Who's On First?

 I think it is safe to say all of us have either attended, watched, or personally participated in some type of baseball competition in our lives. From our children in pee-wee leagues to major league baseball most of us are familiar with the basics of the game. Even if you are not familiar with some of the jargon like backdoor slider, cutter, in the hole, or meatball pitch, you know at the very least, whomever of the two opposing teams scores the most runs, wins the game! And this, in many cases, is enough knowledge to get you by. Choosing to follow the crowd like standing when others stand, cheering when others cheer, and screaming in unison at the umpire, are enough to give the impression you know the game quite well even if you don't. Keep this thought in mind as you advance through this blog. Now, let's look at a few basic facts about the game of baseball. 

 

There are two teams that take the field.

Each wants victory. 

Each uses power players.

Each wants to win the hearts of their fans. 

Now let's look at the fans. 

Every die-hard baseball fan is devoted. 

Each believes their team is best. 

Each is faithful to support their choice all season long. 

With these simple facts, we can metaphorically compare the game of baseball with two opposing "spiritual" teams: Team JESUS and team Satan. 

Each team has powerful players. Each team has fans. Each team operates on a field. In a metaphorical sense, the "field" is the world. So each team operates in the world. Even if you are not a baseball fan, you know during a game there are not three teams on the field playing, a dozen teams playing, or hundreds of teams playing. There are only two teams. Today, I'm pointing out there are only one of two teams in the spiritual league which you can support: 

1.Team Jesus hails from heaven.

2.Team Satan hails from Hades. 

These two opponents are not playing for runs or a pendant, they are playing for souls. In my analogy today, it is the bottom of the final ninth inning! Following the rules of their game, you must choose which side you will be on. You can only wear one jersey and remain faithful only to one of those teams.

Here are some strategies for these two "spiritual" teams. Remember now, I am speaking metaphorically. Team Satan utilizes pitchers who can change speeds. His team uses deceptive sliders making you look mighty foolish when taking the bait by swinging at empty air and coming up empty-handed. All his pitches are to fool you and trick you. Satan also throws many sneaky curves, twisting the Word of God ever so slightly which can mislead and confuse you so that you don't know what is coming at you or how to deal with it. Is it a true straight pitch or did he throw you a curve? His ultimate goal is to strike you out and make you ineffective! He wants you benched, helpless, out of the game; lost. What does Team Jesus have in His arsenal? Blood, sweat, and tears! Jesus loves His team so much He actually goes to bat for you so there will be no strikeouts! He utilizes His characteristics to bring you safely to home plate! 

Let's see how the game goes between Team Jesus and team Satan. 

 

Team Jesus is at-bat. The score is tied zero to zero in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. It's do- or- die and it's your turn to bat. However, Jesus waves to His batter named Love to step up and pinch-hit for you. Love swings at the first pitch and hits a single because Love never fails. The next batter Jesus calls up is named Faith who also hits a single because Faith works with Love. The next batter up is named Godly Wisdom. Satan winds up and throws the first pitch. Godly Wisdom looks it over and lets it pass because Godly Wisdom does not swing at the stuff Satan throws. Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom allows them to pass by and takes a walk to first base because Godly Wisdom can discern Satan's schemes.  Now the bases are loaded thanks to faith, love, and wisdom. Jesus is now going to use His star player. Up to the plate steps Grace! Satan's team takes one look at Grace and doesn't believe Grace looks like he holds much power so Team Satan relaxes when they see Grace approach the plate. Laughing in the face of Grace team Satan believes they will get the strike-out and have this game in the bag. 

Satan winds up and fires his first pitch. Another deceptive slider! To the shock of the crowd, Grace hits the ball harder than anyone has ever seen. Even so, Satan is not worried. His center fielder, the spirit of Fear, seldom lets few ever get by him. He goes up for the ball but it goes right through his glove like a flaming sword and hits him on the head sending him crashing to the ground! The ball then continues over the fence with ease for a home run!! The Lord's team has the victory!  Conclusion? Love, Faith, and Godly Wisdom could not win the game by themselves. Why?? Metaphorically speaking, if Love, Faith, and Wisdom alone could have won the game then we might think we could earn salvation all by ourselves! The truth is, Love, Faith, and Wisdom will get you on base but only God's Grace can get you home!  

 

One final thought. The goal of both Baseball and Christianity is to get home safely but you have to know and follow the rules of the game to know the way. You simply cannot go along with the crowd, listening to what someone else tells us about God, His Word, heaven, or the salvation message and expect to know God's rules of the game. We face a mighty opponent, one that will throw you curves leading to loss of meaning, mixed information, and misinterpretation of scripture!  If you want to get home safely, you have to let Jesus pinch hit for you. Only His Grace will lead you home. 

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

Do Not Tempt The Lord Your God

 I was listening to the fourth chapter of Matthew on my audio Bible the other day and when I got to verse 4,5,6 the orator spoke these words, "Then the devil took him up into the holy city, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, And said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands, they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." 

I immediately realized the same words spoken by Satan in Matthew 4 are spoken by David in Psalm 91: "If I make the LORD my refuge, if I make the Most-High my shelter, no evil will conquer me; and no plague will come near my home. For He will order his angels to protect me wherever I go! They will hold me up with their hands so I won’t even dash my foot against a stone."  How interesting I thought! Satan was quoting a verse to Jesus that had been written about 400 years earlier and recorded by David. (By the way, Satan knows and can quote scripture!).

David's 91st Psalm assures those who dwell in the shelter of the Most-High (the followers of Jesus) will be protected by God's order to the angels. Satan was "tempting" (trying) Jesus in Matthew's verse. How? By using scripture to entice Him to throw Himself off the top of the temple and therefore placing Jesus in a dangerous physical situation. Satan was basically jeering Jesus to prove The Word of GOD. Today we might describe that as Satan mockingly saying, "put up or shut up." Is David's Psalm 91 true? Is Matthew Chapter 4 true? Does God really order His angels to protect His own in every threatening or dangerous situation? God can and will protect us according to His will, but we are not to put the Lord to the test. We are to heed the words, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Just as Jesus refused to jump off the pinnacle of the temple and just as Daniel did not go lion-hunting, so are we not to intentionally seek out situations that require God’s miraculous intervention. What do I mean? As an example, some Christians believe they can walk carelessly among snakes and not get bit. They misunderstand the application of the verse, “These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name, they will . . . take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them.” To test God’s presence and power by purposely placing oneself in an unsafe situation is expressly forbidden in Scripture. Daniel 6:22 shows us how God delivered Daniel from the mouths of Lions. Daniel did not seek out the lions to prove God's ability to save him, but when he found himself surrounded by them through no fault of his own, he found God was there. Also, Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego were cast into a fiery furnace by others. Jesus came and stood in the midst of the flames preserving their lives! We trust God in dangerous situations but we should never purposely seek out danger and put God on display seeking a miracle.

We read in Acts 28:3-5 how Paul was never harmed by a snake bite, “Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. . . . But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.” Notice, Paul was not seeking out snakes to handle so as to prove Psalm 91 to be true. He was handling firewood and was bitten by a snake against his wishes. God intervened and miraculously protected Paul from the effects of the snake bite. Jesus’ words in Mark 16:17–18 gave His apostles the assurance that, as they faithfully served God in the spread of the gospel, He would protect them from anything that crossed their paths. Paul's "snake incident" was used as a testimony of God's faithfulness, not as a braggadocios encounter. Look what happened in verse 6, "Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him (Paul), they changed their minds and said that he was a god." There are churches today that literally practice handling poisonous vipers and have special services in which people actually handle venomous snakes, supposedly giving evidence that the church members are true believers who are empowered and protected by God. These types of incidents tempt God to perform, trying the validity of His Word! There is nothing wrong in trusting God for healing and for help, but we shouldn't purposely place ourselves in dangerous situations and then proclaim, "Okay God, now protect me."  Just as Jesus told Satan, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," it is utter foolishness to assume if you place yourself purposely in harm's way that the verses from Psalm 91 apply to you. Trying to force God’s hand by requiring that He perform an obvious miracle is more than foolish; it is sinful. 

If we assume, despite the evidence to the contrary, that Mark 16:17–18 does belong in Scripture, does it teach that we should be handling snakes in church? Absolutely not. Mark 16:17–18 contains no imperatives. The verse does not say, “Go out and handle snakes”; it says, “They will pick up/or take up snakes with their hands.” When danger approaches, we are able through the power of the Spirit to face and defeat dangerous foes. I ask, "Why not drink a vial of strychnine or arsenic and “prove” one’s faith that way? Why stop with the snakes?" See how purposely aligning yourself with physical danger is testing and basically mocking God to prove His Word? I recall another situation where Jesus was mocked to prove Himself found in Matthew 27:40. People passing by the crucifixion cross wagged their heads and yelled out at Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." They were mocking Jesus and testing Him to prove Himself. If you read 1 Corinthians 10:9 NIV it clearly states my point, "We should not test Christ, as some of them did-and were killed by snakes." We need to use wisdom and discernment when reading the Word of God. We are definitely supposed to trust God when we find ourselves in every situation that presents itself, not when we purposely place ourselves there to test God (Luke 4:12 NIV). God can and will protect us according to His will as we are serving Him. But we are not to put the Lord to the test. Just as Jesus refused to jump off the pinnacle of the temple, just as Daniel did not go lion-hunting, nor did Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego enter a furnace to test God, so too are we not to intentionally seek out situations that require God’s miraculous intervention.

Until He comes,

-Pat-

Nail Your Tongue

 

The teachings of Jesus Christ are meant to change our hearts and how we behave completely. It means stating our opinions without demeaning others or others demeaning us. It means agreeing to disagree without condemnation. While it is perfectly normal and natural to disagree with someone, that disagreement does not give license to belittle, disparage, mock, ridicule, snub, or sneer at the other person. Quite frankly those are immature responses. Last week, people who are regarded as FaceBook "friends"  of a particular man (whose name I am purposely leaving out) teaches the Bible on Facebook using 10-minute videos. I was very interested in hearing, knowing, expanding, and learning all that I can so I befriended him weeks ago. His credentials are quite impressive: Studied at Texas Tech University, Dallas Bible College, he boasts of earning a Ph.D. at the Dallas Theological Seminary, etc. He's been on sabbaticals and written devotionals. I had offered an answer to a question he asked every reader: "Why did Jesus command Hosea to marry a prostitute?" Does anyone who is reading this blog know the answer before continuing? 

I basically answered this, God said, 'For the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.' So, therefore, God simply wanted to provide an illustration of His relationship with the people of Israel, who had been unfaithful to Him by practicing idolatry." The response he wrote and published back on his page was, "You made a vital mistake in your answer. There are many mistakes that Christians make which form problems in Theology. That is another reason for understanding systematic theology and hermeneutics so that they all correlate. You should find a course in hermeneutics and take it." No other explanation was given. I was curious and questioned back, "Vital mistake? How so?" My answer to your question is what the Spirit has taught me through many years of asking, seeking, and learning. I may not have a theological degree, however, God said,  'But the anointing which you have received of Him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him' (1 John 2:27). I'm answering you from what God has taught me regarding His Word." What came next was a real shocker. And I quote, he said, "You are being presumptuous. You are assuming answers. If you do not want to take correction, then don't post on my timeline because some may read it and believe and act on what you said. You're thinking like a heretic. You are making erroneous guesses.  The applications to your statements could lead one to serious and even death consequences. You need to get better trained before making dogmatic assertions. There are apologetics courses you can take that are very good. I will correct your answer today when I do another video."  WHAT?? Anyone follow that?

In my opinion, God's illustration I was pointing to proves He wanted to show the greatness of His grace: “Even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods.” It is an illustration of God’s faithfulness to wayward Israel. Just as Gomer had been unfaithful to her husband and had to be redeemed in the book of Hosea, Israel needed God’s initiative to restore their relationship. The prophet Hosea was commanded to marry an unfaithful wife, and this set up a model of Israel’s broken relationship with God. Israel had been chosen and loved by God yet had been unfaithful to Him by way of idolatry. Just as Hosea redeemed his estranged wife and sought to continue his relationship with her, God promised to redeem Israel and renew their relationship with Him. The story of Hosea and Gomer is an unforgettable picture of God’s strong, unending love for His covenant people. What am I assuming? I'm thinking as a heretic? Again I reiterate, while it is perfectly normal and natural to disagree with someone, that disagreement does not give license to belittle, disparage, mock, ridicule, snub, or sneer at the other person. We will never grow as a church if there are those who usurp authority in that manner when someone is engaged and wanting to learn. Name-calling won't draw people. If anyone assumed anything I think the shoe belongs on the other foot! 

No wonder James chapter 3 says it is very difficult to tame the tongue! This doesn't only refer to cursing, gossip, or lying. It can be done, but I wonder how many people even try anymore. How many count to 10 before responding with a biting remark? How many are willing to think before letting fly a disparaging remark? James hit the nail on the head: “With (the tongue) we bless the Lord and Father, and with it, we curse those who are made the likeness of God. This ought not to be so.” The words we use convey what is in our hearts — just as Jesus said. It is possible, but not right, for God’s people to manifest a haughty spirit. Someone who is haughty is arrogant and full of pride. When you're haughty, you have a big attitude and act like you're better than other people. A haughty person acts superior and looks down on others. Haughty people are disdainful, overbearing, prideful, swaggering, and obnoxious. This will cause them to be unloving and treat other people as if they are lesser humans. This happens mostly to those who are spiritually gifted, have theological degrees, are anointed, and have vast mental knowledge about the word of God. ‘Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.’ 1 Corinthians 8:1. Those who have a spirit of haughtiness will typically seek to compete with, put down or outshine others instead of trying to edify them or help them become better. This is what causes one to wonder about the hearts of those followers of Jesus who make disparaging, mocking, and ridiculing remarks. A gentle, quiet spirit would have worked much better. In my opinion, such spewing gives Jesus a bad reputation since his followers are supposed to represent Him. We need to reflect on how we respond to opinions that are different than ours. When necessary, nail your tongue!

Until He comes,

-Pat-

Where Have All The People Gone?

 Have you ever wondered where all the people are who have died before you? For those that have lost parents, grandparents, children, siblings, aunts, uncles, friends, and the aborted unborn, has it ever once occurred to you what happened to their bodies? Where are the millions, billions, and trillions of people that have passed on? Consider the mass number of human beings born on this earth going back to and beginning at the garden of Eden! How many humans have come and gone? Sextillion? Septillion? Octillion? The numbers are innumerable. The apostle Paul gave an interesting statement in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8. He said he preferred to be “absent from the body, and present with the Lord." That phrase alone begs the question, "When believers in Jesus Christ die, do both their spirits and fleshy bodies return to the Lord immediately? What about a non-believer? According to scripture, a non-believer cannot enter heaven if unsaved, so where do their spirit and body go? Being raised as a Catholic, but now converted, I was taught a soul goes to "purgatory"... a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are making amends for their sins before going to heaven. By the way, that is nowhere to be found in the Bible. However, the Bible does say Jesus said, "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24)." The truth is, if you die an unbeliever there is no second chance to repent or make amends. There is no purgatory. It's over plain and simple. 

There are some people who believe in "soul sleep." Meaning that when a person dies, his body and soul sleep in the grave, awaiting a resurrection. But if this were true, why would Paul, as a believer and follower of Jesus not want to live to minister as long as possible, rather than sleep in a grave? Good question, no? And if it were true that the body and soul are never separated, it would be impossible to ever be absent from the body and present with the Lord. The believer's spirit returns to the Lord (absent from THE BODY) when they pass on, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). A believer's spirit RETURNS to the Creator! Did the physical body? More later in this blog.

What about the sinner, the unsaved non-believing person? Where does he or she go? "That" spirit cannot return to the Lord in heaven because they are not allowed there. This person's body, spirit, and soul REMAIN in the grave (Sheol) until the time of judgment. They aren't in "purgatory" waiting for the judgment. They are in Sheol awaiting judgment. You're thinking, "Wait! I thought you said they are in a grave buried in the ground?" THE GRAVE IS HELL (one part of it anyway). In Ephesians 4:9, Paul says of Jesus: "Now that He ascended (resurrected), what is it but that He also descended first into the LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH" (Hades). Jesus descended into Hell ... the lower parts of EARTH! Hell includes:

1) The physical grave (Sheol- the resting place of dead bodies until judgment day). David said of the Lord, "You have delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol."  So there are other areas even lower than the grave!

2) Hades/Gehenna/Lake of Fire & Brimstone are the lower parts of the earth WHERE JESUS DESCENDED TO (Ephesians 4:9) it is a place of eternal separation from God, the place where both soul and body will be destroyed in "unquenchable fire" (Mark 9:43). David said, "but those who seek my soul to destroy it shall go down into the lower parts of the earth" (Psalm 63:9)

3) The bottomless pit (a place God made where demons are imprisoned). The grave, Sheol, along with hell (Gehenna and lake of fire) ARE IN THE EARTH! Remember, Satan was cast down to the earth and will eventually be imprisoned in the bottomless pit - which is in the earth! HELL IS INSIDE THE PLANET EARTH!

To be “absent” from one’s body simply means to die (THE SPIRIT LEAVES). But for the believer, it means more than that. Because, at death, the spirit is not only separated from the body, it moves into its eternal abode in heaven with the Lord. But for the unbeliever, it means temporarily imprisoned in the grave (body and spirit) until judgment.  And then after their judgment, separated from God for eternity in the lake of fire. Let's consider hell for a minute. How well do you know the planet on which you live? From a Google search: "Biblical views of the center of the Earth as a hellish pit raging with fire and brimstone have some support from new research. Scientists have found that the vast majority of brimstone — reverently referred to in biblical times as "burning stone," but now known more commonly as sulfur — dwells deep in the Earth's core. Burning at a staggering 10,800 degrees Fahrenheit!" 

From the New York Times: "Geologists have long known that Earth’s core, some 1,800 miles beneath our feet, is a dense, chemically doped ball of iron roughly the size of Mars and every bit as alien. It’s a place where pressures bear down with the weight of 3.5 million atmospheres, like 3.5 million skies falling at once on your head, and where temperatures reach 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit — as hot as the surface of the Sun." 

I'd say both these excerpts from articles concur with Revelation 14:10, "and He shall be tormented with fire and BRIMSTONE . . ." And Job 18:21 describes it as the "PLACE of him that knows not God." 

Let's conclude. What about the believer's body? If their spirit returns to God, is their body still in the ground? When the believer dies...

1) The body goes into the grave and is dead; lifeless (the body is dead because the spirit has left).  We will be oblivious to our bodies resting until the rapture.

2) The soul (the mind/thinking/reasoning/essence of you) and your spirit (one with your Lord and Savior) go immediately to be with the Lord Jesus.

Your spirit, now in heaven, awaits the body's rapture and glorious transformation when they will be joined together again to be forever with the Lord in eternal bliss. When Jesus was crucified and taking His last breath, He cried out saying,  "Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit." Having said this, He breathed His last breath (Luke 23:46). HIS SPIRIT returned to the Father immediately (into Your hands I commit My Spirit), but His body breathed its last breath... quietly gone, resting in a grave, until the 3rd day when He rose as a new, glorified body JUST LIKE EVERY BELIEVER WILL! While the physical body was gone (no life without the spirit), there was no suffering because His Spirit was not present. I believe this will happen to every born-again believer. Our spirits return to God when we physically die and will wait with Him in anticipation until He raises our bodies as a new, glorified body just as He did, then reuniting them with our spirits. The Bible says, "The dead (that's the body) IN CHRIST (believers body's only) will rise first to meet the Lord in the air (rapture) and be forever restored with our saved spirits (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Unfortunately, the unsaved person's spirit and soul (the conscious mind) will be alive/awake in the grave aware of his/her body. He or she is aware BECAUSE the spirit is still with him/her! They will know they are in Sheol (the darkness of the grave separated from God) awaiting judgment day. They will feel fear, regret, doom, guilt, shame, and hopelessness as the darkness of the grave surrounds them. Whether you are saved or unsaved, your spirit will live on in heaven or in hell inside a glorified body as a believer, or the body of flesh you inhabited on this earth as an unbeliever. Fear God, because He has the power to throw both body and soul into Gehenna! (Luke 12:5).

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

God Gives Us The WILL and POWER To Obey

 

I have not only heard but have thought it myself years ago, "There's no way I can do what God wants of me. It would be like pushing a boulder up a hill. I'm only human!"  Have you ever said that? Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by the Christian life that you believe it's impossible to obey God? Unfortunately, I've got bad news for you. You're right! YOU will never be strong enough within your own self to do what God wants. And that, simply because you are human. However, I also have fantastic news!! When you come to Jesus and make Him the Lord of your life, God gives you the power and the will to obey Him! Did you get that?? Did that sink in? Not only has Jesus died for you, forgiven you, cleansed you by His blood, SAVED you, He also gives you the WILL and the POWER to obey Him! Christ has provided the means to obey Him. Look at Philippians 2:13. Read it slowly and carefully, "For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." This verse should turn your head and make you jump for joy! God is working IN US to give us the will and power to do what pleases Him. WOW! We have help!

Let's look at several versions to double-check the wording!

1) KING JAMES VERSION: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."

2) NEW LIVING TRANSLATION: "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him."

3) NEW REVISED STANDARD: " For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

4) MODERN ENGLISH VERSION: "For God is the One working in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure."

5) LIVING BIBLE: "For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants."

6) COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE: "God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes."

7) AMPLIFIED BIBLE: "For it is [not your strength, but it is] [a]God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure."

I love the simple words from the Living Bible: "For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants."

The Spirit in us gives the supernatural power necessary to accomplish that godly desire! What desire? Obedience. So we could paraphrase the verse I gave, in simple words, by saying that God's Spirit is continually giving us the grace (desire and power) to do what pleases Him! Grace ought to free many of us who are "trying to clean ourselves up!" It can't be done! We are human as I said. We are flawed. We need God's grace to give us the desire to "clean up" and the power to "clean up!" Only the Spirit of God in us can give the supernatural power necessary to accomplish that godly desire! Are you resisting His grace? You can either receive it or resist it! Just know, the first way leaves you filled, while the second way leaves you empty, dry, and spiritually barren. However, every believer shouldn't merely rest in the Holy Spirit for victory over sin and the production of a holy life. They must in addition to this dependence upon the Spirit, say a positive NO to sin and exert himself to the doing of the right (working out his or her own salvation (Philippians 2:12 "Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear"). Here we have that incomprehensible and mysterious interaction between the free will of man and the sovereign grace of God. The best definition of grace I've heard is that God's grace is "both the desire and the ability to do the will of God." 

In his letters, Paul wants us to be mindful that we cannot carry out this supernatural work of living a "Christ-ian" life without Divine Assistance. We can live a religious life but it is like taking "Christ" out of the word "Christian"! We need to keep this in mind as we seek to carry out the many commands in the NT, commands like mortify the deeds of your flesh, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). Just try to do that in your own strength! Need I say more? The presence of God's power does not preclude Paul's personal struggle or energetic striving or laboring. Rather, it makes it possible. God's power is not designed to eliminate our responsibility to work hard but to enable us to fulfill it. Paul is able to work hard because God is working hard. The latter doesn't destroy or undermine the former.

Finally, don't be discouraged beloved, and certainly don't give up in your fight against sin, for Paul is saying our Great and Mighty God is Himself always at work in us for our good (Romans 8:29) and for His glory. It is for this reason that sanctification will continue throughout the believer’s life for "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" Hallelujah! If you are discouraged by failures, the truth that God is continually at work in you and clearly has not given up on you should encourage you to forget what lies behind (Philippians 3:13) and press on (Philippians 3:14) in His power knowing that it is always too soon to quit! Live with the realization that you do not work alone, that you have infinite power within you, that God is actually working out His will for you and motivating you both to will and desire to accomplish His good pleasure. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:5,6)Paul's point is that God energizes His children to obey and serve Him! His energy enables our ongoing, daily supernatural process of sanctification. Jesus' warning that "apart from Me you can do nothing" is understandable (John 15:5). When it comes to change in our lives, we know what God demands; we know what is necessary. We must change. For real change to occur we must yield to God’s Law, confess, repent from sin, and as we look in faith to Christ and His indwelling Spirit, as we consider and seek to conform our lives to God’s revealed will, change will happen.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

Garbage In Garbage Out

 

I read the following, "The average person has 10,000 separate thoughts each day. That works out to be 3.5 million thoughts a year." WOW! That would mean every one of those 10,000 thoughts represents a choice we make, a decision to think about this, and not about that. What about you? How is your thought life? Positive? Negative? We hear a lot today about "Positive Thinking" and how to train your mind to dispel negative thoughts. There are articles, books, and videotapes on how to approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. The idea is to think the best is going to happen, not the worst. Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. Do you know who the first positive thinker was? The Apostle Paul! At the end of his letter to the Philippians, he gives a prescription for positive thinking that if followed has the power to transform your life. This is his advice in Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Paul is instructing before you think and before you speak, ask yourself these six questions.

Is it true?

Is it honest?

Is it right?

Is it pure?

Is it lovely?

Is it admirable?

Paul says, “Think about these things.” It is a command for Christian living and if you notice, it’s in the present tense. We are to keep on focusing our thoughts on these eight areas. Find the truth and think about it. Find the honest and think about it. Find the lovely and think about it. Find the virtuous and think about it. Do it, and verse 9 tells us that “the God of peace will be with you.” Those who think on these things experience God’s peace in their lives. Who doesn't want that?

But what if things around you are so bad you just can't seem to think positive about anything .. your health is shot, you're dangerously in debt, your spouse wants a divorce, your child is strung out on drugs. All of us fight the tendency to let our minds dwell on the negative. I do at times. Just watching the nightly news can make my heart quiver. So how do you “change your mind?” It all begins with "Garbage In, Garbage Out." If you put garbage into your mind, garbage is what you will get out. It can involve so many areas of life because we receive input from so many sources: The music we listen to, TV, rented videos, radio stations, books we choose to read, who we date, conversations at work, on and on and on. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says that we should “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” What does it mean to take every thought captive? It means that you have a chance to do something about all thoughts that are not well-pleasing to God before they enter your heart and become a part of you! “As a man thinks, so is he,” says Proverbs 23:7. In order to do that, however, you’ve got to look at the sources of your input. For instance, begin with changing your "diet."

1. Do an inventory of what you’ve been putting in your mind. Are you guilty of reading trashy novels, listen to filthy song lyrics, partaking in gossip? 

2.Examine the Influence of Your Friends. I Corinthians 15:33 warns us that “bad company corrupts good character.” You become like the people you hang around with. If they drink, curse, are easily angered, negative, hostile, critical, filled with self-pity, and convinced that the world has cheated them, those traits will rub off on you sooner or later! You’ll never get a new mind unless you examine your friends and the impact they have on your life.

3. Begin to Memorize Scripture. As you begin to hide God’s Word in your heart, it will slowly but surely “change your mind.”

More than once I have found myself waking up in the night bothered by some problem or gripped by some fear. In those moments, as I begin to quote “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1), I discover that God’s Word soothes my soul, chases away my fears, and brings my problems down to their proper size.

Look at this closely! You’re not what you think you are, but what you think, you are! Proverbs 23:7 reads, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”  Your mind is the best predictor of your future. Why? Because if you think you can’t, you probably won’t.If you think angry thoughts, angry words are sure to follow. If you fill your mind with sexual fantasies, your body will find a way to fulfill those desires. If you dwell on your problems, they will soon overwhelm you. If you feel like a victim, soon you will become one. If you give way to worry, don’t be surprised when you get ulcers. If you think low thoughts of yourself, you'll soon hate yourself. If you expect defeat, you’ll probably lose. If you dwell on rejection, you will set yourself up for even more rejection. If you focus on how others misunderstand you, you will soon become angry and bitter. What goes in must come out! Sooner or later your thoughts translate into reality.

You’re not what you think you are, but what you think, you are. The flip side is also true. If you focus on the truth, you will speak the truth. If you look at noble things, nobility will mark your life. If you seek out lovely things, your life will be lovely to others. If you dwell on that which is right, that which is wrong will have no attraction to you. If you think about pure things, you will become pure. If you look for virtue, you will find it. If you search for higher things, you will elevate your own life. THIS is God’s prescription for believers trapped in unhealthy living: Think On These Things! Focus on the good, the pure, the true, the holy, the right, the lovely. Find those things that elevate the mind and think about them!

“Find them,” you exclaim. “But where do I look?” Look all around you. Even in our fallen world, beauty is everywhere, truth is right by your side, purity is yours for the asking, things that are admirable are all around you. If you are a Christian, you have within you the power to obey this command. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, AND A SOUND MIND. You can literally change your mind if you want to. How? By remembering that all that is best is embodied in a Person! I speak of Jesus Christ. If you link yourself with Jesus, you are joined with the highest moral power in the universe. He is the embodiment of everything Paul has commanded us to do. Jesus is all virtue, all beauty, all holiness, all truth, all that is good and right is found in him! Remember, you have a personal relationship with Jesus! If Christ is in your thoughts, then all these things must also be there. Woo Hoo! It is the magnetic power of His transforming life. As you hold on to Jesus, He pulls you up from the muck and mire of the old life. He pulls you up from bitterness, up from futility, up from resentment, up from impurity, up from dishonesty, up from selfishness, up from greed, up from pessimism, and up from despair. Do you want to change your mind? You can. Realize Christ lives in you and His Word has the power to renew your mind (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23; Colossians 3:16; John 17:17; Romans 8:6). Enthrone him in your mind. Then you will find it easy to “think on these things.” 

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

Spirit, Soul, Body

 

I want to begin with this scripture, "The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit" (2 Timothy 4:22).  Here is an honest question. What is YOUR spirit? Do you know? Could you describe what it is to another person?

What about this scripture, "My SOUL magnifies the Lord, and my SPIRIT rejoices in GOD my Savior" (Luke 1:46.) Here is my second question.  What is YOUR soul? Do you know? Could you describe what it is to another person?

Jesus said, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?" (Matthew 16:26). I'm asking, is there a difference between the soul and the spirit? Are they the same thing? The simple answer is no and please don't feel bad if you've always thought the soul and the spirit were the same things. I did for years.

Our bodies (shell of our physical flesh and organs) is clearly distinct from the soul (perception, memory, mind, intellect). In the same way, the soul is also distinct from the spirit (our only connection to God). “For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow (there's the 3- soul, spirit, body), and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). The joints and marrow in our physical body are closely related, yet they’re distinct and can be separated. In the same way, our soul and our spirit can be divided by the Word of God, showing that they’re also distinct from each other as shown in scripture. Let's look at our spirit (connection to God), and the soul (mind/consciousness) to realize their functions. 

SPIRIT: The function of our spirit, the deepest part of our being, is related to the spiritual realm: it enables us to contact and receive God Himself. Our spirit was created by God so that we can contact and receive Him. Our body and our soul have their own specific functions; only our spirit has the ability to contact God. In order to contact or worship God, who is Spirit, we must use our spirit. "God is spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Here is a great illustration: The way radios can function is a good illustration of our spirit’s unique ability to contact and receive God. When a radio is turned on and properly tuned, it can receive the invisible radio waves in the air and interpret them. Our human spirit is like a radio, and God is like the radio waves. Our spirit is the part of our being that corresponds to what God is, so we have to use our spirit in order to contact Him.  God being Spirit means His substance is Spirit. Our spirit is the part of our being that corresponds to God and has the ability to contact, fellowship with, and worship Him. John 3:6 shows us our spirit has the ability to receive God: “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” When we were born again, we were born of the Spirit in our human spirit, not in our soul. We received the Lord, and He came to live in our spirit. 

SOUL: Our soul is who we are, our personality, and is composed of our mind, emotion, will, reason, thought, and desire.  God created us with these faculties so we can express Him. God’s purpose in creating human beings with a spirit and a soul was that they would receive Him in their spirit and express Him through their soul (mind/thoughts/emotions). God formed man’s physical body/flesh from the dust of the ground. Then God breathed into man's fleshy nostrils, and man became a living soul. This, of course, consists of the mind, emotion, and will. Now, where is the human spirit in this verse from Genesis 2:7? We don’t see the words human spirit, but what we do see is the breath of life. In Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, the word translated as breath is neshamah. This same Hebrew word is translated as spirit in Proverbs 20:27, which says: “The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah.” The term "Spirit of God" is used in the Old Testament to signify "God's breath" (Job 33.4)-- the spirit of life! By this, we can see that when God breathed into man, man’s human spirit came into existence. Our human spirit is the deepest part of our being AND was made in the image of God. Our spirits were fashioned like God, but not God, in that, we too were given godly wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and we were sinless. **Note: This was before the fall. Our spirits were pure and righteous.

Luke 1:46-47 also shows the different functions of the soul and spirit in Mary’s praise of the Lord: “And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” She's expressing two different things. Soul and spirit. Remember, the function of our spirit is to contact God and RECEIVE God, and the function of our soul is to EXPRESS God. In short, Mary’s spirit rejoiced in God; then her soul (expressions through thought) magnified (glorified) the Lord as praise. Her praise and rejoicing overflowed and issued from her spirit and then was expressed through her soul. Her spirit was filled with joy in God her Savior, and her soul manifested that joy in magnification of the Lord. She lived and acted in her spirit, which directed her soul.”

We, believers, have divine life in our spirit. God wants us to live and act not by ourselves, that is, by our soul, but by His life in our spirit. But here’s the problem. From the time we’ve lived by our soul. How so? Our minds are educated in school and we actively live according to what we have been programmed to think. We also experience a wide range of human emotions in our time here on earth, and we often respond to situations and matters according to how we feel. Based on what we think or feel, we make decisions with our will. Living by our soul is what we’re used to. When we were saved, Christ came to live in our spirit. Now He’s The Word of Truth in us who has and is showing us His own thoughts, feelings, and intentions. He came to live in us so that He would be our life, and we would live by Him. But living by His life in our spirit isn’t something we’re used to. So throughout our day, we have to realize we can either live according to our natural human life filled with all kinds of emotions and free will in our soul or by the life of Christ in our spirit. Read that again. We can easily live and act apart from the Lord in our soul according to our own thoughts or feelings. When this happens, we express ourselves in various non-scriptural ways. Even if we do something "good," the source isn’t the Lord in our spirit, so God actually isn’t expressed. But when we live by the divine life in our spirit, Christ is the source of our living, and the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of our soul are directed by our spirit. Then in our words, actions, and living, we express God. 

Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether we’re living and doing things in our soul or in our spirit. Spending time with the Lord in His Word helps us discern where we are. When we exercise our spirit by praying with the Word of God, the Word becomes living to us. It's really that simple. The living Word (described as sharper than any two-edged sword) is then able to divide our soul from our spirit and discern all the thoughts and intentions of our heart. Here is the exact verse from Hebrews 4:12, " “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul is praying that all three things remain blameless at the appearance of Jesus at His return. When we are saved the Spirit of God breathes His breath of life into us and at that point, we are blameless of any sin. Paul was praying we remain that way until the Lord's return. 

When we discover we’re living in and by our soul, we simply need to turn to the Lord in our spirit again. We can pray, “Lord Jesus, I turn away from living in my soul. I turn to You in my spirit. Lord, I want to live by You.” Or as King David pleaded, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10) ... notice Paul didn't use the word soul, but rather "create a new spirit within me." The more we contact the Lord and are filled with Him, the more He will be the source of our thoughts, our feelings, and our intentions. Then we can genuinely express God to the people around us. 

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

Fear Mongering

 

I don't know about you, but as a Christian who trusts God and His Word, I am fed up with all the fear-mongering swirling around the Covid-19 pandemic. I am tired, exhausted, fatigued, and overwhelmed by the differing mantras to "wear a mask," "don't wear a mask," " you should double your mask," "no, triple your mask," "a mask won't protect you," "a mask does protect you," "get vaccinated - take off your mask," "get vaccinated - keep your mask on," " you'll need a booster shot after you get the first two injections," "there is a deadly variant coming worse than Covid-19," "he's wrong, she's right," on and on and relentlessly on! The Bible is very clear about spreading fear (fear-mongering). What is fear-mongering? Fear-mongering or scare-mongering is a form of manipulation. It causes fear by using exaggerated rumors of impending danger or doom. Certainly, there are justified health concerns regarding viral outbreaks as there are every year when a new strain of flu is discovered. Pandemics are nothing new in history, and their long record across the ages and continents has much to teach us about how best to handle the current outbreak. Fear-mongering is not one of them.

Whether you believe Covid-19 is true or false, overblown or not overblown, the regular flu or an out-of-control full-blown pandemic that will kill 1/3 of the planet is not my point nor why I'm writing this blog. The 15-month "pandemic" is simply the vehicle that has given me an opportunity to speak about how dangerous and deadly fear is. In fact, fear is more dangerous than any pandemic past or present!  I see a lot of scare-mongering today, ridiculously so, causing people to unreasonably worry. As a believer, if you are more concerned about your health, your financial future, or wearing a mask than you are about lost souls, then you are not right with God. If you are more concerned about the end of life as we know it, motivating you to store food, toilet paper, and ammunition than you are about searching the Scriptures and sinning less, then you are not right with God.

Just because someone presents a conspiracy theory, doesn’t make it true. Just because it is believable by some or even most doesn’t mean it should be believed.  In a pandemic of fear, some of which is very real, and much of which is only fear-mongering we have a Christian duty not to walk in the ways of everyone else! When something makes you afraid and you are not sure if it is true or not, you are to cast your anxieties on the Lord in prayer (1 Pet 5:7), verify the message through research and study as much as you are able, and speak (or forward) only that which is both truthful and loving (Colossians 3:9; Ephesians 4:15). Proverbs 29:25 says, "The fear of man brings a snare: but whosoever puts his trust in the LORD shall be safe. SHALL BE SAFE! Not might be, not could be, SHALL BE! During all the panic and ever-changing messages you are hearing, have you truly placed 100% of your trust in God? Are you allowing fear to make your decisions instead of believing what God has promised to those that love Him?

God is the God of uncountable armies at His disposal. Consider these comforting words from Psalm 91: "If I make the LORD my refuge, if I make the Most- High my shelter, no evil will conquer me; and no plague will come near my home. For He will order his angels to protect me wherever I go! They (His angels) will hold me up with their hands so I won’t even hurt my foot on a stone. I will trample upon lions and cobras; I will crush fierce lions and serpents under my feet! The Lord says, “'I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name."' Have you truly made the Lord your refuge? Do you dwell with Him on a daily basis? Do you trust His Word as absolute truth? He promises to PROTECT THOSE THAT TRUST HIM. We honor the LORD by spreading Truth, both to people in general and to those who fear every conspiracy and forwarded that fear-inducing message to us. We need to be aware of fear-mongers! Don't let anyone cause you to worry about future provisions here on earth, disease, pandemics, viruses, food shortages, etc. more than laying up treasures in Heaven. Solomon figured it all out. You don't need gold more than you need to go soul-winning. You don't need storable food more than you need to get saved if you've never come to Christ. You don't need ammunition more than you need to search the Scriptures as a defense. You don't need to fear any virus more than God's promised protection. Your spiritual condition comes first. The Bible repeatedly tells us to trust God (Psalm 118:8), lean not unto our own understanding (Proverb 3:5-7), and separate from this sinful world (1st John 2:15-17).

Dictators, cult leaders, abusers, and Satan himself have always used fear to control their victims. Fear of retribution, fear of being alone, or losing self without their presence, fear of the ‘outside’, fear that they are right and all else is wrong. Fear that without them, you are nothing. Fear you'll die if you don't comply with their manipulations, etc. Fear is the most powerful driving force known to man, right next to love. Scripture tells us, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18). It is no surprise then, that fear the best tool of the enemy of your soul. Through fear, evil people and Satan get total control of you, thereby manipulating you into compliance for whatever. Knowing fear has this power, men and women who use it are an extension of evil, working their iniquities either by purpose, or ignorance!

Who is fear-mongering today and trying to cause all of us to become ensnared by the Spirit of Fear? You do know don’t you that God doesn’t operate like that right? God does not cause His children to fear like that. He may cause our enemies to fear like that, but not us. No, when you encounter someone trying to make you afraid because of all the evil or the "unknown" running rampant in the world right now understand that the spirit of that person is not a messenger from God. Yes, this country may very well come under judgment from God, but does that mean that those of us who are in Christ will ever be separated from the love and protection of God? Regardless of what you're afraid of be it death, taxes, global warming, debt, China, identity theft, war, someone you love dying, your own health, the dark, unemployment, tornadoes, or the current lingering pandemic, do not allow fear to negate your faith in God's promises. Despite how easy it can be to let fear lead our lives, it's important for our mental, physical, and spiritual health to actively war against fear by applying God's promises as given to us in the Word of God. 

Until He comes,

-Pat-