by David Brenneman
Have to say this began the night before. Seeing people on social media passing along Christian sounding things that certainly aren't Biblical.
In many ways things get passed along absent-mindedly, that is without thought to the consequences. We read in the Bible that every careless word will be reviewed. Giving an account of them. Matthew 12:36 NASB "But I tell you that for every careless word that people speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment."
We can unwittingly aid and abed the enemy of God by not thinking before we share something. Simply because it "sounds" Christian. Or feels good even. That way too lies gossip.
You really have to be careful. There's no joking around when the souls of people are on the line. We read about needing to beware of stumbling blocks. Especially of those who create them there appears to be greater condemnation. Matthew 18:7 NASB "“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes!"
1 Timothy 5:17 NASB "The elders who lead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching."
These men also have much required of themselves before God. It's an extremely serious business to be chosen by the Spirit to be a Preacher of the Word of God.
Many so-called preachers in so many places today mislead people because of everything from truly not believing in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, as the only way to salvation or they only preach what doesn't offend people. There's those who are outright false prophets and false teachers. People around them aren't wise enough in the Lord to see through them.
I was 100 percent convinced of false teachers first hand. We were in the midst of searching for a new church and one we decided to visit wasn't far from our house. We walk in an it looked nice n all but something wasn't right. The feelings we began to have brought nausea to us. I sought out the Pastor and his smile was warm enough. I went to shake his hand and the strangest thing happened. You may have seen a photo negative of someone? Well in the instant my hand grasped his I saw him in photo negative with a very evil grin on his face. The moment I let go I saw him as I had before.
Needless to say we didn't stay. God protected us that day. Evil can be in a church.
We must take every thought captive.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NASB "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete."
Realize well that we are in a Spiritual War.
Ephesians 6 tells of our armor. We indeed are compared to soldiers. Souls are at stake rather than real estate.
God's enemy indeed was defeated at the cross and he's definitely lost. However he's a sore loser. He intends to keep on fighting not for the souls of people, but to prevent them from coming to Christ. He wants the worship due only to God. He wants the Throne of God. We can unwittingly help him by indeed spreading things we ought not mention.
Look closely at your why's again. Why do you do what you do in your life? Are you at all living out what Jesus wants if you or are you living for self? Are you at all interested in the things of God about your own interests? Are you at all concerned about the lives of those around you? Do you intentionally not read your Bible? Do you go to other sources rather than the Bible and hold them to a higher standard than the Bible? Do you share things that aren't even half truths that only sound Biblical but you haven't checked? Do you spread things daring or honestly trying to goad others into sharing that really are a fabrication, a lie?
My Dear Reader, life isn't but a dream. Life is either living for Jesus or its not. Life is either spent in pursuit of self or in working out our sanctification in Christ Jesus.
Life of believers is to find others that are ready to come to Christ and show them the way.
Life isn't about going off and seeing the world in order to not do what the Spirit is calling us to be doing. That didn't fare well for Jonah. Life isn't pouring ourselves into work so much that we push God aside.
We who are in Christ will give an account of our deeds done in the body. Romans 14:12 NASB "So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God".
Our deeds will be tested as by fire. 1 Corinthians 3:13 NASB "each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work."
We are workers in His Harvest. We are in these fields we find ourselves in to be doing what we do as unto the Lord. Colossians 3:23-25 NASB "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For the one who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality."
See it yet, my Friend, of the seriousness of the life in which you and I live? Jesus can return at any moment. In the twinkling of an eye we can find ourselves who are Believers gone from this world. Our next steps are to be in the presence of Jesus. We will have our moment of accountability. Be given a glorified body, free from the death, sickness and illnesses of this world, free of our sin nature.
Do you really want to be careless about the words and thoughts you convey to others about the things of God and cause them to delay in coming to Christ for salvation? This world is not our home. We are passing through, trying to get others to join us by sharing the gospel with them. The good news that Christ died for them too, that salvation is free to all who believe.
We have no time and no room to be careless. We are warned by Jesus of casting our pearls before swine. That is to engage in useless discussions about the truths of God’s Word with people who absolutely will tear us to pieces. Satan out to destroy lives of people to keep them from salvation. He wants the glory of God for himself. Jesus called him a liar and the Father of lies. He is the deceiver. By no means is he ruling from Hell. Satan absolutely does not live there nor ever want to be there, he has never been there. Satan knows full well that Hell is for those who have rejected Christ Jesus for salvation and are living out the sentence given by God concerning that.
Dr. David Jeremiah said recently that indeed God does do miracles today. That indeed many have the faith to believe that healing can happen at the hands of God. However we should never try to schedule them. We shouldn't try to put God on a timetable to accomplish a healing by claiming it. We should never try claiming wealth or prosperity because we certainly were never promised that by God. If we are so blessed then so be it. We shouldn't try scheduling it.
War is war. Lives are always at stake. Yours and those around you. Most all the entertainment industry and social media are smoke and mirrors to keep our minds from what's really happening in this world.
Everything is going down that leads towards the 7 year Tribulation as written in the Word of God. We have a limited amount of time left to physically grow in respect to salvation. We have a limited amount of time left to truly preach the word in season and out of season. When people want to hear it or not.
Lastly: 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."
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