The Delay of Unanswered Prayer

I've thought about this more lately than ever before. I'm not afraid for myself with this virus. Don't get me wrong I dread going through it at my age and it could certainly very well kill me slowly and miserably. Now, my concern is for those I love. Yep, I said it. Now, my deepest concern is for those I love! You see, I don't love very easily. I have always distanced myself from loving too deep because I have never been able to keep what I love for one reason or another. Losing is so very painful that now I just bury it, hide it and keep on keeping on! I served my country and lost the two best friends I ever had. I've never allowed anyone to get too close but then I dropped my guard and paid the price. They are gone. Well, I've done it again after all these years and my concern is for all of you who don't know what is going to happen. I was a Shepherd of the Lord once but in name only. My heart wasn't in it. NOW IT IS! So, I will finish telling on myself:

Infatuated with women several times but never allowing myself to love deeply even when married. I was good provider each time but deep love is something I held back. I was really good in sales thanks to my Dad but he and I could not sit in the same room together two days in a row. We just never really got along. I loved him but I never told him. He died while I was away. I didn't know he was going to die that quickly but cancer waits for no one. I never got to say goodbye and in great anger at something he said I told him I wished he would die miserably. The real sad fact of his death is that many years before I had accepted Jesus as my Savior and yet I was filled with anger when he needed me most. I didn't know the day he died so I never made to the funeral. I was honestly sick inside for what I had said...I still am!

In the past I haven't allowed myself to have close friends and almost all those I called friends have gone their separate ways or died when I was somewhere else and didn't find out till later. I've been divorced several times and never really mourned their passing because they went to other men. Maybe they knew me better than I thought. I thought I had disguised my deepest feelings and I guess I was too good at it. How many of you had a caring person you loved that has tried to talk to you and get you to open up...no way on God's green earth could I do that...until a while back I finally gave in a little. Now, I risk losing her to disease. 

God is sovereign and He will always prevail. He always has our best interest at heart. Sometimes it is not always the way we want it. Still, there is faith and hope.  That has to stay first and foremost in our minds. We pray the prayer of faith and wait on God's sovereignty to show. Paul, the apostle, said in the first chapter of Philippians that for me to live is Christ and for me to die is gain-which is best Christian? He spoke the truth, we must look beyond this life. 

My prayers in all honestly have been about 50/50 in being answered when I call on the Lord. Now, in looking back I'm glad most of those weren't answered the way I wanted even though I prayed some of them with great emotion. I even tried to make deals with God even though I knew better. I ran across this article by Alistair Begg that I think is worth using here. These are tough times but in tough times the tough need to get prayed up and get going! Who do we really trust...not politicians! Where is our faith better placed?

The Delay of Answered Prayer
by Pastor Alistair Begg

I called him, but he gave no answer.

 Song of Songs 5:6

Prayer sometimes lingers, like a petitioner at the gate, until the King comes with the blessings that she seeks. The Lord, when He has given great faith, has been known to test it by long delays. He has allowed His servants' voices to echo in their ears as if the heavens were brass. They have knocked at the golden gate, but it has remained immovable, as though it were rusted upon its hinges. Like Jeremiah, they have cried, "You have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through."1

In this manner true saints have continued to wait patiently without a reply, not because their prayers were not strong, nor because they were unaccepted, but because it so pleased Him who is a Sovereign and who gives according to His own pleasure. If it pleases Him to test our patience, shall He not do as He wishes with His children? Beggars must not be choosers either as to time, place, or form.

But we must be careful not to take delays in prayer for denials. God's postdated checks will be punctually honored; we must not allow Satan to shake our confidence in the God of truth by pointing to our unanswered prayers. Unanswered petitions are not unheard. God keeps a file for our prayers—they are not blown away by the wind; they are treasured in the King's archives. This is a registry in the court of heaven in which every prayer is recorded.

Struggling believer, your Lord has as it were a tear-bottle in which the costly drops of your sacred grief are put away, and a book in which your holy groanings are numbered. By-and-by your case shall prevail. Can you not be content to wait a little? Will the Lord's time not be better than yours? By-and-by He will comfortably appear, to your soul's joy, and will cause you to put away the sackcloth and ashes of long waiting and put on the scarlet and fine linen of full fruition.

1) Lamentations 3:44

Hang in their folks, the Lord ain't done yet! All the prognosticators have spoken of great doom. We will see because our faith isn't in them. It is in the one who saves us. He, who gave himself for us. He, who died and rose again victorious over death. He is our comfort when there is nothing or no one else to call on. We are all in this together and our prayers though delayed for many will be answered one way or another. I would encourage you to read Ephesians 6:14-17! There are many scriptures that tell us to be strong and full of courage. 

See you next blog beloved,

Ted

What Is Your Motive In Following Jesus?

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:21(NASB)

Paul had a passionate love for His Saviour. He wanted to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ in every area of life. He wanted the beauty and magnificence of His wonderful Saviour to eclipse all else. He rejoiced when the gospel of Christ was proclaimed and wanted to demonstrate that suffering for Christ, in this life, would bring greater his Saviour praise and glory.

Paul's dear desire was to magnify the Lord and enable the brilliance of the glorious gospel of Christ to shine out over this darkened, sin-sick world. He longed that those who were dead in their trespasses and sins would be attracted to Jesus, and find their great salvation in His Person and Work'. He wanted the good work God has started in the lives of those who believe, to be completed in the day of Christ, for their eternal benefit and God's greater glory.

Paul's spiritual ambition, earnest expectation, and eager hope was to enhance and elevate Christ in the heart and mind of others. He prayed that he would be emboldened to preach the gospel of God, according to the might of His great power, and Paul longed that the Lord Jesus would be glorified in his body - in thought, word, and deed - whether by the life he lived or the death that he died.

Paul's purpose and philosophy in life was to live for Christ, even when buffeted by storms, maligned by his enemies, confined to a prison cell or facing death. He had one fixed purpose in life, and one unalterable plan - to live for the glory of Christ and to preach the word of truth.

Paul was a man who knew that nothing in heaven or earth could separate him from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. He knew that his prison bars would not prevent the gospel from being spread abroad. For me to live in Christ and to die is gain was Paul's firm purpose and his fixed delight.

Paul's motivation in life was to elevate Jesus. But when he wrote these words he was incarcerated in a Roman prison cell, with the sentence of death hanging over him. "For me to live is Christ, was this man's non-negotiable future, and yet he knew that death was the gateway into the bodily presence of Christ. Even a Roman gallows could not prevent him from entering into heaven, and so he was able to conclude, "and to die is gain".

I doubt Paul would have understood the impact his letter to the Philippian Christians, and his other epistles would have, on many millions of souls, down through the centuries. Paul may have been confined to a prison cell, but his hope remained founded on Christ. And God used his night of suffering to be turned into many mornings of joy, for those who have treasured the words he wrote. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain".

Although his passion was to preach Christ crucified and to bring as many lost souls into a saving knowledge of his Lord and Saviour, Paul also knew that to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord.

What freedom to be able to say that whether I live or die, Christ is mine, and whether in heaven or on earth, Christ is my portion and I am content. Living for Christ, whether in heaven-above or in the earth-beneath are both filled with great advantages - when love for our Saviour and serving Him is our sole ambition and passionate aim.

The unbeliever holds onto the things of this deteriorating world system, and death is often seen as an enemy to avoid. The future hope of fallen man is tied up with the things of this world and death is seen as the spoiler of life But the sting of death is removed for the believer, and life becomes an opportunity to serve Him - while death is the occasion to be translated into His presence and be with Him forever.

The sole aim of every Christian heart should be to glorify the Lord, and to serve Him in full abandon. A life with a passion for Christ gives rise to a life of victory, where the power of faith and the sufficiency of His grace overcomes the difficulties of life and the sting of death. When we can say with Paul, "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain," we discover that a life lived for God becomes a life that is willing to die for Him - and that death is nothing more than the glorious entrance into His marvellous presence.

My Prayer

Loving Father thank You that I am Your child. May Your will be done in my life and may I live in a way pleasing to You. Thank You that my times are in Your hands and I pray that I may live for Christ every day of my life, knowing that to die in Him is gain. Enable me to finish the work that You have prepared for me to do and keep me through all life's difficulties, knowing that Your grace is sufficient - in Jesus' name, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the true beginning of wisdom!

Addendum: I don't say this in a haughty magnifying glass statement. I often wondered what my motive was for following Jesus. Most of the time in my early days it was about saving my own skin. I knew I had done wrong and my fear of the Lord's retribution was first and foremost in my mind. There are still times when I know I have done wrong that I feel that way, but now I have learned to check my deepest motive. I want people to know God as a loving God who judges fairly and wants us to be better people. He wants our walk to influence others to walk worthy of His calling. He loved us before we were even born and knew that one day we would heed his call. (Psalm 139) Walk worthy Christian because of who He is and what He has provided for us.

Ted

He Will Baptize You With The Holy Spirit and Fire!

John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Luke 3:16(NASB)

John the Baptist strode onto the pages of history after 400 years of prophetic silence. He came as the forerunner of the Jewish Messiah. He was sent in fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy, for John referred to himself as 'a voice crying the wilderness'. "Prepare ye the way of the Lord."  he shouted, "Make His path straight".

Many wondered if John was the Messiah, but he vehemently denied this and bore witness that he was not the Messiah. John testified, concerning Jesus, and declared to those who questioned him, “He is the One Who is coming after me. He has surpassed me in honour, because He existed before me".

John also introduced a new type of ritual cleansing, or ceremonial baptism to Israel. He called it 'a baptism of Repentance', and used the washing of the body in water, to represent an inner cleansing of the heart, by the Spirit. Like the prophets before him, John was calling Israel to repent of their sin - both personally and nationally. They were to repent of Israel's idolatry and believe in their heart on the One Who would come after him - the Lord Jesus Christ - the Holy One of Israel.

The Jewish rulers questioned John's authority and asked if he was the Messiah. However, John proclaimed forcefully that he was NOT the Messiah. He declared that his ritual baptism was totally different from the true baptism, that the coming Messiah would one day implement. "John answered them, and said, "I baptise you with water; but One is coming Who is mightier than I. I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire."

John made a clear distinction between his WET baptism in water, for repentance, and the two DRY baptisms the coming Messiah would introduce. "He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with a baptism of Fire. He will baptise you with 1) the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (unto salvation) and 2) a baptism with Fire (unto damnation). Those who have done good, by believing on Christ, will participate in the resurrection of LIFE - through the baptism of the Spirit. Those that have done evil, by not believing on Christ, will take part in the resurrection of damnation - the baptism of fire.

John was Israel's last prophet, whom the Lord sent to call the nation, both nationally and individually, to repent. They were to repent of their apostasy. They were to turn away from their idolatry. They were to return to God of their fathers and put away all their idolotry. He warned that failure to do so would result in the fires of judgment. While obedience would result in the baptism of the HOLY SPIRIT, disobedience would result in a baptism of FIRE.

John was teaching Israel a very sober lesson. The Messiah, Who was already in their midst, would perform one of two types of baptisms on every one of them. "He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit, AND He will baptise you with fire". John was stating that SOME in their midst would be baptised with the HOLY SPIRIT (i.e. when they believed on the Messiah, Who was coming after him). Others, however, would receive a baptism of FIRE - the fires of judgement, because of their unbelief.

Those who truly repented of their sins - those who participated in John's baptism of repentance and believed on the One Who was to come, would one day be baptised with the Holy Spirit. Those who refused his baptism of REPENTANCE, and would not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, would one day have to undergo God's terrible baptism of FIRE. John likened those who would believe to good grain, who would be gathered into God's barn. However, he likened those who would not believe to chaff, which would be burned with a fire that never goes out.

The Holy Spirit 'came upon' a FEW people in the pre-cross era (i.e. the dispensation of Law). However, EVERY post-cross believer receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, about which John spoke.  From the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was sent by God to indwell every member of the fledgling Church (the Body of Christ). That unique Day of Pentecost, began a new dispensation in God's economy (i.e. the dispensation of God's Grace). Israel was set aside, for a season, and God began to work through the Church.

From that unique day, every new believer receives the Baptism of the Holy Spirit the moment they believe on Christ, for the forgiveness of sin. At the moment of salvation, a person immediately undergoes a baptism - a DRY, SPIRITUAL Baptism - the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which places them into the Body of Christ. 

Jesus taught His disciples about this same, spiritual baptism, the night He was betrayed. He told them, "The Holy Spirit resides WITH you and He will be IN you". In Acts chapter 1, only 10 days before the Day of Pentecost, Jesus reminded them of this truth. "John baptised with water (a water baptism - of repentance) "but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit, not many days from now" (a spiritual baptism - of the heart)

The Mighty One about Whom John spoke began to baptise those who turned from their sin and believed on the Lord Jesus, on that unique, Day of Pentecost. However, the Baptism of Fire, spoken of by John, is a future judgement that will fall on unbelievers, at the great white throne. The Baptism of Fire is yet to take place in the lives of those who do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Baptism of Fire is God's judgement on UNbelievers.

Sin was judged at the CROSS for believers, and by faith in Christ, all who believe are declared righteous. All who are Baptised by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ are identified with HIM and baptised into His Body. All who believe will live in God's presence eternally. However, the sin of unbelievers will be judged through a baptism of fire. They will be declared unrighteous because they are not identified with Christ. They will be baptised with FIRE, and excluded from God's presence, forever.

Johns's message is a sobering one and every one of us should praise God for our great salvation. May all who have been baptised into Christ be used by Him to tell forth the glorious gospel of God, to those who remain dead in their trespasses and sin. May our lives be a living testimony to those who have yet to place their trust in Christ, so that they may be saved from the wrath to come.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, the message of John the Baptist is a sobering one. Thank You that I have been baptised, by the Holy Spirit, into the body of Christ, and have been saved by grace through faith in Him. I pray for those that remain dead in their sin and are facing the terrible Baptism of fire, which awaits all those who do not believe on His name, for the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting. Look down in mercy on the fallen race of man and use me as an instrument to tell out the gospel of grace. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the true beginning of wisdom!

Ted

Understanding 1Peter 4:7

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

1 Peter 4:7(NASB)

I don't really fear COVID-19. I have lived through so many pandemics that I know I will keep on keeping on until the Lord, himself, calls me home and that could be any day, any time day or night. Somehow faith in Him has transformed my view of living and dying. They are both a process to find and know the Lord, and finally trust that His will for me is perfect in His own time.

However young or old a person may be in physical years, the fleeting breath of this brief life is but a drop in the vast ocean of eternity as time tick-tocks away. The moon continues to wax and wane in its monthly cycle, and the sun sets in the western skies, evening by evening as year succeeds to year, in nature's ever-circling round. As spring skips through summer into autumn's golden glow, the end of all things is drawing very close.

With every passing year, we are getting nearer to what Peter calls, the end of everything, when the perfect rule of Christ, will replace this current evil world system. As believers, we are certainly called to prepare ourselves for the imminent return of Jesus, when He comes in the clouds, to rapture His church into His presence, at the end of this dispensation of grace, but Peter is also calling us to prepare ourselves for coming persecution in the days ahead.

We live in a fallen world and every one of us will suffer some form of persecution. In the time of Peter, it was Nero who persecuted the Church, as Christians were thrown to the lions, used as sport in the gladiators' arena, and made into human torches, to light up the streets of Rome. None of us knows what difficulties times are ahead and the dangers we are to face in the coming days, but we should be emotionally and spiritually prepared in the inner man, by being of sound in judgement and sober in spirit, so that we may be prayerful people who are prepared to pray aright.

The end of everything is indeed drawing near and we see the multiplication of evil, the demise of standards, and a world where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Increasingly there is a rejection of God's truth, in this Christ-rejecting sinful world and an increasing disdain for the people of God. The time is fast approaching when we must recognise that however old or young a man may be, in physical years, we will soon be standing in the presence of the Lord Jesus, to give an account of the life we lived for Christ.

The world as we know it will soon come to an end and the consummation of this evil age is speeding to its final conclusion. But while we are to be ready for the voice of the archangel, the trumpet call of God, and the any-day return of Christ for those who believe on His name, we are also to be prepared, in thought, word, and deed for, whatever may befall our lives in these uncertain times.

How important, therefore, to practice self-control, and to keep our minds clear, so that we can pray without ceasing, maintain an attitude of praise and in everything give thanks to our Father in heaven - for this is God's will for all His children. We are to be a living sacrifice - holy to the Lord and a testimony to the veracity of the Gospel. We are to be ready to give an answer for the faith we have in Christ - for who knows when God will use us as a witness to His word as a testimony to the truth.

How we rejoice with exceeding great joy that our citizenship is in heaven. But while on earth we are here for a reason and we are reminded that the conduct of the wise man and the virtuous woman is prudence; wise judgement; clarity of thought, holy living, and ceaseless prayer. It is turning the eyes of the heart to Jesus each moment of the day. It is desiring to know Him more, and a yearning to love Him better.

It is a quiet willingness to listen to His voice; a readiness to depend on Him in the most difficult circumstances we face in life! It is the practice of self-control, purity of heart, clarity of mind and unceasing prayer - and such conduct is reflected in the character of the spiritual man or woman of God. It is found in the heart of the humble man with a teachable spirit, who maintains daily fellowship with his God.

The end of everything is speeding to its final conclusion. How important therefore to keep ourselves in the love of God as we look to Jesus. the Author and Finisher of our faith. How wise is the one who abides in Christ, rests in His love, prays in spirit and truth, and maintains close communion with God the Father, for the judgements of such and man or woman are sound. His spirit is sober and his prayers and praises are powerful, effective, and can move great mountains.

My Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, I thank You for giving me the understanding that only as I remain in Christ can I practice self-controlled, godly conduct, and maintain fellowship with You, for it is only through His righteousness that I can approach Your throne of grace and pray effectively. Keep me, I pray, looking to Jesus as I wait for His imminent return. Keep me sound in judgement, sober in spirit, and use me, I pray, to share the good news of the glorious gospel with lost souls in need of salvation. I pray that Your will be done in my life and that godly wisdom and understanding would be reflected in my prayers and praises - this I ask in Jesus' name, and for His greater glory, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the true beginning of wisdom!

Ted

How Can I Develop Faith

The hardest part of faith is believing in something you can't see. But with an open heart you can know God. How? Study! Apply yourself to learning how God works, what God requires, and how to approach Him and His throne.

Trusting the Word

Faith is simply standing on the facts of the Word of God.. But too often our emotions and developed biases prevent us from such trust. We look at our situations and can’t imagine how God could intervene. We look at the world and become confused when God doesn’t seem to interpose. We look at our own needs and like to apply a range of unscriptural “texts.” Unscriptural “texts” like “God helps those who help themselves”. Well – possibly in His grace He may…. but maybe in His sovereignty He won’t. What we need is to accept the truth of scriptures. We need to trust in His Word.

 Depending on God

God in His knowledge, wisdom and love knows what we need. God in His grace knows we need to depend completely upon Him. And we have been so designed to function in total dependence upon the Lord. But the enemy of our souls distorted this truth in His attack on the race in Eden – causing most of us to explore all other avenues, before we finally accept His Way. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, but the Holy Spirit is working in us, to prepare us for that heavenly home. And the most vital area of work in each of us is faith.. that’s trusting His Word.

Pleasing our God

We know that without faith it’s impossible to please God.. and yet we ignore His instruction and seek to correct the ills of this world our way. And we sidestep His truth, by trying to sort our  lives own own way.. and it just doesn’t work!!!

A Common Thread

In my life I have been blessed to read the works of many such saints, and there is one common thread that traverses through each godly life. They all started out, often for decades, trying to live for God their way.. until they came to an end of themselves, and finally accepted God’s way. People like:- Muller, Chambers, Hopkins, Finney, Stamford. People like:– Peter, James, John and Paul. Many of these saints of old have sought to instruct us in developing a life of trust. Many great men of faith’ discovered the secret that has long evaded our life-walk.

Fruit of the Spirit

God is no respecter of persons. We all have the potential to be spiritual giants, but as so often happens God’s ways contradicts logic and they offends our developed sensitivity. We all want to live our lives being pleasing to God. We all want to be good and faithful servant.. to be overcomers. We all want to live godly producing good works.. to be faithful. We all want to bear fruit, more fruit, much fruit bearing – the sweet fruit of the Spirit. We all want to witness of a God-centred life – testifying of His love and His grace. We all want to get close to God, and to know His person and feel His presence.. and so often we try to achieve by any other means, what is ours by faith,

Seeds of Rebellion

Often we do it through a form of independence… and the truth is that is rebellion you know. We see ‘faith’ working in the lives of others and assume ‘they have great faith’.. when all that has happened is that they have come to an end of their own ‘trying’.. Like me, trying to ‘do it’ my way, instead of doing it God’s way. They have, like so many saints of old, finally accepted what God tells us in is Word.. that faith is simply believing all that God says.. and not cherry-picking His Word. Our independence can get in the way of faith, but we need to learn how to enjoy our independence and still maintain faith in what God says in His word.

Words of Truth

Every question you ever will ask is answered in the Word of God.. but too often it contradicts our reason and our developed human logic – too frequently it offends our distorted perception of God and His love and grace.

Time to Prepare

Just remember: Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, but the Holy Spirit is here working in us now – to prepare us for that heavenly home. And His work in our lives is getting us all to the place of dependence upon Him. His work, which touches all areas of our lives..is designed by God to develop our trust in Him. 

Ted (read all of Romans 10)

Why Would A Loving God Send Anyone to Hell?

This is the great debate among Christians and non-believers as well...How can a God of love send anybody to Hell? Well, there are several answers to that.

One of course is that God doesn't send anyone to Hell. You send yourself there. God has done everything He possibly can to keep you out of Hell and still leave you as a person with free will and not just a robot. That's the way He made us--after His image, after His likeness, the power to say “yes” or the power to say “no,” the power to reject our own Creator, and of course to take the consequences.

Across the road to Hell he has placed the cross of Christ.
In one sense you can say He doesn't send anybody to Hell, because across the road to Hell he has placed the cross of Christ. There are also the prayers of parents, pastors and Sunday school teachers, and all the other things that God brings into our lives to stop us on our selfish way and to bring us to the Savior. We have to go wandering on past it all and put ourselves in Hell.

Sometimes you hear people say, “God wouldn’t send His children to Hell.” God certainly doesn’t send His children to Hell because when we’re His children, we’re in the family of God. We’re born again and part of our salvation includes deliverance from judgment. We’re not all children of God except through faith in Christ Jesus.

Can a God of love send anyone to Hell? You might as well ask some other question to make just as much sense. Does God allow disease in the world? Does God allow jails and prisons for some people? Does God allow the electric chair sometimes? Does God allow sin to break homes and hearts? Does God allow war? All of these things are the consequences of sin entering into the world, and in some cases the direct result of man's rebellion, and the result of greed and pride and egotism and hunger for power that doesn't have any use for people—only the desire to get ahead.

This is the incredible fruit of sin. Sin brings suffering into the world. There's no way of getting around it. And the greatest sin in the world is to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.

There isn’t one sin (or even put them all together in one big hunk) that comes close to the sin of keeping Jesus Christ out of your life
We have our catalog of sins. We have rape and incest and murder and homosexuality; and we have them all cataloged and classified—but there isn't one of them (or even put them all together in one big hunk) that comes close to the sin of keeping Jesus Christ out of your life. Did Jesus say, “I'm going to send the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin because they rob banks” — or, “because they believe not on me”?

It is folly to expect that you or I can trifle with the Lord Jesus and not have a penalty attached to it. What ridiculous thinking people have in this area! We expect penalties for doing much less. Life is just built that way.

You jump off a high building, the law of gravity will take care of you. You might say, “God is love,” all the way down, but you're still going to get splattered when you hit the bottom! You break the law of gravity, and it breaks you! You may love your little child, but if he puts his finger up on that hot burner on the gas stove or the electric stove, he's going to get burned!

Fire burns. Gravity kills. Water drowns. And you can say, "God is love, God is love, God is love," until you're blue in the face. But water will still drown you, fire will burn you, and gravity will kill you, and sin will damn you no matter how much you say about a loving God.

God just set up life that way. He set up the rules. He set up the laws by which we are to live. And if we break those laws, they break us, and we pay the consequences.


I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside.

All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened. And yourself, in a dark hour, may will [a grumbling] mood, embrace it. Ye can repent and come out of it again. But there may come a day when you can do that no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize the mood…
—excerpted from The Problem of Pain and The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), included in The Quotable Lewis, 1989 Tyndale


In a sense, the concept of hell gives meaning to our lives. It tells us that the moral choices we make day by day have eternal significance, that our behavior has consequences lasting to eternity, that God Himself takes our choices seriously.

The doctrine of hell is not just some dusty theological holdover from the Middle Ages. It has significant social consequences. Without a conviction of ultimate justice, people's sense of moral obligation dissolves, and social bonds are broke.

Of course, these considerations are not the most important reason to believe in hell. Jesus repeatedly issued warnings that if we turn away from God in this life, we will be alienated from God eternally.

And yet, although “the wages of sin is death,” Paul also says that "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). While breath remains, it is never too late to turn to God in repentance, and when we ask for forgiveness, God eagerly grants it.
—excerpted from Answers to Your Kids' Questions, by Chuck Colson, 2000 Prison Fellowship Ministries.

We may rest assured that no one will suffer in hell who could by any means have been won to Christ in this life. God leaves no stone unturned to rescue all who would respond to the convicting and wooing of the Holy Spirit.

As for the fate of [the damned] being eternal, it could not be otherwise. Death is not the cessation of existence but the continuation of the eternal being with which God lovingly endowed man--but now in painful separation from God and all else in utter darkness and loneliness.
—excerpted from In Defense of the Faith, by Dave Hunt, 1996 Harvest House Publishers

The Bible says that God prepared hell for the devil and his demonic cohorts (Matthew 25:41), that He is “…not wishing for any [person] to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:9), and that He has done everything possible to save us from that terrible, terrible place. Yet in the end God will not violate or overrule the deliberate choice of those who consciously and willfully turn away from Him.
—Daryl E. Witmer of AIIA Institute

Understand what these words mean. You can right now determine your eternity! This is only the beginning step but it is essential to stop an eternity of suffering...Jesus desires you warts and all!

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.”
—Jesus Christ, John 3:16-19, NASV Bible

Knowing Jesus is the true beginning of wisdom...

Ted

Is Your Heart Haughty

It's simple, God in His wisdom gives ample warning about pride in the wrong things and in the wrong ways. Narcissistic are those who feel superior to others. God has a plan to bring you down. It won't be pretty and it won't be fun. Save yourself a lot of grief and repent now before it is too late. We are seeing it play out on the political stage right now. The most prideful are those who put themselves above everyone else and it will be remembered. The price is high and costly. Alistair Begg has a whole series, this is only a remnant of that series. By the way, women can be Narcissist too!

Before destruction a man's heart is haughty.

Proverbs 18:12

It is an old and common saying that "coming events cast their shadows before them." The wise man teaches us that a haughty heart is the precursor of evil. Pride is as clearly the sign of destruction as the change of mercury in the barometer is the sign of rain, and far more infallibly so than that. When men have ridden the high horse, destruction has always overtaken them.

Let David's aching heart show that there is an eclipse of a man's glory when he dotes upon his own greatness (2 Samuel 24:10). Observe Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty builder of Babylon, creeping on the earth, devouring grass like a beast, his nails grown like the bird's claws, and his hair like eagle's feathers (Daniel 4:33). Pride made the boaster a beast, as once before it made an angel a devil. God hates high looks and never fails to bring them down. All the arrows of God are aimed at proud hearts.

O Christian, is your heart haughty this evening? For pride can get into the Christian's heart as well as into the sinner's; it can delude him into dreaming that he is "rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing."1 Are you glorying in your graces or your talents? Are you proud of yourself and your spiritual experiences?

Be careful, reader—there is a destruction coming to you also. Your flaunting poppies of self-conceit will be pulled up by the roots, your mushrooming graces will wither in the burning heat, and your self-sufficiency will become as straw for the dunghill. If we forget to live at the foot of the cross in deepest lowliness of spirit, God will not forget to discipline us for our good. A destruction will come to you, O unduly exalted believer, the destruction of your joys and of your comforts, although there can be no destruction of your soul. Therefore, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."2

1) Revelation 3:17
2) 1 Corinthians 1:31

Knowing Jesus is the true beginning of wisdom,

Ted

I AM YOURS AND YOU ARE MINE

Okay I admit I copied this too! But it is worth hearing because often times we don't feel close to the Lord the way we should. We might even wonder if we are truly His! David committed some foul sins that could send anyone to hell. However what made David different was that he was quick to repent. He actually learned from his sins! The New Testament records that God considered Abraham and David a friend! Two very different men but were they? Read about them and see for yourself:

I am Yours and You are Mine

Say to my soul,
'I am your salvation!'

Psalm 35:3

What does this sweet prayer teach me? It shall be my evening's petition; but first let it grant me an instructive meditation.

The text informs me first of all that David had his doubts; for why should he pray, "Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation'" if he were not sometimes exercised with doubts and fears? Let me, then, be encouraged that I am not the only saint who has to face such faltering faith. If David doubted, I need not conclude that I am not a Christian because I have doubts.

The text reminds me that David was not content while he had doubts and fears, but he proceeded directly to the mercy-seat to pray for assurance, for he valued it as much as gold. I too must work to foster a continual sense of being accepted in the Beloved and must have no joy when His love is not shed abroad in my soul. When my Bridegroom is gone, my soul must long for Him.

I learn also that David knew where to obtain full assurance. He went to his God in prayer, crying, "Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'" I need to be often alone with God if I am to enjoy a clear sense of Jesus' love. When my prayers cease, my eye of faith will grow dim. Much in prayer, much in heaven; slow in prayer, slow in progress.

I notice that David would not be satisfied unless his assurance had a divine source. "Say to my soul . . ." Lord, speak to me! Nothing less than a divine testimony in the soul will ever content the true Christian.

Moreover, David could not rest unless his assurance had a vivid personality about it. "Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'" Lord, if You said this to all the saints, it means little unless You should say it to me. Lord, I have sinned; I do not deserve Your smile; I scarcely dare to ask for it. But oh, say to my soul, even to my soul, "I am your salvation." Let me have a present, personal, infallible, indisputable sense that I am Yours and that You are mine.

Pastor Alistair Begg

Knowing Jesus is the true beginning of wisdom!

Ted

Cubic Zirconia Christianity

Is there any believer in this world that does not ever commit sin? NO! Jesus, was the only sinless one. Otherwise He could not have delivered us as a sacrifice before the Father for our sin. However, we are to be a repentant people for our sins and hate sin for what it does to all of us. Unfortunately there are frauds within the Christian community that choose to lead us in the wrong direction. How can I tell a real Christian from a fraud...Jesus said by their fruits ye shall know them. Become a very careful fruit inspector Christians! I saw this article that I thought was too good to pass up. Consider it a warning. Read Galatians 5:22-23 to find out what a fruit inspector should be looking for in a believer.

By Dr. Donald Whitchard

“Just as there are fake diamonds out in the world, there are those that have been hurt and deceived by what I refer to as ‘cubic zirconia’ people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, but when put to the test, their walk and talk are just so much spiritual costume jewelry, fit for the trash bin in the end.”

“Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.”

• Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)

“He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

• Mark 7:6 (NKJV)

“But why do you call me, “Lord, Lord”, and not do the things which I say?”

• Luke 6:46 (NKJV)

“They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.”

• Titus 1:16 (NKJV)

Charles Spurgeon, the great servant of Christ in 19^th century England, was reported to have said that if the LORD calls you to preach His Word, don’t stoop to become a king. In other words, he believed that once a man received a call to preach, it was to be his main area of service to the Lord Jesus for all of his life. Certainly this was the case for Mr. Spurgeon and the thousands of men who have felt God’s pull upon their hearts and lives to enter full-time vocational ministry and all that goes with it. I believed shortly after my conversion and calling to service that this was to be my lot in life according to His will and plan for me. What I believed, however, and what was given to me during my years of service, showed me that God’s call for people to be saved extended beyond the confines of a church, and that there was a huge mission field that a lot of folks would not have thought of unless God opened their eyes to see the potential.

Part of my service to Christ involved what some believers would define as “secular” work. However, the reformer John Calvin taught that every Christian’s occupation and skill was their “ministry” because honest work was a way of serving God and being biblically sound.

Scripture commends physical work (Genesis 2:15; 3:19; Exodus 20:9; Leviticus 23:3; Psalm 104:23; Proverbs 13:11; 14:23; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:12). We will be given work responsibilities in the millennial kingdom when the Lord Jesus comes back to rule and reign after He has rid the world of the effects of evil and the deception of the devil (Luke 12:37; John 14:1-3; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 3:4; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 20:6, 21:1-7). Whatever we do or say as a believer is to be done for the glory of God.

Part of my personal work history has been in the field of fine jewelry. For several years I was a sales representative of a major jewelry chain and was to manage the store in which I worked until my diagnosis of bipolar disorder made it impossible to carry on with that responsibility. Part of my job included training and expertise in diamond and gemstone authenticity and grading, as well as sales techniques and general knowledge of repair basics. I did very well in this job and averaged around $20,000 per month in sales, so the money was good and I enjoyed working with my fellow associates to the point of where we were more like a family. As with any job, there were both high and low points. Let me give you one such example that will be a lead into the main point I will be presenting in this article.

One Saturday afternoon a lady came into the store and asked if I would take a look at her diamond cluster ring and check to see if the prongs for the diamonds needed attention as well as clean it while she looked around. Part of my job was to not just look for any problems with the merchandise, but to inspect the authenticity of the stones. She had told me that her husband had purchased the ring from another chain at what seemed to be a very good price, considering the number of diamonds on the ring that seemed to be of a high quality and showed no signs of perceivable flaws that are found in a majority of retail variety diamonds, which make up at the most 2-5% of all diamonds mined in the world. The other varieties of diamonds are used in industrial fields such as drill bits for oil rigs.

Now, however, there are jewelry companies that specialize in what are known as “laboratory” gemstones, where scientists have been able to replicate the structure of genuine stones from the earth, process them in laboratory settings, and cut them into varied shapes to be used in the manufacturing and sale of rings, bracelets, pendants, and necklaces with these stones that are genuine in chemical and physical structure, but are a product of artificial development to meet the demands of the market. This is not a means of deception, but since there are just so many stones coming from mines, the need has arisen to create gems from alternative sources. The quality and color is nearly identical to the genuine now more than ever and are just as real.

There are also artificial diamonds known in the industry as cubic zirconia, which are used primarily in costume jewelry and cheap imitations for those consumers who want the look but not the expense of the real thing and will often buy such jewelry from merchants on the varied TV shopping channels as an example.

Unfortunately, there are those unscrupulous merchants who will put artificial stones in diamond jewelry and pass them off as the real thing, or repair specialists who will substitute a stone or two for the genuine in order to make a quick profit. You probably know where I’m going with this, so I’ll cut to the chase. I carefully checked each stone on the customer’s ring using an electronic device that tests a diamond’s authenticity by the heat it absorbs. I went over several stones a few times and had to break the sad news to her that the ring that seemed to have too good a price was made primarily of cubic zirconia as well as genuine stones. To say that she was upset was an understatement. I showed her every step I took and the reading given by the testing tool to assure her that I was not jesting.

The sad fact is that her husband had been ripped off by someone who wanted a quick buck and he had not been as careful as he should have when buying the ring. In what was undoubtedly a loving act on his part turned out to be a loss not just of money, but almost soured them on any other purchases in the foreseeable future. They did end up buying a new, genuine ring from me and were thankful that I had taken the time to help them. Just as there are fake diamonds out in the world, there are those that have been hurt and deceived by what I refer to as “cubic zirconia” people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, but when put to the test, their walk and talk are just so much spiritual costume jewelry, fit for the trash bin in the end.

Christian celebrities and prominent preachers that were once thought of as solid and reliable in their respective areas of service have been proven by either their own words or exposed in scandals as to be nothing more than fakes and frauds who used faith as a means to wealth, influence, or as a way of presenting teachings and “revelations” that appeared to be biblically grounded but were upon careful discernment and examination to be misleading if not downright blasphemous, harming all who had embraced their respective works and ended up walking away from any semblance of faith in God due to the deceit thrust upon them. There are outright frauds who will be exposed to the light of God’s judgment, but this same judgment is also reserved for those who thought that all was well with them spiritually because of their lifestyles, repeated “sinner’s prayers”, works, dependability, service, self-assumed “goodness” and trying to love by rules of religiosity that might impress their peers, but the Sovereign God sees right through the deception and false sense of security.

Holding on to a “pet sin” and not repenting of it as well as rebuking and walking away from it, for example, may be a symptom of false conversion. I’ll be the first to confess that I have had to deal with this problem throughout my life, and it is understandably hard to confess the problem to God because you might have asked repeatedly for forgiveness only to go back to it often, especially if you’re not continually walking with Him and focusing on those things that are pleasing in His sight (2 Peter 1:10; 1 John 1:9-10; 3:22). We need to thank the LORD that His Spirit will convict us and set us right (John 16:7-8, 13) when these times occur.

If you’re not feeling remorse or sorrow over a sin and have a desire to seek forgiveness and restoration, you may be a “cubic zirconia”; a fake, false, and deceived person who truly needs to be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. Let this be a firm but compassionate warning. Nobody likes a hypocrite that attempts to explain away their sins or blame others for their own faults. You will be exposed (Luke 12:2; Romans 14:12; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 John 1:6, and Revelation 20:11-15). Let that truth sink in and convict you if needed.

We have GOT to be genuine in our confession of faith before the Lord Jesus Christ and the watching world. The days of grace are coming to a conclusion and any moment we could be meeting the LORD in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; John14:1-3; Titus 2:11-13; Revelation 10:11-21; Acts 1:1-11). There will be many who will be left behind to face unspeakable horror and the unrelenting wrath of God for seven years, only to end up in the Lake of Fire for eternity. Jesus and His apostles told us to let our light shine (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 5:8; 1 John 1:7, 2:10, 15-16). We are to be holy, not “holier-than-thou”. Our lives need to be as brilliant and fiery as is a masterfully cut and mounted diamond, where the work and life we live for Christ in this ever-darkening world draws the sinner out of the darkness and into the light that is our Lord Jesus Christ. Be real and be ready, for our redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28).

Knowing Jesus is the true beginning of wisdom!

Ted
A NOTE:
Brothers and Sisters in Christ don't forget we battle on three fronts, the world and it's values, the flesh and it's desires and wants, and the devil who would do anything to disqualify and bring us to naught so we are ineffective in our witness. The good news is this: God's GRACE goes before us and His Holy Spirit will lead us out of the wilderness of sin if we will only ask. All our righteousness is filthy rags the word of God tells us but it is not about us. It is about what Jesus did on the terrible hill called Golgotha. Because he was the sinless lamb fit for the slaughter for us that all the SIN of the world was put on Him, he endured the cross, died and rose again VICTORIOUS over SIN and has the keys of death and hell in His hands. Glory to God in the Highest! Jesus did what we would never do for ourselves...