Tag Archives: Lord

Fasting?

by

0


Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827): Fast Day

Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827): Fast Day (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Make every effort possible to enter into the pleasure of God through Jesus.  This is not the place for fulfilling all your dreams and desires.  It is a place of testing where God judges the actions, attitudes, thoughts and words of man.

I spoke to a man regarding fasting a while ago.  His immediate response, without hearing what I had to say, was that he was not “into” that fasting stuff.  What will be said then?  If the Lord saw fit to fast for 40 days before He entered His ministry, what reason will we give that we could not suffer loss for a short time?  God is Glory.  And He has presented His perfect example for us in Jesus.  If you see Jesus doing something to please His Father, why not endure the same as you are able?

Fasting is a rejection of food, drink, pleasure, desires, dreams, and hopes.  Pick your proper fast and do it.  Do it so that no one will see but God.  Present yourself before Him as one who desires His will over all the things of this world.  See if He won’t extend a hand of help and grace to you.  But if you never taste these things, you will never know the glory God desires to give you.

Buying Your Stairway to Heaven?

by

0


Central Christian Church

Central Christian Church (Photo credit: char1iej)

Perhaps, when you read this, it will not apply to you.  Or at least, you will think it does not apply to you.  I simply urge you to consider what is said here with a sober judgment of yourself.  Far too often we allow ourselves to be fooled by our own mind.  And this is a crucial point to be made among all men, especially the members of the body of Christ.

Entrance into the kingdom of heaven cannot be bought.  You can’t buy your way in by doing anything more than to receive the gift of God in Jesus, His Christ.  With that said, I know there are certain things we are compelled to do by the Lord’s commands.  And I do not speak against the things of God here.  What I am talking about is the things we do for the sake of being respected by God.  We would do well to be careful how we perceive those necessary things.

Some might attend every Church function perfectly.  I remember reading about a woman who received a reward from her Church because she did never missed attending.  I recognize that the Church was trying to say that dedication to the body of Christ was important enough to reward.  But such things can also cause men to be led into a wicked lie.  While rewarding good behavior is not to be frowned upon, it is wrong to leave a carrot before God’s people.  Let them secure God’s pleasure before man’s appreciation.  Then the man of God will serve out of a pure heart.

Men tend to try to buy what they are not willing to do.  A man hires someone to do the tasks he does not want to do.  And in this the Church often leads to folly.  Remember this incident from the book of Acts, and consider hard where you stand.

“Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’  But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!  You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.  Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.  For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.’  But Simon answered and said, ‘Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”  (Acts 8:18-24)

Please, don’t judge what I have written here as an accusation against you.  There is one who does that, and this is not my intent.  I am simply trying to wake my brothers and sisters up to the facts of wickedness which lays within all of us.  Let us all consider how to clean the House of God.  Let us ponder how to remove every possible obsticle from the path of His people, and from those who desire to enter.

Speak with Boldness, Not Timidity!

by

0


Painting of Samuel learning from Eli

Painting of Samuel learning from Eli (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

For those who think we have no right to speak firmly of the folly of Oprah’s teachings about God:

 

We are representatives to the world for the Most High God, through the sacrifice of Jesus.  They count on us to bring God’s message of light to the darkness of the world (though they clearly hate us for it).  If we do not speak out with boldness, against the sins of man, who will?   I ask you to consider the plight of Eli, the priest of God in 1 Samuel.  Because he did not rebuke or restrain his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to be careful with the things of God, all three were killed.

 

We have an obglation to speak of what is true AND to point out the folly of wicked men (and women).  It is not judging to speak these words.  It is wise to speak of the ways of God with a firm and stern word.  If Oprah were doing these things in a small place, and had not accused the Lord publicly, we would have little to say.  But she puts herself up as the salvation of millions.  And for this we point out her error.  Perhaps some will read and consider what is said concerning her teachings.  Perhaps none will read these words we speak.  Regardless, we will have spoken what is true and avoided Eli’s fate.

 

There is “judging others”.  And there is firm and stern teaching against all wickedness.  Wisdom draws the line.  And there is no shame in taking the mantel of the Gospel upon our shoulders.  What shall be said between incompetent liars, though they walk in ignorance, and those who speak what is true by the power of Christ Jesus?  There is a line.  And the wisdom of the Gospel has drawn it clearly.

 

There is a folly in today’s watered down gospel (which is no gospel at all).  The folly says we have no right to claim the truths of the Bible.  And the tool used against the Lord is the word “judge”.  We are told we must love everybody.  We must not be intolerant, they tell us.  I, for one, hate that watered down gospel.  It is a lie and must be challenged where ever it is found.  There is judging others, yes.  And often such judging has to do with considering the other as less than yourself.  We do not consider ourselves better than any other.  We point out sin in this world just as I will gladly point out sin in myself.

 

As long as we remain silent, the world spirals into hell all by itself.  This silence has come upon the Church with a black vengeance because others have judged the Gospel of Jesus Christ too harsh for the world to endure.  God is pure.  And what we are doing is warning of that absolute truth.  The meaning of the word “judge” has been taken to the cleaners!  There is a love in Christ Jesus which rebukes with all earnest speed and strength.  Love isn’t always a soft little teddy bear on a clean bed.  It is often necessary for love to rebuke and correct.

 

Gangrene in the Church

by

0


Dry Gangrene with dead toes and visible bone o...

Dry Gangrene with dead toes and visible bone of 85 year old female (left leg). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Gospel of God in Jesus tells us plainly, “Repent or die.”  We stand condemned already, that is to say before we believe the condemnation of God is upon us.  John points this out clearly in chapter three of his Gospel.  But the “repent” part has been shaken off the tree of the Church today by men who have said that God loves us all.  They have used a truth to dispel the urgency of repentance.  The reasons why they have done this are many and quite obvious.  But they have done so in error.  They think they clean the conscience of men by removing the stumbling block of sin from men.  “Let’s get them past the condemning God stuff”, they say.

I am filled with rage that such things have been done.  And the damage it has wrought is apparent in the lack of holiness among God’s people.  I too fell for this lie.  And even now I struggle, from time to time, to maintain a strong standing before the Lord for the lies hidden within my heart because of this foolish gospel.  All day long men speak lies in the name of the Lord.  And as long as we listen to them we too become corrupt with their sweet sins of corruption.

I fear the rot of lies has come to the point where the foot needs to be cut off lest it infect the entire body.  The stench of sin wreeks from the injured foot.  And the signs of sickness are unavoidable to the eye. The “Church” is hobbled by a hideous sickness.  What is called the Church today is often simply a polished up secular teaching of psychology.  And the “good” they perceive done by this set of lies has murdered thousands.  They have turned the holy gathering of saints into a happy little club of man.  And I, for one, will have nothing to do with them!

Dedication to He Who IS

by

0


Fear The Lord The left hand of the two similar...

Fear The Lord The left hand of the two similarly carved stones either side of the west entrance to St Leonard's Church. 32432 "Fear the Lord your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name." Deuteronomy 10:20 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let poverty envelop me,

I will serve the Lord.

Let sickness render me to death,

I will serve the Lord.

Let my limbs be limp,

I will serve the Lord.

Let all abandon me,

I will serve the Lord.

Let my life appear useless,

I will serve the Lord.

Let them rail against me,

I will serve the Lord.

May my body endure the will of the Spirit of God.  Let the Lord fill up His testimony by the sacrifice of this body.  May the Living God, the Father of Jesus my Lord, find pleasure at the life His Great Mercy has sent unto me.  I am His.  I do not belong to myself.  I do not belong to the ways of this world.  I do not belong to the desires of man.  And, by His Grace, I will stand apart to serve the maker of my soul.

Amen.

The Bridge Over Troubled Waters (The hand Up is the Same Hand of Out)

by

0


Footbridge near Stumble Wood This bridge is on...

Footbridge near Stumble Wood This bridge is on a path (No. WC347) from Halden Lane to Stepneyford Lane. It passes over stream feeding into Stumble Wood (on the left). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Past the beginnings of a relationship with Jesus, the Glorious King of Kings, a man will find places where he falters and tumbles back into the sins he thought were left in the dark dust of the past.  He will look down at his feet as he walks and smile with joy at the steadiness of his gait.  But sometimes he finds himself tripped up by lust, greed, lies, pride, or ignorance.  It has happened to me countless times.  And I know it happens to the very best of saints.  How should the beginner be surprised if it happens to him?

There is something about this which needs to be spoken.  It is one thing to remain in sins and never seek a way out through Jesus.  When we are in that state of affairs we should expect no help when we fall.  For we are as those who are still sitting in stench and the fall we experience is nothing more than the slip of our hand as we try to readjust our sitting.  The tumbles I am speaking of happen to those who have come some distance from that stench and have learned to walk on legs of righteousness given to them by the Lord Himself.

You will slip from time to time.  Take that as a given.  So I would advise my brothers and sisters to do this:  When you are able to walk make a considerable distance from the possibility of slipping.  Add some speed to your ways so that you move as far away from sin as possible.  Now, when you slip it will not be a pattern of behavior.   It will be simply a part of the experience we share in Christ.

There is a vast difference between holding on to some sins so that you continually revert to them, and stumbling because of things which remain in hidden in your mind.  If your heart is clean and your desire to serve Him is pure, you will find His reaction to your stumbling and tripping a great deal different than what you tasted as you began this walk.

Regardless your understanding of what I have written here, take heart.  He has seen what you desire in regard to holiness.  He has witnessed your ways with perfect and knowledgable eyes.  The Lord you trusted to take you from where you started is quite able to take you from where you are.  Do not let your faith be shaken.  Get up.  Dust yourself off.  Go to Him.  Give thanks for what He has done.  Ask for understanding, wisdom, and strength.  And start walking again!