Trust and Obey!

There's a hymn:

Trust and obey, for there's no other way   to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

If you want to be happy in Jesus, have the Joy of the Lord, have the Peace that surpasses understanding, bask in the presence of the Lord, you must trust and obey. Whenever the Lord shows you from the scriptures something, mediate on it and ask him how to apply it to your life and do it!!! As you trust and obey, you'll begin to hear his voice more clearly, you'll know that joy you hear people talk about. Memorize this part of the hymn and I pray the Lord bring it to your remembrance whenever you need it. Amen

Don't hate on your Church

Hebrews 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

I remember thinking that the preacher on the internet were more bold, about preaching the gospel and stuff than, my pastor. I remember being on the fence about whether my church was doing the Lord work or not. Well, I fell of the wrong side of that fence and got hurt and hurt others.

If you listen to internet preachers and think your pastors and teachers are heretical, stop and take a deep breath. Ask yourself: does you pastor teach from the Word of God and encourage you to read the Word of God? Are you currently playing lone wolf Christians?

If your pastor does, relax Satan is most likely trying to through you off track spiritually, b/c your zeal for Christ and purity are making you question many things, about your walk and Church. Talk to your pastors and leadership, they might have already dealt with this kind of misdirected zeal.

If you are doing the lone wolf (there are no other prophets beside me Elijah in my Church) Christian. Remember more now in the age of grace than ever God has his remnant. If you are not plugged in and fellowshipping, you are more susceptible to deception. It's one of the Acts 2:42 things. Also the top Scripture.

I pray you don't have to learn from experience but that God help you to learn from my mistakes.

God loves you!

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God loved you while you hated him and lived in sin without repentance or faith.

1 John 4:9-10 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. (10) In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

He loved us so much he sent his perfect Son to live, yes live and die for us, who are you to doubt God's love for you.

If he loves you that means He loves you with his perfect love, he will only do those things which are for your own good. Whether filling your heart with joy, testing you, or chatising you, God only does good things to us.

Application: If Satan attacks you with doubt on God's character, remember if he spared not His Son for you (Romans 8:32), what makes you think He'll just drop you and hate you. Trust His promises not your feelings.

Also: 1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Think about, thank and praise God often for his Love for you. Doubt not and do not be afraid!

No Peace or Assurance for the Wicked

Isaiah 48:22  There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. 

Isaiah 57:21  There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

These verses haunted me for a long time, because of no peace.

Whether you think you are a believer, you are backslidden, or if you're a straight up unbeliever, you will not have peace if you live in sin. 

For the most part Christians who are struggling with sin are either not in the word and prayer or have not been born again.

If you are a "Christian" living in sin chances are you are going to Hell. Only those who live by faith are promised salvation and your works prove that you even have faith.

Do not be decieved:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Ephesians 5:3-6

Galatians 5:16-21; 6:7-9 

1 John 3

If you're a "Christian" or not, it doesn't really matter to me if you are living in sin your deceiving yourself if you claim to know God or think you're going to heaven. You must repent and believe the gospel.

Christ is all!

Christ is all, just something to meditate on the Christian life, seems so empty sometimes, because we don't give Christ all and we try to worship both him and fill-in-the-blank. I've been going through some rough times of doubting and etc, but all in all, all I want is to know Jesus and until I do know him, I don't care if I'm saved or not, because without him life is meaningless.

So I say to any Christians struggling with assurance of unsurity about what's wrong with you "relationship" with Christ, it might be that Christ is second or third, or maybe even first, but that's not even is proper place Christ needs to be all. Do whatever it takes to know God, pray, read, memorize the entire Bible, but make Christ all in all.

JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!!!

Love the Lord you GOD will about your Heart, mind, soul, and strength..

Do all things to the glory of God.

We get a fresh start with God, because he is merciful, so approach the Father with the righteousness that is in Christ Jesus. So that you may do the above, with the Power of the Holy Spirit of God.

Faith comes from God

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

I found it interesting that their is a faith of God. The faith with which we believe to the saving of our souls comes from the very God whom we are to believe. How that all works I'm not sure (John 3:8), but I agree with Spurgeon, that it comes to you in a way that seems very natural. As someone who is convinced of something believes it so also God when he has convinces us of our need for Christ, gives us faith to believe, while its seems oh so natural to us.

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

I tie this idea together with the fact that it is by the foolishness of preaching men are saved (1 Cor. 1:21). If the gospel wasn't preached men would not be saved. It is by the Spirit and the word that we are born again John 3 and 1 Peter 1:23.

Application: 1) Preach the Word in and out of Season(1 Tim. 4:2)

2) Be in the word that God might supernaturally, naturally increase your faith.

3) Also a God habit while praying it to remind yourself the promises God has made it helps me at least to cause faith to spring up in my heart during prayer.

are you saved?

If you've ever questioned your salvation, this is for you, if you do not have a full assurance of faith, this is for you.

In this discussion I want you "Christian" to consider the life according to the word and not sugar-coat the word for your assurance of salvation:

One does the Spirit bear witness that you are a child of God? It's yes or no.

Do you have victory over sin? Yes I know you'll be tempted and still mess up, but is Christ presently winning the fight in you?

Do you love God? Which is seen in keeping his commandments.

Does your assurance of Salvation come from knowing you prayed a prayer, because you "think" you have saving faith, or you've changed alot (outwardly) since you got saved?

Do find yourself alot about holiness and obedience because you know your lacking?

Do you find yourself always trying/willing to live the Christian life but never doing it?

Do find yourself making excuses for you sin, because you have no victory?

Do you hate how you feel when you sin, but not actually the sin itself (because you always come back to it without prompting and enjoy your time in it)?

Do you know GOD, do you experience him when you not emotionally high?

Have you ever known the power of his presence?

Have you ever felt his love?

Does your relationship with the Lord, consist of you reading about him in the word and learning his characteristic, but never experiencing them?

___________Verdict____________

If the Spirit doesn't bear witness in your Spirit that your a child of God you aren't.

If you do not know God by experience you are not saved.

If you've been walking with the Lord for years and you have yet to overcome sin, I'd worry, unless the above are NOT true of you

If you find yourself talking the talk and walking the external walk, but you heart has not changed you are not saved?

If you struggle with masturbation and or pornography, after being a Christian for a long time I'd worry.

_______Conclusion________

We lie to ourselves all the time because of the evil wolves that preach on the pulpit. Examine yourself and don't got easy, examine yourself again periodically. If you don't see an inward change, an experiential knowledge of GOD, and you continue to habitually fall to the same sins deem yourself as what you are an unbeliever, a child of wrath, a hater of God.

Losing your salvation causes fear

Losing Salvation is to cause fear, because it is possible for us, but impossible for God; as for Christ, sinning was possible for his human body and not his Divine Spirit. So these things are impossible yet possible, but in the end they will never happen, because God will not fail.

Salvation is for YHWH's Holy Name's sake

I was reading in the prayer Jesus gave to his disciples when they asked him, "Lord teach us to pray." In beginning is the line "Hallowed be your name" or your name be made holy/ your name be sanctified. I asked "Why?", "What does that mean exactly?"

Well the Lord through a friend lead me to Ezekiel 36 where it talks about the what has been dubbed the new covenant (whether by man or the Bible I don't know). Before the LORD God goes into it He explains how Israel has profaned His holy name and then says:

But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
(Eze 36:21-23)

Thus this is the reason why He gave us what is dubbed the new covenant.

Old Testament Afterlife

Something that has always intrigue me was the old testament conception of death (before David at least). From reading certain Psalms and Job you see that the idea of death was similar to that of Gilgamesh and the Greek Hades. We see that when someone died they expected to be in the grave forgetting everything and/or in some sort unpleasant situation. But then I read:

Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
(Acts 2:26-27 quoted from Psalm 16)

I it was clear they did have a different conception of death then we do. We see David was glad realizing that hell wasn't his final abode, but that he would be resurrected.

Or he knew of the resurrection and they still dreaded the time that their soul would spent in the grave, Sheol.

I'm not being dogmatic, just trying to understand the Hebrew mind before Christ came. I see that many of the promises to Israel was earthly, though they can be translated to be spiritual "ideas", they are promises of physical prosperity.

The Spiritualizing of the law we see in the lives of men of Faith and in the New Testament

Application:Thank the Lord that you will be resurrected in Christ on the last day and that we live under the new covenant and not under the law.

Good-bye for now

It's always not fun when I leave from one place and go to another, because you always leave someone behind, you can't take everyone with you. In the end they are all in God's hands and that is where you gotta leave them. Pray for Haiti.

Decisions

Making decisions we might not always consider it, but it effects everyone around us, whether we like it or not. That's why we need to learn to make the best decisions in Christ, so that everyone in a sense benefits [in that God is pleased and blesses obedience].
Now you might have made a decision and it seems like nothing is going right, well two things can be happening: one, it wasn't the right decision and you're suffering the consequences, or two you made the right decision, but the enemy is coming against you through any means necessary. How do you know which one it is, in honesty you don't you just have to put faith in what it is that led you to make that decision. That's why it's important to have Christ at the center of your decision-making, you're safer; but! to know if you made the right choice only the Spirit in time will let you know. And it might be years, so seek after the Lord and suffer your decisions if need be.
In the end if you were wrong humble yourself and apologize, and if you were right hopefully it was recognized and continue in the way the Lord leads.

Holy Holy Holy

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Peter: You have the Word of Eternal Life

One day I found myself saying like Peter those very same words. I was processing apostating the faith for a little while so I could enjoy the pleasures of sin; but, when it came down to it I knew like Solomon that it would bring no satisfaction it was just chasing after the wind, vanity of vanities (Ecclesiastes). I also was under the false notation that a "Christian", after "accepting" Jesus could live in sin, die in sin and still go to heaven.

I pray this would be true of you if it isn't examine yourself, what sin is better than Christ.

Election and the fear of God

Many people avoid the topic of election, and are afraid of reading Romans 9; but, fear is one of the very reasons you should run to the topic of election because the Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom(Pro. 9:10) and knowledge(Pro. 1:7).

If you understand that God's choosing you is much more and in every way more important than you choosing Him, you'll begin to fear walking outside of his commands.

He who suffers ceases from sin

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;(1 Peter 4)

I finally understand this verse as the Spirit spoke to my heart about it. It also flows real well in context of 1 Peter 4:1-8; though, I didn' t think about it in context.

As you stop doing things that your flesh enjoys you start to suffer. As you start to try and control your eyes so that you don't lust. Your eyes begin to fight you. As you stop having sex after becoming a Christian you can feel the your body begging for it. Most people don't truly suffer because they still allow things like a sketchy T.V. shows or masturbation to give their flesh some satisfaction. If they were to take those things away from themselves, they'd start praying fervently to God to give them strength, because they wouldn't overcome by any other means.

This is why Peter inspired of the Spirit can say: Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (1 Pet. 1:6,7)

Christian living the repentant life will suffer even if they aren't persecuted. That's why Romans makes such a big deal about murdering the flesh; and, that's why Peter can write: "he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin". If you're disobeying more and more the lust of your flesh and suffering it, then you are not sinning (or at least sinning less, in reality versus just words).

Also I want to make a comment about the monks the reason they lived in monasteries was for this reason to learn to murder the flesh. I'm not saying to live in monastery, but I'm saying respect the purpose of it and glean from them what they did well. I recommend reading Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis, it will challenge you.

Grace and Peace to my beloved brethren

The Word and Sin

I was preached to: that not reading the word leads to spiritual instability. A day later I found myself being tempted like hardcore and I couldn't sanctify my thoughts, what did I discover I had not been in the word.

We are Laodicea

2 Timothy 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

I found out recently that everyone isn't on the same page as me when it comes to the America being the Laodicean Church. In most peoples mind it O.K. to say America is lukewarm, but when I turned the finger on the people whom I was addressing and said we were lukewarm someone got angry.

I tested this again on someone else to see if it was a fluke or not, and sure enough even though I didn't directly point the finger at them they after understanding what I was saying got angry and defensive as well.

Now we have a problem how can you say the church in the United States is lukewarm and not include yourself. What makes your religion so much better than their. You do the same things, watch the same voilent, soft-/hard-core porn, language full t.v shows and movies, you listen to the same disrespectful music, you waste your time on the same internet sites and playing the same videogames. I mean really just because you read your bible more consistently doesn't make you anymore spiritual b/c the junk coming in far outweighs good going in.
Truthfully you, yes you and the rest of us are no different than Israel in the days of Jeremiah, we play the religious game have all the religious bumper stickers and where a Christian t-shirt, but inwardly a sick, perverted, hateful and wretched. God hates many of our church service and worship services as much as he hated the Jews new moons and sacrifices.

If nothing else hopefully this will get you to think about what I'm saying: In Israel, today, and in the description of Laodicea (Rev 3:13-end) we see that none of the preceding saw themselves as being as bad as they were. Israel hated the prophets and killed them. The U.S. likes Tozer, Spurgeon, and Jonathan Edwards, Ravenhill, and all those people, but they are blind to the fact these men were preaching to us, the Church. Last in Laodicea we see that they thought they were "rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing" but truly they were "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." All that to say is all were/are deceived into thinking they were alright, but truly they weren't.

Don't take it up with me, but pray and ask the Father, if this is true about you. If it is so about you listen to what the Spirit to Laodicea says"be [hot] therefore, and repent"! Ask the Lord what you should repent of.

Preach Timothy

My meditations as I try to grow in the knowledge of God and whatever else I feel lead to put up on here!