A Lesson From Ephesians 6:12

 

Picture this: A guy is floating downstream on a raft on a hot summer day. He’s having the time of his life, enjoying the ride as the cool water gently splashes on him. You’re on the shore and you know that there’s a deadly waterfall not far downstream. This guy is floating blissfully and ignorantly toward certain destruction! So you yell to warn him. You throw him a rope. But he rejects it and keeps floating toward certain death. Why won’t he grab the life preserver? Because he loves what he’s doing and he doesn’t want to believe your warning. In the same way, people reject God’s wonderful offer of salvation through Jesus Christ? Why? You would think that everyone would eagerly grab the life preserver that God has thrown out through the gospel (John 3:16): “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting l life.” Perish? I don't know about you but when my mother-in-law offered that same message including the word perish I was curious.

Why would anyone reject such a wonderful offer? Why would anyone want to keep heading for eternal destruction?  Because people don’t want God interfering with what they consider “a good time,” and they don’t believe the warnings of Scripture that they are under God’s judgment (sin separates us from God) and will face it eternally when they die. People think that they’re basically good and because of that, God will overlook their faults and give them credit for their good deeds on judgment day. This results in the fact they don’t repent of their sins and believe Jesus Christ is the only life preserver available to save them from God’s judgment. Question. Have you ever warned a friend of danger or a precarious situation because you made that bad decision yourself and know its consequences? 

1) "Don't go down Copper hill. The road is washed out at the bottom"

2) "Take lots of water with you.  The seats you bought are directly in the sun"

3) "Don't walk your dog at night there has been an increase of coyote attacks after dawn"

4) "Don't book a room at the Sunshine Inn. Their rooms are filthy"

Warnings. These are examples of warnings. Would you heed them by blind faith without checking them out first? Most likely if if any of these warnings applied to you, you would probably listen, hear, act. . This is why Christians warn: God said you are lost without Jesus and need to turn back toward Him to be saved. Saved from what? The penalty of sins you've committed throughout your life and from an eternal existence (after death) void of God. It will be a living hell. Literally. No sin can dwell in heaven, so how can you enter heaven without Jesus' pardon? Granted, some believers may not have the perfect presentation or delivery but their messages and intentions are the same ... there is danger ahead unless you stop, listen, and turn back from an unmistakable, destructive ending. We've all been floating down river. Some listen and have passed from death to life and still others ignore the gospel message and blissfully float downstream.

Satan’s major success, in deceiving a nation, is due to a lack of discernment on the part of the people. People are blind to the invisible forces of supernatural evil that are operating and influencing human agents of political, social, religious and philosophical programs. Satan’s greatest victory would be to convince the world that he just doesn’t exist. However, God signifies the devil as the author of sin, sickness and death, and warns us to be alert and vigilant because the devil, as a roaring lion roams about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter. 5:8) It is Satan’s purpose to deceive as many as he can and to keep them from obtaining a knowledge of God’s truth and salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. In the book of Revelation, chapter 20, Satan is depicted as a deceiver of nations. The Greek word for deceive is planaho, and according to Strong’s Greek Dictionary, this word means to “cause to roam from safety, truth or virtue, go astray, seduce, wander, and to be out of the way.” OR... floating blissfully down the river!

The Bible clearly tells in Ephesians 6:12, "For we (humans) wrestle not against flesh and blood (other humans), but (the real battle is...) against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

WE WRESTLE! WITH WHAT? NOT FLESH AND BLOOD-NOT HUMANS! BUT POWERS. WICKED, DEMONIC, DARK, OMINOUS POWERS.

Principalities:  The concept of "principalities" is understood by the Greek word "arche" meaning chief or ruler in my concordance. These principalities/powers/rulers of darkness/ and wickedness in high places are ruling demon spirits that possess human executive authority or governmental rule in the world.  This ruling power usually involves a particular nation, individual people, or race. The minds of people become their puppets through deception and then a person acts accordingly. Look around at our ruling government and tell me you can't see the uncharacteristic, diabolical behavior of the humans there. Consider the different religions, philosophies, and various belief systems that steer you away from God to the worship of self with no need of God. Do you really believe those mind sets are sanctioned by God if they teach YOU ARE God or that you can ascend to become a god? Satan is the one who wanted to exalt himself to a position of GOD ..."I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14). What religions can you think of that teach that same ideology where you "ascend" higher and higher by stages until you reach enlightenment?

This is the very reason the bible instructs in Romans 12:2, "“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." It speaks nothing of ascending in stages! Only the pure, complete, absolute, unadulterated truth of God's Word can safely and permanently transform your thinking, which in turn changes bad behavior.  And all the the lessons and knowledge are free, right there within the pages of God's Word. Satan's greatest attacks will always be against our minds. He can and does attack our bodies with illness and disease, but his bigger target is our mind with: depression, worry, hopelessness, sadness, mood-swings, stress, confusion, deception, etc. The greatest of these is deception and it holds you prisoner. Satan’s greatest victory would be to convince you that he just doesn’t exist. Has he succeeded to this point in your life? God warns us to be alert and vigilant because the devil, as a roaring lion roams about seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Do you understand the warning yet? Even in this blog? Do you realize without Jesus to forgive you of your sins you are in serious trouble? You're floating down a river enjoying your life of sins, sexual immorality, lies, idols, false religions, philosophies, and ignoring all the danger signs that you're headed for a deadly consequence. Jesus offers the life preserver you need that will renew your mind and transform you into a new creation, free of sin and guilt. If you have ignored God's offer to save you, it's never to late to come willingly. Won't you hear my voice today?   As Christians we are delivered from the power of the prince of the air, and from the sinful nature that once ruled our path in life. When we received God’s Holy Spirit, at the moment of our conversion to Christ, we were translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s light, in which we now have God in Christ in us. We are continually delivered and empowered by God as we walk according to His Word and Spirit that He has given us. As we do this, we take our seat in the heavenlies with Christ.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

TRUTH VS ERROR

 

THERE IS A CLEAR WARNING IN THE BIBLE in 1 John 4:1-5 NOT ADDRESSED TO THE WORLD OR TO OTHER RELIGIONS, BUT TO EVERY CHRISTIAN BELIEVER which reads:  "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." There is a simple, straight forward message in this one verse. It is saying, the disciples WERE OF GOD (the spirit of truth) and those that heard them and followed their leading WERE OF GOD as well, but those who would not hear and follow what the disciples were teaching could be identified as (the spirit of error) those people adhering to any belief system outside of the one true God. Anything, therefore, outside of biblical instruction then and including now, is a false belief system led by a false prophet, false teacher, false advisor, or a false minister. 

As Christians, we believe that there is One Truth -GODS TRUTH- and that God has revealed His Truth to us THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD, the Bible, the same Word the disciples spoke and WERE OF GOD. Non-Christians, particularly those of today involved in New Age thought, find this truth deeply offensive. I have encountered this on a few occasions over the years. Believers are often accused of arrogance for claiming they have the Truth as taught by Jesus' disciples. Those outside the Christian faith often present their truth as silent and passive, waiting to be yet discovered. The Bible is in sharp opposition to this concept! The first and central thing which we know about God is that He speaks and that His speech is truth (John 6:63). Period! As believers in God's Word, when we are empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) it leads us to Truth, written on our hearts as a testament of the resurrected Christ, the living Word of God. People all over the world have very similar experiences. Everyone is aware of his or her own existence, as well as of a reality outside themselves. Most people in the world – in the whole history of the world – have believed that originally reality was perfect, and that something has gone terribly wrong so that it is not perfect as it was once enjoyed. I hold that belief. We are thus in need of an accurate picture which encompasses both what went wrong in the world and how the problem is to be remedied.

I want to look at the 'New Age' movement in particular (spirit of error) that includes a range of beliefs and practices based on Buddhism and Taoism, and why it is gaining popularity among a decaying, decadent, society. According to 1John 4:1-5 Christians are suppose to "try the spirits to see if they are of  God." So okay, let's do that. Let's look at the spirit behind Buddhism. First of all, Buddhists hold to the belief everything is one according to their philosophy. This idea is very powerful and attractive, because if everything is one, then everyone is god. To enjoy a state of peace, according to these new age thinkers they must meditate. They need to empty their thoughts, examine their thinking, and find their true self. This is a main function of psychiatry by the way! Buddhists are not to think in terms of what is right and what is wrong. There are no absolutes in this philosophy. Followers examine their thoughts and their minds and embark on a journey of self discovery that they might be at one with nature and with themselves. This practice is very similar to transcendental meditation practiced by the Eastern Religions. One finds peace with the Universe by making peace with oneself and then become tuned into the spirit of the universe around them. For many, within this worldview seems to be perfect peace and perfect unity. There is no conflict or disagreement ... I cannot hate you when I am a part of you, right? Hinduism and Buddhism’s doctrines of karma and reincarnation are necessary to support this basic doctrine of unity. In Christianity, it isn't Buddhist "karma" rather it is our God that exacts judgement for wrongs done as His Word tells us GOD states, "Revenge is mine," saith the Lord, "I will repay." And the Buddhist belief in Reincarnation doesn't exist in Christianity either for Hebrews 9:27 says, "It is APPOINTED unto man to die once, then after that comes the judgment." So the spirit of truth testifies, God is the "shofet" (judge in Hebrew) not karma, and the spirit of truth also testifies WE DIE ONCE, not many times to return as a god, demi-god, human, animal, ghost, or creature from hell as the Buddhist adhere to.

New Age thought is a religious belief system that doesn’t see man as a being in need of redemption but is a god unto himself because the religion does not even believe in God or a higher deity! They reject the disciples witness and refuse to hear... "he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." According to them man is his own god. Hmm. I wonder then, who set the stars, sun, moon, and planets in place? Buddha?? Without the spirit of truth, one can see the attraction a person might have to a self-righteous belief centered around ones goodness, kindness, and peacefulness. The truth is, that is not true peace. Jesus, the living Word, is the prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6) and without Jesus one has yet to discover true peace. But who will hear? Who will believe it? 

Unfortunately, we live in such a frantic world. There is an epidemic of poor mental health. Anything which encourages peace and reflection is deemed to be good. But this is an unchristian approach to finding peace. Did you know Buddhism is considered the religion of the mentally ill? Before I continue, I'm not referring to this mental illness as meaning lunatic, rather a illness of mind like our bodies can fall ill and need healing.  Buddhism provides a framework for behavior modification, stress coping, and reduction of depression. Given that Buddhism offers pathways to a perceived temporary happiness, being a Buddhist might help improve an individual's mental health according to psychiatrists but it certainly offers no salvation for the eternal soul. I retired as an office manager for both a psychiatrist and two psychologists. I can affirm the above statement as true. At least 20% of our patient charts showed "Buddhist" under the heading of religious affiliation. There is a reason why so many Buddhist are in psychiatric offices. Their religious philosophy mistakenly teaches that we can find peace within ourselves but according to scripture, is a false, temporary soothing of the mind in order to cope with something we cannot tackle, face, address, or deal with. So I suppose as experts claim, people who are struggling mentally to either cope with depression, stress, pressure, delusion, instability, etc. naturally grasp at any solution they believe will give what they sense as peace of mind. I cannot blame them for seeking a cure for a troubled spirit. It is, however, ironic that despite the fact they cannot manage their own internal problems will yet believe a philosophy that convinces those who cannot manage are their own cure! If you cannot manage yourself, how can you be your own cure? "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8)

The Word of God has a different view of the heart of man. We are told the heart is "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" says Jeremiah 17:9. We all know deep within ourselves our biggest fault is sin: big sin, small sin, perverted sin, hidden sin, deviant sin, etc. One can also see the attraction for a humanistic secular society fashioned around the promise of self-effort. Man believes that he is as god, that humanity is in charge of its own destiny. Therefore a philosophy which encourages us to look inward to find the secrets of life and happiness is very attractive to some. That thinking does not condemn, it does not judge, because it won't allow any negative thought into its space though negativity is a day to day reality on this planet. It's a part of life as proven in nature by paired opposites: positive/negative, right/left, up/down, hot/cold/, good/bad, short/tall, light/darkness on and on. This same philosophy rather affirms and confirms without disturbing truthful ideas like sin and repentance. This sounds more attractive than admitting we all have sinned  and fall short of that perfection and peace in God's glory (Romans 3: 23-24), that we all want and hope to find, doesn't it?  After all, no one wants to admit or face the deep, dark, recesses of sins we have committed hoping they remain obscure from others. Buddhism teaches in order to be enlightened, one has to stop hating – but he or she also has to stop loving, as well. That's right. You have to stop relating. Buddhists will never speak of the love of the Buddha. They will rather speak of the compassion of the Buddha. “Compassion” is a desire, a sympathy to help you toward oneness. But love is a recognition of who you are as an individual, thus it is not tolerated. The spirit of truth says, "GOD IS LOVE" (1John 4:8) but then, Buddhists do not believe in God, do they?

I cannot fathom a philosophy that requires me to deny the experience of myself to be able to transcend. That isn't even logical and again makes one a god unto themselves. The Bible, however, says that I can come to Jesus just as I am! Totally: I bring my body, my mind, my emotions, my work, my creativity, my uniqueness, my weaknesses, my failures and my sins ... everything just as I am. I begin with the whole of who I am, and every aspect of my being is saved in Christ Jesus in a moment of repentance and acceptance without having to spend a lifetime to earn acceptance, gradual elevation, or transcendence to Nirvana. Again, these self-effort religions (and that's what they are, self-effort) makes one a god unto themselves. Without GOD, without the spirit of truth, we can never reach true peace or true perfection. The scriptures say, "There is only one God and you shall have no other gods before me"- INCLUDING YOURSELF- (the 1st of 10 commandments). In the "do it yourself religions" you are required to abandon your body, your mind, your individuality, and your relationships. It takes more faith to believe in this worldview than in the Bible. Why? Because the Bible gives a true absolute. New Age philosophies do not.

So, you are left with two choices: one is truth and one is a lie: One believes you are accepted just as you are and one that says you must earn your way and if you don't you'll be sent back again and again until you figure it out which could in all probability take eons since you have to overcome your karma and destructive emotions. AGAIN, this is a description of a religion/belief/philosophy requiring YOU to be a god unto yourself where you must EARN "heaven. What "god" would actually have to achieve or earn anything if they are a god? If you are god to begin with, why are you working to be a god?

In the faith of Christianity as revealed in Scripture, God Himself enters into the creation and becomes a part of it because He is both fully God and fully man (Jesus), He has the power to perform an act that is so totally and completely other-centered that it provides the basis and power for anyone who hears, accepts, and believes in this act to become a new person, to be born again with another-centered identity. And that is salvation. Why? Because of the Crucifixion. This totally other-centered act of Jesus , death is swallowed up in victory and we have the power to become sons of God and to be completely reoriented from our sinful, self-centered death to other-centered life. For Christians, our first and primary response to eastern mysticism in all its forms is to preach the Gospel clearly (the spirit of truth), without compromise. The exclusive Gospel of salvation through Christ alone remains the only hope for the world (John 16:13). We also respond by attributing every problem in the world to our sin, to the curse which was inflicted by God because of our sin. This is not a world of heavy rainfall, of obscene heat, of freezing climates, of forest fires, of severe hurricanes because we have it within our gift to change it. The world is the way it is because it is cursed. We live in a fallen world and we are fallen creatures, but not without hope! We were given a way out because of the sacrifice Jesus made for you.

Finally, I remind the followers of Christ, we ought to disengage from every activity that is pagan in its origin. The scriptures are clear on this; astrology, fortune telling, yoga, these mindfulness therapies commit us to a worldview that is not biblical. The children of Israel were solemnly taught not to be like other nations (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). That remains the same for us today, the church body. He that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." 

Until He Comes

-Pat-

Persecution

 

PERSECUTION

Imagine you are in the market for a new car. You visit the dealer and the salesman who is showing you the latest model takes you for a test drive. As you turn out of the parking lot, he launches into his sales pitch: "Three hours in this car," he says, "and your back will be so out of joint, you will need physical therapy to walk upright again! The cost of repairs alone will put my children through college. And when you drive it down the street, every head will turn, because everyone who sees you will be laughing at you." Nobody who wanted to make a sale would say such a thing. It doesn't make much sense. Which makes you wonder what Jesus was thinking when he uttered this final beatitude in Matthew 5:10: "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." If this is a sales pitch, it's not a very good one! But Jesus isn't making a sales pitch in this beatitude. He is offering a word of comfort to disciples who will be persecuted because of Him. He knows that no one, at least no normal person, likes being persecuted.

Jesus tells us we should rejoice over rejection. WHY?? Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted" verse 10. Then, in verse 11, he says, "Blessed are you." To those who are already suffering persecution, Jesus says, "Don't be discouraged;" to those who have yet to face persecution, He says, "Don't be surprised." In saying these things, Jesus serves notice to His disciples. Those who follow Him faithfully should expect to experience a measure of rejection. Notice that Jesus doesn't say, "Blessed are you "if" people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you." No, He said, "Blessed are you WHEN people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you." There is a tone of inevitability here. 

Jesus' words imply that opposition is an inescapable consequence of discipleship or following Him faithfully. How many times have you been rejected when sharing Jesus words from the Bible? How many times have people closed their ears and shook their head as if to say, you fool!? How many people do you know or have heard that talked behind your back? Who has openly made fun of you or indicated your "journey" through Christ is off-base? Who has ever made fun of you for your loyalty to God's Word as it is written? How many times have you had derogatory names yelled at you because you are a Christian? How many times have people accused you of judging them when you've simply repeated words that were written over 2,000 years ago by God Himself that they claim to be bunk, yet they will believe philosophies of Buddha spoken as far back as 483 BC? Perhaps there have even been others who defriended you on social media because you expressed your devotion to the scriptures? When people slam the proverbial door in your face, rejecting Biblical truths, they slam the door in Jesus' face, not yours. We must remember that! After all, you are not offering your truth, opinion, religion, philosophy, or ideology as various religions and new age philosophies do. In reality, they are rejecting God's truth and offer of salvation not any personal message of yours. " The sum of your word is truth" Psalm 119:160.  When you witness the Word of God and people get uncomfortable, it isn't really that person who is uneasy with you but a spirit within them that is uneasy and fearful of God's truth. People don't even realize they are prisoners of spirits within them. This is why we must forgive them because they are overcome by all sorts of angels of darkness who blind them just as we once were lost but now found.

Take heart! Jesus said the world would be this way. If people called Jesus the prince of demons, imagine what they will say about you. We shouldn't take it personally; we shouldn't grow discouraged. Jesus said those who are rejected for his sake should rejoice. In this sense, rejection is a mark of God's acceptance—evidence that people have caught a glimpse of Christ in us. Our faith doesn't necessarily make it any less painful. It's only natural for us to want to be accepted. But Jesus' point is clear: if we are faithful in following Christ, we can expect opposition and yes, persecution. It may even come from those who are closest to us. Rejection is a mark of blessing only when it is for the sake of righteousness: "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness," Jesus says. When does Jesus say that insults, persecutions, and slander are a reason to rejoice? When it's for His sake! There is great reward, He says—but not here. There is acceptance—but not here. There is honor—but not here.

Those who are persecuted are not paid for their troubles, they are blessed. Verse 12 says, "Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven." Jesus doesn't describe the nature of the reward, but He does offer proof. You know your reward is great because others have gone before you. Verse 12 goes on to say, "for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Conclusion: For most of us those who are persecuted this blog is a reminder that this world is not our home. 

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

A SEARED MINDSET

 

No one can destroy iron, but its own rust can, likewise no one can destroy a person, but his own mindset can. Look at the following scripture from Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

In the scripture above, what do you think God meant by renewing our minds and how can renewing the mind transform us? You've heard the expression 'you are what you eat'? Well, YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK as well. There are two mindsets: the one you learned by observation, education, life experiences, and entertaining thoughts which then become actions and in my analogy today, I'll call rust. Then there is a spiritual mindset: one that will guide your feet in making better decisions, forming godly opinions, one that fills you with holy desires and purposes.  Jesus challenged people to change their thinking (by renewing your mind-Romans 12:2) knowing if we change our thinking and clean out the rust, our behavior will follow.

If our mind doesn't change, we will simply follow what our body/flesh wants and that is not always good.. What you think, you do. What you believe in your mind becomes your fundamental knowledge, but not only that, it becomes your individual reality no matter how off, crazy, careless, foolish, ill-advised. or irresponsible it is. Even Buddha himself said, "What you think, you be come. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine you create." Buddha's words are logical. Look at the present time, it is not difficult to distinguish a crazy mind-set from a responsible, steady, more revered mind set. As Christians, we cannot follow what the flesh wants if those things are not in line with Gods Word. The 'woke group' is an excellent example of this. The "Woke" have a fundamental, misguided knowledge, while those Christians who are "AWAKE," have a spiritual mindset and are aware of the enemy's deception and ideologies used to avert Biblical truth.

We can either nurture a carnal, natural. woke, rusted, mindset or a transformed, spiritual, rust-free mindset. The world will always pressure us to live sinfully and selfishly, but to live the good life God wants from us requires changing how we think by cleaning out the rust!  Again, your thoughts determine your behavior. Changing the way you think will create a life that God honors. That transforming mind-change begins with reading and soaking in The Word of God. God gave us His Word to specifically cleanse and sanctify us, as Ephesians 5:25 states, "that He might sanctify and cleanse it (His Church, His believers, His followers, His chosen, His Bride) with the washing of water BY THE WORD." (emphasis mine). His Word, the holy scriptures, repairs your thoughts and patterns that resulted in a broken life. Look how Jesus reminds us of the importance of this change:

*Ephesians 4:22-24, “To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

*Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

*Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

*2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

A Natural mindset operates according to a human-centered mindset, but the Spiritual mindset operates according to a Christ-centered mindset. The Spiritual mindset has the ability to respond to the will and desires of God. But the natural mindset finds itself at odds with the will of God. This is the difference that faith in Christ and His written Word makes. It is a change on the inside! It is a change of heart as well as a change of desire and a change of mind. In short, the Natural mindset operates according to a human-centered mindset and heart, but the Spiritual mindset operates according to a Christ-centered mindset and heart. Changing from a natural mindset to a spiritual mindset is not as quick and that's okay. Think, what if all the fundamentals you were taught in grade school were all wrong? How long would it take to adapt and modify everything you were told as a child wasn't true? How long would it take for you to learn it? What if you were told your method of math calculations is wrong? What if you were told we have 3 moons and 2 earths? You would accept it right away without study or research? What if the language you speak was the wrong language and now you must learn, read, write, and understand Old Latin? It wouldn't happen overnight. Learning about God and His Word is endless, however, once you give your life and mind to knowing Him, He opens up the scriptures and understanding becomes easy, even to the point of asking yourself, "Why didn't I see that before?

Paul didn’t take long in his letter to the Corinthians before he began addressing the problems which arose from the conflict between the natural and the spiritual. Paul makes a sharp contrast with the Philosophy and wisdom of this culture. For all of its words of human wisdom and understanding, “the world did not know God through wisdom.” In fact, the wisdom of the world looked at the message of salvation through the death of Christ on the cross and his resurrection as utterly foolish. The Natural mindset rejects the “foolishness” of the gospel  (1 Corinthians 1:18), “For the word of God is foolishness to those who are perishing.” Let that sink in. If you think the Bible is a book of gobbledygook, a fairy take, written by man, a joke, nothing but foolishness, then you are perishing without a new, biblical mindset. I was once perishing! I once thought the Bible was too hard to understand and I wanted nothing to do with it. Besides, I believed the natural mindset that told me if I read or followed the Bible I would become a prude and live a boring life where pleasure and fun would be stripped away and if I disobeyed God at any point along the way He would cast me into hell.

How wrong I was! God has since opened my eyes to how loving, patient, forgiving, and merciful He is. The natural mindset adopts the thought that God is not needed, or, even more subtly, just a little help from God is all that is needed. This is the mindset that believes God is secondary, that God is optional, that God is a crutch, that God’s ways and God’s will are not the best, that humans know better than God. 

The gospel of God is received by revelation, not by human natural understanding, It is God's gift by His grace alone, that we are able to understand it and clean out the rust, transforming us into His family. Otherwise, we as humans could brag about what we have. We must turn our hearts to Him, submit our minds to Him, so that He will transform us into the spiritual people he has called us to be. His invitation is out there. Revelation 22:17, " And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." NO ONE CAN DESTROY YOU BUT YOUR OWN RUSTED MINDSET CAN.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

The Seared Conscience. What is it?

Our conscience is God's built-in warning system. Did you know the Bible speaks of a 'seared' conscience in 1 Timothy 4:2? The conscience is the God-given moral consciousness within each of us (Romans 2:15). If the conscience is “seared”—literally “cauterized”—then it has been rendered insensitive. Such a conscience does not work properly; it’s as if “spiritual scar tissue” has dulled the sense of right and wrong. Just as the hide of an animal scarred with a branding iron becomes numb to further pain, so the heart of an individual with a seared conscience is desensitized to moral pangs. We can be happy when it hurts us, but very worried when it doesn't! 

When we continue to turn away and ignore sound Biblical truth and the instruction of Gods voice over months and years on end, we make it harder each time for the Spirit of God to speak and reach us. Our conscience becomes "seared." Paul identifies those who have a seared conscience in 1 Timothy 4:1–2: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” Notice! The God-given voice through moral consciousness within each of us slowly fades, but not the voice of deceiving spirits taught by demons. That's unnerving. 

In Timothy's passage, we learn three things about false teachers who lead others into apostasy: 

 1) they are mouthpieces for evil spirits, since they declare “things taught by demons” 

2) they are hypocritical liars, since they wear a mask of holiness but are full of falsehood 

3) they are unscrupulous, since their consciences have been cauterized. 

This explains much. How can false teachers lie with no shame and spread deception with no remorse? Because they have seared consciences. They are past feeling that lying is wrong. Earlier in the epistle, Paul speaks of the “good conscience” as opposed to the seared conscience. “Advancing God’s work,” he says, comes by faith, and love “comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:4–5). A good conscience has the capability to tell right from wrong and is free from guilt. A person with a good conscience maintains his integrity. He enjoys fellowship with those who “walk in the light, as [Jesus] is in the light” (1 John 1:7). 

The lies of the devil are repugnant and offensive to the one with a good conscience. Rather than follow the lies of apostates, he will “fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience” (1 Timothy 1:18–19). Proverbs 6:27 asks a rhetorical question to illustrate the consequences of adultery: “Can a man scoop fire into his lap / without his clothes being burned?” To paraphrase the question in relation to false teaching, “Can an apostate dispense the fiery lies of hell without his conscience being seared?” Sin has an effect on our conscience too. Because sin causes hearts to grow hard, especially continual and unrepentant sin. Now we know that “if we confess our sins, [Jesus] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). However, if we don’t confess our sins, they have a cumulative and desensitizing effect on the conscience, making it difficult to even distinguish right from wrong! And this sinful and hardened heart is equivalent to the “seared conscience” Paul speaks of it in 1 Timothy 4:1–2. 

Scripture makes it clear that if we relentlessly continue to engage in sin, there will come a time when God will give us over to our “debased mind” and let us have it our way. The apostle Paul writes about God’s wrath of abandonment in his letter to the Romans where we see that godless and wicked “men who suppress the truth” are eventually given over to the sinful desires of their hardened hearts (Romans 1:18–24). Combine a hardened heart with a seared conscience, and that makes for one really blind person who doesn't even know how miserable they are. Sin has them in a false world of contentment and pleasure. Here is a personal testimony worth watching.

  Until He Comes. -Pat-

Imputed Righteousness (part 1)

 

Part 1  Imputed Righteousness

There are many in the Christian faith today who believe they are covered in the imputed righteousness of Jesus and that somehow God no longer sees them when they sin. All the meanwhile God sees them exactly as they are. Nothing is hid from His Omniscient eye but all things are exposed to Him.  Many call themselves Christian who believe they are right with God while they choose to continue in their sin. Read that carefully. I said they CHOOSE TO REMAIN in sin. They will use excuses to comfort themselves by saying things like, "I am righteous before God in my position with Christ even though I am unrighteous in my practice." Or in modern terms you could say, "I am allowed to continue in my adulterous affair, I am allowed to continue in my homosexual affair, I am allowed to continue getting drunk with my friends on weekends, or I am allowed to continue prostituting my body for extra cash because God has forgiven all my sins so I can live as I am." No, no, and no! The apostle John refuted this whole idea when he said this, "Little children, let no man deceive you. He that does righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous 1John 3:7. (operative word, does). He that DOES ethical conduct. 

Be patient with me. This will become more clear as you move along.

So the idea that you can be righteous in your position in Christ while you purposely remain unrighteous in your practice according to the Apostle John is a deception. Jesus did not sacrifice His own life so that believers could just CONTINUE TO PRACTICE UNRIGHTEOUSNESS (sin). Jesus died so that we could practice righteousness. As the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 8:3, "God sending His own Son, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit." So Jesus Christ came that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us." He came and through His Spirit within us HAS GIVEN US THE SAME POWER Jesus had to avoid, walk away from, and overcome sinning when we walk in the Spirit. Revelation 3:21, "To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. We can overcome the desire to commit and continue in any particular sin through the Holy Spirit if we are truly born again and have truly yielded our lives to the Lord.

Long ago backsliders in Israel were saying this according to Ezekiel 8:12, "The Lord sees us not." And backsliders in the Church today are saying the exact same thing. I have heard people say, "When God looks at me, He doesn't see me. He doesn't see my sin, He sees the righteousness of Christ instead. What I am doing (inferring a continuation) is covered and forgiven." This type of talk/belief ought to be shocking to hear coming from any follower of Christ, and yet, its common place in the Church. Have you heard this said before? Are you one that believes that way of thinking also? This is theological nonsense, which is blatant denial of Gods Omniscience, and is refuted all throughout the Bible. Did Jesus die for your sins and excuse them when you accepted Him as Lord of your Savior? Yes. Does Jesus forgive me after I'm saved and fall into temptation if I'm sorry, repent, and ask forgiveness? Absolutely! It's when you continue to sin habitually when you know better because you don't want to give up a sin or vice that you enjoy. In reality, you are denying the power of the Holy Spirit because regardless of Jesus sacrifice, you/we still have free will to obey or not to obey, to walk in the Spirit or to walk after the flesh. The Lord considers all our works, all our doings (Psalm 33:13-15). "For the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Proverbs 15:3). And another, "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13). 

Jesus Christ did not come to mock God or lie about God or to take away His Omniscience. God is not some idiot in the sky who doesn't know what His creation is doing. But when God spoke to the churches in Revelation, He didn't say, 'I look at you and see the perfect, imputed righteousness of Christ, He said, "I know your works. Be zealous therefore and repent." Why would these church goers need to repent? Because though being church-goers, they were living in sin. Those who are unwilling to repent of and turn away from their sins are fooling themselves believing God doesn't even see their sins. These people are deceived believing Christ has done all so they need to do nothing. If that were true, why are we instructed to WALK IN THE SPIRIT and we will not fulfill the lusts of our flesh, or said in another way, bring sin to fruition? The "theology" doctrine of 'imputed righteousness' has been dangerously distorted in our day. Let's stop kidding ourselves. Yes, we become the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus, but how can we be considered righteous when we choose to purposely remain in sin and refuse to repent? Again, I'm referring to the professing "Christian" who willfully, repeatedly, and habitually sins because they  think it is hidden from Gods eyes? (end of part 1)

Imputed Righteousness (part 2)

 

Part 2 Imputed Righteousness

In the book of Revelation when God was speaking to the 7 churches, He never once said, 'I see you and I see the perfect righteousness of Christ' OR 'when I look upon you I see the imputed righteousness of Jesus.' Rather, He said, "I know thy works." He wanted those folks to be zealous (enthusiastic) to repent (show remorse or deep regret) for their sin. God in His mercy was extending more patience though church goers were still found sinning ..."I have somewhat against you." He warned each and every one of those churches! Therefore, those in the Church shouldn't comfort themselves in their obstinance, bullheadedness, or stubbornness to repent from their comfortable sin, or comfort themselves in their sin by appealing to imputed righteousness, they should simply repent! But many are trying to replace repentance into holiness with the imputed righteousness of Christ. Jesus speaking, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."  The Scribes and the Pharisees were under the law of Moses, Christians are under the law of Christ and that law of Christ is even more strict than that of the 10 commandments. 

Example:

Old law: You shall not commit adultery

New Testament law: Whosoever even looks upon a women to lust after her has committed adultery already in his heart. How much harder is the second one? Jesus was saying (in context) unless we become pure in heart and obedient in heart we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 

Obedience still plays an important roll in our Christian journey. You don't get saved and then continue life as you once lived especially when God has given you Holy Spirit power at your disposal to walk in newness of life. Again, I'm addressing rebellious, habitual, disobedience, not occasionally falling into sin in a moment of weakness. A Christian man may see a woman pass by where he momentarily lusts after her, maybe even imagining them in bed in his mind in great detail, but then realizes his bad thought, repents, and avoids any more visuals by redirecting his mind somewhere else. Remember my blog on forgiveness. WHAT WE THINK IS WHAT THE BODY WILL DO.  That is a lot different from that same Christian man having that same thought and then purposely pursuing and acting upon his thought with the intention of fulfilling his lust with that woman. Then either before or after he fulfills his sin, excuses his behavior as an acceptable "mistake" (rather than sin) because, well ..."God knows I'm a man and have my needs. Besides, He made me this way, right? So it's not my fault. I am excused because Jesus died for my sins." So in purposeful disobedience he continues this behavior each and every time he is enticed without ever asking the Lord for help, without ever making an effort to walk in righteousness, without ever repenting, without ever being sorry, but instead uses "imputed righteousness" as a free ticket to deliberately and willfully continue living the sin he loves. 

If we repent and believe we are justified by Gods grace and mercy through the atonement of Jesus. We are imputed righteous THROUGH Christ but we do not receive the imputed righteousness OF Christ. That distinction is properly understood when we have a biblical understanding of what imputed righteousness actually is. When a person is imputed righteousness, it simply means their sins are forgiven, they are now thought of as righteous, they are esteemed as righteousness, counted as righteous, reckoned as righteous, considered as righteous...and treated as if they were always righteous, treated as if they were never unrighteous, regarded as righteous and treated as if they were always law abiding citizens. Understand?

This is very important, the word "imputed" does not mean transferred! It's an error to think so because in Romans 2:26 it says when an uncircumcised man is imputed as circumcised that would mean that someone else's circumcision transferred to them, but the obvious meaning of this passage is, even though they are uncircumcised they are treated, regarded, and thought of as if they were circumcised. And in the same way when we are imputed righteous it doesn't mean someone else's righteousness is transferred to us, but even though we have lived un-righteously, we are regarded, treated, and thought of as if we had always been righteous. Again, we do not receive the imputed righteousness OF Christ but rather THROUGH Christ. Biblical imputed righteousness THROUGH Christ is nothing more than forgiveness when your sins are not held against you, " But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also described the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputed righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin (Romans 4:5-8) 

Biblical imputed righteousness according to the inspired psalmist, David, and the inspired apostle, John, is when iniquities are forgiven and our sins are covered! Plain and simple. You see, the righteousness of God is the unmerited forgiveness that we receive from Him through the atonement. This of course only occurs when we have a living and obedient faith! When we actually TURN FROM OUR SINS and forsake our wickedness. God only forgives our sins when we repent of our sins. We should be recognizing our sin and repenting/turning from our sin. God only pardons our wickedness when we acknowledge and TURN AWAY from our wickedness. So in closing, no man is imputed righteous, or no man is forgiven WHILE THEY CONTINUE TO PRACTICE UNRIGHEOUSNESS AND WHILE THEY CONTINUE TO INTENTIONALLY LIVE IN SIN. So to say we are imputed by the righteousness of Christ while we are not sorrowful for our sins and continue in them, is to greatly misunderstand what the Bible  teaches regarding imputed righteousness and reveals how as Christians, in reality without change, are naked and exposed before God and in danger of His final judgement. He warned, "I have somewhat against you." It's time to do some inventory Church!

Until He Comes.

-Pat-

DAMAGED (the struggle)

What has happened to you that you cannot forget? Something so unfair, so hurtful, so harrowing, so undeserving, that the memories play relentlessly over and over in your mind? Every experience in life forms memories whether good or bad. They are stored like gigabytes on a hard drive. Those memories affect our feelings, our relationships, our actions and reactions even later into adulthood. Because I worked in the field of mental health I witnessed more than 70% of our patients in the psychiatrist office because of some kind of trauma. They were trauma's that had caused an inability to pardon or acquit the alcoholic parent, the sexual abuser, the dad who abandoned his family, the injustice and offenses at the hands of somebody they trusted, etc. 

For so many, letting go of something traumatic is not easy. Many are chained by the belief, once wronged always wronged which inevitably leads to a chronic distrust. Then in turn can affect how you view yourself and all the relationships in your life! You might find you frequently doubt other people will come through on their obligations, or you may be afraid of getting too close to others or feel suspicious when someone is kind to you. This can continue for years until you realize things aren't becoming good, healthy, or right with the passage of time. Your struggling with crippling emotions such as fighting depression, anger, and low self-worth continue even though the incident(s) that caused the hurt have long passed. You're damaged!

Years of denial, covering up, anti-anxiety medications and therapy have not worked. Now what?

**Your mind yearns to forget. You want to forget. There is no defiance there. 

** Your body agrees if only the mind can get it fixed because the body will follow the mind. What we think we do. 

** Your emotions which you cannot see, touch or hear, have been so wounded so that you cannot seem to move past what has happened to you. DAMAGED.

But even in all this, we must realize according to the gospel we must release those who have harmed us (Matthew 18:21-22; Matthew 6:14-15; Colossians 3:13) but not only because Jesus instructed us but because the pain hurts us not them! When you hold onto unforgiveness, it holds a power over you that controls your ability to heal inwardly. It's important to understand that you can forgive someone, thus freeing yourself, without resuming contact. Depending on the circumstances, you may even need to avoid contact.

Now the question becomes how do we acquit and absolve our abusers? There is a way. A scriptural, sound evangelical, biblical way!   The starting point for healing damaged emotions?...truly, freely accept God's Love and Grace for yourself. It is not earned. You can never do enough to deserve it. You are worthy of God's love and acceptance. Through Jesus Christ, God showed that He understands our suffering. Through Christ, we are loved just the way we are ... damaged. Maybe you feel God does not hear you. You keep striving for acceptance from God and others. But you can never get the acceptance or affirmation you so desperately think you need. I have been healed of everything that I struggled with by coming to Jesus and being saved by Him. I only realized that this cure came through being born-again (John 3:3), and that through the Bible I am helped, encouraged, and am led to sustain this wonderful newness of life. Being born again taught me what love is, what it requires, and thus I was able to completely forgive and pardon my abuser. 

Final thoughts. Seek The One who heals and makes people completely whole. You must seek, no one can do it for you. By His grace He did it for me, He is willing to do it for you too...if you would only ask. I sought out answers by reading the King James Bible...the truth is contained therein. Be saved! Find out about the gospel of your salvation (about Jesus' death, burial and resurrection) Personally, I never knew any of this when I cried out to Him to help me when I had just had enough of living. But He responded and brought me to understand more through the Bible and through the testimonies of many like me who are now saved. Your life will never be the same again. Mine has changed beyond my wildest dreams...finally I am happy!! I pray that you find this joy too.

 Until He Comes,

-Pat-

GRACE

In Christianity we are saved by grace and not by works. What does that mean, saved by grace? First of all, let's establish what it isn't. Most religions of the world base their beliefs on "achieving" or "earning" higher levels as a progressive means or pathway to reach heaven. In other words, the main vehicle to attain heaven is themselves or self reliance. Either they earn their salvation through achievements or strict adherence to certain traditions, believe they can obtain salvation through accomplishing certain levels or degrees of enlightenment until they reach Nirvana, others strive to accomplish man-made goals of goodness set for themselves, and still others believe they reincarnate over and over until they reach liberation through ethical living by meditation or other spiritual practices. 

Religions are a type of theology. They are doctrines that teach salvation is gained through changed behavior, good behavior, good deeds, or benevolence. But true Christianity is a belief that only through Christ and a relationship with Him do we receive salvation as a free gift. We don't earn anything by good behavior, ethical living, achievements, reaching goals, meditative states, or good works.

Christianity is different because of one important thing: GRACE! A grace freely given which is not earned! 

After a person becomes a believer by believing in the sacrifice of Jesus dying on a cross on their behalf, they have been saved and former sins completely forgiven and absolved. They hold the truth that Jesus was the a pure, unspotted, sacrificial lamb whose blood was free of sin and therefore worthy to be offered as our stand-in, our advocate, our propitiation, leading to an unearned and undeserved salvation because of love. We cannot earn heaven through goodness or right living because we are not perfect nor can we obtain perfection in the sense of accomplished goals for "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23. We know we are sinners saved by grace. And though saved, we will still fall into sin now and again because we are human with a fallen nature. A key note to true Christianity is, we won’t stay there!

If we slip up, we have the Holy Spirit at work in our lives which makes us actually want to obey God and walk worthy of our calling. A true Christian will always feel led to acknowledge and confess their sin through prayer, then get back up and keep pressing forward. Even so, because of God's grace we are absolved of 'slip-up's. Christians will immediately confess slip-up's/sins not because they think they will be lost if they don’t, but because they want to please the Lord. Christians will avoid sin and make efforts to avoid it through the holy Spirit within them. Isn't that how you feel? I certainly do. My love for God drives me to obey. I want to obey! I feel awful when I disappoint Him. In reality, it is not fear or a set of rules that keep me in line. Fear does not keep me in line. LOVE DOES!  And that because of His grace toward me.

When we follow Jesus, we understand that we owe all to Him and so out of our love for Him and being forever grateful, we also desire to love others as ourselves. We know we are not saved by meditation, adhering to a set of rules, working toward achieving Nirvana, or any self-means.  Rather, we are saved by grace to do "works" as explained in Ephesians 2:10. Those works meaning we seek to do good works in the CHARACTER OF CHRIST for God’s glory, but even still it is not those works that saves us. It’s not our own agenda anymore. We have the joy of living an obedient life and because of Gods love bestowed on us, it's easier. Remember how it felt when you gained victory over some sin in your life, whatever it was? You were set free and there was joy in that! That joy is found in obedience. God takes pleasure when He sees His children living a godly (although, not perfect) life. The Grace that set us free when we came to Christ is the same Grace that literally assists us from even wanting to commit or remain in sin. Sin literally becomes an abhorrence to us. Sin is detestable and disgusting. As believers, it’s not that we’re suddenly sinless, but we discover, looking back over time, do realize we do sin less and that brings joy. It's amazing how the Holy Spirit works! Obedience sets us free to live a joy-filled life, but it’s not a blind obedience or obedience because we dread the circumstances. Obedience flows naturally out of a Spirit-led believer.

Love can show up in simply little things like opening doors for people, letting someone else go first at a four-way stop, and it allows others to speak first not interrupting while they’re talking. It's the little things that begin to blossom in your life which is spiritual fruit! Now this is important because this is how Christianity changes you. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23). Grace infiltrates the life of a believer to produce a life of good "works" (which is the named spiritual fruit- Galatians 5:22-23 above) that naturally flow out of a generous, tenderized heart, leading to obedience that comes from Gods power in helping us. We participate with God in a shared relationship. Christianity is a relationship with God. Philippians 2:13 says, “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” 

When someone says they are saved, yet produce no fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), James says that person’s faith is dead. He is saying, godly fruits are the evidence that your faith is real, so in a sense, obedience is the evidence that our faith is genuine. The definition of earthly works where a person has to strive in some physical way to EARN heaven is r-e-l-i-g-i-o-n. But the definition of works spoken of in the Bible which is evident in the life of a true Christian (and who's salvation is not earned) flow freely from them by God's grace. James connects faith and works by writing, “as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26). A person can say they are saved, but if their only production/fruit is bad, then the root is also bad and the whole tree is then useless. Not every person who claims they are a Christian are CHRISTIAN! There is bad fruit among us. If anyone claims to be saved, yet their behavior shows no change, then that prsons faith is dead or, it’s not real. We can’t see the root of a tree or a person, but we can see the fruit, or a lack thereof!  Likewise, we cannot see the roots of a tree but we can identify the tree by the fruit that hangs from its limbs IE: whether it's apple, lemon, grapefruit, pear, peach, etc! Some believers require more time to bear fruit than others just as in nature a peach tree matures faster than an apple tree and peaches will bloom out before apples ever will. Jesus, in speaking of false prophets, said, “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt 7:16). Recognize them who? The character and behavior of a true believer as opposed to a countrfeit - a person in word only. Look at this scripture, “every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt 7:17-20).

I want to end this blog with a perfect illustration of God's grace I read recently:  

FIRST. Let's say that I go over to your house and I steal your bike. You catch me and I go to jail. That is justice. I got what I deserve.

SECOND. I go to your house and steal your bike. You catch me but you set me free. That is mercy. I did not get what I deserved. 

THIRD. I go to your house and steal your bike. You catch me, but you set me free AND you give me the bike! I got what I did not deserve. So in justice, we get what we deserve.  In mercy, we don't get what we deserve. In grace, we get what we do not deserve. GRACE IS GETTING WHAT WE DO NOT DESERVE FROM GOD.  We do not deserve forgiveness of our sins, but He gives it to us through Jesus. We do not deserve to go to heaven, but we are able to do that through Jesus.  So to be saved by grace means that the judgment due to us because of our sins against God (lying, stealing, adultery, fornication, coveting, lusts, hatred, etc.) will not befall us. THAT IS FORGIVENESS! That is the Grace of God without earning it!  Maybe you can use this illustration for other friends or family members that do not realize how glorious and wonderful God's grace really is!  

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

 

FORGIVENESS

 

We live in a world where hurt and pain are inevitable. We’ve all experienced wounds from others whether intentional or unintentional that have left us feeling broken, bitter, and betrayed. But as followers of Christ, we are called to a higher standard. In Colossians 3:13, the Apostle Paul reminds us of the transformative power of forgiveness, both for ourselves and for others. How we can move from hurt to healing? 

Have you ever stepped on a nail? If you have, you know how painful it is. You have two choices, either leave it in which means you're going to have pain all the time, especially when you step down on that foot, and if you do it will probably get infected. The infection will get worse and gangrene can set in. Then you'll need your foot amputated! If you don't do something you about that you will die from the infection. Your second choice is, you can go through the brief pain of extraction and begin the process of healing. When it comes to our physical life, our physical health, our physical well-being, our physical wounds, what we are to do is so clear. Simple. Yet when it comes to our spiritual and emotional wounds, when we 'step on a nail' spiritually or emotionally, we so often let it fester. And it leads to things like anger, bitterness, hatred, and it prevents the healing process. It poisons our soul and threatens our faith.

There is a compelling story in scripture on forgiveness from Matthew chapter 18:21-35 where Peter is asking Jesus some questions on forgiveness. Jesus answers him and then expounds on it to make it more clear. See if you can relate to it or fit into the story of what Jesus is explaining. You need to read it in the Bible for yourself but I will break it down.

A man was so far in debt, a debt he could not pay, that he begged for his life. He pleaded not because he was called out but because he was sorry about the debt he had caused the king. In the scripture he pleads for mercy and promises he'll pay back all that he owes, and although he can't, he is sincere! The king sees his humility and heartfelt sincerity and forgives him. The entire debt was then moved from the mans account and placed on the kings account!  That kind of generosity, that kind of forgiveness is amazing. The man is debt free. As it goes, the free man goes into the city happy and relieved that the burden has been lifted off his shoulders. As he is walking he sees someone who owes him 100 silver coins. A significant amount, no doubt about it, but a drop in the hat compared to 10,000 bags of gold he owed the king.  So the man sees this guy who owes him 100 silver coins and goes up to him and immediately forgives him.

 .. ah, no. That's not what he did!  He goes up to the man and shouts, "Pay up!" The debtor pleads for mercy. He is sincere. He humbles himself begging and crying that he'll pay the debt but that he just needs a little time. But the guy insist he be paid what is owed. So the man who owed the king 10,000 bags of gold is now insisting, without mercy, for the guy who owes 100 silver coins be thrown into prison until he can pay the debt. What would you think if you were there? What would you think if you were able to see all of this and this man being forgiven a debt of 10,000 bags of gold but then you see this same man go out and not forgive the man with 100 silver coins? Well, those who were present at the time were appalled! They were outraged, and they went back to the king and reported what they had witnessed. After hearing this the king brings back that servant. The king is angry. 

The king speaks, "'What's with you? I forgave your debt of 10,000 bags of gold and you didn't forgive someone who owes you 100 silver coins?? Okay. I'm reinstating your debt. I'm giving you back all the 10,000 bags of gold. It's yours. Yours until you pay it off." But the man will never be able to pay it off. He will die in prison. Did you know unforgiveness is a sin? The Good book tells us "The wages of sin is death" <spiritual death>.  So, where do YOU fit into the story? I'll give you a hint. You're not the king. You and I on our own owe the King 10,000 bags of gold. That's our debt. SO MUCH. It's a debt we can't even begin to repay. Truth is, even just one cent, just one, we can't even repay. Let's go back. Not a year, not a month, but just last week. Did you sin at all? Self righteousness? Shaming? Judging? Pettiness? Pride? Gossip? Impatience? Cursing? Swearing? Lust? Laziness? Or maybe something else?

Because of our sinful nature here is the hard truth, sin for you and me has become a way of life. Scriptures says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). ALL OF US, no matter who we are, have a deep and desperate need of forgiveness. Forgiveness for a debt we cannot repay. Forgiveness matters because sin creates a separation between us and God. How else might you fit into this story? We all fit into this story with the same God. People have hurt us either intentionally or unintentionally. We've been broken. We're hurt. We're wounded. Maybe as a child you were neglected, abandoned, or sexually abused. Maybe you were called a name on the playground and it stuck. Maybe you were humiliated by a teacher in front of the class (that would be me). Maybe a friend betrayed you, a spouse, a family member. Maybe someone ruined your name by giving you bad financial advice. Maybe someone committed a crime and pointed at you as the guilty party. We've all been hurt in little or big ways. What will make a difference is what will we do with that wound. We can hold onto it, and we'll be edgy, angry, have trust issues and we definitely won't heal. OR, we can forgive the debtor and the debt thus begin the process of healing.

Why us it so difficult to forgive? I know it's difficult because I had several deep deep wounds no person should ever have had to deal with in childhood. It is so difficult to forgive because we don't feel forgiven and because we don't feel forgiven, we feel we must somehow earn it, do some good works, prove we're not bad, prove our goodness, because we have to be pleasing in order to be accepted. Many will not agree with that sentence but in reality that is exactly how we are living our lives. Because we think we have to earn our forgiveness, we are making sure other people are earning our forgiveness too.  Another grave mistake we make is that we don't believe our sin is that costly. We use excuses like, "My mistake(s), my sins are not that good but hey, they aren't that bad either. I'M NOT THAT BAD. I mean, I can appreciate forgiveness, but what this other person did to me is so much bigger and I just can't let that go. Who in their right mind could forgive that?" Ever feel that way? It's so hard for us to forgive because we don't see the intrinsic value of a person. We live in a me- me- me self world today. Just look at all the posted selfies online!

There are consequences to the lack of forgiveness. Lack of forgiveness is a sin. It not only creates a separation between US AND THE ONE WHO SINNED AGAINST US, but also a separation between us and God. If I'm holding onto that sin, I CAN'T HOLD ONTO GOD. When we refuse to forgive it robs us of joy and contentment, leaving us angry and bitter causing our good emotions to be frozen. 

Do you need to forgive someone? Who comes up in your mind? Someone who annoys you? Disagrees with you? Someone who betrayed you?  A person who literally turned your life upside down? Sometimes the person you need to forgive most is you! The Holy Spirit moved Paul to write these words in Colossians 3:13, "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Often there is a stronghold, a tension preventing you, isn't there? There's this fight in you to keep hating someone, to detest what they did to you, to loathe their very presence. It's hard to get past it. I know, I struggled with it for years against my abuser and also extreme bullying by a teacher and 4 of his star students. Which finally brings me to this question, What do you think will give you the power to forgive? THE GREATEST MOTIVATION FOR FORGIVENESS IS CHRISTS' LOVE!

Jesus did not accidently step on a nail. The nails were perfectly driven through his feet. And not only were nails driven through his feet, they were driven through his hands. When Jesus was mocked, spit on, humiliated, laughed at, whipped, stripped naked, denied water, pierced through while being crucified on a cross what did He do? He cried out to God, "Father FORGIVE THEM, they don't realize what they are doing." The key to forgiveness is realizing that when JESUS WENT TO THAT CROSS 2000 YEARS AGO He paid for all of your sins with His love. And He paid for all the sins of the people against you in full with His love. You don't need to hold on. You don't need to be angry. You don't need to be bitter. You're free. Free from your own sin and free to forgive others who have wronged you. Forgiveness is at the very heart of Christianity. It's why Jesus came. REDEMPTION. He bought back our souls with His life. He paid our debt in full.  Gods plan of salvation was/is restoring us to a right relationship with God. Forgiveness is the grace between God and us and against God and others. By embracing the power of forgiveness, as exemplified by the Lord’s forgiveness towards us we discover the grace that moves us from hurt to healing.

Until He comes,

-Pat-

Don't Tell Me What To Do

 

Why is it people hate to hear there are rules to follow and much more when they are expected to adhere to them?

The rebellious side of human nature will often buck at the idea of having to follow rules. For many of us they are off-putting. Such as:

No parking

No smoking

No swimming

No dogs allowed

No open containers

No one under 21

The 'no this' and 'no that' can be annoying especially if the 'do nots' and 'shall nots' are based on religion. And I might add, exclusively if we believe the do not's require obedience to laws we are unable keep in the first place! Take for instance, Christianity.  What is the purpose of having a set of laws like the 10 commandments if they are impossible to keep? Who hasn't taken something that wasn't theirs? Who hasn't coveted another persons possession? Who has dishonored their parents? Who is guilty of not loving  their neighbor as themselves? Who has not loved God with all their heart, soul, and strength? And then add to that, if we offend in one command we're guilty of all of them (James 2:10). What is the purpose of law if they are impossible to keep?? 

The Bible teaches the purpose of the law was to point out sin so we would recognize it, avoid it, and realize we need a solution! If there wasn't a rule saying, "DANGER. DO NOT SWIM HERE" how would you know the waters were unsafe maybe due to an algae bloom, alligators, or a flesh-eating bacteria? Without THIS warning, you would be apt to jump right in. Likewise, the Bible warns of certain sins. If there wasn't a law saying, "Thou shalt not steal" how would you ever know to avoid doing it or realize it as something that is lawfully and morally wrong? The law is a teacher, a guide, and its objective is to make us realize we have all committed infractions and fallen short of where we need to be in a spiritual sense.  Because of our sins we lack purity. We lack righteousness. We lack goodness. We lack integrity, etc. We lack whatever is necessary to make it into heaven where holiness dwells. And no matter what we do or offer, whether our own goodness, kindness, sacrifice, or otherwise, it isn't enough to exonerate us from the attached consequences associated with sin. This is what the blood sacrifice of Christ is for—and it is why mankind needs a Savior. We will never get to heaven without our advocate Jesus as our propitiation. "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

Consider the prison systems. Convicted criminals are sometimes pardoned or their sentences are commuted. Others are released from prison early. Are these people pardoned and released with the idea that they can re-enter society and repeat the EXACT SAME CRIMES that put them in prison?? Of course not! The very idea is absurd. The police would simply re-arrest them and incarcerate them again—probably with a stronger sentence! How is it then, that Christians can believe that the judgment of God somehow requires less justice with His Law than do physical, civil authorities with theirs? Hmm? 

It insults God to suggest that He would give His Son for people’s sins, only to see them continue in the very things that required Christ’s death! Read that again.  That doesn't even make sense. To believe the deception that forgiveness, through Christ’s blood, permits born-again Christians to freely break the law is hypocrisy. It not only insults God but the intelligence of His Master Plan. So, I will repeat Paul and say, "shall we then continue in sin that grace may abound?" The Apostle Paul replies with a resounding “God forbid” (Romans 6:2). To desire to continue in sin shows a misunderstanding of this abundant grace and a contempt for Jesus' sacrifice. Either we believe what God says is true or we don't.

Consider this scripture carefully: “What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?…Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone…I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils [demons] also believe, and tremble. But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? See you how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?…You see then, how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (vs. 14, 17-22, 24). The answer to Paul’s rhetorical question is obvious. We cannot. Finally, notice how the Bible asks, “Do we then make void the law through faith?” It answers its own question. “GOD FORBID: yes, we ESTABLISH THE LAW” (Rom. 3:31). The ministers of this world may permit people to break God’s Law—usually because they want their congregation to pay them a salary—but GOD FORBIDS law-breaking!

It's as straight forward as this: like the demons, many people do believe God exists. However, most of these same people do not tremble at the existence of God enough to obey what He asks—which even demons do!  Look at John's words 1 John 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." Paul also taught that God’s Law is:

Holy, just, good and spiritual (Romans. 7:12, 14). 

It endures forever (Psalm. 111:7-8) 

It is perfect (Psalm. 19:7). 

James calls the Ten Commandments “the royal law…of liberty” (James. 2:8-12). 

Christ said it will never be done away (Matthew. 5:17-19).

Deceiving impostors teach that Christians must focus on “just having love,” while ignoring plain scriptures like Romans 13:10, which says, “Love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Also see I John 5:1-3.) 

No wonder the apostle John said that any who claim to “know Him [Christ], and keeps not the commandments, is a LIAR, and the truth is not in him” (I John 2:4). Strong words! I have known many people who claimed to know Christ but did not keep the commandments. Their "faith" without the works of obedience was dead. We now see how God views them. It takes faith in Christ for any Christian to be able to keep God’s Law. One gift is that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to help achieve obedience. Recall that Christ said that He could of His own self do “nothing,” and that the Father did the works in Him. The Holy Spirit will complete the work in you as you walk in servitude to the one who set you free from sins grasp.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-

BUDDHISM TRUTH

 

Many people have embraced Buddhism with its promise of enlightenment through exercises of meditation. In fact, two of my social media contacts are Buddhist, another is Hindu. Each hold their personal reasons for rejecting traditional forms of Christianity. The hope is to find peace, tranquility, and enlightenment (nirvana) in Buddhism or other Eastern religions. And though Buddhist meditation may cause feelings of calm, the bottom line is it is a false "religion." Using the records of the Bible, here is why:

1. Buddhists have a false view of God:

The original 'Buddha' taught that there are gods (plural) but these are just spirits on the same path towards so- called enlightenment.  Some branches of Buddhism worship the Buddha as a god, others do not. The Bible says that there is one true God. All other gods are false. No other God exists except the true God.  For example the Lord God says 'I am the first and I am the last and beside me there is no God' (Isa. 44:6). Jesus said, 'This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent' (John 17:3).  The Bible also says: 'We know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no God but one' (1 Cor. 8:4) and 'the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God' (1 Cor. 10:20). All who worship different gods (or even themselves) as well as or instead of the one true God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, are lost.  That includes all Buddhists. Those words may seem harsh but they ARE NOT MY WORDS OR MY PERSONAL JUDGEMEMT, I am simply repeating GODS INSTRUCTIONAL WORDS from 2,000+ years ago. You want guidance? You want enlightenment? Then you must follow the One True God.

2. Buddhists have a wrong view of Jesus Christ: Buddhists believe that Jesus was merely a man, some would say he was a man who reached a high level of enlightenment but that he was a mere man nonetheless. The Bible teaches that to have a false view of Christ is fatal.  'He that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the wrath of God abideth on him' (John 3:36). That is so clear! 'If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins' (John 8:24).  That is so clear! 'And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life' (1 John 5:11-12). That is so clear! 'Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God' (2 John 9). That is so clear! Anybody who denies the Person (that He was God and true, sinless man), the Doctrine and the Work of Christ is lost. That includes all Buddhists.  Gods words are very clear here.

3. Buddhists have a false way of salvation! Buddhism teaches that man has to work in order to find salvation from suffering. He does this by following the 'noble truths': Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Awareness, Right Meditation. That's exactly why Jesus came, because man is incapable of achieving perfection in these areas.

This is just the proud error that man has believed  since the beginning: self-salvation.  

The Buddhist does not believe that he is a sinner and needs to be saved from the guilt, punishment and pollution of sin. Buddhists do not have a correct view of sin: the transgression of the holy law of God.  Buddhists have no understanding of original sin: that all people are born totally flawed, in sin, because they sinned 'in Adam'.  They believe that man is basically good and can achieve enlightenment by his own efforts. However, all the supposed good works man does are eloquently described in Scripture as 'dung' (Phil. 3:8) and 'filthy rags' (Isaiah 64:9). The Christian does not want to be found in his own righteousness, but to be found in Christ.  Paul (who was a Pharisee before his conversion) says this: 'But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and I do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith'(Phil 3:7-9). 

*** When God saves a person, all glory must go to Him.  No sinner can boast in God's presence that he attained salvation in any sense by his own efforts as a Buddhist does.  Any sinner who believes that salvation is by works is lost, no matter how sincere and outwardly nice he is.  That includes all Buddhists. 

4. Peace is to be found in Christ alone. Peace comes from having one's sins forgiven in the blood of Jesus Christ.  When a sinner knows, really knows, that he has eternal life, trusting that Jesus Christ bore the curse and guilt of his sins, he has peace.  How can a Buddhist have peace?  He never knows if he has done enough to achieve salvation!! Think about that. It's why he strives on his own merit everyday HOPING HE'S DOING ENOUGH OR HAS DONE ENOUGH but even then he doubts because in reality, he has never (or ever will) reach Nirvana. If he had no doubt, he would cease trying to reach Nirvana! He can never tell if on his death he will cease to exist (which is the ultimate goal of Buddhism!), come back as a worse or better form of life, or awake in hell. What a torment that is! (The child of God knows peace: 'I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety' (Ps. 4:8); 'Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them'(Ps. 119:165). Christ is called the 'Prince of Peace' (Isa. 9:6); and 'the chastisement of our peace was upon Him' (Isa. 53:5), meaning that the punishment which brought peace to sinners was upon Him. Only by satisfying God's justice on the cross could Christ make peace for sinners with God. However, to the wicked 'there is no peace' (Isa. 57:21) because they 'have not known the way of peace' (Rom. 3:17). To His followers Christ says, 'Peace I give unto you' (John 14:27). Many of the Epistles start with the greeting of peace (Rom. 1:7 etc.).  The fruit of the Spirit is peace (Gal. 5:22). Christ's work brings peace: 'Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ' (Rom. 5:1).  'For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us'(Eph. 2:14). He 'made peace through the blood of his cross' (Col. 1:20). All who reject the peace-making Atonement of Christ on the cross are lost, including all Buddhists. The scriptures are infinitely clear.

Until He Comes,

-Pat-