A measure of death (part 4)

The very nature of sin is death. Any sin in ones life is producing a measure of death. Let it go long enough and it will grow into more death, more separation from God. Even in a believers life this does not change.

God told Cain regarding the first mention of sin in the Bible, “but you should rule over it.” (Gen.4:7)
Here we see the rule, not the exception. If any people since the creation of mankind have the means to “rule over” sin, it should be us. Why? Because of Christ. We have the grace given to us to be over comers through Him.

Let’s take a look at some of the similarities of sin between Adam and Cain. In them we will gain some understanding regarding sin and it’s nature. Time has not changed these. Society has not changed the nature of sin. Education hasn’t changed it. Social status hasn’t changed it either. You might have a higher standard of living than most, but that doesn’t change sin and it’s nature.

After sinning, The Lord said to Adam, “Where are you?” (3:9) To Cain He said, “Where is Abel your brother?” (4:9)
Here comes accountability! God holds us accountable for our actions. When one sins, God through the conscience, speaks to us and holds us accountable. He let’s us know.

To Adam He said, “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (3:11)
To Cain God said, “What have you done?” (4:10)

God by questioning them brought them into accountability. He could have easily said, “OK, since you have done this and that, here is your consequences.” But no. He wanted them to face it square in the face.
Today, it is no difference. God speaks through our conscience when we sin. It’s His masterpiece! (see my post, “The Tree of conscience”)

And as if we haven’t had enough of “death” and “separation” we continue on with the similarities between Adam and Cain. (And also, don’t forget that they were “blood” related. That’s another subject).

God says to Cain, “So now you are “cursed” from the earth,” (4:11)
Where have we read that before? Right, in the previous chapter.
Sin brought forth curses. You can read them in chapter three. They are still here today because of sin. One is the “curse” between man and the earth. Cain followed in the same curse. (4:12)

And here comes the separation again because of sin. Cain says to God, “Surely You have “driven” me out this day from the face of the ground;” (4:14)
With Adam it was the same, “So He drove out the man” (3:24)
Separation all the way! Because of sin.

Some more? Cain continues on and says, “I shall be “hidden” from your face.” (4:14) Remember what Adam and Eve did when after they sinned? Right. They “covered themselves” and “hid” in the trees from God. Sin produces “guilt and shame”, then one wants to go off and hide. He also wants to try and mask over he guilt and shame. This is also a form of trying to escape and hide. This is what sin produces.

“Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord…” (4:16)
He separated himself.

In closing, death from sin is separation from God. There is a final separation from God for all those who reject Christ and do not repent from their sins in this lifetime. However, we must understand that sin not only produces final death, but also produces a measure of death in us if we have unconfessed and unforsaken sin in our lives as believers.

As the Apostle Paul said about sin, it “was producing death in me…” (Rom.7:13). If we have known sin in us that has yet to be dealt with, then death is being “produced” in us. Why? Because we have not surrendered it over to Christ. We don’t want to deal with it. The good news is that there is grace to overcome if we want to overcome sin and progress in growth.

And it is God’s will that we by the Spirit, “put to death (kill it!) the deeds of the body,” and then “we will live” (Rom.8:13)

God bless you as you move forward!

“Mommy, what was that?”

Many times when I see a young mother and her children, the Lord will have me hand a tract to the mother. The best I can figure out is that this puts the mother in a situation to see what she is going to do or say, with her young children looking on. And of course, God has his special ways of reaching children.
Most of the time, I would say that the mother refuses to take one. This happened again today.
What do you think is going on in the mother’s head, as the children are watching? What is she going to tell them when they ask, “Mommy, what was that?” Is she going to be honest with them?
The accountability of the mother has got to be huge in this case. This has got to be both good for the mother and the children. How about when the siblings get alone together with mom not around? Can God do something with that?
I believe in God operating in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform. I see it all the time. He is so much bigger than we give him credit for. He can do things in ways that are hard to figure out or comprehend. He’s God.

Engaging God

We are people of choice. We can choose to move with God or not. He uses us if we make an effort to want to be used.

I will use my most recent testimony to explain what I mean by “engaging God”.
One of my most difficult times to share Christ with others is when I am tired. Usually towards the end of the day when I have been out working for Him or finished working at my secular job.
Today after working at my secular job, I walked to the bus stop and sat down on the bench. As I sat there, the air ran out (tired). I leaned back on the glass behind me, spread my legs forward and let out a sigh of relief.

As I sat there, I looked across the street and saw a guy sitting down on his luggage waiting for the bus going the opposite direction. This is a four lane busy road with lots of cars zipping by. As I sat there staring at this guy, The Spirit said, “you can run over there and hand him a tract”. I thought, I’m tired. Run? Across this busy road? And what about my bus to go home? What if it comes while I’m on the other side? All these questions came to mind.

I said to myself, “I’ll go”. I looked and there was no traffic. It was as though everything stood still for a moment. I looked both ways to make sure and ran, pulling out a tract as I ran. I got to the other side and handed it to him. He looked at it and smiled back and said, “Oh I believe”. I said, “Jesus Christ is your Lord and Saviour?” He said that He was. He mentioned that He was raised in a Baptist family. I said, “that’s good, but where are you today?”

We talked for a minute and I encouraged him to read God’s word daily, and related it to food for the spiritual man. He said he did have a bible.

About that time I looked and no cars were coming. I said “God bless you” and bolted across the street, sat back down and prayed.

Now, this is what I want to share. I could have remained sitting in that seat and waiting for the bus. Instead I chose to go over there. By doing this, or making the move, putting one foot forward, I engaged God. It just that simple.

By deciding to move out for Him, he blessed this man with a reminder to seek Him. Not only that, but here’s the part that really blessed me and others.

As I got on the bus, I was “engaged”. No longer tired like I was. Why? Because I believe that God “quickened” me to the point that He (not me) illuminated me to the point that the next 30 minutes on the bus brought several opportunities my way for Him. Things like, coming to a bus stop and finding that the next bus ahead of us had mechanical problems.

Long story short, myself and some other people got to get out of the bus and help this older man in a electric scooter get out and get into the other bus. This one man and I helped the man walk along and get back into his scooter. This is a man that received a tract earlier, and said “thank you”. I could of easily sat there and said to myself, “I’m too tired”. Now the bus had all kinds of people on it. It was two buses in one now. Two young guys were blessed also by the tracts that they received. One guy mentioned that he had been inquiring about the “many ways to God” mentality. I assured him that there was only one way and that was Christ. He didn’t deny it.

I say all this to give you an example of how God works. He is all out for people. You or I make the effort for Him, and we will be blown away at the opportunities that come our way. UNLESS WE SIT BACK AND GET COMFORTABLE, RIGHT?

Just think about all these people that would not have been touched by the Spirit of God, if I would have chosen to remain in that seat and relax. I believe if I would not of stepped out, the Spirit would not of engaged within me. Oh it was there, but not “quickened”. There is a big difference.

May God help us all to step out and move out for Him more. Time is getting real short for all of us……
On that day, there will be no excuses.

Beware lest you be deceived

My heart is heavy tonight with the thought of how easily we can be deceived.
We who are still in The Way, no doubt have known those who once walked with God and now walk no more. Or in some cases, now all they do is profess to still know Him, but their actions prove a different story.

It doesn’t matter how long you have been saved. It doesn’t matter if you have “boat loads” of knowledge. The bottom line is that you or I can be deceived.(period)
“Our adversary (Satan) walks around like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour” (1Pet.5:8).
If he can come to Eve in the garden (the perfect place), and come to one who knew no sin, don’t think for one minute that he can’t come to you and that you cannot be deceived.

We have all heard this before, “The problem with being deceived, is that you don’t know that you are”. It’s crafty, just like the one who uses it all the time.

Deception starts slowly. It comes to change our thinking, one thought at a time. After many thoughts are thought on and believed, we are led down a road of deception that keeps growing and before long we could even say, “Well, I don’t know about all that Jesus stuff.” “I think now that there has got to be some other ways also.” “After all, God is so much bigger than all that narrow mindedness stuff.”
“And the Bible? Well, I don’t think that was the only book.” “After all it was written by men.” “And don’t forget, it has been re-translated so many times, how could we began to believe everything that is in it.”

Hard to believe, isn’t it? But it happens all the time. I, like many, have run across people who once walked with Christ but now are “Muslims”, “Buddhists”, “New Age followers” etc. They might not have intended to become one of these followers in the begining, but now they are deceived into thinking that it is OK, and that they are on their way to heaven.

Don’t think for one minute that many of them didn’t have a deep relationship at one time with God, because they did. But now they have been so far removed from The Truth through deception, they think that they are heading down the right path. Down is correct, but not right.

Satan plants doubts first, then deception is it’s outcome.
Let’s take a look at Eve in the garden.
“The serpent (Satan) was more cunning (crafty) than any of the beast that God made”
Don’t think for one moment that Satan is not so. He is the master of “cunningness”. He is sly and slick.
Satan said to Eve, “Oh come on, has God really said that? “That you cannot eat of every tree of the garden?” I could hear him continue on…
Come on Eve, you don’t believe that do you? He kept pushing the buttons of doubt intil she became deceived.

Then Satan said to the women (Eve), “you will not surely die” Come on Eve, you can’t believe that one can you? What, eat the fruit then die! Just how gullible are you Eve? The doubts just kept coming. And it’s the same today in 2009. They just keep on coming, the seeds of doubt.

Another thing to be on the look out for, is that deception could be coming through another person or persons. Satan is just like God, in that he uses people all the time. “Sheep’s in wolves clothing” They appear pretty nice and attractive on the outside, but on the inside, they are raging wolves filled with deceit.

They can come to us through people who are close to us. Our co-workers, neighbors, friends and the like. And the deceiving thing is, that they have appeared to us all along that they were believers. “Oh they are good people” “I trust them” “He or she is so kind”

Little do we know that they could be, “false apostles, deceitful workers (there you have it), transforming themselves into apostles of Christ” (2Cor.11:13) Satan is in the transforming business. Didn’t you know that? Why, “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (vs.14)
It goes on and talks about Satan’s ministers in verse 15.

Can you see how powerful deception can be?

The Apostle Paul writing to the church at Corinth says, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2Cor.11:2-3)

See Satan wants to deceive us through our minds. He wants to get us to think that the simple Gospel of Christ is a bunch of bologne. There are other ways to God also. Don’t be so narrow minded, he would say.

“For if he (the person or person’s that Satan sends your way) preaches (talks about) another Jesus (or way) whom we have not preached,(or heard about) or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received,” (vs.4)

See, I want to stop right here and mention what we need to be on guard for and aware of. We could receive from Satan another spirit through the influence of another person. We could become so deceived that we will not even know it. That’s deception.

Continuing on with verse four, “or a different gospel which you have not accepted – you may well put up with it!” (2Cor.11:4)
Deceptive. Deceived into accepting another gospel. Before long your buying into it. All the words, all the charm, all the seduction, bought without any consideration. You have been deceived.

What’s the prevention? How can we prevent this happening to us? We must stay in the Vine. We must be found daily with Christ. And to that, minute by minute. We must pray and be on our guard. We must fight hard in this battle. We dare not let a day go by without feeding on His Word. The Holy fear of God must be upon us daily. We must have fellowship with Him and with other’s in His body. If the only people you see, day in and day out, are unbelievers and you very rarely spend time with followers of Christ, your in trouble.

In closing, we also need to be very careful about who we receive counsel from. If it doesn’t line up with God’s word, you best run for your life. The deceiver could be at work.
Also, the devil loves to use the opposite sex to get us to listen. BEWARE! We must be on guard! Don’t give place to the devil! By God’s grace we must not let our guard down.
“Close to Him I must stay”
“I know of no other way”
“For He is The Truth”
“The Life and The Way”
“Jesus Christ my Lord”
“And my Saviour”
Amen

Warning! Take inventory with Christ!

This morning my heart was stirred with the need to warn the Body of Christ, that they need to take inventory of their own relationship with Christ.

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip”(or drift away from them).
“For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;” (Heb.2:1:3)

The words, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;”. This rings in my spirit because, hardly a day goes by when I am out and about when I hear people all around saying that there is many ways to God. This “great salvation” is Jesus Christ! None other! “No other name that we can be saved by”

It is high time that we wake up ourselves and take inventory of Christ in us. Do we believe 100% that Christ is “The Truth?” Do we believe in what He said in John 14:6? that “no man comes to the Father, except through me?”

Do you know that the Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion in the world? Do you believe that it is false?
I believe that the greatest persecution to the true church in the near future is going to come from the Muslims.

Don’t think for one minute that it is not working on those around you. Those at work, your neighbors, your family etc. because it is. It’s high time to wake up and get out of your “church box”, and take a look around.

I have a lady at work who once walked with Christ, now she is a Muslim. She wares the head scarf the whole time. She is a white women.

Last week the Lord led me to a young girl, about 16 or 17. She was talking about the “Quran” and trying to convince me as to what it said.
The young generations are buying into it as “truth”.

A few weeks ago, I was sharing Christ as The Only Way, and a man started shouting “Allah is the way”. This went on for about five minutes intil I move on.

False ways to God are growing everyday. Our “tolerant” motto here in America is even effecting believers in Christ. It is causing them to keep quiet everywhere they go. “Oh we don’t want to offend other’s” “We need to accept all religions” “Be tolerant of everything”

Well guess what. The devil is working overtime on believers. He is getting them to consider the worlds ways and teachings. It is having a bigger influence on us than we care to consider.

It’s WAKE UP TIME!

Those of us who believe in Christ and teach that He is The Only Way to The Father, need to stand up and be counted for. Start speaking “The Truth in love”.

Guess what? The Truth will offend. There is no way to escape it. Take a look at Christ’s life here on earth. Did he offend people with his teaching of The Truth? Sure he did.

It’s not that we set out in a given day to offend people. No. But if we share Christ and share that He is the only way to The Father, believe me the devils will rise up in people if you do.

I see it all the time when I am on a street corner preaching Christ. Just last week, I was sharing Christ and The Spirit was really moving, people were listening, there was a holy hush in the air, even though it was busy and people were at lunch rushing here and there. All of a sudden, this man stops across the street on his bicycle and starts yelling at me. Of course, I didn’t stop. Soon off he went, in the name of Jesus.

So let us take inventory of our own lives. Is Christ number one? Do I believe that he is the “Messiah?” Do I believe all that the scriptures say about Him? Or do I have doubt? Do I doubt His Word? Is it the Word of God? Or are other books just as good, just as inspired?

Because of what’s coming upon the earth in the near future, we best get closer to Christ and his teachings. If not, we too will “slip away” into some other teaching and begin to believe that there are other ways. You can count on it, if you do.

May God help us all

Losing focus on The Kingdom of God

It can start out small and seemingly unnoticed. A little here and a little there, before long you can look way off into the distant past and only memories remain.
I remember a time in my life when I lost focus of God’s Kingdom. I became focused on starting a business. Before long it was all that mattered. It became first place in my life and everything else, my family, my walk with God and all relationships went by the way side.
So it is with those who have lost focus.

If God and His kingdom are not first in our heart then something else or someone else will be. We cannot serve two masters. One will be lord, and that’s the bottom line.

If God and His Kingdom are first, it will be evident to those who are closest to us. Our speech and our actions will confirm where we are at. What’s in the heart comes out.

There are two kingdoms. The kingdom of this world (which is Satan’s) or God’s Kingdom. You are either in one or the other and have allegiance to one or the other.

Now, I hear the distant cry of those who say, “wait just a minute!”. “I am saved and I go to church”. “I’m in God’s Kingdom!”
Well, it does sound good. The words sound convincing. But where is the heart? Where is the daily thoughts? What consumes us most? Our time and thoughts, where are they to be found? In a given day?

What or who gives us the most pleasure? Where do we find approval? Who are we trying to please?

Answer these questions and they help show us where we are in relationship to The Kingdom of God. It helps to show us where our heart is.

Many have started out with pure motives and desire, seeking first The Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. But where are they today? Do they look back and say that it was all foolishness? Do they claim to now have a better walk with God then they had before?

One thing is for sure, if you once tasted of the goodness of God and followed in His ways and have since turned another direction thinking that God is still blessing and that you still have his approval, guess what? You have been deceived. Like all, you just don’t know it.

The beautiful thing about God is that He is always pursuing his wayward children. He pursues them with His love which works in ways way beyond our comprehension. That’s the good thing about God. He is love and look out He is coming for you.

The two different realms

The realm of God’s Spirit and the realm of this world. We know who is the ruler of the kingdom of this world, and that is indeed Satan.

In recent month’s, because of someone who is very close to me, I have thought and seen the vast difference between these two realms. When you have had the opportunity as I have had to see someone go from operating in God’s spiritual kingdom, to the kingdom of this world, it’s contrast becomes very evident.

Some years back, I also operated in the kingdom of this world. Even though, it was a few years ago, I still remember what it was like. I remember the influence of the world and how it can take you for a ride very quickly. After a while you become so engrossed in it, you don’t even know that it has you by the tale and it’s swinging you around and around.

Now I am talking about having a walk with God in The Spirit. Knowing and operating in His Spirit. Hearing from Him. Obeying Him. Living for Him. Not just a profession of being a church going Christian, but a life that is controlled by The Spirit. The majority of your day is consumed by His Spirit.

Having a life like this, and then falling back into the realm of the world. It’s possible, believe me! I have been there. I have known others also that have gone the same way.

This is Satan’s trap for the believer. What did Satan temp Jesus with? “I will give you the kingdoms of this world”

It’s so deceiving. Why? Because you will not even know that you have been took. You have been lulled asleep. Only (hopefully) to wake up and be shocked one day as to how far you have drifted into the realm of this world.

Now here is the real shocking part. Are you ready for this? YOU ARE EITHER IN ONE KINGDOM OR THE OTHER AT THIS PRESENT MOMENT IN TIME. I said “moment” in time.
That’s it. It is a moment by moment decision to chose to operate in God’s Kingdom or this world’s kingdom (which is Satan’s kingdom).

Each morning you are blessed with another day, is a day to chose to be led by His Spirit. Then as you go through out the day, you are going to have to chose. And guess where it all starts? IN THE MIND. THE BATTLE FIELD. This is where Satan starts his bid to get us to go back to the world and it’s way of thinking.

If Satan gets you thinking worldly, acting worldly, then guess what, you been seduced. No longer being led by God’s Spirit. No longer having every thought tried by The Spirit. You can get to a place after awhile, that your conscience won’t even be pricked. If that’s the case, then hardening has taking place.

The only hope then, is for God to pour out His love in a way that will bring you back to your spiritual senses. It may take some tough stuff to bring you back, but in the end it will be well worth it. We have eternity to gain!

Well, it a good time to take spiritual inventory of your own spiritual condition. We can no longer blame someone or something else for our state.

And as the magnifying glass of God’s Spirit falls upon us, where do we stand? Which kingdom do we presently (this moment) abide in? Forget 20 years ago when you went up to the altar and gave God your all. In the balance of this moment, it doesn’t matter. Where are you now? Where has the majority of you thoughts been today? What about you actions? Your speech today at work? These all tell us where your heart is. Which kingdom it is in? One or the other.

It’s not too late to repent of following this world and it’s ways. Today is The Day of Salvation. Salvation from the realm of this world, from Satan’s kingdom.
Amen.

Treating the Blood as a “cheap thing”

“For there is no longer any sacrifice that will take away sins if we purposely go on sinning after the truth has been made known to us.”

“Instead, all that is left is to wait in fear for the coming Judgment and the fierce fire which will destroy those who oppose God! Anyone who disobeys the Law of Moses is put to death without any mercy when judged guilty from the evidence of two or more witnesses.”

“What then, of those who despise the Son of God? Who treat as a cheap thing the blood of God’s covenant which purified them from sin? Who insult the Spirit of grace? Just think how much worse is the punishment they will deserve!”

“For we know who said, “I will take revenge, I will repay;” and who also said, “The Lord will judge his people. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!”
(Hebrews 10:26-31, Good news translation)

Pretty strong scriptures aren’t they? But truth, never the less.

The conditional “If’s”

God’s word is chucked full of them. Here are just a few to take to heart.

“Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard,” Why? “unless we drift away” or “at any time we should let them slip.”
“For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we (us) escape if we neglect so great a salvation,” (?) (Heb.2:1-3)
“But Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” (Heb.3:6)
“Beware (take heed), brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;” (this is written to believers, brethren)
“but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today”, Why? “lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin,”
“For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.”

It does matter how we start, but most importantly it’s how we finish.
May God help us all. We are in a battle for our eternal soul.

Getting our eyes off Jesus

Give it one or two weeks of losing our focus on Jesus, and then we will drift off course into a land filled with deceit and lies from the enemy. He knows that a little drifting away, a little compromise, is all it takes to set the hook. Once the hook is set, Satan begins the long hard road of reeling you into a land that you would have wished that you would have never visited. At first he doesn’t show you upfront all the pain and suffering. He sugar coats it so it is enticing and tastes good. It also looks good at first. It was the same in the garden, and it’s no different now. He’s just a little smarter.

Satan knows that the world has all the attraction that one needs to turn away from God. A little dose here and there is how it starts. Given enough time, we would be shocked at how far we had come down the road that leads to never never land.

If Satan offered Jesus in the hour of temptation, the kingdoms of the world, what makes us think that we would not be offered the world? Don’t think for one minute, that he won’t offer us the world and all that goes with it. It has always been the downfall of many and it will always be so.

Other gods and idols creep into our hearts at a moments notice. It can be so subtle. One inch backwards times 12 days equals 1 foot backwards in a week. One foot times 52 weeks equals 52 feet in one year. When we have gone that far, it would take some kind of vision enhancement for us to see Jesus again. God is able, but it won’t be without cost and it won’t be easy. When we have gone astray, the road back can be long and difficult. But once repentance has been granted, the grace follows.

Sin has it’s consequences. Our actions have consequences. When you know that you are drifting into the world and your focus is no longer what it was once was, it is best to drop to your knees sooner than later. The longer we go down the road of disobedience, the more God pours out his love to try and win us back. It is important to note that His love works and operates in ways that are not always easy to experience or understand.

A lot of times his love comes in the form of a big wake up call. I hear the yells, “Why me?” “Why did this have to happen to me?” We must remember that He sees all of eternity. To Him, what’s a shake up in your life if you turn back to Him? Nothing in the scope of things.

So if you have gotten off track with God, it’s not too late to turn and repent. It takes real repentance for forgiveness to work.

…”let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;”

May God bless the hearers.