Posted by: dananddeb | October 12, 2008

God’s Glory

 

As I thought about my place in life, I began looking at my surroundings and truly started looking to see God in creation. This video is a compilation of photos that Debbie and I have taken over the last few years with the exception of a few at the beginning (of space and earth). The song is an original piece written and performed by my youngest brother, Anthony Ficek.

As we walk through this life, how often do we fail to recognize the beauty around us. It’s hard sometimes to see that beauty, with headlines screaming the effects of a failing economy. The “news” of murders and crooked politicians, and fallen church leaders.

It’s the nature of the world we live in. Isn’t it awesome that as believers in the Lord Jesus, we can say with confidence that our citizenship is not of the world, but instead that we are seated in the heavenlies?! All we must do when we begin feeling bogged down by the trials of our life is look UP! We have a Father in heaven that loves us and proof of His very existence is in the nature all around us. Anyone that cannot see God in nature has been blinded by the enemy of our souls.

Paul wrote that the preaching of the cross is foolishness to some, but to us, it is the very POWER OF GOD! The heaven’s declare His Glory. Amen.

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Posted by: dananddeb | July 21, 2008

Do The Devils Know Your Name?

Do The Devils Know Your Name?

 

And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve.

And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

Opening Prayer

            In the 1939 movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy decides that in order to save her little dogs life, her only option is to take Toto and run away from home. She doesn’t get very far along in her journey before she comes upon a very interesting man by the name of Professor Marvel. Professor Marvel is a traveling man who claims to be able to tell fortunes through the use of his “magic crystal ball.” So, as Dorothy is coming down the road, she comes upon his camp and their conversation goes like this:

Professor:             Oh, house guests! And who might you be? Oh, now don’t tell me. You’re traveling in disguise, no, that’s not right, I…you’re going on a visit? No, I’m wrong, that’s, uh, you’re, uh, you’re running away.

Dorothy:             How did you guess?

Professor:             Professor Marvel never guesses, he knows. Now why are you running away? No, no, no, don’t tell me. Uh, they don’t understand you at home, they don’t appreciate you. You want to see other lands, big cities, big mountains, big oceans!

Dorothy:             Why, it’s just like you could read what was inside of me.

Dorothy:             Why can’t we go with you and see all the Crowned Heads of Europe?

Professor:       Do you know any? Oh, you mean the thing. [gesturing to his sign] I never do anything without consulting my crystal first. Let’s go inside, and I’ll show you..This is the same, genuine magic authentic crystal used by the priests of Isis and Osiris in the days of the Pharaohs of Egypt, in which Cleopatra first saw the approach of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. And so on and so on. Now, you, uh, you’d better close your eyes for a moment, my child, so I can be in better tune with the infinite. [looks through her basket] We can’t do these things without reaching out into the infinite. That’s all right now, you can open them. We’ll look into the crystal. What’s this I see? A house with a picket fence and a barn with a weather vane of a…of a… running horse.

Dorothy:             That’s our farm.

Professor:             I see a woman. She’s wearing a polka-dot dress. Her face is careworn.

Dorothy:             That’s Auntie Em.

Professor:             Her name is Emily.

Dorothy:             That’s right. What’s she doing?

Professor:             Well I, uh, I can’t quite see. Why, she’s crying. Someone has hurt her. Someone has just about broken her heart.

Dorothy:             Me?

Professor:             Well, it’s uh, someone she loves very much. Someone she’s been very kind to. Someone she’s taken care of in sickness.

Dorothy:             I had the measles once and she stayed right by me every minute. What’s she doing now?

Professor:             Well, she’s, uh…What’s this? Well, she’s, she’s putting her hand on her heart. Oh, she’s, she’s dropping down on the bed.

Dorothy:             Oh, no, no, no.

Professor:             Uh, that’s it, the crystal’s gone dark.

 

            Now, although this illustration is silly in nature, the purpose is to paint a picture for you of how ridiculous these people in our study truly were in comparison to how “mystical” they seemed to have seen themselves as being.

            Our Scripture that we are going to be examing to day is Acts 19:13-15 and if you’ll turn with me, we read, “Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” In verse thirteen, we read of these certain vagabond Jews. This word, vagabond, when studied in original Greek, is pronounced “perievrcomai” and means to “wander about without direction or lack of guidance. What we have then, are seven Jewish men that traveled from town to town with the sole intention of receiving money through deceptive practices. They would use different forms of fortune telling and would pretend to cast spells and charms in order to cure men of diseases. This sounds a little bit similar to our Professor Marvel, whom as we learn later in the movie is the man behind the curtain, aka, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!”

            Oftentimes, these wanderers, these deceivers, would and still do refer to themselves as exorcists because they would at times perform these tricks using forms of adjuration, or in other words, intense pleading. For example, in our Scripture today, these men were attempting to expel a demon by using the name of Jesus whom Paul preacheth. It’s an interesting fact that when you study the word exorcist, you will find that the synonyms used are words such as, “Magician, Sorcerer, Seducer, and Imposter.” Now, when I say magic, I’m not referring to the “what’s that behind your ear” trick. No, I’m talking about something much more serious and dangerous. What I’m talking about is the idea that one can control the natural world through mystical or paranormal means. This includes magic words or spells that are popular among modern day Wicca’s. It could include the use of wands or other such tools or the use of different pagan symbols; for instance the crystal ball in our illustration of Professor Marvel. Other examples include would include fortune telling, the practice of predicting the future through mystical means and typically for the gain of money.

            Numerology and astrology are even more examples. Gallop estimates that there are over ten million devoted followers of astrology in the U.S. and another 40 million who claim to dabble in it. What’s even more amazing than that is that 10% of evangelical Christians say that they believe in astrology! My question to them is whether or not they are truly saved! Astrology columns can be found in over 1200 newspapers. You can find your horoscope in department stores, grocery stores, airports, online, on television, and over the phone! It’s estimated that there are 1700 full-time astrologers and approximately 175,000 part-timers. If I was to take a poll right now, how many of us could raise our hands if I asked who here knows their zodiac sign. I know that I would. Like violence and sex, spiritual poison lurks around every corner. In Acts 8:9-23 we read, “But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.” Sorcery, magic, witchcraft…

            As these vagabond Jews were going about attempting to cast out demons by adjuration, let’s look at what the Torah said of such work. Leviticus 19:12, “And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.” Today, we believers who fall under the new covenant of the shed blood of Christ the Lord also have warnings concerning adjuration. James writes in chapter 5 verse 12, “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” Our Lord spoke these words recorded in Matthews gospel, “But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne.” Swear not… Now the ministry of deliverance can certainly be a ministry in it’s own. However, we AS BELIEVERS have the authority through the indwelling of the Holy Ghost and the Holy name of Christ Jesus to cast out demons. The key is that we MUST be believers in the Risen Lord and that we not attempt this by our own authority but only by the authority of the name above all names, Jesus! These vagabonds were NOT believers in Jesus, but instead were out trying to throw their weight around by using the name of Jesus, whom Paul preacheth. They had no relationship whatsoever with the Lord of All, they were simply trying to profit from His Name!

            Although I loosely compare these men to a fictional character in a movie, the terrible and awful truth is that these men were not fictional characters. They were in fact in the very line of Aaron and had a responsibility to the Jewish nation and even more importantly to the Great I AM. These men we are told were the sons of Sceva, chief of the priests. This was no light duty. We remember that Aaron was called of God to be the High Priest of the Hebrews. Exodus 28:1, “And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.” Leviticus 21, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother. And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled. But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy. They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy. And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire. And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD. And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife. Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them. And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.”

            The commentator Matthew Henry says this regarding our sons of the chief priest, “It is truly sad to see any of that race in league with Satan.” Oh, how far these men had fallen from their chosen position in the house of God! We can see this today where great preachers of God’s Word have allowed a small foothold for the enemy of our souls and by doing so they have fallen greatly! They’ve allowed sin to rule once again in their lives. They’ve allowed guilt to eat away at them like a cancer ravishes the human body rather than recognize their sin, confess their sin, and repent of their sin. They’ve allowed their witness to fail. They’ve allowed their light to grow dim. They’ve forgotten their first love of Christ Jesus, their Lord and Savior. They’ve forgotten the One that died on that hill called Skull Hill. The One that was spit upon, mocked, beaten, hung upon a cross, and pierced! They’ve forgotten that they were bought with heavy, and need I say, undeserving price. I agree, and I think you can too, “It is truly sad to see any of that race in league with Satan.”

            Although these seven were certainly in league with Satan, he did not possess them nor were they possessed of any demon. I was talking with a co-worker recently who informed me that the devil is everywhere. Although it would seem that way when looking at the world around us, the reality is that only God Almighty is omnipresent. Only He can be as the song suggests, “our daily bread, the air we breathe.” How many times have we heard people say, “the devil made me do it!” I personally don’t give the Accuser that much credit. No, Satan did not possess these men. They were sinful, prideful, and full of greed, and for them, most dangerously ignorant of the powers with which they chose to play with.

            We learn much about these demons moving further into our study. “And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” This demon was able to recognize immediately that none of these seven were of the Most High God. Angels and demons (fallen angels) are created spiritual beings that have superior intelligence and strength that can be used to protect us from harm or cause us harm. I stress again, that the only reason we are able to battle demons is through the power of the Holy Ghost and the authority given us by the Lord Jesus. I am convinced that this is not an area that we can afford to be lackadaisical in or treat without absolute seriousness. We cannot battle the enemy by copying what is shown in movies. Holy water, crosses, crucifixes or such does not challenge demons. They are frightened by the use of His Name, the thought of Him, the sight of Him and from our Scripture today it is plain to see that they are knowledgeable of whether or not we know Jesus Christ, because they know Jesus Christ! “And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.”[1] “And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.”[2] “And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.”[3] “And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.”[4]

            The demons knew who Paul was because they were able to recognize Christ in Him. In chapter 16 verses 16-18 we read, “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.” (This woman was a high priestess in the temple of Apollo and was highly respected by those who were not Christians). There is no doubt in my mind that demons are able to see Christ in you also and the lack of Christ in those who do not believe.

            To further prove my point of their recognition of Christ, I find it interesting that we have no account of demons failing to confess exactly who Jesus is, unlike God’s other intelligent creation, the human. “And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?”[5] “And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.”[6]

            It easy for us to study and conclude that demons and Satan are aware of who is and who is not Spirit filled. We have an example here of what happens when people try to battle the enemy and are lacking the Spirit of God. These boys were whooped on! “And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”

            What about the believer? If we are Holy Spirit filled and plead the blood of Christ against those wily foxes, what is the demons role in battling God’s saints? “O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”[7] I believe that these seven were beaten and then left alone because they meant nothing to the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. We read no more of these men being harassed or attacked. The demon beat them and left them wounded and naked. Oh how different things are for the believer! Sometimes, I feel like I could gauge my service to God by the number of attacks I have in a week or even a day! We my friends are under attack! We are recognizable to the enemy! They are going to try and stop us from serving our Lord. They will attempt to draw God’s Glory away from Him. Don’t we see this happening all the time with pride? I’m a great athlete, singer, musician, writer, or cook! Well folks, we are only great at something because God has blessed us with that gift and the true glory must go to Him! But oh how the enemy wants you to forget that! He’ll use other people to puff us up until before you know it, you can’t fit your head through the door anymore!

            They attempt to draw you and I away from God. Have you ever noticed how you get tired when you sit down to read the Word? Movies, secular books, television! The enemy wants to defeat the hope that we have in Christ. Have you ever had prayer go unanswered? There’s the enemy whispering in your ear, “God doesn’t hear you… He doesn’t love you…” God will not and it’s my belief that He cannot work outside His own will just as He cannot lie! Even our Lord while sweating drops of blood prayed, “Not my will but Thine will be done!” God searches our hearts and He knows why we are praying and I believe that He will answer it for us if it is in line with His will! Ultimately, Satan and his followers have the main objective of seeking to destroy the believer! “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”[8]

            The serpent is like a general in the Army planning and plotting and scheming. He and his troops will direct our attention to different areas in our life in order to keep us from working for God. It wasn’t long ago that Pastor Wayne had it placed on his heart to start Faith Works Fellowship. Soon after, his youngest son found himself pinned in a car trapped next to a young lady who unfortunately breathed her last breath in that vehicle. Pastor Wayne wasn’t focused on the church at that time; he was focused on his baby! Then, when that didn’t stop this church from being born, he finds himself laid up in the hospital preparing for surgery! But oh friends, as much as the enemy plotted and schemed, he failed miserably in his attack against this flock and it’s shepherd. If he can’t get to us, he’ll make his attempt through our family, our work or any other means available to him!

            Oh the Accuser, the Serpent, that wicked Dragon! From Eden to now, constantly casting doubts in the minds of God’s children. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”[9] Is the entire Bible really true? Does God really want me to love the unlovable? Am I really saved? He and those wicked ones are constantly trying to draw us into debate regarding sin. How many times have you heard Scripture twisted to fit a person’s agenda, causing division amongst the church? Does the Bible really say that homosexuality is wrong? If this is what the Bible teaches then why do we have churches ordaining gay men into the pastorate? Because the enemy is constantly trying to infiltrate our ranks! Wolves amongst the sheep waiting to leap and attack! Apostates! Oh they would almost have us believing there is no hope! Praise God this is not the case! We are sons and daughters of the Most High God and when the attack comes at us we can shout out with authority and strength and power, GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN FOR MY JESUS HAS OVERCOME! My Jesus has overcome. My Jesus has overcome Satan, and sin, and death and with Paul we can say, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”[10]

            We are not weak worldly beings. We are new creatures in Christ, righteous and holy! The Spirit of God is our guide and He teaches us to be vigilant, to be sober, for our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.[11] He teaches us to stand fast, submitting ourselves therefore to God and resisting the devil.[12] We must do battle! Paul has told us to put on our battle suit! When I was in the Marine Corps we had many uniforms, but my favorite was always my war suit! We as Christians have a war suit! The Might Armour of God! “Put on the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 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. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”[13] Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon in which he directed us to “TAKE THE SWORD.” I can’t say this any better than he, so let me share with you an excerpt from this message preached by the “Prince of Preachers” April 19, 1891 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.

            “It is clear from our text that our defense and our conquest must be obtained by sheer fighting. Many try compromise; but if you are a true Christian, you can never do this business well. The language of deceit fits not a holy tongue. The adversary is the father of lies, and those that are with him understand the art of equivocation; but saints abhor it. If we discuss terms of peace, and attempt to gain something by policy, we have entered upon a course from which we shall return in disgrace. We have no order from our Captain to patch up a truce, and get as good terms as we can. We are not sent out to offer concessions. It is said that if we yield a little, perhaps the world will yield a little also, and good may come of it. If we are not too strict and narrow, perhaps sin will kindly consent to be more decent. Our association with it will prevent its being so barefaced and atrocious. If we are not narrow-minded, our broad doctrine will go down with the world, and those on the other side will not be so greedy of error as they now are. No such thing. Assuredly this is not the order which our Captain has issued. When peace is to be made, he will make it himself, or he will tell us how to behave to that end; but at present our orders are very different.

            Neither may we hope to gain by being neutral, or granting an occasional truce. We are not to cease from conflict, and try to be as agreeable as we can with our Lord’s foes, frequenting their assemblies, and tasting their dainties. No such orders are written here. You are to grasp your weapon, and go forth to fight.

            Neither may you so much as dream of winning the battle by accident. No man was ever holy by a happy chance. Infinite damage may be done by carelessness; but no man ever won life’s battle by it. To let things go on as they please, is to let them bear us down to hell. We have no orders to be quiet, and take matters easily. No; we are to pray always, and watch constantly. The one note that rings out from the text is this:-TAKE THE SWORD! TAKE THE SWORD! No longer is it, talk and debate! No longer is it, parley and compromise! The word of thunder is-Take the sword. The Captain’s voice is clear as a trumpet-Take the sword! No Christian man here will have been obedient to our text unless with clear, sharp, and decisive firmness, courage, and resolve, he takes the sword. We must go to heaven sword in hand, all the way. “TAKE THE SWORD.” On this command I would enlarge. May the Holy Spirit help me!

             It is noteworthy that there is only one weapon of offense provided, although there are several pieces of armor. The Roman soldier usually carried a spear as well as a sword. We have seen frequent representations of the legionary standing upon guard as sentry, and he almost always stands with a spear in his right hand, while his sword hangs at his side. But Paul, for excellent reasons, concentrates our offensive weapon in one, because it answers for all. We are to use the sword, and that only. Therefore, if you are going to this fight, see well to your only weapon. If you are to have no other, take care that you have this always in your hand. Let the Captain’s voice ring in your ear, “Take the sword! Take the sword!”, and so go forth to the field.”

            Church, Mighty God has equipped us and we must suit up and move forward with all of the strength of the Spirit and continue in God’s work. Follow His commandments, the first being to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind. The second is like it, to love thy neighbor as thyself. We are to go forward and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. This means at school, at work, at the grocery store, maybe in your own home. Lastly, do as Paul taught and examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Ask yourselves this question, if you were to come face to face with a demon, would he cry out in fear at your use of the name of Jesus, or would he respond, Jesus I know, but who are ye? So I urge you, while examining yourself to see if you are indeed in the faith, ask yourselves this question; “Do the devils know my name?”

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Mark 1:34

[2] Mark 1:23-24

[3] Mark 5:7

[4] Luke 4:41

[5] Matthew 8:29

[6] Mark 3:11

[7] Acts 13:10

[8] John 10:10

[9] Genesis 3:1

[10] I Corinthians 15:55-57

[11] I Peter 5:8

[12] James 4:7

[13] Ephesians 6:11-17

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Posted by: dananddeb | June 18, 2008

Comfortable Christian?

Comfortable Christianity

 

Everyday throughout the world, Christians are being slaughtered for their faith in Christ. A state prosecutor in western Algeria demanded two-year jail sentences and large fines for six Muslim converts to Christianity in one of two trials against Christians that have caught the North African nation’s attention recently. The same court in Tiaret city delayed the verdict of a Christian woman facing three years in prison for “practicing non-Muslim religious rites without a license” on the same day. Assailants slit the throats of three employees of a publishing house that distributes Bibles, the latest in a series of attacks targeting Turkey’s small Christian minority. Five Afghan men who had converted to Christianity have been killed in separate incidents near the borders of eastern Afghanistan. All five men were stabbed or beaten to death in summary executions by Taliban adherents who accused them of abandoning Islam and then “spreading Christianity” in their communities.

            In the United States, Christians are blessed in the fact that we are not being persecuted in the same ways as the majority of the world. According to the US Census Bureau, 76.5% of Americans claim to be Bible-believing Christians. This means that 232,819,377 people are claiming to be followers of Christ. You would think that all is well with numbers like this. Unfortunately, the numbers show a terrible truth. Thirty-three million people residing in the United States including 13 million children live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. Violence in America is at a staggering rate of approximately one suicide every 40 seconds, one murder every 60 seconds, and 1.3 rapes every minute. The average divorce rate is 40-50%. Almost half of every marriage partnership will end in divorce. According to Gallup, 92% of Americans own at least one Bible. The same poll shows that 37% of that number read their Bible on a weekly basis. WEEKLY. This means that 279,991,930 people own a Bible, and only 103,597,014 people actually read it. Do you remember how many Americans claim to be Christians? 232,819,377. These numbers show that 129,222,363 self-proclaimed Christians do not read their Bibles! This staggers my mind and causes me to ask, what has happened to Christians in America? Has the fact that we are not persecuted as others in the world made us a nation of “Comfortable Christians?” In order to answer this question we’re going to one, look at some model conversions, with our primary focus being on Saul’s conversion while he journeyed on the road to Damascus, two, we’re going to examine what takes place spiritually at the time of a true conversion, three, what we need to do in order to experience this conversion for ourselves, and fourth, we’re going to look at ways to avoid becoming a “Comfortable Christian.”

PRAY

CONVERSION 1: But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH. IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY, WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH. The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.

CONVERSION 2: One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

CONVERSION 3: When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.

FOCUS CONVERSION: Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.[1]

As we read about these conversion, I want to expand on what is actually occurring during a conversion. It’s not just a word we say to sound “religious”; there is an actual spiritual rebirth that is taking place inside of us. Our Lord taught that unless a person is born again, he is unable to ever see the Kingdom of God.[2] We must be born-again, or in other words, we must receive from a God a new spiritual life. As we examine Paul’s conversion, keep in mind your own rebirth and look for the similarities between yourself and Paul. The first thing we notice is that Paul was called by God. Verse 4 says, and then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”[3] Jesus tells us “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”[4] After Paul was called, he then submitted to God. “So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”[5] In order for us to be born again, we must submit to God. The same Paul that asked God, “what do You want me to do?” tells us in his epistle to the Romans, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”[6] The next step he took was a step of obedience. “Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.”[7] We too must be obedient. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”[8] Paul’s final part in his conversion was to receive God’s grace and the Holy Spirit. “And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.”[9] We too must accept His loving gift of grace, and receive the Holy Spirit. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”[10]

The entire process of conversion is due to us being made cooperative through God’s grace and His act of imparting spiritual life to us, thus bring us under the authority of righteousness. By turning away from sin and turning towards God we become “converted.” In the Greek this word is “stephos” and means, to turn into something, turn in mind, become another kind of person. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”[11] Do you remember what we read earlier? “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord…”[12] Then, Saul has this encounter with Jesus, and then we read, “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”[13] It is through the divine grace that Paul writes that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance.[14] This holy act of being born-again and coming to repentance is the beginning of our journey of being sanctified, conformed to the image of Christ Jesus.

Go back to our statistics. 76.5% of Americans claim to be born-again Christians. If this is the case, what has happened to Christianity in this country? Besides the fact that the majority of these people have probably never truly made Christ their Lord, I believe that the remaining number have simply gotten comfortable in their Christianity. We have become a people desensitized to the world conditions. Media has bombarded every second of our day with the worst of the worst in news reports. I remember when I worked for the Department of Corrections. After four years, I had become absolutely desensitized to crimes because of the people that I worked with on a daily basis. The absolute evil that I saw in some people caused me to become insensitive to the world I live in. It seems we’ve become stuck in this type of limbo, a space between where we were when we cried out to God for Him to save us and where we are going to be when He returns for us. Christians in America have become confused as to what our true identity is. At what point does the person with the drinking problem quit being an alcoholic? The person addicted to drugs calls themselves an addict. A gambler. An overeater. On and on the list can go. When do we stop identifying ourselves by our problems and recognize who we truly are?

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become sons of God, to those who believe in His name:”[15] Sons of God! This church, is who we are! “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”[16] Joint-heirs with Jesus! One day, when Christ returns for us, His bride, we will be glorified together! “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”[17] Because of this inheritance that we share in, we will see Jesus as He is because we shall be like Him! Glorified in eternity!

We have to ensure that we do not become “Comfortable Christians”. We do this by picking up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and reading it for ourselves. Studying it. Learning it. We do as it tells us. “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-unless indeed you are disqualified.”[18] Examine yourselves daily! We should always strive to keep our priorities straight, with God taking first place over all. We need to examine our relationship with the world. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”[19] “”If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”[20] “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”[21]

We need to remember where our hope is. “If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.” [22] Our hope in Christ is for eternity, not in this life only! We need not waste time dwelling on our past mistakes and that former creature, but be wise in remembering, as Paul did, who we were before the saving grace of our Lord. “Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.” Always keeping in mind that we should strive to fight a good fight, striving to finish our course, and keeping our faith! Allowing God to finish the good work that He has begun in us so that on that glorious day when we must all stand before Him, we hear the blessed words of our King saying, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

 

 

 

 

 

    

 
 

 

 

 

[1] Acts 9:1-18

[2] John 3:3

[3] Acts 9:4

[4] John 6:44

[5] Acts 9:6

[6] Romans 10:9-10

[7] Acts 9:8

[8] John 14:15

[9] Acts 9:17-18

[10] Acts 1:8

[11] II Corinthians 5:17

[12] Acts 9:1

[13] Acts 9:20

[14] Romans 2:4

[15] John 1:12

[16] Romans 8:16-17

[17] I John 3:2

[18] II Corinthians 13:5

[19] John 16:33

[20] John 15:18

[21] James 4:4

[22] 1 Corinthians 15:16-20

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Posted by: dananddeb | April 20, 2008

The boys…

One of the constants in my writings is that life is hard. Should I expect less than that? Jesus said there would be tribulation in the world. Most times, I go with the flow and I look for the reasons to be thankful for the life I’ve had and the decisions I’ve made both good and bad. Other times though, like now, I just am saddened.

I had my boys this weekend. I am always filled with joy when they are here. It’s so good to be around innocent laughter and to be able to hear their thoughts on life. For the last couple of times that they’ve been here, we’ve been studying what the future heaven will be like and what the present heaven is like. And as we read through the book that we are studying and I listen to the kids give their thoughts and views on things, it just makes me smile. For instance, Nolan is happy that he isn’t going to have ear wax in heaven. And Ethan is happy that his teeth won’t be crooked. Then there is Nolan asking about why we can’t take things with us when we go to heaven. “Even if I’m holding on to it really tight?”

They had to go back to their mom’s tonight. I went and cooked for a BBQ that we were putting on for our volunteers at Celebrate Recovery. When I walked back in the door, it was just quiet. The boys were gone. I miss them. I like that I’m sound asleep and they come crawling into bed with me. I like tucking them into bed at night. Life is hard, but life is good too.

Jesus said we’d have trouble, but more importantly He said, “But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” Oh, praise God.

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Posted by: dananddeb | April 15, 2008

Four Children of God

I posted this message on Recovery Church’s website but wanted to share it here also……

The saving grace of our Lord and Savior is absolutely amazing to me and continues to overwhelm me. The below link is just a rough recording on an mp3 player of four recovering addicts/alcoholics, all have been in prison and/or jail praising the King of kings, the Name above all names, Jesus, oh sweet Jesus! Glory to the King! Just click the link and you’ll be directed to a new website at which point you can click on “The Name Of Jesus”.

http://www.divshare.com/download/4260859-582

God is good and God loves us and God loves you! Praise Him and if you don’t know Him yet, contact us! We’d love to introduce you!

dan

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Posted by: dananddeb | April 6, 2008

For Deborah…

To touch your face,
to see your eyes,
and truly know  your heart is mine.

Sometimes I fear,
how it will feel,
to hold you close,
and have you near.

To kiss your lips,
to breathe your air,
to hold you tight,
and twirl your hair…

You are my wife,
my delicate flower,
my precious Debbie,
now, and forever…

Dan 2008

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Posted by: dananddeb | March 16, 2008

The Spirit is Moving…

As I read through my last blog, I realized that sometimes it feels like we are constantly battling GIANTS that step into our path and try to discourage us and bring us down. Often, I think to myself, I NEED to fight this thing, I NEED to work through it, I NEED to overcome, I NEED to find the answer…

Check this out though. I was a hopeless alcoholic at one time. Then I tried methamphetamine and I became a hopeless addict, thinking to myself that I was going to die high. But today, as I sit here and type this message out, I have three years free of any alcohol and in eight days, I will have been clean from meth for two years.

This has not been by my power! It is only done through the strength of The Holy Spirit dwelling within me. I live for Christ now. Somebody told me the other day that as I get older, I will not be so humble and I will want to have great material things again, but I say to him, I pray that I never become comfortable in my Christianity. God’s Word says “Blessed are those persecuted for His sake!” I say, bring on the persecution!

I cannot fail as long as I die to self and surrender to Him and call out to Him and rely on the weapons He has provided. I have a mighty two-edged sword to fight with which is the Sword of the Spirit, The Word Of GOD!

I often tell the story of my last use of meth. Pouring the drugs out into the street. My mind telling me NO! NO! NO! but my body doing it anyway. The Spirit working inside of me. Last night, I ran for the first time in 5 years. My mind telling me GO TO SLEEP! GO TO SLEEP! GO TO SLEEP! but my body lacing up my running shoes and hitting the bricks!

God is preparing me for a mighty work in this city of Salem. There is a problem in our society today. The problem that the WAR ON DRUGS can be fought against the drug dealers and manufacturers. As an addict saved by the love of Christ, I will tell you this. As long as there is demand there will be supply. There has to be a movement amongst the users of drugs. There has to be decrease in demand. WE HAVE TO ALLOW THE SPIRIT OF GOD TO MOVE AND WORK IN THIS CITY! No law enforcement agency, new law, judge, or parole officer can stop it. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE ONLY HOPE!

I don’t speak from somebody who does not know. I speak from a man that has been delivered! Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is FREEDOM!

O’ you devil, try to discourage me, try to stop me, but I have my shield of faith and my Sword of the Spirit ready for battle. You have lost you serpent. You have lost!

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Posted by: dananddeb | February 19, 2008

Ugh…

I listened to a preacher the other night say that just because you become a Christian, it doesn’t mean your life is going to be better. I laughed when he said that because there are times when I think my life is worse! The truth is, that is not the case, for I have eternity guaranteed with Christ.

There are times though that things are much more difficult. I think back when I had a well paying job, a  house, cars, etc. The biggest thing I didn’t have was a personal relationship with Christ. Therefore, I was no threat to the enemy of our souls. Now, things are quite different.

My personal possessions are very limited and the devil is constantly at me, or at the very least sending those wily foxes into my vineyard. Why? The answer is quite simple. I’m a Christian. Not just a “go to church on Christmas and Easter” Christian or even a “go to church on Sunday” Christian. No, I’m an active warrior in Christ’s Army. An active duty warrior.

The enemy hates the work I’m doing, and I’m learning, so does the world we live in. I was struggling with this as of late. I was trying to figure out why certain people in positions of authority fail to acknowledge the good works that I’m doing in the name of Jesus. It finally came to me that the reason is because these people are of the world.

It would be like trying to explain God to an atheist by using the bible. The bible has no authoritive power to an atheist, therefore, you are not as likely to prove your point. The world can’t see the good works we as Christians are doing because the accuser of the bretheren makes it that way.

I spent time in worship tonight asking God to help me trust Him, and not be afraid. He’s God, Creator of the stars and heavens. He knows the beginning and the end because He is the Beginning and the End. He is Alpha and Omega. He is the great I AM. He’s certainly trustworthy. So I ask, what is keeping me from fully trusting Him in all things?

God is my Refuge, my Strongtower, my Rock. He is my Salvation. He is my All in All. I want to trust Him with an unshakable trust. The kind of trust that says, “I will not fear man or what man can do to me because I come in the name of the Lord of Hosts.” The kind of trust that says, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” The kind of trust that says, “Abba, Father, hold me.”

That’s my prayer. That I learn to fully trust God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.

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Posted by: dananddeb | February 4, 2008

Sharing what the Lord has done for you…

Oftentimes, people will express how difficult it is to share the Word with somebody. I agree, that at times, it seems harder to do than at other times. I believe though that The Holy Spirit will guide us and direct us when it’s time to open our mouths and share.
 
There is a way to share that is less intimidating to others and may not make them feel as though they are being “Bible thumped”. Jesus tells us this ”method” in Mark chapter 5. You see, Jesus had just cast out the demon called Legion from the man that walked the tombs. It was soon after this, that the man begged Him that he might be with Him. Jesus responded by saying, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.”
 
If you are a believer, then the Lord has done much for you and has had mercy on you. As fallen creatures, we are all well deserving of the sentence to hell, yet Christ came and died so that we may live. Isn’ t this great news? Isn’t this exciting?
 
Next time you are having trouble sharing the Gospel, just share what God has done for you. Go ye into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Think about this. What has the Lord done for you?

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Posted by: dananddeb | December 29, 2007

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling…

Jude 24

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.”

            As I sat in prayer this evening, I began going over my day. It didn’t take me long to come to the realization that although I’m a saint, I’m still a sinner. I sin in my thought life. I sin with my words. I sin in my actions. As I prayed, I thought about this verse in Jude and began to think about the first part in which we are told that He is able to keep us from falling. If you, like me, are a believer, then this comes as no surprise. God is able to do all things! If God is able to keep me from falling, why then do I continue to fall?

            Certainly, by the shed blood of Christ, He indeed has kept me from falling into the eternal pit of hell. It is my belief that the Holy Spirit seals me and that nothing can separate me from the love of God. Saying this, I do not believe that this gives me a ticket to sin at no expense because I also believe that the Lord chastises His children as a loving Father in order to bring us back in line with His will.

            Tonight however, in prayer, I found myself focusing on the daily stumbles that I have. The thought of getting back at somebody that has harmed me. Or maybe it’s a curse word that flowed from my mouth. Maybe, it was the joking and entering into conversation with coworkers that only focused on things of the world. Whatever it was, this action caused me to fall and this thought was displeasing to the Lord and in it’s simplest form, was an act of sin.

            If God is able to keep me from falling, why do I continue to fall? The easy answer is to say that I have free will. Oops, there’s that old free will messing things up again. I must be honest, as I thought about it that was my first answer. I’m choosing to fall. I’m choosing to not call out to the Lord to rescue me. Choice. Free will.

            That answer didn’t satisfy me however. The more I thought on this, the more I realized that it has to go deeper than that. I believe this because I want to be more like Jesus. I really do. When I accepted His virgin birth, His earthly ministry, His work on the cross unto death, and His resurrection, I gave my life to Him. I decided that I wanted to live for Jesus. That was my choice, my decision. If this is true, why then do I continue to sin?

          Paul sums this concern up very well in his letter to the Romans and provides an answer as to why, we continue to sin. Paul writes, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.“[1]

          Two times it is written, “…but sin that dwells within me.” The Spirit dwells inside of me so I ask, how can sin dwell within me? Let’s take a look at the beginning. “…God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.[2]…she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened…”[3]

          Through one man sin did enter into mankind. We are fallen and sinful by our very nature. The hope we have is in Jesus Christ. The hope we have is that He will take us from glory to glory. As we study the Word and listen to the Word and absorb the Word, we will become more and more like Him.

          It is a sad fact that we are going to continue sinning until the day Christ returns for His church. But John tells us in his epistle, that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.[4] Have hope, for if we cry out to Him, He is able and more than willing to keep us from falling. 

Praise the Lord for His Mightiness!

 

[1] Romans 7:15-20

[2] Genesis 3:3

[3] Genesis 3:6,7

[4] 1 John 1:9

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