Fire of God

Our God is an all consuming fire, and fire is part of His creation.

God uses His fire as He pleases.

            "This description of God, as a consuming fire, is a description of His very nature. “Consuming fire” is God’s holiness manifested in judgment.  God’s glory, God’s holiness is likened to a devouring fire in, (Exodus 24:16, 17) “The glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.  And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel”.  God’s judgment is described as a consuming fire to destroy Israel’s enemies in the Promised Land.  We read in, (Deuteronomy 9:3) “Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is He which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire He shall destroy them (Israel’s enemies) and He shall bring them down before thy face: so shall thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee'".[1]

Deuteronomy 4:24 and 9:3

 

             Hebrews 12:29

The burning bush

God didn't send for a Yellow Cab when He wanted to bring Elijah to Heaven.

Elijah and Elisha were walking together, ^" And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.  And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.  And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.  He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over."[2]

With a Pillar of fire by night, and a pillar of cloud by day, God lead Israel though the wilderness.

How can God use fire?

 Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  1 Kings 18:25

^"Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.  Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:  And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answered by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.  And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.  And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleeps, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.  And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.  And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.  And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:  And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.  And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.  And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.  And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.  And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.  Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.  And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God."

The fire from Heaven consuming the offering, the wood, the stones and the water.

Meshach, Shadrach and Abendego

            The fire burnt off the ropes that bound Meshach, Shadrach, Abendego, while not burning them or their clothing. The fire was so hot that it killed the guards who threw them into it. There was a fourth man seen in the fire.

God spoke to Moses from a burning bush

Fires to avoid

  

Refining fire

The fire of the Holy Spirit

            Today, and since the time of the Pentecost, "let the fire fall" has a new meaning. I reference here the cloven tongues of the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, and His fire, are what Jesus promised He would send from the Father. Luke 3:16 tells us: "John (the baptizer) answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:"

   

1 Thessalonians 5:19 tells us: "Do not put out the Spirit's fire;"

  

The armor of God protects us from the fiery darts of the enemy.

         Ephesians 6:10-17

Ephesians 6:16 

Our desire for today: Lord please, help me live my life filled with you.

Jesus asked us to "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."[3]

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[1] http://www.christianmessenger.org/godisaconsumingfire.htm

[2] 2 Kings 2:8-14

[3] Mark 16:15-16

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When Is The Antichrist Coming?

          There seems to be some question about when the antichrist will appear. What you and I believe does not alter the truth. "People often only study that which they believe."[1]

          The spirit of antichrist has been in the world for almost 2,000 years. However, Satan has been around a lot longer than 2,000 years. The anti God spirit has been around since before Lucifer fell from Heaven. There couldn't be a spirit of antichrist before there was a revealing of Jesus, as the Christ. The spirit of antichrist is simply the Satanic/demonic attempts to thwart the will of God to have people accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Antichrist the man, is the one the Bible calls the great deceiver, His power will come from his devotion to Satan, as his lord. The false prophet will be the side kick of the antichrist.

          Could the LGBT movement, the world's abortion rate, the murderous ISIS movement, and the falling away of the church all be part of the preparation, to usher in the antichrist? The Bible says: "Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all"[2].

           The rapture (the catching away by Jesus of His believers, the translation of the believers to Heavenly realms, the rapio [Latin: to seize, to snatch away], seizing of God's people), I believe, will happen just prior to the reveling of the man Antichrist. For those left behind (after the rapture) the sign that the antichrist has appeared will be a treaty he signs with Israel for a 7 year period of peace. It is my belief that Israel will be attacked by it's surrounding nations, and whip them so severely that outsiders will be called in to bring about this peace treaty.

          It is impossible to say exactly when things will happen.  We go by the Julian calendar, while God apparently goes by the Hebrew Calendar.  The Hebrew calendar is mixed up so badly that we can't know exactly what day it is. Perhaps that is why we can't know the day or the hour of  the rapture or Jesus return. The Hebrew scholars say that the earth will last for three two thousand year periods, before the return of the Lord. Right now, we say the year is 2015AD, but the Hebrew calendar says its 5775. We now know, due to the discrepancies in all calendars, we have no idea what the actual date is.  

          What we do know is that there are no biblical prophesies left to be fulfilled before the beginning of the tribulation. No one is guaranteed a tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation.

For further information see -

http://www.thespiritsnestministries.com/2015/03/september-2015.html

http://www.thespiritsnestministries.com/2013/11/the-rapture.html

http://www.thespiritsnestministries.com/2015/03/a-word-for-bible-skeptics.html

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[1] Perry Stone

[2] Daniel 11:37

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The Bravest Man In History

          Obviously, the bravest man in history would be Jesus. However, He was not just a man, but was also God. He knew what he was in for, but came anyway. It's hard to even imagine that level of bravery.

          When Jesus was on the cross, He told the repentant thief that he would be with Him in Paradise - that day. The repentant thief knew he was going to die, whatever choice he made.

          Many people come to God at the last minute. My father was raised in what I assume to be a Christian home, because his grandfather was a minister. At 68 years old, in a hospital bed, he gave his life to the Lord. An Italian Catholic Christian barber friend of mine went to the hospital with me to visit my dad.  He cut his hair, shaved him, put on the aftershave and went to the foot of the bed.  He pointed to my dad and said: "you need Jesus". After realizing my dad was receptive he led him to the Lord. I got to pray with my dad one time before he died. He died a day and a half later.

          The man I am referring to, in this paper, is the one that was executed recently by ISIS.  He was on the beach, in an orange jump suit with 19 other men. They were on their knees in front of the ISIS murderers. The ISIS murderers went down the line offering to spare their life, if people would convert from Christianity to Islam. After the 19 Christians were all beheaded, because they wouldn't convert, they came to this man. He may or may not have been a Christian, but when he was questioned he said: "their God is my God" and consequently, they cut his head off. Is there anyone who would question where this man is living today? I don't know if the other prisoners had talked to him before this event, but he, at the last moment declared his God.

          Are there any of us who are strong enough, or brave enough, to hang next to Jesus and repent?  Are there any of us who would claim to be a Christian, knowing it would immediately cost us our head? I am not denigrating Jesus by calling this man the "Bravest Man In History", because he was just a man. He was not all man, and all God, like Jesus.

What makes the difference -

Matthew 16:24-26 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his tree of sacrifice, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Luke 12:16-21 "And he spoke a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Some other brave men in history -

Daniel 3:19-25 "Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace sone seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spoke, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

Daniel 6:16-23  Daniel was also given the chance to recant his God and escape execution. "Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom you serve continually, he will deliver thee. And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spoke and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocence was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God."

          Why were these men so brave?  It was because they knew God well enough to trust Him. All Bible believing, Born Again, Spirit filled Christians should have this same trust. A Christian should never be afraid of death. "To be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord."[1]

Philippians 1:20-21  "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

2 Corinthians 6:2

  "For Jesus said, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

          The first step, to salvation, this is the Born Again experience.[2] This involves the humbling of your spirit in order to repent of your sins. Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior is the second step[3]. Confessing before people is the third step[4]. Now it's time to grow in the Word[5], by the guidance of the Holy Spirit that has come to live in the Christian and a life of never ending love and education in what you have been  given, so freely by God.  Welcome to the family.

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[1] 2 Corinthians 5:8

[2] John 3:3

[3] John 3:16-18

[4] Romans 10:9-10

[5] 2 Timothy 3:16

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DUMBING DOWN: THE UNDOING OF AMERICA

          I began my time with the Lord this morning by reading a pamphlet from the group that is continuing with the ministry of D. James Kennedy.  This pastor has sense passed on to be with the Lord.  We began following his TV ministry about the year 1994.  We are of the opinion that he could pack more truth in twenty minutes than others can in a two hour sermon.  We always felt as though we had truly been filled with spiritual food that packed a wallop, giving godly nourishment to the depths of our spirit, being absorbed by every part of our being.  This must be that which is called a message delivered under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, in sharp contrast to a message that is delivered out of the heart of man, without the influence of the Lord.  The latter may or may not lead to truth; whereas the former always leads to the truth of the Lord, “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

          At any rate, the theme of the monthly pamphlet had to do with the dumbing down of the American education system which has steadily taken place, especially sense the 60’s, as a direct result of our courts passing laws which rule against God, taking God, prayer, and the Bible out of our schools.  Born in 1942 and working as a teacher during the mid 60’s through 2006, I have experienced and witnessed the positive advantages of living in a period when God was still allowed to have an influence upon children, and society at large.  In addition, I have also experienced and witnessed the devastating effects of the present period, during which nearly everything relating to God and His ways are rapidly being removed, to be replaced by secularism.  Having experienced first hand both ends of the spectrum, I know what has been lost.  In comparison, those who were born since the seventies, have no idea what previous generations had or what the present generation has lost. 

          In 1962, the Supreme Court banned school prayer (Engel v. Vitale).  In that same year, the Supreme Court ruled (Stone v. Graham) that the Ten Commandments could not be posted in classrooms, “for a child might read them, reflect upon them and then obey them.”  Isn’t that a profound statement?  In effect, they stated, and recognized the fact that the word of God may have the power to possibly transform minds and lives just by the reading of it.  Fearing even the possibility of God’s influence, the law removing the Ten Commandments was only one of many in a line of succession meant for the express purpose of eradicating the effects that God may have upon the minds of the children.  They (secular humanists) demand, “Don’t force your Jesus down our throats.”  Working to feverishly to remove all Judeo-Christian religious influence, they strive to give the secular humanist “religion” the power to mold the minds of all future generations. 

          How neatly and deceitfully have they accomplished their goal!  Through revisionist history, they have managed to remove all references to our Judeo Christian roots from our history books.  They wouldn’t dare let students know that the first textbook used in public schools was the Bible.  In 1830, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, published a letter which supported use of the Bible as a textbook. (“A Defence of the Use of the Bible as a School Book: Addressed to Rev. Jeremy Belknap of Boston, Mass. 1791)  Of course, the publishers of today’s history textbooks couldn’t possibly include many of the personal papers of our founding fathers; thereby, allowing the reader first hand knowledge of the many references to God and the Bible, for they too might have the effect of contradicting the goals of their secular humanist religion.  Isn’t it ironic that since God, prayer, and the Bible were removed from our schools since the 60”s, as of 1980, after 18 years of a steady decline, U.S. schools reported the lowest SAT scores ever.

          The following excerpt will demonstrate the decline in our educational system.  I copied the following information from the article that you may see for yourself just how much we have regressed.

 

 “The Dumbing Down of America” by D. James Kennedy, Ph.D.:

          “If you doubt that statistic by the historian, let me read you a sampling of the questions asked to sixth graders around 1908.

·        The orthography quiz asked us to “Spell twenty words, including elucidation and animosity.”

·        An arithmetic question asked us to “Find the interest on an 8% note for $900 running 2 years, 2 months, and 6 days.”

·        Among geography’s ten questions was, “Name two countries producing large quantities of wheat, two of cotton, and two of coal.”

·        In history we were to “Name the principal political questions which have been advocated since the Civil War, and the party which advocated each.”

          Somebody asked me, ‘Well, aren’t other countries going through the same thing?’  No, they are not.  In comparative examinations with the seventeen leading industrialized nations of the world, America came out last in two categories and first in none.  We have sunk beyond the educational level of Albania down to the educational level of Zambia and the Ivory Coast.

·        A lot of high school seniors can not find America on a world map.

·        If you think that’s bad, fifty percent of seventeen year-olds surveyed in one major city in America couldn’t tell where the Pacific Ocean was.  That city was San Francisco.

·        In all of California fifty percent of the seventeen year-olds surveyed did not know whether New York was east or west of California.

·        Many couldn’t find the Soviet Union on a world map some years ago when it existed.  One student said he knew it was somewhere near the Panama Canal… wherever that is.

Tragically, because of our education system, we are becoming a nation of dummies – the ignorant American.  The Bible tells us what we’re missing today: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

          From that same pamphlet, (Impact, Sept., 2015) the present state of our educational system was effectually summed up by the words of Darrel Scott, a father of one of the slain students of the Columbine massacre, when he testified before Congress:

“Your laws ignore our deepest needs,

Your words are empty air.

You’ve stripped away our heritage,

You’ve outlawed simple prayer.

Now gunshots fill our classrooms

And precious children die.

You seek for answers everywhere,

And ask the question “Why?”

You regulate restrictive laws

through legislative creed.

And yet you fail to understand

That God is what we need.”

          There are none so blind who will not see, the Bible tells us so.

“Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: and happy is he who keeps [God’s] law. (Prov. 29: 18)  He, who does not learn from past history, is destined to repeat it, both good and bad.  If we will not learn from past history, and take heed to what happened to Israel because they forgot God, we too are also doomed to experience God’s judgment just as they did.

America, America, the Great I Am Still Calls to Thee

Israel forgot God, seeking false gods of other nations.

Turning from God, she chose to play the Harlot.

She suffered God’s judgment; her people were dispersed,

And Israel became a nation without any home.

America likewise is forgetting God too.

We cry out “God Bless America,”

But defiantly declare “Repent? We will not!”

We clamor for His love and ask for all His blessings.

Obey Him? Forget that! Instead, we say “We will not!”

When confronted with our sinful ways,

We piously respond “Judge not lest ye be judged!”

To admit our need for Jesus, the Savior, and of course God’s redeeming Grace,

We prefer to smirk and vainly think “Our evil, He will see not!”

God is not a man that He should lie.

Blessings are promised, if we’d but trust in Him.

But curses will come, I’m sad to say,

As we trust in ourselves, and regrets, we have them not!

God is patient and long suffering too.

But He also knows,

With hearts cold and hardened,

His Holy Spirit, we choose to hear not!

America, America, you once believed.

But now, being stiff necked and haughty,

With scoffing lips, and fearing not,

You mock and say “The great I AM, who is He?”

Lost in darkness, pride, doubt, and unbelief,

Having no shame, you dare to exclaim

“Since my god is me, there is ‘no room’ for Thee!”

But even as my heart cries out,

I hear God call without a doubt.

Don’t give up yet, but come to me,

Get down upon your bended knee.

With prayer and faith, there still may be,

One last soul to win for me.

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What's On Your Mind?

"Your thoughts control your words,

Your words control your actions,

Your actions control your conduct,

And your conduct controls your destiny;

the destiny of your soul."[1]

          We, as Christians, need to learn to rejoice by choice. The Bible tells us that "all things work together for good, to them who trust in Him"[2]. Even the most devout Christians are sometimes subject to forms of anxiety, depression, and fear. We know that these are all attacks, on our mind, by the destroyer. At times, even Jesus was subject to emotion: He was angry enough to purge the temple twice; He wept; He was distressed in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He never faltered or gave up on Himself or His mission.

          It rains on the just and the unjust. Rain can be a metaphor for bad times, but at the same time can be good for our crops. "Falling down is not the problem; staying down is. You were created to be victorious!"[3]

          You, having the availability of the mind of Christ, have to make a choice of what path to follow. Do you depend on the Lord and rejoice in Him, or do you succumb to the attacks of Satan. We need to repent for those times when we let the cares of this world, and Satan's attacks, cause us to deviate from our faith in God's ability to see us through. Yes, we are all subject to mans weaknesses, but we all have the Lords strength, if we

will seek it. It takes practice, and learning to  listen, to enable the "Holy Spirit", who in dwells us, to guide us into all righteousness. Life in Christ is a daily growing process. We have to 'exercise' our mind in letting the Spirit guide us. God has given us the guidelines for overcoming whatever is affecting our minds: it is the Bible and we must immerse ourselves in it daily. All decisions, right or wrong, are ultimately up to us. "Lead me, O Lord, in the path of righteousness."[4]

          It has been said that depression is the number one emotional problem today. I believe that the number one problem is the lack of trust (faith) in the Lords ability to sustain us. Only through submersion in His Word, and diligent prayer can we become the 'over comers' He desires us to be. This does not come about instantly. It comes by practice, exercise of our

minds and by testing every spirit.

          Anger is a form of frustration brought about by what we see happening around us. We should not give in to anger, but rather guide those feelings into being guided by righteous indignation. Righteous indignation guides us to seek out God's answers.

Philippians 4:6-7

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Matthew 6:33

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

1 Peter 5:7

"Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you."

Philippians 1:6

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Psalm 43:5

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."

Psalm 19:14

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."

Psalm 39:23-24

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Philippians 2-4

"If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"

Isaiah 26:3

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee."

2 Timothy 1:7

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Romans 5:3-5

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

          Political correctness is poison to common sense. In today's world, we Christians are looked down on for following what the Bible says.  We are often called self righteous, bigots, intolerant and haters. It is that we are living by antiquated ideas. Following the Lord has always come at a price. Jesus told us that if they didn't respect Him, they wouldn't respect us. If we truly have this in our minds, we will be able to overlook these slurs. We should respect their right to believe, or not believe, as they please. The Lord has never forced anyone to follow Him. This is just another reason why we need the mind of Christ, by the Holy Spirit living in us.

          "In Psalm 73 Asaph divulges that he had struggled with a problem that is, most likely, common to us all. Asaph looked out at the world and saw that the wicked prosper!  Psalm 73:3 'For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.' Not only do the wicked prosper, 'they increase in riches' (Psalm 73:12). God seems to blesses the wicked even though they are wicked. I labor for the Lord everyday and yet I do not have what this wicked man has. Modern vernacular would phrase Asaph’s quandary as: 'Why does God allow bad things happen to good people?' or 'Why does God allow bad people to prosper?' "[5]

          Who, or what, is affecting your mind? The Bible tells us that we are to love God with all our body, mind, soul and spirit. If you submit your will to the mind of Christ, there will be no room for the Devil. If you are filled with the Spirit of God, there will be no empty spot for Satan to enter.

          Even the apple of God's eye had his problems. Nathan let King David know that God was not unaware of his sins of adultery and murder, but in his mind he must have thought God didn't know.

          Would you recognize Jesus if He was standing in front of you? When Jesus came walking on the water the apostles didn't recognize Him. On the road to Emmaus, the two men He was talking to didn't recognize Him. The Pharisee's and Sadducee's and the Romans didn't recognize Him, as God. He made His way through the crowd, who wanted to kill him, probably because most people didn't recognize Him. How can we expect people to respect our Christianity if they can't see Him in us? We don't exude Jesus juice you know. People have to recognize us as Christians by our words and actions.

          Jesus is not a respecter of persons. John 10:16 tells us: "other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." Some day, "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"[6]. It is our job to share the Good News (Gospel) to our relatives, friends and acquaintances about the Love and Salvation available through Jesus, But we must do it His way: present the facts and let the choice be up to them. Jesus didn't twist anyone's arm and neither should we.

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[1] Pastor John Hagee

[2] Romans 8:28

[3] Pastor John Hagee

[4] Psalm 5:8

[5] http://www.letsreasontogether.net/society/psalm-73-why-does-god-allow-the-wicked-to-prosper/

[6] Phil.10-11 

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