Who Else Wants To Be A Part Of The World's Next Great Awakening? Part 1

 

Dear reader,

You are merely one revelation away from opening heaven and receiving everything for which you ask. Know that I fully respect your opinion regardless of your views on faith and religion. But if you are not seeing results like this, maybe it’s time to inspect your theology. Watch how your faith grows exponentially as I put the pieces of the puzzle together for you right before your eyes.  

This is how God revealed it to me after diligently seeking Him with prayer and fasting.  Your life is truly about to change forever; the same way God changed mine!  CAUTION:  If you fail to read sufficiently now, you will most likely NEVER see what you have been missing ALL your life.  

Some of this may sound familiar. But you must allow me to put all the familiar or not so familiar pieces together to show you the BIG picture.  Up to now, you have probably only seen pieces of the puzzle. Thus, the reason you are not fulfilled; you feel like God is far away; you feel like you are missing something; you wonder what life’s all about; and you feel like your prayers are going nowhere.  

Take heart!  Because you are about to see why you feel that way - that God is the one who designed you to feel that way - and is the very thing He uses to lead you on your way to Him.  And this article is another signpost pointing you in the right direction. 

Can you imagine having a constant line of open communication with the God of the universe...where you hold priority privileges to the audience of Almighty God Himself...where God is ever present to immediately hear and receive your call and give you direction, answers, and dispatch angels on your behalf...

Have you ever enjoyed this kind of privilege before?  This is exactly what the Holy Bible says is available to ANYONE who gives God priority privilege and access into their every affair (Jeremiah 33:3, Isaiah 65:24, Proverbs 3:5-6, Revelation 3:20 and more!).

Come to find out, the reason I never enjoyed this kind of access before has to do with the following verse I discovered in the Holy Bible.  Now, you may have never heard of the Holy Bible or believed it was valid; but you are about to, and even more so than most of the millions of people who read it every day.  

When that happens, don’t be surprised when the same Spirit of the living God that is in me, moves in you to share this life saving truth with as many people as you can as fast as God can help you.  The following is that verse where God says in Proverbs 8:17 –

“I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently find Me.”

The problem:  Although my parents raised me in a Christian church — I attended church my whole life — I listened to hundreds of preachers from various Christian denominations — and heard thousands of sermons, I never understood how to love God. It sounds simple enough. But to love God the way the Bible says to love Him, seemed impossible.  And every Bible believer I knew told me it was impossible.

So, I just assumed that God understood that it was impossible for me to love Him the way He said to love Him in the Bible.  And, that He was content with me loving Him the best I knew how.  But to my utter dismay, God showed me that I was wrong!  

My dear reader, if you only knew what is in store for you, here in this series of posts, you would NOT stop reading until you learn what God showed me that I never understood before. 

This is true and verified, life transforming information that you cannot afford to allow to pass you by without taking advantage.  It will be worth your reading investment if you value an open heaven and two way communication with the very God of heaven!

This is that which moves my heart with compassion to reach out to people everywhere and say:  Oh, give me the privilege to bring you close to my God as I build for you a bridge of faith that will take you to Him!

Are you ready to feel the weight of the world, the guilt of your past, shame, stress, fear, emptiness, loneliness, and depression leave your body as the Spirit of the living God enters into you?  (Acts 2:38) (James 1:25) (John 8:36) 

Are you ready for the chains to break from that which holds you captive and renders you helpless to resist the nagging cravings, addictions, lusts, and evil desires of your flesh and body that the Holy Bible calls sin and leads to death?  (Romans 6:14-18) (Romans 8:13)

Are you ready to receive wisdom, knowledge, and joy?  (Ecclesiastes 2:26)

Are you ready to receive great peace where nothing offends you?  (Psalms 116:165)

Are you ready to receive blessings and be surrounded by God’s favor?  (Psalm 5:12)

Are you ready to receive riches, honor, and life? (Proverbs 22:4)

Are you ready for God to deliver you and sit you on high? (Psalm 91)

Are you ready for God to command His angels to always guard you? (Psalm 91:11)

Are you ready for God to start answering every time you pray? (Psalm 91:15)

Are you ready to be filled with God’s righteousness instead of your own? (Matthew 5:6)

Are you ready for God to supply all your needs?  (Philippians 4:19)

Are you ready for God to give you the desires of your heart?  (Proverbs 10:24)

Are you ready for God to do for you immeasurably more than you can even ask or imagine? (Ephesians 3:20)

The reality of these and many more promises being realized in your life are simply waiting on you to activate them.  How would you like for someone who knows exactly how to do that to show you how?  The truth is, you can learn as I have from the very same people who wrote these promises under the divine inspiration of the God who longs to bring these things into fruition in your life.

So, are you ready for a guide?

If so, then in the words of Steven Curtis Chapman:  Ready?  Let’s go!  Saddle up your horses.  We got a trail to blaze!  Through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace.  Let’s follow our Leader into the glorious unknown.  This is life like no other.  This is the Great Adventure!

I shall grow your faith using nothing more than mere words written in God’s holy book; for this, as you will see, is the way God chose to set people free to live life abundantly.  When your eyes are open, follow me as I will disciple you in the battle for your soul.  

Once the Spirit of God sets you free, burn the ships of your old life of sin, and don’t ever look back. You will step into a new life and receive power to overcome!  But guard and hold onto your shield firmly, as many forces will try to take it from you.  

And remember, whatever you have to go through to get to the Father will be worth it.  Because nothing compares to the promise we have in Him!  May God find you worthy.

Now, my prayer for you:  Let God arise!  Let His enemies be scattered!  As I stand in the authority and in the name of the holy child Jesus, I command you Satan to release the mind of the reader!  Let the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ dispel the darkness of your past my friend, even as you take hold of the words of eternal Life.  

I invite you to come close to the eternal living God.  Let’s begin,

The Holy Bible is filled with thousands of prophecies (predictions of future events) and not one of them has failed to come to pass when it was supposed to, proving that the Holy Bible is a supernaturally inspired book. 

And the infamous, Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hammaschiach of Nazareth fulfilled more than 300 Bible prophecies concerning the first coming of the Messiah (the anointed one), which proves that Jesus Christ is God who inspired the Holy Bible that was written by 40 different holy men as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of God.   

2,000 years ago, in fulfillment of Bible prophecy, God who is all three in One (Father, Son/Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit), became as a man to live among us in the person of Jesus Christ – Hebrews 2:17.   

His life made such an impact, the world split time into AD (anno Domini is Medieval Latin and means “in the year of the Lord”) and BC (Before Christ). 

Jesus said in John 15:7 

 “If you abide in me and what I say abides in you, then ask for anything you want, and it will be yours.” 

Jesus said in John 14:12

“I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father.”

Jesus said in Matthew 21:22

"And all things, whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

Now, let me show you how to unlock the power of these amazing promises and open a whole new world for you where God can take you far beyond your wildest dreams.  But know that there is a force that will try to stop you from completing this discipleship training.  If you quit, you may never learn what I believe I have received from the Lord.  

The short story of what you will learn from reading the Holy Bible is this: God’s top angel, Lucifer became lifted up with pride because of his position and convinced one third of the angels of God to rebel with him, in order that Lucifer might exalt his throne above the very God who created him. 

Of course, their coup d’ etat failed hard and fast. So, God banished them all (Lucifer/turned the devil and Satan and one third of the angels/turned demon minions) out of heaven – Revelation 12:4.

In fact, Jesus said in Luke 10:18 [I saw Satan fall like lightning.]  What a slam from heaven to earth, lightning fast!  You would have thought it would have knocked some sense into his head. But nah, it only made him worse.  Satan’s hatred toward God grew in all out revenge.  And his target now, is YOU!  

And if you didn’t know this, I implore you to keep reading for the sake of your eternal soul.  It is not by chance you are reading this right now.  Because, God also has His sights on YOU.  (2 Chronicles 16:9) (Proverbs 15:3) (1 Peter 3:12)

Psalm 33:9 says that God [Spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.]  In fact, Hebrews 11:3 says that God made everything that was made this way.  But, when it came to making you, Genesis 2:7 says [And the LORD God formed man (Adam) of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.]  

No doubt after making man, God said, “I can do better!” (smile). So, Genesis 2:22-23 says [Then the LORD God made a woman (Eve) from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.  The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”]   

Now, here’s a sobering fact: Instead of immediately sending the fallen angels to a place the Bible says God prepared especially for them called hell (Matthew 25:41), God sent them of all places to earth first!  Most of them are still here!  Thus, all the chaos!  And they will NOT be banished to hell until after Jesus returns!  

So, please let me help you deal with these!  Please finish reading what I must tell you.  Because you are in danger with eternal consequence, more than you may ever know.  Even if you knew this, it is very likely that I can help you more than you can imagine.  

Because I will build a foundation, then add progressive revelation that you most likely have never seen before.  I GUARANTEE you that your faith will be much BIGGER by the time you read to the end of this series!

To continue the short story, God put the man and the woman in the beautiful Garden of Eden.  There God provided for them all kinds of trees from which to eat.  But God included a special tree called “Knowledge of Good and Evil,” and He told Adam not to eat from that tree lest he die. 

Here’s the problem: God created man with an eternal spirit housed in a physical body. So, to die meant separation from God. It also meant that the man’s body would start to grow old and perish. And the man’s spirit/soul would then depart to the place of the damned, which God originally prepared for the fallen angels called hell.

There is a silly debate over whether hell actually exists and whether or not the souls of the damned endure there in torment for eternity.  But only Satan would have you believe otherwise. I wished I could say it wasn’t true, but I will show you what the Bible clearly says about it. 

This is one of the things that makes the Holy Bible most compelling.  For example: This is what Jesus said about the man who betrayed Him: “It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”  – Matthew 26:24

So, the question is:  If that one tree of “Knowledge of Good and Evil” was so deadly, why would God place that tree in the garden with Adam?

Not only that, but God also put the devil/Satan in the garden to tempt Adam who persuaded him to eat of the forbidden tree causing Adam to die!

I know what you are probably thinking, but the story gets better.  

God said in Isaiah 46:10-12 [I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness.]

Being the only one who knows the future, God knew ahead of time that Adam would make a serious mistake.  And later you will learn that the consequence of this one sin would bring the curse of death upon the entire human race, which includes separation from God in that awful eternal place of torment called hell.

1 John 3:4 says [Everyone who sins breaks the law (of God); in fact, sin is lawlessness.]

1 Corinthians 15:56 says [The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.]

Romans 5:12 says [Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned] Yet, God did not stop the man from sinning, even though; God knew Adam’s mistake would damn all humanity — every single descendant of Adam including YOU and ME!

Mind you, God gave man a body that is given to lust.  Plus, God put the tempter, Satan in the garden with Adam who He knew would take advantage of the man’s weakness and tempt him to stir up all his lust.  But If you think about it, what better way to give the man an opportunity to show Father/God how much the man loved Him but by giving him choices?  

Because can you call it love without giving love a choice?  Nobody appreciates forced love. That is why forced love does not exist.  We give that a different name.  

And what better way to judge the strength of the man’s love but by providing him with options that vary in degrees of allurement, seduction, excitement, enticement, stimulation, and persuasion?  And I think you would agree that some temptations are more difficult to resist than others.  All of this in light of the fact that anything you love more than God is an idol, according to the Bible.

Know that the gospel is simply: {The good news about Jesus Christ, His coming Kingdom when Jesus returns to live with mankind forever, and it’s about salvation for man.  It is the promise that God would become a man through the bloodline of Eve, Abraham, and David and be born of a virgin (Mary’s egg combined with the seed of the Word of God.)  And, whereas every man has broken at least one of the laws of God and are eternally damned for it, Jesus came 2,000 years ago and lived His entire life free from sin, to satisfy all the demands of perfection for us.  

Then, He removed the sins of the world and the curse of death off humanity and placed them on Himself and “allowed” Himself to suffer the wrath of God for sin and was brutally crucified by the Romans.  They buried Him in a tomb.  Then, on the third day, He raised His own body from the grave!   Because He can.  (John 10:18)

Afterwards, He showed Himself to all his remaining disciples and appeared to over 500 people at once showing them many infallible proofs that He was alive again.  And, His disciples watched Jesus ascend up into heaven where He now sits on the throne of God.  

Afterwards, the disciples of Jesus who were hiding in fear of suffering a brutal death as their crucified Lord, lived the rest of their lives traveling everywhere boldly proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Jesus, after seeing their Lord rise from the dead and ascend into heaven. 

And they were compelled to risk all kinds of danger to warn others to flee the wrath of God by turning from sin and accepting God’s gift of salvation. They suffered all kinds of persecution.  After they recovered, they would go right back to preaching the gospel.  And nobody is going to endure that much suffering to promote what they know to be a lie.

In the end, they were all tortured and killed for simply sharing the good news about Jesus Christ, but not until each of them fulfilled their God given destiny. All but maybe John, who they tried to boil to death but supernaturally survived and lived on to write the book of Revelation while exiled on the Isle of Patmos.

This is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ that Jesus commanded all His followers to proclaim to everybody throughout the world.  Because, as you will see, preaching the gospel is the method God chose to save humanity from sin and hell (1 Corinthians 1:21).  

And this is only the beginning of your journey!  I have so much more to tell you.

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

Please advance to Part 2 by clicking on "Older Posts" below or the right arrow button.

You're doing great!  Keep going!  Here is a song to encourage you! 

Enjoy the short music video at the bottom of each page to enhance your experience and to rest your eyes.  Click on the video below.  

 

How to make sure you NEVER lose your salvation, fall away, depart from the faith, backslide, or have your name blotted out of the Book of Life. A MESSAGE THAT IS URGENT, IMPORTANT, AND CRITICAL TO SHARE IN TIMES LIKE THESE!

1 Timothy 4:1,2 says:  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. 

2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 says: Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

² That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

³ 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, the son of perdition;

Make sure you are not among those who will DEPART FROM THE FAITH or FALL AWAY!

How can you make sure that you will NEVER fall away?

2 Peter 1:10-11 says:  So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will NEVER fall away.  Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

According to this verse and many others like it, it is saying that it is possible for a believer to fall away!

So, what is the answer in this verse?  It said, “WORK HARD!” 

Work hard at doing what?  Well, it tells us in the preceding verses, but let’s reason with the scriptures.

The first critical question to ask yourself is this:

Who is the Lord going to reject on Judgement Day?

In Matthew 7:22,23 Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?   But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

Note here, that Jesus is going to say to “many” believers “get away from Me.”

How do I know they will be believers that Jesus is going to reject?

Because Jesus said in John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Jesus also said in John 14:13, "You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father."

Thus, no one can cast out a devil, or do wonderful works/miracles, etc. apart from Jesus.  Only one who prays in faith that Jesus will cast the devil out or perform the miracle for him or her can do these things.  Demons will laugh at you, if you come against them with sin in your life.  And the Bible says:  If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.  And God must be able to hear you in order to cast a devil out or perform a miracle for you.  Thus, these “many” that the Lord will reject on Judgement Day is referring to believers.

So, why will they be rejected?

What did Jesus say in that same scripture?

“Get away from Me, you who break God’s laws.”

Therefore, these believers were once obedient to the faith, but obviously fell away!

Another critical point to note here is this:  The scripture says that Jesus is going to say to these many, “I never knew you.”

Why is He going to say, "I never knew you."

Because Ezekiel 18:24 says: 

But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live?  NONE OF THE RIGHTEOUS THINGS THAT PERSON HAS DONE WILL BE REMEMBERED. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.

So the sixty four thousand dollar question we should be asking ourselves is:  Does God know me?

How can one know if God knows him or her?

1 Corinthians 8:3 says:  But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

But then what does it mean to love God?

1 John 5:3 says:  In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.

The word "keep" means what?  It means DON'T STOP!

Why do some believers stop obeying God’s commands and fall away?  Or, to put it another way, why do people stop loving God?

All we need do is read the parable of the sower by Jesus.

Why do believers fall away?

Philippians 2:12 says: Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

Obviously, these believers failed to continue to work!  They became lazy and ceased to work hard!  Thus, they succumbed to temptation and fell into sin which hardens the heart and causes one to fall away.

It takes a lot of work to stay in the faith! The reason being, God gave us a body that is given to lust, surrounded us with temptation, and instead of sending the devil and all the fallen angels straight to hell (after they tried to dethrone God), He threw them down to earth!  So they dwell among us to make sure we don't miss anything exciting!  Why?  

Because God wants to see how much we love Him back!

Obviously, God wants to see if we will remain loyal to Him or succumb to peer pressure like one third of the angels of God who followed Lucifer in his rebellion, where Lucifer became Satan and his angels became demons.

God has given the devil a lifetime to hit each one of us with every temptation, test, distraction, and shiny object that promises peace, power, pleasure, prosperity, fame, and happiness that he can in order to convince us that what he has to offer is better than what God has waiting for us on the other side of all this insanity.  When shiny objects don't work, the devil will even bring trials and affliction on us to try to cause us to become offended at God and stop us from loving God as we read in the book of Job.

We just read earlier that the Bible says:  This is love for God, to keep His commands.  And in order to keep His commands, it is necessary for us to flee from and resist temptation.  For example:  If a man looks at a woman who is not his wife, whether she is on a computer screen or alive in person, and he is tempted to stare at her with lust, then in order to keep the command of God (Thou shall not covet), that man must flee temptation by bouncing his eyes off the image of the woman and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

The devil and the fallen angels have been here since the Garden of Eden.  And he and the fallen angels have been studying mankind all this time.  So they know how we think.  Thus, the devil knows how to get each one of us in a fix where we are tempted to break any one of the commands of God.  Therefore, we need the power of God to overcome the flesh, the devil, and all the distractions of this world in order to remain true to God.  And thanks be to God, He provides all the power we will ever need to overcome in every situation.

Romans 13:14 says -  Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and DO NOT THINK about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Why does it say clothe yourselves or put on the Lord Jesus Christ?

Because Jeremiah 23:6 says -   In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Thus, since the Lord is our righteousness, or the one who makes us righteous, we must by faith trust Him to enable us to to live righteous.  Because, as we read earlier that apart from Him/Jesus we can do NOTHING!

So, it's a good thing that when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior that He comes to live in us!

2 Corinthians 6:16 says - You are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will live in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

1 John 4:4 says - Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

Thus, Romans 8:13 says - For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit (of God that is in you) you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Revelation 19:7,8 says - Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb (Jesus) has come, and his bride (Church, body of believers) has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

Notice in the above verse that it says "his bride has made herself ready."  And the righteous deeds of the saints are the acts performed by believers via the enabling power of the Holy Spirit of God.  Notice, it said:  "It was granted her to clothe herself."  So you see that it's a cooperation by faith between the believer and the Spirit of God where all the glory goes to God. Thus, the scripture says, "Let us give Him glory!"

We must stay ready always to meet the Lord, because we are not promised our next breath, and because we do not know the day or hour when He (our bridegroom) will return.  Spiritually speaking, the Church, or the body of believers, is the bride, the eternal wife of God Himself!  If that doesn't give you a sense of dignity and value, then nothing will.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:24 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

2 Peter 3:13,14 says: But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

1 John 2:28 says:  And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.

The goal is to remain in Christ.  And it doesn't matter how we start as much as it does how we finish this race.  This life is a race through time to get to the finish line with our faith in God intact!

Jesus said in Matthew 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

And that takes work!  But listen to what Jesus said happens to lazy servants in His parable of the talents:

Matthew ch 25:26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

And that goes along with this verse in Ezekiel 3:18 where God says - If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.

The above verse implies that if we fail to warn the wicked of the wrath to come, then we may suffer the same fate of those we fail to warn.  Just listen to what Jesus said here in Matthew 10:38 - "Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

And a personal cross represents suffering and dying to your will to follow God's will for your life.  So, if you thought becoming a Christian was for the faint of heart, you need to learn what it means to follow Jesus as a true disciple.  But no matter what we may suffer in order to follow Jesus, eternal life with Him will be worth the cost!  

Jesus said in Matthew 10:39 - Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Again, Jesus said, "Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

I don't want to be found unworthy of Jesus.  Do you know what it means to be considered worthy?  Here's a clue:  Revelation 5:9,10 says of Jesus:  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Since Jesus was willing to suffer more than any man and die that you might be saved and receive eternal life, are you willing to risk your life to bring the message of the gospel or the good news about Jesus to a lost and dying world, so that others might be saved?

I certainly don't understand everything there is to know about the Bible, yet.  But one way to explain what I think the word worthy means is this:  If someone made an effort, even to the extent of risking their lives if need be, in order to warn you of the coming wrath of God and to bring you the message of escape or the way of salvation and let's say you receive the message and repent -- If you never bother to warn or share your faith with anyone else, would you consider yourself worthy of having been warned yourself?

Jesus said in Matthew 28:19,20  19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And by this statement and others, Jesus intended for His first generation of disciples to pass down this same command/commission to every generation of disciples, even to you and me!  As the scripture says, "even unto the end of the world."

Of course, we are saved by grace through faith.  Don’t be mistaken, we are saved and declared justified by only what Jesus did for us and nothing by what we do.  But we must keep the faith!  And it’s your faith that Satan is after!

Keep reading! Very important! This is critical now!

How does the devil weaken and eventually cause a believer’s faith to be destroyed to the point the believer falls away?

Hebrews 3:13  says:  But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

So, one way the devil causes believers to fall away is by hindering them from receiving daily exhortation.  Remember this!  Work hard to receive and give daily exhortation!    

We see in the above verse that sin will harden a believer’s heart.   The hardening of the heart is the same as the weakening of one’s faith.  And, if the believer continues to walk after the dictates of his/her sinful nature, the Bible says they will die.

Romans 8:13 says: For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Jesus said in Mark 14:28  Stay awake and pray so that you won't enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

So, another way Satan causes believers to fall away is by hindering them from praying enough!  Remember this!  So work hard to pray enough!

What is the minimum amount of time that we should daily pray?

Matthew 26:40 says: Then he (Jesus) returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter.

Another way the devil causes a believer to fall away is by encouraging them to associate with the wrong type of people and to dissociate from the right type of people.  So work hard to choose your friends wisely!

Proverbs 13:20 says:  He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 7:1 says: Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?  And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.  And, "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."  Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

Hebrews 10:24-31 says:  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.  If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."  It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Again, what type of people fall away?   Simply those who fail to work hard to keep the faith! 

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.

Jesus said in Revelation 3:15-21 -  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.  Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If ANYONE (including you dear reader!) hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.  To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Note here:  Since Jesus said, "To the one who overcomes just as I overcame," means you can overcome too the same way Jesus did!

How did Jesus overcome?

Well, He sure didn't do it by Himself.  Although, He surely could have being God with us.  But, the scriptures say that Jesus being God chose to become like one of us and lived as our example to follow.

Thus, Jesus said the following (and here is the secret to overcoming!) 

Jesus said in John 14:10 - Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

Thus, Jesus was not the one raising the dead, healing the sick, casting out devils, etc.  But, it was the Father in Him doing the work through Jesus.  And by this, Jesus was showing His disciples by example how to do the same.  And so they did, by Jesus working through them as He will through us today. 

So, what is it that we must overcome?  Keep reading!  By the way, you need to study to find out what it means when the scripture mentions “gold tried in the fire,”  “white clothes,”  “salve to put on your eyes.”

Jesus said in John 15:2  “He (My Father) cuts off every branch “of mine” (believers/Christians) that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”

Thus, only those who bear fruit go to heaven!  And I can prove that with many scriptures.  So make sure that you bear fruit!   Why do some fail to bear fruit?

Jesus said in Matthew 13:18-23   ¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

We must work hard!  Not to be saved but to keep the faith!  Because, since we are saved by grace through faith, if we lose the faith, then we will lose our salvation and become among the “many” believers that the Lord will reject on Judgement Day.  Their righteous deeds will be forgotten and their names will be blotted out of the Book of Life.  I can prove it by many scriptures!

What else must we work hard at?

2 Timothy 2:15 says: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Romans 10:17 says:  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

So, another way the devil causes believers to fall away is by hindering them from spending sufficient time reading, meditating on, and studying the Word of God.

Now what happens when believers read the Bible but refuse to do what it says?

James 1:22 says: Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.

Are you deceiving yourself? 

Are you thinking that you are going to heaven when you are not?

Remember:  Believing = obedience.  And obedience = believing.  If you believe, you will obey.

Because Philippians 2:13 says - for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Ephesians 2:1-10 says:  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Did you notice the words in bold in the above passage?  That means if there was no change in your lifestyle once you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, then you need to be very concerned and seek out a Bible believing pastor or counselor (who is not a member of a cult) immediately for help.

Proverbs 14:12 says:  There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Revelation 12:9 says:  This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

So, not only can we deceive ourselves, but look out for Satan and all his angels who use people to deceive us, hence the reason there are now more than 4200 religions in the world.

But John 14:6 says - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus said in Luke 6:46  “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?

Romans 6:16  says:  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Hebrews 12:1- 3 says: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

James 1:12  says: Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Hebrews 12:14-19 says:  For we are made partakers of Christ, “if” we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;  As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?  And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?  And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?  So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Did you see that?!  “We are made partakers of Christ “if” we hold the beginning of our confidence (faith) steadfast unto the end.”

Jesus said in Revelation 3:11  I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

Notice here that there is something we must do!   And what is that?  Hold on to what you have!

Why?  Because whether you realize it or not, you are in the fight of your life!  Satan and his minions are at war over your soul!  It’s their way of getting revenge against God.  Misery loves company.  And you are their very target!

Ephesians 6:12 says: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

1 Peter 5:8  says:  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Hold on to what Christ has given you (at a great cost to Him) and fight to keep it!

1 Timothy 6:12  says: Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Ephesians 6:14-18  says: Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints… 

1 Timothy 6:20,21  says: Guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. which some have professed and in so doing have DEPARTED FROM THE FAITH.

Proverbs 4:23  says: Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

How do you guard your heart?

Proverbs 23:7  says:  For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

You are what you eat.  If you only feed your soul spiritual food, you will be a spiritually minded person on fire for God.  If you feed your soul only carnal food, you will be a carnal minded person and cold towards the things of God.  If you feed your soul both spiritual and carnal food, you will be a lukewarm Christian who God said He will spit out of His mouth and blot their name out of the Book of Life!

A practical way to guard your heart is by watching what goes into your eye gate and ear gate.  Because what enters through those gates become a part of who you are.  So what we allow to enter those gates should pass the Philippians 4:8 test which says: Brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Romans 12:2  says:  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

1 John 3:4 says - Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

1 Peter 4:1 says: Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.

Hebrews 11:24-26 says: By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Psalm 11:5 says: The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Romans 9:13 says:  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Why did God hate Esau?  Because, unlike Moses who esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures he could have enjoyed in Egypt as being the son of Pharaoh's daughter, Esau didn’t treasure what had been given to him.

Because Esau did not consider what he had been given precious.  Thus, he did not guard, protect, or fight to keep it.  But Jacob did!  In fact, Jacob said to the angel, “I’m not going to let you go until you bless me!”

What about you?

Hebrews 12:9-17 says: Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!  For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful!  But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.  Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  Make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.  Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.  See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.  Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

Revelation 3:5  says:  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

WARNING!  Those who fail to esteem as precious above all else those things that have been freely provided for them by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at great cost, they are in danger of falling away and having their names blotted out of the Book of Life!  Notice:  According to the above verse, only those who overcome are sure to be clothed in white and will not have their names blotted out!

1 John 2:16,17 says: For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

In John 16:33 Jesus said: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

And that means you can too!

Because, Philippians 4:13 says:  I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

2 Corinthians 2:14 says:  Now thanks be to God who ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

1 John 5:3-5 says:  In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Daniel 12:2 says:  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Revelation 14:11 says:  And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night.

Revelation 20:12  says:  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

The apostle Paul said in Acts 24:15  and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.  So I strive ALWAYS to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7,8 - I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race.  I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Philippians 4:8,9  says:  And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Ecclesiastes 12:13  says: Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.

If this message has been a blessing to you, please share it by clicking on the share button below.  Together we can change the world!

Be sure to save this site in your favorites, so you can read it again whenever you need a friend to talk you into enduring temptation.  Grace and peace be with you all.  Amen.

Written by Michael Wilkerson

Learn more by clicking here! or on "Home" button.