What the Bible says about.....Anti-Christs and the worship of other gods.

It is with a heavy heart that I write this blog entry. I've spent a long time in prayer about what to write and how to say it. So here goes.

Exodus 34:14: Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Luke 4:8: Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"

1 Corinthians 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

1 John 8:1: Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?" "I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?" Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1. There is no way to God except through Jesus.

2. You must worship him only

Mark 3:32: A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.""Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Mary is human just like us. She did not remain a virgin after the birth of Jesus. She had other sons and daughters. She cannot forgive you from sins. She herself points to Jesus and is saved only through her son.

Mark 6:3: Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."

John 2:5: His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

Luke 2:34: Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

3. There is more than one Anti-christ

1 John 2:28: Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the anti-christ is coming, even now many anti-christs have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the anti-christ--he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us--even eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

The Pope is an Anti-christ. He puts himself in as Great High Priest at title given to Jesus. Jesus is the only Mediator between God and Us. God took away any other mediators when he tore the veil and allowed us to pray directly to Jesus. He also gave us the Holy Spirit to teach us.

Hebrews 4:14: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

Mark 15:38: The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

Finally, there are many many people who are deceived They only fall for the lie because as the Bible says ....They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. The truth is Jesus. Not Mary, not the Pope, not any other god you think to worship.  Your own acts of being a good person will not get you into heaven.

2 Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

We as Christians are not without hope. We are not without directions on how to deal with an unbelieving world or a deceived world.

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

What the Bible says about....Casting out demons, battling Satan and spiritual warfare

These issues keep coming up in blogs, articles and it runs rampant in books (ie. Joyce Meyer).   In order to distinguish false teaching from true teaching you must have a some knowledge from the scriptures to weed out the false teaching.

Luke 4:1  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.So if you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

First Satan tempts him with a physical need.  Jesus answers with scripture.

Then Satan tempts him with power.   Jesus answers with scripture.

Then Satan temps him with scripture and an opportunity to show off.   Jesus answers with scripture.

The third attempt is true (quoting Ps 91:11) but Jesus knew it wasn't the time to show off and that there was a different scripture that applied besides the one Satan quoted.

1.  You have to know scripture well enough to know how to apply the knowledge.   Wisdom only comes from God.  

John 1:1   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Eph 6:11  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

2.   We are to stand our ground and not slip back into old sin and into new sin.   To keep this from happening we are given instructions.   Seek Truth in the scriptures, live right, share the gospel, grow in faith, be assured of your salvation, and pray always for you and others.   

As for casting out demons if you notice when Jesus and his disciples cast out demons they did so in Jesus'  name.  You will also notice that most of the cases had a physical alliment associated with them (ie, violence and trashing, throwing self in fire, mute, deaf).   Most of them says, "since birth".   This is not to say that people who are handicap are demon possessed.    Sometimes God show us glory through the handicap people in our lives and through them we get a very good glimpse of a child like heart.    

Luke 11: 24 "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first."

3.  There is a warning here. Unless the Holy Spirit is put in the place of the demon then you just made things worse.    

Luke 11:17  Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.   

Matthew 28:18:  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

4.  These are your marching orders.  Make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey. This is the will of God.   This is how you are to battle Satan and demons.   

One last verse:

Matthew 7:21  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

What the Bible says about.....The end of the World

With all the predictions out there I find more and more people who are confused about what the Bible says about the "End of the World".    So lets look over some scripture.

Matthew 24:36 (Jesus is speaking here):  "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

1. This means it will be an average day with people going about there business.   No one knows the date of the end of  the earth.  

Matthew 13:24:   Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared."The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'"'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"

Matthew 24:40:  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

2.  Most people have never noticed this first set of scripture (Jesus talking both times).   Most people will think that Matthew 24 says that the Christians will go to heaven first.  But notice what Jesus says in the parable above.

Ephesians 4:30:  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.   

Revelation 7:3: "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."

1 John 5:6:  This is the one who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

3.  The Holy spirit is the seal the Bible talks about.   The Bible says so.   Unless you have the spirit of God you are not the "Wheat" above.    How do you get  the spirit / Seal?   If you look at  the verse above it said that Jesus came not by water alone but water and blood and spirit.    


Now look at Jesus life.  

Matthew 3:16:  As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Now lets look at how that applies to our lives.

Acts 2:38:  Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Notice the similarities.   Baptism and Holy spirit?

1 Peter 3:18:  For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prisonwho disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. 

Blood of Jesus, Water of Baptism and Gift of Holy Spirit.   Blood, Water and Spirit.    


Hopefully if these verses have surprised you will take a closer look at what you believe and what you have been taught.   If not.....

James 1:22:  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirrorand, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

What the Bible says about.....Drinking, Driving, and Cursing.

Let me first start with one verse and we will work down from there.

1 Corinthians 10:23-24 “Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

Now since we have a firm basis for everything we do, doing things for the good of others let me tell a story.

When I was a child my grandparents smoked. I remember trying to exchange candy cigarettes for the real thing and even flushing all the brown stuff down the toilet. At school we were taught how bad cigarettes were for us but I couldn't piece together that my grandparents would do anything to hurt themselves. They often said, “Don't ever smoke”. We all know how that works and I tried smoking as a teenager. I reasoned it can't be that bad if my grandparents are doing it.

As an adult we hold a great responsibility to those who depend on us. As a Christian an even bigger responsibility to live a life different than the rest of the world.

1 Corinthians 8:9-13 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

So what does the bible allow......

Drinking

Ephesians 5:18: Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Debauchery means: (n.) Corruption of fidelity; seduction from virtue, duty, or allegiance. (n.) Excessive indulgence of the appetites; especially, excessive indulgence of lust; intemperance; sensuality; habitual lewdness.

So if your drinking of anything leads to the above your sinning. If you combine this one with Driving then you are committing debauchery by (lack of duty) endangering someone else.

Driving:

Did you know it's a sin to break the speed limit?

1 peter 2:13-18: Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

Doesn't it look to you like we should respect our president and obey the laws of the land.

Cursing:

Many people don't know this verse exists.

Ephesians 4:29-30: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

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In Conclusion: What you think is right or wrong matters not. What matters is how other people view what you are doing. You may have permission to do things but we should not make our brothers and sisters stumble. What you do affects other people, even though you don't always realize it. I can hurt your witness to other people.  

1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

What the Bible says about....Love and Marriage

Let me give you a little different view than what most people think of when I mention Marriage.

Hosea 1:1-2 When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD." So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

Hosea 3:1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes." So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you."

Now lets compare that to what the lord says of us.

Hosea 2:19 I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD. In that day I will respond," declares the LORD--"I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called 'Not my people,' 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.

After we turn from him (after sin)

Hosea 6:1 "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." 

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors,

Have you ever thought of your relationship to God like the one of husband and wife? We find a guy we really like. We start to believe the things he says to us. We spend time together. We grow in love. We believe all the promises and set a date to be married. Then we marry and we spend the rest of our lives trying to stay married and hold to those promises.

Now look at our relationship to God. We look for him and find him. We believe. We spend time together and share our sins, we repent of those sins. We make a date to be Baptized. We are Baptized and joined with the Holy spirit and we spend the rest of our lives trying to stay together. We try to nurture our relationship. We try not to neglect being together.

Or your relationship to God can END like this....

We believe, we spend time together, we repent....We leave God we fall away we don't marry him in Baptism. Or we Get Baptized then we become adulteresses.....We forget the Husband we married. The relationship is cut off Husband and Wife have separated, or we even divorce our husband.

How is your relationship to God right now are you still married? Are you an adulteress? Have you neglected your Husband, your God? Did you just go through with the wedding just to change your name to Christian?

Did you know God also wooed you as a child?

Hosea 11: When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.

Who or what is our Baals?

(cont) It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. "Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent? Swords will flash in their cities, will destroy the bars of their gates and put an end to their plans. My people are determined to turn from me.

Are you a rebellous child?

(cont) Even if they call to the Most High, he will by no means exalt them. "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man--the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath. They will follow the LORD; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes," declares the LORD. Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful Holy One. Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt. The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he grasped his brother's heel; as a man he struggled with God. He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there-- the LORD God Almighty, the LORD is his name of renown! But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.

Have you returned to your God the father? Or are you being destroyed, tore to pieces or roared against and are ignoring your Father?

Sometimes we get so many blessings from God that we ignore him... then when disaster comes we suddenly turn back to him. Have you learned to praise God in your blessings and hold to him when things are good? Or are you like a rebellous child who only comes home when you see that life was better at home with your Father.

Hosea 13:6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me. So I will come upon them like a lion, like a leopard I will lurk by the path. Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open. Like a lion I will devour them; a wild animal will tear them apart. "You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against me, against your helper

Hosea 14:9 Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

When I first read Hosea 14:9 I was thinking about what happens when you walk on God's path.   Then I remember what happens when you let your own desires lead you. You stumble and fall.   After you stumble and fall you have two choices.

1. Try and keep walking on the righteous path
or
2. Keep stumbling and fall off a cliff.

God will let you be wounded to return you to him.   Just like when we tell our kids a million times not to do something and they only learn when we allow them to experience the consequences of their actions.

What the Bible says about.....Friendship and Following the Spirit.

If any of you read my last post you know I struggle with loneliness.  I go from times of having someone to talk to times of complete isolation.  My struggle isn't a struggle uncommon to others but the loneliness does seem to cripple you on the days you take your eyes off God or fail to keep them on him.    If you could be a fly on my wall on those days you would see a woman who's heart is broken who is often crying or holding back tears, whose patience with her kids is lacking and who just can't cope with her activities that day.   You may hear me cry out to my God for help or a friend to help brighten those days.  


It is in that light, that friendship, when your a Christian can have tremendous effects.  I have many people who have been a real friend to me and on those days when hope is gone and I'm sinking beneath the weight of what I am not, that a friend will call, will write, will send me a message of encouragement on facebook.   On those days it's as if God himself made a phone call to get me help.  


It took me a long time to realize how God was working to rescue me on those days.   It took time to  realize that cognizances were not just mere cognizances.  After I came to realize this, I finally started to pick up on his hints to help me rescue someone else, to be a friend not only in good times but in the mess of things.      

I Kings 19:11: The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Did you catch that his voice is a gentle whisper.  

John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

The sheep know it's master because they have spent time with him....How's your bible study going this week?   By knowing who God is and reading the bible you will be able to distinguish between your desires, satan's temptations and God's promptings.   God is unchanging so he will not ask you to do something outside of his word. That does not mean he will not put you out of your comfort zone but he will not ask you to do something morally wrong.    


Let me give you a few examples of how this happens since this all sounds very weird.  


1.  Your awakened in the middle of the night to find that you can only think about one person.   You have two choices try and go back to sleep or pray for them.   
2.  You notice a few really strange posts on your friends facebook that you can't get out of your head.  You have two choices, ignore them or contact the person to ask about them and if they are ok.   
3.  You are in a room with a lot of complete strangers and you feel a need to talk with someone, you also notice them glancing at you too.  It's just all a little weird.   You take the chance to meet them and  risk being rejected and looking foolish or you move and initiate a conversation.  I've only been asked to do this 4 times and of the 4 times I've not regretted taking that step.   The first one I waited almost 2 weeks to make the move, we don't always have a second opportunity.    The second the lady broke down on me and we spent the next 15 minutes praying and that day she came back to God.  The third was amazed at God's provision for her. The forth acknowledged the spirit for leading me to her.   
4.  Your at home and you can't seem to get a friend out of your mind that day, you don't know why but you pray for them, sometimes you realize the nudge isn't gone so then you call them.   I know I must sound funny sometimes calling people for no reason but a few friends of mine has told me I have called when they needed that friend.  
5. A strange lady offers to walk with you through the grocery store and help you shop and entertain your children as you move through the store.   I turned this lady down and I deeply regret letting her server me.   At aisle #2 I knew I had missed that opportunity.       


One of the last things I wanted to mention is when  this happen don't forget to praise the one who initiated the nudge.  He is the same one who has called someone to minister to you.  


One of the things I say to my husband before he leaves is call out to God when you need me he will pass the message.   When Christian friends part with distance it doesn't mean you can't be close.   I find that I can be the most vulnerable with a friend isn't as close to a situation.   Listen to the advise though with scriptural ears, sometimes they want to fix things for you, which most good friends want to, but it takes a real friend to step back and say I don't know but I'll pray for you.  

James 5:16  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

The other thing is you don't always get to see the end result of your work but God sometimes will give you glimpses of how you have been used by him to show his love to others.   


One of the things I have the most trouble with when it comes to friendship is I wanna do all the helping.   It is really hard for me to allow someone to serve me.   Like the lady in the Grocery store, my Pride often gets in the way.   I want to believe I don't need help but in reality I need more help than I'm willing to admit.   When I do this I'm not a friend.   Friendship is based on honesty if you are not honest with someone you will not be a good friend to some one.   I teach my kids that Hiding is lying.   Kids will often put things behind their back or only tell half truths to avoid the consequences of truth.  


One of my fondest friendships is when we decided we could be brutally honest with each other and could say I think you need to go home now, I want to take a nap.   


Word of warning sometimes that help doesn't come the ways I mentioned above on those days look at what you have been refusing to do for God.  Today in my loneliness, when help didn't come I was able to write this Blog.   It had been on my heart to write again lately and I had been encouraged by two friends this week to write I just had no idea what to write about.  God may be doing something in your loneliness too.   


Other resources:  The friendship of Women by Dee Brestin.  This gives you a very close look at friendships in the Bible.   I'm on the last chapter so now I have to apply all the new knowledge.   

What the Bible says about....The past is the past

The Past is the Past

One of the biggest things I have been learning the last 2 years is that God knows us completely. He knows all of our heart aches (past, present and future). When God starts stripping us down and refining us to be holy (set apart), he uncovers a lot of skeletons in our closet. He just doesn't bury them again he cleans them out.

The past 2 years have been hard on me. Lots of closets cleaned out.

LONELINESS

The first thing he had me deal with was coming back to the same location (physically) where I was really depressed. Where I felt the most alone. I was scared to come back, scared that I would again go through a period of depression and loneliness. He also put me into ministry at a church that was when I left a thriving church, when I returned, it seemed to be as depressed as I had been. Things are getting much better at that church and things are changing but change takes time.

Loneliness and depression is another of those things that draws you either close to God or away. God will be first in your life as a Christian and he may use your loneliness to drive you to him. Every time I get a really close girlfriend, it's as if I feel the rug drug out from under me, they move (I move). I get the woe is me feeling.

What does the bible say about this time of your life?

If you look closely most of the prophets and Christians had long periods of being alone with no one but God to turn too. God will be your best friend if you let him be.

1 Kings 19: 3-18 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert.

He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."
So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied,

"I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.

I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."

Did you notice God's response to Elijah, you are not alone there are others who are doing God's work. Just because you feel alone in your ministry doesn't mean you are. There are others doing God's work. Do your Work for God and pray for others doing theirs.

You will still feel loneliness but don't let it take you away from God, let it draw you into his lap. Discipline yourself to read God's word, pray and fast.

EFFECTS OF PAST SIN

For the last two years, I have been trying to contact the people who I call “God's stepping stones” know how much I appreciate them for pointing me to Christ. On my journey though it has brought me to terms with how much my sin affected others. It has also allowed me to repent of those sins afresh and and apologize to people who I hurt with my sin.

God started me apologizing to my mom and sister for the way I treated them when I was growing up. How I chose to alienate them, talk bad about them and just generally hurt them. It opened my eyes to see how things were when I was growing up. How I chose the easy way to hurt instead of love.

Next, he brought one of my ex-boyfriends into my life. One I had hoped had chosen Christ. Instead he chose his own desires and chose to be an atheist. I would like to say I had no part of this but I would be excusing myself instead of facing what I had done. It had me look at the example I wasn't of Christ. Sure he would say I was nice and loving toward him, but the most loving thing I could have done is not to have sex with him. I already told you about the effects of sex before marriage in my life but I had not thought of the consequences for him. I pray everyday for his salvation.

He brought me in to touch with one of my Bible teachers. I thanked them for there part of being a stepping stone. Then, I remembered one day I had hurt them because of my old unwise decision of thinking abortion was, ok. It was a heated argument where I was trying to say in some way abortions were ok because it would be better to die then to have to live a life in a family who abused you. Those of you from abused families, I'm totally sorry. I was very wrong. I can see where God can grow people, even seriously hurt people, into Godly men and women who can help others. All our past hurts are there to be a way to help others obey God and to show empathy.

If an ex-boyfriend wasn't enough, God gave me an opportunity to make peace with a part of my life that I gave up for him. I was young, in love and totally seeking my own desires. I was engaged to be married. I was depending solely on this man who I saw as a Christian. He got me to reading the bible, encouraged me to go to a bible college. However, our relationship was tainted. We were not obeying God's rules. Rules that were for our protection and for our future. I wanted temporary pleasure instead of waiting for God's timing. Trust became an issue in our relationship. We hurt each other.

I was so hurt that I thought about killing myself. It was then I realized that I couldn't live my life dependent on man and myself and by fulfilling my own desires. Man will always disappoint you eventually. God will never disappoint you. He doesn't change, he will always love you.

Don't believe me, watch him cry out as he has to punish Israel for their sins, watch him as he allows his son to suffer on the cross. You can see and feel his grief as you read those words. It is just like the grief he will feel when he has to punish those who do not choose to be his people, people who did not choose to be holy and set apart. A lot of people think that just being a good person will get you to heaven. The bible doesn't say that.

I'm currently working on making peace with this part of my life. This is a very lonely place in my life but God is helping me move on. He gave me opportunities to serve the person I hurt and his family. He also made it perfectly clear that I have to be very careful about the line I draw to separate myself so as not to sin against my husband. That this is going to be a place where I will have to intercede with prayer and not much else.

Did I mention God has spent the last two years teaching me how powerful prayer really is. God still amazes me with his answers.

He also brought me back into contact with one of my spiritual mothers. Amy. She lived a holy life in front of my eyes. She was the biggest stone in my life. She showed me Christ in action and showed me what it as like to truly life different for Christ. What I found out that was being different isn't easy. That there will be times when your desire will try to get the best of you and lead you to sin. This is where the fruit of the spirit “self-control” comes in.

Just like being patience, it is a learned response. A gift only the “holy spirit” can give you.

What part did my sin play in her life? I don't know, but I know as a christian I am often tempted by trying to blend in the the crowd. To give in to my own desires. Being tempted isn't a sin. Also, God will provide a way out of every temptation, you just have to look for it. I try to always look for that way out, but there are days when I fail and I find myself repenting for a sin caused by my own desire and my lack of self-control.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED

Everyone can fall. Everyone has fallen. Everyone will be tempted to fall. God is there to provide strength but you must be diligent in prayer, bible study, fasting and in obeying God's word. It's when you think you cannot fall that you make your self vulnerable to falling the most. Pride has a humble end.

There is no one to blame for your actions but you. Your desires is what caused your sin and consequences follow for both the Good and the Evil you do.

Scriptures:

James 1:15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Proverbs 16:18: Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 18:12: Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.