God's Goodness

Monday, December 5, 2011

COMMUNING WITH THE ALMIGHTY

12/4/2011---




Communing with the Almighty
For this we were created
To bask in His lavish love
To be aglow in His Light.


Flowing with the Holy Spirit
As He guides us through thick and through thin
Learning of Him in deep places
Secrets of His Beauty revealed.


Only the Blood of Jesus
Can transform us on our walk
And He is fully committed and faithful to His own--
Surely, He will never leave nor forsake us.


Though we, at times, may think all is 'out of control'
He, in His Sovereign, Marvellous ways
Turns it all around to
Show forth His power and might.


Yes, HE IS the Shining One
He always was and ever will be
And to declare to Satan's kingdom--
SEE! I AM ever FOR MY OWN!


HE shines brighter as we look to Him
And thank Him IN all things
Trusting in HIS heart of Love
Having faith in Him forevermore!


Psalm 77;1-3, 10-14--I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.


--And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.


Psalm 84:5-7--Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.


Psalm 86:1-17--Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast helped me, and comforted me.







Sunday, November 13, 2011

POEM--WHO IS THIS MAN?

WHO IS THIS MAN?

Who is this Man?
Who has no beginning and no end
Born here for me
His message of love to send.

Who is this Man?
Whom all have spurned
Yet He lives
That my life may be turned--
To gaze into His eyes--to see
His heart's desire
Delivering from my demise--
Bringing me through untold sorrows
Only to emerge on the other side.

Who is this Man?
He is my Redeemer
Who suffered that I might
Find Him
And walk in love and adoration
Aside the One
Who ever sets me free from sin.

Who is this Man?
He is my Lord--who longs to be
My All in all.
And He comes with His sword
To cut through all the walls and chains
Moving me forward into new places
To leave behind me all the past pains
Calling me to trust in Him--Christ in me--
The only hope of Glory.

Who is this Man?
He is my Beloved--
He is my Souse--
And I am His.

Romans 7:4--Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.


Tuesday, November 8, 2011

POEM--HIDDEN BEAUTY

POEM--HIDDEN BEAUTY 11/7/11

There is a beauty hidden deep within me
It's He, my lovely Jesus, Master, King and Lord.
And in that place He gives His call and invites thee
To meet with Him and rest, in love and to adore.

There is a jewel hidden deep within me
The Pearl beyond compare in all the earth.
There is a jewel hidden deep within me
And I found Him on the day of my new birth.

There is a beauty hidden deep within me
Filling and overflowing all those who love
O that I could express Him to you perfectly
This One who condescended from above.

Matthew 13:46 who having found one pearl of great price, having gone away, hath sold all, as much as he had, and bought it.

POEM--DEEP CALLS UNTO DEEP

POEM--DEEP CALLS UNTO DEEP 11/7/11

Deep calls unto Deep
I hear My Master say
So open up your heart, my child
For you--this is the way--
Not to hide, but to bare thyself to
One who knows but all and yet and still
Loves deeply--all of you and more.
"A Mystery", I hear you say
Your heart can't comprehend
And yet, I say again, my own
I love you deeply--all of you and more.

Psalm 42:7--Young's Literal Translation

7Deep unto deep is calling At the noise of Thy water-spouts, All Thy breakers and Thy billows passed over me.

8By day Jehovah commandeth His kindness, And by night a song [is] with me, A prayer to the God of my life.

POEM--YOU ARE THE POTTER

POEM--YOU ARE THE POTTER 11/7/11

You are the Potter
I am the clay
And on Your wheel I choose to stay.
Your work in me
That does mold and shape
This, I know, is for Your Name's Sake.
Yet surely there's no way
That I could perform
Any such marvels that indeed transform.

So when I buck Your hand
And frown and weep
And cry out for this
Pain to cease--
I pray, O God, You will be deaf
To all my earnest cries of flesh
And overrule my fears and strife
By Your holy hand and powerful life.

So have Your way
Knead and bend and press--
If You must
For I am but a speck of dust.

And make of me all that YOU desire
So that Your heart and mine--
TOGETHER...
Would burn in the fire of Your love!

Jeremiah 18:1-6--Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1The word that hath been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

2Rise, and thou hast gone down [to] the potter's house, and there I cause thee to hear My words;

3and I go down [to] the potter's house, and lo, he is doing a work on the stones,

4and marred is the vessel that he is making, as clay in the hand of the potter, and he hath turned and he maketh it another vessel, as it was right in the eyes of the potter to make.

5And there is a word of Jehovah to me, saying:

6As this potter am I not able to do to you? O house of Israel, an affirmation of Jehovah. Lo, as clay in the hand of the potter, So [are] ye in My hand, O house of Israel.

Monday, November 7, 2011

POEM--MY CRY

POEM--MY CRY--11/6/11

Purify this vessel
Purify this soul.
Grant to me your rays of light
Give to me your gift of sight.

Purify this vessel
Purify this soul.
Make me clean, oh, let it be!
Make me holy, before Thee.

Purify this vessel
Purify this soul.
Create in me Thy righteous ways
Until upon Thy Face I gaze.

POEM--MY MEDITATION

My Meditation--11/6/11

What an awesome thought! Yes, what a glorious truth--that I should be the very temple of my God! To think that as I walk and breathe--in great distress--in every bless, You are inside--my God!

How marvelous-- In union with the Flame of life and love--You take my breath away. O Great Creator God--the lover of my soul, alive with my breast----my God!

POEM--DEEPER STILL

DEEPER STILL--11/6/11

Deep calls unto deep
I hear My Master say
"Oh Yes," I reply with eagerness,
Now is the time and the day."
But soon I realize there is a cost
And restless I will be
Until the price is paid
To lay down my life, this is the key.

Yes...and all the plans I've made
Ah, this is the way I have found to be true
So rich and deep--hidden in Christ,
My Precious Jewel.

And I cry with all my soul
Let me be counted among the few
Who lovingly and joyfully lives Not--
Yet lives--through Christ to whom
All glory, honor and praise is
Rightly Due.
POEM--NO BEAUTY -- 11/6/11


I have no beauty I can call my own
For beauty is in Jesus alone.
Neither have I strength to bear
All the things that require care
For Jesus is my only strength
It's He I aim to wear.

I have no wisdom I can claim
For Jesus is my wisdom aflame.
I have no knowledge that has worth
Except God's true knowledge of my new birth.
Only Jesus truly knows
And it's He I aim to know on earth.

I have no peace within my breast
Except through Jesus who gives me rest.
I have no joy within my soul
Yet He is my joy, He makes me whole.
Ah, blessed joy and peace
It's He in me will never cease.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

THE COVERING OF RELIGION ~~ IT LOOKS GOOD!

JUNE-JULY 2011

I went to my grandson’s graduation ceremony recently and in scanning the crowd of many different kinds of people, I spotted a Muslim woman covered in her Burka from head to toe. Every part of her was covered and even her hands were gloved. It looked as though her eyes were covered with a thin veil. This site impressed me and immediately I experienced certain feelings and all manner of visions and words describing the Muslim religion flooded my mind. Words like, Koran, Hadith, Ramadan, wife beating, four marriages for the men, easy divorce for the men, the ludicrous beliefs regarding the men’s rewards of 72 virgins and alcohol in paradise, bondage and sorrow for the wives, strange verses in the Koran, Islam, Jihad, Islamic law, Muslims’ encroaching growth here in our land, radical Muslims, deception, LOST, etc. etc. I found myself feeling quite sorry for this woman and her bondage to this religion, which may have been for her entire life. Here is a photo of a couple of women in their burkas.

http://www.photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.asp?imageid=459369

Of course, her husband looked like any other male in his appearance with his dress, so he melded right into the rest of the audience.

I began to meditate on this very visible display of this woman’s religion, which could not be avoided. The Burka, the outward symbol of her religion, spoke much in the way of describing this woman’s faith and her beliefs and her way of life, i.e., if she even followed it! I’ve read enough true stories written by former Muslims, who left Islam and found Jesus Christ, to tell you that many do not follow what they are supposed to follow, certainly not in heart or mind, by any means. And I can tell you that this is true because I have dealt with a Muslim family for a number of years and have witnessed their way of life. 

The lostness of this woman struck me most of all! Just one woman in a burka set my mind spinning as I viewed the audience and thought about how the others did not stand out as this woman did, yet the majority of them were just as LOST as this woman was! I would venture to say that most of them considered themselves to be Christians although there was no visible signs as with the Muslim. Oh there were lots of other signs, that spoke loudly regarding their agreement with the world and it's ways, such as immodest dress to the max, empty and foul language, plans for the night’s parties, etc. But the lostness of these people was so much more deceptive because they automatically assume that they are going to be admitted into Heaven because they are ‘good’ people!  So they think!

BEFORE I WRITE ANY FURTHER, I WISH TO STATE THAT I DO FEEL SORRY FOR ALL THOSE WHO ARE LOST IN THE QUAGMIRE OF RELIGION & WISH FOR ALL OF THEM TO BE AWAKENED REGARDING THEIR MIND-CONTROLLED STATE. IT WAS ONLY THROUGH GOD'S WONDERFUL GRACE & PITY & MERCY THAT I WAS RESCUED OUT OF THE SPIRIT OF BAAL OR BABYLON. NEVERTHELESS, GOD IS THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE OVER ALL.


Christianity~~it looks good!  We have the beautiful buildings where people can go each Sunday plus other days of the week, and you can even dress any way you want to now.  We have finely dressed teachers and preachers, too.  It looks good!  We have Christian retreat places where all denominations can gather together to hear the "best" or "latest" speakers.  The retreat is replete with books, CD's, DVD's, gifts and more in their stores.  We have special speakers who fly in from all over the world.  It looks good!  We have fellowship meetings, pot luck dinners, picnics, sports teams, movie nights, youth fellowship, and how about those rock--metal--hip-hop--rap music bands, lights and concerts drawing in the youth.  It looks good!  Oh, but the Christian bookstores are the best!  Wait, there's more--how about all those 12 step recovery meetings which are sure to bring about your inner healing?  It looks good!  And the church claims to be 'in order'.  It looks good!  Then there's all those Christian skits and dramas to enjoy.   It looks good!  Then we have Christian coffee houses, Christian clubs, Christian dating, Christian dances, Christian tolerance.  Come on, it looks good!  Youth camps!  Now there's something that excites our youth!  Why we even have church lock-ins for our youth.  It looks good!  And how about all those missionaries who travel far and wide to spread what looks good.  No wait, we have the good works--for sure, that's a good thing.  We do visitations, we try to help others get more involved with our church work, we usher, we collect the tithes and offerings, we order flowers for the church, we print bulletins, etc.  It looks good!  And the Christian church is emerging and is seeker friendly, too.  It looks good!  Wow! even labyrinths and candles and images and 'new age', gnostic teachings.  It looks good!  And they are free to play video games and play the "dungeons and dragons", World of Warcraft," and "Runescape."  Here we go, taken right from a site to promote RPG's.  http://www.ehow.com/info_8207632_roleplaying-activities-church-youth.html  "For example, the parable of the Good Samaritan transforms into the story of a gay student attacked by a group of intolerant classmates. The Pharisee becomes a teacher too busy to stop and the Levite converts to a school administrator. Students explore how they might react to a real situation and the cost of action.

That can't be all that bad, can it?  It looks good!  Puppets and magic and games galore, even computer games.  It looks good!  And how about all these New Apostles and prophets, teachers and leaders to lead the sheep?!  My that looks pretty good, too!

2 Timothy 2:4
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.



 
The TRUTH IS THAT THE CHURCH IS IN THE WORLD AND THE WORLD IS IN THE CHURCH!!!  Now let's take a look at all these things that 'seem to look so good' from the eyes of our Lord and His Word.

So we have the beautiful buildings that have phallic symbols and images of "Jesus" that are pagan images plus the upkeep of the building for the sake of everyone who attends.  It's just another financial burden for many of the members.  It's supposed to make one feel good.  After all, the stained glass windows and altars are very impressive to the human soul, but it does not matter to the Lord God!

Now we can dress anyway we choose to and that includes immodest dress.  If people are aware of God's Presence, shouldn't they be aware of their appearance before Him?  I question their awareness of the true and living God.

We are supposed to have the best of preachers, especially of the mega-church, but are there any real prophets, warning the people of their demise?   Just how do the majority of these preachers and their families live since they are obviously a part of this wicked world?!

We have retreat places that only breed all manner of doctrines of demons, focus on fun and food and conversations about anything you can think of. Merchandising of the people big time through all the continual sales of so-called Christian products.  Pleasing to the Lord?  I think not!

The best of all the looking good has got to be the gems, feathers (of angels) and the gold dust that is falling from heaven (really?)  For sure, the devil is laughing along with all his demons at this deception that is rampant all over the earth, as people are in 'awe' of these phenomena.  I heard that a pastor, and I know there are others as well, who just hold onto the gems instead of selling them to help the poor, whom Jesus held near to His Heart.  Of course, the LOVE of money is the ROOT of ALL evil and there again we see materialism as a magnet pulling people from their senses (spiritual and natural) to that which is appealing to their soul realm, namely, RICHES.  James also stated that the poor were rich in faith.  Now that is what brings pleasure to the Lord's Heart. 

How about fellowship, dinners, picnics, sports teams, movie nights, youth fellowship?  LOTS OF FUN, FUN, FUN! Looks like the King of kings is left out there in the cold here as well!  How grieved He must be!

The music just has to be good, doesn't it?  Once again, where is the Spirit of God leading any of this music and where does it lead the people to?  Why is standing for an hour or more such a good thing as people chant the same words over and over again only to bring them to an altered state of consciousness to become more receptive of whatever messages are given?   Who needs rock, rap, hip-hop, metal music when that's what the world has to offer?!  Why are there flashing colored lights emanating from the stages?  Then there are the puppet shows and the magic shows--world, world, world!  Ummmm  seems the world in one with the church and the church is one with the world!

How about these Christian bookstores that are loaded with all manner of fiction, horror, teen books, CD's, heavy metal, rock, hip-hop CD's & DVD's
--all drawing people AWAY from the True Savior of our souls!  Vestments and robes and gold toned cups and candlelabra, the round wafers which orginated with Babylon and the sun god worship!  And then there are the self-help books and the 12-step books that lead people to a never ending merry-go-round with no real inner healing.  Expensive gifts that really have nothing to do with our Lord or His Word fill these stores.  What a disservice these so-called Christian stores are as well as grieving the Holy Spirit!

And do we need skits and dramas that only feed the soulishness and flesh of the performers and the audience?!  I think not!

The "Christian" coffee houses and clubs and dating and dances all lead to  lukewarmness, tolerance, worldliness, soulish relationships, yet these are the norm of the day!

Do we need teen lock-ins where the teens stay up on night and drink sugar sodas and then are in an altered state the next day to be controlled or manipulated with any message that's presented or to not hear or be able to respond to anything at all.

Since we are in the world but not of it, should any Christian partake of anything political?  How can this allegiance to government leaders who are pro-war, pro-abortion, anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-righteousness, be the leading of the Holy Spirit?!

And when the Lord God said that He looked on the heart in 1 Samuel, He was NOT saying what the church teaches, i.e. that the heart is good, on the contrary, He was saying that He sees that the heart is evil!

We don't need any self-appointed new apostles and prophets; we need to follow the apostles and prophets that our Lord gave us in the scriptures and in the New Testament. 

The key is to truly be regenerated and truly love and follow Jesus Christ theough obedience, having a broken (open) heart and a contrite spirit.  We must repent as the Holy Spirit shows us as we journey with the Lord on this narrow way.


THERE ARE MANY DISTRACTIONS THAT PULL ONE AWAY FROM THE TRUE & LIVING GOD OF THE BIBLE!  LET'S REMEMBER THAT THE WORD Christian means CHRIST-LIKE!

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY LOOK BETTER?! IN REALITY, THIS ‘GOOD’ LOOKS EVIL IN THE SITE OF THE LIVING GOD!  We are living in the days of Isaiah's word :  Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!


On a deeper level, the 'church' is actually a part of the system of Babylon which the Lord God condemns throughout His Word.  See Jeremiah chapters, 50 and 51.  Dimitru Duduman prophesied against America-Babylon and the American church when he warned many churches of the vision that God gave to him.  Still, the vast majority of people have not awakened and the vast majority of them will not awaken.  I pray that you, the reader, will be one of those who is willing to seek the Lord and find Him and be awakened and alert so you, too, can be spared of the spiritual consequences of Babylon.  Just read Jeremiah and Isaiah.  God shares in these books the judgments that Babylon received so that we can see the assurance of those judgments upon us as well!  We must be separate and separate ourselves from those who claim to be Christians but are not.  See

1 Timothy 6:20-21--Amp. (speaking of the declining church)

O Timothy, guard and keep the deposit entrusted [to you]! Turn away from the irreverent babble and godless chatter, with the vain and empty and worldly phrases, and the subtleties and the contradictions in what is falsely called knowledge and spiritual illumination. [For] by making such profession some have erred (missed the mark) as regards the faith. Grace (divine favor and blessing) be with you all! Amen (so be it).

2 Timothy 3:1-5--Amp. Speaking of the declining church

1BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].
2For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.
3[They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.
4[They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.
5For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them].

TO BE CONTINUED...

http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/wishfulthinking.html  MANY FALSE DOCTRINES presented along with THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE.

VARIOUS QUOTES:
An unholy church! it is useless to the world, and of no esteem among men. It is an abomination, hell's laughter, heaven's abhorrence. The worst evils which have ever come upon the world have been brought upon her by an unholy church." - C.H. Spurgeon

"Christians don't tell lies - they just go to church and sing them." - A.W. Tozer"Get rid of this bunkum about the 'carnal Christian'. Forget it! If you're carnal, you're not saved." - Leonard Ravenhill


"The chief danger of the church today is that it is trying to get on the same side as the world, instead of turning the world upside down. Our Master expects us to accomplish results, even if they bring opposition and conflict. Anything is better than compromise, apathy, and paralysis. God give to us an intense cry for the old-time power of the Gospel of the Holy Ghost!" - AB Simpson

"All God's giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they believed that God would be with them." - Hudson Taylor

"Controversy for the sake of controversy is sin; controversy for the sake of truth is a Divine command." - Dr. Walter Martin


I cannot believe in the spirituality of any Christian man who keeps an eye open for the approval of others, whoever they may be. The man after God's own heart must be dead to the opinion of his friends as well as his enemies. He must be willing to cross important persons as obscure ones. He must be ready to rebuke his superior as quickly as those who may be beneath him on the ecclesiastical ladder. To reprove one man in order to gain the favor of another is no evidence of moral courage. It is done in the world all the time. We'll never be where we should be in our spiritual lives until we are so devoted to Christ that we ask no other approbation than His smile. - A.W. Tozer

People are disturbed and troubled by the real Gospel: under the false gospel they can sleep unto destruction. Bring out the Sword: it is meant to wound; let it exercise its salutary sharpness. The Gospel has two edges so that none may play with it. When they think to run their fingers along the back of it, they will find themselves cut to the bone. Whether we regard its threats or promises it cuts as sin. Let us therefore know that the power of the Church does not lie anywhere but in the Word as Jesus Himself speaks it. - Charles Spurgeon.

FROM MATTHEW HENRY'S COMMENTARY:
There are but two ways right and wrong, good and evil; the way to heaven and the way to hell; in the one or other of these all are walking: there is no middle place hereafter, no middle way now. All the children of men are saints or sinners, godly or ungodly. See concerning the way of sin and sinners, that the gate is wide, and stands open. You may go in at this gate with all your lusts about you; it gives no check to appetites or passions. It is a broad way; there are many paths in it; there is choice of sinful ways. There is a large company in this way. But what profit is there in being willing to go to hell with others, because they will not go to heaven with us? The way to eternal life is narrow. We are not in heaven as soon as we are got through the strait gate. Self must be denied, the body kept under, and corruptions mortified. Daily temptations must be resisted; duties must be done. We must watch in all things, and walk with care; and we must go through much tribulation. And yet this way should invite us all; it leads to life: to present comfort in the favour of God, which is the life of the soul; to eternal bliss, the hope of which at the end of our way, should make all the difficulties of the road easy to us. This plain declaration of Christ has been disregarded by many who have taken pains to explain it away; but in all ages the real disciple of Christ has been looked on as a singular, unfashionable character; and all that have sided with the greater number, have gone on in the broad road to destruction. If we would serve God, we must be firm in our religion. Can we often hear of the strait gate and the narrow way, and how few there are that find it, without being in pain for ourselves, or considering whether we are entered on the narrow way, and what progress we are making in it?—Matthew Henry Concise



 COMMENTS FROM RETAH and ALDO MCPHERSON'S BOOK, A MESSAGE FROM GOD~~


Retha's paraphrase of Rev. 3:15-16--
"Laodicea, you are a spineless, useless bunch! You want to serve God, but refuse to give up on mammon. You tithe when it is convenient, and attend church Sunday after Sunday so that others can see your piety. You are so religious and always eager to help a good cause, focusing on human rights and tolerance, instead of on Me. You are always looking for happiness in some worldly pleasure. And then you fool yoursleves into thinking that you can bribe Me with what little time you can spare for Me. You are self-centered and refuse to change...God's answer..."I'll spit you out of my mouth!" ...The problem with the church in Laodicea...is that they were not moved by the Holy Spirit."

Does any of this sound familiar to the day in which we now live?!


****************************************************************

  Here are a few quotes from Carter Conlon's most recent newsletter entitled: When Sin and Religion become Friends~July 2011~As you read them, bear in mind that he is speaking of the church of Jesus Christ!

 
...it is the constant struggle between either serving God or serving ourselves as god. It is possible to have a clear vision of what is of true value, yet still choose to set our affections on something we know to be potentially harmful...Satan was in the presence of God and had an unrestricted view of the perfect Light...however, these very gifts from God corrupted him...For example, people with brilliant minds become absolutely corrupted by that intellect, using the thought process to stray farther and farther away from the kingdom of God...Just as Satan had unrestricted view of the Lord, we...have the Holy

Spirit within us, enabling us to understand the Scriptures and discern between right and wrong. So in another measure, we too have an unrestricted view of God. That means if we want truth, we can have it; if we want freedom, it can be ours; if we want life, it is promised...Even with the pureness of that Light before him, Satan chose another pathway, following his own reasoning. He began to chafe at what he considered to be narrowness, convinced that he knew a better way. He mistakenly believed that he could be his own god, create his own reality, and live by his own concept of right and wrong...Cast out of heaven,
Satan then came down to Adam and Eve and sowed his own logic into the human race...In his own mind, Satan had become god, the same danger you and I face today. He sowed into all of humanity this desire to be as God~~to create our own concept of good and evil...Rom. 1:25, 28--"...they worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator...and God gave them over to a reprobate mind..."A reprobate mind means corrupt thinking, a crooked mind...after years of refusing to obey God, it is almost as if their thinking cannot be straightened. They choose instead to worship the thoughts of their own hearts, and sin and religion eventually become friends, bringing them to a place where they begin to call evil good..There is no greater darkness than when that which is inwardly corrupt takes on a COVERING OF RELIGION...Mat. 23:33--"You serpents,...In other words, (Jesus said) "You have so covered yourselves in corruption and religion that you have bought yoursleves a ticket to hell. How will you escape? How will you change/ You have embraced this corrupted reasoning fo Satan, covering death and decay with fine clothing and sweet religious words, but inwardly you hate God!"...John 8:44--"You are of your father the devil,..." ...Now you are entrenched in a wrong way of thinking, leaving you with two alternatives--either you will repent of your sin, or you will kill the voice that has been sent to draw you to the presence of God...Unfortunately, many people reach a place where they sit in the house of God, having put on a covering of religion while embracing a wrong view of God and His ways...Do you not understand the power of your own heart to deceive you? Each of us has an inner capability to walk away from God and develop completely corrupted scriptural reasoning around it. BEAR IN MIND THAT IT WAS THE MOST RELIGIOUS NATION ON EARTH THAT CRIED OUT FOR THE DEATH OF THE SON OF GOD...It is important to realize that the light shone in a religious darkess--THAT was the religious darkness that didn't comprehend it. Isn't it strange that the lepers comprehended it, the prostitutes responded to it, and even the dead could har it? Yet religion has a certain death about it, making it almost impossible to hear the voice of God...You will not be in darkness if you are singly focused,...saying, "Lord, whatever You say is wrong, I will regard as wrong; and whatever You say is right, I will follow. By Your Spirit I will do what You ask me to, and wherever You lead me, I will follow."...There is a distinct call to each of us, and this is where we will either cover sin with religion, or throw off that false garment...saying, ..."I will not create a religion in my own heart that allows me to move in the direction of death, thinking it is life..."...As we make the choice to do things God's way, allowing no friendship between sin and religion in our lives,...it will be joy and strength, direction in the storm, provision in famine, victory in battle."

END OF QUOTES BY CARTER CONLON

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt from Paul McGuire:

The Department of Homeland Security issued a video portraying the "white Middle Class" as terrorists! According the DHS, if you are a Bible believing Christian, believe in the traditional family, believe in Bible prophecy, believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God you are a terrorist! You hear over and over again in the media. Killers who open fire on children and the innocent are fundamentalist Christians. Even though often times they are radical leftists and deeply involved in the occult!
Mind control and propaganda through the mass media! Before Hitler sent the Jews to the camps he first demonized the Jews in the media. The same thing is happening in America, Bible believing Christians and Jews are being demonized once again and yes, they have built camps. You doubt that? Do your homework there is evidence. ...A lot of these leaders who are hiding the truth from their people and think they are playing it safe are in for a very rude awakening. History has shown us over and over again in Communist China, Communist Russia and Nazi, Germany that they are going to come for you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin662.htm
COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE"
By Chuck Baldwin
August 17, 2011
NewsWithViews.com

It is no hyperbole to say that the vast majority of today's churches do not remotely resemble the New Testament pattern. In the first place, the Church was never intended to be a government corporation! Yet, that is exactly what every 501c3 non-profit "religious" organization is: it is a government-created corporation. In the eyes of the government, pastors, elders, and deacons are not pastors, elders, and deacons; they are corporate officers. And put to the test, virtually any and all of these so-called "pastors," "elders," and "deacons," will confirm that they are corporate officers. So, right out of the gate we must understand that we are dealing with government corporations and corporate officers, not with New Testament churches, pastors, elders, and deacons.

Pray tell, where do you find anything in the New Testament about churches joining with the State, or being incorporated by the State, or being required to submit to the State? It's not there! The 501c3 corporation status has turned the Lord's Church into mere creatures of the State.

Therefore, please remember, when you "worship" inside these government corporations, when you give your tithes and offerings to these government corporations, you are NOT supporting "the Lord's work." You are supporting the work of the State. You might as well be paying taxes; it amounts to virtually the same thing. The same is true for all these TV preachers. They are all 501c3 incorporated!

This is why many pastors do not speak out on the burning issues of the day. This is why neither he nor his church will take a stand for anything. This is why he won't "get involved in politics." He is a corporate officer of the State, and he will not jeopardize his standing as such.

I don't care how "nice" the preacher is! It matters not how knowledgeable you think he is of the Scriptures. It doesn't amount to a hill of beans if he knows Hebrew and Greek and how many degrees he has behind his name. If he is a corporate officer of the State, he will never preach the "whole counsel of God;" he will never be willing to stand in front of his congregation and tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help him God." He won't do it! Why? He knows he is a State corporate officer, and he knows where the line is drawn. Ditto for the church deacons and trustees (I mean, corporate officers) that support him.

If the so-called "Religious Right" would get as excited about replacing these government-toadies (called pastors) that we have in our "churches" and putting honest-to-God, tell-it-like-it-is, fearless prophets in their pulpits as they are about replacing a "liberal" and putting some so-called "conservative" Republican in the White House, we really could have revival in America! The problem is not the White House; the problem is the church house!

Is it any wonder that the donor base for these religious-talking Republican politicians is mostly identical to the donor base for these religious-talking government corporations called churches? They are Siamese twins! This is why the "Religious Right" will never offend the GOP establishment: they are both sucking from the same teat! And the sow providing the milk for both is the federal government, via its non-profit corporation status, corporate welfare programs, and endless cash for the Warfare State.

Just look at the behavior of the people attending these government corporations. What do you see? Gossip, slander, backbiting, nosiness, jealousy, resentment, bickering, judgmentalism, and downright hatred is rampant! Church splits are commonplace. These government corporation "Christians" will betray their brothers and sisters for far less than thirty pieces of silver.

The motivating factor for most of these government corporations is the same as it is for private corporations: money. Money drives everything they do. The workshops, seminars, how-to manuals, etc., are all geared to making these government corporations more attractive and appealing to the donor base. Just as Jesus said to the moneychangers in His day, these corporate officers have turned God's House into "a den of thieves."


Why is it that today's pastors and Christians are so clueless to what is happening in front of their eyes? They say they are "preaching the Gospel." But they aren't. What they are doing is pulling the wool over people's eyes by refusing to sound the alarm! Why is it that as soon as the final "Amen" is spoken at the end of a "worship service," the first thing out of the mouths of most of the men in attendance is something about sports? Why is it that so many "Christian" women spend dozens of hours each week searching the Internet in pursuit of whatever sordid information is floating around out there about their "friends" and fellow church members? It seems that today's Christians are so ignorant of true Biblical friendship, fellowship, and brotherhood that they don't know what to do with it even when they find it! Christian betrayal is epidemic!

A genuine New Testament church follows Jesus' instruction to love one another. A New Testament church yearns for genuine Christian fellowship and brotherhood. A New Testament church prefers one another and honors one another. A New Testament church desires truth--even when it's painful. And yes, a New Testament church is willing to die for one another!

I have spoken with Russian Christians who endured the "purging" under Joe Stalin. They told me about KGB agents bursting into a church service with fully automatic weapons demanding to know who the pastor was. They told me how when this happened, every man in the congregation raised his hand. They told me about how when government agents took men at gun point from the congregation, elderly ladies were laying in front of the government vehicles. Can one imagine this scene taking place in today's churches?

I can see it now: government agents demand to know who the pastor is, and every man in the congregation points AT THE PASTOR! Government agents haul men out of the church and the old women applaud and get patriotic goose bumps as they are taken away.

All across the Christian spectrum, people are beholden to the state. Welfare checks, government pension checks, corporate welfare checks, food stamps, medical benefits, etc., etc., ad infinitum. "My God shall supply all your needs"? Who needs that promise? We have the state to take care of us! "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof"? Irrelevant! We don't even know how to recognize evil when we see it. "Give us this day our daily bread"? Antiquated rubbish easily explained away by our brilliant corporate officers in the pulpit. "Blessed are the peacemakers"? Forget it! "Conservative," evangelical Christians and preachers today are the biggest cheerleaders, proponents, and apologists for spreading war, mayhem, and death all over the world!

I would dare say that most of today's churches and pastors have never given a second thought to what the "church" is. The church is not a building. The church is not programs and musicals, and socials and recreational theme parks. The church is not restaurants and bookstores. The word "church" means "called out assembly." Called out from what? Called out from state governance and control; called out from worldly philosophies and principles; called out from bondage and tyranny. That's what!

Need I remind my brothers and sisters that the first reference, chronologically, to the "church" is found in Acts 7:38 where Stephen gave tribute to "the church in the wilderness"? Why was the church in the wilderness? God had called it out of Egyptian bondage. Hence, the word "church," meaning "a called out assembly."

So, where is the called out assembly today? It has left nothing! The assembly gathers together under the auspices of, and in the name of, the state. It grovels before the state. It gears its messages to the pleasure of the state. It keeps its congregants in the dark to the illegalities, improprieties, and criminalities of the state. It seeks the state's approval and approbation. And when called upon by the state, it will betray or sell out any preacher, prophet, or Christian brother or sister.



You who say you love God, you who say you know what's going on and are concerned about your children's future, you who say you desire truth, how can you continue to support these 501c3 government corporations with your attendance and with your tithes and offerings? You are called to "come out." So, why don't you? These government corporations are in bed with Babylon. And Babylon is not our friend. It is enslaving saints all over the world. It is persecuting the Bride. It is making war with God's children. It is drunk with the blood of pilgrims and patriots! How dare you sleep in the same bed with her?





How did the Holy Spirit conclude the Book of Revelation? By commanding us, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Rev. 18:4)

This unholy alliance between the Lord's Church and Caesar, between the Body of Christ and Beelzebub, between the fellowship of God and the fellowship of Satan is plaguing our nation, our families, and our future. "Come out of her, my people."

COMMENTS BY PHIL ENOW OF WWW.MIDCRY.ORG~~

It may sound strange to some but the gospel message is focused on God's purpose and NOT on man's needs and desires. That doesn't mean that He is uncaring or unconcerned about our needs. Not at all. It just means that we need to see everything in the light of His revealed purpose and not what we think we need and want. He created us in His image (Genesis 1:27). He must have had a reason. He must have had something particular in mind in so endowing us.
Cor. 4:4-5 --The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The wide gate and the broad way simply represent all of the false teachings that convey to people the idea that they can go to heaven without actually surrendering to Christ as Lord. They would probably be ready to fight to defend the doctrine that Jesus is Lord but in practical reality He is not their Lord. Self is on the throne before they go through the wide gate and remains there all the way to the judgment. Going through the narrow gate means that Jesus who IS Lord becomes MY Lord.


Think about it! The essence of the sin problem is that we are rebels. Any gospel that does not begin with surrender--an end to our rebellion--is no gospel at all. It is deception. That is why the very beginning of Paul's message was simply Christ, and more specifically, that Jesus Christ is Lord. There is no way around that. Men will either reckon with Him here in surrender or they will reckon with Him there in judgment. Those are the only choices.


To put it another way, God has not given us a religion, but a Person. Our hope lies not in obeying precepts and commandments but in opening our innermost beings--our hearts--to receive that Person for all that He is, and that starts with the fact that He is Lord. Is He your Lord?

In warning the Corinthians against false ministries Paul describes them as, “false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.” 2 Cor. 11:13-15. The devil wouldn’t accomplish much if he approached Christians as a “devil of darkness”! No! His aim is that men should receive him and his servants as heaven-sent.

Consider some of the great religious personalities of our day in the light of Paul's simple words in 2 Cor. 4:5 -- "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake." "We do not preach ourselves...." Christ was the center of Paul's message. Paul was just a servant – a slave. He saw Christ as the only One worthy of being the center of attention. God's great man of the hour -- of every hour -- is Christ and Christ alone. Something is not right when human personalities usurp His rightful place.

Pride is very much at the heart of such a spirit. Religion is full of pride. Religious leaders readily bask in the praise of men and gullible followers just as readily heap it on them.

Another characteristic that often accompanies deception is a spirit of self-will. When a religious leader refuses to listen to anyone else but rather imposes his will on everyone around him, something is very wrong. That too is a tactic of control and is rooted in fallen human nature and not in the Spirit of Christ. Of course this characteristic could also apply to more than one who exercise control together.

Another major area of Satan's attack concerns the message that is proclaimed. What is it that is preached and believed? Is it "the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3) or something else? Just because something is labeled "Christian" and the Bible is quoted doesn't necessarily mean it is "the faith" to which Jude referred. Satan loves to promote his lies under the banner of biblical truth. The truth, however, is all but buried in many places in our day under an avalanche of religious lies.

And Paul wasn't exactly shy in his defense of the truth. In Gal. 1:6-8 he wrote, "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" Paul actually wished that God would cast these false teachers into hell!

Far too often the truth of "Jesus Christ and him crucified" has been reduced to a trite religious formula that people rush by to get to what they really want. They have no real understanding of the message. They get "saved" without ever truly knowing, as a result of Holy Spirit conviction, what it is to be lost They join churches and profess to be followers of Jesus despite manifestly unchanged hearts. They seek happiness, fulfillment, meaning, fellowship, healing, signs and wonders, success, recognition and praise from men, etc. These self-centered goals play a large part in where they "go to church" while they miss what Paul was talking about completely. Paul understood that...

Excerpts from Sodom Had No Bible by Leonard Ravenhill~~
      From the chapter, We Need a Baptism of Holy Anger

Paul was angry at the power of false religion to delude the people.
Paul was angry at the reckless devotion...to powerless gods.
Paul was angry  at the staggering wealth sacrificially given to build   
     temples to frauds.
Paul was angry that Christ was cheated of the love which He should 
     have had...

Doesn't this sound like the day in which we now live?!  Shouldn't we then be angry even as Paul was?!

Romans 5:17-- For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, JesusChrist.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

COME AND HIDE IN ME

8/29/2011~

To the children who are mine, I say, come and hide in Me.  You are living and moving and having your being in Me. Stay hidden in Me, stay close to Me.  Look for Me each new day, so as to be taught by Me, so as to learn of Me and hide My words, which are living~(they are) spirit and life in your hearts.  Psalm 119, Isaiah 48:17~Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.       

But to those who are not My true children, I say, woe unto you for I AM a Just Judge and I see the stench of sin always~the pride, the religion, the spirit of Babylon, the anger, the abuses of children and women, especially.  I see it all and I am angry, furious at these injustices that are done freely and without fear of God in My church, as well as in the world.  You think you are hiding from Me, but you are NOT!  I see all and I am angry and I will, by My word, judge all as I have through time and throughout history.  Read My words through the prophets~Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  Read My just judgments through the Son of God.  They are the same and what has been said will be so.  It will be done and none can stay My Hand now. 

Run to Me, those of you who fear the Lord, but for those who do not, your fate and your doom is already sealed.  Jeremiah 11:11~Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.

My words are true~O, that people would wake up and listen and take heed.  Great darkness is descending upon the earth as never before.  Alas, most do not see the signs.  Most do not understand.  Most do not care.

Come to Me, My true children and enjoy My love, My power and My protection no matter what is going on around you~and be safe. 

Take note:  I believe the key is to become increasingly intimate with our Lord so as to hear and heed His voice.  The sense I had in this last paragraph was that the Lord would keep us safe IN HIM, but not necessarily safe from so many things that are coming to pass.  He will tell us what to do and where to go at the proper time, but it is up to us to know Him well enough to hear and to heed Him in the darkest days that are about to crash upon us.


May the Lord God speak to your hearts through His Word~~


2 Cor. 3:18--But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Jer. 16:2-9--Here we see that because Jeremiah is one who spoke for God, he is restricted by God and suffering for it.


Heb. 11:37-38--They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

 
Isaiah 48:17-Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

Jeremiah chapter 4, also 4:22--For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are stupid children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Jeremiah 5:29-31--Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Jeremiah 6:13-14--dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Jeremiah 6:16--Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

Jeremiah 7:16-19--Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?

Jeremiah 11:11--Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

JUSTICE MUST COME !

8/5/2001~

Always,...never forget that, especially in the dark days ahead, especially in and through tribulation.  Remember the word, 'always'!  I AM ALWAYS THE SAME~~I AM JUST, AS WELL AS MERCIFUL and yes, I desire that you, as well as others would enjoy My JUSTICE as you agree with Me and My Word.  JUSTICE MUST COME!


Hebrews 13:5

(Amp.) Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages).


Deuteronomy 32:4

He is the Rock, His work is perfect;For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.


Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times (for this was the king’s manner toward all who knew law and justice,


Proverbs 21:3
To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.



Isaiah 56:1
Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.



Isaiah 59:4
None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.



Jer. 51:8-15
Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed.
Wail for her!
Take balm for her pain;
Perhaps she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon,
But she is not healed.
Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country;
For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.
10 The LORD has revealed our righteousness.
Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.

       11 Make the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it is the vengeance of the LORD,
The vengeance for His temple.
12 Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon;
Make the guard strong,
Set up the watchmen,
Prepare the ambushes.
For the LORD has both devised and done
What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.

       13 O you who dwell by many waters,
Abundant in treasures,
Your end has come,
The measure of your covetousness.
14 The LORD of hosts has sworn by Himself:!RM

“ Surely I will fill you with men, as with locusts,
And they shall lift up a shout against you.”
15 He has made the earth by His power;
He has established the world by His wisdom,
And stretched out the heaven by His understanding. 



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE



















"And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 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. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" Mark 12:29-31.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" John 15:13.

"If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).

Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing. Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect). But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded). When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside. For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].

And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love" 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.

"Now about food offered to idols: of course we know that all of us possess knowledge [concerning these matters. Yet mere] knowledge causes people to be puffed up (to bear themselves loftily and be proud), but love (affection and goodwill and benevolence) edifies and builds up and encourages one to grow [to his full stature]. If anyone imagines that he has come to know and understand much [of divine things, without love], he does not yet perceive and recognize and understand as strongly and clearly, nor has he become as intimately acquainted with anything as he ought or as is necessary" 1 Corinthians 8:1-2.

"We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also" 1 John 4:19-21.

How much of the time do we actually... 'practice what we preach?' How does our daily walk... match up with what we say we believe? It is much easier to 'talk the talk' than it is to 'walk the walk.' Knowledge in and of itself is only a tool, it is incapable of imparting LIFE. It requires application... implementation on the part of the hearer to effect change. It is not enough simply to 'know'... if we do not grow from what we have learned. When it comes to learning spiritual realities, we discover that in order to implement them into our lives, the death of self is the chief requirement. "Till not I live, but Christ liveth in me..."; "For in him we live, and move, and have our being."

If we would honestly examine our own hearts, we will have to admit that we are in possession of far more knowledge about God, than we are walking in the Power and Spirit of Christ in us. Hence, if we were to be judged this moment, we would be out of balance as the graphic illustrates; our accumulated knowledge about the things of God outweighing the Christ living in and through us.

We are not going to be rewarded for how much knowledge we possess. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" Galatians 6:7. Our actions speak louder than our words. Our reward will be in direct correlation to our obedience and the surrender of our will to His. It is the "Christ in you" that makes us acceptable to a Holy God, not our adherence to religious rituals, formulas or beliefs. Our duty is to love him that first loved us, and gave himself for us. As the above verses illustrate, LOVE is the deciding factor. As long as we are living according to the ways of the world and our flesh, we are incapable of loving those who despitefully use us; and we love ourselves more than we love God.

It is a sobering thing to consider the ramifications of the following..."But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" Romans 8:9. One must honestly deduct from this passage that if the Spirit of God is indwelling us, we can no longer live according to our fleshly desires and carnal thinking. Our flesh is very adept at convincing us that our carnal desires are in fact the Spirit of God. Jesus told us in John 3:6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." The two are distinctly separate. They can not be blended any more than oil and water. We are the servants of one or the other. If we are doing what seems right in our own eyes, we are operating from our flesh and not by the Spirit of God, and are in danger of being counted among those who are "none of his."

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" Ephesians 2:8.

May we always be reminded..."Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth." And continue to "... grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever" 2 Peter 3:18.       Amen



Cathy Morris     8/28/2010

Sunday, July 24, 2011

IN SPITE OF. . .

7/23/2011~~

Speak to My people and tell them that IN SPITE OF their pasts and all that has gone wrong~~IN SPITE OF attacks~violations to them~sorrows and failures, still, I remember they are but dust and I will cause this dust to be changed~transformed, to serve Me and worship Me and love Me to the full.  Only submit yourselves to be in My loving Presence~basking in My loving Presence~waiting before Me, bowing before Me, putting me first in all you do.  I love you and I will never stop loving you.

Know that I am preparing you for the dark days ahead~for persecution~for unexpected and sudden trials so that you can stand strong in the evil day and stand with Me.  But you must know Me deeply and intimately in order to stand in a right spirit regarding Me and your enemies and all new, surprising situations.

Remember, you are not here to serve yourself or anyone else's flesh.  You are here to serve Me with your love and devotion and thereby shine in the midst of a dark and perverse generation.  You are here to be My salt and light.  You are here for My purposes.  Trust Me~walk in My patience and thereby save your soul.  Walk in My faith for your own will not stand.  Trust Me in all and worship Me through it all, even if no one else sees you or acknowledges you or understands that you are indeed worshipping the true and living God!


Excerpt from series by Philip Enlow of www.midcry.org

"It may sound strange to some but the gospel message is focused on God's purpose and NOT on man's needs and desires. That doesn't mean that He is uncaring or unconcerned about our needs. Not at all. It just means that we need to see everything in the light of His revealed purpose and not what we think we need and want. He created us in His image (Genesis 1:27). He must have had a reason. He must have had something particular in mind in so endowing us."

My prayer~~Let me be one of the sincere seekers; let me be one of the humble seekers; let me be one of your truly repentant ones; let me be one of your true worshippers!

My Note: Through being a true and sincere seeker of God, repentant and worshipful, will come fullness of joy and peace and love. The Living God and only the Living God prescribes what is best for He knows the beginning and the ending. He only the Alpha and the Omega. We do NOT know better and we must live each new day as though we do NOT know better than Our Redeemer, Savior, and Lord. His prescriptions for our lives are the Best! He IS as near as your mouth.


FOR YOUR MEDITATION~~

Notice the principles in Lev. 26 as well as:

Lev. 26:44
And yet in spite of this, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.

Psalm 103:14
For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.


James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.



1 Chronicles 16:27
Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.



Psalm 27:14
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.



Psalm 95:6
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

1 John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.


 Hebrews 13:5
5 Let your way of life be without the love of money, being satisfied with the things which are at hand; for He Himself has said, "I shall by no means give you up, neither by any means shall I abandon you''.   (Recovery Version)


Philippians 2:15
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
 

2 Timothy 3:1
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
 


2 Timothy 3:12
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
 


Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?



1 Peter 1:7
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:



James 1:3
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.



1 Peter 5:9
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.



1 Peter 4:12
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:



Ephesians 6:13
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.



John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.



Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.



Matthew 13:43
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.



Matthew 5:13
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.



Matthew 5:15
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light.



Matthew 5:15
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.



 Luke 21:19
In your patience possess ye your souls.  (possess--keep intact, acquire)


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



Isaiah 26:4
Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:



 Psalm 115:11
Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.


Philippians 1:10
That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.



James 4:10
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.



2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.



John 4:23
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.



Ephesians 3:19
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.