Saturday, February 5, 2022

Who Else Wants To Be A Part Of The World's Next Great Awakening? Part 3

To clothe yourself with or to put on Jesus means to trust the Spirit of God/Jesus to help you overcome sin in your life.  Since Jesus is the one giving you the power to resist temptation, then it is His righteousness you are putting on.  Nobody has enough willpower to resist temptation every time to avoid sin’s consequences.   We all need help to overcome the lusts of our flesh.   And the Holy Spirit is our helper. 

Ezekiel 36:27 says [I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.]   Romans 8:13 says [If you live by the dictates of your sinful nature, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.]   Philippians 4:13 says [I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.]

Ephesians 6:12 says [For we wrestle not against flesh and blood (or people), but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.]  This is referring to the fallen angels that possess or influence people to hinder you from living your best life.

Note:  When the Bible speaks of the devil, sometimes it is referring to all the fallen angels working as one, calling them Satan.  Satan is the chief ruler of the fallen spirit world including angels and the spirits of disobedient people.  John 8:34 says [Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.]

Romans 6:16-22 says [Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 

18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.  19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 

20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.] 

Again, Romans 14:14 says [Don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.]   Sin begins with a thought.  That is why 2 Corinthians 2:5 says [Bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.]  Proverbs 24:9 says [The thought of foolishness is sin.]  Psalm 66:18 says [If I regard iniquity (or cherish sin) in my heart the Lord will not hear me.]  Matthew 22:37 says [Love thy God with all thy mind.]

You cannot prevent all sinful thoughts from entering your mind.  But you can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, avoid meditating on them which leads to sin and death.  Hebrews 4:15 says [Jesus was tempted in all the ways that we are, yet He did not sin.]  Thus, even Jesus experienced sinful thoughts, but because He chose to trust God to help Him avoid meditating on them, He did not sin.

Jesus came to be our example to follow.  So, He showed us how to trust God for strength to overcome sin and live.  Jesus said in John 14:10 [Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.]   

And, once you put your faith in Jesus, you can say the same thing!

Galations 2:20 says [I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.]

Here is another example of a person being under the influence of a fallen angel.  This one being another one of the Lord’s disciples.  Matthew 16:23 says [Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.“]

Speaking of which, here is one of the saddest statements in the whole of the Bible.  Philippians 2:21 says [For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.]  But my friend, don’t let this be you. The will of God is that everyone would hear the good news about Jesus and be saved. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 [Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.]

The provision for every man and woman’s salvation has been made by Jesus Christ.  But, to partake of the riches of God’s grace in Christ Jesus, one must hear or read or feel (if they are blind & deaf) the preaching of the gospel or the good news of Jesus Christ.  

Because Romans 1:16 says [For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.]  Note:  According to the Oxford Dictionary, a Jew is a member of the people and cultural community whose traditional religion is Judaism and who trace their origins through the ancient Hebrew people of Israel to Abraham.  A Gentile is one who is not jewish.

But Romans 2:28,29 says [A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit.  And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.]

Friend!  Once you have come to faith and are born again by the power of God by following the instructions of the apostle in Acts 2:38, know that your sins are cleansed.  You are a child of God, based solely on what Jesus did for you.  You can take no credit for your salvation!   It is a gift from God!  

But, be warned!  Satan will try to deceive you into thinking that now you must live perfect to remain saved!  You must not be deceived by him!  Or, the Bible says you will fall from grace!  Fallen angels will use many voices to persuade you!  They are wolves in sheep’s clothing!  Hear them not!  Fallen angels will even use scripture to confuse you!  The Bible can be very confusing and misleading until you connect all the dots, which the half-hearted fail to do.

Know this friend!  He is a God who hides Himself.  And only the diligent will find Him because they love Him with all their heart.  Isaiah 45:15 says [Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.]  Jeremiah 29:13 says [You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.]  

Hebrews 11:6 says [And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.]  1 John 4:19 says [We love him, because he first loved us.]

The very narrow way to enter life is hidden within the pages of the Bible.  But it is a puzzle scattered.  Unless you find all the pieces, you will not be able to build the road nor the gate to pass through.  So, let me help you.  I am an evangelist and teacher.   

Ephesians 4:11-15 says [And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors, and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ]

Notice above where it says, “body of Christ.”  Colossians 1:18 says [Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body.]   Thus, the Bible likens the collective body of believers as the body of Christ.  As there are many believers, there are many members that make up the body of Christ.  And Christ is the head of that body.   Note:  The head houses the brain.  It’s the brain that tells the different parts or members of the body what to do.  

Here is a key hidden in plain sight:  Jesus said in Matthew 25:23 [You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.]  This has more than one meaning.  For one, if you will walk in the light or understanding that God has already given you, He will give you more understanding.  This is how you build the road and eventually the gate that leads to eternal life.

This ties in with Psalm 84:7 which says [They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.]  James 4:8 says [Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.]  And with Psalm 119:100 [I have more understanding than the aged, because I have kept your commandments.]   

Psalm 119:105 says [Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.]  Remember, the pieces are scattered.  Thus, Isaiah 28:10 says [He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”] 

Understand:  To walk means don’t stop!  To keep means maintain!  The only ones riding with Him when He returns are as Revelation 17:14 says [and with Him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”]

Hebrews 6:10-12 says [For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 

Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.]

God will test your heart just to see how much you love Him and how committed your love is to Him, period.  That is what this life is all about.  Like a husband trying to find a suitable wife.  The Bible says that the collective body of believers is the bride of Jesus Christ.  And there is going to be a wedding.

Psalm 7:9 says [Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous— you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!]

Ephesians 5:25-27 says [Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church (collective body of believers) and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.] 

Genesis 1:27 says [God created mankind in his own image] This means that God has feelings like us.  Psalm 78:40,41 says [How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the wasteland!  Again and again, they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel.]  

Proverbs 27:11 [Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.]  Psalm 11:5 [The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hates.]  Deuteronomy 4:24 [The LORD your God is a devouring fire; he is a jealous God.]

Proverbs 8:17 says [I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.]  How do you think it makes God feel when He sees you earnestly pursuing Him with a determined mind fixed on the prize of knowing Him?  He sees your every effort to endure temptation and trials. 

Psalms 34:15,16 says [The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.]

2 Chronicles 16:9 says [The LORD is constantly watching everyone, and he gives strength to those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.]  Proverbs 15:3 [The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.]

Psalm 91: says [Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,  6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.  9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 

10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.  

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”]

Notice in the above verse, it says: Because he loves me, I (God) will answer him.  And Jesus said:  This is love to keep the commandments.  Remember, keep means to maintain. 

Besides all the blessings that come in Psalm 91 above, just look at all these rewards you receive when you commit to loving Christ.  See them in bold letters below.  

Ecclesiastes 2:26 says [To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdomknowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.]

Proverbs 22:4 [The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.]

By the way, what is the fear of the Lord?  Proverbs 8:13 says [The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the perverse mouth, do I hate.]

Psalm 119:165 says [Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.]

Psalm 106:3 says [Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.]

Note:  If it was NOT possible to always do what is right, with the help of God, then the above verse would not be in the Bible.   2 Corinthians 2:14 says [Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.]

Again, the word keep means to maintain.  1 John 5:3 says [In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.]  So, how does anyone always keep the commands of God and how does anyone do right at all times?

Jude 1:24,25 says [Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, all glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.]

The point being, the Holy Spirit of God working in you gets all the glory when you overcome.  Philippians 2:13 says [For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.]

It is a cooperation where He does all the heavy lifting for you.  That is why Jesus said in Matthew 11:29 [Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.]   Friend, you must enter His rest.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a yoke is a wooden cross piece that is fastened over the necks of two animals that is attached to a plow or cart they are to pull.  Well, imagine if you will, Jesus is yoked up with you.  You and Jesus are pulling a cart.   And, inside the cart sits everything God requires of you.  Let Jesus do what He is famous for, overcoming and doing the will of the Father- through you!

Jesus said in John 15:5 [“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.]   Therefore, you need Him to yoke up with you.  Otherwise, there is no way your cart is going to move.  Yet, the devil has billions of people deceived into thinking that they got this all by themselves!

Just ask the average person:  Do you think you are a good person?  And most will tell you:  Yes!  I have not murdered anyone.  But Jesus said in Mark 10:18 [No one is good–except God alone.]  So, let God be good through you!  Have faith in God.

Trust Jesus to overcome every test and temptation through you.  That is all He asks.  Friend, it is critical that you cease from your own works and effort.  Stop trying to please God like everyone who follows a false hope, a false religion created by the devil to deceive.  They do it to establish their own righteousness.  They are believing a lie.

People who follow a false religion believe that if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds they rise or go to heaven.  And, if their bad deeds outweigh their good deeds they decrease or go to hell.  But Romans 3:10 says [No one is righteous, not even one.]   That means no one qualifies to go to heaven based on their efforts.

Because God requires perfection!  According to the Bible, on Judgment Day, God is NOT going to put your good deeds on one side of the scale and your bad deeds on the other.  No.  God is going to place perfection on one side of the scale and your life on the other side!  And, if you don’t have Jesus to step on the scale for you, you will not enter heaven!

CAUTION:  If you fail to read sufficiently now, you will most likely NEVER see what you have been missing ALL your life.  

I’m very impressed!  Keep it up!  Don’t quit!  Please continue to Part 4 by clicking on "Older Post" below or the right arrow button.

Oh, come on now. You knew it was coming.  Here ya go.  I'm living for the world to see nobody but Jesus.  Smash that clicker on the video below.