"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken." -Jeremiah 6:16,17.
One thing that I see continually which leads people to destruction, is the incredible "business" of their lives. Being busy, staying busy, has become admirable to our generation. Satan has created activity upon activity, device after device, so that our time will be constantly full- with no time left to consider our eternal destination. In short, the devil is rushing us toward HELL.
The active part of this blog ends today, as I have been directed to do through the Holy Spirit. You may continue to read what is already here, and contact me for any cause which you deem necessary. So this message today is one of closing, and I can't help but seek to leave you with the best advice that God's wisdom can provide. Our first, best move is always to pull away from the world, and draw near unto God. We need to seek & find shelter beneath the "shadow of His wings." - Ruth 2:12, Matt. 23:37.
How is your time being spent? What do you give to your creator, savior, and Lord? Apart from Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Take time to consider in prayer your priorities, knowing that you will give an account to God! Satan has also created mobile devices for us, so that we never have time to ourselves. When all is "quiet", do you find yourself turning on some electronic device? Perhaps at home it is the TV, internet, or stereo. Away from home, it can now be the same! Are you always checking messages, looking at the weather, sports, or whatever may be of interest?
By observation, what evidence is there to convince the world around you of your love for Christ? Or are you just like everyone else? We need ever more prayer, more Bible study, more "hungering and thirsting" after righteousness (Matt. 5:6) in our daily lives; even many times throughout the day. If we are told to crucify the flesh daily (Luke 9:23, Rom. 8:13, Col. 3:5), how is it that we can give up so little of what we find "convenient", moment-by-moment?
Nothing of this Earth will last, or matters. All that will remain are the works founded upon Christ (I Cor. 3:11-15, I John 2:15-17)! I implore you all from the depths of my being, for your own best spiritual health and welfare; do as much as you possibly can to SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THIS WORLD, and its lying vanities (Jonah 2:8). This should especially include, potentially, even any secular means of "earning a living." So very many have compromised their professed faith in God for their jobs! How is this unlike Esau, selling his birthright for potted stew?
The Lord has changed my life through the following passage, Matthew 6:24-34; reprinted here in its entirety with bold, italicized, and underlining added for emphasis. See and embrace the truth of verse 33! I am not telling anyone to quit their job; don't quit, submit- to the direction of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lillies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore TAKE NO THOUGHT, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all thes things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
And yet there is a proof of these promises given in Matt. 15:32-38. Some 4,000 men, beside women & children, had the privelege of fellowship with their creator; for 3 whole days, nothing else mattered! Think of all they heard, and got to see- the temporal concerns of this life could not compare, so they stayed; until they had even run out of food. They probably didn't realize it, but they were living the instruction & promise of Matthew 6:33! True to His Word, Jesus fed them all. Where would our faith be, when we were hungry, and saw but 7 loaves and a few little fishes available to feed all those people? Would we have even stayed until our food ran out? Real faith, beloved brethren, is unseen (Heb. 11:1).
Maybe we need to lower our standards. I fear that in our culture today, many have lost their ability to distinguish between what is an actual need, and what is merely desireable.
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." -I Tim. 6:6-8.
"Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit." - Eccl. 4:6.
What really matters to you, brethren? Where are your priorities? Are you trusting in Christ to provide, or only upon your own "arm of flesh"? -Jer. 17:5-8, Psalm 147:10,11. What kind of love do you have for the temporary things of this world? -John 12:25, James 4:4.
Time is very, very short indeed, and we need to prepare. Let's get back to the simplicity of the Word of God, and unconditional obedience to its doctrines (I Tim. 4:16).
"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against your soul." - I Peter 2:11.
"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." - Rom. 13:11,12.
"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" - Micah 6:8.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Rapture readiness: we need to get it right!
"And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law." - Genesis 19:14; bold type added for emphasis.
When I talk about the end times, warning others about our position in it, I get pretty much the same reaction- that I am "as one who mocks" to the professing body of Christ! Yet to warn others, especially God's people, is my clear duty in the body of Christ. Isn't all of God's Word true? We remember what happened to Sodom, and Lot's sons in law- don't we?
"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." - Luke 17:28-30; bold, italicized type added to ephasize.
Brethren, we could disagree on numerous issues of non-importance, but the timing of the rapture could have grave consequences if we get it wrong. To believe in an "any moment" rapture, a.k.a. pre-tribulation rapture, is simply NOT the message of scripture! You need to stop, and change course immediately if you have fallen for this lie. I also believed this for a long time, before God graciously revealed to me the plain teaching of His Word. This "pre-trib" rapture message is comforting fable for "itching ears (II Tim. 4:3,4).
Satan wants christians to believe that they will somehow be immune to the various crises coming, but such has never been the lot of God's people. If you fall for this comforting lie (pre-trib rapture), you will not be prepared for the deception of antichrist when he takes charge; you will simply fall in line with the rest of the deceived world, which will believe that the millenium has come.
"And then shall that Wicked be revealed... whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish..." - from II Thess. 2:8-10.
The Lord Jesus Christ showed us what to expect in His Word. While many believers are aware that we cannot know the exact day & hour of Christ's return, few have been shown scripturally the sequence of events which alert us to the time of the end. It amazes me how so many would quote verses like Matt. 24:36, which tells us that we will not know the day or hour of Christ's return; but somehow miss the preceeding verses 32-34, that tell us we will "know that it is near, even at the doors." I am convinced that the day & hour info is a protection for us, enabling us to more easily identify false prophets.
Jesus emphatically tells us to WATCH in these passages about the last days (Matt. 24:42-46, Mark 13:32-37, Luke 12:35-38, 21:34-36). Exactly what are we to look for, if we can have no clue as to the time of His return? One of the "bad fruits" (Matt. 7:16-20) of the pre-trib rapture teaching is that it tells us there is no need to watch! Please don't be offended- this message is not meant to pick on anyone, or to prove me right, and others wrong. The message of this blog is one of genuine concern for first your eternal welfare, and then for your earthly well-being, also.
The letters to the Thessalonians solidify God's message to us concerning the rapture, and the 2nd coming of Christ. I Thess. 4:15-18 is really the key passage from which we take the concept of the rapture. Unfortunately, most teaching stops right there! We need to remember that Thessalonians I & II are complete letters, with chapter and verse #'s added later. Let's look at the continuation of the "rapture" passage as it spills into chapter 5;
"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of the light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of the darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober." - I Thess. 5:1-6; bold type added.
These verses make it clear that we will know the season of the end, and that the people of the earth will think they have achieved peace prior to the Lord's return!
Then when we get to II Thessalonians 2, the Holy Spirit prompts Paul to expound further on this topic; that the young believers may have confidence, and not fear (I John 4:18), concerning the end times.
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ... That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled... as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, AND that man of sin be revealed... Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God... And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time." - from II Thess. 2:1-6; bold and italicized type, and the capitalized added.
So we see that christians will be here during the time of antichrist! Are we not plainly shown in places like Daniel 7:15-27, and Rev. 13:7 that the "beast" will make war with the saints, and overcome them? At the point when that "man of sin", a.k.a. "that Wicked" will be revealed, there will be approximately three and one half years until he is through, and Christ then returns. Therefore said "tribulation" period is about 3.5 years, as shown in Daniel 7:25, 12:11, Rev. 11:2, & 13:5. Daniel 12:13 identifies the 1,335th day as the one we should look toward (not that we will exactly have the count).
After this period, then comes the rapture; the "sign" of the Son of man appears in the heavens (see Matt. 24:30,31), and the elect are gathered to the marriage supper of the Lamb. During this time, those left on the Earth will mourn; finally all will be aware that they have been deceived! Some time later, on the same day, Christ leads the armies of heaven (assumed that we believers are among them) to the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19:7-16). Next up, the millenial reign of Christ.
Parts of this message are not pleasant, and I know it! Martyrdom is the norm for the tribulation saints, but the Lord will help us with "a little help" (Dan. 11:34), and the eternal reward is beyond comparison. Brethren, the time is now fast coming upon us, that we needs live and die that faith which we profess (Luke 9:23). Throw yourselves upon Christ, and seek Him to strengthen you now. Please remember this warning, and carry it with you in your spirit...
"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." - I Peter 4:7.
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." - Rev. 12:11.
When I talk about the end times, warning others about our position in it, I get pretty much the same reaction- that I am "as one who mocks" to the professing body of Christ! Yet to warn others, especially God's people, is my clear duty in the body of Christ. Isn't all of God's Word true? We remember what happened to Sodom, and Lot's sons in law- don't we?
"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." - Luke 17:28-30; bold, italicized type added to ephasize.
Brethren, we could disagree on numerous issues of non-importance, but the timing of the rapture could have grave consequences if we get it wrong. To believe in an "any moment" rapture, a.k.a. pre-tribulation rapture, is simply NOT the message of scripture! You need to stop, and change course immediately if you have fallen for this lie. I also believed this for a long time, before God graciously revealed to me the plain teaching of His Word. This "pre-trib" rapture message is comforting fable for "itching ears (II Tim. 4:3,4).
Satan wants christians to believe that they will somehow be immune to the various crises coming, but such has never been the lot of God's people. If you fall for this comforting lie (pre-trib rapture), you will not be prepared for the deception of antichrist when he takes charge; you will simply fall in line with the rest of the deceived world, which will believe that the millenium has come.
"And then shall that Wicked be revealed... whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish..." - from II Thess. 2:8-10.
The Lord Jesus Christ showed us what to expect in His Word. While many believers are aware that we cannot know the exact day & hour of Christ's return, few have been shown scripturally the sequence of events which alert us to the time of the end. It amazes me how so many would quote verses like Matt. 24:36, which tells us that we will not know the day or hour of Christ's return; but somehow miss the preceeding verses 32-34, that tell us we will "know that it is near, even at the doors." I am convinced that the day & hour info is a protection for us, enabling us to more easily identify false prophets.
Jesus emphatically tells us to WATCH in these passages about the last days (Matt. 24:42-46, Mark 13:32-37, Luke 12:35-38, 21:34-36). Exactly what are we to look for, if we can have no clue as to the time of His return? One of the "bad fruits" (Matt. 7:16-20) of the pre-trib rapture teaching is that it tells us there is no need to watch! Please don't be offended- this message is not meant to pick on anyone, or to prove me right, and others wrong. The message of this blog is one of genuine concern for first your eternal welfare, and then for your earthly well-being, also.
The letters to the Thessalonians solidify God's message to us concerning the rapture, and the 2nd coming of Christ. I Thess. 4:15-18 is really the key passage from which we take the concept of the rapture. Unfortunately, most teaching stops right there! We need to remember that Thessalonians I & II are complete letters, with chapter and verse #'s added later. Let's look at the continuation of the "rapture" passage as it spills into chapter 5;
"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of the light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of the darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober." - I Thess. 5:1-6; bold type added.
These verses make it clear that we will know the season of the end, and that the people of the earth will think they have achieved peace prior to the Lord's return!
Then when we get to II Thessalonians 2, the Holy Spirit prompts Paul to expound further on this topic; that the young believers may have confidence, and not fear (I John 4:18), concerning the end times.
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ... That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled... as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, AND that man of sin be revealed... Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God... And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time." - from II Thess. 2:1-6; bold and italicized type, and the capitalized added.
So we see that christians will be here during the time of antichrist! Are we not plainly shown in places like Daniel 7:15-27, and Rev. 13:7 that the "beast" will make war with the saints, and overcome them? At the point when that "man of sin", a.k.a. "that Wicked" will be revealed, there will be approximately three and one half years until he is through, and Christ then returns. Therefore said "tribulation" period is about 3.5 years, as shown in Daniel 7:25, 12:11, Rev. 11:2, & 13:5. Daniel 12:13 identifies the 1,335th day as the one we should look toward (not that we will exactly have the count).
After this period, then comes the rapture; the "sign" of the Son of man appears in the heavens (see Matt. 24:30,31), and the elect are gathered to the marriage supper of the Lamb. During this time, those left on the Earth will mourn; finally all will be aware that they have been deceived! Some time later, on the same day, Christ leads the armies of heaven (assumed that we believers are among them) to the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19:7-16). Next up, the millenial reign of Christ.
Parts of this message are not pleasant, and I know it! Martyrdom is the norm for the tribulation saints, but the Lord will help us with "a little help" (Dan. 11:34), and the eternal reward is beyond comparison. Brethren, the time is now fast coming upon us, that we needs live and die that faith which we profess (Luke 9:23). Throw yourselves upon Christ, and seek Him to strengthen you now. Please remember this warning, and carry it with you in your spirit...
"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." - I Peter 4:7.
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." - Rev. 12:11.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Ungodly traditions.
Every Friday is a good Friday, if you have received the salvation which Christ bought for us on the cross. Yet Easter itself is a lying, pagan tradition, that has no place in Christianity!
Check out this link to, "Why there is no Good Friday"; remember that God is not impressed with our sincerity; He wants obedience. Please see I Samuel 15:22. It didn't work for King Saul, and it still isn't working for any of us today!
Jesus said that if a person really loves Him, they will keep His Words. We need to focus on that, and stop trying to impress Him with a "form" of godliness which has denied Him!
Check out this link to, "Why there is no Good Friday"; remember that God is not impressed with our sincerity; He wants obedience. Please see I Samuel 15:22. It didn't work for King Saul, and it still isn't working for any of us today!
Jesus said that if a person really loves Him, they will keep His Words. We need to focus on that, and stop trying to impress Him with a "form" of godliness which has denied Him!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Regaining true love (agape)
"...I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." - Rev. 2:4.
We live in a time of unparalled evil, and it is bound to have a polluting effect on us. I have a saying that goes like this, "When you live in a sewer, you don't mind the smell." Jesus foretold us of this time, but we who believe ought to take it as warning:
"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." -Matt. 24:12.
Can you spot this hardness of heart within yourself? How do you react to news of tradgedies? Are you watching television, and movies which ought to be offensive to Christian faith?
Abraham's nephew, Lot, chose to live within the Sodom and Gomorrah area, as we see in Genesis 13:10. 13:13 tells us that this was an exceedingly wicked place! What Lot did, he did initially because of the geographic locale; it was a good place for his cattle. Yet he also came to greatly regret the move;
"For if God... turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow... And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)... The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations..." - See II Peter 2:4-9.
Is your soul vexed by the evil that you witness around you? Has "bad company" corrupted your good morals (I Cor. 15:33? Have you separated yourself for the Lord's sake (II Cor. 6:17), or have you yielded to walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the way with sinners, and sitting in the seat of the scornful (Psalm 1:1,2)?
God warns us in His Word that in these last days, men will be lovers of their own selves (II Tim. 3:1,2). This is an apt description for today, for both within, and outside of the professing church of Christ. There are so many who seem to be loving in Christ, but their false expressions of genuine Godly CHARITY (I Cor. 13) never go beyond what is absolutely convenient for them! Our example ought to be that of Christ, in the Garden of Gethsemane; denying self, taking up our cross daily, and then following God's leading.
The Bible also gives prophecy of the period of salvation which would be wrought through Christ;
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleans you. And a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." - Ezekiel 36:25-27. Are these verses describing you?
Revelation 2:1-5 addresses the church of Ephesus, and has many good things to say about them. Yet for this shortfall, the leaving of their first love, they needed repentance; without repenting, they would be LOST. I dare say that today, we are nowhere close to what the church of Ephesus had in righteousness. Instead, we have permissiveness.
"There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." -Prov. 30:12.
Is your soul vexed for the evil you witness in this world? Do you hate your life in this world (John 12:25), and long to be with the Lord (II Cor. 5:6-8)? Pray for the Lord to open your eyes, and to remove the stony places of your heart. Stop trying so hard to "get along" with everyone, and start letting your light shine for Christ! If your heart is right with the Lord, you won't be getting popularity awards, anyhow!
"An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked." - Prov. 29:27.
In addition to spotting what is evil, you will also need the Holy Spirit's sensitivity to minister to the actual needs of others. I could give you abundant examples of the forthrightly proclaiming "Christian" who just absolutely could care less about helping those around them (Matt. 25:31-46)! I guess Christian service is what they pay others to do for them, when they place $ in the offering plate!
Brethren, time is fast running out. It is high time that we get serious about living the faith that we profess, or we will be counted amongst the goats separated out for judgment.
"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." - James 1:21,22.
We live in a time of unparalled evil, and it is bound to have a polluting effect on us. I have a saying that goes like this, "When you live in a sewer, you don't mind the smell." Jesus foretold us of this time, but we who believe ought to take it as warning:
"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." -Matt. 24:12.
Can you spot this hardness of heart within yourself? How do you react to news of tradgedies? Are you watching television, and movies which ought to be offensive to Christian faith?
Abraham's nephew, Lot, chose to live within the Sodom and Gomorrah area, as we see in Genesis 13:10. 13:13 tells us that this was an exceedingly wicked place! What Lot did, he did initially because of the geographic locale; it was a good place for his cattle. Yet he also came to greatly regret the move;
"For if God... turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow... And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)... The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations..." - See II Peter 2:4-9.
Is your soul vexed by the evil that you witness around you? Has "bad company" corrupted your good morals (I Cor. 15:33? Have you separated yourself for the Lord's sake (II Cor. 6:17), or have you yielded to walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the way with sinners, and sitting in the seat of the scornful (Psalm 1:1,2)?
God warns us in His Word that in these last days, men will be lovers of their own selves (II Tim. 3:1,2). This is an apt description for today, for both within, and outside of the professing church of Christ. There are so many who seem to be loving in Christ, but their false expressions of genuine Godly CHARITY (I Cor. 13) never go beyond what is absolutely convenient for them! Our example ought to be that of Christ, in the Garden of Gethsemane; denying self, taking up our cross daily, and then following God's leading.
The Bible also gives prophecy of the period of salvation which would be wrought through Christ;
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleans you. And a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." - Ezekiel 36:25-27. Are these verses describing you?
Revelation 2:1-5 addresses the church of Ephesus, and has many good things to say about them. Yet for this shortfall, the leaving of their first love, they needed repentance; without repenting, they would be LOST. I dare say that today, we are nowhere close to what the church of Ephesus had in righteousness. Instead, we have permissiveness.
"There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." -Prov. 30:12.
Is your soul vexed for the evil you witness in this world? Do you hate your life in this world (John 12:25), and long to be with the Lord (II Cor. 5:6-8)? Pray for the Lord to open your eyes, and to remove the stony places of your heart. Stop trying so hard to "get along" with everyone, and start letting your light shine for Christ! If your heart is right with the Lord, you won't be getting popularity awards, anyhow!
"An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked." - Prov. 29:27.
In addition to spotting what is evil, you will also need the Holy Spirit's sensitivity to minister to the actual needs of others. I could give you abundant examples of the forthrightly proclaiming "Christian" who just absolutely could care less about helping those around them (Matt. 25:31-46)! I guess Christian service is what they pay others to do for them, when they place $ in the offering plate!
Brethren, time is fast running out. It is high time that we get serious about living the faith that we profess, or we will be counted amongst the goats separated out for judgment.
"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." - James 1:21,22.
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