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.
God is not deaf. God is not dumb. God can speak and God can hear. God’s hand is not too short to save us.
Oh how the Israelites must have wondered when God would hear and answer their cries for help when King Ahab was ruling over Israel.
Ahab was a mean and wicked ruler. He did detestable things including his decision to serve baal.
Have you ever known of someone or a set of people that have done things that you know are displeasing to God? Have you ever thought about how strange it seems that those people seem to get blessings even though they’ve done things that are wrong?
It’s difficult to understand why God lets the evil ones appear as though they are being blessed.
Psalm 37 tells us not to fret because of evildoers. The time will come when they will fall. They will be cut down. They may try to shoot an arrow at the God fearing ones but their arrows will hit their own hearts. Their bows will be broken.
Okay okay so we don’t see a lot of people using bow and arrows any longer. Those are not usual weapons of choice today. The message given in Psalm 37 is clear though.
God knows everything that is going on around us. God knows the ones that are doing evil. He knows all their evil plans and schemes.
In Psalm 37 we are instructed to delight ourselves in the Lord. We are not supposed to fret over the ways of the wicked ones. Know that the Lord sees the end of the wicked ones. The Lord will cut them off.
Ahab is not the only wicked man that saw a bitter end. The wicked ones will meet our Maker. The sheep will be separated from the goats. There will be no time for rationalization before the King of Kings.
God is a Holy and just God. God knows all things. God will not forget anything that needs remembered.
I’ve met people that like to dwell on the true fact that God forgives sins. Jesus died on the cross for us all. We have all sinned coming short of the glory of God. Those words are all true. It’s just that some of the people I’ve met that know the words I just typed seem to forget that God says we are to repent of wrongdoing. God wants our sins to be confessed. If we say we have not sinned we are calling God a liar.
To repent means to turn completely away from the sins of the past. If one repents of their sin they hate the sin. They not only recognize that the ugly sin is against God but they know it is evil. Those who love the Lord hate evil.
Luke 13:3, Acts 17:30, Ezekiel 18:30, Hebrews 6:4-6, 2 Corinthians 7:12, & Acts 3:19
are some passages that may encourage one to turn from wicked ways & to repent.
I’ve heard that some people think it is very possible a person may be allowed to live on the earth long enough to have an opportunity to repent of the things they’ve done that are wrong.
I can’t say that I know the perfect answers to the many questions we have about why mean people are allowed to appear as though they are getting away with the wrong things they have done. I just know that God does not make mistakes.
God will tend to the evil ones. He will take care of things in perfect ways and at perfect times.
When you are faced with seeing how wicked another person or sets of people can act get your eyes on JESUS. It isn’t easy to keep your eyes on our Loving Lord when a few people on this earth have done things to hurt you or the people you love but it is the best thing to do.
Trust in the Lord. Commit your way to Him. Delight yourself in the Lord. Know that your steps are being ordered by the Lord. God is faithful. God will watch over His Word to perform it. The Lord Your God is Your Redeemer. God is alive.
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.
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.
I read things in the Bible about how a man may try to roll a stone on someone & it will come back upon him. It has been a constant prayer of mine recently that God will protect His people in miraculous ways like this.
The Pastor that shared things at church yesterday read portions of Psalm 37 aloud to us. I knew I wanted to reread it when I got home. I reread it and read it to one daughter, told another daughter about it, and I read it to one of my daughter-in-laws. I was encouraged as I read things that did not stand out to me before and as I reread things I’ve heard from Psalms 37 before. Look at verses 14 & 15 below:
“14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.”
There is another example of how God can cause ones that mean to do harm to have what they’ve tried to do come back upon them. God can protect His people from every harm and he can even cause things to happen in such a way that the one drawing a sword will be the one to get his own heart pierced with it.
Things like that don’t only happen in the movies. Things like that can happen when God intervenes to help His people.
We all know that sometimes an evil doer will appear to get away with his evil doings and other times God steps in and seems to say, “Stop! You are not going to get away with it this time.”
I was once inspired to meditate on the words in the Bible that say you will see the punishment of the wicked. I wondered if I would ever personally see punishment of those who do wicked things. No, we don’t really like to see anyone suffer harm and our hearts even want and desire that evil people will turn from wicked ways and that they will live. There is still something inside of us that rejoices when those who cause harm are not able to cause harm any longer.
God is a just God. God will tend to those that do evil. God has hands that are not too short to save. God has eyes that can see all things and His ears hear all that is going on around us. We are not to fret or worry over evil doers. We are told to put our trust in Our Living Lord and Savior.
I’m just glad that God is the One that knows how to handle every situation in perfect ways. His ways are higher than our ways. He knows how to handle every need we have. He knows how to help in times of trouble.
Have you ever been upset because you didn’t get your own way?
There are countless stories I’ve heard about how some people react when they don’t get their own way.
Some people use intimidation or fear to try to control other people. Other people can be very quiet about how they will try to gain what they want.
Think of how you’ve seen others act when they aren’t happy with the way things are going. Have you met the ones that start yelling or raising their voices? Those kind of people may just look at you as if they want to hit you. What about the ones that get real quiet? Have you met anyone that gets your attention by discontinuing communication with you? There are many ways to hurt people.
I read about King Saul seeing that he ended up being tormented by evil spirits because of his stubbornness. He didn’t want to obey God in every way. He only wanted to obey God when it was convenient for him to do so. I think about old King Saul when I want to steer clear from evil patterns of demanding my own way.
King Saul was head and shoulders taller than the other men. He was favored by God at one time in his life. That’s how he gained the position he had. He lost everything because of his stubborn and selfish ways.
Saul did not instantly lose all he had been blessed with. God allowed him to continue being King for a while. Saul was pretty miserable while he was still alive because of those demons that plagued him.
It was evident to those around Saul that something was wrong. He attacked his own son and attacked the very man that helped him find peace. Saul wanted to control others and he couldn’t even control himself.
I believe it’s important for Christians to recall that the fruit of the spirit called self-control is to be desired above the evil spirit of manipulation.
We are told in the Bible that we should examine ourselves. Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean that we walk on this earth doing everything right all the time.
I’ll end this writing with several thoughts that may help you or a loved one if they have trouble with manipulation. Many thoughts shared come from I Corinthians 13:
Luke 18:9-14, “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. ”
I know I pointed out recently about how the Word of God shows us that we are to judge those within the church but we also see where we are not to judge lest we be judged. Luke 18 tells one of my favorite parables taught by Jesus. It is a favorite one because it shows us who gets the final say about things. God is always in control and He is the best judge of all.
We should not be eager to judge anyone even though there may be times some are called to expel a wicked man from the church.
This parable not only reminds us that God hears our prayers. We can also see how the man that prayed humbly recognizing that he is a sinner is the one that was made righteous. The man with the proud and pompous attitude was missing out on some blessings that come from God.
No one is perfect this side of heaven. We are apt to get the soles of our feet dirty more times than we’d like to. It is my hope that just because we know God forgives our sins we won’t use that as an excuse to continue walking in sin.
Some people have said they believe in God but they don’t believe there is a lake of fire or any form of hell awaiting the souls of those who will not accept the truth.
The past couple of days I’ve been reminded of the hereafter. I was talking with a Christian friend and he was reminded of how we won’t be able to take anything with us to heaven. Christians talk about heaven because we believe that is where those who trust in God will be able to reside when life on earth is over.
People that believe in God’s Word should also see places where we are told there is another place for those who refuse to follow the path of life. There is a second death mentioned in Revelation 20. The devil and a lake of fire causing torment both day and night are both mentioned and you can also read about how people will be judged according to what they have done.
Revelation 21:8 speaks of the lake of fire again and it tells what kind of people will be going there see: “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.” Take a look at verse 27 seeing how nothing that can defile the Holy City will be placed in it:
“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
I believe there is a devil, demons, a false prophet, and a beast. There is a second death that includes much torment and there is a lake of fire.
Anyone who reads the Bible can find these same things written in it.
The good news is there is salvation for those who believe. Those who believe will be able to enter the Holy City of God. The City of God is also written about in Revelation 21. See the first 5 verses of that Chapter below:
Revelation 21
”And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And 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.”
Galatians 6:7 & 8, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
This is one of my favorite passages.
If you plant good seeds you will get good fruit. If you plant bad seeds you know what it will produce.
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