Just sharing.

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Pride brings us low...be humble Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. James 4:10,11 NIV __________________ Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. Psalm 10:1-3 NIV __________________ The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life. Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Proverbs 16:17-19 NIV __________________ An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins. A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. Proverbs 29:22,23 __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?”

2 Samuel 9:8

If Mephibosheth was thus humbled by David's kindness, what shall we be in the presence of our gracious Lord? The more grace we have, the less we shall think of ourselves, for grace, like light, reveals our impurity. Eminent saints have scarcely known to what to compare themselves, their sense of unworthiness has been so clear and keen. “I am,” says holy Rutherford, “a dry and withered branch, a piece of dead carcass, dry bones, and not able to step over a straw.” In another place he writes, “Except as to open outbreakings, I want nothing of what Judas and Cain had.”

The meanest objects in nature appear to the humbled mind to have a preference above itself, because they have never contracted sin: a dog may be greedy, fierce, or filthy, but it has no conscience to violate, no Holy Spirit to resist. A dog may be a worthless animal, and yet by a little kindness it is soon won to love its master, and is faithful unto death; but we forget the goodness of the Lord, and follow not at his call. The term “dead dog” is the most expressive of all terms of contempt, but it is none too strong to express the self- abhorrence of instructed believers. They do not affect mock modesty, they mean what they say, they have weighed themselves in the balances of the sanctuary, and found out the vanity of their nature.

At best, we are but clay, animated dust, mere walking hillocks; but viewed as sinners, we are monsters indeed. Let it be published in heaven as a wonder, that the Lord Jesus should set his heart's love upon such as we are. Dust and ashes though we be, we must and will “magnify the exceeding greatness of his grace.” Could not his heart find rest in heaven? Must he needs come to these tents of Kedar for a spouse, and choose a bride upon whom the sun had looked? O heavens and earth, break forth into a song, and give all glory to our sweet Lord Jesus.

 

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Why Do We Bother With Relationships?



Almost every human is actively pursuing relationship. We like having friends. We are desperate for a spouse (or a dating partner). We want to be a part of group, to be in the in-crowd. We are afraid of being left out and isolated.
Why?
The reality is relationships are hard. They induce conflict, annoyances, offenses, and frustrations. They are sources of stress and they demand so much from us. Many relationships end in failure and heartbreak. Yet we still pursue them with fervor. We may spend a short period swearing off dating or friendship altogether; we may binge on Netflix and hide in our homes, but we eventually get back to it. The draw of relationships is too strong to ignore forever.


Despite their challenges, relationships remain a significant source of value in people’s lives. Here are a few thoughts to remind you why we pursue relationships, why they matter, and why they are worth fighting for.

Validation
Everybody wants to be important. Meaning and purpose are the main driver for every human soul. Relationships are the mechanism by which we measure and experience importance. Our worst punishment is solitary confinement. Our biggest fear is isolation and rejection. We need a context in which to exercise the importance we long for.

All of our struggles with relationships come when we abuse our need for validation. We act as if we are the only one in the relationship needing validation. We see others as our cheerleaders. We abuse and manipulate others to get the validation we seek.

But all of the beauty within our relationships comes when we maximize our need for validation in unity with the needs of others. Harmony requires a diversity of notes. When we demand to be the only note, the music of meaning does not reverberate in our souls. The strange reality is that we are at our best when we serve. We receive the sense of importance by loving and empowering others and receiving the same from those around us.

Shared Vision
Just like the sound of harmony, we are more beautiful together than we are alone. There are things in life that are too great for any one human to contain. Truth. Love. The reason we long for relationships is because we are searching for these transcendent things. We want something more than ourself. And as hard as it is, as frustrating and annoying as it can be, we know deep down that meaning is bigger than the parameters of our lives.
The meaning of life is like one of those doors in SciFi movies that takes two matching keys to unlock. We cannot do it ourselves. We need to be who we are in conjunction with others in order to experience the best of life. We cannot find meaning without relationships. And that is the reason we seek it out relentlessly. And something that should be celebrated.

 

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Love One Another "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Ephesians 5:31-33 NIV __________________ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:4,5 KJV __________________ Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun. Eccesiastes 9:9 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.”

Lamentations 3:21

Memory is frequently the bond slave of despondency. Despairing minds call to remembrance every dark foreboding in the past, and dilate upon every gloomy feature in the present; thus memory, clothed in sackcloth, presents to the mind a cup of mingled gall and wormwood. There is, however, no necessity for this. Wisdom can readily transform memory into an angel of comfort. That same recollection which in its left hand brings so many gloomy omens, may be trained to bear in its right a wealth of hopeful signs. She need not wear a crown of iron, she may encircle her brow with a fillet of gold, all spangled with stars.

Thus it was in Jeremiah's experience: in the previous verse memory had brought him to deep humiliation of soul: “My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me;” and now this same memory restored him to life and comfort. “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.” Like a two-edged sword, his memory first killed his pride with one edge, and then slew his despair with the other. As a general principle, if we would exercise our memories more wisely, we might, in our very darkest distress, strike a match which would instantaneously kindle the lamp of comfort.

There is no need for God to create a new thing upon the earth in order to restore believers to joy; if they would prayerfully rake the ashes of the past, they would find light for the present; and if they would turn to the book of truth and the throne of grace, their candle would soon shine as aforetime. Be it ours to remember the lovingkindness of the Lord, and to rehearse his deeds of grace. Let us open the volume of recollection which is so richly illuminated with memorials of mercy, and we shall soon be happy. Thus memory may be, as Coleridge calls it, “the bosom-spring of joy,” and when the Divine Comforter bends it to his service, it may be chief among earthly comforters.

 

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Our Own Worst Enemy



Roman’s chapter 7 has been described as the titanic battle between the old nature and the new, and it’s a battle royal between the Spirit and the flesh.
None are Good
There are countless numbers of people I’ve witnessed to who believe they’re a “pretty good person,” and have done enough good things to go to heaven, so it amazes me how some people think that the Father Who willed Jesus’ brutal suffering and death on a cross (Isaiah 53), would let them slide because they’re a good person or done some good things. God “did not spare his own Son” (Rom 8:32a), so why do they think He’ll spare them who have rejected Christ? We tend to compare ourselves with others, thinking, “At least we’re not as bad as so and so,” but it’s not wise to compare ourselves with others (2 Cor 10:12). That’s not a good standard to have. We need the very righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21).

We could add up all the good works by humans from the time of Adam and that would still not absolve even one sin. “None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom 3:10), and for that one holdout who thinks they’re the exception, Paul again says, “no one does good, not even one” (Rom 3:12b). Twice Paul says “not one” because he knows human nature and our tendency to justify ourselves. We do this by associating our good works with righteousness, but God will not accept our works (Isaiah 64:6). That is self-righteousness, and it is a stench in the nose of God. Only Christ’s finished work will be accepted, so it is not 9 out of 10 who fall short of God’s holy standard, but “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).

The Law
The Bible teaches that we all stand guilty before God, and are without excuse (Rom 1:18-22), because “we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (Rom 3:19). The Law’s not the problem…the problem is with lawbreakers. That would be us (Rom 3:23), so there is nothing wrong with the Law. In fact, the Law tells us what sin actually is (Rom 7:12), and sin is lawlessness, or lawbreaking (1 John 3:4), “So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Rom 7:12) because it exposes sinful human creatures who are anything but good.

Paul says to the Galatian churches which were being infiltrated by law-keeping Jews, “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith” (Gal 3:2)? We know it isn’t by the Law that we are saved, but only by grace (Eph 2:8-9). The danger is, “all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them” (Gal 3:10). Of course, there is no human that can keep the Law. Only Jesus Christ ever kept the Law and did so perfectly.

The Daily Struggle
After God brings a person to repentance and faith in Christ (John 6:44; Acts 5:31, 11:18; 2 Tim 2:24-26), the battle’s just beginning. They are both, and at the same time, sinner and saint. In the struggle for sanctification, the Spirit helps us, but we are our own worst enemy. Paul wrote, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Rom 7:15). That’s me! I don’t always do what I want to do or know what is right to do, but instead, I do what I didn’t want to do, or what I know is wrong.

The good news is, the Spirit of God tells us when something is right and something is wrong, but even with the Spirit’s help, like Paul, “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Rom 7:19), but thankfully, it is the Spirit that tells us the difference between what is right and what is wrong. When Paul finally sees his helplessness, he cries out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death” (Rom 7:24), but then he answers his own question by telling us that it is only “through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7:25) that he will be delivered.

Conclusion
I am so busy working on the guy in the mirror that I cannot possibly be worried about others who likewise struggle with sin. There are sins of commission, sins of omission, and even in our thought life we can sin, but you are not alone since “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor 10:13). Yes, we have met the enemy and it is we! Jesus’ council is, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:41).
Jesus Christ was tempted beyond what any of us could resist, so “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). If there is anyone that understands temptation, it is Jesus, “because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb 2:18). Wouldn’t you prefer a Counselor Who has been through more temptation than we will ever be? One Who has overcome the world and gave His life as a ransom for us (Mark 10:45)?

 

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Trusting Always in Him For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38,39 NIV __________________ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 KJV __________________ I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:12,13 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho.”

Joshua 6:26

Since he was cursed who rebuilt Jericho, much more the man who labours to restore Popery among us. In our fathers’ days the gigantic walls of Popery fell by the power of their faith, the perseverance of their efforts, and the blast of their gospel trumpets; and now there are some who would rebuild that accursed system upon its old foundation. O Lord, be pleased to thwart their unrighteous endeavours, and pull down every stone which they build. It should be a serious business with us to be thoroughly purged of every error which may have a tendency to foster the spirit of Popery, and when we have made a clean sweep at home we should seek in every way to oppose its all too rapid spread abroad in the church and in the world.

This last can be done in secret by fervent prayer, and in public by decided testimony. We must warn with judicious boldness those who are inclined towards the errors of Rome; we must instruct the young in gospel truth, and tell them of the black doings of Popery in the olden times. We must aid in spreading the light more thoroughly through the land, for priests, like owls, hate daylight. Are we doing all we can for Jesus and the gospel? If not, our negligence plays into the hands of the priestcraft.

What are we doing to spread the Bible, which is the Pope's bane and poison? Are we casting abroad good, sound gospel writings? Luther once said, “The devil hates goose quills” and, doubtless, he has good reason, for ready writers, by the Holy Spirit's blessing, have done his kingdom much damage. If the thousands who will read this short word this night will do all they can to hinder the rebuilding of this accursed Jericho, the Lord's glory shall speed among the sons of men. Reader, what can you do? What will you do?

 

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How to Give Up Looking for a Sole Mate and Find Lasting Love



For the most part, if your expectations are for an effortless relationship, you might be at risk for throwing in the towel at the earliest sign of any discord. Think of how many good relationships have been discarded before they matured, dismissing a life partner while searching for a soul mate.


The idea of a soul mate is romantic but also damaging because healthy relationships are developed and don’t just appear. Author Lisa Arends explains: “A fulfilling relationship occurs when both partners are open and vulnerable, creating an environment of mutual understanding, and intimacy. It takes time – often lots of time – and effort to reach this point.”

In some ways your belief in a sole mate may hold you back from achieving a healthy relationship or cause some you to postpone or abandon the option of making a commitment to a partner who is a good match for you. This can happen when you confuse chemistry with an authentic connection.

In the beginning of a relationship, we tend to present our best selves and only see the best in our partners. But that honeymoon stage always ends and disillusionment can set in. A supportive partner helps you navigate the unpredictable, ever changing aspects of life as your vulnerabilities are exposed and you disagree.
After all, there is no such thing as a perfect partner. Nonetheless, you might want to ask yourself this question: Is there something about the way that he or she treats me that makes me a bigger and better person? If the answer is no, ask yourself: Am I settling for less than I deserve in my relationship?
These are 5 good ways to give up on the idea of a sole mate:

1. Work on having more realistic expectations of your partner. Afterall, we all have flaws so try to focus on his/or her good qualities and not point out their imperfections.
2. Get busy working on improving your life. The more you set goals and actively engage in your own life, the more you’ll be able to be understanding of your partner’s struggles and flaws.
3. Keep a gratitude journal and write a least three things you are grateful for each day, making one of them something you appreciate about your partner. Be sure to share this with them.
4. Stop comparing your partner with your former partners – especially if they tend up fall short. There is a reason why your former relationship ended and so try to stay in the present.
5. Do at least five positive things today to improve your communication with your partner when you are experiencing conflict. Dr. John Gottman’s winning formula is five positives for one negative interaction when you’re going though a rough patch with a partner.

If you’re questioning whether your partner is a good match for you, ask yourself if you admire them for who he or she is as a person. Do you like and respect who they are and how they carry themselves through the world? If you can’t respect the way a person lives their life, let alone admire them, it’s hard to keep any relationship going.
Another important aspect of a healthy relationship is whether your partner is trustworthy. Do they call when they say they will and follow through on promises. It’s impossible to build trust in someone who does not keep their agreements. The cornerstone of a long-lasting relationship is trust and intimacy develops over time. If you can be vulnerable with your partner and trust that they are there for you – and have your best interests in mind – love and intimacy with blossom and endure the test of time.

 

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Work Hard! For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 NIV __________________ The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain. Proverbs 15:19 KJV __________________ Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 5:18,19 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“That henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Romans 6:6

Christian, what hast thou to do with sin? Hath it not cost thee enough already? Burnt child, wilt thou play with the fire? What! when thou hast already been between the jaws of the lion, wilt thou step a second time into his den? Hast thou not had enough of the old serpent? Did he not poison all thy veins once, and wilt thou play upon the hole of the asp, and put thy hand upon the cockatrice's den a second time? Oh, be not so mad! so foolish! Did sin ever yield thee real pleasure? Didst thou find solid satisfaction in it? If so, go back to thine old drudgery, and wear the chain again, if it delight thee.

But inasmuch as sin did never give thee what it promised to bestow, but deluded thee with lies, be not a second time snared by the old fowler— be free, and let the remembrance of thy ancient bondage forbid thee to enter the net again! It is contrary to the designs of eternal love, which all have an eye to thy purity and holiness; therefore run not counter to the purposes of thy Lord. Another thought should restrain thee from sin. Christians can never sin cheaply; they pay a heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, brings darkness over the soul; therefore be not the serf and bondman of sin.

There is yet a higher argument: each time you “serve sin” you have “Crucified the Lord afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Can you bear that thought? Oh! if you have fallen into any special sin during this day, it may be my Master has sent this admonition this evening, to bring you back before you have backslidden very far. Turn thee to Jesus anew; he has not forgotten his love to thee; his grace is still the same. With weeping and repentance, come thou to his footstool, and thou shalt be once more received into his heart; thou shalt be set upon a rock again, and thy goings shall be established.

 

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Great Leaders Model Magnanimity, Not Malice





As we approach the U.S. Presidential election, I am reflecting on qualities of leadership that President Lincoln modeled. The basis for my reflections result from my reading of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s bestselling Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, winner of the Lincoln Prize. One of the qualities that Goodwin highlights is Lincoln’s magnanimity of spirit. She notes how one of Lincoln’s chief political rivals who became one of his best friends and allies as Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William H. Seward, marveled at this trait. As he told his wife, President Lincoln’s “magnanimity is almost superhuman” (364).
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines magnanimity as “behaviour that is kind, generous and forgiving, especially towards an enemy or competitor.”

We find this description on display in Lincoln’s life and speeches. Lincoln’s second inaugural address (March 4, 1865), which was delivered just weeks prior to his assassination (April 14, 1865), includes these words in closing: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” Certainly, Lincoln had the end of the war in mind and reconstruction of the South.

One who possesses magnanimity of spirit is not petty. A person with a malicious spirit holds grudges and seeks to do harm, get even. A leader who is characterized by magnanimity will not allow personal or public grievances to get in the way of pursuing the greater good, as we find in Lincoln’s second inaugural. Lincoln looked to reconstruction of the South after the Civil War to bring about full inclusion in the union and a “just and lasting peace” not simply for the United States, but for “all nations”. Lincoln’s assassination proved devastating to all sides in the great contest. Contrary to his murderer John Wilkes Booth’s assessment, the Richmond Whig, a publication of the South, lamented that with Lincoln’s assassination, “the heaviest blow which has ever fallen upon the people of the South has descended” (quoted in Goodwin, Team of Rivals, 744).

Other forces in the victorious North would not model “charity for all” as in caring for the slain Southern soldier’s “widow and his orphan.”
Leaders with great vision for a people’s prosperity rather than their own personal gain will not allow insults to their persons and attacks on their careers to get in the way of the greater good. Lincoln was such a person. An even greater leader than Lincoln cried out from the cross on which he was hung: “‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots” (Luke 23:34; NIV). With the Lord Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, and the Spirit’s descent at Pentecost, his followers did not seek vengeance, but repentance and forgiveness on Jesus’ behalf for the restoration of all peoples to God. They bore the fruit of Jesus’ magnanimous spirit with malice toward none.

What spirit do we model in whatever spheres of leadership we find ourselves? Magnanimity or maliciousness of spirit? The answer to this question will make a great difference in the type of fruit we bear—profound or petty—among those under our influence, just as it will on the presidential national scene.

 

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Long Life! Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: that thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. Deuteronomy 6:1,2 KJV __________________ "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:3,4 NIV __________________ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. Proverbs 9:10,11 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Who healeth all thy diseases.”

Psalm 103:3

Humbling as is the statement, yet the fact is certain, that we are all more or less suffering under the disease of sin. What a comfort to know that we have a great Physician who is both able and willing to heal us! Let us think of him awhile to-night. His cures are very speedy—there is life in a look at him; his cures are radical—he strikes at the center of the disease; and hence, his cures are sure and certain. He never fails, and the disease never returns. There is no relapse where Christ heals; no fear that his patients should be merely patched up for a season, he makes new men of them: a new heart also does he give them, and a right spirit does he put with them. He is well skilled in all diseases.

Physicians generally have some specialty. Although they may know a little about almost all our pains and ills, there is usually one disease which they have studied above all others; but Jesus Christ is thoroughly acquainted with the whole of human nature. He is as much at home with one sinner as with another, and never yet did he meet with an out-of-the-way case that was difficult to him. He has had extraordinary complications of strange diseases to deal with, but he has known exactly with one glance of his eye how to treat the patient. He is the only universal doctor; and the medicine he gives is the only true catholicon, healing in every instance.

Whatever our spiritual malady may be, we should apply at once to this Divine Physician. There is no brokenness of heart which Jesus cannot bind up. “His blood cleanseth from all sin.” We have but to think of the myriads who have been delivered from all sorts of diseases through the power and virtue of his touch, and we shall joyfully put ourselves in his hands. We trust him, and sin dies; we love him, and grace lives; we wait for him and grace is strengthened; we see him as he is, and grace is perfected for ever.

 

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How God Limits Satan’s Power



Since Satan is called the “god of this world,” how does God still have control over his actions?
The “god” of this World
A quick glance at the news should tell us all we need to know about the state of this world. Violence, as in the days of Noah, is growing worse, but there’s a sinister minister behind it all. For example, the Apostle Paul wrote that “if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing” (2 Cor 4:3), and the reason the gospel is veiled to the world is because “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4:4). That would seem to indicate that Satan’s winning, but wait!

The Bible also tells us that we “were dead in the trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1), and all of us were, at one time, “following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:2). And if not for the grace of God, we’d still be dead. Dead in our sins…dead men and dead women walking, but God intervened because “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5). The point behind this is there is an invisible enemy that works visibly, either through powers or people, but he can only go so far.

The Invisible Enemy
Why does the world seem so vulnerable to satanic influence? For one thing, they do not even believe in Satan. Someone who they don’t believe exists, is no threat to them, but we know that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). It’s easier to fight something that’s visible; something that’s right before us, but an invisible enemy is more dangerous because you don’t always see them, however, there’s one who lurks around us today, and he is alive and active.

He is so deceptive that he can imitate the gospel and the preachers while deceiving millions. For example, many wealth and prosperity gospels have infiltrated the church today and the shift, like consumerism, is to “what can the church do for me.” We’ve watered down the gospel by eliminating words like sin, the cross, the blood of the Lamb of God, sanctification, holiness, and repentance. He’s deceptive and crafty, and his messages do make you feel really good, but remember, his main purpose is to strike you and other believers down, and to veil the true gospel of repentance and faith (Mark 1:14-15). That teaching doesn’t require anyone to change, so it’s not really the gospel at all.

God’s Devil
Martin Luther once said that Satan is on a leash, or that the Devil is God’s Devil. Satan can only do as much as God allows, but even in Satan’s evil, God brings about much good. We can look at the cross to see that (John3:16-17). It is not accurate to say “the Devil made me do it,” but rather, the Devil influenced me to do it, but we are still responsible for our actions. The Apostle Peter was told by Jesus, “Get behind me, Satan” because Peter was trying to have Jesus avoid the cross, which was our only hope. That’s the same thing Satan wanted because he knew it sealed his fate (John 19:28-30). When Satan had been roaming the earth, presumably to make people’s lives miserable, the “Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8), but Satan wanted to prove to God that Job was just “being good” so that God would bless him.

Then, “Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land” (Job 1:9-10), so Satan asked the Lord to “stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face” (Job 1:11). That’s when the Lord told Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord” (Job 1:11-12). Satan did nearly destroy Job and his faith, but Satan could not take Job’s life. That right is only given to the One Who gives life, and that is God.

Disqualified


Lucifer may well have been God’s greatest creation. He was splendid beyond description, but verses like Isaiah 14:11-15, Ezekiel 28:12-19 and Revelation 12:4 indicate that Satan was tossed out of heaven, and about 1/3rd of the angels followed him. These became demons. Instead of being a light bearer in heaven, he became full of darkness due to his pride. He became so lifted up, that his logic left him, and he thought he could even take over the thorn of God, even becoming God (Isaiah 14:14)! By the way, there are a few cults that teach that we can become gods, and that has a satanic source too, but that’s what pride does. It blinds you to the truth. Satan sealed his own fate by rebelling against God, and will face a final torment that is simply indescribable. It says that “the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev 20:11). If satanic influence begins to affect you, then remind Satan of his future.

Conclusion
The Devil can only do so much. God allows him to roam the earth, like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, so we must remain diligent (1 Pet 5:8), but more likely, it is demonic influence that we face. That’s because Satan is not omnipresent. He has to roam about on the earth, but Satan is the god of this world and will try to influence the leaders of this world, and he’s done a very good job, don’t you think, but even this will play right into the sovereign hands of God. That’s because even the Devil is God’s Devil.

 

[beensetfree]

Blessed Are the Meek Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 KJV __________________ Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. Psalm 25:9,10 KJV __________________ The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:19 KJV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

''He will make her wilderness like Eden.”

Isaiah 51:3

Methinks, I see in vision a howling wilderness, a great and terrible desert, like to the Sahara. I perceive nothing in it to relieve the eye, all around I am wearied with a vision of hot and arid sand, strewn with ten thousand bleaching skeletons of wretched men who have expired in anguish, having lost their way in the pitiless waste. What an appalling sight! How horrible! a sea of sand without a bound, and without an oasis, a cheerless graveyard for a race forlorn!

But behold and wonder! Upon a sudden, upspringing from the scorching sand I see a plant of renown; and as it grows it buds, the bud expands—it is a rose, and at its side a lily bows its modest head; and, miracle of miracles! as the fragrance of those flowers is diffused the wilderness is transformed into a fruitful field, and all around it blossoms exceedingly, the glory of Lebanon is given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon. Call it not Sahara, call it Paradise. Speak not of it any longer as the valley of deathshade, for where the skeletons lay bleaching in the sun, behold a resurrection is proclaimed, and up spring the dead, a mighty army, full of life immortal.

Jesus is that plant of renown, and his presence makes all things new. Nor is the wonder less in each individual's salvation. Yonder I behold you, dear reader, cast out, an infant, unswathed, unwashed, defiled with your own blood, left to be food for beasts of prey. But lo, a jewel has been thrown into your bosom by a divine hand, and for its sake you have been pitied and tended by divine providence, you are washed and cleansed from your defilement, you are adopted into heaven's family, the fair seal of love is upon your forehead, and the ring of faithfulness is on your hand—you are now a prince unto God, though once an orphan, cast away. O prize exceedingly the matchless power and grace which changes deserts into gardens, and makes the barren heart to sing for joy.

 

[beensetfree]

7 lessons parents can learn from kids




In the ancient world, children were not treated with the value and dignity we typically give our kids today. Children were seen as little more than a nuisance to endure until they got old enough to do something useful to contribute to the family’s livelihood. When Jesus came on the scene two thousand years ago, that all changed.

As Jesus taught in public, kids would run up to him and the grownups would rush in to try and pull the kids away, but Jesus always made a point to include and encourage the children. Jesus even went so far as to make the revolutionary claim that adults could actually learn some important lessons from children. Our kids possess some beautiful traits we once possessed, and we were never meant to lose.

I’ve written pretty extensively about the lessons parents must teach their children and the things your kids will remember most about you, but I also believe that there are lessons parents should learn from children. As I’ve studied what the Bible teaches about family dynamics, learned lessons from experts in our modern culture and absorbed experience from life with our own four children, I’m convinced that we could learn the following lessons from children better than grownups...

1. Keep asking questions.
I read a stat recently that says, on average, kids ask 125 questions per day which is more than ten times the amount of questions asked by the average adult. As adults, we’re so afraid of looking like we don’t know everything that we stop asking (which means we stop learning).
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
2. Be yourself.
Kids aren’t worried about looking “impressive.” They just want to express themselves and discover who they were created to be. Be real. There’s nothing more impressive than authenticity.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10



3. Laugh more.
Laughter is good medicine. It promotes physical and emotional health, but most adults don’t do it enough. Kids laugh more in a day than most adults do in a month. Adults specialize in “Drama,” but kids are all about the comedy.
“He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” Job 8:21
4. Don’t stress.
Kids don’t worry and stress the way grownups do. Sure, you could argue, that’s because they have grownups taking care of everything, but Jesus taught that God is ultimately taking care of us, so we shouldn’t worry either.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.” Philippians 4:6

5. Don’t judge people.

All our prejudices are learned. Kids aren’t born with any kind of racism, sexism or other -isms that would cause them to treat others differently or judge someone based on appearance. Sadly, they learn their prejudices from us.

“There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
6. Have pure faith.
Childlike faith is one of the hallmarks of Christianity. Jesus wasn’t teaching us to abandon our intellects in favor of blind faith, but he was challenging us to approach God as the loving Father He is. Kids trust their parents (even though parents are imperfect). We need to have a childlike faith and trust in the perfect, all-knowing, all-powerful Heavenly Father.
“Jesus called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-3


7. Have Fun!
Kids never take themselves too seriously, so they’re free to enjoy life with uninhibited joy and wonder. We grownups could stand to lighten up and enjoy life a bit more!

 

[beensetfree]

Teach Your Children Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 11:18,19 NIV __________________ And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Genesis 18:17-19 KJV __________________ Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul. Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:17,18 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“Good Master.”

Matthew 19:16

If the young man in the gospel used this title in speaking to our Lord, how much more fitly may I thus address him! He is indeed my Master in both senses, a ruling Master and a teaching Master. I delight to run upon his errands, and to sit at his feet. I am both his servant and his disciple, and count it my highest honour to own the double character. If he should ask me why I call him “good,” I should have a ready answer.

It is true that “there is none good but one, that is, God,” but then he is God, and all the goodness of Deity shines forth in him. In my experience, I have found him good, so good, indeed, that all the good I have has come to me through him. He was good to me when I was dead in sin, for he raised me by his Spirit's power; he has been good to me in all my needs, trials, struggles, and sorrows. Never could there be a better Master, for his service is freedom, his rule is love: I wish I were one thousandth part as good a servant.

When he teaches me as my Rabbi, he is unspeakably good, his doctrine is divine, his manner is condescending, his spirit is gentleness itself. No error mingles with his instruction—pure is the golden truth which he brings forth, and all his teachings lead to goodness, sanctifying as well as edifying the disciple.

Angels find him a good Master and delight to pay their homage at his footstool. The ancient saints proved him to be a good Master, and each of them rejoiced to sing, “I am thy servant, O Lord!” My own humble testimony must certainly be to the same effect. I will bear this witness before my friends and neighbours, for possibly they may be led by my testimony to seek my Lord Jesus as their Master. O that they would do so! They would never repent so wise a deed. If they would but take his easy yoke, they would find themselves in so royal a service that they would enlist in it for ever.