John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:1-6
Jesus promises us that the truth will set us free. It happens. Freedom comes to those who walk in truth. You cannot serve two masters. Follow the Lord in the land of the living. Serve Him with gladness. Tell the truth & walk with the truth for your very life everlasting depends upon this.
The enemy of God has lied to you making you think it’s okay to tell lies. It is not okay to tell lies. If you follow God wholeheartedly then you will tell the truth and keep telling the truth. The truth is what will set you free from the lies of the enemy.
I sang a little song last night that I clung to months ago. I sang, “O Lord, please set us free from the tricks on the enemy.” One of the major schemes the enemy uses is the spirit of lies. satan lied to Eve in the garden. That lie is what started the fall of man.
The spirit of lies has also moved through prophets of old. In the book of Jeremiah you can read about the false prophets and the true prophets of God. The true prophets were the ones that told the truth even if it didn’t please people when they heard the truth. The false prophets just said things they knew people wanted to hear.
There is a warning against the false prophets in the book of Ezekiel. God does not want people to speak forth wrong things. God wants His people to declare words of truth. Deception does not come from God.
Healing and deliverance will come to those who walk on the straight and narrow path that leads to life. Those who walk on the good path will turn away from evil. When you turn away from evil you will quit lying. I believe there are some people crying out to God for deliverance from evil. I believe there are some that may have to totally be free of the spirit of lies in order to be set free. It may be the only way they will ever know peace. It may be the only way they receive total healing from God.
Liars will not be in the Holy City. Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
The only hope for these sinners is if they grab hold of the truth turning from evil ways so they can live.
If you were engaged to a wonderful person and you know that person would be faithful and true to you you wouldn’t want to do anything to ruin that relationship. You would love them and tell them you loved them. You would do everything possible to keep them. If you then married them and the relationship was destroyed because you stopped showing them love and because you started lying to them all the time you would have no one to blame but yourself for losing them. That is the way it will be for those that don’t turn away from evil before they meet their maker.
The truth will set you free. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but by Him. If you want to sincerely walk with God you may follow Jesus. Being a follower of Jesus means you will be a doer of the Word not a hearer only. You will be saved by grace because salvation cannot be earned. You will also walk in truth because you love the truth.
Those who love the Lord hate evil. Those who love God hate injustice. Those who love the Lord hate evil deeds. Those who love the Lord hate lies.
Take the truth and bind it around your neck so it will protect you. Take words of truth and let them flow from your mouth. Determine in your heart that you will abide in God’s Word. Determine in your heart that nothing will separate you from telling the truth thereby abiding in God’s love.
If you want peace that passes understanding to be yours at all times walk in the truth. Speak the truth in love. Speak the truth at all times. Do not turn to the right or to the left. Walk on the straight and narrow path that leads to life.
what Jezebel hates: Jezebel’s worst enemies are the prophets; her worst fear is that the people will embrace repentance. Jezebel hates repentance. Though this spirit will infiltrate the church, masking its desire for control with true Christian doctrines, it will hide from true repentance. Jezebel hates humility. Jesus taught that greatness in the kingdom
was not measured in what we seem to be, but in childlike honesty of heart. A true ministry is willing and eager to be submitted and accountable to other ministries. It is typical of those who are servant minded. Therefore, we must learn tha…t spirituality is measured in meekness, not power. Jezebel hates prayer. Intercessory prayer pries her fingers off the hearts and souls of men. It sets people free in the spirit. when you pray, it binds her. When you pray against immorality, it cripples her. When you pray for a submissive heart, it is like the trampling of Jehu’s horse upon her body. Jezebel hates the prophets, for the prophets speak out against her. The prophets are her worst enemies. When she wars, it is to stir people against the message of the prophetic church. More than she hates the prophets, she hates the word they speak. Her real enemy is the spoken Word of God. Jezebel’s ultimate hatred is against God Himself. She hates the grace God lavishes upon His bondservants even after they sin. she hates the fact that God will take the weakest and lowliest and use them to bring her down. She hates the Holiness and Purity of heart that comes from God and surrounds those who serve in His courts. Let’s pray: Father, we submit to You and Your standard of righteousness. We ask for purity, meekness, and holiness of heart. Forgive us for our tolerance of the spirit of jezebel in both our minds and our deeds. Father, because we submit to You, we have Your authority to resist the devil. We bind, in the name of Jesus, the principality of Jezebel. We pull down the stronghold of its thinking over our community and our state. We come against the fortresses this demon has built up in the spirit realm in this area, and we release the Holy Spirit to plunder the house of Jezebel and distribute her goods. We also speak faithfulness of eyes and heart to husbands and wives. We release purity of heart and grace to each member of the body of Christ, both single and married. We cover Your people with the blood of Jesus. We loose the joy of a humble and submissive spirit and pull down the imaginations of ambition and pride. In Jesus’ Name. Amen! Francis Frangipane–From chapter one of the Jezebel Spirit: Unmasking the Enemies of the Church-series.
I asked Danette —> May I copy paste that on my website? It is perfectly written. I may some of my own thoughts afterwards. To see that the Jezebel spirit hates repentance is something I feel is true of all demonic spirits. Repentance means change. The devil doesn’t want people to repent and change turning away from their evil ways.
Danette let me know that what she wrote is for everyone so & that I should please feel welcome to copy and paste anything. This is really good stuff and it needs to be spread around and shared. Amen.
I give a hearty AMEN to what she wrote. I agree that people in the body of Christ need to know this stuff.
If you read from I Corinthians Chapter13 you will be reading the Love Chapter.
1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
I met a group of people that love the Lord. They also found out that there are abusive people who use the Word of God to try to trap people in relationships or marriages. These unGodly people are expecting the ones that love the Lord to follow God’s Word but they do not plan on following God’s Word themselves. Here are some things the decent people are telling one another so they know it is not God’s will for people to stay in abusive relationships:
Love is not abusive. (Love does not behave itself unseemly.)
Love does not demand it’s own way. (Love seeketh not her own.)
Love does not threaten harm. (Love is kind.)
Love does not rant and rave. (Love is patient & kind.)
Love does not criticize in order to puff self up. (Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.)
Love does not blame the other person for things you do that are wrong. (Love rejoiceth in the truth & is kind. Love rejoiceth not in inquity.)
Love does not justify wrong doing. (Love rejoiceth not in iniquity.)
Love does not bruise bodies, hit/strike people, throw things at you, push you around, bully you, break things. (Love is kind.)
Love does not tell lies. (Love rejoiceth in the truth.) Love is honest.
Love does not manipulate words &/or circumstances to try to get it’s own way. (Love seeketh not her own.)
Love does not easily get angry. (Love is not easily provoked.)
Love does not show love one minute & contempt a few minutes later. (Love is faithful.)
********************** IF someone tells you they love you yet they treat you in a manner that does not prove they are walking in love walk away from them. You do not have to take the abuse.
Matthew 12:28-35, “28But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.30He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.31Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.32And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.33Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.34O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.35A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”
I’ve been pondering on words a pastor shared with me in January of this year. The pastor was helping me learn something important that I needed to know. You see, I met someone that by all appearances of things had led me and others to believe he was a kind Christian man. I had no proof that this man was anything other than a bonafide Christian believer. He attended church regularly, he prayed fervently and for others with what sounded like heartfelt prayers, he gave tithes at the churches we visited together. He did have some unusual behavior show up a few times but it was never anything that showed me without a doubt that he was anything less than a Bible believing Christian. I felt I was conned by this man in several ways. I was not the only person he conned. There were other Christian people that were around him at the same times I was around him and they saw the same person I saw.
I won’t bother to write a lot of details here and now about how I saw him change but I did see him take a turn for the worse. He began to say and do things that were not natural for a Christian man to do. He talked like I had never heard him talk before. He had previously shown contempt for cursing and abusive behaviors and all of a sudden he was letting curse words flow from his mouth and he was threatening me with abusive words.
I sought Christian counseling because I didn’t know what hit him or what hit me. How could this man change like that? Did an illness all of a sudden hit him making him change? I feel the emotional pain I felt then hit me even now as I type these words.
I called on two Christian Bible believing pastors in one day. The first pastor I talked to told me that the fruit I was seeing in this man was not good fruit. He told me that it didn’t matter how many mornings this man got up to read the Bible and it didn’t matter that the man had made a confession that he trusts Jesus to be His Lord and Savior since the fruit the man was bearing was not good fruit. He went on to tell me other things I needed to hear. He also prayed with me that God would send me confirmation through another pastor that very day. I already had plans to call another pastor I knew later that same day. The second pastor did not know what the first pastor had said to me or what the first pastor prayed. The second pastor basically told me the same thing the first pastor said to me. Both pastors told me to get away from the man that was not bearing good fruit.
I have to admit that it was very hard to stay away from the man because I had been duped for so long. I had believed he really cared about the things of God. I knew the pastors were right to counsel me to get away from him if he did not show good fruit. I was still baffled by the many months of seeing the man pretend to be a man of God. It took another few months for me to start to accept the fact that YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUIT MEANS EXACTLY WHAT JESUS SAID.
Those men of God were bold enough to tell me the truth. They told me to get away from the man that was only pretending to walk with God. One of those men also told me that the man I had fallen for was slick so I shouldn’t be so hard on myself.
Fellow brothers and sisters in Christ I want you to know that I didn’t recognize how ugly the fruit was coming forth from the faker because he didn’t show his true colors for a long time. The few times he did act oddly I made excuses for him thinking about how none of us are perfect.
May God bless the pastors and friends that helped me start to come to grip with the fact that there are wolves in sheep clothing. I’ve written about it before and I still couldn’t see one when he was in my very midst.
I wanted to study the portion of Scripture that says you will know them by their fruit. The Greek word for known in Matthew 12:33 means allow, be aware of, perceive, be resolved, can speak of, be sure of, understand, to feel, and to have knowledge of.
If you meet a fellow person that claims to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and you have knowledge of them doing and presently saying things that are not in line with God’s Word and living a holy lifestyle then let God’s Word help you know to steer clear of that person. I’m not talking about being away from people that don’t proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord of their life. I”m talking about steering clear of people that claim to know the Lord but they do not show by their lives that they are serious about their relationship with God.
Anyone can say they love Jesus and they can say they have accepted Jesus into their hearts but you know all who say they believe in the Lord do not necessarily follow Him.
I am not speaking about a person that has a past lifestyle of sin. I’m speaking of a person that continues to walk in sin. When a person is truly saved by the Lord Jesus Christ they repent of the evil things they have said and done and they seek God’s face about how to turn away from the evil things of the past.
I read from Malachi yesterday. It was as if the good Lord allowed me to move away from the things I was accustomed to reading each day to come across the book of Malachi again.
God knew how discouraged I was. I wasn’t so discouraged that I lost my faith. I wasn’t so distraught that I felt as though all is lost. Knowing Jesus is Lord of all and trusting in Him through the good times and the bad times is something we believers always want to cling to. I just had a different kind of a battle hitting me the night before I reread Malachi.
The battle had been going on for a season. It seemed as though every day brought people asking for prayer for their loved one that is sick or prayer because a loved one has died. I was even sent an email telling about a young boy that was murdered. It is great for us to request prayer. Each prayer over a sorrowful thing alerts us to what is going on around us. Thank the Lord He told us to cast our cares on Him. I couldn’t bear these things on my own.
There are times when my heart cries out to God for all those that are ailing. My mind kept trying to recall all the people that needed prayer while I was thinking about the sad way the little boy was beaten before he died. I thought about the man that murdered the little boy and what his family must be going through. In Part 1 I wrote about how to spot a bad guy and I posted some Scriptural references that explain there will be people like this during the last days. I had personal struggles after being exposed to a really bad guy. I’ve been prayed for for a healing of my emotions because of how distraught I was to see how evil some people really are. My personal struggles aren’t nearly as severe as the people I was hearing about. I just had so many reminders of some nasty things someone else did going through my mind on top of hearing about other people having terrible things happen to them.
You see, I was discouraged because of the true reports given about how cruel some people are and how sad it is that they don’t seem to be repenting or turning from their evil ways. It was upsetting because as we say sometimes it just didn’t seem fair that the little boy’s murderer is able to live and be happy while those who loved the little boy are grieving and trying to make sense of it all. If they are caring Christian people they will forgive the murderer but they surely won’t want him to be able to harm another person.
Sweet and innocent people were stricken down and it some times looks like the culprits go free.
Those were the feelings I was having the night before I read Malachi again.
There are people that do horrible things to others and sometimes it seems as though they won’t step up to the plate and correct their past.
We are in this world but we are notof it are some of our favorite words during these trying times.
If we don’t keep our eyes on Jesus and keep faith alive that reminds us of the eternal future for believers we will miss the moments of peace and joy God wants us to have.
Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world. There will be no lasting satisfaction this side of heaven.
I was discouraged but not forsaken. When I read from Malachi certain sections stood out to me that helped me cope with the former moments of distress. It is my hope that you will be helped when you see what helped me.
I will make several notes that came to my mind when I read through the book of Malachi. If you want to review it before reading these notes do that. When you see the parts that talk about one who treats the wife of his youth with contempt remember that God wants a holy union with us just like he wants a holy union between a man and his wife. God is not pleased when we won’t fulfill our commitments to Him. I believe this is only one reason why the Scriptures point out God’s disgust in a man for breaking faithfulness with his wife.
A man is cursed if he vows to give his best to God but he ends up giving his worst. Making a vow to God should be something a Christian desires to fulfill. When you vow to give God your best sacrifices (whether you promise to give funds or whether you promise to do what is right and good to your fellow believers) you should follow through with your promises.
God knows when a man deals treacherously with his wife. It is stated that a man must not deal treacherously with his wife.
Putting away a wife and dealing treacherously with a wife goes along with putting on violence with his garment.
Don’t weary the Lord by saying that everyone that does evil is good in the sight of the Lord.
Don’t weary the Lord by saying God delights in the doings of a bad guy.
Don’t wonder where the God of judgment is.
The Lord will return.
There will be a purification and purging process.
Judgment is coming.
God will be the witness against the sorcerers, adulterers, liars, those who oppress widows and orphans, those that turn aside the stranger, and those who do not show the fear of the Lord.
God does not change.
God desires that men will return to Him. He says if you return to Him He will return to you. Makes me think of the New Testament words about drawing near to God for then He will draw near to you.
God wants people to quit robbing Him. A man robs God when he isn’t giving His best. This surely means more than simply giving 10% of your income. When all of Malachi is read it is clear that God cares about what kind of sacrifices you are giving to Him.
It is wearisome to the Lord if a person says that it is vain to serve God.
God will remember those who remain faithful to Him even though they may not clearly understand how it sometimes appears as though wicked men go free.
God wants us to keep being faithful.
Those that fear the Lord shall be remembered. These people who revere the Lord will have a place in a book of remembrance.
Those that fear God will belong to Him. They will be like treasured possessions.
There will be a distinction between the bad guys and the good guys. You will be able to discern who serves God and who does not serve Him.
There will be no root or branch left belonging to the bad guys.
The day will arrive when those who do wicked things will be like stubble.
Those that fear God will have healing.
Those that fear God will leap like calves let out of the stall.
The bad guys will be tread down. The wicked ones will be like ashes under the soles of your feet.
You could say that GG stands for Good Guy and BG stands for Bad Guy.
When you watched old Western Movies on TV they’d say the GGs wore white hats and the BGs wore black hats.
Don’t you wish it was that easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys? It would be nice.
About a year ago I wrote about being careful for there will be wolves in sheep clothing. I had no idea that I would come face to face with a wolf and I would go through a time of thinking he was a sheep.
What a wild lesson in going through the fire of what you speak? Another interesting fact about what I learned is that there are many wolves in sheep clothing and again I tell you they are in the churches as well as in the workplace. It is not as uncommon as you may think. Beware and be extra cautious and prayerful because these animals are sneaky. If you aren’t sure about someone it is probably best to steer clear of them until you are sure about them.
These people that walk in the churches pretending to love the Lord are masters at disguising their real motives. They can con lots of people for a while. If they are older they have had lots of practice using persuasive words to prey on innocent people. One minute they are seductively kind to everyone they meet and then when they have their victim alone they attack.
Watch out for these bad guys. Be alert and be prayerful asking God for mercy in your life and in the lives of those you care most about.
The words I’m sharing here are not words I found on my own. I’ve discussed this subject with many Christian people. Pastors, Christian counselors, Christian friends, and decent people that don’t like the ugly things bad people do recognize that this world has some very nasty spirited folks in it. Evil doers will lie, cheat, and steal in any way they can to achieve their goal. They are cunning and evil. They do not care about anyone except themselves. The Bible speaks of these self-lovers. Look at 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
They are full of wickedness so much so that they will wear that mask pretending to do good. They will pour out the blame on other people in order to try ever so hard toget the attention off of themselves and the things that they are doing that is wrong.
I’ve pondered and prayed about some of these type of people. I sort of moved past the state of shock at how callous hearted they can be. It seems imperative to keep warning others because it is so prevalent today. Look at Verse 7 of the same Chapter in 2 Timothy: “7Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” These people are fully capable of searching Scriptures and appearing as though they are actively and ever learning but they never come to the knowledge of the truth just like it says in verse 7!
Read some sentences made from Bible thoughts that will help you spot a true Christian. If a person does not actively show this good behavior on a consistent basis you are probably in the midst of a counterfeit Christian:
You will know them by their fruit -
A person that really follows after God will be one that will be seen fulfilling good promises they have made. That is part of being good. They will tell the truth for that is also a good thing. They will have real love, joy, and peace that does not easily dissipate. They will carry the peace even when they are not getting everything they want. Longsuffering will be theirs for they would not cause another person to suffer for their own selfish reasons. Gentleness, meekness, and self-control will be something they don’t just pretend to have in front of a church congregation or in front of their best friends. The fruit of the Spirit will be something they are well known for having daily & in their own home among the ones that live with them. Yes, the people that live with you will be able to report whether or not a person has the fruit of the Holy Spirit active in their lives. Those that follow after God’s Holy Spirit will not provoke others, will not envy others, will not lie against a brother or a sister, and they won’t desire vain glory. [See Galatians 5]
Be aware of the fact that it is becoming widely known in some churches that many of these wolves in sheep clothing are not showing how ugly spirited they are at church or even in the workplace. It is possible the people at church and the people in the workplace think these people are good hard working, kind, and gentle individuals. This is where the cunning part comes in to play. Take a look at what an online dictionary says about the word cunning:
adj.1. Marked by or given to artful subtlety and deceptiveness.
2. Executed with or exhibiting ingenuity.3. Delicately pleasing; pretty or cute: a cunning pet.
n.1. Skill in deception; guile.
2. Skill or adeptness in execution or performance; dexterity.
cun·ning(knng)
adj.
1. Marked by or given to artful subtlety and deceptiveness.
2. Executed with or exhibiting ingenuity.
3. Delicately pleasing; pretty or cute: a cunning pet.
n.
1. Skill in deception; guile.
2. Skill or adeptness in execution or performance; dexterity.
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These type of people use special skills to disguise the real inner being within them. They have hearts that are bent on evil and destruction. They follow the ways of the devil for he is the father and master of lies.
After coming in close contact with one of the most deceptive and disturbed people I’ve ever met I gave way to many tears for the souls of such people. I cried out to God asking Him to deliver such people from evil. At the same time I begged God to protect others from these evil minded people.
Many Scriptures were given to me to remind me that God will tend to the ones that do evil. Some of them will meet the Lord and they will truly be held accountable for every evil word spoken and evil deeds they have done. They will not deceive the Lord with charming words. Their sins will find them out. Some of them will be held accountable while they reside on earth even though they’ve tried for years in many cases to hide their wickedness. God will not allow them to get away with the horrible things they have done.
I confided in many close Christian people about my feelings. One Pastor gave me a Chapter in the Bible to ponder on and it is the same Chapter God had already given me. Ps. 37 begins with that reminder to not be fretting because of wicked people. Look at verses 34-37: “34Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.35I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.36Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.”
God reminds us to KEEP HIS WAY even if there are others that are doing wickedness. The wicked ones will one day be cut off & we will see it. Crazy people think there won’t be a day of accountability. Disturbed people walk away from the truth or they try to hide from it possibly because they really don’t want to know the truth. They will not be able to hide anything from God. They’ve never been able to hide things from God. Their sin will be found out. In many cases they’ve acted like a coward hiding their sins. They did their evil deeds in darkness and they really thought no one knew what they did.
Numbers 32:23b, “. . . behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”
I’m reminded of King David. David had an innocent man killed for his own selfish reasons. He was hopeful that he’d get away with his sin. He forgot about the omnipresence of God. He forgot Cain killed Abel, too. Cain was a marked man because he killed his own brother. David forgot that you cannot hide things from God. David didn’t even kill Uriah himself. David had it look like an act of war. We know God wasn’t fooled for a minute. Even though David was anointed as King of Israel and even though David was beloved of God he was held accountable for the terrible deed he had done.
It makes me think of another passage I was given several months ago. Proverbs 17 see verses 11-13, “11An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.12Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.13Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.”
The sword did not depart from David’s home and his wives were given to others because of the murder of Uriah. David’s life wasn’t taken but his sin was made known to all and it was recorded in the Bible. David tried to hide the evil deed but God knew all about it. What David did in secret God had exposed. God also saw to it that David was disgraced in public.
People should not think for one minute that God likes evil or that he rewards bad deeds. God is a forgiving God. David was forgiven after he repented but he did not go without punishment for the wrong he had done.
We won’t be elated to know wicked people are folding under the pressure of their own sins. It will not be something we want to gloat about although there is a sense of judgment that seems to come upon us when we think about it. Justice, righteousness, and judgment hits us because we desire goodness. We don’t want evil people walking around harming others. It makes me sad to know there are wicked people that won’t turn from their wicked ways yet it makes me happy knowing God won’t allow them to continue harming others forever. There is a time for judgment. There will be justice. It is right and good for this judgment to come even though some people are kind of hoping it won’t hit them.
My best friend was given passages of Scripture one day when we were talking about one who walks an evil walk. We talked about a man we know of who is seriously evil acting. We prayed about him and for him. The more he showed how ugly he could act the more we prayed. He walked among Christian people. He had that form of Godliness but he denied the power of God. He denied the power of God every time he acted like God couldn’t see the evil things he was doing. He did not show the fear of God at any time in my own opinion.
My friend opened up Old Testament Scriptures that talked about a high minded man that tyrannized others. The high minded man of the Bible was brought down by God’s own hand. The same God that brought down the one that terrorized others in the Bible is able to bring down those kind of men today.
I want to encourage others to know that God will not let evil doers live in the Holy City. Those who continue to walk in sin will not be in the Holy City terrorizing other people. They won’t be allowed in. The free gift of God cannot be earned by the deeds of men. If a man walks in church, pays a tithe, and pretends to be nice to the majority of the people he is around that will not earn him a seat in heaven. It won’t even earn him an itty bitty cabin. God’s Word plainly says that salvation is the free gift of God so that no man can boast. It also says that all have sinned and repentance is part of the plan of salvation. If a man repents of his sins he turns away from those sins.
A woman that lived near us one time used to say, “Liars will be fryers.” It was her way of telling children that liars won’t be in heaven. Revelation 21:5-8: “5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now tell me who doesn’t believe in a hell that burns with fire and brimstone? If you tell me you don’t believe there is such a place then you are telling me you don’t believe in the Living Bible. If you tell me you think liars, murderers, idolaters, whoremongers, and the list given in verse 8 will be in heaven then you haven’t yet believed in the words of God.
You may ask who will get to heaven then. Just recall that we are saved by grace & no one has lived sinfree except Jesus, the Son of God. Remember that the undeserved & unearned favor of God gives us salvation. If you believe in God and if you have been freed from your sins then you have repented and turned away from the evil & bad things. You will not be found doing bad things. You may have been a bad guy in your past but you definitely are not doing bad things now. A true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ turns away from the wrong. That is what repentance is all about. Repentance means turning away from all forms of sin. You may even think it’s impossible to stop sinning. It is possible to turn away from sinful deeds when you go to God for help. You acknowledge your past sins and you ask forgiveness. You wouldn’t even lie about your past sins. You step up to the plate and you aim for the ball. Your goal should be to hit the ball out of the park. You cannot hit the ball that hard unless you have totally turned your life over to Jesus by being determined that you won’t be a bad guy any longer. You won’t be a liar for you desire the truth instead of lies. You won’t follow the arm of the flesh for you will trust God to help you stop sinning and stop being the self-centered individual of the past. This will be a life long goal you have for yourself. A repentant heart wants to do the right thing and will change with God’s help. ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD!!!
There are wolves in sheep clothing. They are out there and they may be eating the bitter fruit of having their own way. They may have good days and bad days like the rest of us but deep in their spirits they don’t know rest. They won’t have rest until they finally & if they finally turn away from their sins. There won’t be any more fenceline walking. People that are very wicked have troubles with double mindedness. One moment they may think they are doing good and the next thing they know it they are walking with that strange soul-destroying spirit in them that does not revere God.
An evil man can be saved. A murderer, idolater, liar, and a thief can be saved if he will but turn from his sins. He must truly turn from the sin though never looking back. He can not look at his past and long to be there any more. It must be his delight to walk with God all of his days turning away from the past and all the things of the past that held him away from God’s eternal peace.
It is God’s desire that those who do evil will turn from their evil ways so they may have life. God does not have pleasure in the death of people.
Ezekiel 18:22- 24 KJV – 22All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 24But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
Ezekiel 18:22-24 (English Standard Version)
22(A) None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23(B) Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 24(C) But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live?(D) None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for(E) the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2018:22-24&version=ESV
Ezekiel 18:22-24 (The Message)
21-23 “But a wicked person who turns his back on that life of sin and keeps all my statutes, living a just and righteous life, he’ll live, really live. He won’t die. I won’t keep a list of all the things he did wrong. He will live. Do you think I take any pleasure in the death of wicked men and women? Isn’t it my pleasure that they turn around, no longer living wrong but living right—really living?
24 “The same thing goes for a good person who turns his back on an upright life and starts sinning, plunging into the same vile obscenities that the wicked person practices. Will this person live? I don’t keep a list of all the things this person did right, like money in the bank he can draw on. Because of his defection, because he accumulates sin, he’ll die.
Our God is a loving God. He does not want His people to be abused. Click on the link above & read to help recognize signs of abuse. There are all kinds of abuse including physical, emotional, and financial abuse.
My memory is going back to a time in my youth when I heard young people arguing against Christians.
Some children may have been brought up in Christian homes and some were not familiar with Christianity.
The ones that knew about the Lord believed everything they were taught at the Christian homes. It is possible they’d start to hear arguments against Christians from their fellow classmates. Maybe some of the classmates that argued agaisnt Christianity were troubled because of what they heard in their own homes.
Some of the things I heard against Christians/Christianity usually came in the form of personal attacks against those that were standing up for their beliefs.
A couple of the arguments I heard against Christian teachings:
no one is perfect – this was stated as if it’s alright for people to go ahead and sin since no one is able to be perfect
holier than thou attitudes – this was stated as if Christians should be detested because they tell others that it is wrong to sin against God & against other people
These type of statements caught me off guard when I heard them. Remember I was hearing these things when I was still very young.
Unfortunately I thought like a child when I heard these things. I was not rooted and grounded in the Holy Word of God enough to understand how to refute the tongues that were accusing Christians as a whole.
I have since learned that there are still people that do not understand about the ways of God. These people use the same old arguments against devout Christians that were in use when I was young.
Rebellious people don’t like to be told it is wrong to sin. When they are walking in sin they love to tell anyone that reminds them that they are walking in sin that NO ONE IS PERFECT. They also enjoy looking at the persons that tell them the Bible says it is wrong to sin and they may want to attack them in some form. They may use words to attack them. The words they use will usually be the same type of words used by children.
Do not be surprised when such attacks come your way. Remember how Matthew 24 speaks of us being hated for His name’s sake. Verse 12 from that Chapter says, “. . .because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”
Iniquity is immorality & sin. It is because of sin the love of many will wax cold.
There are still people today that don’t want to hear the truth. They don’t want to abide by the truth. They can’t recognize the truth because their eyes are blinded.
The words of Jesus given to us in Matthew 24 are helpful during times of persecution.
It may help you to remember that when you are persecuted for standing up for right living the person or people that are attacking you are just as blind as the people that hung Jesus on the cross.
Those that are rebellious have their minds set on rebellion. Rebelliousness is a sin against God. Rebels are stubborn hearted people that are hard of hearing. They only want to hear what tickles their ears. They demand their own way because they don’t want to follow the leading of the Lord.
Psalm 55: 19, “19God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.”
The NIV says it like so: “19 God, who is enthroned forever,
will hear them and afflict them—
Selah
men who never change their ways
and have no fear of God.”
I was talking to a Pastor today. We got on the subject of how some people don’t want to change their ways. There are those who want their own selfish ways and they don’t ever plan on turning away from their sins. They may even be sitting in a church near you.
All the people that come through the church doors are not necessarily people that truly want to do things God’s way. A friend of mine was once married to a man that she met in church. He attended church with her all the time. He had asked Jesus in his heart and he was one that many people most probably thought to be a good man. My friend said things were very different at home behind closed doors. She spoke of the ways he treated her in a wrong fashion.
I pondered on the sad truth that many people have to face ugly things behind closed doors. The type of people that pretend to be Christians in front of others but they are able to be abusive to their own family members when God is the only one watching them truly must have no sincere fear of the Lord. If they believe in God then surely they know God can see everything they are doing.
I told the Pastor I was talking to today that I heard of a person that declared they did not plan on changing their ways even though their closest family member let them know that the things they were doing behind closed doors just is not right. The Pastor told me about Psalm 55:19.
I read the passage and found myself sorrowful again realizing that there are people that don’t yet know the fear of the Lord. Some of those people may walk through the church doors, they may say lovely prayers, and they may even spend a lot of time in the Bible studying it but if they are not doing what the Bible says they should do by showing love in their own homes they are definitely out of touch with God.
God wants His people to do good and not evil. He wants us to turn from evil ways showing kindness to everyone especially the people in our own homes. God wants His people to hate evil.
If you really have the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom you will most probably read Ps. 55:19 and ask God to help you go through any changes He wants you to go through. You will pray to turn from evil ways and you will believe God will help you change. God’s Word clearly tell us that repentance is needed in our lives. Repentance is turning away from sin. It’s like taking a U-Turn and saying, “I don’t want to do wrong things any longer.”
You won’t change if you don’t want to change. If you fear God you will welcome change with open arms.
A person can stubbornly choose their own way and end up eating the bitter fruit of having their own way or they can turn away from evil and be blessed.
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