they are accused of some phobia or racism. The rich can literally order up any-age boy or girl through sex trafficking rings or order an extravagant perverted, deviant encounter on the once, exotic, Epstein Island. The world has reversed what is evil and what is good when the Bible warns in layman's terms: 

WOE!!! A boy is not a girl and a girl is not a boy (transgenderism) when: "in the beginning, God made them male and female and to go forth and multiply" (Genesis 1:27) 

WOE!!! Homosexuality is a sin when "it is an abomination for a man to lie with another man as he does a woman" (Leviticus 18:22, Romans1:27). 

WOE!!! To harm a child (molestation, sex trafficking, misleading, dupe, entice) brings judgment when, "Whoever causes one of these little ones which believe in me-to stumble, it would be better for them to have  a millstone hung around their neck and cast into the depths of the sea." 

WOE!!! Perversion is altering something from the original course. And it is wrong when men sleep with men "working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error" (Romans 1:29).  I could go on forever with the list.

People say that bad is good and good is bad the way they disregard the bible’s warnings and principles. On account of these the wrath of God is coming and we are soon to enter Judgement. For God, sin is sin whatever it is: the liar is just as a great sinner as an immoral person or an alternative life style propagator, or an adulterer etc. It would be easy for anyone to convince themselves using false reasoning that the written word of God does not apply to us because of our particular circumstances. So , how could we make it work for us? “Twisting the Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:16) ( 2 Timothy 4 : 3 ). “For their will be a period of time when they will not put up with the wholesome teaching. But according to their own desires they will surround themselves with teachers to have their ears tickled.” They will turn away from listening to the truth and give attention to false stories.” Today's society reflects that mentality; they have made amendments to what God has defined as “ good” and “ bad” based on their personal preferences. The demands of acceptance rather tolerance, tells you that society in general has taken a position of saying that what is bad in God’s eyes is good, and what is good is bad.

The peaceful neutrality that Christ taught is poo-pooed, and churches promote political parties and politicians as the solution to mankind’s problems; God’s Kingdom is not mentioned. (Daniel 2:44; Matthew 24:14) The wholesale abandonment of Biblical standards regarding sexual morality has not led to the happiness and freedom that are promised by adherence of such “freedom”, but rather to confusion, unhappiness, disease and societal decay. Satan implied, when he spoke through a serpent to Eve in the Garden of Eden, that mankind would be happier independent of God, and setting their own standards of right and wrong (Genesis chapter 3). Satan’s lies were exposed but he has not changed his tactics; he continues to promote independence from God as the only way to happiness, in essence, telling people that what God considers good is bad, and bad good.

The consequences of such rebellion are plainly seen today, and worsening rapidly. The choice is ours to turn around, repent of our sins in this godless society or continue down the path of spiritual annihilation into an eternal separation from God, independent of God, without hope, without chance, without change, without joy, without meaning, without Light, lost in the darkness of despair, without purpose, without meaning, in a world of those who chose to love themselves, make their own rules despite hearing the truth over and above a love for the Creator... Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."

Until He Comes,

-Pat-