COUNT ON THIS LIKE YOU CAN COUNT ON GRAVITY

When human behavior is evaluated, Biblical understanding is different than worldly understanding. The world says to change the behavior, but the Bible says to change your heart. Granted there are some programs used for behavioral change that suggests a deeper cognitive approach to that change, but they still miss the mark. These programs state that it is up to the person to take control of his thoughts by managing his beliefs, but they are still a far stretch from functional.

If we begin to examine some of our beliefs that drive our thinking, there is a common one that will come up. You will hear the person state that they do what they want. This is the closest to the truth that many people will ever openly confess, but this is enough to follow a logical evaluation.

The words “I do what I want” are the same declaration as “I am god”. Many would adamantly deny they would ever state such a thing, but our actions say much more than our words.

Here are the fundamental flaws with every other system out there. They fail to deal with the single core issue. It does not matter how many changes you make outside of dealing with the submission to God, you will never reach true change.

If integrity is “doing the right thing even when nobody is looking”, is it even truly integrity if right and wrong are variable? If morality is relative, then there is no such thing as integrity. There is no standard. Only with an absolute standard can there be integrity.

If I consider myself to be god of my own universe, then I can justify whatever I want, whenever I want. After all, I decide what is right and wrong. This very concept is the flaw to every single behavioral change system. No matter how good things sound, or how bad a person might want something, if they believe they are god they are able to change their mind at anytime.

We are NOT god, and unless we submit to God as God, glorifying Him as God, then we are living out the belief that we are god. Unless this issue is addressed, there is no other change a person can make that will be lasting and complete. We are left to follow the dictates and desires of our own heart, and there is nothing good in our hearts.

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?”

- Jeremiah 17:9

The belief that we are god, able to discern right and wrong, began in the Garden of Eden, and is still alive today. Satan told Eve the lie, and it is the same lie believed today. We believe we are god, so we do what we want. We decide right and wrong, and we make the rules.

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

- Genesis 3:4-5

This is the separation from God, and because of this single core belief the wrath of God is being poured out on the unrighteousness of man. He alone is God, and our failure to worship Him as God is the condition of our heart that brings forth the destructive behavior as the wrath of God is brought to fruition. Because we are lifted up in our hearts, believing that we are god, God has sent His great army to bring destruction.

 

“Because your heart is lifted up, and you say, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, in the midst of the seas,’ yet you are a man, and not a god, though you set your heart as the heart of a god. Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god, behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, the most terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and defile your splendor. They shall throw you down into the Pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the midst of the seas. Will you still say before him who slays you, ‘I am a god’? But you shall be a man, and not a god, in the hand of him who slays you. You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of aliens; for I have spoken,” says the Lord God.”
- Ezekiel 28:1-2, 7-10

It is not possible to just change the behavior. The behavior is the consequence of God’s wrath.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
- Romans 1:18-32

It is God giving them over to all of these things because they fail to glorify God as God. In Acts the writer warns the readers to “Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:” The writer is making a clear warning. The enemy waits outside of the protection offered in Christ. They are cruel, vicious, and ready to destroy us for our pride and arrogance. It is the work of the demonic host that brings about the behavior in a person’s life that is so destructive.

 

Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:

‘Behold, you despisers,
Marvel and perish!
For I work a work in your days,
A work which you will by no means believe,
Though one were to declare it to you.’”
- Acts 13:40-41

The writer of acts is referencing the prophet Habakkuk. These verses dispel the very concept of EVERY 12 step program. Listen carefully. In Habakkuk 1:5 you see the words referred to by the writer of Acts to confirm the prophecy we are being warned about.

“Look among the nations and watch—
Be utterly astounded!
For I will work a work in your days
Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
- Habakkuk 1:5

In the very next verse of the prophecy we are warned about in the book of Acts, Habakkuk says that God is raising up the Chaldeans. However the Chaldean Empire was destroyed in 539 BC, and since that time the word Chaldean was no longer used. Why then, nearly 600 years later is the writer of Acts warning that God is raising up the Chaldeans? He is not talking about a physical army. He is describing the demonic host.

For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans,
A bitter and hasty nation
Which marches through the breadth of the earth,
To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
They are terrible and dreadful;
Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
And more fierce than evening wolves.
Their chargers charge ahead;
Their cavalry comes from afar;
They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.

“They all come for violence;
Their faces are set like the east wind.
They gather captives like sand.
They scoff at kings,
And princes are scorned by them.
They deride every stronghold,
For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.
- Habakkuk 1:6-10

Listen to this though. After Habakkuk describes the demonic host, he goes immediately into this verse. The god a person has in their life, whether it be alcohol, drugs, sex, stealing, or whatever it may be, is NOT the problem. We will blame that god, but that does NOT make it the problem.

Then his mind changes, and he transgresses;
He commits offense,
Ascribing this power to his god.”
- Habakkuk 1:5-11

It is this separation that is the root of all things. This is sin, and the wages of sin is death. God’s army marches carrying out the orders of execution.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 6:23

No matter how bad we want to do something different, or make things right, we do not have it in us. We may be able to change some things, and change them for awhile, but this is all superficial.

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
- Romans 7:15-25

We are protected from the enemy as we trust in Him. Through our faith we are given life, but the proud in heart are slain.

“Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith.”
- Habakkuk 2:4

Knowing that the enemy marches with their specific orders, and that Paul says that Jesus is the One who can deliver us from the horrible cycle of sin, we are to find shelter in Him. There is a spiritual war taking place, and this is reality. As the prophet Habakkuk said though, people will not believe even if it were told to them. We are strictly warned of this truth though, and told that the battle belongs to the Lord.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
- Ephesians 6:10-13

 ^“O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:12

“Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
- 1 Samuel 17:47

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
- Acts 4:12

The Greek word used here for guard is literally a military word. It has definite warfare connotations.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 4:6-7

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
- Isaiah 26:3

Only through Jesus Christ are we saved from the wrath of God, today and in the day of judgment. Salvation is truly in the moment. If we can abide in Him we can have the joy of our salvation every day, AND in the day of judgment. Jesus showed us what it is to glorify God as God.

Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’”
- Hebrews 10:5-7

The author of Hebrews is referencing when the Holy Spirit spoke through King David in Psalms.

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”
- Psalms 40:6-8

This call of yielding entirely to God’s will is stated again by Paul in the book of Romans.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
- Romans 12:1

When we come entirely before God in surrender, He keeps us in perfect peace.
Jesus made the call of full surrender absolute in numerous ways.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”
- Luke 9:23-24

Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
- Luke 14:25-33

Jesus draws a very clear picture of what a servant glorifying God as God looks like, and what is required. As we have deduced thus far, this is the key to true change and being saved from the wrath of God.

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."
- John 5:39-40

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
- John 1:1-2

The "He" in these verses is Jesus, which is easily discerned as you continue to read the proceeding verses. The Greek word used here for "Word" is logos. It literally means the creative power of the Universe. This verse says that Jesus is the Word, that He "was in the beginning with God", that He "was God", and that He "was with God". Easy enough since the words and wording mean exactly what they say.

A person must fully turn to Jesus Christ as Lord, which makes the Word of God supreme in their lives. Only then will there be true change to character, which inevitably changes behavior. A person must submit themselves, in every aspect of their lives, to the sovereignty and will of God. This is the only hope, the only salvation, and why salvation is found in Jesus alone. Anything short of this is just a lie and fairy tale.

ABOUT ME

I want to clarify something to those who are in my circle of influence. I am going to share some things you may not know about me.

 

I was convicted of four felonies in 1999, and was on probation for ten and half years and am now on parole. I graduated from Maranatha Christian School in 1997, and had gone to church nearly every Sunday growing up. I called myself a Christian through it all, but it wasn't until 2010 that God decided to reveal Himself in me.

 

God brought me to a place of broken surrender where I was finally able to let Him be God. I lost my freedom, my family, and every physical possession except my clothes when I went to jail in August 2010 for violating my probation. It was there that I learned the Truth of Jesus' words "Only one thing is needed". Through God's grace I was given 20 months to get to know my Lord, and we spent 6-8 hours a day for the whole 20 months praying and reading the Word.

 

I have been out of prison since May of 2012, and God has been rebuilding my life as He continues to write His story. I am a five point Calvinist as defined by the world, but I am only who God has made me to be and I only know what He has given me. I hold to the absolute truth of the word of God, of the written Word's inerrancy, and to the sovereign God's ability to preserve His Word. I am the King's, and I am His to do with as He pleases.

I manage a flooring store in Boise. I have two children from two different moms. I am engaged to an amazing woman with two of her own kids, and I am constantly just in awe of what God is doing in our lives.

WORSHIP

So many get caught up in the emotions behind worshipping God in song and dance, or in their worship rituals, yet fail to worship Him in the manner He desires most. Let us talk about it.

This topic is to promote self examination in us, for it is easy to deceive ourselves. People may go to a church and enjoy the singing and worship, yet it is possible they are doing so in vain. It is even more likely that a person may be in church worshipping an idol instead of the true God. They may be singing to a god of their own imagination instead of the God of the Bible.

Therefore the Lord said:

“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men"

- Isaiah 29:13

 

What does the worship of the Bible look like?

 

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

- John 4:21-24

 

If that is the kind of worship God is looking for, what does it look like?

 

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”

- Psalms 40:6-8

 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

- Romans 12:1-2

 

So... Whether you worship God with hands in the air, singing out loud, singing in your heart, with your head bowed and eyes closed, or in dance, know that all these things are great, but this not the worship the Lord desires most. He desires us. He desires our lives. This is the evidence of our true worship.

 

SALT AND LIGHT

Listen.

God says EXACTLY what He means, make no mistake about it. The scriptures are NOT left for people to “have their own interpretation”.

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
- 2 Peter 2:19-21

Being gay is NOT a choice. It is a result of God’s wrath, and God gives people over to it as a result of rejecting Him in our hearts.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
- Romans 1:20-32

Homosexuality is a sin just like having sex outside of marriage is a sin, whether in the form of adultery or fornication. Right and wrong ARE absolutes. NONE who continue in sin, which is unrighteousness, can enter into the Kingdom of God. Period. End of story, because God says it.

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

A true believer who has been born again is made evidence by the obedience produced by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We CANNOT continue in sin. It is not possible. Sanctification is progressive, but we cannot remain in our sin.

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
- 1 John 3:4-9

It is easy to be drawn away by ear tickling ideas, but the Word is concrete. We are to love all people, but not the sin. Remember that Jesus came for the sinners. He came for us in love, and died for our sins. At the same time though, we are hardly being salt and light if we endorse false doctrine. We must stand for truth, without compromising, and call things what they are (which is what God says they are) just as Jesus did. Do not be a coward. Stand firm in the Truth.

Just being light and salt. Do not be moved from the True Word.

Line Upon Line

Reading the Bible apart from the Holy Spirit is like a first grader trying to do Calculus. They may know some of the numbers they see, just as a person may recognize the words they read, but how everything comes together will not make sense. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.

 

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you."

- John 16:13-14

 

When reading the Bible it MUST ALWAYS interpret it's self. Rules of logic, as they help discern absolutes, is also part the interpretation. How does one come to an understanding of the Word?

 

What is the Word?

 

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."

- John 5:39-40

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

- John 1:1-2

 

The "He" in these verses is Jesus, which is easily discerned as you continue to read the proceeding verses. The Greek word used here for "Word" is logos. It literally means the creative power of the Universe. This verse says that Jesus is the Word, that He "was in the beginning with God", that He "was God", that He "was with God", and that He was "in the beginning". Easy enough since the words and wording mean exactly what they say.

 

Knowing then that Jesus IS the Word, when Jesus says to abide in Him it is easy to know what that looks like. We must abide in the Word.

 

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."

- John 15:7

 

It is by abiding in Him, the Word, that we become more like Him as we are separated from the world.

 

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."

- John 17:17

 

Once again though, these truths of themselves mean nothing without the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

- 1 Corinthians 2:14

 

A person MUST be born of the Spirit before they can come to KNOW Jesus as the creative power of the Universe, that He "was in the beginning with God", that He "was God", that He "was with God", and that He was "in the beginning".

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

- John 3:5-6

 

Without the Holy Spirit people blindly search the scriptures looking for something they do not know, because they reject Jesus entirely.

 

But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

- 2 Corinthians 3:14-17

 

Therefore a person MUST repent and believe in Jesus, and be filled with the Spirit before the Word will come to life in them.

 

 

 

 

IMPOSSIBLE

Think about this. Math is an absolute, though many must deny the existence of absolutes in order to make morals relative, but that is a whole other topic. The accuracy of the Biblical prophecies is 100% to date. That being said, any rational person could deduce that the rest of the unfulfilled prophecies in the Bible would inevitably come to pass at the same accuracy percentage.

Just the 332 distinct prophecies of the life of the Messiah being fulfilled in one man is near mathematically impossible. The odds are 1/840,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (That's ninety-seven zeroes!) Since math is a concrete truth, we might as well consider it impossible for a single man to fulfill all 332 prophecies. However, Jesus of Nazareth did just that. Think about that for a moment. Jesus is God, and He CHOSE the nails.

This is an astronomical figure, but all 332 prophecies are absolutely fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. You know what? God is absolutely sovereign. It is always plan A, He never fails, He doesn’t readjust. When the Bible tells us He repents and so on, it is written to explain to us how it might look like but it was never a change of God’s mind. He is sovereign from the beginning to the end.

And so my friends, this is the plan of God. It is sovereign. You are not a victim of cruel fate, of misfortune, of bad luck. You are in the safe hands of the sovereign all-wise and good God. Our Lord God Omnipotent reigns. This is the God we worship and as you see the way He ministers, you see the way He works in the nation of Israel. Rejoice! He is sovereign, He has a plan.

GOD'S PURPOSE IN A BELIVER'S LIFE

I do not write to the world, but I write to those who are called unto God. The world cannot receive what I have to share. God created EVERYTHING for His glory. Period. There was no obligation. He simply did what He wanted to do. Each believer is brought to Christ, by God, through faith, ONLY of grace so that we will be sanctified into the image of Christ that God might be glorified in us. This is truth. This is why we are here.

Knowing this, and believing it, changes how we perceive things. Marriage is God's greatest gift to us, because it is thee most tangible illustration of the relationship between Jesus and the Church. Marriage is also God's greatest tool to sanctify a believer. Think about it.

Some of the characteristics of Jesus that will be evident in us as we become like Him are grace, mercy, unconditional love, forgiveness, truth, openness, meekness, humility, and unwavering commitment. How do you suppose God will bring such characteristics about in your life if you do not go through situations that refine and demand these qualities? It is only under the fire of testing that we can be molded into the likeness of the God we serve.

Let Him have His perfect work in you. God can change your marriage in a heart beat, but would that rob you of the refining of your character? Nothing is impossible for our God. NOTHING. See God's hand and providence in your life, in your marriage, and let God finish what He has started. God joined you to your spouse for a reason. Your character has to be able to bare the weight of your destiny, so don't you dare lose faith when God is preforming His Word. Praise Him, and know that He is doing a great thing!

Soul Sale: A Rude Awakening

I greatly appreciate the brutal honesty in this book. I am a fundamental Christian, and have come to a deeper understanding of what God says is real. When God entered into His own creation as the man Jesus Christ of Nazareth He cast out demons, healed the sick, and raised the dead. Over the years, as we have become wiser in our own eyes, we have set aside the reality of the spiritual and instead clung to medical terms and diagnosis of psychological conditions in order for us to rationalize things without accepting the spiritual realities. What is even more disturbing is that professing Christians are just as easily duped into this lie, ultimately making the recorded documents of Christ ministry false. If Jesus cast out demons then, would it not make sense that there are still demons today? God does say this about the spiritual armies and reality…

 

Look among the nations and watch—
Be utterly astounded!
For I will work a work in your days
Which you would not believe, though it were told you.

Habakkuk 1:5

 

These next verses God tells us about the demonic force He has raised to punish the sons of disobedience.

 

For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans,
A bitter and hasty nation
Which marches through the breadth of the earth,
To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
They are terrible and dreadful;
Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
And more fierce than evening wolves.
Their chargers charge ahead;
Their cavalry comes from afar;
They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.

“They all come for violence;
Their faces are set like the east wind.
They gather captives like sand.
They scoff at kings,
And princes are scorned by them.
They deride every stronghold,
For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.

Habakkuk 1:6-10

I applaud my friend for sharing her experience in “Soul Sale: A Rude Awakening”. Most people will just blow it off, but that is only as God prophesized it would be. The spiritual realm is more real than what we can see my friends. Her eyes were opened to what is, and the world wants to say that she had issues. Well… We are the one with the reality issues, not her. If we only knew what really is… The battle that rages in our mind is so easily dismissed amongst us as normal, but it isn’t. It is a raging war taking place, and we are in a fight for our life and most of us don’t even know it.

What “Amy” went through was indeed real. I am very proud of her for sharing what so many will think is just crazy talk. Whether you believe, or not, it does not change the truth. There is an entire realm that is much more powerful than we are, and just as real. Because we can’t see them, most of the time, does not mean they aren’t there.

Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

2 Kings 6:14-18

ADDICTIONS!? BETTER KNOW THE TRUTH.

The ideas of the world have thoroughly distorted the truth. God is the ONLY One who can change hearts. "Addiction" is the world's babbling for idolatry. The success rate of people being freed from "addictions" is so low, because there is ONLY ONE name under which we can be set free. The world does not teach THEE answer, but rather some disillusioned idea that we can "free our selves". Heresy. We place an idol in our heart, and God gives us over to it to be destroyed by it. There are spiritual laws in place which cannot be broken. God MUST change a person's heart, and that is done ONLY through the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus of Nazareth. If we teach ANYTHING other than the truth, we cannot bring anyone to freedom. We may simply change the idol to which they are bound.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you.
-Ezekiel 36:26-29

WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?

This verse keeps coming to mind, over and over. There are believers out there who do not speak boldly what God has given them for they fear to offend others. Listen!!

“The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream;

And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully.
What is the chaff to the wheat?” says the Lord.
“Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord,
“And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"
-Jeremiah 23:28-29

God is blatantly saying “Who cares what the world thinks of the Word of God”. The reference to the chaff and the wheat is that those who are being saved is the wheat, and those who are not are the chaff that is to be bound together at the end and burned. What is the chaff to the wheat!? The end of those who reject Christ is certain. Do not let your fear of them inhibit you from speaking the Word of God.

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

-Matthew 13:24-30

The angels will gather together the chaff and tares of the world, and bind them together to be burned. We are sent out to find those who will believe, speak the Word of God into their life so that they may live, and they too will be saved. We are to find the King’s lost children, something we cannot do with a closed mouth.

Are We Saved By Our Works?

I know many who believe we must add "works" in order to secure our salvation. This is a lie. Of course our works are an outward showing of what is in our hearts, so they are the proof of a repentant heart, but they add NOTHING to what Jesus did on the cross. When He died He said it was finished. The accounting term literally means "all accounts paid in full". I caution you if you believe your actions add anything to the FINISHED work of Christ.

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
- Galations 5:4

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
- John 19:30

Grace

You call yourself a "Christian", and you live a life where your faith costs you nothing? You have been led astray my friend, and you do not have what you think you have. Apparently someone unfamiliar with Jesus has duped you into believing a lie. True grace does have a cost. Read the four gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, and then let us reason together. If your being a "Christian" has cost you nothing, I would challenge you to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Food for thought.

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

“Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Make a Decision, and Push All In.

So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.”

And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”

So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
- 1 Kings 19:19-21

In these verses Elijah gives Elisha the offer to become his disciple by throwing his mantle on him. When Elisha asks about returning to his family, Elijah's response is that the choice is up to him. Elisha had no intent on ever returning to the life he had once lived. So much so that he killed his entire yoke of oxen, destroyed his farm equipment by using it to cook the oxen, and gave the meat to the people. He then willingly became the servant of Elijah because he wanted what Elijah had to teach him.

Elisha was all in. This same scenario was reiterated by Jesus many years later.

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."
- Luke 14:26-33

Jesus' words do not need interpretation, obviously. If we are able to read plain English, and have at least an average cognitive processing capability, we are able to discern that Jesus is saying we must be "all in" if we are to be His followers. If we are not His followers, then we do not have salvation. Pretty simple.

Let us make our call and election sure! Leave the old life, the old man, entirely. We cannot take our life and do "patch work" with Jesus. We must start fresh, new, and let go of EVERYTHING that was. We must examine our self. Are we all in? Are we willing to sacrifice EVERYTHING for what we have in Christ? If we aren't, maybe we should read Jesus' words again. There is NO FENCE. There is NO PART TIME POSITION. There is NO ALMOST. The world is saturated with false doctrine. Say this "sinners" prayer, and you will be saved. NO!! Follow Jesus and obey His words, then you will be saved!! Move all in, or know that you are all out!! This is truth. Make a decision!

US MEN ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR FAMILIES

Listen up men. We are the ones DIRECTLY responsible for our families. Period. Here is the skinny. Call it what you want, but here it is. Even though Eve gave Adam the fruit to eat in the garden, guess who was held responsible? The man is the head of the house, and our family is our responsibility.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

- Genesis 3:6

 That is how it factually went down. Who was responsible?

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

- Romans 5:12

This verse says NOTHING about Eve. Adam failed to stand up and protect his family. Sin entered the world through Adam’s failure as a man.

Is there really any wonder why the world is in such a state today? Where are the men!?

For I looked, and there was no man;
I looked among them, but there was no counselor,
Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
Indeed they are all worthless;
Their works are nothing;
Their molded images are wind and confusion.

- Isaiah 41:28

Because we fail our families as men, because we are selfish boys, God moves His hand mightily against us. The consequences of our failures are dire and severe. God is pretty clear about the consequences.

Therefore I will give their wives to others,
And their fields to those who will inherit them;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is given to covetousness;
From the prophet even to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.

- Jeremiah 8:10

Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

- 2 Samuel 12:11

You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes.

- Deuteronomy 28:30

Are there problems in your home? Be a man. It is your responsibility to take care of and lead your family. God will not hold your wife responsible for your failures.

“I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot.
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.
- Hosea 4:14

THE BLESSING AND THE CURSES WILL CHASE YOU DOWN AND TACKLE YOU

Nobody wants to be cursed. Nobody wants to accept consequences. However, everyone wants to be blessed. Everyone wants the good. This is human nature, after all. When Moses laid out the blessing and the curses of God, he made the Israelites say Amen after each one of them. Amen literally means “So Be It”. He was telling them that if they were going to accept the good, they would also have to accept the bad. This is of the reasons why the Word of God is a “two edged sword”.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.         

- Hebrews 4:12

This is kind of long, but most people are not even familiar with the curses and blessings. Here is an important note to make. The Hebrew translation for “shall come upon you and overtake you” literally means that they will chase you down and tackle you. We do not have to go seeking them. You will see that this verbiage exists for the blessings and the curses. The blessings are listed here. Moses went over them first.

BLESSINGS

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.

“Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

“Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

“Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

“The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

“The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

-Deuteronomy 28:1-14

 

Now I want you to notice how there are three times more curses than there are blessings. Again Moses made the people say Amen after each curse. The same verbiage of the “chasing down and tackling” applies here as well.

CURSES

“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

“Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.

“Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

“Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

“Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.

“The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. The Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess. The Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish. And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

“The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth. Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten them away. The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed. The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart. And you shall grope at noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not prosper in your ways; you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually, and no one shall save you.

“You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes. Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue them. Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, and your eyes shall look and fail with longing for them all day long; and there shall be no strength in your hand. A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually. So you shall be driven mad because of the sight which your eyes see. The Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.

“The Lord will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods—wood and stone. And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the Lord will drive you.

“You shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for the locust shall consume it. You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off. You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity. Locusts shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land.

“The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.

“Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever.

“Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you.

“They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the Lord your God has given you. You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you. The sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind, so that he will not give any of them the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates. The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity, will refuse to the husband of her bosom, and to her son and her daughter, her placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates.

“If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses. Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed. You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God. And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.

“Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known—wood and stone. And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life. In the morning you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were morning!’ because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see.

-Deuteronomy 28:15-67

LISTEN

“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

- Deuteronomy 30:11-14

 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

- Deuteronomy 30:19-20