The Enemy Among Us

Job1:6 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord,and Satan came also among them".

Every time we come together to present ourselves before the Lord, Satan has a tendency to be among us. But clearly this cannot be acceptable worship, for nothing that satan does can be accepted.We must come to God by faith, or our worship is dead and unprofitable. We must learn to walk in the spirit putting to death the flesh and the lust so as when we come to present ourselves to the Lord Satan is not among us. He come but to still, kill, and destroy all he comes in contact with. He brings mischief to the sons of God by accusing them before the Lord night and day; by causing them to take their thoughts off the heavenly and they begin to worry about earthly concerns ich Jesus has already overcome. He brings about division in the body by sowing dissensions among the people hindering the hearing the gospel. He tends to lead some preachers, teachers, choir members and even a good praying deacon to become filled with pride and seek glory that belongs to God. He tries to quinch the spirit , silence the prayer and even chill the praise of the worship service.

He distracts the unsaved from hearing the message that might lead them to Christ, by raising doubts, putting the man before the master. He may cause them to delay giving there life to Christ, showing them all that is wrong so the enjoyment felt is now hindered, as he takes away the word sown to the heart like a bird eating up newly planted seed.You cannot destroy a hornets nest without being attacked in return. Since we know satan will enter our assemblies, we must make sure we are not the one he is riding with, and we don't give him a place to sit when he enters the congregation.

 

Saying And Doing....

Matthew 15:8 "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me".


We see the Lord says that many draw near to Him with lip service, but our hearts are far from Him. We say we love the Lord but in fact we really love the things that we receive from God. We have begun to worship the blessings more than the one who has  blessed us.

We must be careful not to confuse surrendering our lives to Christ with surrendering it to the things of this world. He said we follow Him because the things we receive not for the truth of the word. It is easy to say let go and let God, but to do this we must truly let go. We have to be willing to let go of everything and everyone. We must be willing to let go of family, friends, material gain, jobs, and most importantly, we must let go of self and our will. Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything, give it to the poor, take up his cross and follow; and this is where we lose so many. We must let it go and let God give us that he wants us to have, according to his will, not our want.

Love is a action word, and when we say we love the Lord it should be seen in our action. We should show our love one for another. The world should see how we care for the widows orphans and the fatherless. we should be a walking example of the Lord from God to a dying world. Those in darkness should see our light. The world should be able to see Christ in us and the life we live.

Crucified at The Cross

Galatians 6:14 "But God forbid that I should Glory,save the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."

Paul vigorously rebuked those who went aside from the doctrine of the cross(vs.12-13).When we rebuke others we must make sure that we ourselves are going the right way.So he says "God forbid that I should glory, save the cross".Our own resolve to stand on the truth,when carried out is a very powerful argument against opponents.Paul gets heated when he thinks about those who oppose the cross, and yet he has reasons which he states in the latter words of this text.

See Paul knows his Lord was Crucified;"The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ".He mentions the atoning death of Jesus in the plainest terms.Though the cross was shameful,he give full reverence and honor to him who hung on the cross saying "our Lord Jesus Christ".He refers to the doctrine of free justification and full atonement by the death of Jesus upon the cross.In this did he glory,as it was a display of devine character(God was in Christ 2 cor.5:19).He saw it as the manifestation of the love of the savior,and the putting away of sin by atonement, giving hope,peace, joy, touching hearts, changing lives, and ensuring heaven to all believers.Paul also seen the world crucified;"The world is crucified unto me".Its character condemned,its judgment condemned, its teachings despised,its treasures,pleasure,honors all rejected.Its pursuits and spirits cast out. Its threats and blandishments made to be nothing and it in itself, soon to pass away.Then Paul seen himself as being crucified;"and I unto the world".To the world Paul was no better than a man crucified.If faithful, a christian can expect to be treated much like our savior was, bullied, ridiculed, misrepresented,despised,lied on and  falsely accused.Let us glory in the cross,,because it exposes the false hood of the world's glory,honor and power!

The crucifiction is the subject of glory,because of him who was crucified and the blessing we recieved because of his crucifiction on the cross.The innocent died for the guilty; we were pardoned;and we became dead to the world and all its ways.Brethren the cross of christ is our crown,the reproach of Christ our riches,and the shame of Christ is our glory,so be crucified with Christ that you might also glory with Him....

Unseen Riches

Isaiah 64:4 "For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard, nor percieved by ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God beside thee, what he hath prepared for them that waiteth for him"

This christian journey we have embarked upon has many unknowns.It is full of challenges, obsticals, opportunities ,temptations, stumbling blocks, and barriers.It is a narrow road we must travel, and along the way we will slip, trip and fall; we will stumble, have doubts and sometimes even entertain the thought of giving up. But the word of God tells us to press on towards the mark, so quitting is not an option.No matter where the journey leads us we must trust that Jesus will never fail.With every twist and turn with every peak and valley we overcome, it brings glory to God and salvation to a dying soul. Every obsticals and challenge we are faced with is a opportunity for us to be molded, shaped and fashioned into that which God has called us to be. No matter what it is we are going thru it is working together with Gods purpose for our good. Whatever happens is part of God amazing plan of salvation, which he ordained from the foundation of the world.

For since the beginning of the world men have not heard; they have not either by hearing or seeing come into the full knowledge of Gods goodness. No man have seen, nor can understand the provision made by God for the future happiness of holy souls. Neither seen by eye nor heard by any ear, nor has entered into the heart of any man, what God has prepared for them who love him; those that wait for him,that await the promise salvation designed for us.No eye has seen ,nor ear heard because it is hid in God, our true happiness bound up in the richness of Christ, obtainable by his guidance and thru his grace. The goodness God has prepared for us and preparing us for, laid up in the riches of Christ for those that fear him and trust him. The goodness which awaits all believers; the things made available to all who commune with him in spirit and in truth. What God has for those who work righteousness, for those who are cheerful in doing the whole duty, as he delights himself in the Lord. Those who obey him and submit to his will, making mention of him in all that we do, as we walk in a way worthy of the name by which we are called.

For the eye hath not seen another God beside thee O God ..... A God who was accused of my faults, a God tried for my charges, a God convicted of my sins and yet he never said a mummling word; a God whipped for my transgressions, bruised for my iniquities, a God who served my sentence as he suffered bled and died on a cross that I might have a right to the good things God has in store for me. Jesus the Christ the good thing God has for all who will believe.

Lip Service

Matthew 15:8 "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me".


We see the Lord says that many draw near to Him with lip service, but our hearts are far from Him. We say we love the Lord but in fact we really love the things that we receive from God. We have begun to worship the blessings more than the one who has  blessed us.

We must be careful not to confuse surrendering our lives to Christ with surrendering it to the things of this world. He said we follow Him because the things we receive not for the truth of the word. It is easy to say let go and let God, but to do this we must truly let go. We have to be willing to let go of everything and everyone. We must be willing to let go of family, friends, material gain, jobs, and most importantly, we must let go of self and our will. Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything, give it to the poor, take up his cross and follow; and this is where we lose so many. We must let it go and let God give us that he wants us to have, according to his will, not our want.

Love is a action word, and when we say we love the Lord it should be seen in our action. We should show our love one for another. The world should see how we care for the widows orphans and the fatherless. we should be a walking example of the Lord from God to a dying world. Those in darkness should see our light. The world should be able to see Christ in us and the life we live.

Have You Been Washed In The Blood?

Hebrews 9:22 " And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and without shedding of blood is no remission.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God; there is none righteous, no not one,there is none who wants to obey the Lord, none who wants to do His will. There is not one who is able to walk in the Holy manner in which we have been called to walk in, we all had to be born again. If we could have done better, Jesus would not have had to die.

The love God has for mankind is beyond the understanding of the carnal mind. How can one who is holy love something so unholy? How can one who is love, love someone so unloving, un-giving, unkind, uncaring and unforgiving. God is so perfect and without flaw while we are so flawed without perfection, and yet God commended His love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.Why? What is man that thou art so mindful of Him? When Adam sinned the soul of man was condemed to death,"for the soul that sinneth must surley die". So God took His precious word and wrapped it up in the sin of man and sent Jesus, the word of God made flesh to be sacrificed on the behalf of mankind. All who by faith accepts the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus shall be saved. His Shed blood for our salvation.

Blood had to be shed to accept for man the wage paid by sin. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for such a imperfect people. The precious lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. His blood for my sins, will you accept His blood for your sins?

Free By The Son

John 8:36 "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

How many of us would like to be king or queen for a day? Imagine having all of that power, and liberty to do what ever we wanted. Jezebel was once queen of Israel, she likely adorned herself in the finest royal apparel. But she pranced around unaware of the invisible robe made up of satanic chains wrapped tightly around her. She believed she had the liberty to do what ever she wanted, she even convinced her husband Ahab, to take what did not belong to him, simply because he was the king, and could do so.

But every time she did what she wanted, she tightened her shackles. Jezebel thought she had everything and could do as she pleased, but she was in fact totally enslaved. Remember, liberty isn't freedom, liberty just means we have the freedom to choose, it is a free will, but we must make the right choice. Sadly, we live in a generation of Jezebels. Our society has convinced us that doing as we please, having a lot of money, and being famous, brings freedom. Because we feel "free", we think we can do as we please. We do not understand how our selfishness and sinful desires can steal our freedom, making us a slave to many masters.

When we believers fail to fellowship with God and meditate in his word, we return to our former bondage and ways. Christ has indeed freed us, removing the desire, passion, and appetite for sin without withdrawals or symptoms; however to remain free, requires us to remain in his presence and in his word. Only Jesus can free us from the bondage of sin and death, and if we are not free in Christ, we are no more free than Jezebel was, and are destined for the same terrible end. Jesus Christ the truth that makes us free

Is It You?

Matthew 26:22"And they were exceeding sorrowful, and begin every one of them to say unto him, Lord is it I?"

We must all examine ourselves in our walk with the Lord. We must begin to look within for those things which hinder our relationship with Christ. Look within for the gods of this world that blinds us to the will and way of the Lord. Then each looked within and ask the question "Lord is it I", Is it I betraying you for the love of money, selling you out for a hand full of silver. Is it I committing spiritual adultery and fornication, as I confess with my mouth, my marriage to the lamb, but secretly climb in and out of the bed with the gods of this world. Lord is it I, being led by the powers of Satan unaware, captivated by his lies, and false promises, blinded to the things of heaven, trapped in the flesh, a slave to the old man and his ways, while confessing a new life in Christ. Lord is it I, causing division within your flock, proclaiming and teaching a self serving doctrine, catering your word to fit my beliefs, and lifestyle, Lord is it I; Am I denying you three times before the cock crows, denying you in my walk, in my talk, and in my appearance, as I bear no resemblance to you at all. Lord is it I who dips with you in the love of the Father with one hand, while stabbing you in the back with the other. Lord is it I, Who serves you with my lips, while my heart is far from you, dressed up on the outside looking like a new man, but on the inside just dead lifeless bones, walking on the same crooked path. They all asked" Lord is it I",eating bread with you while, lifting my heals up against you, they wanted and needed to know for themselves,"Lord is it I."

We must be absolutely sure as to where we stand with Christ, salvation is real, and the choices we make are eternal; have you with all sincerity of heart, ask the question" Lord is it I". Because we are the "I" who was lost in sin, the"I" on the way to hell, and the "I" that Jesus suffered ,bled and died to save. So let us ask daily, "Lord is it I" and then pray for the strength not to betray the Lord of Glory.............

Just Going To Run On

Matthew 24:13 "But he that shall endure unto the end, that same shall be saved.


The life of a Christian is not a Sunday morning thing, it is a life long commitment. It is a life of total surrender. Once you confess Christ there is no turning back, for whosoever put his hand to the plough and look back is not fit for the kingdom of heaven. Jesus tells us to count up the cost before we begin this journey. This is not easy. It is a long uphill journey on a narrow road, but it is the road that must be traveled if you want to be with Jesus.

When you confess Christ, when you truly give your life to Jesus, you will find that many who said they were your friends and family will begin to stray away. They will blame you by saying things like, you think you better than us, or you changed, you're so holy you are no fun. But don't be discouraged by how others act towards you, just make sure you act like Christ towards them. Jesus warns us that we will be hated for His name sake, He didn't say to hate them back, He said to endure to the end and you shall be saved. Don't let the way others treat you, dictate how you treat them. My mother use to always say, "you be the Christian if no body else will". It is not you they are hating it is the perfection which lies within you, that now exposes the imperfection of their lives, it is called conviction of the heart, and this must take place before there can be conversion of the soul.

So as you make this journey there are times when you might feel like you are all alone, but remember Jesus said He will never leave you nor forsake you, so hold to His hand and trust in His word and endure unto the end and be saved. This is a marathon and not a sprint, so just run on....

He Who Has a Ear...

Deut.13:18 "When thou shalt harken to the voice of the Lord thy God,to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day,to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God".

We live in a sophisticated age where technology rules.This high-tech living causes us to hear many voices,radio "shock jocks",television talk show host, and outrageous sitcoms that offer everything but comedy. We are inundated with noise, yet in spite of all that we hear, there are really only two voices to be heard. The voice of the almighty God, and the voice of the enemy, Satan. The bible is full of many who listened to the wrong voices,The hebrews in the wilderness, Jonah, Job, Hannah, Abraham, Rebekah, and a host of others at one time found themselves listening to the voice of lack and limitations, but they soon heard the voice of God and did what was right.

 

Both voices come from different forms, through any type of medium. The voice of God may direct you to do that which seems least desirable, while the lure of satan seems to call us to paradise. Many of us have muddled our lives because we have not listened to the right voice. We must remember the devil is a liar, he is incapable of telling the truth. Jesus is our shepherd, He is our provider, He leads us along on this journey, He will take care of us and our every need. Every person is free to listen to what ever voice he/she wishes, but when we confessed to be Christians, we no longer belong to ourselves, and once you've chosen there is no turning back, and being His sheep we must hear His voice and obey it. His voice the right voice, tells us that we are to seek out that which serves others as well as ourself. It tells us to put the needs of others before our own. It tells us to love inspite of. It tells us to be Christ like even when all others have fallen away. It tells us to follow Jesus even when the road seems to rough to travel.

 

If we listen to the wrong voices, we will be full of fear and worry about doing God's will. The wrong voices fills our head with negative, limited thinking. From the wrong voices we get the what if's, these are the voices that get us in trouble. The truth is God will take care of us. When we obey the voice of God, he will never bring us to a place and leave us alone. 

The Lord Will Fight Your Battles

Exodus 14:14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.


We fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, but the good news is the battle is not ours it is the Lords. God is absolutely always in control, all he wants from us is a willing vessel. A vessel He can use to do His will and bring Him glory. He tells us we shall not fight the battle, but just to prepare ourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Here in our story Judah was about to be attacked by three enemies, and the king was told fear not that for the battle was not theirs it was the Lords. They were to go, be prepared but stand still and let the Lord fight the battle. Today we are under constant attack by three enemies, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. These are the same three which Satan used to tempt Eve in the garden, Jesus in the wilderness and what he tries to trip us up with today. But we have a keeper, for Jesus said He has power over all flesh, he rose with all power in His hands. We to must be prepared, for the attack, but stand still and let the Lord fight our battle. Let Him work through us as we deny our self in total surrender to His spirit and stand still in His promise that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

Jesus said to cast all of our cares upon Him for He cares for us. Jesus wants us to call upon Him in our day of trouble that He might deliver us. He called us and choose us for this life, He knows all that will come up against us, He just wants us to trust that He will do just what He said. After all the battle is not our it is the Lords and He is faithful and just, so just hold your peace and know that God be with you, so who can be against you.....

Behold The Power Of The Lord

2 Chronicles 20:17 " ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.


We fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, but the good news is the battle is not ours it is the Lords. God is absolutely always in control, all he wants from us is a willing vessel. A vessel He can use to do His will and bring Him glory. He tells us we shall not fight the battle, but just to prepare ourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Here in our story Judah was about to be attacked by three enemies, and the king was told fear not that for the battle was not theirs it was the Lords. They were to go, be prepared but stand still and let the Lord fight the battle. Today we are under constant attack by three enemies, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. These are the same three which Satan used to tempt Eve in the garden, Jesus in the wilderness and what he tries to trip us up with today. But we have a keeper, for Jesus said He has power over all flesh, he rose with all power in His hands. We to must be prepared, for the attack, but stand still and let the Lord fight our battle. Let Him work through us as we deny our self in total surrender to His spirit and stand still in His promise that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

Jesus said to cast all of our cares upon Him for He cares for us. Jesus wants us to call upon Him in our day of trouble that He might deliver us. He called us and choose us for this life, He knows all that will come up against us, He just wants us to trust that He will do just what He said. After all the battle is not our it is the Lords and He is faithful and just, so just hold your peace and know that God be with you, so who can be against you.....

Blinded To The LIght

2 Corinthians 4:4" In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believed not,lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,who is the image of God should shine unto them".


God's kingdom is not of this world, as Jesus Christ made clear in John.18:36. Who is the god of this age? He is none other than Satan, he is the worlds ruler. Jesus said (in John 12:31) "the ruler of this world will be cast out". Under Satan's influences the carnal mind is enmity against God. Separated from God, we tend to choose to go our own way, with devastating and tragic results.

Satan's influences is so great that he "deceives the whole world". The entire world lies under the sway of the wicked one. Under Satan influences man has rejected God's revelation and with his vain thinking has started worshiping that which is from his own imagination.He has built societies, civilizations, and even religion on the wrong foundation. God's kingdom is one built on the foundation of Love, but man has chosen to build his on a monetary, success driven foundation."For the love of money is the root of all evil", yet man in his limited canal thinking has built everything around the haves and the have not's. We no longer love our neighbor as we love ourselves ,cause we are in competition with our neighbor. So there is no sharing, or watching out one for another , we no longer have that "if i got it you got it" attitude. It is more like I got mind better get your own mentality. We have mega churches worth millions of dollar and many of their members can't even pay there bills.

We must be careful not to be blinded from the light by the tricks and wiles of the devil. Satan's world which is built on a foundation of  lies and deception will come crashing down. The light of God's truth will conquer the deception of Satan darkness and expose all that are hiding under the cover of said darkness. Let us who profess to be children of the light, walk in the light, that others might no longer be blinded to the light.

The Action Of Love

1John 3:18 "My little children,let us not love in word,neither in tongue:but in deed and in truth."
Do you love the Lord? Now I know we will all say yes with our mouths, but what does the life you life say. The word of God says "if you love me keep my commandments". So I ask do you love the Lord. Many who say they love the Lord spend most of their time hating those whom He died for. How can we say we love God whom we have never seen , yet hate our brother who we see every day.

In word and deed-Love is not piety. It is not sitting on the sidelines complaining about how pathetic everything is. Love is revealed by what we do, not just by what we say. God so loved that He gave, He forgave, He sacrificed, and He saved. He is commanding us to love not in word only, but in deeds."but whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of  mercy and compassion from him, how can the love of God dwell in him?"(1Jn.3:17) If our faith and love do not compel us to action, then how can they profit us or anyone else?

Pure Love as described in 1corin.13 which is perhaps the most poetic, profound and powerful description of pure love written and of course, Christ is the embodiment of pure love.The apostle Paul's prayer for the family of God was that as Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, and we are rooted and grounded in his love, That we may be able to comprehend, the breath, and length, and depth, and height, of Christ love for us; to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. It is a love that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,nor depth,nor any other creature,shall be able to separate us from.Love is not having knowledge of God but knowing God. Knowing God comes from communion with God. That is what Christ had with God. The love of God is a reflection of God's heart flowing through Christ, one spirit, one heart, one mind. As we draw upon Jesus' unselfish love,we too can better love others.