Month: February 2022

Has Satan Outsmarted Us?

Has Satan Outsmarted Us?

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NLT “When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, [11] so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.”

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The passage above refers to a man who Paul was telling the church to welcome back with open arms. Why? If you read 1 Corinthians chapter 5 you will find this man had to be excommunicated from the church. Why? Because he was having sex with his father’s wife. Yes. If you have time raed 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Some time had passed since the man had been put out of the church and the Holy Spirit was directing them through apostle Paul to now forgive him:😊

2 Corinthians 2:7-8 NLT “Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. [8] So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.”

WOW!😊 What a loving God we serve! He does not want any to be lost.😊

Psalm 103:10-14 NLT “He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. [11] For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. [12] He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. [13] The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. [14] For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.”

Sadly, there are some professing Christians who are really hard on others. Some have separated themselves or put others out of their churches over things God never commanded. (Jude 1:19) They do not have the Father’s forgiving spirit.😓 They have been outsmarted by Satan! And many of them don’t even know it.

Did you notice in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 the Holy Spirit said forgiving the man who had committed the sin with his father’s wife was necessary, “So that Satan will not outsmart us? For we are familiar with his evil schemes?”🤔 Yes, when we are unwilling to forgive we have been duped by the Devil. Unforgiveness is one of Satan’s schemes. It goes directly against the heart of God.

Matthew 6:14‭-‬15 HCSB “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.”

It doesn’t get any simpler than that. Then why is it so hard for some to forgive others wrongdoing even after being told by God they risk losing everything if they don’t forgive others? Satan has outsmarted them.😓 The deceitfulness of sin is wickedly powerful.

Some professing believers refuse to reconcile, or forgive, and think they have a good relationship with God!😳 It’s as if Matthew 6:14-15 doesn’t apply to them. Even in the face of this scripture and others like it they will justify why they hold a grudge. They have been blinded by the Devil. How sad.😓

Yes, when we are unwilling to forgive we have been duped by the Devil. Unforgiveness is one of Satan’s schemes.

Another reason I believe it’s very hard for some to forgive others is they are not conscious of their own sin.🤔 What I mean is they do not realize just how much we all have individually sinned against God. When we truly acknowledge how much we have sinned against God the sins and faults of others against us becomes very small. Jesus put it this way:

Matthew 18:21‭-‬35 LEB “Then Peter came up to him and said, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I will forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven! “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man—a king—who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. And when he began to settle them, someone was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents. And because he did not have enough to repay it, the master ordered him to be sold, and his wife and his children and everything that he had, and to be repaid. Then the slave threw himself to the ground and began to do obeisance to him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay back everything to you!’ So the master of that slave, because he had compassion, released him and forgave him the loan. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and taking hold of him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back everything that you owe!’ Then his fellow slave threw himself to the ground and began to implore him, saying, ‘Be patient with me and I will repay you!’ But he did not want to, but rather he went and threw him into prison until he would repay what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were extremely distressed, and went and reported to their master everything that had happened. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘Wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you implored me! SHOULD YOU NOT ALSO HAVE SHOWN MERCY TO YOUR FELLOW SLAVE AS I ALSO SHOWED MERCY TO YOU?’ And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the merciless jailers until he would repay everything that was owed. So also my heavenly Father will do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from your hearts!”

Can we afford not to be forgiving?😳 Is harboring bitter resentment towards others worth throwing it all away?😳 Should we not show mercy to others the same way God has shown mercy to us? (Colossians 3:13) If Satan has outwitted us through unforgiveness be honest to God about it and repent, please. He WILL forgive us.😊 Carrying a grudge is not worth throwing away our eternal soul.

James 2:13 NLT “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.”

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Sadly Many Christians Will Go To Hell?

Sadly Many Christians Will Go To Hell?

Matthew 7:21‭-‬23 GNB‬‬ “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. When Judgement Day comes, MANY will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’ “‬‬‬

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The above verse applies to Church folks, not the world. It is Christians who call Jesus Lord. It is Christians who speak Christ’s message, drive out demons, and perform miracles in His name. On judgment day many of them will be looking for a reward only to hear Jesus say, ‘Get away from me. I don’t know you.’ That’s got to be the most horrible feeling in the world! Because you know what comes next. That’s right, the fire.

Have you ever seen someone so deceived who thought they were right? It’s especially sad for me when that person professes to be a Christian. When we meet God at the judgment will we get a rude awakening? Can you imagine expecting to be rewarded by God only to receive His eternal curse? The above passage should make us test ourselves. If we think this could never happen to us we are already deceived and need to repent. Here’s one reason why many Christians are in danger of hearing those very unpleasant words from Jesus: “I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!”

UNFORGIVENESS

Something someone said or did to us has us so transfixed we choose not to get over it. We then start talking about the sins of the person(s) that offended us. We harp on their faults and shortcomings. This then turns into a habit. We’re now in more trouble than we know and aren’t even aware of it. We know that it’s wrong to highlight other people’s faults but we just can’t resist the temptation to voice our discontent and dissatisfaction for another Christian to another Christian. I ask you, would you want someone shining the spotlight on your sins, on your faults and shortcomings? Of course not. So are we following Jesus’ command to, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” when we keep talking about the sins of others? If this conduct continues over time our heart becomes hardened towards the individual that offended us. Yes, we begin to hate our brother or sister and often aren’t even aware of it. Our enemy the devil is very tricky. By now whatever the brother or sister did to us seems small compared to our problem. And all of this could have been avoided had we obeyed Jesus’ commandment to forgive.

Matthew 18:21-22 NIV “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” [22] Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Luke 17:3-4 NIV “So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. [4] Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ YOU MUST FORGIVE THEM.”

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NLT “When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, [11] so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.”

1 John 4:20 NIV “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

There’s a popular gospel song sung by a popular gospel artist, the chorus goes, “I don’t wonna love nobody but you, I don’t wonna love nobody but you, I don’t wonna love nobody, love nobody but you.” Sounds cute? They’re talking about loving God. Only problem is that’s not what God’s word teaches. God says there is no way you can love only Him and not love His children (your brothers and sisters) too. We’re a package deal. You must accept the whole package. Imagine telling a woman you are interested in marrying that has kids, “I don’t wonna love nobody but you. I don’t care to love your children too.” See how well that goes over.

Anyone who says they love God and does not love their brothers and sisters the Bible says is a liar. God says we cannot love only him, we must love His children too, our brothers and sisters.

1 John‬ ‭3:14-15‬ ‭KJV “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
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If something a brother or sister has done has hurt you so bad be honest about it. Also be honest with yourself if you’ve come to realize you haven’t forgiven them. All we have to do is repent guys. God will forgive us. 😃 If we do not repent of this sin believe it or not we are in danger of going to hell because we are not living in love. Jesus said:

Matthew‬ ‭5:21-22‬ ‭GNB “You have heard that people were told in the past, ‘Do not commit murder; anyone who does will be brought to trial.’ But now I tell you: whoever is angry with his brother will be brought to trial, whoever calls his brother ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Council, and whoever calls his brother a worthless fool will be in danger of going to the fire of hell.”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
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HELP THEM

If someone who claims to be a servant of Christ starts talking about how they have been hurt or offended by another brother or sister direct them to the words of their master Jesus Christ:

Matthew 18:15-18 KJV “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. [16] But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. [17] And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. [18] Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

This is how Jesus says to handle the situation. There is a three step process to resolving issues in God’s household; His church. And most of these can be squashed immediately if we follow the first step. If someone has sinned against us step one is to go to that brother or sister just the two of you alone and work it out with a view to reconciling or gaining good relations again with our brethren. Do not go telling everybody in the church first. According to Jesus’ words above we are getting way ahead of ourselves when we do that.

DO WE LOVE JESUS?

How many of us really love Jesus enough to obey what He says about solving issues between brethren? How many of us know that when we obey Jesus’ command in this regard we are keeping Satan out of our churches? And how many of us know that when we don’t obey Jesus in this regard we are inviting the Devil in? What’s interesting is often the person who offended us doesn’t even know they have deeply hurt us. That doesn’t make it right of course. They may in fact need correction so they don’t go around continually offending others. When we handle the situation the way Jesus says not only does the offender get the help they need but we are also freed from the damaging effects of bitterness and unforgiveness. We get healing too. 😊

John 14:23-24 NIV “Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”

If we’re guilty of not settling issues the way Jesus says let us repent please. Ask God for strength to approach the one who has offended us. And do this with a view toward reconciliation. Don’t approach someone and throw a temper tantrum. Sometimes we can just let things go. There’s no need to talk about it at all. But there are other times we may have been so deeply wounded we need to discuss the matter in the spirit Jesus says. God understands this. And has given us the perfect way to handle it. Let us not allow unforgiveness to cause us to go to hell.

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Do They Really Wonna Know?

Do They Really Wonna Know?

Titus 3:9 KJV “But avoid FOOLISH QUESTIONS, and genealogies, and CONTENTIONS, and strivings about the law; for they are UNPROFITABLE and vain.”

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When Satan asked Eve the famous question in the Garden Of Eden, did he really wonna know? (Genesis 3:1) Like their father the Devil there are folks who are skilled at asking questions; starting controversies, etcetera for the sole purpose of getting us to doubt our faith. Often they even pretend to be believers like you, then comes some weird question.😳??? I get this a lot and I got it the other day. A guy I met seemed very mild and friendly. He mentioned he had just come from a dinner ran by Christians who feed the community regularly which he attends on a regular basis. He raved about how good the food was and said he enjoyed the brief sermons they preach before dinner. Then his conversation suddenly turned to, “Many Christians are hypocrites.” But he sure likes those hypocrites food, smiling in their faces, pretending to like them. Now who’s really the hypocrite?🤔 (Jude 12 2 Peter 2:13) Then he asked me this question as if he fully supported what he was asking, “But some male and female Pastors are gay? What do you think about that?” I in turn asked him, “So do they believe in the Bible they preach and teach?” He said, “The Bible’s been changed over the years.” I said, “What it says about homosexuality it said from the beginning. So do they believe in the Bible they preach and teach?” He avoided my question again because he knew the point I was making which is: “You’re saying that so many Christians are hypocrites while the gay male and female Pastors you support don’t live by the Bible they teach. If they did they would have to renounce homosexuality. Does this not make them hypocrites too?” Hmmmmm.🤔

I asked the guy if he asked God his question and he said, “No.” I explained to him whenever I ask people this and they tell me, “No,” I wonder, Why are they asking me? I told him when people do this they really don’t want an answer, they’re just trying to prove a point. I then let him know I don’t engage in such arguments and debates, and that if he asks God his question with a sincere heart God will answer him not only regarding this but on many other things. He then started saying proudly, “Oh I already know the answer, blah blah blah…” You see:👀 he’s asking me a question he thinks he already knows the answer to. So why ask it? Because he only wants to argue and plant seeds of doubt about what the Bible says. This is his tactic for spreading false doctrine. His question was just a setup to draw me into a conversation then once he has my attention spread his false teaching. There are MANY like him. This is the same way the Devil setup Eve in the Garden. We are told to avoid strife and not to cast our pearls before swine for good reason. (Proverbs 9:7-9 Matthew 7:6)

Proverbs 20:3 NIV “It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.”

Like their father the Devil there are folks who are skilled at asking questions; starting controversies, etcetera for the sole purpose of getting us to doubt our faith. Often they even pretend to be believers like you, then comes some weird question.😳???

A few days later I saw this guy draw someone else into a similar conversation. He started off nice and friendly talking about religion then suddenly started saying Christians are hypocrites again. This is what he does. He’s on a mission. Many like him are. (1 Timothy 4:1-2) They are imposters and deceivers. It’s their job to get you and I to question our faith and feel like we have to prove ourselves to them. One way they do this is by pointing out any negatives done in the name of Christianity. Sadly, there’s some truth in their statements but it’s nothing new. Jesus Christ Himself repeatedly said many claiming to follow Him would be false. (Matthew 7:21-23) And Jesus’ words are always true.

Yeah, there are some who will point out all the faults of phony and real Christians then say that’s why they are not Christians. But I’ve never heard anyone say, “I don’t wonna be rich because many rich people are ruthless, and many of them are hypocrites.”🤔 I’ve never heard anyone say, “I don’t wonna be pretty, or beautiful, or handsome, because many of those folks are conceited and fake.”🤔 I’ve never heard people say, “You know, I’m not going to the car lot and buy a new car because so many car salesman are crooked, liars,” etcetera. I only hear this reasoning when it comes to Christianity. Hmmmmmm,🤔 sounds like an excuse.

THE BEST EXAMPLE

The best example for answering questions about God is Jesus Christ. Studying Him in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; seeing how He skillfully answered and refuted friend and foe alike is priceless. There are times Jesus gave no answer at all to people’s questions because Jesus knew they were not sincere. (Matthew 21:23-27) There are times Jesus’ answers or responses stunned folks but they were the truth. (John 8:3-11 John 6:52-69) The more we grow in following Jesus the better we will be at giving the right answer at the right time.

Proverbs 25:11 KJV “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”

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We Are Not Fighting Humans

We Are Not Fighting Humans

Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. [12] For WE ARE NOT FIGHTING AGAINST FLESH-AND-BLOOD ENEMIES, but against EVIL RULERS and AUTHORITIES of the unseen world, against MIGHTY POWERS in this dark world, and against EVIL SPIRITS in the heavenly places.”

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Doesn’t this explain the bizarre behaviors of our persecutors? “WE ARE NOT FIGHTING AGAINST FLESH-AND-BLOOD ENEMIES.” There are evils people do that defy all humanity (and humanity is pretty evil). These evils are of another sort, they are demonic. The outward appearance looks human, but it’s not. Evil spirits use human bodies and hide behind their faces.🧑

The Bible says we are fighting, “Against EVIL RULERS and AUTHORITIES of the UNSEEN world, against MIGHTY POWERS in this dark world, and against EVIL SPIRITS in the heavenly places.” The UNSEEN forces of Satan are IN THIS WORLD waging war against us. But remember, they’re not, “Flesh and blood enemies,” the Bible says.🤔 I think this is why it’s sometimes hard to spot them. I also believe this is why it’s hard to think of one of these, “Evil rulers,” “Authorities,” “Mighty powers,” or, “Evil spirits,” as your girlfriend, or your boyfriend, or your best friend. They’re flesh and blood; they’re human, right? Plus their handsome or pretty, and they make us feel good (sometimes). How could they be one of these evil entities or any part of them? I don’t claim to fully understand this guy’s but I will use a true experience of mine to try to explain:

SHE TURNED INTO AN EVIL DARK FIGURE

I had backslidden hard years ago and was in a fornication relationship with a woman for about a year. God mercifully, and miraculously got my attention one day and let me know I was as good as dead if I did not repent. Long story short after picking up my Bible again (something I hadn’t done in a year), styudying it DAILY again, begging for God’s help to get out of that relationship, and begging for forgiveness for my sins, I felt my strength returning to me. God also let me know I was forgiven but of course I had to break off the relationship. God also revealed to me the lady I was sleeping with was a practicing witch.😳 It took about 2 weeks for me to be ready to break it off for good, but it wasn’t an easy 2 weeks (lots of spiritual warfare). Now I know I was fighting much more than my own evil desires, and an evil woman. I went to her home. I remember very calmly telling her why I’m breaking up with her; that this is wrong, it’s a sin against God, and so forth. And I let her know that God revealed to me she had been putting witchcraft on me. She never denied it either. Then as I was speaking her entire body changed in an instant before my eyes into an evil looking dark figure. I could only see the whites of her eyes! Everything else was pitch black, a darkness I had never seen before.😳 I had to be under the control of the Holy Spirit while this took place because I didn’t get scared or react in any way, I just kept talking as if I had seen nothing. But I was in silent amazement at what my eyes were beholding. Then suddenly she turned back into her normal, human looking self. Again, I had no fear or didn’t react, I just kept talking. A couple of minutes later it happened again! She instantly turned into the dark, black figure. Only this time the chair she (or it) sat in slowly turned pith black, then the darkness spread slowly to the carpet, then to the other furniture in the room until it was all just darkness, like something you’d see in a horror movie. Again, I had no fear or reacted in any way, but just kept talking as if I had seen nothing (silently amazed). Then she instantly turned back into her human looking self again and everything else in the room; the floor, the furniture also reappeared as normal.😳 (Proverbs 5:3-8) You know, that happened a little over 20 years ago and I think I’m just starting to understand somewhat what God was showing me. Back then I thought God was showing me a vision of how dark she was metaphorically. Now, I firmly believe God was showing me what or who she really is.🤔 (Proverbs 2:18-19)

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Evil spirits use human bodies and hide behind their faces.🧑

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SATAN’S KINGDOM CAN BE SOPHISTICATED

Unseen, “Rulers,” “Powers,” “Authorities,” “Evil spirits,” can be anything or anyone. They don’t have to work only through humans in high places. The Bible never said that. The Bible says they have high rank in their unseen realm. But they can come through your boss, your coworker, school teacher, your doctor, your spouse, your baby sitter, your favorite beautician, your Pastor, your favorite neighborhood store clerk. Again, although these beings are in, “High places, they can and do come through the lowest of places on earth to engage us in spiritual battle. They can even be found among the homeless, yes. Satan reads the Bible too. He knows most of God’s chosen people are among the poor by the world’s standards. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29 James 2:5 Revelation 2:9) So what sense would it make for him to station all of his most powerful troops in high places of human society? Yes, the rich run the world, I know. And yes, from there you can influence the fate of billions of people especially the poor by passing laws and doing other things that mainly affect them, I get that. But do you think that’s the only way Satan attacks God’s people? Just look at what Satan did with Judas. He had one of his own right there among them the whole time and the disciples never knew it!😳 Jesus knew of course but they never had a clue until it was time for him to be revealed.

The Devil engages us in battle daily through our day to day associations, (Revelation 12:17) not only through the high ranking human powers to be. He uses all people, places, and things. So choose wisely. I believe many of us are fighting and have fought very powerful, “Rulers,” “Principalities,” “Mighty Powers,” and, “Evil spirits,” from the dark, unseen realm without even knowing it. (Ephesians 6:12) What do you think pornography is? Only our evil lusts? What do you think lying and stealing are? Do you think all anger is just emotions? We don’t have to know (and shouldn’t want to know) all of the intricacies of the dark side. All we have to know is JESUS!😊 He is our defense. Learning and obeying His commands is our only weapon in this war. (Matthew 7:24-27) May we put on and keep on the complete suit of armor from God! Take nothing for granted! That can prove to be deadly.😳

DANIEL 2:43 THE MYSTERY HYBRID KINGDOM

Daniel 2:43 KJV “And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.”

According to the prophecy God gave Daniel the last kingdom to rule the world would be a hybrid one; a mixture of iron and clay, “They,” mingled, “with the seed of men.” There is much speculation as to who, “THEY,” are. But we do have a record in Genesis chapter 6 of the Nephilim in the earth during the days of Noah when the sons of God (fallen spirit sons of God) cohabited with women on earth producing a hybrid offspring.😳 These beings ruled the word. Mankind was totally ruined, his way being utterly wicked. God destroyed all mankind back then by a worldwide flood and saved only Noah (a righteous man), his wife, his 3 sons, and their wives. (Genesis Chapter 6-7) There are some who believe something similar has already taken place in our day or is taking place as we speak which explains the excessive evil times we’re living in similar to Noah’s day. And isn’t it interesting that we find ourselves literally in the last days spoken by Jesus Christ? (Matthew Chapter 24, Luke Chapter 21, Mark Chapter 13) This time God says He will destroy the world by fire.🤔 (2 Peter 3:10-12)

When it comes to who’s who, or who’s what, in Satan’s kingdom remember, his main government is, “Of the unseen world.” But God does give us lists of individuals throughout His word to look out for who are of Satan’s kingdom. In other words, we can know when we’ve made contact with the Devil’s government:

2 Peter 2:12‭-‬15 HCSB “But these people, like irrational animals — creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed — speak blasphemies about things they don’t understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed, suffering harm as the payment for unrighteousness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions as they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery and are always looking for sin. They seduce unstable people and have hearts trained in greed. Children under a curse! They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.”

2 Timothy 3:1‭-‬5 HCSB “But know this: Difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!”

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Is God’s Love And Grace Misunderstood?

Is God’s Love And Grace Misunderstood?

GOD’S GRACE DOES NOT MAKE US LESS LIABLE

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Hebrews 2:2-3 HCSB “For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.”

Hebrews 10:26-29 KJV “For IF WE SIN WILFULLY after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth NO MORE SACRIFICE FOR SINS, [27] But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. [28] He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: [29] OF HOW MUCH SORER PUNISHMENT, SUPPOSE YE, SHALL HE BE THOUGHT WORTHY, WHO HATH TRODDEN UNDER FOOT THE SON OF GOD, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”

Romans 2:4 HCSB “Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that GOD’S KINDNESS IS INTENDED TO LEAD YOU TO REPENTANCE?”

Titus 2:11-12 NIV “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. [12] It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”

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The purpose of God’s grace is to lead one to repentance; a change of heart and mind. The grace of God teaches us to say, “No,” to sin, not, “Yes,” to it. It does not tell us that God loves us unconditionally, hence it’s ok to sin more. It does not say, “Do as thou wilt,” as Alister Crowley said. God’s grace does not tell us there are no rules, no actions or works that are wrong. Or that striving to please God is a moot point since He loves us unconditionally. I’ve heard people make these claims. How wrong they are! They say God does not reward the righteous or the wicked. What a sad reward awaits them if they do not repent.😢 They want to be so free from God’s righteous judgment yet they have brought it on themselves:

Jude 1:4 NLT “I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

THEIR CONDEMNATION (JUDGMENT) WAS RECORDED LONG AGO

Interestingly everyone I’ve met who thinks God’s grace is an excuse for loose conduct has a serious problem with fear of being judged.🤔 They are HORRIFIED of it. They often say things like, “Don’t judge me,” or express wanting to live FREE to do whatever they want without anyone judging them. If someone disagrees with them or offers counsel they throw a tantrum. If their way was right, why would they be so afraid of being judged for it?🤔 It’s because their way is not loving or right. If it was there would be no fear of judgement. (1 John 4:18) Their way is selfish. It is filled with envy and strife. It’s lower wisdom, which is earthly, sensual, and demonic. (James 3:14-16)

I believe some do misunderstand God’s grace. Some are young in their faith and are still learning about God’s marvelous grace. Others for whatever reason simply misunderstand it. But then there are others who use God’s Love and grace to whitewash their sins. They say things like, ‘Since God loves us unconditionally it doesn’t matter what we do.’ They quote scripture one moment then speak against them the next. They use or talk about God when it’s convenient then oppose him in the next breath. It sounds like they are spiritually bipolar; double-tongued, double hearted, and double-minded, going from one extreme to the other:

James 1:7-8 KJV “For let, not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. [8] A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

HOW DOES ONE BECOME THIS WAY?

Yes, there are some who willfully sin, and say that it’s ok for us to use our bodies sexually as we please and the like. When you read the next passage believe and accept only what God says about such people:

Romans 1:18-32 HCSB “For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen. This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. For even their females exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. The males in the same way also left natural relations with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error. And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. Although they know full well God’s just sentence — that those who practice such things deserve to die — they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.”

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