A measure of death (part 1)

I opened the window and yelled, “don’t do it, the wages of sin is death!”

I had just got off the train and went to the usual area to catch the bus to go home. I went down through the crowd passing out the “why do you need Jesus” cards. I then noticed a girl down at the end trying to give herself to this guy. She was loud and trying to seduce him to go somewhere with her.

We boarded the bus and I sat in my usual spot in the back. At this time, I noticed that she had sat up towards the front and that she was sitting with a different guy. I knew who this guy was having talked with him on several occasions before about Christ. He is the one that has torn up my tracts every time I have offered them to him. In recent months, I have not offered them to him because of it.

Sure enough this time it was no different. I figured it had been months since he has received one, so I gave it to him and he tore it up right before he got on the bus. As he did, I said to him, “make sure you put it in the trash or you will be littering”. He walked over and did put it in the can. This was the first time he has. All the other times he just threw them on the ground and I would bend over and pick them up.

So this “tract tare upper” was the one who was falling for this girl. We in the back of the bus were watching and soon she got up and sat in the seat in front of him. The deal was over for some reason.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that when I was boarding the bus, I walked passed her and she grabbed my hand and tried to pull me into her seat. God grace was sufficient and I quickly pulled it back and proceeded to the back of the bus.

Now the guy who she was originally after, was sitting across me as we proceeded down the road. He was talking so much about her and what was taking place, that I had just a few times to mention to him about sin and the consequences. He knew well what I was talking about. I also had talked with him before.

The bus came to the first stop at a local mall. The girl got up and asked him to come with her. I said, “don’t do it”. He smiled and said that this was his stop to get off on. I watched him through the window as he was talking to the girl. She was again trying to seduce him to take off with her.

I couldn’t help it as I watched this taking place. My heart was not wanting to see him go with her. He had told me on the bus how he had a wife and kids at home and that he knew better. Now she was trying to set the hook.

I slid open the bus window and yelled out, “Don’t do it!” “Remember that the wages of sin is death!”
He paused for a moment and then removed his hand from hers. The battle had been won. She cussed and walked off, flipping him off as she walked across the parking lot.

Praise God, another soul was saved from committing sin that day. While the chances were good that he probably would not have fallen over dead after committing that sin, but for sure “A measure of death” would have taken place within him.

Stay tuned for part 2, when I discuss what I am talking about in “a measure of death”.

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

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.

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.