Truth number #1: We have been raped of the Presence of God - “And he said unto him; if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” (Exodus 33:15).
Why was the presence of God so vital to Moses?
Satan knew that in God’s presence is fullness of joy…peace…righteousness. In his presence is the power to cast out devils, heal the sick, raise the dead, and preach the Gospel with conviction. Satan’s hybrid truth (lie) was very subtle. Somewhere down the line he caused us to stop pursuing God’s presence through prayer and fasting - like a thirsty deer, searching for water. Sadly, we have replaced seeking God’s presence with seeking God’s provision. Instead of seeking God’s face, we are seeking God’s hand.
Chapter 21 in the Gospel of John records that, after the resurrection of Jesus, Peter decides to go fishing. He and the disciples then spent the entire night at sea without catching any fish. The morning of the next day, Jesus appears on the sea bank and asked if the men had caught any fish. The disciples were still at sea and not aware that it was Jesus who spoke to them. Jesus then instructs them to, “Cast your net on the right side of the ship, and you will find.” The nets were filled to the breaking point with fish. The Lord had over and abundantly met and provided what Peter had so diligently sought for all night. But, upon realizing it was the Lord, Peter decided he would rather be with the Provider than to remain with the provision. He dives into the water, swims to Jesus, and when he arrives on the shore; his reward is not only Jesus, but fish, cleaned, cooked, and ready to eat as well.
The key principle we have lost down through the ages is this - when your true motivation for seeking God is that you may know him more intimately each day than you did the day before, you not only gain the provider, but the provision as well - “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Luke 12: 29-31).
Turn on the TV today, and you will see many false preachers proclaiming a false gospel of prosperity, where the goal is the provision. When you set your heart on focusing on the blessings of God, instead of wanting his presence and loving him, your motive becomes selfish and self-centered. Your gospel then becomes one where God ministers to you as opposed to you ministering to him.
Satan has raped this truth from the body of Christ. He knows that the presence of God is all we truly need.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
THE RAPE OF THE CHURCH
Imagine if you will a picture of a woman walking down a busy street. At first, there is nothing significant about this scenario; but upon closer inspection, you discover there is something terribly wrong with this woman. Her clothes are disheveled, she has been beaten, and bruises cover her body, barely concealed by the tattered clothing, now hanging like rags. With horror, you realize…this woman has been savagely raped, close to death….but she is not dead.
If this were not enough, the picture becomes even more appalling. This woman, an obvious victim of rape, stripped of all dignity and self worth, should be crying… mourning…at the realization that everything she holds dear in life has been violently torn from her. But she is not crying at all. On the contrary, she is laughing, talking boisterously, having a good time as she passes others along the street. It is tragic enough that she has been raped; but even worse is the fact she is oblivious to the situation!
You might ask, “How can this be”? How could a woman who has been beaten, horribly raped and left for dead, not be aware such a thing has happened to her? How could she not feel the pain and the shame of such a crime committed against her body and soul? “That’s impossible,” you exclaim!
But I propose to you that this is not a picture of some obscure woman on the road, but of the condition of the church of Jesus Christ today!
How could we attribute such an atrocity as rape to describe the condition of the Body of Christ?
Satan, thru evil deception, has infiltrated the church and literally raped us of “key” truths of God that once empowered the church to change the face of the earth. The bible declares a spiritual truth, unchanging with time - “Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines: for our vines [have] tender grapes.” (Song of Solomon 2:15).This scripture reveals that it doesn’t take one powerful evil event, easily observed and avoided, to cause such a dramatic change. But, over the course of hundreds of years, Satan has slipped in half-truths, bits of false doctrine, enlisting hirelings (false preachers and prophets), weaving into the foundational fabric of the gospel…lies, making the truth of no effect.
The magic of these hirelings and their half-truths have done their damage…and the result?
Instead of preaching that brings conviction and healing, we have powerless ministers, unable to move the smallest mountain in our lives. We come to church bound by sin, and leave grateful that, once again, we have escaped the conviction of God. Attacked by cancer and disease, we run to altars that don’t possess enough anointing to change one cell in our bodies. Young adults and children come to church, receiving more out of a godless rock concert than our worship services, leaving unchanged. Preachers walk into the pulpit on Sunday, and log on to their pornography on Monday. Deacons usher the elderly in on Wednesday, and cheat on their spouses the rest of the week.
Have we not been raped?
We now have an all too common instance of children killing one another in school shootings and drive-by massacres. The suicide rate has risen steadily to alarming numbers for the last fifty years. Out of 100,000 children, between the ages of 10-14, 10,000 will commit suicide this year alone.
The number of babies murdered by abortion has grown to a staggering number. Approximately 3,700 babies will die today; 42 million this year in the name of convenience. How many prophets like Samuel, how many evangelists like Billy Graham have been killed, while we, the church, hide in our doctrine in apathy and do nothing?
Sunday mornings find Christians isolated in air conditioned buildings, sitting on padded pews, while false cults bearing the name of Christianity go from door to door, ensnaring the masses with false doctrine, wrapped up in packages of concern for their soul, not knowing they are actually adding soldiers to Satan’s army.
Have we not been raped?
The church was placed here to make a difference on this earth. To influence a change and stand in the gap for a world that is sending itself to Hell by the lies and half truths that it believes are right. Jesus Christ stated, “Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth, I am not come to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). Jesus did not mean for us to be a passive, weak-kneed alliance of people, only coming together in the name of a religious social club. He suffered unto blood and died, then rose again with “The keys of Death and of Hell” (Revelation 1:8). We were given POWER and a mandate to be witnesses on this earth and stand against Satan and his attempts to kill, steal and destroy. We are to be a militant force for Jesus Christ, reaching one hand into Hell, the other into Heaven, a bastion of hope in a world engulfed in darkness, making a difference in the lives of the men, women and children on this planet.
The book of Acts records the actions of the very first church. An example of how the church is to function. The bible states that they sold their possessions and evenly gave to all in need so none lacked in any necessity. They had all things common, were of one mind and one speech, one vision, continuing in the apostles teaching and preaching. They not only heard the word, but believed it and demonstrated it daily in their lives. As they did this, God gave them great power to witness unto the name of Jesus, signs and wonders and diverse miracles being performed. People were healed of all diseases by just the mere shadow of the apostles. Thousands of souls were being added to the church daily. Demons, by the hundreds, were cast out of people, delivering them from bondage. Is this happening in the church today?
Have we not been raped?
By the preponderance of the evidence, compared to the church of Acts, you can see how far we have fallen. The very fact that this is taking you by surprise and shock should let you know how much truth has been robbed and raped from our pulpits. Scripture records this powerful truth, “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (1st Corinthians 5:6). What a powerful truth this is! It is declaring that no matter how much truth is contained in a doctrine, church creed, or denomination, if a little leaven (false doctrine) or lie is mixed in, the whole lump will be contaminated, resulting in a poison that will lead your soul down a road of destruction, and eventually out of the will and presence of God.
Just because a church confesses they believe in God, doesn’t mean they are a church preaching the truth, anointed to save souls, and setting the captive free. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the lord” (Luke 4:18). Then after he ascended he gave this same spirit and power to the church, commanding them to, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). This charge never lifted because Peter, James and John died. This is meant to be the heritage of the Saints living and breathing, able to make a change in this world now.
Satan’s first reaction was a full-frontal assault against the body of Christ. However, this method of persecution only strengthened the church. It has since been the objective of Satan to destroy the truth subtly. He began mixing the truth with lies - creating a hybrid truth that was powerless, sinful in nature; therefore, killing the power of the real truth. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
If absolute truth doesn’t matter, if it has no power and anointing in it, then Satan would not have spent so much time, patience, and effort raping the church of the main truths that has left the body of Christ in the powerless, ineffective state it is now in.
(TOMORROW: WE WILL TALK ABOUT 3 TRUTHS WE HAVE BEEN RAPED OF....)
If this were not enough, the picture becomes even more appalling. This woman, an obvious victim of rape, stripped of all dignity and self worth, should be crying… mourning…at the realization that everything she holds dear in life has been violently torn from her. But she is not crying at all. On the contrary, she is laughing, talking boisterously, having a good time as she passes others along the street. It is tragic enough that she has been raped; but even worse is the fact she is oblivious to the situation!
You might ask, “How can this be”? How could a woman who has been beaten, horribly raped and left for dead, not be aware such a thing has happened to her? How could she not feel the pain and the shame of such a crime committed against her body and soul? “That’s impossible,” you exclaim!
But I propose to you that this is not a picture of some obscure woman on the road, but of the condition of the church of Jesus Christ today!
How could we attribute such an atrocity as rape to describe the condition of the Body of Christ?
Satan, thru evil deception, has infiltrated the church and literally raped us of “key” truths of God that once empowered the church to change the face of the earth. The bible declares a spiritual truth, unchanging with time - “Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines: for our vines [have] tender grapes.” (Song of Solomon 2:15).This scripture reveals that it doesn’t take one powerful evil event, easily observed and avoided, to cause such a dramatic change. But, over the course of hundreds of years, Satan has slipped in half-truths, bits of false doctrine, enlisting hirelings (false preachers and prophets), weaving into the foundational fabric of the gospel…lies, making the truth of no effect.
The magic of these hirelings and their half-truths have done their damage…and the result?
Instead of preaching that brings conviction and healing, we have powerless ministers, unable to move the smallest mountain in our lives. We come to church bound by sin, and leave grateful that, once again, we have escaped the conviction of God. Attacked by cancer and disease, we run to altars that don’t possess enough anointing to change one cell in our bodies. Young adults and children come to church, receiving more out of a godless rock concert than our worship services, leaving unchanged. Preachers walk into the pulpit on Sunday, and log on to their pornography on Monday. Deacons usher the elderly in on Wednesday, and cheat on their spouses the rest of the week.
Have we not been raped?
We now have an all too common instance of children killing one another in school shootings and drive-by massacres. The suicide rate has risen steadily to alarming numbers for the last fifty years. Out of 100,000 children, between the ages of 10-14, 10,000 will commit suicide this year alone.
The number of babies murdered by abortion has grown to a staggering number. Approximately 3,700 babies will die today; 42 million this year in the name of convenience. How many prophets like Samuel, how many evangelists like Billy Graham have been killed, while we, the church, hide in our doctrine in apathy and do nothing?
Sunday mornings find Christians isolated in air conditioned buildings, sitting on padded pews, while false cults bearing the name of Christianity go from door to door, ensnaring the masses with false doctrine, wrapped up in packages of concern for their soul, not knowing they are actually adding soldiers to Satan’s army.
Have we not been raped?
The church was placed here to make a difference on this earth. To influence a change and stand in the gap for a world that is sending itself to Hell by the lies and half truths that it believes are right. Jesus Christ stated, “Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth, I am not come to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). Jesus did not mean for us to be a passive, weak-kneed alliance of people, only coming together in the name of a religious social club. He suffered unto blood and died, then rose again with “The keys of Death and of Hell” (Revelation 1:8). We were given POWER and a mandate to be witnesses on this earth and stand against Satan and his attempts to kill, steal and destroy. We are to be a militant force for Jesus Christ, reaching one hand into Hell, the other into Heaven, a bastion of hope in a world engulfed in darkness, making a difference in the lives of the men, women and children on this planet.
The book of Acts records the actions of the very first church. An example of how the church is to function. The bible states that they sold their possessions and evenly gave to all in need so none lacked in any necessity. They had all things common, were of one mind and one speech, one vision, continuing in the apostles teaching and preaching. They not only heard the word, but believed it and demonstrated it daily in their lives. As they did this, God gave them great power to witness unto the name of Jesus, signs and wonders and diverse miracles being performed. People were healed of all diseases by just the mere shadow of the apostles. Thousands of souls were being added to the church daily. Demons, by the hundreds, were cast out of people, delivering them from bondage. Is this happening in the church today?
Have we not been raped?
By the preponderance of the evidence, compared to the church of Acts, you can see how far we have fallen. The very fact that this is taking you by surprise and shock should let you know how much truth has been robbed and raped from our pulpits. Scripture records this powerful truth, “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (1st Corinthians 5:6). What a powerful truth this is! It is declaring that no matter how much truth is contained in a doctrine, church creed, or denomination, if a little leaven (false doctrine) or lie is mixed in, the whole lump will be contaminated, resulting in a poison that will lead your soul down a road of destruction, and eventually out of the will and presence of God.
Just because a church confesses they believe in God, doesn’t mean they are a church preaching the truth, anointed to save souls, and setting the captive free. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the lord” (Luke 4:18). Then after he ascended he gave this same spirit and power to the church, commanding them to, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). This charge never lifted because Peter, James and John died. This is meant to be the heritage of the Saints living and breathing, able to make a change in this world now.
Satan’s first reaction was a full-frontal assault against the body of Christ. However, this method of persecution only strengthened the church. It has since been the objective of Satan to destroy the truth subtly. He began mixing the truth with lies - creating a hybrid truth that was powerless, sinful in nature; therefore, killing the power of the real truth. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
If absolute truth doesn’t matter, if it has no power and anointing in it, then Satan would not have spent so much time, patience, and effort raping the church of the main truths that has left the body of Christ in the powerless, ineffective state it is now in.
(TOMORROW: WE WILL TALK ABOUT 3 TRUTHS WE HAVE BEEN RAPED OF....)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
THE LORD KNEW YOU BEFORE TIME
The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills I was brought forth; While as yet He had not made the earth or the files, or the primeval dust of the world. (Proverbs 8:22-26)
It’s difficult for us to understand what Solomon means when He said the Lord knew him before time. I believe He means, God knew him. He knew who he would be and what he would become one day.
Well, if we can draw any conclusions from this, then we would have to say God knew you and He knew me before time.
You see, most people believe things happen by accident. We turned out the way we did by some quirk of fate. It’s like God had no hand in our lives at all from the beginning to the end.
Let me ask you this question: Do you believe God knew Peter, before He chose Peter? Or how about this question: Do you believe God knew Saul, before he became Paul? Or how about David? Did He know David would eventually become king of Israel?
Certainly, the Word says there would be a betrayer to Christ. And Judas, was he birthed to betray Christ? Was his life doomed from the beginning or did something happen in his life that made him eventually betray Christ?
You see questions like these abound. Some say it’s our choices that got us where we are today. Other say God made us the way we are and He knows every step we will make before we make it. And He guides our steps and orders them daily.
Did God know Hitler, before Hitler’s birth? Did He preserve Hitler to be the evil person he became? Did Hitler have no choice in the matter? Was this God’s plan to force people back to Israel and establish their own nation?
Lots of questions to ponder. Think of some of Daniel’s predictions. He certainly predicted Alexander the Great. He even predicted his empire would eventually be divided into four separated areas. He predicted the rise of the Roman Empire and yes, even the coming of the anti-Christ. So, as you can see, God uses evil to make good take place.
Did God know Pontius Pilate before his birth? Did he birth him to sentence His only begotten Son one day? What did Pilate do that placed him over the people at that particular time?
We remember the two sons, Jacob and Esau. Esau came out of the womb before Jacob, yet Jacob received the blessings. Even before their birth, God determined this. The Word says Jacob He loved and Esau He hated.
God’s Word then says in Romans 10:15Romans 10:15English: King James Version (1611) - KJV15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
WP-Bible plugin, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” He continues by saying it has nothing to do with what we choose to do or the work we do. It has everything to do with His mercy.
Look what King Saul did and what David did? Who sinned worse in the eyes of man? Certainly, David did. Yet, David received mercy and Saul did not. He lost his kingdom.
In Romans 10:21Romans 10:21English: King James Version (1611) - KJV21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
WP-Bible plugin, the Word says, “Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessels for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make know the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory?”
The Word continues by comparingvthe Jews and Gentiles. It also compared Esau and Jacob. So God can raise people and nations for His glory. He can also raise evil to bring about His glory and honor.
It’s difficult for us to understand God’s ways. I guess this is why He is God and we are not. His thoughts are eternal, while ours are finite. His ways are not our ways. If you think about all He planned for us, before time, and brought it about, it is a miracle. He already planned Christ’s line before time. And by His mighty hand He preserved it for 4,000r 4,000English: King James Version (1611) - KJVŠtetje svetopisemskih vrstic se za?ne z 1! Vrstica 0 ne obstaja!
WP-Bible pluginyears. Think about all the individuals in the line and how God had to preserve every person. For if one of them would have died, the Lord would not have come to earth.
Well, what’s my point? My point is this, God preserved you and He brought you to Himself. He drew you to Him, by the Holy Spirit. We’re not talking about just anybody. We’re talking about the One who formed the sun, the moon and the stars. The One who breathed life into man. The One who knows your coming and going. Yes, He knew you before time. And His mercy proves His love for you. And if you are going through a difficult period, this does not surprise Him. He is God. So, the same God who preserved Christ’s entire line, is the same God who can preserve you through the difficult times. Just call on Him. He had mercy enough to save you, does He not have mercy enough to preserve you?
By Lynn Sheldon
It’s difficult for us to understand what Solomon means when He said the Lord knew him before time. I believe He means, God knew him. He knew who he would be and what he would become one day.
Well, if we can draw any conclusions from this, then we would have to say God knew you and He knew me before time.
You see, most people believe things happen by accident. We turned out the way we did by some quirk of fate. It’s like God had no hand in our lives at all from the beginning to the end.
Let me ask you this question: Do you believe God knew Peter, before He chose Peter? Or how about this question: Do you believe God knew Saul, before he became Paul? Or how about David? Did He know David would eventually become king of Israel?
Certainly, the Word says there would be a betrayer to Christ. And Judas, was he birthed to betray Christ? Was his life doomed from the beginning or did something happen in his life that made him eventually betray Christ?
You see questions like these abound. Some say it’s our choices that got us where we are today. Other say God made us the way we are and He knows every step we will make before we make it. And He guides our steps and orders them daily.
Did God know Hitler, before Hitler’s birth? Did He preserve Hitler to be the evil person he became? Did Hitler have no choice in the matter? Was this God’s plan to force people back to Israel and establish their own nation?
Lots of questions to ponder. Think of some of Daniel’s predictions. He certainly predicted Alexander the Great. He even predicted his empire would eventually be divided into four separated areas. He predicted the rise of the Roman Empire and yes, even the coming of the anti-Christ. So, as you can see, God uses evil to make good take place.
Did God know Pontius Pilate before his birth? Did he birth him to sentence His only begotten Son one day? What did Pilate do that placed him over the people at that particular time?
We remember the two sons, Jacob and Esau. Esau came out of the womb before Jacob, yet Jacob received the blessings. Even before their birth, God determined this. The Word says Jacob He loved and Esau He hated.
God’s Word then says in Romans 10:15Romans 10:15English: King James Version (1611) - KJV15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
WP-Bible plugin, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” He continues by saying it has nothing to do with what we choose to do or the work we do. It has everything to do with His mercy.
Look what King Saul did and what David did? Who sinned worse in the eyes of man? Certainly, David did. Yet, David received mercy and Saul did not. He lost his kingdom.
In Romans 10:21Romans 10:21English: King James Version (1611) - KJV21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
WP-Bible plugin, the Word says, “Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessels for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make know the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory?”
The Word continues by comparingvthe Jews and Gentiles. It also compared Esau and Jacob. So God can raise people and nations for His glory. He can also raise evil to bring about His glory and honor.
It’s difficult for us to understand God’s ways. I guess this is why He is God and we are not. His thoughts are eternal, while ours are finite. His ways are not our ways. If you think about all He planned for us, before time, and brought it about, it is a miracle. He already planned Christ’s line before time. And by His mighty hand He preserved it for 4,000r 4,000English: King James Version (1611) - KJVŠtetje svetopisemskih vrstic se za?ne z 1! Vrstica 0 ne obstaja!
WP-Bible pluginyears. Think about all the individuals in the line and how God had to preserve every person. For if one of them would have died, the Lord would not have come to earth.
Well, what’s my point? My point is this, God preserved you and He brought you to Himself. He drew you to Him, by the Holy Spirit. We’re not talking about just anybody. We’re talking about the One who formed the sun, the moon and the stars. The One who breathed life into man. The One who knows your coming and going. Yes, He knew you before time. And His mercy proves His love for you. And if you are going through a difficult period, this does not surprise Him. He is God. So, the same God who preserved Christ’s entire line, is the same God who can preserve you through the difficult times. Just call on Him. He had mercy enough to save you, does He not have mercy enough to preserve you?
By Lynn Sheldon
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
THE GREAT TRAP OF SATAN
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (MATTHEW 6: 14-15)
We have put so much emphasis on the “big sins” in church today. We make sure we preach on adultery, fornication (the sex sins), stealing, etc. We are quick to judge such a one a fallen brother and a bad person. But recently, the Spirit of God has begun to show me, even in my own life, how we have committed a crime much worse than these. I am going to make a bold statement here: I SEE MORE PEOPLE MISSING OUT ON HEAVEN BECAUSE OF THIS SIN, THAN ANY OTHER MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE!
Yes, there will be forgiven adulterers, fornicators, prostitutes, cheaters, liars, and such the like in Heaven. But those who hate their brother, those who hold grudges or contempt for any reason, and do not repent of it, will not see the light of heaven hit their face! Read our scripture reference today, and many others to numerous to put in this devotional, that teach us hatred or variance against anyone, for any reason, will not be forgiven of God. And trust me my friend, if you are not forgiven, you are not going to heaven. This is one of the biggest traps Satan makes for the church.
He knows God does not excuse us holding any kind of anger, hatred, or unforgiveness for anybody. There is no excuse, or issue that qualifies to God for us holding anger, hatred for anyone. And preachers don’t preach on the danger if doing this anymore. I ask you, is there any wrong someone has done to you, that is worth missing heaven for? That is exactly what will happen if you hold on to it, unrepentant to God for it. Get rid of it now, forgive that person, ask God to forgive you of the hatred in your heart, right now.
Toward the end, the Bible teaches the love toward one another will wax cold. People will begin to hate one another so bad, even the common courtesies we all do to help each other will stop. It will become a constant barrage of things that will hurt and offend you. Satan will try his best to plant the seed of hatred, unforgiveness and anger toward all humanity. I beg you, nothing is worth missing heaven over, no offense, no wrong done to you. Forgive others, and when you need forgiveness, it will be given to you. Show Satan you will not be controlled by him, forgive and love one another.
We have put so much emphasis on the “big sins” in church today. We make sure we preach on adultery, fornication (the sex sins), stealing, etc. We are quick to judge such a one a fallen brother and a bad person. But recently, the Spirit of God has begun to show me, even in my own life, how we have committed a crime much worse than these. I am going to make a bold statement here: I SEE MORE PEOPLE MISSING OUT ON HEAVEN BECAUSE OF THIS SIN, THAN ANY OTHER MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE!
Yes, there will be forgiven adulterers, fornicators, prostitutes, cheaters, liars, and such the like in Heaven. But those who hate their brother, those who hold grudges or contempt for any reason, and do not repent of it, will not see the light of heaven hit their face! Read our scripture reference today, and many others to numerous to put in this devotional, that teach us hatred or variance against anyone, for any reason, will not be forgiven of God. And trust me my friend, if you are not forgiven, you are not going to heaven. This is one of the biggest traps Satan makes for the church.
He knows God does not excuse us holding any kind of anger, hatred, or unforgiveness for anybody. There is no excuse, or issue that qualifies to God for us holding anger, hatred for anyone. And preachers don’t preach on the danger if doing this anymore. I ask you, is there any wrong someone has done to you, that is worth missing heaven for? That is exactly what will happen if you hold on to it, unrepentant to God for it. Get rid of it now, forgive that person, ask God to forgive you of the hatred in your heart, right now.
Toward the end, the Bible teaches the love toward one another will wax cold. People will begin to hate one another so bad, even the common courtesies we all do to help each other will stop. It will become a constant barrage of things that will hurt and offend you. Satan will try his best to plant the seed of hatred, unforgiveness and anger toward all humanity. I beg you, nothing is worth missing heaven over, no offense, no wrong done to you. Forgive others, and when you need forgiveness, it will be given to you. Show Satan you will not be controlled by him, forgive and love one another.
Monday, August 31, 2009
SIN MAKES US SINNERS
Our Lord has given an invitation that excludes no one. "Whoever" is as broad as the human race. I do not believe God is concerned at all about where we have come from. He is concerned with where we are going. The decision we have made to go where we are going—to be with God forever—is what pleases Him and causes the angels to rejoice.
Some Christian workers have made an entire career of dwelling on the negative aspects of the human, sinful life—"from the uttermost." "Let me tell you what a hopeless drunkard I was!" "Attend the services and let me share what it is like to be a helpless drug addict!" "Come and let me relate the awful, tragic time in my past when I was a good-for-nothing wife-beater!"
It is a gracious thing that God does for us in His mercy and love when we are forgiven, regenerated and converted. It is indeed a new birth! God saves us from what we were, whatever it was. But He expects us to spend the rest of our lives praising Him, telling about the wonders of Christ and His salvation. He wants us to spread the good news of the great eternal future He has planned for us. He wants us to tell others of the eternal habitation He is preparing for all who love and obey Him
By A.W. Tozer
Some Christian workers have made an entire career of dwelling on the negative aspects of the human, sinful life—"from the uttermost." "Let me tell you what a hopeless drunkard I was!" "Attend the services and let me share what it is like to be a helpless drug addict!" "Come and let me relate the awful, tragic time in my past when I was a good-for-nothing wife-beater!"
It is a gracious thing that God does for us in His mercy and love when we are forgiven, regenerated and converted. It is indeed a new birth! God saves us from what we were, whatever it was. But He expects us to spend the rest of our lives praising Him, telling about the wonders of Christ and His salvation. He wants us to spread the good news of the great eternal future He has planned for us. He wants us to tell others of the eternal habitation He is preparing for all who love and obey Him
By A.W. Tozer
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