Day: May 24, 2019

This is a subject that not many preachers talk about. I will attempt to bring this subject to light so that even a non-believer will understand. God stated in Isaiah 45:22–23: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself the word is gone out of my mouth, in righteousness, and shall not return. That unto to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” Looking at these scriptures, God is telling us He is the only God.

You may say that this a bold statement. Well, it is! Who are we to question what God has told us? We are His creation. Yes, there are those who don’t believe this, but God has given us the Word and it will not come back void. God is righteous, and we need to listen to what He has told us. Though this is Old Testament, it is still the Word of God. We are to read both the Old and New Testaments. We may not live under Old Testament law, but that doesn’t mean that we should disregard it.

God also told us to look unto Him for salvation, He said, “Be ye saved.” In the beginning, He was the source of salvation. Since then, He sent Jesus into the world by which we are saved. Jesus told us that He is the only way to God. God has provided the way; all we need do is to accept His way for eternal life.

Why is it so difficult for us to understand what God is telling us? Satan has blinded the spiritual eyes of many people. He has lied throughout time to deceive many people. Satan tells people that there is no God, and when you hear a lie repeatedly you begin to believe it. He tells people that there is no afterlife. There is an afterlife, and you will spend it somewhere. You will either spend it with God or separated from Him.

Some preachers have gotten away from preaching a true salvation message by preaching a “feel-good” message. These types of messages are leading people astray. The church needs to get back to the old-fashioned way of presenting God’s Word.  God loves and cares for each one of us very much. If that were not true, He would not have sent Jesus to us. Read John 3:16. Preach a message that people can understand. Today’s church settings are too much like a social club. When I was growing up, people would go down and kneel to pray and ask for God to heal them. There doesn’t seem to be much of that these days. Satan has gotten his hands in the church and has presented his style of service.

Hebrews7:7–11 states: “Wherefore (as the Holy ghost saith, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So, I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest).”

These scriptures are almost the exact same words that you will see in Psalms 95:7–11. Why do you suppose God did that? I think that He wanted to get our attention and make sure that He got the message across. Don’t harden your hearts. Listen to God and the Holy Ghost. Don’t tempt God. Look for God’s mighty works. Allow Him to come into your life through Jesus.

To those who don’t believe and to those who claimto be a Christian, I want to remind you what God said in Isaiah, “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.” Philippians 2:9–11 states: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him [Jesus], and given Him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God.”

We will all do that someday. This will include all non-believers, and Satan as well. That day is coming, so you may as well get ready. We will confess Jesus as Lord … like it or not. If you are not a Christian, I would like to invite you to ask Jesus into your life by asking Him to forgive you of your sins.

What does forgiveness mean? The dictionary defines it this way: forgiving or being forgiven, inclination to forgive or pardon. Let’s see what God’s Word says. In Psalm 32:1–2 we read, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not inquity and in whose spirit there is no guile.”

I could stop, there but let’s see what else God’s Word says.

First, do you like to be blessed? God says, “Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven.” I don’t know about you, but I want all of God’s blessing. Jesus taught in Matthew 18:21–22: “Peter went to Him and said, Lord how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.” Doing the math, that equals 490 times. We sometimes have a problem with forgiving someone just one time, but Jesus said to forgive them 490 times—in other words, a continual forgiveness. No matter how often someone may offend us, Jesus said to forgive them. Then in verse: 35, Jesus says: “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.”

When we tell someone that we forgive them, mean it. Be sincere, be kind, and most of all do it in love. God loves us and is sincere when He forgives us of our sins. How so? He sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but through Him we would be saved. We cannot obtain forgiveness by anything that we do; it is by love and acceptance of Jesus as Lord. Our works cannot save us. It’s our faith in Jesus that saves us.

By nature, we want to get revenge on someone who has mistreated us. Jesus said if someone smites us, we are to turn the other cheek. By our nature, we want to hold onto grudges and let things fester until we become even more bitter. By holding onto these feelings, it causes us to move farther away from Him. In these last days, we need to draw closer to Him. Hebrews 12:14–15, states: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.”

We need to understand what bitterness and unforgiveness means. It is a trait of the ungodly. Hebrews 10:30 says, “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.” The Lord says He shall judge His people. God made it very clear by telling us that He—and He alone—takes vengeance. He is the only one who can judge.

When someone has transgressed against us, don’t hold it over their head. Do your best to let it go and move on. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” I realize that forgiving someone goes against our very being, but we need to lay aside our human feelings and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us.

In Romans 8:1 we read, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.” This confirms what I have been saying: We are not to condemn people, but to forgive them. Act like Christians by following the examples that Christ has set out for us. Forgive as God has forgiven. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

If you have not invited Jesus into your life, why not do so now? He is ready and willing to forgive you of your sins. If Jesus will forgive you, then you and I need to forgive people who have transgressed against us. Will it be easy? Probably not, but with the Lord’s help we can learn to have that forgiving heart that He wants us to have.

Without Jesus’ forgiveness, we will not spend eternity with Him.

When we die and stand before the Lord, there will be two phrases that could will hear. One will be, “enter in,  well done thou good and faithful servant”; the other one will be, “depart from me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21).

Jesus states: “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” That statement is clear. Some may think just because you say “Lord,” it automatically grants you entrance into Heaven. This is where we miss the mark. Just saying, “Lord, Lord,” doesn’t save us.

In verse: 22, Jesus further states, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” But when we do these things, do we do them for selfish reasons? Do we do them so people will look at us and say, “Look at what he did.” What is the real reason that we do these things in the name of the Lord?

We should do these things to further the Kingdom of God; it should not be for any personal gain. When we do the work of God, it should be with humility and love. If you are doing God’s work for any type of admiration, then stop, repent, and ask God to forgive you.

In verse 23 Jesus said, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” The dictionary defines iniquity this way: lack of righteousness or justice; wickedness—in other words, people who have evil tendencies, false teachers, people who reject God’s Word in favor of their own ideas.

If you are in a church that is all show, leave and find a church that preaches and teaches God’s word. God wants us to do His will. What is God’s will? It is anything that God wants us to do for Him. As an example, it is God’s will that we would be saved. God doesn’t want any of us to go to Hell. He wants us to be with Him. First John 3:22 says, “… and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” If anyone tells you that we don’t have to obey God’s commandments, he is a liar and there is no truth in him.

Another example of God’s will: we are commanded to believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and to love one another, as He gave us commandment. By doing these simple things, when we die we will hear, “Enter in thou good and faithful servant.” I want to hear these words. Do you?

God trusts us to follow Him and accept Jesus as Savior. I want to be known of God when I take my last breath. How can you be sure to hear those words? We all need to recognize that we are sinners and have come short of the glory of God.

Invite Jesus into your life and make Him Lord of your life. Live a godly life. Tell others about Jesus. Read the Bible. Love God more than anything that this world offers. Jesus said in Mark 12:30, “… and thou shalt love the Lord thy god with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

In 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul says upon his death, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” When you approach death, will you be able to say these words? Someday we all will finish our course, and I pray that you will be able to say the same. I have given you several thoughts on how to hear the words, “Enter in.”

A warning to those who continue to reject God’s Word and reject Jesus. You won’t hear, “Enter in.” You will hear Jesus say, “Depart from me; I never knew you.” What a sad day that will be for those who hear those words. It means that you will be cast into Hell to be forever separated from God.

The choice is ours to make—no one can make the choice for us. What will you hear when you die? If you are not a Christian, then simply pray and ask God to forgive you of your sins and accept Jesus as Savior.

What is armor? The dictionary defines it this way: covering worn to protect the body against weapons. In this day of modern warfare, armor is still worn. Here is the difference between the armor of God and armor worn today. God’s armor is spiritual; modern armor is physical. Ephesians 6:11 states, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” What does wiles mean? Wiles simply put means what the devil may be throwing at us. Satan uses all kinds of strategy in order to deceive us.

Verse: 12 states, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” We are in a spiritual battle. Satan throws things at us in order to trip us up. Our battle is against Satan and his forces. Often, we can’t see the fiery darts being cast at us. We are battling the spiritual world. We sometimes forget just how much power Satan has. We tend to laugh it off. Don’t take anything lightly.

We need to understand what Satan is trying to do. Satan is the darkness that God is warning us about. He rules the dark side. Have you noticed how wicked the world is becoming? Evil is all around us. Just read and listen to the news. Death and destruction are getting worse. Look at what politicians are promoting. Killing babies that have been born alive. There is no shame these days; moral standards have been discarded—anything goes. Legalizing marijuana is just part of the problem.

These are just a few of the wicked darts that Satan is throwing at us. That is why it is so important for us to be able to protect ourselves against the wiles of the devil. It is so important for Christians to be aware of Satan and his demonic tricks. Second Corinthians 10:3 states, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.” Paul is telling us even though we are still in the flesh, he reminds us that our war is spiritual. When we listen to the Holy Spirit, He will guide us in the direction that we need to go. This will enable us to pull down the stronghold of Satan.

First Peter 5:8, states that the devil is like a “roaring lion” seeking to devour. If we don’t put on our spiritual armor, we will be subject to the darts Satan throws at us. Ephesians 6:13, states, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Notice it says “the whole armour of God,” not just pieces of it. God wants us to be fully protected.

The first part of God’s armor is to have our loins girt about with truth, meaning that the truth is God’s Word, and we need to use it against Satan. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. Truth hurts him. The old saying that truth hurts is accurate. He can’t stand the truth.

The second part of God’s armor is the breastplate of righteousness. When we wear a breastplate, it protects our heart and lungs. Without these organs, we will die. The Bible stands for righteousness, because God is righteous.

The third part of God’s armor is to have our feet shod with preparation of the gospel of peace. When our feet are protected, it gives us the ability to move quickly in any direction that God wants us to move. Satan doesn’t like good news. He wants us to hear only bad news, which causes despair. Use the gospel against him.

Verse 16 states, “Above all taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” This is the fourth part of God’s armor. A shield will deflect Satan’s tricks. We must have faith in God and His word.

Verse 17 states: “And take the helmet of salvation. …” A helmet will protect our minds from evil thoughts and will help us in our walk with God by keeping our thoughts pure. Put on your helmet. This is the fifth part of God’s armor.

Verse 17 continues, “… and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.” The Bible is our sword. Use it to quote scriptures. This is the sixth part of God’s armor. Jesus quoted scripture when he was tempted by Satan.

The seventh part of God’s armor is found in verse 18, which states, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Prayer is our direct line of communication to God. It is unseen, but it is powerful. That is why it is so important for us to pray.

These scriptures are God’s battle plan for us. So put on the whole armor of God. There is one part of the God’s armor that isn’t mentioned. God did not provide the back. Why? There are two reasons: the first is that God wants us to keep going forward, never retreating. The second is that God has our back.

If you are not a Christian, Satan will have his way with you. If you want God’s protection, there is a way. His name is Jesus. We were never promised that bad times would not come our way. But with Jesus, we have a better chance to withstand Satan and his tricks. Invite Jesus into your life and begin to live for Him. Don’t give Satan any more ground.